The Everyday Representation of Social Networks of Users with Problems Related to Excessive Internet Use

An increasing number of people are engaging with these platforms. The evolving functionality of social media is accompanied by changes in user behavior. These platforms can meet almost all needs. However, sometimes the use of social media leads to addictive behaviors. Research shows us the growth of Internet addiction among users. It is reasonable to believe that the meaning and significance of the social media space may shift in this case. The aim of this study is to explore users' representation of social networks and to compare this representation between two groups: users with addictive components and non-addictive users. The respondents of our study were 136 university students: 96 women and 36 men. An Internet addiction test (K. Young, adapted by V. A. Loskutova) was used to assess the severity of addiction. Users' representation was examined through the method of free associations, with individual social networks identified by the respondents themselves or selected from a provided list. The data were analyzed using frequency analysis and the Fisher z-test. As a result of the study, the respondents were divided into two groups: non-addicted users and users with problems with excessive Internet use. The everyday representation of social networks in both groups are associated with communication, friends, interest, convenience . These categories are the most semantically filled in both groups. In general, social networks are a convenient way to communicate with friends and work and study activities, as well as a place to interact with content: reading news, listening to music, scrolling feeds, watching videos and memes. The use of these platforms is connected with positive emotions ( interest and laughter ). The difference between the respondents of the two groups is that the “laughter” group is more frequent among regular users. There were no significant semantic differences between the two groups, suggesting that the components of addiction may not be related to the social media environment itself, but rather to individual activities.