Internet addiction: A structured literature review and future research directions

Internet Addiction (IA) has been a significant topical area for research since 1996. Considerable research has been done on IA across many nations around the world. Hence, there currently exists a rich body of literature addressing various aspects of IA. The study described in this report seeks to analyze the key findings expressed in the existing IA literature. In doing so, this study addresses four specific concerns relating to: a) reviewing various definitions of IA, b) growth of IA research over time in different parts of the world, c) the major themes identified in the literature, and d) future opportunities for research into IA. These concerns were addressed using a rigorous literature analysis involving 64 studies on IA selected from various scholarly sources. The outcomes of literature analysis are discussed in detail and some useful observations and insightful reflections are made. The findings reported in this study are useful because it offers a number of important recommendations for future research in this area.