Internet addiction: Shall there be a new definition?

Internet use in our age is one of the most essential communication channels for individuals as well as for societies. Internet and the network technology in general have had a revolutionary effect on a range of social, economic, educational, and political institutions, which have been gradually established in 19th century and further renovated in 20th century. The relevant literature suggests that there is not a universal agreement as regards the definition of Internet addiction and its diagnostic criteria as introduced by the early 90s. There is an on-going debate as to whether Internet addiction is a separate mental disorder, or even, is it possible to consider it a genuine disorder. Major setback in the studies towards finding a definition and diagnostic criteria for Internet addiction is that there is a lack of theoretical background. The assessment tools are far from understanding today's generations and their "normal". Such approaches that associate time spent online and depression, that consider Internet a "virtual" world detracting individuals from the "real" social life, that suggest uncontrolled use of Internet may have a destructive impact on the professional life, academic success, private life, and physical and mental health of individuals, that compare uncontrolled use of Internet to pathological gambling, and that borrow internet addiction diagnostic criteria from that of pathologic gambling as defined in DSM-IV, had shown almost no reflection upon the new generations. The present thesis work demonstrated that Internet addiction literature should be reviewed through a different perspective.