Mobile Internet Use Research Articles

Prevalence of Digital Technology Use in Individuals Applying to Psychiatry Outpatient Clinic

Abstract Objective: Digital technologies aid in remote patient monitoring, data collection, psychoeducation, self-help applications, disease recognition, and awareness enhancement. However, literature on the utilization of digital technologies among psychiatric patients is scarce. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of digital technology usage among patients attending psychiatric outpatient clinics and compare usage patterns across different diagnoses. Materials and Methods: Between September-November 2023, 500 patients who applied to XXXXX University Faculty of Medicine Psychiatry Outpatient Clinic as outpatients and volunteered to participate in the study were included in the study. After the psychiatric interviews were completed, a questionnaire was filled out asking about the characteristics of the use of mobile technologies, internet, social media, and health applications. Results: Of the study group, 69.4% were female (n=347) and the mean age was 33.9 (±13.01) years. The educational status of 50.4% of the participants was university or master's degree. While 96% of the participants used smartphones, 16% used wearable technology (n=80). Internet usage rate was 94.8% and social media usage rate was 91%. When 251 people who did not use any health application but would like to use one were asked which features they would like to have in the application they would like to use, 78.8% stated that they would like to create an appointment, 67.7% would like an appointment time reminder, 59.7% would like drug side effect query, 55.7% would like their physician to have access to their health information, and 54.9% would like online psychotherapy. Conclusions: The prevalence of smartphone and internet use among patients applying to psychiatry is similar to the national population. There is an unmet need in terms of health applications for the psychiatric patient group. When looking at the desired characteristics of health applications, it should be taken into account that there are different demands in psychiatric diagnosis groups.

Effects of mobile Internet use on the health of middle-aged and older adults: evidences from China health and retirement longitudinal study

The rapid development of digital technology has radically changed people’s lives. Simultaneously, as the population is rapidly aging, academic research is focusing on the use of Internet technology to improve middle-aged and older people’s health, particularly owing to the popularity of mobile networks, which has further increased the population’s accessibility to the Internet. However, related studies have not yet reached a consensus. Herein, empirical analysis of the influence of mobile Internet use on the subjective health and chronic disease status of individuals in their Middle Ages and above was conducted utilizing ordered logit, propensity score matching (PSM), and ordered probit models with data from the 2020 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study. The study aimed to provide a theoretical basis and reference for exploring technological advances to empower the development of a healthy Chinese population and to advance the process of healthy aging. The health of middle-aged and older adults mobile Internet users was greatly improved, according to our findings. Further, the use of mobile Internet by these persons resulted in improvements to both their self-assessed health and the state of their chronic diseases. As per the findings of the heterogeneity analysis, the impact of mobile Internet use was shown to be more pronounced on the well-being of middle-aged persons aged 45–60 years compared to those aged ≥ 60 years. Further, the endogeneity test revealed that the PSM model could better eliminate bias in sample selection. The results suggest that the estimates are more robust after eliminating endogeneity, and that failure to disentangle sample selectivity bias would overestimate not only the facilitating effect of mobile Internet use on the self-assessed health impacts of middle-aged and older adults, but also the ameliorating effect of mobile Internet use on the chronic diseases of middle-aged and older adults. The results of the mechanistic analysis suggest that social engagement is an important mediating mechanism between mobile Internet use and the health of middle-aged and older adults. This implies that mobile Internet use increases opportunities for social participation among middle-aged and older adults, thereby improving their health.

Social rights in relation to digitalization, mobile phone, and internet use – experiences of women in homelessness: a qualitative study

ABSTRACT Given the fact that women in homelessness face considerable health inequities, the question of how digitalization can be understood in relation to social rights and right to health surfaces. The objective of this qualitative interview study was to explore the use of mobile phones and internet for women experiencing homelessness. Women (n = 26) shared experiences of healthcare access by using a mobile phone or internet. Data were analyzed using NVivo software. The results are presented in two themes: Conditions and circumstances of having a mobile phone; and Structural and intrapersonal challenges affecting social rights. The results show that digitalization actively influenced everyday life for women experiencing homelessness. Whether women wanted it to or not, digitalization presents a line of demarcation for participation and inclusion or exclusion, in health- and social-care services.

The Role of Internet and Social Interactions in Advancing Waste Sorting Behaviors in Rural Communities

Addressing the global challenge of sustainable waste management, this research investigates the influence of social dynamics and digital connectivity on rural residents’ willingness to adopt waste classification practices, essential for sustainable environmental management. Through a comprehensive analysis of 5413 rural participants surveyed in the China Labor-force Dynamic Survey (CLDS), this study employs a novel mixed-methods approach. It integrates quantitative analysis with the Manski social interaction framework and a Recursive Bivariate Probit model to explore the intricate interplay between community interactions, internet access, and environmental behaviors. Our methodology stands out for its unique combination of social theory and econometric modeling to address a pressing environmental issue. Results highlight a significant effect of mobile internet use and social interactions within communities on enhancing willingness towards waste classification. Notably, digital connectivity emerges as a key facilitator of environmental engagement, mediating social influences, and fostering a collective approach to waste management. Considering these insights, we propose targeted policy interventions that blend digital strategies with traditional community engagement efforts. Recommendations include crafting digital literacy programs and leveraging social media to bolster community-centric environmental governance. By harnessing the synergistic potential of digital tools and social dynamics, these strategies aim to elevate the effectiveness of waste classification initiatives in rural China, offering a scalable model for environmental sustainability.

Nexus between information and communication technologies and life expectancies of low-income countries: Does technological advancement increase their life span?

Access to state-of-the-art infrastructure is inevitable for a higher standard of living for the people of any country. At least, this has been the case for developed countries. This study investigates the link between information and communication technologies (ICT) and life expectancy at birth (LEB) among low-income countries. We use panel data of low-income countries from 2000 to 2017 from the comprehensive World Bank dataset. Our analysis strategy includes employing Driskol and Kraay methodology and feasible generalized least squares to tackle cross-sectional dependence. Furthermore, we also employ the instrumental variable technique to deal with the endogeneity problem. We found that a rise in mobile internet use and Mobile Cellular Subscriptions led to improved LEB among low-income countries. On the contrary, the rise in fixed telephone subscriptions had a negative empirical effect on reducing LEB—however, the magnitude of the effect ranged between 0% and 4%.

Impact of mobile Internet use on health-seeking behaviors: evidence from China.

Although health-seeking behaviors are crucial to China's healthcare delivery system, the influence of mobile Internet use in this context remains under-explored. This study aimed to comprehensively explore the influence of mobile Internet use on health-seeking behaviors, and meticulously examined the heterogeneity in health outcomes associated with the intersection between mobile Internet use and health-seeking behaviors. We used nationally representative data derived from the China Family Panel Studies. Given that individuals typically make the decision to use mobile Internet autonomously, an instrumental variable regression methodology was adopted to mitigate potential selection biases. Our findings revealed that mobile Internet use significantly promoted self-medication and adversely affected the use of primary care facilities among Chinese adults. Furthermore, our findings highlighted the heterogeneous effects of mobile Internet use across diverse health demographic groups. These findings underscore the importance of strategic planning and utilizing mobile Internet resources to steer individuals toward more appropriate healthcare-seeking behaviors.

Sustainable Modelling of Industrial Wastewater Discharges with Big Data Technology

In recent years, with the development of society, the concept of China’s smart city has been sustained development, and sewage treatment, as an important part of urban management, is also developing in the direction of intelligence. With the introduction of the concept of intelligent water, sewage treatment combined with big data, global cloud computing, Internet of Things, mobile Internet and other information technology in-depth use, sewage treatment intelligent control system came into being. The application of big data has made this problem alleviated to a certain extent. The big data referred to here refers to the screening, statistics, analysis, etc. of massive data based on cloud storage and cloud computing platforms, which ultimately results in a set of information with important value. This paper is based on big data technology for industrial wastewater in-depth research and analysis, and adhere to the new era of sustainable development model of industrial wastewater research, for the new integration of people in the field of new exploration and research.

THE ROLE OF SOCIAL MEDIA COMMUNICATION IN THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN WIDOWHOOD AND DEPRESSIVE SYMPTOMS

Abstract Losing a spouse is one of most painful experiences in adulthood; widowed adults often suffer from psychological difficulties. Scholars have examined how social support from close relationships such as family members and friends plays a protective role in the context of spousal loss. Given that the use of mobile technologies and internet became an important way to engage with social relationships, it is crucial to investigate the role of social media communication in the bereavement process. This study examined the moderating effects of social media communication in the association between widowhood and depressive symptoms, comparing different types of social media communication—chatting/messaging (e.g., iMessage), social media (e.g., Facebook), video-sharing (e.g., YouTube), and online community platforms (e.g., forums). From the 2021 Korea Social Integration Survey, we analyzed a sample of 5,238 respondents (aged 40+) who were ever-married. Our regression models showed that widowed respondents (9.79%) were likely to have more depressive symptoms (B = 0.19, p < .001) than non-widow(er)s; all types of social media communication were associated with fewer depressive symptoms, regardless of widowhood. We also found that two types of social media communication moderated the association between widowhood and depressive symptoms; such that widowed respondents who used social media (B = -0.08. p =.002) and online community platforms (B = -0.05. p = .038) more frequently had fewer depressive symptoms, compared to their counterparts. Our findings highlight the importance of examining social engagement via information and communication technologies and the potential mechanism contributing to widowed adults’ well-being.

Mobile Internet Use and Life Satisfaction Among Older Adults: The Moderating Effect of Living Alone.

This study, informed by the principle of the Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, evaluated the relationships between mobile internet use frequency, living arrangement, and life satisfaction in older adults. We used data from the 2021 Digital Divide Survey in South Korea, conducting a secondary analysis on 2105 participants aged 65 or above who accessed the internet in the last month. Multiple linear regression models were performed. Compared to the older adults who lived with others, those living alone showed a stronger positive association between their use of the mobile internet for daily services, information production and sharing, social participation, and life satisfaction. These findings align with the principle of the COR theory, suggesting that older adults living alone due to a loss in resources are more likely to benefit from mobile internet use, indicating the potential effectiveness of promoting mobile internet use as a strategy to enhance their life satisfaction.

Information technology and financial development for achieving sustainable development goals

The present study aims to answer the question of the effectiveness of information and communication technologies (ICT) and financial development in achieving sustainable development goals (SDGs). Specifically, it examines the joint effects of ICT (mobile phone and internet use) and eight financial sector development indicators on achieving economic, social, and environmental sustainability in light of the SDGs using data from 48 Sub-Saharan African countries. Using the system Generalized Method of Moments, we found that (i) the four dimensions of financial development and both indicators of ICT increase economic, social, and environmental sustainability, (ii) increasing the access to mobile phones and the use of Internet contributes to the development of the financial sector, (iii) the contribution of financial sector development on the achievement of the SDGs increases with the presence of ICT. The study calls on policymakers to consider the diffusion of ICT and the advantages they offer in elaborating measures for achieving sustainable development goals.

Research on Microteaching Mode of College English Courses Based on Regression Network Models

Abstract This paper determines the solution vector of ELT proficiency constraint covariates using the correlation fusion approach, the proficiency prediction control objective function is constructed, and the education process’ quantitative recursive properties are discovered. The K-means algorithm is employed to obtain the predicted values of the resource limitation vector for ELT competence assessment, obtain the similarity of the distribution of teaching resources, combine linear regression grouping and integrate the ranking parameters for ELT competence assessment, obtain the characteristics of the data probability density, and finish evaluating the teaching model. The results show that the maximum utilization value reaches 99.03% by assessing English teaching ability through the K-means algorithm and linear regression, which indicates that the reasonable use of mobile Internet can enhance students’ English teaching level and ensure the efficiency of teaching resources utilization.

Geofencing in location-based behavioral research: Methodology, challenges, and implementation

This manuscript presents a novel geofencing method in behavioral research. Geofencing, built upon geolocation technology, constitutes virtual fences around specific locations. Every time a participant crosses the virtual border around the geofenced area, an event can be triggered on a smartphone, e.g., the participant may be asked to complete a survey. The geofencing method can alleviate the problems of constant location tracking, such as recording sensitive geolocation information and battery drain. In scenarios where locations for geofencing are determined by participants (e.g., home, workplace), no location data need to be transferred to the researcher, so this method can ensure privacy and anonymity. Given the widespread use of smartphones and mobile Internet, geofencing has become a feasible tool in studying human behavior and cognition outside of the laboratory. The method can help advance theoretical and applied psychological science at a new frontier of context-aware research. At the same time, there is a lack of guidance on how and when geofencing can be applied in research. This manuscript aims to fill the gap and ease the adoption of the geofencing method. We describe the current challenges and implementations in geofencing and present three empirical studies in which we evaluated the geofencing method using the Samply application, a tool for mobile experience sampling research. The studies show that sensitivity and precision of geofencing were affected by the type of event, location radius, environment, operating system, and user behavior. Potential implications and recommendations for behavioral research are discussed.

Dynamic graph neural network-based fraud detectors against collaborative fraudsters

Telecom fraud detection is a challenging task since the fact that fraudulent behaviors are hidden in the vast amount of telecom records. More concerning, the ongoing coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) accelerated the use of mobile internet, providing more criminal opportunities for fraudsters. However, current telecom fraud detection mostly focuses on individual sequences representation, rarely noticing the collaboration of fraudsters, making it exhibit unsatisfactory performance in the face of gang crimes. To address this problem, we propose to extract collaborative networks from user call logs with an emphasis on unveiling collaborative fraud. We employ eight months of telecom datasets in China with 6,106 users and 5.0 million call logs between 1.25 million telephone recipients. Through our study, we find that the social structure of fraudsters evolute rapidly while the normal users remain stable relatively. In addition, we find that mining collaborative fraud strategies help to detect fraudsters with less distinct fraud characteristics. To this end, we propose a novel model named COllaborative-REsistant Dynamic Graph Neural Network (CORE-DGNN), to enhance the dynamic GNN aggregation process. Specifically, we first use co-recipients to obtain the collaborative network under each time slice. Then, we design a multi-frequency graph neural network to adaptively aggregate the features of node neighbors at different frequencies to address the problem of heterophily in collaborative networks. Finally, a self-attentive temporal convolutional network is designed to aggregate node embedding features across multiple time spans. Comprehensive experiments on two real-world telecom fraud datasets show that our approach outperforms several state-of-the-art algorithms.

Exploring internet addiction and its associated factors among college students in Western Rajasthan, India: A mixed-methods study.

With near universal use of internet by college students, there is propensity for internet addiction (IA) among them. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence and predict the factors for internet addiction among college students in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India, and qualitatively explore the factors associated with internet addiction. Explanatory sequential (QUAN-QUAL) mixed-methods design was used. A cross-sectional questionnaire-based survey was conducted among three streams of undergraduate colleges (health, engineering, and others). Survey instruments included Young's internet addiction test (IAT), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) Items. Focus group discussions (FGDs) and in-depth interviews (IDIs) among the students with mild-to-moderate levels of addiction were conducted to understand the reasons for excessive internet use. The prevalence of internet addiction (IA) among the college students was 51% and the rates for mild, moderate, and severe addiction were 31.8%, 18.5%, and 0.7%, respectively. Predictors of IA were male gender, age in years, age of first internet use in years, urban origin, accessing internet at college, mobile internet use, using internet to make online friendship, sleep disturbance, depression, anxiety, and stress. Qualitative study identified five major themes related to situations initiating internet use for nonacademic purpose, content of internet use, triggers for internet overuse/addiction (IA), perceived impact of IA, and measures to overcome IA. Internet addiction was found to be highly prevalent in college students across various streams. Qualitative results provide deeper insights into IA among college students. It is imperative to screen for IA among the students and devise suitable preventive interventions, which can be easily implemented at community level.

Designing mobile operator’s tariff package pricing scheme based on user’s internet behavior

Given the rapid growth of the mobile internet market, high-priced telecom packages are limiting the growth of mobile internet use. Telecom operators and internet companies are working together to offer free-flow packages. This paper proposes a complete content selection and package pricing scheme (CSPPS) based on data provided by a telecom provider. This paper first conducts a feasibility analysis on the free traffic package scheme. By analyzing users’ usage detailed records (UDRs), this paper identified a model for user internet behavior. A scheme for content selection was developed based on this model. To discover users’ online timing characteristics, we developed a tensor decomposition factor model. To complete the package pricing process, a two-sided market model and SoftMax algorithm were combined. Performance evaluations were conducted using real data from China Unicom. According to our experimental results, our package selection scheme is effective for different scenarios.

Use, satisfaction, and preference of online health services among older adults with multimorbidity in Hong Kong primary care during COVID-19

BackgroundThe use of online and mobile internet and social media has been increasing in healthcare service delivery. However, there is limited literature on the acceptance and use of online health services for older adults with multimorbidity who require more medical care and assistance. This study aims to explore the use of social media in older adults with multimorbidity in Hong Kong primary care and to assess the feasibility and usage of online health services in this population, including satisfaction, preference, and problems encountered.MethodsThis is a cross-sectional study among older adults with multimorbidity conducted between November 2020 and March 2021 in a Hong Kong primary care programme. Online and face-to-face services were offered based on the needs of the participants. Demographic characteristics and health conditions were assessed at baseline. Participants using online services were invited to complete a feedback questionnaire.ResultsThe study included 752 participants, of which 66.1% use social media every day. Participants who declined to use online services were found to be significantly older, live alone, have lower income, have social security assistance, have greater cognitive decline, and be less depressed (p < 0.05). Non-responders to the online questionnaire had fewer years of education and greater cognitive decline (p < 0.05). The median satisfaction with the online services was 8 (interquartile range: 7, 9), and 14.6% of the participants preferred online more than face-to-face services. Lower education levels, fewer internet connection issues, and more self-efficacy on mobile apps were associated with a higher level of online satisfaction after adjustment (p < 0.05). Fewer internet connection issues and more self-efficacy on mobile apps were associated with participants’ preference for online services (p < 0.05).ConclusionsMore than half of Hong Kong older adults with multimorbidity in primary care use social media daily. Internet connection issues can be a significant barrier to the usage of online services in this population. Prior use and training can be beneficial to enhance use and satisfaction in older adults.

Factors influencing the effects of the Starlink Satellite Project on the internet service provider market in Thailand

This quantitative study explores the impact of the Starlink project on the internet service provider market in Thailand. A convenience sampling technique was used to recruit 617 participants, who completed an online questionnaire. The study examined several independent variables, including demographic factors, such as gender, age, education, status and income, and user behaviour, such as devices used for internet access, time spent online and social media platforms used. Binary regression was used to analyse the data. The results showed that the Starlink project had a significant impact on the competitive structure of the internet service provider market in Thailand. This impact was influenced by factors such as age, education, income, internet duration, mobile internet use, Facebook and TikTok. The study recommends that businesses develop effective strategies to meet the needs and expectations of their customers. Organisations with internet access have the opportunity to collect data to develop new products, which can give them a competitive edge. It is important to maintain a competitive environment to prevent artificially low collection rates or exorbitant prices due to collusion or tacit pricing agreements.

The Impact of Mobile Internet Use on Intergenerational Relations in Aging Society

Considering data from the fourth wave of the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS2016), this paper examines the impact of mobile Internet usage on the relationship between adult children and elderly parents. Results drawn from ordered Probit and mediation models show that mobile Internet use, rather than the usage of the fixed Internet, enhances the parent–child relationship. Secondly, older parents, having two or more children, cannot benefit well from using the mobile Internet, and they may rely more on phone calls to uphold intergenerational contact. Thirdly, the mobile Internet enhances the non-face-to-face contact between the two generations. Also, it reduces face-to-face contact in child–parent relationships and improves face-to-face contact in the parent–child relationship. Therefore, related to increasing in the population aging, relevant departments should continue to enhance the use of mobile Internet by reducing the usage costs, improving the usage capabilities, and innovating mobile phone functions, and remain cautious due to the reduction in face-to-face communication caused by the mobile Internet use.

Use of digital technologies by users of psychiatric inpatient services in Berlin, Germany: a cross-sectional patient survey

Few studies and almost exclusively from the USA have recently investigated mobile phone and computer use among users of psychiatric services, which is of high relevance regarding the increasing development...

Exploring Problematic Use of Mobile Internet in a Nigerian University

The study identified the prevalent ways by which students experience problematic use of mobile internet. It determined the level of problematic use of mobile internet experienced by the undergraduates of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife Nigeria. It also investigated factors that may predict problematic use of mobile internet among the students. The study employs a survey research design to obtain data from 201 undergraduates selected by randomly from faculty colloquiums during the 2012/2013 session. A self-constructed questionnaire comprising items adapted from Demetrovics, Szeredi, and Rózsa (2008) was used to collect data from the respondents. Data collected were analysed using frequency, percentages, Relative significance index, Multiple regression, t-test and ANOVA. The results indicated that the prevalent ways by which students experience problematic use of mobile internet was in terms of feeling tense, irritated, or stressed when they cannot use their mobile internet for several days (RSI = 0.738). 17.9% of the participant experienced no problematic use of mobile internet while 27.4%, 45.3% and 9.5% of the participants have experienced low, high, and debilitating levels of mobile internet respectively. Also, there was no significant difference in the problematic use of mobile internet experienced by students at different academic levels in the university (F = 2.385, p=0.071). The study concluded that tertiary institution students are very susceptible to problematic use of mobile internet. Keywords: Mobile internet; Problematic use; Internet addiction; Undergraduates; University. DOI: 10.7176/JEP/14-6-09 Publication date: February 28 th 2023