Introduction
The authors of the article cover the students’ Internet use effects, supporting it with research via statistical analysis of surveys. The paper’s main idea is to find evidence that supports or disproves the hypotheses of psychological harm because of Internet use.
Key point #1
The authors start by describing the importance of Internet integration in students’ daily lives and the different types of Internet activities. This information is provided by the authors to help readers understand the reasoning behind Internet usage.
Key point #2
The authors address the hypothesis of the possible connection between the amount of time and the type of Internet activities and students’ psychological states. This information helps understand the possible issue source and sets up the following research.
Key point #3
The most significant part of the article describes the research methods and their results. This part sums up the article’s point and supports it with factual evidence and statistics.
Summary
The summarized article is by Gordon et al., and it discusses the influence that Internet use may or may not have on the psychological wellbeing of college students. The article addresses how the time spent, and types of Internet activities affect students. The authors analyze Internet usage’s impact via the survey research method. The article’s task is to systemize Internet activity types, find their connection to the students’ psychological wellbeing, and provide survey-based evidence.
The first part of the article describes the different types of Internet activities while providing evidence from other sources. This information is required to understand the importance of the Internet in students’ daily lives, which subsequently creates an argument on whether it is harmless. The authors point out the absence of the imation on “why they [students] are choosing to use Internet” as there is no addressing it in previous studies on the theme (Gordon et al., 676). The absence of such Internet use’s critical factor as the actions stimulus makes it the authors’ goal is to uncover the absent motive. The main objective of these introductory paragraphs is to explain to readers the importance of the issue and provide a basis for the consequent analysis of the Internet activity data.
The next part of the article is dedicated to the contradicting research results and indicating the complexity of Internet use frequency’s effect on students’ wellbeing. It functions as the authors’ motivation for conducting alternative research. They discuss the absence of correlating results in different studies, which means that the evaluation process change is required. The authors hypothesize that: “frequency of use may not be the best indicator for the predicting psychological outcomes,” thus, creating an opportunity for considering other factors (Gordon et al., 677). This section serves as a point of transitioning to a more detailed description of the research.
The final and the most detailed part of the article is a description of the research method and consequent results analysis. This section serves as the core of the whole paper, answering the central question of the research. The authors describe the demographic of the students taking part in the survey, the factors that it will evaluate, and the analytical part of the study. The description of the complex formulas of the results’ evaluation transitions into the discussion of the research outcomes. The study’s end product proves the previous point of non-affecting frequency of use and disproves the harm of the Internet’s implementation in students’ daily lives. Although in instances of socially inactive people, Internet anonymity provides a welcoming relief, this may also lead to further distancing between students. To solve such issues, the authors suggest that “understanding what students do online to meet certain needs, such as copying, might lead… to better understand student’s mental health needs” (Gordon et al., 686). The last part of the study analyses the results and completes the previous parts’ intention of finding out about the harm of Internet use.
The article discusses different areas of internet usage, with both harmful and beneficial influences. The availability of constant interactions provides students with desired closure, while the lack of face-to-face communication encouragement may distance socially inactive people. This article adds a new point to the argument of the Internet’s harm towards people, discussing its implementation benefits. The realization of the Internet’s nature with such detailed research may help in the future balance out the involvement of online activity.
Reference
Godon, C. F., Juang, L., & Syed, M. (2007). Internet use and well-being among college students: Beyond frequency of use. Journal of College Student Development, 48(6), 674-688. Web.