NEW TECHNOLOGY

New Technology

New Technology

A: Internet as a New Technology

The Internet, even though less ubiquitous in other parts of the world, has become an indispensable part of the lives of Americans. According to 2006 statistics, 73% of American adults are Internet users. Recent election campaigns have demonstrated the tremendous potential of the Internet to influence the political process (Reeves, 2006). In the 2004 U.S. presidential election, for example, the Internet played a key role for getting political news, discussing candidates, and participating in the political process online. Several aspects of the Internet as a media technology offering two-way, interactive forms of communication are particularly relevant: (1) e-mail; (2) blogging; (3) podcasting; (4) mechanisms for online feedback and participation; (5) social networking; and (6) online video sharing (Kubey, 2006).

The ever-growing availability and accessibility of the Internet has prompted a considerable amount of research investigating the various ways in which Internet use can affect important psychological variables, such as people's thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. In general, the psychological consequences of Internet use have been examined from two distinct perspectives—the amount of Internet use and the motivations behind it, each with a host of both positive and negative psychological effects (Kraut, 2008). Most recent findings result from two large longitudinal studies developed at Carnegie Mellon University and designed to document antecedents and consequences of home Internet use for the general population (HomeNet Project), as well as for the low-income population (HomenetToo Project). A similar project, Internet and Society, was conducted at Stanford University (Jennings, 2008). Typical psychological outcome considerations are depression, social isolation, loneliness, addiction, academic performance, and civic engagement. Although most research in this area involves college students and American adults, the findings are applicable to children and adolescents as well, with important implications for their psychological development.

Amount of Internet Use

The first strand of research investigating psychological effects of Internet use conceptualizes Internet use by focusing on the amount of use (heavy vs. light). In this tradition, research has revealed that the heavier the Internet use by children and teenagers, the more negative the impact on their depression, loneliness, and social isolation, and the greater the risk of Internet addiction (Greenfield, 2007). This pattern of results has been typically attributed to a displacement effect; that is, the time spent using the Internet comes at the cost of involvement in everyday, face-to-face social activities. Internet use is not only associated with reduced social involvement but also with declines in overall psychological well-being. Robert Kubey of Rutgers University and his colleagues found that Internet use is associated with declines in academic performance among college students (Bimber, 2006).

Depression and new psychological disorders spurred by Internet use, such as Internet dependency, are likely to lead not only to social withdrawal but also to less time spent studying and therefore to poorer academic performance (Reeves, 2006).

Somewhat contradictory findings and theorizing have contributed to a debate about the role of Internet use in promoting and hindering civic engagement and participation. On the one hand, such scholars as Cass Sunstein ...