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METHODS

PARTICIPANTS

Participants were volunteers who responded to: (a) nationally and internationally dispersed newspaper advertisements, (b) flyers posted among local college campuses, (c) postings on electronic support groups geared towards Internet addiction for electronic respondents (e.g., the Internet Addiction Support Group, the Webaholics Support Group), and (d) those who searched for the keywords "Internet" or "addiction" on popular Web search engines (e.g., Yahoo).

MEASUREMENTS

An exploratory survey consisting of both open-ended and closed-ended questions was constructed for this study that could be administered by electronic collection. The survey initially administered the Young’s (1996a) eight-item questionnaire to classify subjects as addicted (Dependents) or non-addicted Internet users (Non-Dependents). As part of a larger study, respondents were administered the Sixteen Personality Factor Inventory (16PF). Finally, demographic information about the respondent such as gender, age, the number of years of education, and vocational background (classified as none, blue-collar, non-tech white collar, high-tech white collar) was also gathered.

PROCEDURES

The survey electronically existed as a World-Wide Web (WWW) page implemented on a UNIX-based server which captured the answers into a text file. The WWW location of the survey was submitted to several popular search engines and newgroups available to assist on-line users in finding Web pages of interest. On-line users entering keyword searches using "Internet" or "addiction" would find the survey and have the option to follow the link to the survey in order to fill it out. Answers to the survey were sent in a text file directly to the principal investigator’s electronic mailbox for analysis. Respondents who answered "yes" to five or more of the questions were deemed Dependent. All valid profiles, regardless of their score completed the entire on-line survey. The data from both sets of respondents were kept for future research which will compare responses from both groups. The qualitative data gathered were then subjected to content analysis to identify the range of characteristics, behaviors and attitudes found.

RESULTS

A total of 312 surveys were collected with 259 valid geographically dispersed profiles from Dependents. The sample included 130 males with a mean age of 31; and 129 females with a mean age of 33. Educational background was classified as 30% high school degree or less, 38% obtained an Associates or Bachelors degree, 10% obtained a masters degree or doctorate, and 22% were still in school. Vocational background was classified as 15% none (e.g., homemaker or retired), 31% students, 6% blue-collar employment (e.g., factor worker or auto mechanic), 22% non-tech white collar employment (e.g., school teacher or bank teller), and 26% high-tech white collar employment (e.g., computer scientist or systems analyst).

Results from the 16PF are listed in Table 1. Analysis of means and standard deviations show Dependents to rank high in terms of being self-reliant, a strong preference for solitary activities, and tend to restrict their social outlets. Dependents were abstract thinkers who appear less conforming to social convention and more emotionally reactive towards others. Results also show that Dependents tended to be sensitive, vigilant, and private individuals.

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