Implicit and explicit self-esteem in the context of internet addiction

People are using the internet in an ever growing number of ways in order to connect with other people.  Whether it is with social networking, e-mail, online multi-player games, or even searching the internet for information, the goal is to connect people.  With all of this connecting going on, the question arises, is there an inherent risk for addiction to the internet?  Researchers have found a way to predict the likelihood of a person to become an internet addict based on their levels of implicit and explicit self-esteem.  The study shows that individuals with low levels of explicit, and high levels on implicit self-esteem had a greater chance of becoming addicted to the internet.  This addiction can cause many problems socially and economically. 


Stieger, S., Burger, C. (2010).  Implicit and explicit self-esteem in the context of internet addiction. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking. 13(6), 681-688. doi: 10.1089/cyber.2009.0426. Retrieved from: http://liebertonline.com/doi/pdfplus/10.1089/cyber.2009.0426.