Abstract
Online activity serves different purposes, one of them being communication and social interaction. Studies have demonstrated that individuals tend to display online behavioral patterns that are similar to their social groups; also there is some evidence that individuals who have interaction difficulties in real life (e.g., social anxiety) might engage more in online behavior. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relationship between self-reported time spent online, descriptive social norms, and social anxiety symptoms in a sample of 356 Albanian University students. Participants were recruited online. Results showed a significant predictive model for self-reported time spent online, F (7,342)=48.99, p<.001, R2=.50. Age, gender, and the four social anxiety components were not significant predictors; only descriptive norms had a significant effect, β=.70, p<.001. Results are in line with the social normative approach to internet use and have several implications which are discussed in the paper.
Highlights
The widespread use of the internet has affected the dynamics of social relationships and communication patterns especially among youth
Descriptive analyses revealed that students reported a mean time spent online of 2 hours/day (M=2.00, SD =.89), whereas the mean time reported for others, i.e., descriptive norm, was M=2.40 hours/day, SD=
The only significant influence on time spent online, was that of descriptive social norms. These results are in line with a social influence approach to explaining online behavior; participants reported that the online behaviors of their partners, peers, friends, siblings were highly similar to theirs
Summary
The widespread use of the internet has affected the dynamics of social relationships and communication patterns especially among youth. The excessive time spent online during this developmental stage, represents a growing concern, both in terms of its impact on quality of life (interference with everyday functioning) and the greater risk for addiction. It is important to investigate patterns of internet use, in regard to the specific functions it fulfills during this developmental stage. Internet use in Albania has become quite widespread among different age groups. This phenomenon has been accompanied by growing concerns regarding negative consequences such as, gaming addiction, online sexual harassment, view of inappropriate content (for children) etc. Research on internet use patterns is still in its infancy as data comes mainly from organizations such as UNICEF and World Vision and focuses on children and adolescents. No research has been conducted among young adults, and there has been no examination of theoretical constructs related to the specific behavior (in addition to frequency and prevalence data)
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