Does using the Internet make us depressed?
The increasing
usage of personal computers and the Internet raise important questions
about psychological impact. One concern that has been of continuous controversy
is the question of whether Internet use contributes to a decline in social
relationships, eventually leading to increased loneliness and overall
depression. Some researchers believe using the Internet decreases social
involvement, which in turn could decrease social well-being. Other researchers
argue that the Internet improves social participation and broadens the
communication process. The question remains, does use of the Internet
use cause depression?
The first of its kind, the Carnegie Mellon University-based HomeNet study looked specifically at the impact of the Internet over time on the average American's social involvement and psychological well-being. The results of the study, published in the September 1998 issue of The American Psychologist, a publication of the American Psychological Association, provide a consistent picture of the downside of extensive Internet usage as a source of information or as a setting for friendship and social support (1). The study found that people domesticate the Internet in a variety of ways. People are "turning a technology invented for scientist and elaborated for electronic commerce" into a household feature (2) The Internet can be both a social and an asocial tool. People use the Internet for pleasure: They communicate with friends, family and strangers; keep up-to-date with sports and popular culture; pursue specialized interests; listen to music, and play games. However, the Internet is also an asocial tool as it provides people with practical information for jobs, school and shopping. The HomeNet study found that the social uses for the Internet are more important to a lot of people than the informational uses (3).
Although the HomeNet study appears to establish a causation of Internet usage with a person's relative level of depression, the evidence is still short of proving this to be true. It will take several more studies and many years to be certain if the findings are in fact accurate and stable. There are obvious shortcomings of the studies that have attempted to disprove the findings of the HomeNet study. However, these studies still raise some important issues and problems that need to be addressed in future studies.
Notes:
(1) Carnegie Mellon Study Reveals Negative Potential of Heavy Internet
Use on Emotional Well Being. (No date). HomeNet, Carnegie Mellon U. [Online].
Available: http://homenet.hcii.cs.cmu.edu/progress/pressrel.html [2002,
July 12].
(2) The HomeNet Study. (No date). HomeNet, Carnegie Mellon U. [Online]. http://homenet.andrew.cmu.edu/progress/ [2002, July 12].
(3) Kraut, Robert and others. (1998). Internet Paradox: A Social Technology That Reduces Social Involvement and Psychological Well-Being? [Online]. Available: http://www.apa.org/journals/amp/amp5391017.html [2002, July 12].
Some Web sites of interest: