Problematic Internet Use : Media Portrayal across Eight Countries

• The informational age is marked by the Internet and the media as key factors, with complex mutual interactions. However, they are recognized to increasingly produce negative consequences, such as Problematic Internet Use (PIU) and its inadequate media portrayal. This study represents a comprehensive approach on the media portrayal of PIU via content analysis of national daily newspapers in eight countries from the Eurasian continent. The cross-sectional research included predefined intervals in 2014 and 2018. The search retrieved 212 articles with balanced distribution for designated periods, and predominant publishing in the largest countries. The results revealed that the articles with neutral narratives and national scopes are the most frequent, while the coverage on youth risks (like cyberbullying and excessive social media use) is predominant. This study is a pioneer attempt to give multinational and multi-layered portrayal on the stories that grab the media attention, dictate public interest and guide health policies.

Ämnesord

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Medie- och kommunikationsvetenskap -- Systemvetenskap, informationssystem och informatik med samhällsvetenskaplig inriktning (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Media and Communications -- Information Systems, Social aspects (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Problematic Internet Use

media portrayal

content analysis

daily newspapers

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

art (ämneskategori)