THE IMPACT OF INTERNET ADDICTION ON UNIVERSITY STUDENTS AND ITS EFFECT ON SUBSEQUENT ACADEMIC SUCCESS: A SURVEY BASED STUDY

The technological advent of the Internet has invaded every aspect of student life on all college and university campuses throughout the nation and throughout the world. While the use of the Internet in the academic arena has empowered students to sharpen and refine their skills and communication capabilities in their pursuit of successful strategies of success, it has also opened a Pandora’s Door of danger and addiction. Simply stated, it is construed as an Internet Addiction (IA) characterized by an excessive use of student time and resources on online activities. This study uses a survey method of capturing data from a wide variety of college students to determine the various guises of Internet addiction, and the potential consequences of unfettered access. We then focus on the potential consequences arising from the various stages of addiction, and culminate in determining the effect, if any, that this recurrent addiction has on the academic success of the individual student, with the GPA (Grade Point Average) as the final measure of success or failure.