Internet Addiction: Sociological Approach to the (new) Social Deviance

Background and motive: Since Kimberly Young’s Internet Addiction Test (IAT) was introduced and the large number of studies has arisen in the last two decades mostly from a psychiatric-psychological and biological-medical point of view, the inspiration for the work is located in the indication of the social consequences of the increased use of the Internet in everyday life and the various forms of this addiction. Objective: The aim of this chapter is to emphasize the sociological interest in researching this multidimensional phenomenon. This chapter also points out the relevance and conditionality of Internet Addiction (IA) to other types of social deviations and points to possible trends and development pathways in this area in the near future. Method: In order to present a representative picture of the emergence and development in all forms of IA, this chapter offers a comprehensive overview of influential studies on this topic in which the Young’s Test for IA was conducted. Results: Comparison of data obtained from more than 20 studies around the world show correlation and interdependence of IA with other forms of diseases and antisocial behavior, such as depression, anxiety, aggression, obesity, autism, cognitive dysfunction, problems with verbal communication in everyday life, and domestic violence. Conclusion: The development of technology and communications has led to a rapid increase in the use of computers and the Internet in the last three decades. However, the opportunities that lie ahead of us carry a dark side—the danger of excessive and inappropriate use of the Internet! All forms of IA are on the rise globally, and the age of addicts is declining. The sociological treatment of IA is important due to challenges with the Deep Web (Dark Net) and especially in light of progressive trends of COVID-19 and domestic violence.