EU NET ADB : A qualitative study of internet addictive behaviour in middle adolescence

1. EU NET ADB: A qualitative study of internet addictive behaviour in middle adolescence

2. The EU NET ADB project • Studying Internet Addictive Behaviours in Adolescence. • A mixed-methods project: quantitative and qualitative protocols • Funded under the Safer Internet Programme (SI-2011--KEP-4101007). • Data collected in seven European countries

3. The consortium University of Akureyi Iceland Landeszentrale für Medien und KommunikationRheinland-Pfalz University of Mainz Germany Nobody’sChildren Foundation Poland IVO AddictionResearchInstitute Netherlands University of Medicine and Pharmacy lasi Romania Protegeles Spain Adolescent Health Unit University of Athens Greece

4. Consortium & Role of each partner

5. Outline • The EU NET ADB project • Consortium and contributions • Research question and Methodology • Results • Implications

6. Research question &Methodology employed • How does internet addictive behavior develop in adolescence ? • Grounded Theory (GT) Step wise – full version (Strauss & Corbin, 1990; 1998) • Why GT? • Ideal for new “new” constructs • Process question

7. Method: recruiting and interviewing • Recruiting and selection Purposive sampling of adolescents showing “signs of internet addictive behaviours” (Internet Addiction Test (Young, 1996); IAT > 30 points) • Data collection –>Interviewing 124 Anonymous in-depth interviews with adolescents 14-17 years

8. Method: databank

9. Method: The interview (IS) • semi-structured IS comprised of 5 parts • Use of open-ended questions and additional prompts to allow and facilitate participants’ narration Examples: 1. Now please remember the last day you did not use the internet AT ALL. Can you tell me about that day? Prompt (if needed). How did this day affect your feelings, thoughts or behavior, if it did?

10. Method:from Interviews to transcripts

11. Method:From transcripts -> codes-> concepts-> categories

12. Method:Stepwise Data Collection and Analysis to Achieve Saturation of Categories Data Collection Data Analysis Close to Saturated Categories More Refined Categories Third Interview Toward Saturation of Categories Refined Categories Second Interview First Interview Preliminary Categories l

13. Results:The quantitative side of qualitative data • 60.000 Lines of transcript • 1.500 locally generated concepts of meaning • Recoded and merged -> in to 440 concepts • 78 open categories of meaning • Six axial categories of meaning

14. Six axial categories(emerged themes) • Growing into a Content Creator • Adolescent Thirst • Always online and Checking out • Easing Adolescence to Empowering Self • Juggling A Changing Reality • Digital Outcomes The building blocks of our theory

15. Results:From Categories to the Coding Paradigm Axial Categories Coding Paradigm • Growing into a Content Creator • Adolescent Thirst • Always online and Checking out • Easing Adolescence to Empowering Self • Juggling A Changing Reality • Digital Outcomes Intervening Conditions Phenomenon Causal Conditions Strategies Consequences Context Looking for interrelations Building a scheme l

16. Self- Searching From Easing Adolescence to Empowering Self Self (schema) Digital Outcomes Intervening Juggling a Changing Reality Maladaptive strategies Adaptive strategies [Internet as a Mode] Always 0nline and Checking Out Adolescent Thirst for Connection and Information Strategies Phenomenon Causal [Internet as a Developmental Context] Growing into a Content Creator Context Consequences

17. Central theme Digital Pathways Developmental Pathways

18. Growing Into a Content Creator “Discovered fFcebook”- Turning into Content Creators • I started with Messenger and… that kind of… messaging and all, thanks to my cousin, little by little, more and more, then Tuenti, sharing information, photographs and all, several accounts and now [..], I am always fully connected. [SP13, G - L54- L59] • I am often the first one, I was the first to use social media, my friends discovered Facebook and thought it was amazing and so I had to have it.[NL13L237-239] Social Practices Changing- Befriending First Online It’s occurred to me that it’s weird that I am from a generation that first gets to know each other and then meets each other in person. You see that happening ever more on Twitter and such things. People that meet each other online and then in real life, that’s never happen in the past. [NL04, G-L16-18] First steps Digital Pathways

19. Adolescent Thirst Information Connection Self-searching Causal conditions • “Innate curiosity” • [I am]curiousbecause I am interested in what is happening in the world and about what my friends are doing, that’s why I use social media. [NL05L104-106] • “Quenching thirst” • The Internet is designed to make you communicate, to be in line with all the information, technology, everything related to the field in science, everything that interests you, sometimes even to your self-discovery. [R20L385-387] • “Crystalize self” • Well, greatly, because social networks are a, they crystallize how you are and how you can be very confronting because of that, and therefore you can learn to be the person you want to be or try to be. And the internet gives a lot of information about how other can possibly see you.NL04L334-336]

20. Phenomenon • Always online and Checking out “Always Online” I am always active, I always carry my mobile phone with me I have the Internet on all the time, Twitter and all that… I tweet and I am always active there, always in constant communication with other people [SP ,boy, L234] “Checking Out”- “Avoid Missing Out” Yes, I would like to use it less, but the thing is that I get invitations to events to meet up, and that’s why I keep an eye on it, to see if there’s anything new. [SP17/ L111- L112:] I always use [the Internet], always check new developments

21. Intervening conditions • From Easing Adolescence to Empowering Self • “Cutting Corners” • PL03L111-116: I mean, I don’t post stuff myself but I use what other people have put on the Internet. If there’s some assignment that I can’t manage, I just write it down and then try to understand it later. I generally try to Google stuff but sometimes people put up stuff they did on Facebook. • “Gaining courage” • GR10L230-232: You make more friends and you get a sense of belonging. You gain courage and you make friends [pause]. You become more social and you are not closed up inside.

22. Juggling A Changing Reality “Prioritizing” the last couple of weeks that we had exams at school I haven’t been using it that much because I wanted to study.GR2L49-50] “Bypassing Parental control” My parents had a password on the computer and I could not use it. Then... well... when the holidays were close, every time that my mother left the password set and, for example, went to bathe my sister, I then took advantage of the situation, changed the password and then, I was able to use the computer the following day.SP06/ L 21- L25]

23. characterized byOnline Craving and Offline Engagement • Digital Outcomes

24. Exploring connections betweenStrategies and Digital Outcomes

25. Digital Outcomes • Stuck Online “Neglecting offline“ - Low offline engagement” Well I used to go out more. Being outside, going swimming, or stuff like that. I haven't being swimming for about 2 years. I haven't been out with my friend in the evening for over 4 month now, such things you neglect. [D1L576-578]

26. Digital Outcomes • Considering change “Treasuring Fb: A book with everything me” GR16F L130-140: At times, I have thought about giving it up [Facebook account], but then I consider that it’s now a part of my life, it’s like I’m having a book in which there is everything about me and that scares me sometimes. I am thinking that if I throw it away, everything I have ever done will be lost.

27. Digital Outcomes • Coming Full Cycle “What am I doing now?” • I started visiting social networks like Facebook, saying “ah, here there are many people, I meet new people, that’s nice”, staying [online] for more and more time, [..] I making comments, uploading stuff and creating a new life In there, like a virtual reality. Um…I think that happened. after a while though [..] then, you come full cycle, you start saying «what am I doing now?”, you get tired of It, you shut It down, you go out and you start cutting down on the time you spend on It, you start doing other things you enjoy more and forget about It, get It out of your mind and, just like that; it comes full cycle. • Two routes leading to this digital outcome • Self-Correction • Saturation

28. What is this story about? • What is the main “concern”? • Identifying the core category

29. Navigating Adolescent Pathways • the dynamic interplay between digital and developmental pathways • For me it’s normal and if I’m on my computer for a bit longer then that’s also normal for me.. Yeah, its so in your rhythm … And I don’t think you should see it as an addiction because it’s something extremely useful.[NL01L109-110]

30. Self- Searching From Easing Adolescence to Empowering Self Self (schema) Digital Outcomes Intervening Juggling a Changing Reality Maladaptive strategies Adaptive strategies [Internet as a Mode] Always 0nline and Checking Out Adolescent Thirst for Connection and Information Strategies Phenomenon Causal [Internet as a Developmental Context] Growing into a Content Creator Context Consequences

31. Questions? Thank you! Adolescent Health Unit(A.H.U.), 2nd Dept. of Pediatrics - University of Athens P. & A. Kyriakou Children’s Hospital 24, Mesogeion Avenue, Athens 115 27, Greece Tel + 30 210 771 0824 + 30 213 200 9806 eu.netadb@med.uoa.gr http://www.eunetadb.eu