Kateřina Škařupová

Background and aims: The present study explores the relationship between social motivations and addiction to online gaming and if that possible connection can be explained by the personality traits responsible for social functioning. Methods: We employ Bernstein's concept of interpersonal dependency to distinguish healthy dependency , dysfunctional detachment, and destructive overdependence, and Charlton and Danforth's conceptualisation of online gaming addiction and high engagement. An online questionnaire was administered to a self-nominated sample of 4,074 online gamers. Two regression models were constructed to separately explain gaming addiction and high engagement using social motivations to play, while controlling for age, gender, and time spent online. Results: High scores on subscales measuring dysfunctional detachment and destructive overdependence were positively associated with online gaming addiction, while healthy dependency was negatively correlated with addiction scores. In contrast, the overall role of social motivation was negligible. Discussion: People with healthy relationship profiles are less likely to develop problematic patterns of online gaming. High in-game engagement, although sharing some factors with addiction, was only poorly explained by the study variables, suggesting the mutual exclusiveness of addiction and engagement.

Despite growing public health concerns data on excessive Internet use (EIU) allowing for comparison between countries and over time are scarce. Our study is the first attempt to evaluate the changes and the impact of mobile access on EIU in Europe. It is based on data from 2 surveys of adolescents implemented in 2010 and 2013 in 7 European countries that used identical methodology; a total of 7663 adolescents were recruited by random stratified sampling. The levels of EIU were compared and a regression model was used to assess the impact of smart devices, the number of activities performed online, and the specific online applications. A small but significant increase of EIU levels was observed in Belgium, Denmark, Romania, the UK, and overall. Although smartphone use is a positive predictor of EIU, it is moderated by the increasing number of activities performed online. The increase in levels of EIU is also associated with the daily use of online games and social networking sites.

Objectives

This study investigated the differences between non-excessive, moderately excessive, and highly excessive internet use among adolescents. These differences were explored in terms of personal characteristics, psychological difficulties, environmental factors, and manner of internet use.

Methods

A representative sample was investigated, consisting of 18,709 adolescents aged 11–16 and their parents, from 25 European countries. Excessive internet use was measured using a five item scale covering following factors: salience, conflict, tolerance, withdrawal symptoms, and relapse and reinstatement. The main data analysis utilised multinomial and binary logistic regression models.

Results

The vast majority of respondents reported no signs of excessive internet use. Moderately excessive users (4.4 %) reported higher emotional and behavioural difficulties, but also more sophisticated digital skills and a broader range of online activities. The highly excessive users (1.4 %) differed from the non-excessive and moderately excessive users in their preference for online games and in having more difficulties with self-control.

Conclusions

Adolescents who struggle with attention and self-control and who are inclined toward online gaming may be especially vulnerable to the otherwise uncommon phenomenon of excessive internet use.

Prevalence data on Internet addiction in Europe are rather scarce due to the lack of agreement on the
definition and measurement of the concept. We define Excessive Internet Use (EIU) as such use of online
applications that puts the user at risk of adverse consequences. In this paper, we present a cross-country
quasi-validation of the five-item Excessive Internet Use scale that is suitable for use in general population
surveys. We worked with EU Kids Online II data for children aged 11–16 in 25 European countries and
used a set of regression models to assess the probabilities of various negative consequences for each
EIU score. A consistent pattern was identified across Europe when controlling for country differences,
suggesting good psychometric properties of the scale. Moreover, our results indicate that EIU in children
may be a symptom of broader behavioral difficulties rather than a condition, per se.

Výzkumná zpráva shrnuje deskriptivní zjištění kvantitativního šetření českých mediálních publik. Sběr dat, který formou CAPI zajistila společnost Median, proběhl v říjnu a listopadu 2014 a zahrnul 1998 respondentů starších 18 let. Dotazník vedle standardních sociodemografických ukazatelů pokryl pokud možno úplné spektrum praxí zahrnujících příjem, konzumaci a sdílení filmů, seriálů, pravodajství, hudby, knih a časopisů, mluveného slova a sportovních obsahů; online aktivity a užívání online sociálních sítí; hraní počítačových her a videoher; vlastnění mediálních technologií a přístup k internetu; indikátory politické a veřejné aktivity respondentů. Zpráva je publikována současně v české a anglické verzi.

The report concludes descriptive findings of survey in Czech media audiences. The data from 1998 respondents was collected in October and December 2014 by Median; the collection employed quota sampling and computer-assisted personal interviewing. Besides the standard socio-demographic indicators, the questionnaire included questions regarding the full range of possible media-related practices including obtaining and reception of films, TV series and other TV content, news, sports, music, books, magazines and spoken word; online activities and use of social networking sites; playing computer- and videogames; ownership of media and computer technologies and access to the Internet; respondents' political and public activities. The report is published in Czech and English version.

Studie předkládá diskurzní analýzu mediálního obrazu kauzy neúspěšného zahraničního investora, a to konkrétně případu holdingu LG.Philips Displays a českého státu. Studie případ pokrývá od investorova rozhodnutí vstoupit do České republiky v roce 2000 až po investorův bankrot v roce 2006. Využitá výzkumná metoda je založena na Foucaultově pojetí diskurtu a je odvozena od jeho teoretického konceptu diskurzní analýzy. Metoda, jež se spíše než na lingvistickou rovinu diskurzu zaměřuje na rovinu strukturální, je inspirována rovněž Gerbnerovou analýzou systému zpráv a de Gruyterovou technickou stopování diskurzu.

The article presents a discourse analysis of media coverage of an unsuccessful foreign investor, the case of LG.Philips Displays Holding v. the Czech state. We analyze media coverage of the case from 2000 when the investor decided to start production in the Czech Republic until 2006 when the investor went bankrupt. Our method of analysis is based on Foucault’s understanding of dis- course and his theoretical conceptualization of discourse analysis. It emphasizes the structural rather than the linguistic level of discourse and also draws on Gerbner’s message system analysis and de Gruyter’s method of tracking discourse. We analyzed almost 700 articles published in two Czech print dailies and two weeklies and found a significant bias in the Czech print media since a very strong politicization of the case was typical of its media coverage. The discourse of party politics emerged in connection with the government’s investment incentive policy. The arrival of Philips was presented as a result of successful government policy while other important factors were underestimated. Moreover, media uncritically replicated the government’s official discour- se. This applies particularly to the first years when party political themes and an uncritical view of the investor forced out the economic/analytical discourse. The media rarely took into account risks associated with foreign investment or the decline of the traditional (CRT) TV screen mar- ket. In addition, the media stereotypically labelled actors involved in disputes with LG.Philips Displays.