Associations between social anxiety disorders and the social aspects of young people's internet and mobile phone use

This thesis investigates young people's use of the Internet and mobile phones, and focuses especially on associations between use of these technologies for communication purposes and social anxiety. First, two surveys are reported which examine the broad characteristics of young people’s Internet and mobile phone use. The first of these was conducted on paper and provides a general description of these activities amongst young people in the Teesside area of England. The second survey was conducted online with a population from a wider area and supports the paper survey. Together, the surveys indicate that there may be a small bias towards male use of and competence with the Internet. There may also be a small bias towards female use of mobile phones. Results concerning non-use of the Internet and mobile phones are also discussed. Reports of the surveys are followed by descriptions of a questionnaire study, also conducted in the Teesside area of England, which indicates that associations between the psychological conditions social anxiety and social phobia and use of the Internet and mobile phones, generally, and for communication purposes, are minimal. (However, small but significant associations are discussed). Finally, was conducted using Grounded Theory, is described. This reveals that that control over social interactions, sometimes in relation to transient, or situational, social anxiety, might be one important reason why young people like to use text-based Internet and mobile phone communication media to interact. It is concluded that whilst social anxiety as a psychological characteristic or trait may not be strongly related to young people s use of the Internet and mobile phones for communication purposes, young people may nevertheless sometimes use these technologies to manage situational social anxiety

Scrolling, safety and self-presentation: A grounded theory of social anxiety for Instagram millennials

Most people live with some form of mild social discomfort, but for those with social anxiety daily life is mired with social distress. With the advent of digital technology, those individuals now need to navigate their social worlds through a terrain of in-person and online engagement, and this influences how social anxiety manifests for them. In this investigation, 12 millennials were screened for social anxiety and reported using Instagram daily. They were administered open-ended interviews which were analysed using constructivist grounded theory principles. After the analysis, a strategic literature review was carried out to integrate the findings within the literature. Data from the participants led to a substantive formulation for understanding social anxiety in the information age. Three core categories emerged: exclusion, inferiority, and limitation. Those categories were then used to investigate social media processes for the participants. The findings indicate that socially anxious millennials in this study engaged in four main psychosocial processes online. The first is social comparison to others was indiscriminate online, the second was that assertive self-presenters were better able to make use of the new possibilities that Instagram presents. The third is that compensatory connection took place through voyeurism or watching others’ personal content. Finally, scrolling on Instagram seems to be serving a safety behaviour for those individuals. This research develops on a small but crucial body of literature which centralises the lived experience in understanding online engagement in the fields of cyberpsychology and counselling psychology. This study revealed the significance of Instagram engagement for those who struggle with social anxiety and clarifies how Instagram is integrated within their social experience

An exploratory study on new technology and associated psychosocial risks in adolescents : can digital media literacy programmes make a difference

This study centres on the psychological effects new digital media, like the internet and cellphones, have on adolescents. Although the internet has enormous benefits, it also poses a host of risks that can make adolescents vulnerable to victimisation and/or developing associated psychosocial problems. Characterisations of adolescents’ social relationships in the internet medium, as well as the investigation of the continuity between digital media literacy and online social behaviours, carry high relevance for developmental psychology. It is during the adolescent period that peer interactions arguably hold the greatest importance for individuals’ social and behavioural functioning. Using a logic model for evaluation, the researcher conducted an exploratory research study on digital media use among adolescent learners aged 13 to 15 years to determine whether schools could guide them to think critically for themselves about the entire realm of these new media. The data were gathered from school principals, teachers, parents and learners from three secondary schools in Gauteng Province, which were purposely selected to represent different socio-economic circumstances. A total of 230 people (n=230) participated in the research. Mixed research methods were employed in this study. The quantitative research methods supported the qualitative research methods. The literature review suggested that current media literacy education, which forms part of the Life Orientation curriculum, does not enable learners to think critically or make informed choices about their behaviour in the digital world – because it incorporates neither ethics nor responsibility. One of the main aims of the study therefore was to investigate the importance of expanding existing media literacy education, namely by incorporating two additional learning categories in the curriculum: Digital Safety and Security, and Digital Citizenship. These additional learning categories were introduced in the form of lessons by the teachers participating in the study. A think aloud strategy was used whereby learners verbalise what they were doing and learning while engaging in the digital media literacy lesson activities. The learners’ verbalisations were used to ascertain what learning was occurring in the classroom. The experimental group demonstrated an increase in critical thinking from pre- to post-evaluation. This research therefore proposes that the signature element of intervention strategies for inappropriate online behaviour be to create a “culture of critical thinking”. This implies greatly reducing the risks cyberspace pose, and at the same time enhancing adolescents’ abilities to use it in ways that create and deepen healthy relationships – in the digital as well as the real world.PsychologyD. Litt. et Phil. (Psychology

The use of Internet-based communication by people with autism

Despite having difficulties in the areas of social interaction and communication, the introduction of the Internet seems to have encouraged some high-functioning autistic people to communicate with each other via chat rooms and bulletin boards. The Internet can address the social isolation of autism by improving the potential to find others who have similar experiences. Additionally it may be that, for autistic people, the Internet also offers a comfortable space more suited to their communication style, perhaps one in which their interaction seems less odd. If so, there are possible implications for this group of people in terms of education, employment and social inclusion. However there are risks. Autistic people may be particularly vulnerable to individuals misrepresenting themselves or to the possibility of over-reliance on computer-mediated interaction resulting in an exacerbation of obsessive behaviour and withdrawal from face-to-face interaction. An initial survey, to discover the extent of Internet use among people with autism and investigate their motivations for using it, was carried out, obtaining responses from 138 people with high-functioning autism or Asperger syndrome. Results indicated a high level of computer and Internet use amongst respondents and implied that email was a popular means of communication, more so than face-to-face communication even when interacting with friends. This introductory survey raised issues and questions which were explored in more depth with a subset of the respondents who were interviewed by email about their experiences, motivations and perceptions regarding Internet-based communication. In addition to 19 email interviews, data were also collected from 4 non or reluctant users of the Internet who were sent a series of questions by post. A grounded theory analysis of the data revealed a heightened awareness of communication amongst this group of participants, who offered insights into the process of communication in terms of its component parts and how it breaks down for them. Central to the analysis is a theme of the interviewee as observer, feeling detached to some degree from mainstream interaction and like an outsider. From this perspective participants offered their analysis of the complex process of communication, online and offline as they experienced it, highlighting key aspects of the Internet in relation to their own needs, ones which made it a unique form of communication. Their insights into communication are described in four themes: control, clarity, the role of nonverbal communication and the social role of communication. Additionally the interviewees expressed a sense of liberation that could come with online communication for people with Asperger syndrome/high-functioning autism such that they may interact with others on a more equal basis. This could be empowering but with the sense of liberation there was a risk of losing control over one’s interactions. The interviewees’ perceptions of CMC are explored within a uses and gratifications framework which posits that people use particular communication channels to satisfy their individual needs and motives. By using computer-mediated communication some of the social and communication barriers which contribute to the disability of autism may be broken down

The use of Internet-based communication by people with autism

Despite having difficulties in the areas of social interaction and communication, the introduction of the Internet seems to have encouraged some high-functioning autistic people to communicate with each other via chat rooms and bulletin boards. The Internet can address the social isolation of autism by improving the potential to find others who have similar experiences. Additionally it may be that, for autistic people, the Internet also offers a comfortable space more suited to their communication style, perhaps one in which their interaction seems less odd. If so, there are possible implications for this group of people in terms of education, employment and social inclusion. However there are risks. Autistic people may be particularly vulnerable to individuals misrepresenting themselves or to the possibility of over-reliance on computer-mediated interaction resulting in an exacerbation of obsessive behaviour and withdrawal from face-to-face interaction. An initial survey, to discover the extent of Internet use among people with autism and investigate their motivations for using it, was carried out, obtaining responses from 138 people with high-functioning autism or Asperger syndrome. Results indicated a high level of computer and Internet use amongst respondents and implied that email was a popular means of communication, more so than face-to-face communication even when interacting with friends. This introductory survey raised issues and questions which were explored in more depth with a subset of the respondents who were interviewed by email about their experiences, motivations and perceptions regarding Internet-based communication. In addition to 19 email interviews, data were also collected from 4 non or reluctant users of the Internet who were sent a series of questions by post. A grounded theory analysis of the data revealed a heightened awareness of communication amongst this group of participants, who offered insights into the process of communication in terms of its component parts and how it breaks down for them. Central to the analysis is a theme of the interviewee as observer, feeling detached to some degree from mainstream interaction and like an outsider. From this perspective participants offered their analysis of the complex process of communication, online and offline as they experienced it, highlighting key aspects of the Internet in relation to their own needs, ones which made it a unique form of communication. Their insights into communication are described in four themes: control, clarity, the role of nonverbal communication and the social role of communication. Additionally the interviewees expressed a sense of liberation that could come with online communication for people with Asperger syndrome/high-functioning autism such that they may interact with others on a more equal basis. This could be empowering but with the sense of liberation there was a risk of losing control over one’s interactions. The interviewees’ perceptions of CMC are explored within a uses and gratifications framework which posits that people use particular communication channels to satisfy their individual needs and motives. By using computer-mediated communication some of the social and communication barriers which contribute to the disability of autism may be broken down