Unravelling the Complexity of Addiction to Social Networking Sites: A Multidimensional Analysis

Information behaviour and social network sites addiction (hereafter referred to as SNS addiction) are two concepts that have become increasingly relevant in the digital age. Information behaviour refers to how individuals seek, access, evaluate, and use information to meet their goals. These two concepts can be interconnected. Individuals who exhibit addictive tendencies may excessively and compulsively use social networks to obtain information or social approval, which can be reinforced by the constant availability of information and social connections. This study aimed to investigate the multidimensional nature of SNS addiction by examining socio-demographic characteristics, personal, spatiotemporal, environmental, and task contexts. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 174 users to assess addiction levels and explore related factors. The Addiction Severity Index (ASI) was used to classify participants into four levels. Data analysis included cross-tabulations, frequency counts, and chi-square tests. The results revealed that 41% of participants were classified as SNS addicts, suggesting a significant prevalence of this behaviour. No significant differences were found in addiction levels based on gender and age groups. In terms of individual context, those classified as addicts demonstrated excessive involvement in activities such as media viewing, content rating, and private messaging. In conclusion, this thorough analysis emphasizes the intricate, multifaceted nature of the phenomenon and underscores the importance of considering contextual factors when designing effective interventions. Understanding the intricate dynamics of SNS addiction can inform the development of effective strategies for healthier patterns of usage of information

Engineering social networking to combat digital addiction: the case of online peer groups.

Digital Addiction (DA) denotes a problematic relation with the technology described by being compulsive, obsessive, impulsive and hasty. Recent research identified cases where digital usage shows symptoms of the clinical criteria of behavioural addiction. Peer groups approach is one of the strategies to combat addictive behaviours. It can provide a motivational and learning environment, and ambivalence reduction through sharing, counselling and mutual helping. Hosting peer groups online as a domain-specific social networking service can empower behaviour awareness and change communication including the case of combatting DA. Unlike other behaviours and their change mechanisms, DA as a problematic behaviour, and online peer group share the same space and operational modality. This can empower the online behaviour monitoring and the interaction towards combatting DA in a real-time and transparent style. However, building online peer groups platforms and customizing their functional and interactive features to fit the needs and characteristics of a specific group is a complex process. Also, this requires a careful theoretical understanding of these systems unique variables and attributes which include interactivity, anonymity, equity, profiling, presence and transparency. An ad-hoc design of such persuasive information systems may not only fail to achieve the desired outcomes but may cause significant harm, e.g. lowering self-esteem and counterproductive upward and downward comparisons, etc. As such, the goal of this thesis is to devise a method towards a better-managed design of this technology so that we increase its chance to combat DA. To achieve this goal, the thesis first takes an exploratory approach through several empirical studies including qualitative meta-analysis, qualitative user studies and observational investigations. The findings indicate that the design process of such systems should actively involve end-users to accommodate their needs and expectations and that the design shall have a customizable ecology. The findings were used to propose a method that supports the ability to adapt the scope and functionalities of an online peer group platform to fit various peer groups styles and dynamics with the aim of maintaining the validity and quality over the behaviour awareness and change programme. The method proposed in this thesis involves different roles (people with DA, counsellors, software designers), and has a participatory nature which is a natural fit to the spirit and remit of peer groups. The primary contribution of this thesis is twofold: i) a reference model for designing interactive online peer groups platforms to combat DA, ii) a method inspired by participatory design paradigm to customise the interaction environment for different groups. The method is evaluated in terms of its ease of use, comprehensiveness, appropriateness, and usefulness through a design case study. The results show the potential and applicability of the method in providing an enhanced design process for online peer group platforms to regulate DA in comparison to general purposes development methods which do not cater for the nuances and peculiarities of this particular user group, i.e. people with DA, and the peer group environment. A set of heuristics and guidelines are also derived. One notable recommendation is the recommendation to use the approach when dealing with moderate DA cases in ways that do not interfere with the decision- making about DA, but rather provide tools and platforms to facilitate taking those decisions effectively and in an informed style

Online Peer Groups as a Persuasive Tool to Combat Digital Addiction

Digital Addiction (DA) denotes a problematic usage of digital devices characterised by properties such as being compulsive, impulsive, excessive and hasty. DA is associated with negative behaviours such as anxiety and depression. “Digital Detox” programs have started to appear and are mainly based on a relatively expensive and heavyweight in-patient care utilising traditional solutions such as motivational interviews and cognitive behavioural therapies. For moderate addiction, persuasive technology could have potential, as a brief intervention, to assist users to regulate their usage. This paper explores the design of online peer groups as a persuasive technique that puts together people who share a common interest in combating their DA or in helping others to do so. We conducted empirical research to explore design aspects of this mechanism. The results raise a range of questions and challenges to address when developing such a technique for the behaviour change needed against DA

Exploring The Risk Factors of Interactive E-health Interventions for Digital Addiction

Digital Addiction refers to a problematic usage of digital devices characterised by being excessive, compulsive, impulsive and hasty. It is often associated with negative life experience such as anxiety and depression. To combat Digital Addiction, interactive e-health intervention applications started to appear to aid users adjust their usage style. The present study aims to understand the risks related to such e-health interventions. The authors conducted an empirical research to investigate such risks from users’ perspectives through a diary study. Fourteen participants were recruited and asked to install popular “digital diet” applications and use them for two weeks and record their significant moments. The authors then interviewed the participants to discuss their experience. Self-governed interactive e-health intervention for digital addiction could lead to adverse side effects such as lower self-esteem, misconception of the healthy usage and creating an alternative addictive experience. Thus, there is a need for theory-based development and rigorous testing for such e-health solution

Blockchain Technology and Knowledge Sharing “State of the art”

This study aims to provide a literature review on blockchain and knowledge sharing, as it seeks to investigate the beginning and emergence of the technology and how it was employed in the field of knowledge sharing, starting from the emergence of this technology through its automated applications in various fields, to the future directions. The historical method was used, which aims to review the published literature in English and Arabic in the research field. The study concluded several results, the most important of which is the need to conduct further studies on the subject of blockchain technology and how to employ it as an emerging technology that has its own merits, in knowledge management processe

Social Computing for Software Engineering: a Mapping Study.

There is a continual growth in the use of social computing within a breadth of business domains; such as marketing, public engagement and innovation management. Software engineering research, like other similar disciplines, has re- cently started to harness the power of social computing throughout the various development phases; from requirements elicitation to validation and maintenance and for the various methods of development and structures of development teams. However, despite this increasing effort, we still lack a clear picture of the current status of this research. To address that lack of knowledge, we conduct a systematic mapping study on the utilisation of social computing for software engineering. This will inform researchers and practitioners about the current status and progress of the field including the areas of current focus and the geographical and chronological distribution of the research. We do the mapping across a diversity of dimensions including the activities of software engineering, the types of research, the characteristics of social computing and the demographic attributes of the published work. Our study results show a growing interest in the field, mainly in academia, and a general trend toward developing designated social com- puting platforms and utilising them in mainly four software engineering areas; management, coding, requirements engineering, and maintenance and enhancement

A Web-Based Intervention for Social Media Addiction Disorder Management in Higher Education: Quantitative Survey Study.

BACKGROUND: Social media addiction disorder has recently become a major concern and has been reported to have negative impacts on postgraduate studies, particularly addiction to Facebook. Although previous studies have investigated the effects of Facebook addiction disorder in learning settings, there still has been a lack of studies investigating the relationship between online intervention features for Facebook addiction focusing on postgraduate studies. OBJECTIVE: In an attempt to understand this relationship, this study aimed to carry out an investigation on online intervention features for effective management of Facebook addiction in higher education. METHODS: This study was conducted quantitatively using surveys and partial least square-structural equational modeling. The study involved 200 postgraduates in a Facebook support group for postgraduates. The Bergen Facebook Addiction test was used to assess postgraduates' Facebook addiction level, whereas online intervention features were used to assess postgraduates' perceptions of online intervention features for Facebook addiction, which are as follows: (1) self-monitoring features, (2) manual control features, (3) notification features, (4) automatic control features, and (5) reward features. RESULTS: The study discovered six Facebook addiction factors (relapse, conflict, salience, tolerance, withdrawal, and mood modification) and five intervention features (notification, auto-control, reward, manual control, and self-monitoring) that could be used in the management of Facebook addiction in postgraduate education. The study also revealed that relapse is the most important factor and mood modification is the least important factor. Furthermore, findings indicated that notification was the most important intervention feature, whereas self-monitoring was the least important feature. CONCLUSIONS: The study's findings (addiction factors and intervention features) could assist future developers and educators in the development of online intervention tools for Facebook addiction management in postgraduate education

Digital Addiction: Negative Life Experiences and Potential for Technology-Assisted Solutions

There is a growing acceptance of the association between obsessive, compulsive and excessive usage of digital media, e.g., games and social networks, and users’ wellbeing, whether personal, economic or social. While specific causal relations between such Digital Addiction (DA) and the negative life experience can be debated, we argue in this paper that, nevertheless, technology can play a role in preventing or raising awareness of its pathological or problematic usage styles, e.g. through monitoring usage and enabling interactive awareness messages. We perform a literature review, with the primary aim of gathering the range negative life experiences associated with DA. We then conduct two focus groups to help gather users’ perception of the key findings from the literature. Finally, we perform a qualitative analysis of experts and practitioners’ interviews and comments from a user survey on DA warning labels. As a result, we develop eight families of the negative life experiences associated with DA, examine the role of software in facilitating the reduction of such negative experiences, and consider the challenges that may be encountered in the process

Gender Differences in Attitudes towards Prevention and Intervention Messages for Digital Addiction

It has been suggested that excessive use of the internet and digital devices can lead to digital addiction (DA). In contrast to other industries such as the alcohol industry there appears to be very little expectation on the software industry to position itself as a primary actor in the development of DA; even though software providers have unique capabilities to engage with users in real time and in a personalised way through multi-modal interactive and intelligent prevention and intervention messages. One aspect of personalisation that has been demonstrated to be of importance in relation to DA and other compulsive behaviours is gender. This study consisted of a series of initial exploratory interviews followed by a survey of 150 respondents and several same-sex focus groups, the latter of which was recruited from a university student sample. Thematic and quantitative analyses were then conducted on the data gathered. Overall participants welcomed the idea of DA prevention and intervention messages, although they also demonstrated a clear preference for any DA prevention and intervention messages system to be adaptive and context aware. Some gender differences were evident, such as in terms for acceptance of messages generated by friends or the preference for graphical messages. The results of this study suggest that DA prevention and intervention messages may be useful to and welcomed by individuals who use digital technologies excessively. However, these users also appear to have expectations of what a successful DA prevention and intervention messages system should be able to achieve. Further research is needed on this emergent topic

Optimering av medium för en E.coli fed-batch-odling för produktion av ett rekombinantprotein

[Context and motivation] Digital Addiction, (hereafter referred to as DA), has become a serious issue that has a diversity of socio-economic side effects. [Question/problem] In spite of its high importance, DA got little recognition or guidance as to how software en- gineering should take it into account. This is in stark contrast to other domains known for traditional addiction (e.g., drugs, gambling, and al- cohol) in which there are clear rules and policies on how to manufacture, market and sell the products. [Principal ideas/results] In this position paper, we suggest that software engineering in general and requirements engineering in particular need to consider DA as a first class concept in developing software systems. [Contribution] As an early step in this area, we conduct an empirical investigation of DA by reviewing the liter- ature and analysing web discussion forums on the topic and use that to design a mind-map of its main causes. We also provide a basic model to articulate the DA problem from requirements perspective and elaborate research challenges for a future work