International Journal of Human Ecology

The Korean Home Economics Association (대한가정학회)
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A Study of Internet Addiction: Status, Causes, and Remedies - Focusing on the alienation factor -

  • Kim Sun-Woo (Research International Korea) ;
  • Kim Ran-Do (Dept. of Consumer Studies, Seoul National University)
  • Published : 2002.12.01
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Abstract

This paper examines internet addiction from the perspective of consumer studies. Internet addiction could be an interesting issue for consumer studies because it is a sort of consumer behavior that has drawn a lot of social concerns in rapidly informatized era. First, the paper explores the status quo of internet addiction in Korea through the analysis of a questionnaire survey. Secondly, it explains causes of internet addiction focusing on alienation in addition to personality and demographic factors. Thirdly, it describes the characteristics of the behavior of internet-addictive users clustered by internet addiction degree. Based on these descriptions and analyses, the study provides suggestions for establishing more effective consumer policies and educational programs to help limit the growth of internet addiction.

Keywords

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