The effect of instant messaging services on society's mental health

Abstract

Purpose
This paper aims to show how instant messaging (IM) service providers are helping and hindering societal mental health among young adults. That is, IM services provide users with an ability to obtain instantaneous and inexpensive support in their time of need. However, excessive internet usage may place IM users at risk of experiencing symptoms associated with internet addiction and adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Design/methodology/approach
The authors propose a framework obtained from coding qualitative data. They test the framework with structural equation methodology and latent mean analysis from data collected from younger‐aged Chinese and American IM users in two studies.

Findings
Younger‐aged IM users in both China and the US obtain social support from their virtual networks. However, both groups of IM users show signs of elevated levels of internet addiction and of being at risk of experiencing symptoms associated with ADHD.

Research limitations/implications
Excessive IM and internet usage may hinder young adults' mental health, and the problem is likely to grow in the future. The work confirms recent trends in US psychology to consider internet addiction a mental health disorder.

Social implications
Both service and public health researchers are encouraged to consider the impact of technological services, including internet usage and IM, on consumer health and well‐being. People with ADHD are particularly susceptible to internet addiction; thus, technological services may be damaging society's mental health.

Originality/value
The paper illustrates how researchers can engage in transformative service research, referring to research with implications that affect global consumer health and well‐being. The work also shows a “dark side” to services and the unintended consequences of service technology on public health. Both topics have not been explored in service research.

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Journal of Services Marketing
The effect of instant messaging services on society's mental health
Mark S. Rosenbaum IpKin Anthony Wong
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Mark S. Rosenbaum IpKin Anthony Wong, (2012),"The effect of instant messaging services on society's mental health", Journal
of Services Marketing, Vol. 26 Iss 2 pp. 124 - 136
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The effect of instant messaging services on
society’s mental health
Mark S. Rosenbaum
Department of Marketing, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois, USA
IpKin Anthony Wong
Institute for Tourism Studies, Macau, SAR, China
Abstract
Purpose – This paper aims to show how instant messaging (IM) service providers are helping and hindering societal mental health among young
adults. That is, IM services provide users with an ability to obtain instantaneous and inexpensive support in their time of need. However, excessive
internet usage may place IM users at risk of experiencing symptoms associated with internet addiction and adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
(ADHD).
Design/methodology/approach – The authors propose a framework obtained from coding qualitative data. They test the framework with structural
equation methodology and latent mean analysis from data collected from younger-aged Chinese and American IM users in two studies.
Findings – Younger-aged IM users in both China and the US obtain social support from their virtual networks. However, both groups of IM users show
signs of elevated levels of internet addiction and of being at risk of experiencing symptoms associated with ADHD.
Research limitations/implications – Excessive IM and internet usage may hinder young adults’ mental health, and the problem is likely to grow in
the future. The work confirms recent trends in US psychology to consider internet addiction a mental health disorder.
Social implications – Both service and public health researchers are encouraged to consider the impact of technological services, including internet
usage and IM, on consumer health and well-being. People with ADHD are particularly susceptible to internet addiction; thus, technological services may
be damaging society’s mental health.
Originality/value – The paper illustrates how researchers can engage in transformative service research, referring to research with implications that
affect global consumer health and well-being. The work also shows a “dark side” to services and the unintended consequences of service technology
on public health. Both topics have not been explored in service research.
Keywords Social support, Instant messaging, Internet addiction, Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Cyber-addiction, Third places
Paper type Research paper
An executive summary for managers and executive
readers can be found at the end of this article.
By and large, people with ADHD love the c yberworld. Given the structure of
our brains, however, (those of us with ADHD) [...] can easily become
addicted (Roberts, 2010).
1. The role of service firms in societal mental
health
The dominant role of service industries in the global economy
is universally well established (Zeithaml et al., 2009). Yet few
people realize the vital role of service industries, service
employees, and customers in service firms in promoting
societal mental health (Blau and Fingerman, 2009). Until
recently, service researchers have looked askance at this issue,
leaving it to other social scientists (Cowen, 1982; Stone, 1954)
to expose the marketplace reality that consumers often rely on
serv ice providers, such as retail employees, butcher s,
hairdressers, divorce lawyers, bartenders, and so forth, for
life-enhancing social support (Adelman and Ahuvia, 1995;
Rosenbaum, 2009).
Although commercially based informal support resides
outside the “formal” medical establishment and is
unregulated, unprofessional, and not fully under stood,
Cowen’s (1982, p. 394) seminal article on the topic reveals
that it acts as society’s “de facto help-giving mechanism” for
aiding societal mental health. Since then, ser vice researchers
have theoretically and empirically expanded on Cowen’s
research by showing how and why consumers of all ages often
seek out and patronize service establishments that act as
forums for hosting their socially supportive relationships
(Rosenbaum, 2008).
Thus, many consumers view the prim ar y allure o f
patronizing service firms, such as diner s, gyms, fast-food
outlets, video arcades, and bars, or so-called “third places”
(Cheang, 2002; Oldenburg, 1999, 2001), as being a place’s
ability to provide them with easy and inexpensive access to
informal social relationships in their time of need. Yet this role
may be jeopardized as new and emerging instant-messaging
(IM) services, including those from Yahoo, Google, AOL, and
social networking providers including Facebook and China-
based QQ, also provide users with a means to instantly and
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available at
www.emeraldinsight.com/0887-6045.htm
Journal of Services Marketing
26/2 (2012) 124– 136
q Emerald Group Publishing Limited [ISSN 0887-6045]
[DOI 10.1108/08876041211215284]
The authors thank Anny Jiang for her assistance with this article.
124
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inexpensively access their social networks for suppor t
(see White and Dorman, 2001).
Given that commercial third places have been associated
with the rise of great civilizations and urban civility and that
research shows the non-medicinal health benefits that
consumers receive from patronizing third places
(Cheang, 2002; Glover and Parry, 2009; Oldenburg and
Brissett, 1982), it is imperative for service and public health
researchers to understand the answer to a fundamental
question. Namely, can IM services replace commercial third
places in their ability to support societal mental health?
In this article, we address this question by showing the
simultaneous beneficial and consequential aspects that IM
services afford their users. On the constructive side, the
findings reveal that IM services are similar to third places in
their ability to effectively provide people with an easy and
affordable method for obtaining informal support. On the
harmful side, we show that excessive IM usage may lead to
users experiencing pathogenic symptoms associated with
internet addiction and adult attention-deficit hyperactivity
disorder (ADHD).
Service researchers, public health researchers, and social
scientists need to realize not only that IM services lack the
ability to fulfill the traditional roles of commercial third places
in societal mental well-being but also that these services may
aid in actually deteriorating it. Further, from a managerial
perspective, commercial organizations and governmen tal
agencies also need to realize that many service employees
are looking askance at their customer service obligations to
engage in personal texting at work, and the consequences are
proving f atal for customers, organizations, and society alike.
2. Contribution of the article
Because this article addresses a relatively unexplored issue in
service research – namely, the impact of emerging service
technologies on consumer mental health – it is useful here to
point out the relative contributions of the article in the service
domain. First, this article heeds the request made by leading
academics in a recent Journal of Marketing editorial (Reibstein
et al., 2009) to explore the impact of emerging technologies
on society. To meet this objective, Reibstein et al. (2009, p. 2)
encourage researchers to address substantive issues that are
relevant to society, “even if no new methodologies or theories
are advanced.” Second, this work adheres to the requests of
service researchers who encourage further investigations
regarding how service industries and service providers affect
social outcomes, such as quality of life (Dagger and Sweeney,
2006) and well-being (Berry and Bendapudi, 2007). Third,
the work inextricably links service marketing with public
health research and highlights the potential for a
transformative service research paradigm, which explores
how services influence consumer and societal well-being on a
global scale (Mick, 2006). Fourth, this research shows that
employers must confront the reality that some employees may
suffer from internet addiction and that service quality may be
negatively affected by this addiction.
3. Article overview
The plan for this paper follows: first, we conduct a literature
review that exposes the confusion regarding the efficacy of IM
in human communication and that introduces readers to the
world’s largest IM service provider, QQ. Second, we put forth
a framework that illustrates the mixed effect of IM services on
human health. Third, we empirically test the framework from
data gathered from Chinese and American IM users. The
article concludes with research, societal, and managerial
directives and limitations.
4 Literature review
4.1 The role of third places in society
To date, researchers have shown that consumers often turn to
service providers (Cowen, 1982; Price and Arnould, 1999)
and other customers in service establishments (Blau and
Fingerman, 2009), such as McDonald’s (Cheang, 2002),
See’s Candies (Day, 2000), golf courses
(McGinnis et al., 2008), bookstores (Milligan, 1998), gyms,
and video arcades (Rosenbaum, 2008) for social support.
Indeed, Oldenburg (1999) coined the term “third places” to
denote commercial service establishments in which patrons
maintain a network of friends, acquaintances, and weakly
bonded non-familial relationships, which offer them social
support in their time of need.
Recent research shows that commercial suppor t can
successfully replace three types of social support that people
may lose from family, friends, and co-workers due to negative
life events; these are companionship (i.e. feelings of
friendship), emotional support (i.e. personal and private
support), and instrumental support (i.e. help with daily
activities; Rosenbaum, 2009; Rosenbaum and Massiah, 2007)
andenhanceaconsumer’ssenseofwell-being
(Rosenbaum, 2008) and perceived health (Mayo Clinic, 2008).
4.2 Can IM services replace third places?
As previously discussed, the positive role of third places in
public health may be in peril, as teenagers and younger-aged
adults (i.e. Generation Y) are increasingly turning to IM
services to communicate with others in a non-direct manner
in which they cannot see others’ posture, hand gestures, eye
movements, or other type of body language (Bauerlin, 2008).
Indeed, the final verdict on whether IM communication can
replace in quality the type of communication that third place
patrons obtain from maintaining in-house social relationships
remains mixed.
For example, many researchers conclude that IM
communication results in users becoming socially inept in
the workplace and even in society, as they lack the ability
understand other people’s body language (Bauerlin, 2008).
Others conclude that relationships are less valuable than
offline ones (Cumming et al., 2002), primarily because
computer-mediated communication prohibits u sers from
conveying emotions and facial cues (Kline and Liu, 2005).
Furthermore, sociologists (e. g. Putnam, 2001) attribute
increases in people’s boredom, loneliness, and alienation
and decreases in their participation in civic and social
institutions to the internet.
Although some of these assertions are valid, counterpoints
exist. First, online support is beneficial to people who gather
on sites for support from other people who share negative life
experiences (e.g. AIDS/HIV), who have common stigmatized
situations (e.g. homosexuality, Down’s syndrome), or who are
in the same boat by sharing events that deplete a person’s
readily available access to support (e.g. divorce)
(Fogel et al., 2002; LaCoursiere, 2001). Indeed, the
The effect of instant messaging services on society’s mental health
Mark S. Rosenbaum and IpKin Anthony Wong
Journal of Services Marketing
Volume 26 · Number 2 · 2012 · 124 –136
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researchers who coined the term “internet paradox” to profess
the internet’s inability to help assuage loneliness and to
promote well-being later recounted their research results
(Kraut et al., 2002).
A second exception to the presumed inadequac y of
computer-mediated communication may be sites that
require extensive customer-to-customer interaction, such as
massively multi -player onlin e games (Steinkuehl er and
Williams, 2006). For example, these games provide
customers with an immediate and relatively inexpensive
means to consume co-produced, entertaining services with
others. Linked together by a weak social contract premised on
serviceconsumption,onlinegamecustomersreceive
companionship from being integrated into an engaging
virtual network, though they have limited opportunities to
develop more online emotional relationships with customers
(Steinkuehler and Williams, 2006).
A t hird exception is that I M conversation s among
adolescent users with their friends have been found to
stimulate offline, face-to-face meetings (Hu et al., 2004;
Ito et al., 2008). Thus, similar to third places, IM services
may be able to provide users access support when they are
feeling lonely or isolated (Gross et al., 2002; Valkenburg and
Peter, 2007) and to receive both companionship (i.e. feelings
of friendship) and emotional support (i.e. feelings of being
able to discuss personal and private matters with others)
from their IM relationships (Lee and Conroy, 2005) online or
in-person.
4.3 The emerging dark side of IM on society
It might be assumed that IM communication is as beneficial
as direct communication found in third places; yet there may
be a dark side to IM communication that is absent from
communication among third place patrons. For example, by
relying on typed words alone for communication, IM users
fail to learn how to effectively communicate in a non-verbal
way, such as by learning how to “read” others’ body language,
hand gestures, eye movements, and other non-verbal but
expressive and culturally specific behaviors (Bauerlin, 2008;
Cameron and Webster, 2005). Although IM services permit
users to express their emotions through online characters and
to switch to audio and video communication, Bauerlin (2009)
points out that these bells and whistles do not compensate for
the inability to clearly see a person’s body language or
expressions.
Society is becoming familiar with the unforeseen
consequences of the internet on human health and social
well-being, which are attributed to cyber infidelity, online
sexual predators, online gambling, the exchange of child
pornography, online bullies (Young, 1998), and “sexting”
(Diliberto and Mattey, 2009) More specifically, IM texting by
service employees during work and by motorists during
driving is the leading cause of major accidents and losses of
life (Fox News, 2008; Searcey, 2009).
This is not to say that the internet is the root of all evil, even
though problems for users are often related to excessive
internet usage. Adolescents are at acute risk for extensive
internet usage as they often find it difficult to depart from its
sensational and entertainment effects (Lin and Tsai, 2002)
and may be at risk for experiencing negative symptoms
associated with internet addiction and ADHD, respectively.
4.4 IM and internet addiction
Internet addiction is conceptualized as a compulsive-
impulsive disorder with no involvement of an intoxicant
(Whang et al., 2003); thus, it is akin to pathological gambling
or eating (Young, 1998). People suffering from internet
addiction experience cravings, urges, withdrawal, tension, and
depression (Block, 2008). Furthermore, internet addicts often
lose track of time or neglect basic needs, such as eating or
sleeping. Many suffer from significant em otional or
psychiatric problems, which are exacerbated by online
addiction, or are former alcoholics or other ex-addicts who
are substituting a new addiction for the old (Young, 1998).
Psychological research from Southeast Asia confirms that
adolescents are experiencing harmful symptoms
associated with internet addiction (see Center for Internet
Addiction Recovery), including depression, suicidal
tendencies (Kim et al., 2006), loneliness, compulsivity
(Whang et al., 2003), social withdrawal, anxiety/depression,
social immaturity, and ADHD (Yoo et al., 2004). For
example, 3.5 percent of Korean adolescents are internet
addicts, and both the South Korean and Chinese
governments consider it one of their most serious public
health problems (Block, 2008; Whang et al., 2003). For
example, the Chinese Government believes that 11-14
percent of Chinese youth between the ages of 18 to 23 are
addicted to the internet (Block, 2008; Fallows, 2008).
Research on internet addiction among youth in the US is
lacking, especially because it is often masked with other more
conventional psychological problems, such as depression,
social phobia, or ADHD (Block, 2008; Mitchell, 2000).
4.5 IM, internet addiction, and ADHD
Along these lines, research shows that internet addiction may
exacerbate ADHD symptoms in adolescents. Adolescents
with ADHD often struggle with self-regulation, from their
inability to attend to particular stimuli, to their talking and
behaviors, to their emotions. These people tend to forget
appointments, social commitments, and dead lines, and
increased impulsivity often t akes the form of socially
inappropriate behavior, such as blurting out thoughts that
are rude or insulting (Searight et al., 2000).
Adolescents who suffer from ADHD or who are at risk for
ADHD may be unable to employ sufficient internal self-
control to continually direct attention to unpleasant stimuli
that require concentration, such as school and homework,
when they have instant access to hedonic, pleasurable internet
stimuli, which are often used to complete ho mework
assignments. Indeed, adolescents who spend more than one
hour per day playing internet games are more likely than those
who spend less time doing so to suffer from ADHD and
inattention symptoms (Chan and Rabinowitz, 2006). To date,
researchers have uncovered a relationship between excessive
internet usage and ADHD prevalence in adolescents;
however, whether this phenomenon is a consequence of
global internet usage, rather than IM service per se, is
unclear.
4.6 Understanding IM services and health consequences
We discuss here how IM users can become addicted to the
internet and IM services. One Chinese internet provider,
Tencent, offer s an all-in-one package of IM and internet
services to more than 822 million users, and it controls nearly
80 percent of the Chinese market under its QQ brand portal
The effect of instant messaging services on society’s mental health
Mark S. Rosenbaum and IpKin Anthony Wong
Journal of Services Marketing
Volume 26 · Number 2 · 2012 · 124 –136
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(Plus Star Eight, 2008). Today, QQ hosts the largest online
community in the world by providing to users a range of
internet and wireless ser vices, such as chat rooms,
voice calling, online auctions, entertainment, e-mail,
blogging, e-commerce, virtual realities (e.g. raising and
breeding virtual pets), m usic downloads, and so forth
(Tencent Holdings, 2008).
A QQ user’s ability to employ options on the site depends
on his or her status. A user’s status is indicated by a star,
moon, or sun, with a single star representing the lowest user
level and nine suns representing the highest user level. Users’
earned icons are displayed on their profiles and are available
for public viewing. The sun gives users privileges to upload
and display personal pictures, rather than using pre-designed
QQ images, and to host invitation-only private groups on the
site. QQ users change their status according to site usage; for
example, users are credited with one earned day when they
remain logged in to QQ for at least two hours in a single day
(see Figure 1). QQ users must be logged in to the site for five
days to earn a star, while the highest level requires users to be
logged in for 21,312 days.
5. Research objectives
In the next sections, we address the question of whether IM
services can overtake third places as society’s de facto helping
mechanism for its mental health. To achieve this goal, we first
qualitatively investigate whether Chinese QQ users and
American IM users even obtain social support from other
IM users. Then, we empir ically explore whether IM usage is
related to social support, internet addiction and ADHD.
Researchers exploring unintended health consequences
regarding technology always confront two “methodological
pitfalls” (Merton, 1936, p. 897). The first is the problem of
causal imputation, or the problem of ascertaining the extent
to which consequences may be attributed to specific actions
that have already begun. Researchers may discuss
associations; however, it is impossible to predict with
cer tainty causal relations. The second pitfall is the
assumption that the consequence is truly unintended.
Perhaps IM service organizations desire users to become
addicted to site patronage and to ignore possible health
consequences associated with these services.
6. Study 1: IM health benefits and consequences
framework
Given that service researchers have not explored the health
consequences of IM services in-depth, we turned to grounded
theory methodology (Glaser and Strauss, 1967) to put forth a
theory of how IM services promote and damage health. To
develop an original theory, we sent 20 e-mails to QQ users in
China. We obtained the informants from a convenient sample
of undergraduate Chinese students who also were active
QQ users. The average age of the informants was 21 years,
and e-mail replies included ten men and ten women. To keep
answers broad, the e-mails asked respondents to discuss how
QQ benefits their lives and how it negatively affects their lives.
The responses were translated into English by one of the
study’s authors and then by a student for cross-check
accuracy.
6.1 Social support via IM
We fo llowed the coding ten ets of grounded theor y
methodology, including line-by-line coding and recording of
the emerging findings (Glaser and Strauss, 1967); through
these efforts, a two-sided model of QQ emerged. On the one
hand, all the informants mentioned that QQ enables them to
chat with friends, blog, e-mail, and share music and provides
them with an affordable means by which they can easily
remain in contact with friends. For example, one QQ user
said, “QQ gives me a sense of attachment to the groups I’m in
and my friends.” Another said, “Most of my close friends use
QQ. I can stay in contact with my friends any time with QQ.”
On the other hand, when asked to consider QQ’s negative
influences on their lives, 14 informants reported that the site
had none. However, six infor mants discussed the inability to
concentrate when being logged in to QQ. A user said, “QQ is
distracting because of its pop-new feature. I get instant news
feeds on QQ.” Other users said, “It’s not wise to study with
QQ beeping all the time” and “QQ distracts me a lot!”
Finally, other users simply stated that “it feels strange when I
can’t get on QQ” and “I must have access to QQ, I’m
addicted.” Thus, we identified two emerging health
consequences associated with QQ; these are an inability to
concentrate when logged in to QQ (related to ADHD) and a
feeling of being addicted to QQ (internet addiction).
To develop the emerging conceptual categories further,
another round of e-mails was sent to a second convenient
sample of 26 QQ users (13 males and 13 females), which was
a different sample of undergraduate Chinese students. This
round of questions asked respondents to discuss how they use
QQ, the reasons QQ is impor tant to them, whether they
believe that they are addicted to QQ, and whether they believe
that QQ hurts their ability to sit quietly and concentrate.
All the informants said that they use QQ to communicate
with their family and friends. When asked to explain QQ’s
role in their lives, they described the ease with which QQ
enables them to affordably and instantly maintain a large
network. A QQ user said, “I would have lost contact with a lot
of friends without QQ,” and another said, “Without QQ, I’d
spend a lot of money talking on the phone.” Other informants
described how they use QQ when they are having a bad day at
school (emotional support), are bored and want to chat
(companionship), or need assistance with homework
(instrumental support). Thus, the findings show that QQ
users are like third place patrons who obtain the three most
Figure 1 QQ icons and days to obtain
The effect of instant messaging services on society’s mental health
Mark S. Rosenbaum and IpKin Anthony Wong
Journal of Services Marketing
Volume 26 · Number 2 · 2012 · 124 –136
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common types of support from other users (Rosenbaum,
2006) as well as an enhanced sense of subjective well-being
(Rosenbaum, 2008).
However, QQ users’ ability to access virtual friendships and
receive instantaneous support from their social network often
comes with unanticipated consequences. For example, 13
(50 percent) informants said that QQ has hurt their ability to
concentrate, and 7 (27 percent) reported feeling addicted to
QQ. An informant said, “If I’m on QQ while studying, it will
affect my concentration,” and another said, “I’m so used to
using QQ to chat and work. If I can’t use it one day, I’d be
lost. I’m addicted.”
6.2 Proposed framework
On the basis of the qualitative data and the extant commercial
support literature, we put forth a mutual trajectory framework
that illustrates the mixed effect between the health
benefits and the negative consequences of IM services
(Rosenbaum, 2009). Figure 2 shows that IM users may be
similar to third-place customers in their ability to obtain three
social supportive resources from other IM users: emotional
support, companionship, and instrumental support, and a
positive sense of subjective well-being (Rosenbaum, 2008).
Yet the framework also proposes that IM users may also
experience negative consequences from excessive internet
usage, including symptoms associated with ADHD and
internet addiction. In the next study, we empirically test the
proposed relationships.
7. Study 2: virtual social support and
consequences
We obtained data through self-administered questionnaires
from a convenience sample of 462 QQ users who were
enrolled in an introductory marketing course at a major
Chinese university and who volunteered to participate in the
study. All the users used QQ’s IM ser vices. Of the
participants, 236 were male and 226 were female. In
addition, 32 percent of the participants were freshman,
15 percent were sophomores, 36 percent were juniors, and
17 percent were seniors.
7.1 Measures
7.1.1 Social support
We measured the extent to which QQ users receive support
from other users with the social support questionnaire for
transactions (Rosenbaum, 2006), which has been employed in
service research. This 19-item questionnaire evaluates the
frequency with which people, like QQ users, may receive
emotional support, companionship, and instrumental support
from other users; each item is evaluated on a five-point scale
anchored by 1 (strongly disag ree) and 5 (strongly agree).
Given the nature of IM services, some of the questions
needed to be reworded for appropriateness, and we removed
one question (“How often do people lend you small amounts
of money?”) completely because of its non-applicability to
QQ. Table I shows the 18 items.
7.1.2 Well-being
We evaluated QQ users’ subjective sense of well-being
by taking a redu ced ver sion of John’s (2004) 14-item
Ontario health survey (OHS) well-being scale. The OHS
has 14-indicator items that ask participants to indicate how
often they felt the emotions expressed in each statement over
the past 12 months. To keep this question consistent with the
time frame used to evaluate a QQ user’s proclivity toward
ADHD, which we discuss subsequently, we changed the time
period to the “past six months.” Each item was evaluated on a
four-point scale, where 1 ¼ hardly ever, 2 ¼ less than half the
time, 3 ¼ more than half the time, and 4 ¼ most of the time.
The OHS evaluates a participant’s well-being across seven
dimensions – perceived stress-free being, state of morale,
perceived health status, satisfaction about relationships,
interest in life, control of emotions, and energy – with a
positive and negative indicator for each item. For example,
the positive item to evaluate a participant’s perceived stress-
free being is “I felt reasonably relaxed,” and its negative
counterpart is “I felt tense or on edge.”
Given that the Chinese traditionally try to avoid losing face
or causing another person to do so by not openly discussing
embarrassing facts in public (Su and Littlefield, 2001), and
that it is unlikely that young adults have experienced many of
life’s negative events, we administered the seven positive OHS
scale items to participants to evaluate variance on the positive
items. As a scale, the coefficient alpha was .84, indicating
internal consistency (Nunnally, 1978). The Appendix shows
the seven items.
7.1.3 Internet addiction
We evaluated QQ users’ propensity toward internet addiction
with the internet addiction test (IAT) (see Center for internet
Addiction Recovery, 2008; Young, 2001). This test measures
an internet user’s proclivity toward internet addiction by
asking how frequently he or she engages in 20 various internet
behaviors. Each item is measured on a five-point scale
anchored by rarely (1) and always (5). A score of 20-49
indicates that an online user has control over his or her usage.
A score of 50-79 indicates that a user experiences occasional
or frequent problems because of the internet, suggesting a
potential internet addict. A score of 80-100 indicates that
internet usage causes significant problems for a user and
implies internet addiction (Kim et al., 2006).
7.1.4 ADHD
We evaluated users’ procliv ity of having symptoms
characteristic of those associated with adult ADHD using
the World Health Organization’s six-question adult ADHD
Figure 2 Conceptual framework of QQ usage
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self-repor t scale, or ASRS-V1.1 (Ad ler, 2005, for
methodological discussion). Each question asks participants
how often they experience various symptoms associated with
ADHD and is ranked on a scale that includes never, rarely,
sometimes, often, and very often. According to a specific
coding patter n to the six questions, the ASRS-V1.1
determines whether a participant exhibits symptoms that are
congruent with an ADHD medical diagnosis. Note that
although the ASRS-V1.1 has been shown to correlate with a
physician’s medical diagnosis, only a medical provider can
accurately provide a patient with a precise ADHD diagnosis
after examination.
7.1.5 Demographics
Last, we asked participants to indicate how many hours per
week they sp end on the site, their gender, and their
educational level.
7.2 Analysis
7.2.1 IM and social support
The fir st research question addresses whether QQ users
obtain support from others. To answer this question, we
exposed the 18 social support items to SPSS two-step cluster
analysis (Norusis, 2008; Rosenbaum, 2008; SPSS, 2008). An
advantage of this cluster procedure is that it generates both
Schwarz’s Bayesian information criterion for optimal model
selection and t-statistics for each variable to determine
whether it significantly distinguishes a specific cluster from
the others.
The results indicate that users can be classified into three
categories according to their mean responses to the 18 social
support items. In addition, the t-statistic for each item
indicates that the mean significantly differs among the three
clusters (see Table I). On the basis of participants’ responses
to each social support item, we labeled 142 participants
(31 percent) as “high support,” 222 (48 percent) as “medium
support,” and 98 (21 percent) as “low support.”
Approximately one-third of QQ users believe that their
online relationships are socially supportive. Because QQ has
more than 800 million users, it is potentially likely that about
240 million users may be obtaining critical informal social
support from other QQ users in their time of need. Thus, QQ
can be China’s virtual third place and act as a conduit for
helping its users obtain social supportive resources in their
time of need.
7.2.2 Social support and well-being
To evaluate the relationship between QQ social support and
users’ well-being, we put forth a hypothesized latent model
(Figure 3). The model purposes that the latent variable,
subjective well-being, is indicated by seven observed indicator
variables. To study well-being differences among the three
social support groups, we performed latent means analysis
using structural equation modeling (Hancock, 1997, 2008).
In latent means analysis, the mean of a latent variable
cannot be directly estimated; however, it is possible to
estimate the mean difference of the hypothesized latent
construct by fixing one of the construct means pertaining to a
Table I QQ social support mean analysis
High
support
(
n
5 142)
Medium
support
(
n
5 222)
Low/no
support
(
n
5 98)
Companionship and emotional support items
1. How often do QQ users reassure about things? 4.23 3.50 2.78
2. How often are QQ users friendly to you? 4.74 4.13 3.45
3. How often do QQ users sympathize with you? 4.25 3.51 2.81
4. How often do QQ users show their understanding to you? 4.63 3.82 2.98
5. How often are QQ users warm and affectionate to you? 4.64 3.79 3.03
6. How often do QQ users make you feel at ease? 4.67 3.99 3.03
7. How often do QQ users perk you up or cheer you up? 4.72 4.07 2.90
8. How often do QQ users give you advice in the right direction? 4.43 3.67 2.65
9. How often do QQ users tell you not to lose courage? 4.68 3.82 2.85
10. How often can you rely on other QQ users? 4.51 3.64 2.64
11. How often do you QQ users help you if you ask them to do so? 4.62 3.81 2.79
12. How often do you go to QQ users because you enjoy the users who hang out there? 4.49 3.84 2.91
Instrumental support items
13. How often do QQ users give you information or advice? 4.61 3.78 2.80
14. How often do QQ users visit your home page or blog? 4.49 3.76 3.24
15. How often do QQ users send you e-mail or other messages? 4.37 3.55 2.99
16. How often do QQ users share pictures, music, video clips, or movies with you? 4.47 3.74 3.13
17. How often do QQ users share valuable information with you, including personal advice,
information, or secrets? 4.02 3.21 2.50
18. How often do QQ users help you when you are sick, lonely, or when you need them to accompany
you somewhere, online or offline? 4.05 3.38 2.51
Note: Numbers are based on a five-point scale (1 ¼ strongly disagree, and 5 ¼ strongly agree)
Source: Rosenbaum (2006)
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reference group to zero. Thus, the estimated value of
b
in a
group indicates the mean difference in the latent construct
between two groups. In this study, we used the high-support
group as the reference group and fixed its latent mean
parameters (
b
) to zero.
When comparing latent means, researchers should first
demonstrate that factor loadings and intercepts are equal
across groups. The global fit indexes reveal that these
assumptions are valid: root mean square error of
approximation ¼ 0.05 ( p ¼ 0.43), 90 percent confidence
inter val ¼ 0.02-0.08, and comparative fit index ¼ 0.96.
However, the modification indexes recommend that the
disturbances between a respondent’s perceived stress and
state of morale should be correlated. Because feelings of
relaxation (perceived stress-free being) and cheerfulness (state
of morale) are conceptually related, it is theoretically logical
that the errors of these two obser ved variables are correlated.
Table II presents the latent mean parameter estimates and
the magnitude of the latent mean differences. To convert the
latent mean differences into a common and interpretable
metric, we computed Cohen’s d effect size index (Cohen,
2008). The d index is calculated by dividing the mean
difference between two means by the pooled standard
deviation across the groups. Thus, d can be interpreted as
common standard deviations from the mean of the reference
group.
The results show significant mean differences in well-being
among QQ user s, based on the amount of support they obtain
from other users. The latent well-being mean was 0.15
lower among medium-support users and 0.48 lower among
low-/no-support users than the mean among high-support
users. In terms of effect sizes, the computed d values
reveal large effects in well-being between high-support and
low-/no-support user s, medium-high effects between
medium-suppor t and low-/no-support users, and low-
medium effects between high-support and medium-support
users. In addition, the mean differences and effect sizes
indicate a linear relationship between QQ support and a user’s
well-being.
Although QQ may provide many users with a means to
obtain support from other users, do users experience ill-
effects of computer usage? Are QQ users at risk for internet
addiction or for having ADHD symptoms? We now answer
these questions.
7.3 Health consequences of IM services
7.3.1 Hours logged
To probe whether social support encourages QQ users to
spend more time on the site, we performed a one-way analysis
of variance (ANOVA). In this test, the dependent variable was
the average number of hours per week a QQ user reported
being on the site, and the independent variable was the
support group. Although the results of the ANOVA were not
significant (F(2, 459) ¼ 1.11, ns), we found that the average
QQ user is on the site for 35 hours per week (M ¼ 34.70).
QQ users in the high-support group report being on the site
approximately 38 hours per week, medium support users
report 34 hours, and low-/no-support users report 32 hours.
Although the average duration times are not significantly
different from one another, they reveal a potential health
problem in that QQ usage is essentially a sedentary, full-time
position for its users.
This findings is buttressed by Young (1998), who finds that
internet-dependent people were logged on to the internet for
approximately 38.5 hours per week, and Yoo et al. (2004),
who find that 20 percent of internet addicts spend 40 or more
hours per week using the internet. It is also worth noting that
QQ users are often logged on to the site while performing
other behaviors, such as working, taking a class, or studying.
7.3.2 internet addiction
Do QQ user s suffer from internet addiction? To answer this
question, we conducted a contingenc y table analysis to assess
whether QQ users who obtain different levels of support
on the site experience internet addiction symptoms.
Figure 3 Path diagram for latent mean analysis
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Journal of Services Marketing
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The results of the analysis reveal some concern
(Pearson
x
2
(2, n ¼ 462) ¼ 7.69, p , 0.05). No respondents
were in the “frequent” internet addiction category, which
represents die-hard internet addicts. However, 9.9 percent of
high-support users emerge as potential internet addicts, and
this percentage linearly decreases to 4.5 and 2.0 percent
among medium- and low-/no-support users, respectively.
Overall, 5.6 percent of QQ users can be classified as
potential internet addicts. Furthermore, the results of a
contingency table analysis reveal some gender differences
(Pearson
x
2
(1, n ¼ 462) ¼ 3.61, p , 0.10): 7.6 percent of
Chinese male QQ users are potentially addicted versus
3.5 percent of female QQ users. In addition, the results of an
independent-samples t-test reveal some usage differences
(t(460) ¼ 1.96, p ¼ 0.05). Potential int ernet addicts are
logged on to QQ nearly 45 hours per week (M ¼ 44.65)
compared with approximately 33 hour s per week
(M ¼ 33.79) among non-addicts.
7.3.3 ADHD
Given that QQ users receive IM messages throughout the day,
are they at risk for experiencing symptoms associated with
ADHD? To address this question, we performed a two-way
contingency table analysis to evaluate whether the three
support groups differed in exhibiting ADHD symptoms.
Although the ADHD risk -level percentage did not
significantly differ among the three groups, the findings
indicate a societal issue. Slightly more than one-third of QQ
users in each support categor y exper ienced symptoms
associated with ADHD (32.4 percent among high-support,
35.1 percent among medium-support, and 34.7 percent
among low-/no-support QQ users, respectively).
As a whole, 34.2 percent of QQ users experience symptoms
associated with an ADHD diagnosis. In addition, the results
of a contingency table analysis reveal significant gender
differences (Pearson
x
2
(1, n ¼ 462) ¼ 6.80, p , 0.01):
39.8 percent of male QQ users are at risk for ADHD
versus 28.3 percent of female users. The data also reveal that
per-week usage did not differ between the at-risk and no-risk
ADHD groups. These percentages are problematic because
research indicates that approximately 20 percent of
adolescents in the US may experience broad-based ADHD
symptoms.
7.3.4 Internet addiction and ADHD
We performed a contingency table analysis to evaluate the
prevalence of ADHD symptoms among potential internet
addicts. The results were significant (Pearson
x
2
(2,
n ¼ 462) ¼ 9.15, p , 0.01): 61.5 percent of potential
internet addicts reported having symptoms associated with
ADHD versus 33 percent of non-internet addicts. Thus,
internet addiction among QQ users is positively related to
theirhavingsymptomsassociatedwithADHD
(Mitchell, 2000; Yoo et al., 2004).
Although these findings indicate that IM users can relish
the benefits from informal social support, the corresponding
health consequences of internet addiction and ADHD are
worrisome. Perhaps these negative consequences are specific
to QQ’s 800 million-plus user base, as QQ’s unique user-
status system encourages users to spend countless hours on
the site and to be readily accessible to beeps and vibrations
throughout the day. To address this concern, we explore
IM benefits and consequences among IM users in the US
in study 3.
8. Study 3: IM support and problems among US IM
users
We obtained data from self-administered questionnaires from
a convenience sample of 115 IM users who were enrolled in
advanced marketing courses at a large Midwestern university.
A total of 49 (43 percent) respondents were male, and 56
(57 percent) were female; the average age of the respondents
was 21 years. We used both the IAT and the ASRS-V1.1
scales again in this study. Respondents were asked to identify
their IM service provider and to indicate how many hours
per week they used IM services.
8.1 IM usage
One of the major differences between American and Chinese
IM users is that Americans spend considerably less time than
the Chinese logged on to IM services. The data reveal that the
adolescent IM users spend approximately eight hours per week
on IM services (M ¼ 7.98), and the results of a contingency
table analysis reveal no significant differences in IM usage
between male adolescents and female adolescents. This figure
is more than one-quarter the time the average QQ user spends
on IM.
8.2 Internet addiction
The IAT results reveal that 1 respondent represents an
“Internet addict” and that 13 (11.3 percent) can be classified
as “potential internet addicts.” If we combine these two
categories, approximately 12 percent of American IM users
can be classified as potential addicts. Although this percentage
is more than double the 5.6 percent rate found among
Chinese QQ users, it is in line with findings that suggest that
11 percent of Chinese adolescents are addicted to the internet
(Fallows, 2008).
We conducted an independent samples t-test to probe the
relationship between internet addiction and IM usage further.
The ro bust results were mildly significant (df (13. 93),
t ¼ 2.05, p , 0.10). Whereas non-addicted internet uses use
IM services six hours per week (M ¼ 6.21), this figure more
than doubles among potential addicts to almost 20 hours per
week (M ¼ 19.32). Th erefore, there i s a relationship
among Ame ri can adolesc ents, IM usage, and intern et
addiction; however, the causal relationship among them is
unknown.
Table II Latent mean analysis results
Construct High support Medium support Low/no support Effect size (d)
Well-being (
b
1
) high vs med 0.00 2 0.15 0.31
Well-being (
b
1
) high vs low 0.00 2 0.48 0.96
Well-being (
b
1
) med vs low 0.00 2 0.33 0.66
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8.3 ADHD
In terms of ADHD symptoms, the results reveal that
23 percent of respondents report having symptoms that
suggest a positive ADHD diagnosis. Although this percentage
is aligned with the estimated 20 percent of Americans who are
hypothesized to suffer from broad-based ADHD symptoms, it
is lower than the 34 percent we found among QQ users.
We conducted another independent samples t-test to probe
the relationship between IM and ADHD status further. The
robust results were again mildly significant (df ¼ 26.42),
t ¼ 1.74, p , 0.10), respondents who do not exhibit ADHD
symptoms use IM services approximately six hours per week
(M ¼ 5.74); however, this figure nearly triples among
respondents who exhibit ADHD symptoms (M ¼ 14.56).
Thus, we may conclude that there is a potential positive
relationship between IM usage and ADHD among American
youth; however, future research on the topic is warranted
(Block, 2008).
9. Discussion
Commercial third places have a documented history of being
integral to the rise of great civilizations, cities, and societies
(Oldenburg and Brissett, 1982), of being profoundly effectual
in aiding society’s mental health in a non-medicated manner
(Cowen, 1982), and of being capable of enhancing a
consumer’s sense of subjective well-being (Rosenbaum,
2008). Thus, customers who gather with their commercial
friendships in places such as diners, beauty shops, bookstores,
and fast-food outlets often receive a consistent supply of life-
enhancing social support in their time of need.
Yet the rise of IM social networking technology offers the
possibility that IM service providers may someday replace the
traditional role assumed by third places. Rather than
patronize a bricks-and-mortar ser vice establishment for
support in their time of need, people may opt to turn to IM
services to instantaneously and affordably access their socially
supportive relationships from any place in the world. This is
not to say that IM social support is incontrovertible as
users may misinter pret online m essages, the vir tual
forums may lack professional mediation, online discussion
are often uncontrollable, and certain members may display
rudeness to other members (White and Dorman, 2001 for
review). However, given this potential change in the role of
third places in societal well-being, we sought to elucidate
social scientists, public health researchers, and governmental
concerns about whether IM services could effectively replace
third places by promoting societal mental health.
Our work reveals the mixed effect of IM services. Namely,
similar to third-place patrons, younger-aged IM users in both
China and the US are able to tap successfully into their social
networks for support through IM portals. However, unlike
third places, IM services require users to be logged on to the
internet for excessive periods of time, and we show that
extreme internet usage can deteriorate the mental health of
some IM users by encouraging internet addiction and ADHD.
Internet addiction is emerging as a problematic mental health
disorder that is under-researched, is resistant to treatment,
entails significant risks, and has high relapse rates (Block,
2008). Thus, we are left to conclude that though IM services
provide users with an easy and affordable means to obtain
informal social support in their time of need, it will not be
society’s de facto helping mechanism for aiding mental health.
9.1 Theoretical implications
In line with Reibstein et al.’s (2009) study, this work
represents a paradigm shift by analyzing the potential
impact of emerging technologies on societal concerns
instead of focusing on new methodologies or theoretical
advancements. Yet this does not mean that the work is devoid
of theoretical advancement; rather, it represents the
foundations of transformat ive ser vice research. By
transformative service research, we mean investigations that
are framed by a substantial problem or oppor tunity
originating in the service domain and that strive to respect,
uphold, and improve consumer or societal well-being
(see Mick, 2006).
We agree with Merton (1936), who argues that scientists
typically fail to consider the unforeseen consequences of
certain actions, which usually have broad, social implications.
For too long , service researchers have feverishly studied
consumption and managerial outcomes at the paucity of
generating research that focuses on societal outcomes and
sustainable practices. Service researchers who feverishly
explore internet consumption and online quality issues tend
to ignore the negative consequences of the service, including
online gambling, prostitution, virtual sex, and martial stress
or degradation. Rather than talk to themselves, service
researchers are encouraged to partner with social scientists
and public health officials to under stand how service
exchanges may contribute to societal well-being on a global
scale.
9.2 Managerial implications
Employers are incorrect to believe that societal ills, such as
internet addiction and ADHD, are far removed from their
everyday business practices (Beard and Wolf, 2001). Because
users can operate IM services during work on their computers
or user sites (e.g. www.digsby.com) to link together several IM
services, there will be employees whose job responsibilities are
affected. For example, service providers, such as commuter
train e ngineers, have caused the deaths of innocent
customers and injuries in order to respond to text messages
(Lopez et al., 2008). Indeed, the US department is currently
developing permanent restrictions on use of mobile devices by
rail operators, interstate truck and bus operators, and school
bus drivers to prevent future catastrophes from occurring
(Halsey, 2009).
At some point, managers may need to consider using the
IAT during the hiring process as a potential screen to enforce
strict disciplinary measures against personal IM usage during
business hours. Fur ther, managers may want to
consider whether they should sponsor internet treatment
groups to help employees who are addicted to the net
(see www.netaddictionrecovery.com for sample programs).
Lastly, IM ser vice providersshouldbeginproviding
educational materials as well as online warning messages
regarding the negative aspects of excessive IM usage to their
customers.
9.3 Limitations
A methodological limitation of exploring unanticipated
consequences of specific actions is that causal relationships
remain unknown. To truly explore the causal relationships
between IM usages and outcomes, such as ADHD and
internet addiction, further research would need a control
sample that does not engage in IM, as opposed to a non-
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random, convenience sample of IM users. Unfortunately, this
challenge is nearly impossible among younger-aged adults in
China and the US. Additionally, it is probably than some
respondents may have misreported their ADHD responses
due to a social desirability bias. To overcome this potential, we
informed respondents that their answers were anonymous and
we never collected a respondent’s name or pe rsonal
information. Perhaps, service researchers can collaborate
with medical researchers to further explore the impact of IM
services on consumer health and well-being. Lastly, although
depression and social anxiety are linked to excessive IM
usage, we did not evaluate these two issues, nor did we
attempt to discuss whether IM consequences are worse than
suffering these two ailments.
Future researchers may find a sample that is simultaneously
obtaining commercial support and IM support, as younger-
aged adults do not tend to patronize places, such as diners
(Rosenbaum and Massiah, 2007) and fast-food restaurants
(Cheang, 2002), to obtain social support from other
customers. Thus, we encourage future researchers to draw
upon White and Dorman (2001) to further explore the
nuances between IM and commercial support, especially
among the older-aged and elderly.
Despite these limitations, the work reveals that there may be
a dark side to youth who are “always on,” in constant contact
with their friends through IM, mobile phones, and social
network sites (Ito et al., 2008). Instant-messaging services
may be analogous to third places in their ability to provide
users with a quick and affordable means to obtain informal
social support; however, excessive usage may cause users to
experience negative symptoms associated with internet
addiction and ADHD. Given that third places represent
society’s de facto helping mechanism in terms of aiding
mental health, we are left to conclude that IM services may
soon represent society’s de facto hindrance mechanism.
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Appendix
About the authors
Mark S. Rosenbaum is a Fulbright Scholar and Kohl’s
Corporation Professor of Retail Marketing at Northern
Illinois University. His research focuses on services issues
such as commercial social support, transformative service
establishments, third places, unethical shopping behaviors,
ethnic consumption, and tourists’ shopping behaviors. He has
published in leading service journals as well as numerous
domestic and international conference proceedings and book
chapters. Rosenbaum also consults on service marketing
issues with leading firms in America, including McDonald’s,
Abbott, and LivingWell Cancer Resource Center. He also
teaches undergraduate and executive services courses in
Vietnam, Bhutan, and Cambodia. He received his doctorate
from Arizona State University in 2003. Mark S. Rosenbaum
is the corresponding author and ca n be contacted at:
mrosenbaum@niu.edu
IpKin Anthony Wong is Assistant Professor at the Institute
for Tourism Studies, Macau. He has authored articles in
Journal of Service Management, International Journal of Culture,
Tourism and Hospitality Research, and Tourism Management:
Analysis, Behavior, and Strategy. His publications also appear
in multiple international conference proceedings. He received
his doctorate from University of Hawaii in 2007.
Executive summary and implications for
managers and executives
This summary has been provided to allow managers and executives
a rapid appreciation of the content of the article. Those with a
particular interest in the topic covered may then read the article in
toto to take advantage of the more comprehensive description of the
research undertaken and its results to get the full benefit of the
material present.
Many of us have ulterior motives for going to the shops, the
gym, the hairdresser’s, video arcade, bookstore etc. As human
beings, we feel the need to talk to other people, interact with
them and, so to speak, take part in the society around us. Cut
us off from those places – as some people are because age or
illness forces them to stay indoors – and we are likely to be
lonely and even our mental health could suffer.
Indeed, the term “third places” was coined some years ago
to denote commercial service establishments in which patrons
maintain a network of friends, acquaintances, and weakly
bonded non-familial relationships, which offer them social
support in their time of need. Research suggests commercial
support can successfully replace three types of social support
that people may lose from family, friends, and co-workers due
to negative life events. These are companionship (i.e. feelings
of friendship), emotional support (i.e. personal and private
support), and instrumental support (i.e. help with daily
activities) and enhance a consumer’s sense of wellbeing and
perceived health.
But what about those of us who do not feel the need to go
out and communicate with other people at the gym, shops or
wherever? Those of us who find our social interaction via
the inter net or instant messaging? The positive role of those
so-called “third places” in public health may be in peril, as
teenagers and younger-aged adults are increasingly turning to
IM services to communicate with others in a non-direct
manner in which they cannot see others’ posture, hand
Table AI. OHS well-being items
Dimension Indicator item
Perceived stress-free being I felt reasonably relaxed
State of morale I felt cheerful and light headed
Perceived health status My health gave me no concern
Satisfaction about
relationships
I felt loved and appreciated
Interest in life Many interesting things happened
Control of emotions I had no problems handling my
feelings
Energy I have been feeling full of pep and
energy
Source: John (2004)
The effect of instant messaging services on society’s mental health
Mark S. Rosenbaum and IpKin Anthony Wong
Journal of Services Marketing
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gestures, eye movements, or other type of body language.
Indeed, the final verdict on whether IM communication can
replace in quality the type of communication that third place
patrons obtain from maintaining social relationships remains
mixed. Online support is beneficial to people who gather on
sites for support from other people who share negative life
experiences (e.g. AIDS/HIV), who have common stigmatized
situations (e.g. homosexuality, Down’s syndrome), or who are
in the same boat by sharing events that deplete a person’s
readily available access to support.
On the other hand (the “internet paradox” as one research
called it) is the internet’s inability to help assuage loneliness
and to promote well-being. Many researchers conclude that
IM communication results in users becoming socially inept in
the workplace and even in society. Others conclude that those
relationships are less valuable than offline ones, primarily
because computer-mediated communication prohibits users
from conveying emotions and facial cues. Furthermore,
sociologists attribute increases in people’s boredom,
loneliness, and alienation and decreases in their
participation in civic and social institutions to the internet.
To those people, many of us would say “just get a life!” but it
is too serious to dismiss with glib remarks.
In “The effect of instant messaging services on society’s
mental health” Mark S. Rosenbaum and IpKin Anthony
Wong, in a study of younger-aged Chinese and American IM
users, conclude that though IM services provide users with an
easy and affordable means to obtain informal social support in
their time of need, it will not be society’s de facto helping
mechanism for aiding mental health.
The rise of IM social networking technology offers the
possibility that IM service providers may someday replace the
traditional role assumed by third places. Rather than
patronize a bricks-and-mortar ser vice establishment for
support in their time of need, people may opt to turn to IM
services to instantaneously and affordably access their socially
supportive relationships from any place in the world. Some
IM social support may be questionable as users may
misinterpret online messages, the virtual forums may lack
professional mediation, and online discussion is often
uncontrollable.
The study reveals the mixed effect of IM services. Namely,
similar to third-place patrons, younger-aged IM users in both
China and the US are able to tap successfully into their social
networks for support through IM portals. However, unlike
third places, IM services require users to be logged onto the
internet for excessive periods of time, and it has been shown
that extreme internet usage can deteriorate the mental health
of some IM users by bringing on internet addiction and adult
attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). internet
addiction is emerging as a problematic mental health disorder
that is under-researched, is resistant to treatment, entails
significant risks, and has high relapse rates.
Employers are incorrect to believe that societal ills, such as
internet addiction and ADHD, are far removed from their
everyday business practices. Because users can operate IM
services during work on their computers or user sites to link
together several IM services, there will be employees whose
job responsibilities are affected. For example, ser vice
providers, such as commuter train engineers, have caused
deaths and injuries by responding to text messages. Managers
may need to consider testing potential employees’ possible
internet “addiction” during the hiring process.
(A pre
´
cis of the article “The effect of instant messaging services on
society’s mental health”. Supplied by Marketing Consultants for
Emerald.)
The effect of instant messaging services on society’s mental health
Mark S. Rosenbaum and IpKin Anthony Wong
Journal of Services Marketing
Volume 26 · Number 2 · 2012 · 124 –136
136
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