“Problematic Internet Use, Aggressive Behavior, and Low Self-Esteem in the Digital Age”
Tags: Internet Behaviour, Digital World, Aggression, Bullying, Low Self Esteem

Technological advancements are entirely reshaping the lives of a human race and the other species that co-exist with humans. People are increasingly being connected to the digital world and are learning distinct ways to communicate and interact through the internet. While such revolutions bring about rapid and continuous improvements, it has been observed that they influence the psychological and cognitive abilities up to a substantial extent.

This study aims to contribute to the subject by critically analyze the existing literature systematically. Problematic Internet usage (PIU) encompasses all related activities, including Gaming, Social networking, buying, selling, and all such activities that are addictive and leads to distress and impairment.

· PIU is linked among the high school students in China and is associated with poor well being and self-esteem (Mei et al., 2016).

· Barbera et al. (2017) expanded the previous research by using a personality questionnaire and assessed 652 male students in Palermo. They determined low self-esteem and hostile aggression as prominent risk factors for PIU. Further discussing the matter, they regarded age as an essential factor that triggers the PIU in adolescents.

· In the cross-cultural study conducted within Brazil and Portugal, Seabra et al. (2017) found a negative correlation between self-esteem and internet addiction. However, they found out that Brazilian men aged between 14 to 25 are more inclined towards internet addiction.

· Students with a lower sense of belongingness, social connectedness, and self-esteem had turned out to be at higher levels of depression that eventually lead to problematic social media and internet use (Kırcaburun et al., 2018).

· Pal Singh Balhara et al. (2019) carried out a cross-sectional study incorporating 2749 universities/college going students from eight countries and concluded that PIU is emerging as a mental health condition. Being the depression and anxiety as a significant correlate across all under reviewed countries, they also emphasized on screening out students based on PIU and psychological distress for timely response and care.

· Lei et al. (2019) discussed the moderating roles of age, geographic regions, and sample size. All three factors have a distinctive role in establishing a link between cyberbullying and self-esteem. Link gets weakened as the age increased. People in Asian countries having less to almost none regulatory bodies tend to show a more substantial relationship between self-esteem and cyberbullying than Western cultures.

· Brewer & Kerslake. (2015) studied cyberbullying using three predictors (Self-Esteem, Empathy, Loneliness) and stated that people with low self-esteem are more likely to report cyberbullying experience.

· Cacioppo et al. (2019) broadened the scope of their research by exploring the relationship between family proximity and functioning with the PIU in adolescents. They recommended developing family-oriented prevention programs to cater to all those who seem to be at risk of PIU.

· Mathew & Krishnan. (2020) studied the powerful impact of PIU on students of private schools in Kerala, India. They further mentioned that PIU could be detrimental to their social lives and can lead to an unhealthy relationship within the family.

· PIU is found within one-sixth of the 605 Bangladeshi students. Individuals with low self-esteem and experiencing loneliness have more tendency to experience PIU (Mamun et al., 2020).

Literature study exhibit that PIU can be a cause and effect within different scenarios. A person can develop PIU because of the psychological issues raised due to bully, harassment, and loneliness. They seek refuge within the digital world as they assume that no one is at the birk of abusing them in person. However, cyberbullying is another factor that comes into play and makes the situation much worse.

Since young people believe that the digital world provides a relatively safe platform for self-expression, PIU can lead to aggressive behaviour and low self-esteem when they perceive a false self and face cyberbullying.

Although a plethora of literature available within PIU, risk factors, and its consequences, disparities still exist within the subject. Where some researchers link low self-esteem, aggressive behaviours as a result of PIU, some tend to incorporate other factors as well. Age, regions, and sample size becomes a critical factor when it comes to finding the relation between the factors mentioned above. Young boys are more exposed to internet addiction, in contrast to young girls. Demographic factors play an essential part, so one judgment can not be generalized for all living in different countries. Nevertheless, young adults, due to the natural growth and psychological changes, are more vulnerable to internet addiction and hence aggressive behaviours and low self-esteem.

Below are the few socio-demographic factors that need to be considered while studying PIU and psychological factors associated with it.

Age: The younger generation is more vulnerable to PIU and developing psychological distress

Sex: Males are more inclined towards developing aggressive behaviour, and Females experience anxiety and depression. However, both tend to experience low self-esteem when they come across some bad experiences.

Country: Western countries have support groups and consultation centres to address such issues. Whereas in Asian countries, the system is either missing or not functioning correctly.

Culture: Within the country, varying cultures is a crucial element. People can or can not have access to the same amenity within the area just because of ethnocentrism.

Family’s proximity and Influence: The young generation, if neglected, can fell prey to PIU. The unhealthy functioning of the family can be detrimental to an adolescent and a young person.

Sociability: Whether or not a person is interested in engaging and connecting with people speaks volumes about his/her mental state and personal preferences. Introverts are more likely to stay within the realm of the digital world in comparison to extroverts who want their presence to be shown everywhere. It is easier for introverts to socialize with the people of their choice by not revealing their identity.

With the gradual acceptance of digital technologies within mid-aged to old-aged individuals, It is apparent that researchers conduct further study to notice and distinguish their behaviours from adolescents and young people. Only then, the very nature of PIU within various socio-demographic factors can be assessed and addressed.

References

1. Mei, S., Yau, Y., Chai, J., Guo, J., & Potenza, M. (2016). Problematic Internet use, well-being, self-esteem and self-control: Data from a high-school survey in China. Addictive Behaviors, 61, 74–79. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2016.05.009

2. Barbera, D.L., Piro, E., Mulè, A., Sideli, L., Cascia, C.L., Ruggirello, I., Sartorio, C., Tripoli, G., Inguglia, M., & Mangiapane, D. (2017). INTERNET OUT OF CONTROL: THE ROLE OF SELF-ESTEEM AND PERSONALITY TRAITS IN PATHOLOGICAL INTERNET USE.

3. Seabra, L., Loureiro, M., Pereira, H., Monteiro, S., Marina Afonso, R., & Esgalhado, G. (2017). Relationship Between Internet Addiction and Self-Esteem: Cross-Cultural Study in Portugal and Brazil. Interacting With Computers, 29(5), 767–778. https://doi.org/10.1093/iwc/iwx011

4. Kırcaburun, K., Kokkinos, C., Demetrovics, Z., Király, O., Griffiths, M., & Çolak, T. (2018). Problematic Online Behaviors among Adolescents and Emerging Adults: Associations between Cyberbullying Perpetration, Problematic Social Media Use, and Psychosocial Factors. International Journal Of Mental Health And Addiction, 17(4), 891–908. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11469-018-9894-8

5. Pal Singh Balhara, Y., Doric, A., Stevanovic, D., Knez, R., Singh, S., & Roy Chowdhury, M. et al. (2019). Correlates of Problematic Internet Use among college and university students in eight countries: An international cross-sectional study. Asian Journal Of Psychiatry, 45, 113–120. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajp.2019.09.004

6. Lei, H., Mao, W., Cheong, C., Wen, Y., Cui, Y., & Cai, Z. (2019). The relationship between self-esteem and cyberbullying: A meta-analysis of children and youth students. Current Psychology, 39(3), 830–842. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-019-00407-6

7. Brewer, G., & Kerslake, J. (2015). Cyberbullying, self-esteem, empathy and loneliness. Computers In Human Behavior, 48, 255–260. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2015.01.073

8. Cacioppo, M., Barni, D., Correale, C., Mangialavori, S., Danioni, F., & Gori, A. (2019). Do Attachment Styles and Family Functioning Predict Adolescents’ Problematic Internet Use? A Relative Weight Analysis. Journal Of Child And Family Studies, 28(5), 1263–1271. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-019-01357-0

9. Mathew, P., & Krishnan, R. (2020). Impact of problematic internet use on the self-esteem of adolescents in the selected school, Kerala, India. Archives Of Psychiatric Nursing, 34(3), 122–128. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apnu.2020.02.008

10. Mamun, M., Hossain, M., Moonajilin, M., Masud, M., Misti, J., & Griffiths, M. (2020). Does loneliness, self‐esteem and psychological distress correlate with problematic internet use? A Bangladeshi survey study. Asia-Pacific Psychiatry, 12(2). https://doi.org/10.1111/appy.12386