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Life satisfaction in the internet age - Changes in the past decade
... Digital divides tend to mirror preexisting patterns of economic inequality [20,49,67]. Differences in access to and forms of Internet use reflect more limited income potential among populations without access to online information or surfing skills, a lack of equality in employment opportunities and more limited social mobility [19,53,55,57]. As a result, the vulnerable social groups, such as ethnic and national minorities, people from low SES, elderly and periphery residents find themselves doubly disadvantaged. ...
... In the second stage socio-demographic variables were added. In order to identify changes in the effects of socio-demographic variables over time, in the third stage we added the interactions between WDC and background variables with the most powerful effect on Internet use, according to the research literature: gender, ethnicity (Arabs and immigrants), religiosity, Hebrew language proficiency, education, income and physical and health problems 2 [19,26,29,51,54,57]. The final regression model included only the significant interactional effects in at least one of the groups. ...
... For similar methodology in repeated cross-sectional as well as panel studies see[3,24,53,56,57,72].3 On 19 July 2018, the Knesset passed a basic law under the title Israel as the Nation-State of the Jewish People, which defines Hebrew as "the State's language" and Arabic as a language with "a special status" in the State. ...
Background
The current research focuses on trends of Internet adoption and digital uses among people with disabilities over a thirteen-year period.
Methods
The study is based on data elicited from a repeated cross-sectional study collected by means of Annual Social Surveys conducted by Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics between 2003 and 2015. The sample included 95,145 respondents, among them 22,290 respondents with disabilities.
Results
The rate of Internet access and digital uses increased continuously among disabled people; however the gap between them and the population without disabilities was preserved. We found that Internet use depends on a number of socio-economic characteristic. Socio-demographic variables were much more powerful in predicting Internet use vs non-use among the total population, compared to predicting digital uses among Internet users.
Conclusions
Our findings make it possible to identify disadvantaged groups in which disability intersects with low rates of Internet adoption and belonging to unprivileged groups: Arabs, the religious, the elderly, lower SES individuals. The effects of most of these variables did not change in the period under study. Generally, we recommend finding a way to promote courses that focus on promoting digital literacy in general and eHealth literacy in particular in small groups of people of similar age, digital skill level and motor / health problems. Considering the high representation of Arabs among people with disabilities and lower rates of Internet adoption and use among Arabs, it is recommended that efforts continue to increase the scope and quality of Arabic language content published on Israeli eHealth sites. In order to diminish income-based digital divide we recommend providing publicly accessible free information technologies, for example, in community clubs, senior citizen clubs, and independent- and assisted- living projects for the disabled.
... On the one hand, the creation of social or economic values, reductions of complexity in everyday life, reductions of transaction costs as well as improvements in human decisionmaking can increase overall welfare. Consequently, participating in digital societies can be conceptualized as beneficial for personal well-being (Amichai-Hamburger, 2007Lissitsa & Chachashvili-Bolotin, 2016). As has been described above, this optimistic narrative presented the starting point for research on digital divides; its relatively recent expansion of the framework to including outcomes revealed that reaping benefits from internet use is unequally distributed in digital societies (see Chapter 2.2). ...
... The first interpretation of the small effect size needs to be kept in mind for any theoretical or empirical research on internet use and well-being: naturally, there are many other predictors of well-being that are devoid of any online nature such as physical health (Helliwell & Putnam, 2004;Lissitsa & Chachashvili-Bolotin, 2016). It is straightforward that subjective well-being is correlated with other quality of life measures: there is, for instance, robust evidence that physical health status is associated with (subjective) well-being (for an overview see Ryan & Deci, 2001). ...
... Furthermore, it can be expected that Internet users who are able to continuously achieve high offline returns through their Internet use additionally benefit from feedback effects: Higher 3688 Moritz Büchi, Noemi Festic, and Michael Latzer International Journal of Communication 12(2018) economic, cultural, and social capital allows them to further improve their Internet skills, which in turn are likely to have a positive effect on their future offline outcomes (Van Deursen, Helsper, Eynon, & van Dijk, 2017). Although studies on divides in terms of access and use are clearly relevant, it is especially these digital inequality outcomes that ultimately affect life chances and reveal how individuals' Internet use relates to their social functioning (Lissitsa & Chachashvili-Bolotin, 2016). ...
... The ever-vibrant online society allows more research to explore how the Internet shapes personal and social life in urban China. Consequently, an extensive empirical literature has emerged on the association between Internet adoption and subjective well-being (Caplan, 2002;DiMaggio et al., 2004;Oh, Ozkaya, and LaRose, 2014;Lissitsa and Chachashvili-Bolotin, 2016). Notwithstanding mixed findings, the previous literature has pointed explicitly towards the observation that, in both developed and developing societies, Internet usage may have important social and psychological consequences. ...
... Some researchers have reported a U-shaped association between age and subjective well-being: young and older people appear to display higher levels of subjective well-being than middle-aged people (Diener, 2000;Blanchflower and Oswald, 2008). In addition to age, gender and marital status have been shown to have significant effects on subjective well-being (Easterlin, 2003;Bonini, 2008;Lissitsa and Chachashvili-Bolotin, 2016). According to studies on this topic, women and married individuals tend to enjoy higher levels of life satisfaction than men and those who are single or widowed. ...
... Similarly, education has been reported as a positive correlate of well-being (Yip et al., 2007;Hicks, 2011), as well as a negative correlate (Rao, Tamta, and Kumari, 2014;Lissitsa and Chachashvili-Bolotin, 2016). Thirdly, many studies have linked social capital to a variety of outcomes of measures of well-being. ...
Using data from the China Family Panel Studies, this study examines the socioeconomic characteristics of Internet users, as well as the relationships between the dynamics of different forms of online activities and the subjective well-being of urbanites and rural migrants in urban China. The study finds that online behaviour may clearly reflect differences in individuals’ personal traits and socioeconomic positions. Patterns of the association between online activities and subjective well-being tend to differ among rural migrants and urbanites, especially in terms of depression. A difference-in-differences model is employed to estimate the impact of intensified engagement in online activities on depression and life satisfaction from 2010 to 2016. The results show that increased frequency of online entertainment exhibits a comparatively positive effect on depression and life satisfaction. Spending more time on online social networking has a similar impact on rural migrants, but not on urbanites. These findings suggest that the rapid development of urban China’s online community has important implications for residents’ subjective well-being.
... Sci. 2018, 7, 101 2 of 17 China offers an interesting case that would advance the existing scholarly understanding of the association between Internet adoption and subjective well-being (Caplan 2002;DiMaggio et al. 2004;Oh et al. 2014;Lissitsa and Chachashvili-Bolotin 2016). Notwithstanding mixed findings, the previous literature has pointed explicitly towards the observation that, in both developed and developing societies, Internet usage may have important social and psychological consequences. ...
... Some researchers have reported a U-shaped association between age and subjective well-being: young and older people appear to display higher levels of subjective well-being than middle-aged people (Diener 2000;Blanchflower and Oswald 2008). In addition to age, gender and marital status have been shown to have significant effects on subjective well-being (Easterlin 2003;Bonini 2008;Lissitsa and Chachashvili-Bolotin 2016). According to studies on this topic, women and married individuals tend to enjoy higher levels of life satisfaction than men and those who are single or widowed. ...
... The work of Richard Easterlin and later research reveal that income's effect on well-being tends to vary across different contextual backgrounds, as it is a much more positive and potent factor in developing regions than developed regions (Easterlin 1974;Diener and Diener 1995). Similarly, education has been reported as a positive correlate of well-being (Yip et al. 2007;Hicks 2011), as well as a negative correlate (Rao et al. 2014;Lissitsa and Chachashvili-Bolotin 2016). Thirdly, many studies have linked social capital to a variety of outcomes of measures of well-being. ...
Using data from the China Family Panel Studies, this study examines the socioeconomic characteristics of Internet users, as well as the relationships between the dynamics of different forms of online activities and the subjective well-being of urbanites and rural migrants in urban China. The study finds that online behavior may clearly reflect differences in individuals' personal traits and socioeconomic positions. Patterns of the association between online activities and subjective well-being tend to differ among rural migrants and urbanites, especially in terms of depression. A difference-in-differences model is employed to estimate the impact of intensified engagement in online activities on depression and life satisfaction from 2010 to 2016. The results show that individuals who exhibited increased frequency of online entertainment appeared to be less depressed and more satisfied with their lives. Spending more time on online social networking has a similar impact on rural migrants, but not on urbanites. These findings suggest that the rapid development of urban China's online community has important implications for residents' subjective well-being.
... With the advent of an information society, how access to digital information through the Internet, Internet literacy, and smartphone use are related to life satisfaction has been studied with interest (Bozoglan et al., 2013;Leung & Lee, 2005;Morris et al., 2014;Stepanikova et al., 2010). Internet access and use has increased dramatically over the past decade, making it much easier for people to find information, create economic and social exchanges, engage in social activities and online communities, etc. (Lissitsa & Chachashvili-Bolotin, 2016). However, in general, the impact of Internet use on personal well-being and life satisfaction is still not sufficient for people with disabilities. ...
... The impact of Internet use on life satisfaction may depend on how Internet use influences social processes that contribute to mental health (Lissitsa & Chachashvili-Bolotin, 2016). When Internet use facilitates social processes, it can enhance well-being, particularly when used to accomplish important or meaningful goals. ...
Rehabilitation aims to make necessary changes to help individuals achieve maximum life satisfaction. This study focused on Internet competence and use as factors related to life satisfaction for individuals with physical disabilities. Data from the 2016 Information Divide Index of the National Information Society Agency were analyzed. Regression analyses indicated a negative correlation between Internet use related to life services and life satisfaction; however, findings also suggested Internet use has positive effects on life satisfaction for individuals with physical disabilities. Internet use can help improve the life satisfaction of individuals with physical disabilities, and measures to increase competence and use are necessary.
... Using data from the US Health and Retirement Study (HRS) over a 6-year period, Cotten et al [15] found that prior internet usage reduced the probability of depression by one-third between 2002 and 2008 in a sample of 3000 retired adults aged 50 years and older. Using data over a 10-year period, Lissitsa and Chachashvili-Bolotin [16] found that internet adoption among an Israeli sample of adults aged 65 years and older was associated with increased life satisfaction, with the strength of the estimated association being as strong as that found for being married. ...
... Very few previous studies have been able to analyze internet use frequency and its relationship with mental health longitudinally. Our findings are consistent with the limited literature available [15,16]. This is the first study to our knowledge that explores SEP as a potential moderator of longitudinal associations between internet use and mental health among older adults. ...
Background: There is uncertainty about the impact of internet use on mental health in older adults. Moreover, there is very little known specifically about the impact of particular purposes of internet use. Objective: This study aims to investigate the longitudinal relationship between two distinct concepts of mental health with the frequency of internet use among older adults: the moderating role of socioeconomic position (SEP) and the association between specific purposes of internet use. Methods: Longitudinal fixed and random effects (27,507 person-years) models were fitted using waves 6-8 of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing to examine the relationship between different aspects of internet use (frequency and purpose) and two mental health outcomes (depression and life satisfaction). The potential moderating effect of SEP on these associations was tested using interaction terms. Results: Infrequent internet use (monthly or less vs daily) was predictive of deteriorating life satisfaction (β=−0.512; P=.02) but not depression. Education and occupational class had a moderating effect on the association between frequency of internet use and mental health. The associations were stronger in the highest educational group in both depression (P=.09) and life satisfaction (P=.02), and in the highest occupational group in life satisfaction (P=.05) only. Using the internet for communication was associated with lower depression (β=−0.24; P=.002) and better life satisfaction (β=.97; P<.001), whereas those using the internet for information access had worse life satisfaction (β=−0.86; P<.001) compared with those who did not. Conclusions: Policies to improve mental health in older adults should encourage internet use, especially as a tool to aid communication.
... New technologies contribute to peoples' utility, mental health (Lissitsa, 2016), and make their lives better and happier. These are vital to their subjective wellbeing (Mochón, 2018). ...
... There is an evident positive relationship between Facebook use and subjective wellbeing when it builds relationships (Ellison et al., 2007;Oh et al., 2014). through facilitating rapid communications across vast geographical distances (Lissitsa, 2016). The social relations also contribute to individuals meeting new people online and receiving new information about one another. ...
Using data from 28 European Countries, this study analyses the effect of digitalization on the subjective wellbeing of people in Europe between 2014 and 2019. We analyze the impact of the Digital Economy and Society Index on life satisfaction through its components. Also, we apply several models of the two-stage least squares method. The findings indicate that Internet Connectivity, use of the internet, and Integrated Digital Technology positively relate to Life Satisfaction. Additionally, there are findings that Human Capital and Digital Public Services are negatively associated with it. Our results suggest that the level of digital skills, e-health, and e-government services do not necessarily increase the level of an individual's life satisfaction. On the other hand, fast broadband coverage, online services, and wide internet coverage increase life satisfaction level. The Use of the Internet appeared to be the most effective digitalization component in affecting life satisfaction in Europe. Results also indicate that improvement of 'The Digital Network Architecture' (DNA) infrastructure is needed to enhance digitalization. With the recent COVID 19 Pandemic global crisis, there is awareness of the importance of digitalization. Different governments should develop their digital infrastructure to alleviate the spread of the pandemic and accommodate their effect on different sectors.
... This generation is known as the lost generation, many cases of divorce and the lowest participation rate in elections. Opinions of others tend to influence them (Lissitsa and Chachashvili-Bolotin, 2016), skeptical in looking at things, flexible work style and know how to use technology (Dhanapal et al., 2015). Generation-X is slower in adopting new technologies than Generation-Y, but faster than the Baby Boomers (Taylor and Gao, 2014 used to use a credit card since young age. ...
... Generation-X is slower in adopting new technologies than Generation-Y, but faster than the Baby Boomers (Taylor and Gao, 2014 used to use a credit card since young age. They buy to keep up their social status and like to compare what they have with others (Lissitsa and Chachashvili-Bolotin, 2016). Generation-Y is the earliest people who live coexist with technology and is considered highly adaptable (Berkup, 2014). ...
Advances in information and communication technology have caused two major changes in the business world. Firstly, they have caused a wave of new companies emerge that base their business models on the internet. Secondly, they have given rise to the birth of a new group of buyers, known as Generation-Z, who level of expectation and response to consumption are different. Both of these changes -- in business model and in consumption behaviour -- have broad impacts on how companies connect with their business partners and customers. The main purpose of this study is to investigate Generation-Z’s buying behaviour and how this knowledge helps to bring new opportunities for retail business. We applied a qualitative research method through deep interview of 23 respondents. This study finds that Generation-Z customers in Indonesia have a strong tendency to shop online; they show distinctive behaviours particularly when shopping for clothes and food & beverage. The demographic bonus that Indonesia has enjoyed since 2012 also highlights how this generation is important in business environment in the country
... Using data from the US Health and Retirement Study (HRS) over a 6-year period, Cotten et al [15] found that prior internet usage reduced the probability of depression by one-third between 2002 and 2008 in a sample of 3000 retired adults aged 50 years and older. Using data over a 10-year period, Lissitsa and Chachashvili-Bolotin [16] found that internet adoption among an Israeli sample of adults aged 65 years and older was associated with increased life satisfaction, with the strength of the estimated association being as strong as that found for being married. ...
... Very few previous studies have been able to analyze internet use frequency and its relationship with mental health longitudinally. Our findings are consistent with the limited literature available [15,16]. This is the first study to our knowledge that explores SEP as a potential moderator of longitudinal associations between internet use and mental health among older adults. ...
Background:
There is uncertainty about the impact of internet use on mental health in older adults. Moreover, there is very little known specifically about the impact of particular purposes of internet use.
Objective:
This study aims to investigate the longitudinal relationship between two distinct concepts of mental health with the frequency of internet use among older adults: the moderating role of socioeconomic position (SEP) and the association between specific purposes of internet use.
Methods:
Longitudinal fixed and random effects (27,507 person-years) models were fitted using waves 6-8 of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing to examine the relationship between different aspects of internet use (frequency and purpose) and two mental health outcomes (depression and life satisfaction). The potential moderating effect of SEP on these associations was tested using interaction terms.
Results:
Infrequent internet use (monthly or less vs daily) was predictive of deteriorating life satisfaction (β=-0.512; P=.02) but not depression. Education and occupational class had a moderating effect on the association between frequency of internet use and mental health. The associations were stronger in the highest educational group in both depression (P=.09) and life satisfaction (P=.02), and in the highest occupational group in life satisfaction (P=.05) only. Using the internet for communication was associated with lower depression (β=-0.24; P=.002) and better life satisfaction (β=.97; P<.001), whereas those using the internet for information access had worse life satisfaction (β=-0.86; P<.001) compared with those who did not.
Conclusions:
Policies to improve mental health in older adults should encourage internet use, especially as a tool to aid communication.
... Additionally, all of the internet activities, except for informational use seemed to reduce the odds for life satisfaction in the adjusted model. This tendency found in the data, however not statistically significant, contradicts the results presented by previous studies exploring internet use in relation to life satisfaction-where internet use related to online shopping (Lissitsa and Chachashvili-Bolotin, 2016), leisure (Lifshitz et al., 2018), and social network sites (Gaia et al., 2021) increased life satisfaction. The lower odds for life satisfaction among the internet users compared to the non-users seem to be related to the variables controlled for in the adjusted model of the analysis. ...
... When looking at other studies focusing on internet activities and life satisfaction, similar one item questions as used within this study have been applied, however, often combined with five or four-point answering scales instead of a forced dichotomized answering option as in this study. The aforementioned research connected to life satisfaction and different internet activities (Lissitsa and Chachashvili-Bolotin, 2016;Lifshitz et al., 2018;Gaia et al., 2021) applied either the Satisfaction with Life Scale (developed by Diener, 1985) or a one-item question measuring overall life satisfaction with response options ranging from 1-4 to 1-5. Hence, the loss of nuances might have influenced the study results regarding internet use and life satisfaction in this study. ...
Aim
The aim was to explore the various associations between subjective well-being and internet use among older adults in two regions in Finland and Sweden.
Methods
The data was collected through a population-based survey ( N = 9,386) as part of the GERDA project conducted in 2016. The connection between subjective well-being (measured by perceived meaningfulness, happiness and life satisfaction) and internet use (distinguishing between internet users, non-users and users with support, and diverse internet activities) was studied by conducting binary regression analyses, calculating odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals. The analyses also controlled for key subjective well-being covariates.
Results
Statistically significant associations were found between perceived life meaningfulness and internet use. When looking into the specific internet-based activities under study, activities related to leisure and entertainment showed statistically significant associations to perceived meaningfulness as well as perceived happiness, also after controlling for potential covariates. However, internet use and the different internet activities failed to show statistical significant associations to life satisfaction in the adjusted regression model.
Conclusion
The things we do on the internet (the activities) as well as how we conceptualize and measure subjective well-being in this type of research studies seem to matter when it comes to the relationship between subjective well-being and internet use in later life. Internet use and internet activities displayed various connections to the subjective well-being proxies used in this study. Therefore, the complexity and multidimensionality of both subjective well-being and internet use and related links need to be carefully explored in order to deepen our understanding of experienced well-being among older adults in a digitized world.
... It also covers the affiliated changes in the connectivity of individuals, organizations and objects (Urbach and Rö glinger, 2019) and has become one of the most important topics nowadays and constructs a new reality that affects how individuals perceive their life satisfaction. New technologies contribute to peoples' utility and mental health (Lissitsa, 2016) and improve their lives. These are vital to their subjective wellbeing (Moch on, 2018). ...
... Also, online activities can generate more wellbeing by expanding social capital, which is known as the main influential factor of happiness (Helliwell, 2002). Similarly, the positive effect of integrated digital technology is also consistent with studies on social networking websites (such as Facebook) impact on SWB (Ellison et al., 2007;Oh et al., 2014) through facilitating rapid communications across vast geographical distances (Lissitsa, 2016). Social relations also contribute to individuals meeting new people online and receiving further information about one another. ...
Purpose
This study aims to analyze the effect of digitalization on 28 European countries’ subjective wellbeing by using macro (aggregate level) indicators.
Design/methodology/approach
The research investigates the impact of digitalization (Digital Economy and Society Index [DESI]) on life satisfaction through its components. The study uses several models based on the two-stage least squares method.
Findings
The findings show that internet connectivity, use of the internet and integrated digital technology are positively related to life satisfaction. Furthermore, the results revealed that human capital and digital public services are negatively associated with it. The study also suggested that digital skills, e-health, and e-government services do not necessarily increase an individual’s life satisfaction level. The internet’s use appeared to be the most effective digitalization component in affecting life satisfaction in Europe.
Research limitations/implications
The study is based on the DESI index from 2014 to 2019. Although it does not influence the outcome, future research may consider additional indexes such as Digital Adoption Index and Digital Transformation Index and extend the study period.
Practical implications
The study helps the policymakers directing their attention to the importance of digitalization on life satisfaction.
Originality/value
This work extends the limited understanding of subjective wellbeing, digitalization and the digital economy and society index in terms of theoretical implications.
... Nonetheless, the negative effects of the Internet on society must not be forgotten. [154][155][156]. The theme "information" overlaps with the themes "countries" (concepts: countries, Internet, online, digital, policy), "services (concepts: services, digital, support, potential, resources, big)", "development" and "social (concepts: social, economic, impact, growth, business, market)". ...
1) Background: The importance of this article is to analyze the technological developments in the field of the Internet and Internet technologies and to determine their significance for sustainable development, which will result in the emergence of Society 5.0. (2) The authors used automated content analysis for the analysis of 552 articles published in 306 scientific journals indexed by SCII and/or SCI-EXPANDED (Web of Science (WOS) platform). The goal of the research was to present the relationship between the Internet and sustainable development. (3) Results: The results of the analysis show that the top four most important themes in the selected journals were "development", "information", "data", and "business and services". (4) Conclusions: Our research approach emphasizes the importance of the culmination of scientific innovation with the conceptual, technological and contextual frameworks of the Internet and Internet technology usage and its impact on sustainable development and the emergence of the Society 5.0. Dataset License: License under which the dataset is made available (CC0, CC-BY, CC-BY-SA, CC-BY-NC, etc.).
... By social comparison, they might feel depressed and unhappy (Trifiro, 2018). Lissitsa and Chachashvili-Bolotin (2016) also argued that the internet might facilitate addictive behaviour (e.g., online gaming, online gambling, pornography, and online shopping) that can lead to poorer mental health outcomes. ...
This study was conducted to identify factors associated with happiness among urban youth in Malaysia. Respondents were 400 youth community-dwelling residents in the metropolitan areas of Malaysia. Structural equation modelling was used to analyse the data. Findings showed that social and family environments and education predict the happiness of young adults. Surprisingly, the results also revealed a significant negative relationship between economic opportunities and their happiness, while health, ICT use, and civic engagement had no significant effect on their happiness. Our findings support the implementation of actions to stimulate social and family environments, education, and economic opportunities for young urban adults in Malaysia, particularly given the importance of these factors in the perception of their happiness.
... By social comparison, they might feel depressed and unhappy (Trifiro, 2018). Lissitsa and Chachashvili-Bolotin (2016) also argued that the internet might facilitate addictive behaviour (e.g., online gaming, online gambling, pornography, and online shopping) that can lead to poorer mental health outcomes. ...
This study was conducted to identify factors associated with
happiness among urban youth in Malaysia. Respondents were 400 youth
community-dwelling residents in the metropolitan areas of Malaysia. Structural
equation modelling was used to analyse the data. Findings showed that social
and family environments and education predict the happiness of young adults.
Surprisingly, the results also revealed a significant negative relationship
between economic opportunities and their happiness, while health, ICT use,
and civic engagement had no significant effect on their happiness. Our findings
support the implementation of actions to stimulate social and family
environments, education, and economic opportunities for young urban adults in
Malaysia, particularly given the importance of these factors in the perception of
their happiness.
... Referring to previous studies (104,105), life satisfaction means holding positive emotions rather than negative emotions in general. We use one item which directly evaluates respondent perceptions of the extent to which the elderly have an overall evaluation of life satisfaction. ...
Previous studies have examined how smartphones influence the life satisfaction of the elderly, but the existence of conflicting conclusions suggests the existence of a “black box”. In this study, using a survey from 941 elders, we examine whether smartphone use can improve life satisfaction of the elders by inducing emotional affordance offered by social networking Apps and functional affordance offered by healthcare system Apps. It is found that both emotional affordance and functional affordance acted as intermediating variables between the use of smartphone and elders' life satisfaction. In addition, it is founded that living arrangement with adult children moderates the positive impact of smartphone use on functional affordance, but there was no such moderating effect on emotional affordance. This study offers insights about how digital healthcare innovation will be applied to increase well-being of elders by applying framework of selective optimization with compensation.
... Digital information and communication technologies (ICTs) are the default infrastructure for societal participation in many countries, be it for information seeking, socializing, or entertainment (Graham & Dutton, 2014). Various forms of partaking in the digitized society are beneficial for wellbeing (see, for example, Amichai-Hamburger, 2007;Lissitsa & Chachashvili-Bolotin, 2016). However, the overabundance of Internet-based digital information and communication options also presents a potential impairment to personal well-being (Gui, Fasoli, & Carradore, 2017). ...
In modern everyday life, individuals experience an abundance of digital information and communication options, and pressure to use them effectively and constantly. While there are many benefits attainable through the use of digital information and communication technologies (ICTs), digital overuse needs to be explored as it may impair individual well-being. A nationally representative survey explored the extent of perceived digital overuse (PDO) and tested its relation to social digital pressure, digital coping skills, and, to assess everyday offline relevance, to individual subjective well-being. Results indicated that 28% of Swiss Internet users pereived digital overuse, which was strongly and negatively associated with well-being. Social pressure was positively related to overuse. Differences in experiencing and dealing with digital overabundance are highly relevant to general well-being and need to be further researched in light of social change and ICT innovations.
... (1) a internet possibilita rapidez na comunicação, possui carácter interativo e é um apoio à aprendizagem (Spizzirri, Wagner, Mosmann, & Armani, 2012); (2) a internet tornou-se um importante contexto social para os mais velhos, pois influencia seu bem-estar, isto é, ao usarem a internet aumentam os níveis percebidos de apoio social, reduzem a solidão, melhoram a satisfação com a vida e melhoram seu bem-estar psicológico (Heo, Chun, Lee, Lee, & Kim, 2015); (3) os estudantes universitários, em particular, podem obter diversos benefícios com o uso da internet para propósitos educacionais (Rayan et al., 2017) -acesso a periódicos on-line, aprendizagem de idiomas, pesquisa académica, navegação em bibliotecas virtuais (Al-Gamal, Alzayyat, & Ahmad, 2016) -e, também para fins relacionais -navegação na rede de lazer, socialização on-line e, até mesmo, estabelecimento de relacionamentos (Jones, Johnson-Yale, Millermaier, & Pérez, 2009); (4) a internet pode ser vista como um meio importante para aumentar a satisfação com a vida entre cidadãos e grupos sociais mais frágeis -pessoas de baixos níveis económicos e/ou pessoas que sofram de problemas de saúde que interferem com o normal funcionamento do seu dia-a-dia (Lissitsa & Chachashvili-Bolotin, 2016); (5) pode ser usada como um meio para aumentar o apoio social percebido, como por exemplo, através do Facebook, o que por sua vez diminui os níveis de estresse e aumenta o bem-estar psicológico. Ou seja, a internet pode ser vista como um benefício indireto para a saúde (Wiederhold, 2017). ...
Resumo O uso da internet tem aumentado exponencialmente a nível mundial. Ainda que ele não seja por si só negativo, já que integra benefícios vários, alguns indivíduos parecem exibir problemas relacionados com o seu uso excessivo, descontrolado e disfuncional. Consequentemente, tem sido crescente, particularmente nas últimas duas décadas, o interesse dos investigadores em explorar este uso, quando excessivo e pouco saudável. Porém, e sendo um tema/constructo tratado por diferentes autores com quadros teóricos também diferentes, são vários os termos usados na literatura para descrever este fenómeno. Neste sentido, este artigo propõe-se a apresentar o trabalho uma revisão de literatura de dois dos conceitos mais usados e espartilhados na literatura científica, ou seja, adição à internet e uso problemático da internet.
... Until now, the research on the association between empathy and life satisfaction and IUD/SUD is very limited. It should be noted here that there is evidence showing a positive association between life satisfaction and Internet use, but only in terms of Internet adoption and not IUD (e.g., Lissitsa and Chachashvili-Bolotin, 2016). However, in general the link between life satisfaction and IUD is negative as demonstrated by a meta-analysis (Cheng and Li, 2014) and the majority of the conducted studies in this field. ...
Recent studies have yielded initial evidence for an association between Internet Use Disorder (IUD), empathy, and life satisfaction. In the present study we sought to replicate these previous findings, and then to extend this research by also examining the relationship between empathy, life satisfaction, and the related phenomenon of Smartphone Use Disorder (SUD). The present study included independent samples from China (N = 612, 162 females) and Germany (N = 304, 207 females), with the same set of questionnaires administered to both samples. IUD was measured with Pawlikowski's s-IAT and SUD was assessed with the short version of Kwon's Smartphone Addiction Scale. The Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) was used to assess individual differences in empathy. Please note that for the German sample data on the empathy quotient (EQ) are also available. Life satisfaction data were collected using items from the SOEP-Questionnaire (Socio-Economic Panel, Germany). In both of our samples we replicated previous findings showing the association between higher IUD, lower empathy, and lower life satisfaction scores. In addition, individuals with higher SUD showed higher scores on the IRI Personal Distress scale in China and Germany, while further associations between IRI dimensions and SUD were only found in the Chinese sample. Personal Distress is known to be highly correlated with the personality trait of Neuroticism, hence higher stress/negative emotionality in tense social situations is related to SUD. In the present study we confirm earlier findings showing the relationship between empathy, life satisfaction, and IUD, and extend some of these findings to SUD. We also emphasize the importance of cross-cultural studies when investigating IUD/SUD in the context of empathy and life satisfaction.
... For a large part of the activities we do during our free time, such as watching shows or TV series, listening to music, listening to the radio, reading, playing a video game, or just surfing on the Internet, we need access to the Internet. Thus, access and digital literacy must be provided universally and should be incorporated into the agenda of all countries (Lissitsa and Chachashvili-Bolotin, 2016). ...
p> Purpose: The aim of this paper is to propose a methodological framework that calculates a synthetic indicator of satisfaction of citizens of the nine geographical areas of planning and development of Ecuador (zones).
Methodology/Approach: The methodology is based on fuzzy logic and the degree of similarity to ideal solutions. The information is obtained through the application of a structured survey based on the European Social Survey to the Ecuadorian society. The analysis is based on eight different dimensions of satisfaction, namely: (1) Life; (2) Economy; (3) City Government; (4) Transparency; (5) Education; (6) Health System; (7) Roads; and (8) National Government.
Findings: The results obtained help different stakeholders to have important insights about how the citizens’ quality of life and satisfaction depend to some extent on important public services that form the pillars of the social welfare, education and health system. However, our results also suggest that other areas of Ecuador can also benefit from the improvement of the policies developed by the local governments.
Research Limitation/implication: An important research limitation is based on the limited number of segment variables used in the study, the geographical zones. Thus, an important venue for future research can be envisaged including other interesting traits analyzed by other scholars, like access to the internet, the social class or the size of the city.
Originality/Value of paper: The analysis of individual satisfaction and citizens’ quality of life is paramount by the existing interdependence with social cohesion that exists nowadays in Ecuador.</p
... Subjective well-being in general, and specifically life satisfaction, is the focus of recent migration studies (Amit, 2010;Jong et al., 2002;Lissitsa & Chachashvili-Bolotin, 2016a, 2016bMassey & Akresh, 2006). Life satisfaction, a main component of subjective well-being, refers to the cognitive judgment aspect of the concept, and is defined as an overall assessment of an individual's quality of life according to his/her personal judgment and criteria (Diener, 1984;Diener, Emmons, Larsen, & Griffin, 1985;Shin & Johnson, 1978). ...
The current study introduces a new mismatch concept in labor studies, the mismatch between subjective work perceptions and actual labor market position, and examines it from the perspectives of gender, ethnic and migration. This mismatch, positive or negative, was examined among men and women from different ethnic groups in Israel, both immigrants and native-born. The analyses were conducted on 9,923 employees using the Israeli CBS Social Surveys (2013–2015). The results reveal that the gender effect is more prominent than the ethnicity and migration effect. In general, women were more satisfied with their actual position in the labor market (positive subjective mismatch) than men, and men were less satisfied with their actual position in the labor market (negative subjective mismatch) than women. A positive subjective mismatch was also found among men from disadvantaged ethnic and immigrant groups. The multivariate analyses revealed that after controlling for socio-economic variables, ethnic differences declined among both men and women. Possible explanations are discussed, primarily based on the notion of relative well-being in respect to workers' expectations.
... Life satisfaction refers to a judgmental process in which individuals assess the quality of their lives on the basis of their own unique set of standards [6], and attention on, and interest in, life satisfaction has increased worldwide. Studies have shown that people with high life satisfaction experience many positive outcomes in their lives, which are usually related to income, education, health, employment status, social capital, self-esteem, and so forth [7,8]. However, research on life satisfaction towards the dwellers' residential community of place is mainly from western countries [9][10][11], and the sparse literature from China is solely focused on a specific age group of the elderly population [10,12]. ...
Attention on and interest in life satisfaction has increased worldwide. However, research on life satisfaction focused toward the urban dwellers’ residential community is mainly from western countries, and the limited research from China is solely focused on the geriatric population via a narrowly constrained research perspective. This study, therefore, aimed to investigate urbanites’ life satisfaction toward their residential community, combining the psychological (behavioral community engagement, mental state of flow, and cognitive community identity), physical (PREQIs-perceived residential environment quality indicators: e.g., green area), and social perspectives (social capital). The proposed conceptual model was tested on a regionally representative sample of 508 urban community residents in the city of Chengdu, Sichuan province, China. Data were analyzed via a structure equation modelling approach in AMOS software. Findings suggested that all of the psychological, physical and social factors contributed to a prediction of life satisfaction. Specifically, social capital mediated the path from community engagement and flow to life satisfaction, and community identity mediated the path from flow experience and green area to life satisfaction. Additionally, social capital contributed to predict life satisfaction through its influence on community identity. Findings provide suggestions for urban designers and policymakers to focus on creating an urban community equipped with green area, which helps to promote physical activities that are flow-productive, to enhance residents’ identification to their residential community and, therefore, increase life satisfaction.
... Research on digital inequality refers to two principal aspects of spatial issues: using residence (type of locality) as an independent variable when examining various media uses (Schradie, 2011;Campos-Castillo, 2015;Lissitsa and Chachashvili-Bolotin, 2016) and focusing on specific features of media use in different types of localities, such as rural areas (Basu and Chakraborty, 2011;Warburton et al., 2013Warburton et al., , 2014. Studies also tend to operationalise spatial variables in different ways, distinguishing between centre and periphery (Lissitsa andChachashvili-Bolotin, 2014, 2016), urban and rural (Schradie, 2011;Campos-Castillo, 2015), or large and small (in terms of population size) localities (Rosenberg, 2019). ...
Various factors determine the use of media in later life. Nevertheless, spatial inequalities among older media users have been accorded little attention in academic research. This study aimed to explore differences in variety (number) and intensity (duration) of both traditional and new media use among older adults residing in various types of localities. Data were obtained from the second wave of the ACT (Ageing + Communication + Technology) cross-national survey, comprising 7,927 internet users aged 60 and over from seven countries. The statistical analyses used in the study were chi-square and analysis of variance tests, and linear regression as a multivariate technique. The results indicated that spatial differences concern variety of media use to a greater extent than its intensity, especially with regard to use of traditional media via new devices. Overall, residents of large cities exhibited greater variety and intensity of media use than did their counterparts from smaller localities, especially rural ones. These findings supported the social stratification hypothesis – according to which individuals from more-privileged social backgrounds have better media literacy, use media to a greater extent and benefit from its use more than people from disadvantaged groups. The findings should be considered by practitioners and policy makers.
... The advancement of Internet technology has improved a vital part of networked life mostly called digital, virtual or online to explore online activities such as online shopping [1]. Generally, online shopping is a way to purchase products or services through Internet. ...
Many customers today are more reliant on online shopping compared to the traditional shopping because of convenience afforded by online shopping platform. However, customers face many choices when using online shopping platform and need to imagine the product quality since it is online. Moreover, there are many problems of inconsistent service quality through online shopping. Therefore, online sellers need to understand customer preferences in order to survive in the competitive environment of online shopping. This study aims to identify the factors affecting customer acceptance of online shopping platform. Based on Technology Acceptance Model, and relevant studies concerning online platform preferred characteristics, a conceptual model is proposed. Seven independent variables (Website content, website design, perceived enjoyment, perceived usefulness, and perceived ease of use, trust, and customer service quality) are used to construct the model. To develop the variables’ measurements, the items were adopted from the related literature. The measurement model was validated by administrating a set of 200 questionnaires using convenience sampling to target online shopper respondents in Malaysia. Smart PLS3 tool was used to analyse the collected data. The result showed significance level of reliability and validity of the measurement model. The developed measurement can be used to examine the factors influencing the customer acceptance of online shopping.
... Girls who spend time on social media take the opportunity to exchange opinions on trends, interests and the situation in the world. They keep in touch with their peers through Previous research has suggested that Internet users are happier than non-users (Lissitsa & Chachashvili-Bolotin, 2016;Pénard et al., 2012), particularly elder people, users with health problems or on lower-income. Research by Pavot, Diener and Fujita (1990) indicated a positive relationship between the amount of social interaction online and feelings of happiness. ...
Internet as a source of human activity is becoming an increasingly dominant human experience. Young people spend their time online in very different ways, which has consequences for their social and psychological functioning. The subject of analyzes in the article is finding correlations between the forms of using the Internet and satisfaction with life. For this purpose, Diener’s Life Satisfaction Scale (SWLS) and the Internet acitities questionnaire were use. The results of the analysis shows that playing games positively correlate with life satisfaction, while social media, communication via messengers, gossip websites and blogs have a negative relationship with life satisfaction.
... Moreover, a relationship was confirmed between life satisfaction and the variables of self-concept, self-esteem, and social support. [19][20][21] Many researchers have studies the pattern of gender differences in the components of life satisfaction and personality traits. However, conflicting results have been obtained in this regard. ...
Aim: This was a causal-comparative study aimed to comparatively evaluate the personality characteristics and life satisfaction among the individuals resident of district 6 Tehran, Iran. Method: The research population consisted of 661 individuals (≥20-year-old; 49.5% male and 51.5% female) selected through stratified random sampling method in five different age groups. The data were collected using researcher-made demographic questionnaire, NEO Five-Factor Inventory short form, and satisfaction with life scale (Diener et al.). The data were analyzed with independent t-test. Result and Discussion: Results of independent t-test indicated that the 20-30 years old women received significantly higher scores in neuroticism and agreeableness features than men and between men and women were not observed a significant difference in extroversion, openness to experience, and conscientiousness in different age groups. In addition, the life satisfaction score of the 20-30 years old age group of women was significantly higher than men, other personality characteristics in relation to life satisfaction were not significantly different. Conclusion: The status of neuroticism, agreeableness, and life satisfaction in 20-30 years old women were discussed. Further conducting studies on the psychological characters of young age groups of women is necessary.
... Daily internet use time positively affects anxiety levels (Nguyen, Yang, Lee, Nguyen, & Kuo, 2021) and negatively relates to life satisfaction in some countries (Kardefelt-Winther, Rees, & Livingstone, 2020;Zhang, Cheng, & Yu, 2020). Internet use experience has a negative relationship with anxiety (Joiner, Brosnan, Duffield, Gavin, & Maras, 2007) and is not related to life satisfaction (Lissitsa & Chachashvili-Bolotin, 2016;Zhang, Cheng, Wei, Gong, & Zhang, 2019). Finally, we controlled for the per capita GRP of the respondents' provinces as a proxy for local economy development. ...
Based on the information-as-coping perspective, we provided a theoretical framework to understand how the quality of government information and citizens' partisanship impact citizens' wellbeing in terms of satisfaction with life and anxiety during COVID-19. With survey data from 705 respondents in Indonesia, we found that government information quality is of vital importance in helping citizens get ready to fight the pandemic, as well as lowering their anxiety. Our results show that higher information quality leads to a higher ability to respond quickly to the crisis, as well as a reduced level of information overload. While partisanship is a significant predictor of information overload, it had no significant impact on perceived quick response ability. Quick response ability and information overload, in turn, predict anxiety and citizen's satisfaction with life.
... Previous research has indicated that using diverse digital resources, including social media, is positively associated with life satisfaction (Huang et al., 2021;Keipi et al., 2018;Lissitsa & Chachashvili-Bolotin, 2016;Valenzuela et al., 2009). In addition, belonging to social groups is highly important for well-being (Ballas & Dorling, 2007;Baumeister & Leary, 1995). ...
Gambling is a potential hazard to life satisfaction, yet peer relationships online might buffer this risk. This study analyzed the ways problem gambling is associated with life satisfaction as well as the extent to which the use of online-gambling community participation and, alternatively, offline belonging affect this association. A web-based survey was conducted among people aged 15–25 in Finland (n = 1,200), the United States (n = 1,212), South Korea (n = 1,192), and Spain (n = 1,212). The main variables included life satisfaction, problem gambling measured by the South Oaks Gambling Screen, online-gambling community participation, and offline belonging. Controls included compulsive internet use, hazardous drinking, psychological distress, income, age, and gender. Linear regression models were employed with country interactions. Results showed problem gambling had a negative relationship with life satisfaction, but the association was explained by control variables. Online-gambling community participation had a positive relationship with life satisfaction, especially among pathological gamblers who had poor offline relationships. Country comparisons revealed that the direct effect of excessive gambling and the compensating effect of online-gambling communities were most prominent in Finland.
... Although the increasing digitization of society has been identified as a risk factor that could reduce social inclusion and weaken social ties, due to its potential reduction in faceto-face contact [14], many researchers believe that the new technologies can be useful tools to exchange information, collaborate and favor social connections and, therefore, improve the quality of life and well-being of all population groups [13,15]. Thus, digital technologies, which have become an integral part of daily activities, can offer a mechanism to improve intergenerational relationships and promote the social inclusion of older people [11,16,17]. ...
The growing social gap between people of different generations has led to a greater interest in the study of intergenerational interactions. Digital technologies have become necessary for people of all ages to perform daily activities, increasingly including older people. The use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) and virtual tools can provide older people with excellent opportunities to connect with other generations, improving their quality of life and well-being. The aim of this study was to examine the benefits, satisfaction, and limitations of intergenerational interactions generated by the use of virtual tools. The participants are subjects of any age and different social groups residing in Spain and have completed an online survey. The analysis of sociodemographic data of the respondents showed that there is a significant correlation between the use of social networks and all the variables analyzed, except for their level of autonomy. Most participants who participated in intergenerational virtual activities reported the benefits of their social participation, relationships, mood, mental health, and academic education. Moreover, most participants were quite or very satisfied with the person with whom they used the virtual tools, especially if the person was a friend, their partner, sibling, another relative, or colleague. Except for grandparents, people who participated in intergenerational virtual activities and who had no limitations or disabilities were more frequently reported by the participants. In conclusion, intergenerational interactions through the use of virtual tools can contribute to improving the social inclusion and relationships of all people involved.
... Background For full participation in today's society it is essential to possess a certain degree of computer literacy as well as the ability to access and use technology or the internet (Koopman-Boyden & Reid, 2009). Many studies show that internet adoption and digital engagement can constitute an important channel for increasing life satisfaction among older adults (Lissitsa & Chachashvili-Bolotin, 2016). Although the use of technology and the internet is increasing among older adults, more than two thirds of over -65-year-old individuals stated that they need assistance when they want to use new technologies (Smith, 2014). ...
Cognitive, perceptual and motor skill changes may prevent older adults from successfully using modern technology. Google Glass possesses only a few buttons and seems to be overall intuitive. The present study aimed to assess the usability and acceptance of Google Glass with 30 older adults aged 65 years and over. The participants were asked to perform several standardized tasks and rate the usability. They experienced severe problems solving the tasks. Although Google Glass received only a marginal usability rating with an SUS score of 64.2 points, 60% of the participants rated the design as attractive, the handling as rather good and the complexity of the system as low. With a short training, even older adults with sensory and cognitive disabilities are able to use Google Glass. Recommendations for developers were derived from the study and are presented at the end of the article. They should be taken into account for the development of mobile applications for older adults using Google Glass.
Aim/Purpose: The media and research have made significant noise about young people’s addictions to technology, however the American Psychological Association (APA) has reserved judgment on the clinical diagnosis of technology addiction. Research to understand technology addiction is important to the future of information systems development and behavioral usage understanding. Background: Addiction implies that there is a problem from which an IS client needs to try to recover, further implying a negative impact on life. Multiple defini-tions and outcomes of addictions have been studied in the information systems discipline, with virtually no focus on quality of life of the IS client. Methodology: This research employs a survey of students at a large southwestern United States university. Measures were adopted from previously validated sources. The final sample includes 413 usable responses analyzed using PLS. Contribution: This research broadens theoretical and practical understanding of SNS IS client perceptions by relating technology addiction to a broader impact on an individual’s life. By doing so, it provides guidance on society’s understanding of frequent technology use, as well as the development of new systems that are highly used. Findings: This research indicates diminished impulse control, distraction, social influence and satisfaction are all highly correlated with technology addiction; specifically, 55% of the variance in addiction is explained by these four indicators. However, the model further shows addiction has no significant relationship with overall satisfaction of life, indicating that IS clients do not correlate the two ideas. Recommendations for Practitioners: Heavy technology use may indicate a paradigm shift in how people inter-act, instead of a concern to be addressed by the APA. Recommendation for Researchers: Research needs to clearly define technology dependence, addiction, and overuse so that there is a strong understanding of what is meant. These findings help guide assumptions about the dark side of Information Technology. Impact on Society: While technology use is increasing, younger generations may find the use to be acceptable and less of a problem then older generations. Future Research: Future research should replicate these findings on other technology artifacts and other technology addiction definitions. In the future, there is also opportunity to delve deeper into the outcome variable of satisfaction with life.
Aims:
To explore the concept of futurism and the emergence of robotics in relation to the fundamentals of care, highlighting how nurses need a more anticipatory and contemporary position towards technology to maintain relevance in the future.
Background:
The future of nursing in Western countries will soon be linked with the emergence of robotics for efficient and cost effective provision of fundamental care. Their emergence and roles with care of the body and more broadly assisting people with their daily living activities has enormous implications for the profession and health care. Despite this importance, how nursing understands and will respond to technological trends and developments is insufficiently reflected in the professions discourse.
Design:
A discursive article METHODS: Literature from nursing fundamentals of care / fundamental care, information science, technology, humanities and philosophy informed the arguments in this paper.
Conclusions:
This paper examines the intersection of futurism and the fundamentals of care and how adopting an anticipatory and post-human perspective towards technological-care integration is necessary amidst a robot revolution in the techno-era.
Relevance to clinical practice:
Nurses are currently challenged to understand, prioritize and deliver fundamental care. Health systems are challenged by a lack of care predicated by shortfalls in skilled staff and deficiencies in their mobilization. Both challenges can be compounded or alleviated by further integration of technology, but to maximize benefit requires forethought and understanding. This article can help open needed dialogue around planning for the future and is a call to action for the nursing profession to conceptualize their position on exponential technological growth and fundamental care provision. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
The Internet has the power to enrich the lives of persons with and without disabilities, and increase independence and subjective well-being. Using path analysis, the study examines the role of Internet use, offline social participation, and connectedness in explaining life satisfaction among people with and without disabilities. Two mediating models have been examined: the first hypothesizes that social participation and connectedness are mediating variables between online use and life satisfaction; the second posits that the association between participation and connectedness to life satisfaction is mediated by Internet use. The secondary data utilized measures from the Kessler National Organization on Disability, 2000 and 2004-Harris survey on a national sample of 557 Israelis with disabilities and a parallel sample of 551 people without disabilities. Findings indicate that people with disabilities tend to participate less and have weaker level of connectedness, and consequently are less satisfied with their life, than persons without disabilities. No significant difference has been found between the two groups in social and other online activities. In terms of the mediating models, the first mediation model has been confirmed for people with disabilities-both connectedness and participation serve as mediators between online social activity and life satisfaction. Interestingly, among those without disabilities, only connectedness has been a mediator in the path between social and other online activities and life satisfaction. Findings are discussed is respect to future research and rehabilitation practice.
Digital inequalities have real consequences for individuals' everyday lives-this basic assumption drives digital inequality research. Recent efforts have focused on tangible benefits of online engagement, yet subjective quality of life measures also matter as Internet outcomes. This article contributes to closing this gap. First, it theoretically introduces subjective social well-being-the appraisal of one's functioning in society-as a consequence of digital participation, potential, and perception differences. Second, it tests the dependence of social well-being on these three dimensions using structural equation modeling with nationally representative survey data. Results reveal that the perception of digital belongingness directly increases social well-being, and Internet skills as digital potential do so indirectly. The net effect of digital participation is insignificant. These findings lead to recommendations for policies targeting digital inequalities and future research directions.
The present study aimed to investigate the efficiency level of digital teaching materials for higher education programs. The present study had a mixed research methodology to gather in-depth and rich context. Twenty participants were chosen from a distance education program of the Pedagogical Formation (2014-2015) at Near East University in Nicosia in North Cyprus. The sample of the present study was selected by using the purposeful sampling method. The participants who took the course (instructional technology and material design), half of them used electronic sources and the other half used traditional sources during the distance education. The participants' answers were categorized into who was taking distance education with digital materials and who was taking distance education with non-digital materials. The results indicate that the participants were aware of the facilities of using e-books and they were content with the facilities of using an electronic book. The participants' view show that using electronic book has function on being successful and interactive in their education. At the same time, using electronic book provide chances to students reach multiple sources. Thus, the participants' answers in qualitative data also indicate that using multimedia is necessity to increase level of motivation students in their study and using electronic book and electronic sources provide unlimited learning platforms for students. Thus, students' level of attention and permanent learning are increased.
The main objective of this study was to examine the relationship between internet use, depression, anxiety, stress, and the practice of physical activity. The sample consisted of 150 college students, 25 males and 125 females between 18 and 30. The instruments used were a sociodemographic questionnaire including questions about the frequency of Internet use (days per week and hours per day) and physical activity practice. The Portuguese version of the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress-21Scale and the Young Internet Addiction Test (IAT) were also used. Multivariate analyses were carried out to compare the effect of gender, residence, frequency of Internet use (in days and hours), and physical activity practice. Dependent variables were Depression, Anxiety, and Stress, and internet dependence (IAT), Pearson’s correlation analyses were also performed to examine possible associations between the dependent variables. We concluded that there are significant effects between sexes and Internet Addiction, and significant positive correlations were found between stress, anxiety, depression, and Internet Addiction.
Background:
Although many health information seeking studies are concerned with longer range outcomes (e.g. patient-provider communication) the immediate outcomes for the searchers are whether they found the desired information, for whom and how successfully.
Objectives:
To examine the association between health information seeking via various sources and the reported extent of success in getting the desired information the information needs perspective.
Methods:
Data were obtained from the 2017 Israel Social Survey and analysed using multinomial regression models. The sample included individuals who reported engaging in seeking health information prior to the survey and mentioned the extent of success in obtaining the desired health information (fully, partially, or not-at-all) (N = 2197). Multinominal regression technique served for the multivariable analysis.
Discussion:
Engagement in health information seeking via friends, family and using various websites (excluding those by Ministry of Health and Health Funds) was associated with the increased likelihood of partial success in getting the desired information. Education level and population group, affected level of success.
Conclusions:
The (partial) success in meeting health consumers' information needs is associated with the turn to particular sources. Public health professionals and health provider institutions should improve provision and delivery of health information to meet consumer health information needs.
Researchers have identified social participation for the elderly as a salient activity that benefits their wellbeing. Along that vein, prior studies have reportedthat ICT use increases the extent to which the elderly participate socially with one another.However, the literature remains silenton themechanisms by which ICT use leadsto social participation. In this paper, wedraw on two prominent IS theories, actor-network theory (ANT) and activity theory (AT), todevelop a conceptual framework by incorporating four social participation-oriented factors: ICT use, social participation, social isolation, and loneliness. We used a quantitative approach based on the cross-sectional survey to collect data from 240 elderlypeople. We analyzed the data using structural equation modeling based on SmartPLS 3.0. We found that the size of the social network constitutedthe critical factor in the association betweenICT use andsocial participation. The outcome of the model suggests that ICT use doesnot impact the social participation directly. Rather, social isolation (absence of social network) mediates the relationship between the ICT use and social participation. Additionally, loneliness, one of the commonly observed psychological states in the elderly,weakens the influence of ICT use on social isolation.Our research advances our theoretical understanding about social participation among seniors and helps governments and businesses prepare ICT plans for the elderly appropriately.
The purpose of this research is to review the literation on the relationship between internet use and happiness, updating a previous review [1], and building upon a series of longitudinal studies following this initial review [2, 3, 4]. Reasons for studying happiness, and happiness definitions and measurement are discussed. This is followed by a discussion of early research which found a negative relationship between internet use and happiness, followed by studies indicating a more positive relationship, supporting a “stimulation hypothesis” that poses that the internet can act to facilitate face-to-face interactions. More recent research has focused on social networking. With some important exceptions, these most recent studies continue to find that internet use is positively related to happiness, while identifying a number of important mediating and moderating variables, such as experience with the internet and social networking; wealth; health; number of “friends”; the nature of interactions; extroversion, and the ways in which users represent themselves online.
The evidence on the role of information and communication technology (ICT) in enhancing quality of life (QoL) is mixed and the precise nature of this relationship is not yet fully understood. Existing single equation-based empirical works have provided a number of specific insights, but there remains a gap in our understanding of the association between digital inclusion and QoL. The current study seeks to fill this gap by capturing the simultaneous association between digital inclusion and QoL. This study employs simultaneous equation models based on a two-stage and full-information likelihood method using a household-level longitudinal dataset of Australia to explore the relationship between QoL and digital inclusion. This research confirms that digital inclusion significantly predicts QoL and vice versa. Socio-economic advantages, remoteness, rural-urban divide and lifestyle also appear to be significant determinants of the QoL. Findings from the study imply that to promote digital inclusion, policymakers should emphasise not only supply-side issues but also demand-side strategies including the enhancement of digital skills and affordability for the users.
p>Vivimos en una sociedad conectada, donde el uso de Internet ha crecido considerablemente en los últimos años, y se espera siga creciendo aún más a lo largo y ancho del mundo. Como consecuencia, está cambiando el modo en el que las personas nos relacionamos con los demás, pero también con nosotros mismos, e incluso nuestra propia percepción de nuestra propia identidad y bienestar.
El presente trabajo pretende analizar la influencia de determinados aspectos sociodemográficos en el uso de internet y su impacto en la percepción del bienestar de las personas.
Así, tomando los datos de la European Social Survey se ha analizado la relación entre el uso de internet y la percepción de bienestar- medida a través de autoevaluaciones de nivel de felicidad y satisfacción con la vida de las personas incluidas en la encuesta. Además, factores sociodemográficos tales como edad, género, nivel de ingresos o país también han sido evaluados. Tras aplicar distintos análisis estadísticos los resultados concluyen, entre otros, que las personas que no han utilizado previamente internet incrementan su bienestar al incrementar su frecuencia de uso. . Y también que el uso de internet influye de forma distinta en las personas dependiendo de sus características sociodemográficas. Se presentan los resultados y conclusiones adicionales para su discusión.
The economic development literature has documented the importance of internet access on farm household income. Despite this well-supported consensus, limited empirical evidence has been provided on forestry farms and on the relationship between internet access and household subjective wellbeing. This study fills this knowledge gap by identifying the determinants of internet use for forestry farm householders. In addition, this paper empirically assesses the association between internet use and the objective and subjective wellbeing of forestry farm households in rural China. Using a survey of forestry farm households in Fujian Province of China and applying the Instrumental Variable model to cope with potential endogeneity bias, we find that household size, labor use, human capital of the household head, and regional heterogeneity are important determinants of households' internet use decisions. Compared with non-internet users, internet-user households have 28% higher household income and 10% higher life satisfaction, ceteris paribus. Furthermore, the increase in household income is driven partly by using the internet for collecting information on either forest prices or production technology. From the perspective of benefit–cost analysis, we find that for every Chinese dollar spent on internet use, farm households' income increases by approximately 11 Chinese dollars.
The discussion of the digital divide and digital inclusion has extended to older adults. Although knowledge on the digital divide and digital inclusion among native older adults has increased substantially, little is known about the situations of older immigrants in relation to the digital divide. This paper employed the scoping review approach to map the situations and research methods of the digital divide among older immigrants from recent empirical studies. The initial search identified 997 articles, of which 13 articles were selected for this review. The results showed that socioeconomic status, language proficiency, degree of acculturation, level of education, and digital literacy are the most common factors leading to the disparities between native older adults and older immigrants. Although the results showed a narrowing gap as concerns access to the Internet, interventions are needed to reduce the divide among individuals of different ethnicities due to disparities in digital skills and knowledge. The included studies applied quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-method approaches. The homogeneity of the findings of some included studies implied the need to develop more methods and models to study the digital divide among older immigrants. This review suggested that future research incorporate ethnic characteristics in the research design to provide in-depth knowledge about the ethnic group. This knowledge could potentially be utilized for future interventions aimed at narrowing the remaining gap of the digital divide.
1) Background: The importance of this article is to analyze the technological 14 developments in the field of the Internet and Internet technologies and to determine their 15 significance for the sustainable development which will result in the emergence of the Society 5.0; 16 (2) The authors used automated content analysis for the analysis of 552 articles published in 306 17 scientific journals indexed by SCII and/or SCI-EXPANDED (Web of Science (WOS) platform) 18 between the years 1996 and 4/2020. The goal of the research was to present the relationship between 19 the internet and sustainable development. (3) Results: The results of the analysis show that the top 20 four most important themes in the selected journals were "development", "information", "data", 21 and "business and services". (4) Conclusions: Our research approach emphasizes the importance of 22 the culmination of scientific innovation with the conceptual, technological and contextual 23 frameworks of the internet and internet technology usage and its impact on sustainable 24 development and emergence of the Society 5.0 25 Dataset License: license under which the dataset is made available (CC0, CC-BY, CC-BY-SA, CC-26 BY-NC, etc.) 27
In this paper we start to address the lack of research into the relationship between innovation and subjective wellbeing (SWB). We focus on four channels by which innovation may influence SWB, namely income, use of ICT technologies, inequality and unemployment, synthesising them into a conceptual framework. This framework constitutes the foundation for our theoretical model and empirical investigation of the relationship between innovation and SWB. As previous literature shows, the impact of innovation on SWB through these four channels is mostly negative. Analysis of panel data from eight European countries over the period 1980-2014 on the effects of technological innovation, measured in terms of patents, on population wellbeing confirms the negative impact of innovation on SWB. The analysis has policy implications, because it provides improved estimates of the contribution of innovation to collective wellbeing.
The present study aims to examine whether the frequency of parent-child contact and the parent-child relationship can mediate the relationship between Internet use and Chinese older people’s subjective well-being. Potential gender differences in such a relationship were also explored. We adopted a national representative sample of 7,862 older adults aged 60 and over from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS). Path analyses revealed that parent-child contact and parent-child relationship sequentially mediated the relationship between Internet use and older adults’ subjective well-being. Gender moderated the mediatory role of parent-child contact frequency. The findings indicate that Internet use may empower older adults to maintain close intergenerational relationships contributing to their subjective well-being. Gender differences in Internet use and its implications on older adults' health and well-being should be paid attention to in future research and practices.
It has been a difficult option for human beings to abandon the technological developments in the 21st century, the pace of progress in digitalization and information technologies and the variety of opportunities. Technology has become an indispensable part of their lives especially children and adolescents who born and socialized in this age. However, this indispensable causes various negative effects especially on children and adolescents. Technology addiction is the most important of these. The negative effects of long-term use of technological tools (internet, computer, tablet, smartphone, etc.) on the growth and health of children have been proven by various studies. Children's use of technological tools for a long time and in various positions can lead to problems in their physical development stages (musculoskeletal), health problems such as physical problems, obesity and impaired mental health. In this study, it was aimed to reveal parents' opinions about the negative effects of this technology addiction on children. The data were collected by semi-structured interviews and analyzed by content analysis. As a result, it has been found that parents have significant effects on technology addiction for 7-18 years old children.
Social media sites have become an important part of many individuals’ lives. According to the Pew Research Center (2010), Millennials, also known as Gen Y, are living their lives on the internet where 75% of them have a profile on a social networking site. When compared with only 50% of Gen Xers and 30% of Boomers, this gives them the distinct identity that they are more technologically advanced.
Using data from large scale Annual Social Surveys of the CBS in
Israel, the current research focused on trends of internet adoption
and digital uses among the senior population in the past decade
(2003–2012). The research goal was to identify the sociodemographic
characteristics predicting internet access and digital
uses and to examine whether the effects of these factors changed
over time. During the decade the rate of internet access and digital
uses increased continuously among the senior population, however
the gap between them and the younger (20–64) age group was not
eliminated; in fact it increased but only slightly. Our findings make
it possible to identify disadvantaged groups in which being a senior
intersects with additional risk factors: Arabs, immigrants, religious
people, respondents from low socio-economic background and
people with health problems. These findings are important for
policy makers who attempt to promote internet use among Israeli
older adults. Focusing on disadvantaged groups and implementing
our specific recommendations may have beneficial effects.
This paper aims to understand how Internet users may improve their social capital by investing in online social activities. We argue that the Internet can be a convenient and efficient means of maintaining existing social ties and/or of creating new ties. We seek to identify the determinants of online investments in social capital and the nature of the interaction with traditional forms of investment in social capital. Using a Luxembourg household survey, the econometric results reveal a significant positive impact of volunteer activities and trust (two measures of social capital) on online investments to maintain social capital, but more ambiguous results are found between online investments and face-to-face contacts with friends. By contrast, online investments to create new ties are poorly related to the Internet users' existing social capital, but depend on the opportunity cost of time. ©2010, Journal of Economic Issues / Association for Evolutionary Economics.
One of the main weaknesses of studies on older Internet users is a lack of differentiation among users. This study sought to explore whether gerontographics, an approach to segmentation of older adults based on individual psychological and physical well-being, is applicable in research on older Internet users. For that purpose, the study examined members of online communities for senior citizens. An online survey was conducted with 218 members of sixteen such English language-based communities and subsequent analysis demonstrated that their members may indeed be segmented according to their reported health and subjective well-being. Moreover, the results displayed significant differences among the groups in their background characteristics, interests, and perceived benefits of participation in the communities. These findings showed that online activities may be differently experienced by audience segments with dissimilar physical and psychological well-being. Consequently, they constitute powerful evidence of the value of the gerontographics in studies of Internet use and successful aging.
This study explored associations between socio-economic status (SES) at different phases in the lifecourse and regular internet use among older adults. A sample (N = 11,035) from the 2010 wave of the United States Health and Retirement Study was used. Odds ratios were estimated to explore the relationship between regular internet use in older adulthood and measures of SES in childhood and in adulthood, and cumulative SES. Findings provided support for the lifecourse perspective, suggesting that variations observed among older adults are reflective of cumulative experiences. Three main themes emerged: higher SES in childhood increased the odds of being an internet user in older adulthood; SES advantages tended to accumulate, so that having at least one period of high SES in the lifecourse increased the odds of being an internet user in older adulthood; age did not appear to modify the positive relationship between cumulative SES and internet use.
To extend the empirical evidence regarding the predictors of older adults' use of information and communications technology (ICT) and to further examine its relationship to depressive symptoms and well-being.Method.This cross-sectional study utilized a sample of community-dwelling older adults from the National Health and Aging Trends Study (N = 6,443). Structural equation modeling was used to estimate the effects of predictor variables on ICT use and the effects of use on depressive symptoms and well-being. Tests of moderation by demographic characteristics and level of ICT use were also performed.
Socioeconomic status (SES), age, and cognitive function accounted for approximately 60% of the variance in ICT use. SES was a stronger predictor for Blacks/African Americans, whereas cognitive function was a stronger predictor for Whites. ICT use was unrelated to depressive symptoms or well-being. However, it acted as a moderator, such that limitations in activities of daily living (ADLs) was a stronger predictor of depressive symptoms for high ICT users, whereas ill-health was a stronger predictor for non/limited users.Discussion.Findings do not support the claim that ICT use directly enhances mental health or well-being among older adults although it may protect against depressive symptoms for individuals coping with health conditions other than ADL impairments.
This article aims to explore how using the internet may facilitate coping with the challenges of immigration in later life, based on the case of older Jewish immigrants from the Former Soviet Union in Israel. For that purpose, in-depth interviews were conducted with 32 immigrants living in southern Israel. Results indicated that internet usages by the study participants were: (1) Managing health; (2) Nurturing professional interests; (3) Maintaining and extending social networks; (4) Appreciating the past; and (5) Enjoying leisure. Each usage seemed to preserve and even strengthen the participants’ self-worth and improve their quality of life. These findings suggest that older immigrants who use the internet practice, in fact, strategies of successful ageing, which help them to cope not only with the challenges associated with ageing, but also with the tremendous difficulties and losses posed by immigration.
Participation in seniors’ online communities is a significant trend in elders’ leisure use of the Internet. Based on an online survey of 218 members of 16 communities, this study explored the experience of participation in such communities. Results identified seven psychological benefits resulting from participation, the most salient being ‘Joyfulness’, ‘Stimulation’ and ‘Companionship’. Analysis also revealed various positive impacts on members’ offline social life, interests and activities, as well as instrumental contribution. Negative experiences and several constraints to participation were discovered as well. Still, the findings suggest that the communities offer various mechanisms for enhancing seniors’ well-being and promoting successful ageing.
Monitoring technology has the potential to allow older adults to remain in their homes longer than may otherwise be possible. However, often this monitoring technology captures images which may cause privacy concerns, especially when these images are captured in a home environment. We used Likert scales within a structured interview to investigate privacy concerns in an aware or smart home environment. Specifically, we were interested in how the type of image that was captured and the level of functioning of the person being monitored affected privacy concerns in a home environment. The data suggest that both device type as well as level of functioning affect privacy concerns in a variety of situations, providing the first evidence that certain privacy concerns are not independent of situation variables.
This article expands understanding of the digital divide to more nuanced measures of use by examining differences in young adults' online activities. Young adults are the most highly connected age group, but that does not mean that their Internet uses are homogenous. Analyzing data about the Web uses of 270 adults from across the United States, the article explores the differences in 18- to 26-year-olds' online activities and what social factors explain the variation. Findings suggest that those with higher levels of education and of a more resource-rich background use the Web for more “capitalenhancing” activities. Detailed analyses of user attributes also reveal that online skill is an important mediating factor in the types of activities people pursue online. The authors discuss the implications of these findings for a “second-level digital divide,” that is, differences among the population of young adult Internet users.
An increasing number of older adults are using computers for communication, entertainment, and information. This descriptive study examined the perceived benefits and barriers encountered by 58 older adults. Benefits of computer use listed by these elders included a sense of connectedness, satisfaction, utility, and positive learning experiences. Barriers included frustration, physical and mental limitations, mistrust, and time issues. Professionals who teach and care for older adults need to be aware of the characteristics of older computer users. They also need to know the perceived barriers and benefits of computer, Internet, and e-mail use in order to tailor education and interventions to this population.
Two hundred ninety‐two older adult learners (averaging 80 years of age) were recruited from assisted and independent living facilities to learn about computer technologies and surf the Internet. A training program designed for adult learners involved weekly meetings with a mentor who helped individuals visit sites of their own choosing. Those who learned to surf the Internet had more positive attitudes toward aging, higher levels of perceived social support, and higher levels of connectivity. Surfers spent more time on‐line when computer efficacy was high, computer anxiety low, and attitudes toward aging were positive. Participation in the 4‐month program was associated with significantly reduced computer anxiety and increased ratings of perceived social support and connectivity.
This paper explores the impact of internet use in old age on social isolation and on subjective wellbeing. Does internet use make older people less or more lonely? Does it crowd out face-to-face contacts or enhance them? We found that social isolation is lower among internet users aged 65 or over. Using a European multi-country cross-sectional dataset with over 11,000 observations, we found that those who use the internet regularly have a lower chance of being isolated, more so for those who use the internet every day, controlling for personal characteristics such as income, marital status, gender and health condition. Thus, personal social meetings and virtual contacts are complementary, rather than substituting for each other. Internet use may be a useful way of reducing social isolation. We also found a positive relationship between regular internet use and self-reported life satisfaction, all else being equal.
The article examines the relationship between the Internet use and leisure activities amongst Finnish seniors. Traditionally, the young have been the most active users of the Internet and other information and communication technologies (ICTs). In recent years, however, older age groups have increasingly become more interested in ICT, yet a significant proportion of Finnish seniors rarely log on. Using data from a nationally representative survey (N = 542) conducted in the summer of 2010, we explored the connection between the frequent Internet use and general leisure activity. The basic socio-demographic variables were controlled in the analysis. The findings indicate that the active Internet use in old age has a strong positive correlation with the number of different leisure activities amongst Finnish seniors. As most European societies continue to age, it is clear that future research should focus on the implications and the role the Internet and other new ICTs will play in the everyday life amongst the ageing citizens.
The present study evaluated the integration of elderly people who migrated to Israel during their lifetimes. Subjective well-being, as measured by the immigrants' perception of quality of life, satisfaction with life and emotional state, served as a general indicator of integration. The integration of elderly immigrants has not received adequate attention in the literature. A unique database (SHARE-Israel) that was recently released has made study of this topic possible. The current study sample was composed of former migrants aged 50 and older (n = 930). The analytic model examined ethnic origin and migration variables in relation to the respective subjective outcomes, controlling for sociodemographic background, human and social capital and health. The findings show that in general, ethnic origin seems to matter less for the evaluation of immigrants' subjective well-being than other socio economic factors such as economic status, social capital and health status. However, recent arrivals from the Former Soviet Union do differ from all other immigrant groups in their lower levels of well-being. In addition, the study points to the importance of language proficiency as a central means for integration in the destination country.
The Economic Impact of Digital Technologies offers a profoundly illuminating examination of ICT transformations in Europe and its critical role in greater social inequality. It presents scholars and policy makers with original and practical tools to benchmark and assess the ICT diffusion and inclusion process. The core message of the book is that a coherent European strategy for embedding ICT technologies in society is long overdue.
The present study examined measurement equivalence of the Satisfaction with Life Scale between American and Chinese samples using multigroup Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), Multiple indicator multiple cause model (MIMIC), and Item Response Theory (IRT). Whereas SEM and MIMIC identified only one biased item across cultures, the IRT analysis revealed that four of the five items had differential item functioning. According to IRT, Chinese whose latent life satisfaction scores were quite high did not endorse items such as "So far I have gotten the important things I want in life" and "If I could live my life over, I would change almost nothing." The IRT analysis also showed that even when the unbiased items were weighted more heavily than the biased items, the latent mean life satisfaction score of Chinese was substantially lower than that of Americans. The differences among SEM, MIMIC, and IRT are discussed. (c) 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
The literature on subjective well-being (SWB), including happiness, life satisfaction, and positive affect, is reviewed in three areas: measurement, causal factors, and theory. Psychometric data on single-item and multi-item subjective well-being scales are presented, and the measures are compared. Measuring various components of subjective well-being is discussed. In terms of causal influences, research findings on the demographic correlates of SWB are evaluated, as well as the findings on other influences such as health, social contact, activity, and personality. A number of theoretical approaches to happiness are presented and discussed: telic theories, associationistic models, activity theories, judgment approaches, and top-down versus bottom-up conceptions.
One of the central questions animating much social-science research on the social impact of new technology is the specific effect it has on social relationships. This chapter provides a quantitative literature review, a meta-analysis, of 16 empirical studies investigating the association of Internet use with measures of social activity. Collectively, the data show little influence of Internet use on social activities. Effect sizes were generally small and inconsistent. However, research methods make a difference in the conclusions one draws. The results depend both on the type of social relationship analysed (family versus friend) and the type of research method deployed (cross-sectional versus panel surveys). For instance, studies using panels indicate that Internet use increases social interaction with friends more than interaction in other types of relationships.
The study of life satisfaction of diverse countries is becoming increasingly important. Studies have shown that people who are satisfied with their lives are positive about other aspects of their lives such as their health. So it is important to examine the factors that can lead to life satisfaction. This study examines the relationships between education and life satisfaction across countries. Thirty-five countries are included in the study; the results show that life satisfaction is higher in countries where people have more education. Years of education are predicted by enrollment rates at the secondary and tertiary levels. Based on the findings of this study, educators and policy-makers should encourage people to continue their education.
The Economic Impact of Digital Technologies offers a profoundly illuminating examination of ICT transformations in Europe and its critical role in greater social inequality. It presents scholars and policy makers with original and practical tools to benchmark and assess the ICT diffusion and inclusion process. The core message of the book is that a coherent European strategy for embedding ICT technologies in society is long overdue.
The purpose of the research is to explore the well-being/QOL of the ageing population in China. Specifically, the study investigates the experience/meaning of ageing and the strategies that consumers deploy to cope with ageing issues through internet communication. The results show that older people have found creative ways to cope with ageing by recalling the frugal experiences in the past, and purchasing small items as emotion enhancers. The findings also indicate that older Chinese bloggers have limited acquisition desire, do not wish to be a burden on their children, and worry greatly about their future financial status, especially given concerns about the healthcare system. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
The aim of the research was to investigate the potential relationship between internet addiction and depression in adolescents. A cross-sectional observational study was conducted on a sample of 336 high school students in Belgrade, Serbia. Each student was given a questionnaire consisting of Center for Epidemiologic Studies of Depression Scale for Children (CES-DC), Young Internet Addiction Test (IAT) as well as general questions related to internet and social networking site (SNS) use. The results of our study indicate that internet use and level of internet addiction measured with IAT scale are positively correlated with depressive symptoms. No such relationship existed between the time spent on social networking sites and depression, as well as between depression symptoms and SNS-related activities such as the number of Facebook friends. Neither the time spent on SNSs nor SNS-related activities had significant effect on the observed relationship between level of internet addiction and depression.
This article reports the development and validation of a scale to measure global life satisfaction, the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS). Among the various components of subjective well-being, the SWLS is narrowly focused to assess global life satisfaction and does not tap related constructs such as positive affect or loneliness. The SWLS is shown to have favorable psychometric properties, including high internal consistency and high temporal reliability. Scores on the SWLS correlate moderately to highly with other measures of subjective well-being, and correlate predictably with specific personality characteristics. It is noted that the SWLS is suited for use with different age groups, and other potential uses of the scale are discussed.
This paper analyzes the effects of educational mismatch on subjective wellbeing. We first analyze whether a discrepancy exists between the aspirations associated with the level of education acquired by the individuals and the opportunities found in the labor market. Consistent with education generating certain aspirations, we find that educational mismatch has a sizable significant negative impact on life satisfaction for over-educated individuals while the effect is positive for under-educated workers. Next, we focus on workers with different educational levels but who perform similar jobs. In this case we only find under-education to negatively affect life satisfaction levels, a result which is consistent either with the existence of an inferiority complex or a struggle to perform a job for which the individual is not adequately trained. The effects are economically relevant and amount between one-fifth and one-fourth of the impact produced by other negative life events such as unemployment.
Abstract Internet addiction (IA) has emerged as a universal issue, but its international estimates vary vastly. This multinational meta-analysis fills this gap by providing estimates of its global prevalence. Two hypotheses were formulated to explain the cross-national variations. The accessibility hypothesis predicts that IA prevalence is positively related to Internet penetration rate and GDP per capita, whereas the quality of (real) life hypothesis predicts that IA prevalence is inversely related to a global national index of life satisfaction and specific national indices of environmental quality. Multiple search strategies were used in an attempt to retrieve all empirical reports from 1996 to 2012 that adopted the Young Diagnostic Questionnaire or Internet Addiction Test for assessing generalized IA. The data set comprised 164 prevalence figures derived from 80 reports, including 89,281 participants from 31 nations across seven world regions. A random effects meta-analysis showed a global prevalence estimate of 6.0% [95% CI 5.1-6.9], with moderate heterogeneity (I(2)=44%, p<0.0001). The highest prevalence was in the Middle East with 10.9% [95% CI 5.4-16.3], and the lowest was in Northern and Western Europe with 2.6% [95% CI 1.0-4.1]. Moreover, IA prevalence was higher for nations with greater traffic time consumption, pollution, and dissatisfaction with life in general. The prevalence rate of IA varies across world regions. IA prevalence is inversely associated with the quality of life, as reflected by both subjective (life satisfaction) and objective (quality of environmental conditions) indicators.
A decline of cognitive abilities is a part of normal human ageing. However, recent research has demonstrated that an enriched environment can have a beneficial impact on cognitive function in old age. Accordingly, mentally and socially active lifestyles are associated with less cognitive decline in old age. Specific interventions such as computerized cognitive training programs for older adults are also known to have a positive effect on the level of cognitive functioning. Therefore, online platforms combining cognitive training with web 2.0 features may yield multiple benefits for older users. However, to date only little research exists on technological acceptance and media use in this age-group especially for cognitively-impaired seniors. Therefore, in order to assess specific preferences and potential barriers of older adults regarding a web-based platform for cognitive training, we conducted qualitative interviews with 12 older adults. Half of the participants were diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Most importantly, our results show that cognitive exercises should incorporate themes and topics older adults are interested in. Additional communication features could serve as ideal methods for increasing user motivation. Furthermore, we derived eight critical requirements of older adults concerning daily use of a web-based cognitive training platform. Implications for future research and development are discussed.
Facebook is the world’s most popular online social network and used by more than one billion people. In three studies, we explored the hypothesis that Facebook activity negatively affects people’s emotional state. A first study shows that the longer people are active on Facebook, the more negative is their mood afterwards. The second study provides causal evidence for this effect by showing that Facebook activity leads to a deterioration of mood compared to two different control conditions. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that this effect is mediated by a feeling of not having done anything meaningful. With such negative outcomes for its users, the question arises as to why so many people continue to use Facebook on a daily basis. A third study suggests that this may be because people commit an affective forecasting error in that they expect to feel better after using Facebook, whereas, in fact, they feel worse.
Technological advancement benefits Internet users with the convenience of social connection and information search. This study aimed at investigating the predictors of Internet use to search for online health information among Chinese older adults. The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) was applied to examine the predictiveness of perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and attitudes toward Internet use on behavioral intention to search for health information online. Ninety-eight Chinese older adults were recruited from an academic institute for older people and community centers. Frequency of Internet use and physical and psychological health were also assessed. Results showed that perceived ease of use and attitudes significantly predicted behavioral intention of Internet use. The potential influences of traditional Chinese values and beliefs in health were also discussed.
This study added communication Internet skills to an existing skill framework of operational, formal, information and strategic skills. We investigated how people deal with inadequate skill levels by identifying support sources. Furthermore, we investigated which of the Internet skills actually matter for attaining beneficial Internet outcomes and whether support sources employed moderate these effects. Results of a large scale survey revealed three support patterns: independents, social support seekers and formal help seekers. The newly added communication skills prove to be an important addition since they have an independent effect on beneficial Internet use. The group of independent Internet users benefited more from Internet use than formal help seekers and much more than social support seekers. Internet communication skills hold the potential for achieving a high degree of independence in using the Internet by compensating for information skills so as to attain beneficial Internet outcomes.
The demographic aging of the older population itself has turned out as an issue of great scope, accumulating a large amount of research in recent years. In this context, the prediction or explanation is of much interest. However, little research has studied this prediction when some factors, such as age, gender, and perceived health are controlled, and also few studies have compared these effects in young old and oldest old populations. Thus, the purpose of this study is to test, in a multivariate context, the predictive effects of variables measuring social support, dependence/active perceptions, and generativity on satisfaction with life, while controlling for age, marital status, educational level, gender, and perceived health; examining young old and oldest old similitudes and differences in a little studied population, the Angolan elderly. The sample was formed by 1,003 participants, 737 were young old and 266 were oldest old. To test for the effects, a hierarchical regression was built up, in which age and predictor’s interactions were included. Results provide support for some differences in the pattern of relationships hold by young old and oldest old, with social support emerging as the major predictor of life satisfaction during the old age.
Digital technologies are becoming more pervasive in all areas of society. Enabling everyone to have access and capability to use the Internet and associated digital technologies, summed up in the term 'digital inclusion', is seen to have wide-ranging benefits to the individual, to the economy and to society. For older people, being digitally included can help them to maintain their independence, social connectedness and sense of worth in the face of declining health or limited capabilities, as well as also offering new opportunities to improve their quality of life. At present however, access to the technology and to the benefits is not equally distributed either between or within nations, and older people tend to be on the 'wrong' side of what is termed the 'digital divide'. Governments globally are developing strategies to promote digital inclusion and indeed Internet uptake is increasing steadily, including amongst older people. However, such strategies have focussed on getting people online, and there appears to be an assumption that once someone is online they will remain 'digitally engaged'. In fact statistics show that some users give up using the Internet, and there is emerging evidence that older people are more vulnerable to the factors which can lead to this outcome. The authors see this phenomenon as a potential but largely unrecognised 'fourth digital divide' which has serious implications for social inclusion. The objectives of this article are (a) to raise awareness of the phenomenon of digital disengagement by considering some of the emerging evidence, (b) to explore some of the potential implications of not recognising and therefore not addressing the needs of the digitally disengaged older population, and (c) to reveal the prevailing gap in knowledge which future research should address.
Anecdotal reports indicated that some on-line users were becoming addicted to the Internet in much the same way that others became addicted to drugs or alcohol, which resulted in academic, social, and occupational impairment. However, research among sociologists, psychologists, or psychiatrists has not formally identified addictive use of the Internet as a problematic behavior. This study investigated the existence of Internet addiction and the extent of problems caused by such potential misuse. Of all the diagnoses referenced in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders - Fourth Edition (DSM-IV; American Psychiatric Association, 1995), Pathological Gambling was viewed as most akin to the pathological nature of Internet use. By using Pathological Gambling as a model, addictive Internet use can be defined as an impulse-control disorder that does not involve an intoxicant. Therefore, this study developed a brief eight-item questionnaire referred to as a Diagnostic Questionnaire (DQ), which modified criteria for pathological gambling to provide a screening instrument for classification of participants. On the basis of this criteria, case studies of 396 dependent Internet users (Dependents) and 100 nondependent Internet users (Nondependents) were classified. Qualitative analyses suggest significant behavioral and functional usage differences between the two groups such as the types of applications utilized, the degree of difficulty controlling weekly usage, and the severity of problems noted. Clinical and social implications of pathological Internet use and future directions for research are discussed.
This article seeks to explore how a social learning environment can be constructed that uses IT and the Internet. Based on interviews and observations made during two experiments concerning IT and senior citizens in Denmark, the article examines how these experiments make the link between senior citizens and the Internet. In particular, the cases show how IT, as it is used in the social experiments, can be applied to construct empowerment properties and thereby enable "active citizenship" for seniors.
A flood of new studies explores people's subjective well-being (SWB) Frequent positive affect, infrequent negative affect, and a global sense of satisfaction with life define high SWB These studies reveal that happiness and life satisfaction are similarly available to the young and the old, women and men, blacks and whites, the rich and the working-class Better clues to well-being come from knowing about a person's traits, close relationships, work experiences, culture, and religiosity We present the elements of an appraisal-based theory of happiness that recognizes the importance of adaptation, cultural world-view, and personal goals
Those senior citizens who have a more positive attitude about the Internet are more likely to use the Internet, to buy online, and to use the Internet for comparison shopping than those seniors with a less positive attitude toward the Internet. Moreover, those seniors who are confident in their ability to use the Internet, who are comfortable using the Internet, and who are experienced in using computers would be more likely to use the Internet for comparison shopping; but there is no link between seniors' satisfaction with their computer skills and use of the Internet for comparison shopping.
Reviews the literature since 1967 on subjective well-being (SWB [including happiness, life satisfaction, and positive affect]) in 3 areas: measurement, causal factors, and theory. Most measures of SWB correlate moderately with each other and have adequate temporal reliability and internal consistency; the global concept of happiness is being replaced with more specific and well-defined concepts, and measuring instruments are being developed with theoretical advances; multi-item scales are promising but need adequate testing. SWB is probably determined by a large number of factors that can be conceptualized at several levels of analysis, and it may be unrealistic to hope that a few variables will be of overwhelming importance. Several psychological theories related to happiness have been proposed; they include telic, pleasure and pain, activity, top–down vs bottom–up, associanistic, and judgment theories. It is suggested that there is a great need to more closely connect theory and research. (7 p ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)