Bruger:Jensga/sandkasse2: Forskelle mellem versioner

Studies have tended to find a moderate correlation between extensive internet use and loneliness, especially ones that draw on data from the 1990s, before internet use became widespread. Contradictory results have been found by studies investigating whether the association is simply a result of lonely people being more attracted to the internet, or if the internet can actually cause loneliness. The ''displacement hypothesis'' holds that some people chose to withdraw from real world social interactions so they can have more time for the internet. Excessive internet use can directly cause anxiety and depression, conditions which can contribute to loneliness - yet these factors may be offset by the internet's ability to facilitate interaction, and to empower people.

Some studies found that internet use is a cause of loneliness, at least for some types of people.<ref>{{cite book |first=Carole |last=Hughes |year=1999 |title=The relationship of use of the Internet and loneliness among college students |type=PhD Thesis |publisher=Boston College |oclc=313894784}}{{page needed|date=July 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1089/cpb.2007.0010 |title=Internet Use and Loneliness in Older Adults |year=2008 |last1=Sum |first1=Shima |last2=Mathews |first2=R. Mark |last3=Hughes |first3=Ian |last4=Campbell |first4=Andrew |journal=CyberPsychology & Behavior |volume=11 |issue=2 |pages=208–11 |pmid=18422415|s2cid=206156298 |url=https://semanticscholar.org/paper/480c2c1788e7c6dd11eb218e5d3338038aec2557 }}</ref> Others have found internet use can have a significant positive effect on reducing loneliness.<ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1089/109493102753770552 |title=In Defense of the Internet: The Relationship between Internet Communication and Depression, Loneliness, Self-Esteem, and Perceived Social Support |year=2002 |last1=Shaw |first1=Lindsay H. |last2=Gant |first2=Larry M. |journal=CyberPsychology & Behavior |volume=5 |issue=2 |pages=157–71 |pmid=12025883|citeseerx=10.1.1.563.2946 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1989244,00.html | work=Time | title=Is the Internet the Secret to Happiness? | date=14 May 2010 | access-date=25 March 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425044134/http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1989244,00.html | archive-date=25 April 2012 | url-status=dead }}</ref>

The authors of meta studies and reviews from about 2015 and later have tended to argue that there is a bidirectional causal relationship between loneliness and internet use. Excessive use, especially if passive, can increase loneliness. While moderate use, especially by users who engage with others rather than just passively consume content, can increase [[social connection]] and reduce loneliness.<ref>{{cite journal

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