IAHRW International Journal of Social Sciences Review

Punam Midha ¹, Ankita Budhiraja ¹, Dhyuti Sachdev ²

Affiliations
1 Department of Psychology, Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak, Haryana, IN
2 Department of Applied Psychology, S.P.M. College, Delhi University, Delhi, IN

Abstract

Modern era is an era of advance technology. Human agency is key, because the technological effects depend upon how people decide to use it. In the contemporary digital world, the millennial can never think of the world without the internet, consequently youngsters invest more efforts to be in touch with their closer ties and thus reap maximum benefits while interacting with others. They feel happy and empowered while living in a virtual world. With these notions in mind the present researcher decided to conduct a study to highlight the level of happiness and internet usage among adolescents and to explore the relationship between these two variables while controlling other confounding variables (such as socio-economic factors) leading to happiness. A purposive sample of 60 adolescents, 13-18 years old both male and female was drawn from schools of Rohtak city, Haryana (India). Their happiness level was measured by Argyle et al. questionnaire of Oxford Happiness and internet usage was assessed by Young's Internet Addiction test. The levels of happiness and internet usage were analyzed by computing descriptive statistics and their correlation was found by using Pearson r. The findings and their implications have been discussed in the paper.

Keywords

Internet Usage, Happiness, Teenagers.

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Ankita Budhiraja ¹, Punam Midha ¹, Dhyuti Sachdev ²

Affiliations
1 Department of Psychology, Maharshi Dayanand University, Rohtak, Haryana, IN
2 Department of Applied Psychology, S.P.M. College, Delhi University, Delhi, IN

Abstract

Humans are at core social beings whose survival depends on interactions with others. The powerful communication depends on one's body language, tone and mirror neurons, which are no doubt conspicuously missing during digital interaction. Such electronic interactions don't carry the same emotional weight as a face to face tangible interaction. The most adverse effect of digital revolution can be seen on teenager's "Empathy Map", whose level of empathy is dropping at fast pace since last two decades. They are being converted from human teens to cyber teens. With this changing scenario, the present study is an attempt to explore the levels of empathy, sympathy and internet usage among teenagers and further to find out the relation of empathy and sympathy with internet usage. A purposive sample of 60 teenagers both male and female aged 13-18 years old from various school of Rohtak city, Haryana (India) was drawn. Their empathy and sympathy were measured by using Vossen et al. test of Adolescent Measure of Empathy and Sympathy and internet usage was assessed by Young's Internet Addiction test. Descriptive and correlational statistics were computed to find out the levels of empathy sympathy and internet usage and the correlation of empathy- sympathy with internet usage respectively. The results have been discussed in detail in the research paper.

Keywords

Empathy, Sympathy, Digital Natives, Network Society, Internet Usage.

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