This chapter underlines the relationship between the theoretical fundaments of systemic family therapy and digital addiction. This chapter works as a literature review with internet addiction, digital addiction, online addiction, and technology addiction. In this view, a literature assessment points out that systemic family therapy could be used as an intervention strategy in the treatment of digital addiction along with other therapies like psycho-social and cognitive-behavioral therapies. Therefore, a systemic approach to the treatment of digital addiction can strengthen the usual dynamics through an active systemic approach to digital addiction as a solution to digital addiction. An empirical investigation about the preventive and therapeutic efficacy of systemic approach is not the aim of this chapter.
TopIntroduction
In the recent decade, plenty of studies have focused on Internet use and Internet addiction (Bacigalupe & Lambe, 2011; Ceyhan, Ceyhan, 2007; Bozoglan, Demirer & Sahin, 2013; Demirer, Bozoglan & Sahin, 2013; Bozoglan, Demirer and Sahin, 2014; Bozoglan & Demirer, 2015; Correa, Hinsley, & Zúñiga, 2010; Gamito et al, 2016; Kuss, 2016; Lin et al., 2018; Perrin & Duggan, 2015; Sanders et al., 2000; Stafford & Hillyer, 2012, Stern & Messer, 2009; Zhong, 2013). This is probably due to fact that the Internet offers information about diversity of issues all over world as well as it is easily accessed. Quarrels regarding the association between excessive use and Internet addiction have been going on for about twenty years. There is not still a clear agreed definition of Internet addiction and the best approach to treat it (Demirer & Bozoglan, 2015).
Information and communication technologies covering hardware such as computers, smartphones, game consoles and software such as email, videoconferencing, online social networks sustaining the digital culture (Stafford & Hillyer, 2012), have increasingly become part of our daily lives (Bacigalupe & Lambe, 2011; Correa, Hinsley, & Zúñiga, 2010; Stern & Messer, 2009; Stafford & Hillyer, 2012; Zhong, 2013). The internet as a part of ICT has been almost saturated amid various demographic groups (Perrin & Duggan, 2015). Although, the research has revealed most of the young internet users indicated that internet has been fruitful for them to use (Pew Research Center, 2014), most of the adult internet users say say it would be quite difficult to give up the internet.
The research show that internet use has increased tremendously for two decades, suggesting that these the behavioral patterns concerning the internet use indicate dependency on the Internet, which is often called Internet addiction (Gamito et al, 2016). The subsequent search terms or its derivatives were utilized regarding Internet addiction, specifically: “Internet” or “online” and “excessive”, “problematic”, “compulsive”, and “addictive” (Kuss, 2016). From the point of Lin and Tsai (2002), Internet-addicted people are inclined to spend excessive time on the Internet and they get rather excited while they are using the Internet. And they feel stresses or depresses when they are not online. They also argue that these addicted people use the Internet impulsively and demonstrate withdrawal symptoms, and so this situation affects negatively their lives in life areas like school, health, and family relationships (Bozoglan & Demirer, 2015. From the point of researchers, Internet users might develop features like depression, bipolar disorder, sexual compulsion, or loneliness (Morahan-Martin, 2005).