Effect of Internet Addiction on University Students: Thematic Analysis of Teachers’ Perspective

Abstract

Internet has transformed the world into a virtual village and the use of technology has become inevitable in this age. Despite the stunning side of internet, some severe dilemmas such as internet addiction have also emerged among university students. The current study was aimed to explore those factors which lead towards internet addiction, and to examine the effects of internet usage on youth. Furthermore, the study explained that the internet addiction is a complex phenomenon and there could be several reasons behind it. The potential factors which lead to internet addiction might include peer influence, institutional environment, ease of access, affordability, escape from problems, anonymity, possession, home environment etc. The research design adopted was qualitative in nature. The purposive sampling technique was used to select the sample, and the tool used for data collection was an interview guide. Moreover, for the in-depth study of the phenomenon of internet addiction, the openended interviews were conducted from 15 faculty members of three selected public sector universities of the central Punjab. The data was analyzed through thematic analysis. It was found that the university students are the victims of internet addiction, and this excessive usage is badly affecting their physical health and academic performance. It was proposed that the excessive usage of internet among university students might be minimized by certain effective intervention strategies.