Abstract
Online communication applications such as Facebook, WhatsApp, and Twitter are some of the most frequently used Internet applications. There is a growing amount of individuals suffering diminished control over their use of online communication applications which leads to diverse negative consequences in offline life. This could be referred to as Internet-communication disorder (ICD). The current study investigates the role of individual characteristics (e.g., psychopathological symptoms, feelings of loneliness) and specific cognitions. In a sample of 485 participants a structural equation model was tested to investigate predictors and mediators which may predict an excessive use. The results emphasize that a higher level of social loneliness and less perceived social support enhance the risk of a pathological use. The effects of psychopathological symptoms (depression and social anxiety) as well as individual characteristics (self-esteem, self-efficacy, and stress vulnerability) on ICD symptoms are mediated by Internet-use expectancies and dysfunctional coping mechanisms. The results illustrate mediation effects which are in line with the theoretical model by Brand et al. (2016). As suggested in the model social aspects seem to be key predictors of ICD symptoms. Further research should investigate convergent and divergent factors of other types of specific Internet-use disorders.
Highlights
In everyday life, the Internet is an expedient tool to search for information, to shop online and it serves to communicate with individuals all over the world
Given the literature on the importance of social cognitions for social networking sites (SNS) use as postulated by Brand et al (2016), we argue that the effect of social cognitions on Internet-communication disorder (ICD) symptoms is only partially mediated by coping style and expectancies
The proposed structural equation model on latent variable with ICD symptoms (s-IAT-com) as dependent variable showed a good fit with the data
Summary
The Internet is an expedient tool to search for information, to shop online and it serves to communicate with individuals all over the world. The easy access and the increasing use of smartphones enhance the popularity of social networking sites (SNS), such as Facebook, and further communication applications, such as Instagram, Twitter, and WhatsApp (Wu et al, 2013). All these applications enable interaction with other people, effectively interaction is a main characteristic of these tools as part of social media. This definition contains key elements such as user-generated value or masspersonal communication, which are parts of professional network sites, chatboards, or discussion forums (Carr and Hayes, 2015)
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