The Internet - a risk-taking space for university students
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15503/jecs2021.1.413.425Keywords:
Problem behavior theory, Sensation seeking theory, Cyberbullying, University studentsAbstract
Aim. The purpose of this article is to analyse risky behaviours undertaken by university students on the Internet.
Theory. The concepts of “risk” and “risky behaviour” are known and often discussed in science. Krzysztof Ostaszewski (2005) defines risky behaviours as actions that contradict social norms and legal order, which at the same time pose a threat to a person's health and development. The catalogue of risky behaviours is very diverse and—more importantly—open. With the development of civilisation, new forms appear. Examples include risky behaviours on the Internet.
Methodology and research results. The study population sample consisted of 241 university students. The research was conducted using an online survey questionnaire. The respondents admitted to taking risks in the virtual world. A large percentage of respondents admit to sharing private information on social networks (almost 70%). Nearly 75% of respondents ignore communications about potential threats to websites, putting themselves at risk of losing sensitive data. Moreover, 65.1% of students admit to downloading content from illegal sources. Other risky behaviours undertaken by students on the Internet include Internet addiction and online activities, aggression on the Internet, sexual and/or erotic behaviour in cyberspace. The paper also presents the answers to open-ended questions, which refer to threats on the Internet as perceived by the students. The answers given most often referred to: addiction to new technologies, loss/theft of private data, vulnerability to false/unverified information available on the Internet.
Cognitive value. Online risk-taking is a global problem. The phenomenon should be further theoretically considered and analysed in a pedagogical practice.
Downloads
References
Adamski, A. (2003). Karnoprawna ochrona dziecka w sieci Internet [Criminal law protection of children on the Internet], Prokuratura i Prawo, 9, 59–75.
Batorski, D., & Olcoń-Kubicka, M. (2006). Prowadzenie badań przez Internet – Podstawowe zagadnienia metodologiczne [Conducting Research Online – Principal Methodological Issues, Studia Socjologiczne, 3(182), 100-130.
Brewer, B., Cave, E., Massey, A., Vurdelja, A., & Freeman, J. (2012). Cyber Bullying Among Female College Students: An Exploratory Study, Californian Journal of Health Promotion, 12(1), 40-51.
Cambridge Dictionary. (n.d.). Risk. Retrieved 3 April, 2021, from: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/pl/dictionary/english/risk
Dembińska, A., & Ochnik, D. (2014). Use of Internet and its addictive risk among Polish students – comparative analysis over a seven-year period, Polish Journal of Applied Psychology, 12(4), 53–68.
Döring, N., Daneback, K., Shaughnessy, K., Grov, C., & Byers, E. S. (2015). Online Sexual Activity Experiences among College Students: A Four-Country Comparison, Archives of Sexual Behavior 46(6), 1641–1652. DOI:10.1007/s10508-015-0656-4.
Eaton, E. K., Kann, L., Kinchen, S., Ross, J., Hawkins, J., Harris, W. A., Lowry, R., McManus, T., Chyen, D., Shanklin, S., Lim, C., Grunbaum, J. A., & Wechsler, H. (2006). Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance – United States, 2005, Surveillance Summaries, June 9/ 55(SS05), 1-108. Retrieved 8 April, 2021, from:
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/ss5505a1.htm
Gałkowski, J. P. (2003). Internet dzieli klasy i osoby [The Internet divides classes and people], Edukacja i Dialog, 6, 12-17.
Garwol, K. (2016). Studenci w sieci – sposoby, rodzaje i motywacje przebywania w cyfrowym świecie na przykładzie studentów Uniwersytetu Rzeszowskiego, Studia Informatica Pomerania, 2(40), 27-37.
Griffiths, M. (1996). Internet addiction: An issue for clinical psychology? Clinical Psychology Forum, 97, 32-36.
Griffiths, M. (2000). Does Inernet and computer “addiction” exist? Some case evidence, Cyberpsychology and Behavior, 3, 211-218.
Irwin, C. E., Jr. (1990). The theoretical concept of at-risk adolescents, Adolescent Medicine: State of the Art Reviews, 1, 1–14.
Jessor, R. (1991). Risk behavior in adolescence: A psychosocial framework for understanding and action, Journal of Adolescent Health, 12, 597–605.
Jessor, R., & Jessor, S. (1997). Problem behavior and psychological development: a longitudinal study of youth. Nowy Jork: Academic Press
Jessor, R. (1998). New perspectives on adolescent risk behavior. Cambrige Uiversity: New York Press.
Jędrzejko, M., Prüfer, P., & Kania, S. (2017). Wprowadzenie. Zachowania ryzykowne – kluczowe tendencje i ich następstwa. In: A. Dobrychłop, M. Jędrzejko, S. Kania, K. Kasprzak, J. Matejek, P. Prüfer, D. Szarzała, R. B. Sieroń, A. Szwedzik, & A. Taper (Eds.), Zachowania ryzykowne nastolatków. Nowa jakość ryzyka - Ryzyka wielowymiarowe. Ujęcie socjopedagogiczne [Teenagers' risky behaviors. The new quality of risk – Multidimensional risks. A socio-pedagogical approach] (pp. 57-81). Warszawa-Milanówek: ASPRA-JR.
Johnson, L. D., Haralson, A., Batts, S., Brown, E., Collins, C., Van Buren-Travis, A., & Spencer, M. (2016). Cyberbullying on Social Media Among College Students. Article 3, Ideas and Research You Can Use: VISTAS, 1-8.
Juvonen, J., & Gross, E. F. (2008). Extending the school grounds? – Bullying experience in cyberspace, Journal of School Health, 78, 496-505. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1746-1561.2008.00335.x
Kacelnik, A., & Bateson, M. (1996). Risky Theories – The Effects of Variance on Foraiging Decisions, American Zoologist, 36, 402-434.
Kaczmarek, T. T. (2005). Ryzyko i zarządzanie ryzykiem. Ujęcie interdyscyplinarne [Risks and Risk Management. Interdisciplinary Approach]. Warszawa: Diffin.
Kazdin A. (1996). Zdrowie psychiczne młodzieży w okresie dorastania. Programy profilaktyczne i lecznicze [The mental health of youth in adolescence. Prevention and treatment programs], Nowiny Psychologiczne, 2, 39–74
Klonowska, I. (2016). Psychopedagogiczne i kryminologiczne aspekty zachowań ryzykownych młodzieży [Psychopedagogical and criminological aspects of risky behavior of adolescents], Resocjalizacja polska, 11, 84–85
Krebs, J. R., & Davies, N. B. (2001). Wprowadzenie do ekologii behawioralnej [An introduction to behavioural ecology]. Warszawa: PWN.
Kwiatkowska, G. E. (2012). Jednostka w społeczeństwa ryzyka. In: G. E. Kwiatkowska, & I. Siudem (Eds.), Zachowania ryzykowne. Analiza współczesnych zjawisk społecznych [Risky behaviours. Analysis of contemporary social phenomenon] (pp. 9-32). Lublin: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Marii Curie-Skłodowskiej.
McBride, J., & Derevensky, J. (2012). Internet gambling and risk-taking among students: An exploratory study, Journal of Behavioral Addictions 1(2), 50–58. DOI: 10.1556/JBA.1.2012.2.2
Morbitzer, J. (2011-2012). O istocie medialności młodego pokolenia [About the nature of the young generation mediality], Neodidagmata, 33/34, 131-153.
Livingstone, S., & Helsper, E. J. (2007). Taking risks when communicating on the internet: The role of offline social-psychological factors in young people’s vulnerability to online risks, Information, Communication and Society, 10(5), 619–643. DOI: 10.1080/13691180701657998.
Livingstone, S., & Helsper, E. J. (2010). Balancing opportunities and risks in teenagers’ use of the internet: The role of online skills and internet self-efficacy, New Media & Society, 12(2), 309–329. DOI: 10.1177/1461444809342697.
Olawade, D. B, Olorunfemi, O. J., Wada, O. Z., Afolalu, T. D., & Enahoro, M. A. (2020). Internet Addiction among University Students during Covid-19 Lockdown: Case Study of Institutions in Nigeria, Journal of Education and Human Development, 9(4), 165-173. DOI: 10.15640/jehd.v9n4a17
Ostaszewski, K. (2005). Podstawy teoretyczne profilaktyki zachowań problemowych. In: M. Deptuła (Ed.), Diagnostyka, profilaktyka, socjoterapia w teorii i praktyce pedagogicznej [Diagnostics, prevention, sociotherapy in pedagogical theory and practice] (pp. 111-137). Bydgoszcz: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Kazimierza Wielkiego.
Prenksy, M. (2001). Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants (From On the Horizon, Vol. 9 No. 5, MCB University Press, October 2001). Retrieved 29 March, 2020, from https://www.marcprensky.com/writing/Prensky%20-%20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20Immigrants%20-%20Part1.pdf
Pyżalski, J. (2012). Agresja elektroniczna i cyberbullying jako nowe ryzykowne zachowania młodzieży [Electronic aggression and cyberbullying as new risky behaviors of teenagers]. Kraków: Impuls.
Pyżalski, J. (2013). Rodzina i szkoła a przeciwdziałanie zaangażowaniu młodych ludzi w ryzykowne zachowania online [Family and school and preventing young people from engaging in risky online behaviors], Dziecko Krzywdzone. Teoria, badania, praktyka, 12(1), 99–109.
Rode, C., Cosmides, L., Hell, W., & Tooby, J. (1999). When and why do people avoid unknown probabilities in decisions under uncertainty? Testing some predictions from optimal foraging theory, Cognition, 72, 269-304.
Shafir, S. (2000). Risk-sensitive foraging: the effect of relative variability, Oikos, 88, 663-669.
Sienkiewicz, P., & Świeboda, H. (2006). Niebezpieczna przestrzeń cybernetyczna [A dangerous cyberspace], Transformacje, 1-4, 47-50.
Skibińska, M. (2015). Czy pokolenia cyfrowe potrzebują edukacji informacyjnej? In: D. Siemieniecka (Ed.), Edukacja a nowe technologie w kulturze, informacji i edukacji [Education and new technologies in culture, information and communication] (pp. 49-67). Toruń: Wydawnictwo Naukowe Uniwersytetu Mikołaja Kopernika.
Slonje, R., & Smith, P. K. (2008). Cyberbulling: another main type of bullying? Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 49, 147-154. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9450.2007.00611.x
Szewczyk, A. (2008). Problemy moralne w świecie informacji [Moral problems in the information world]. Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Diffin.
Szymańska, J. (2012). Programy profilaktyczne. Podstawy profesjonalnej psychoprofilaktyki [Prevention programs. Fundamentals of professional psycho-prevention]. Warszawa: Ośrodek Rozwoju Edukacji. Retrieved 12 January, 2021 from http://www.bc.ore.edu.pl/Content/225/programy_profilaktyczne_2012.pdf
Tapscott, D. (2010). Cyfrowa dorosłość. Jak pokolenie sieci zmienia nasz świat [Grown Up Digital: How the Net Generation is Changing Your World]. Warszawa: Wydawnictwa Akademickie i Profesjonalne.
Tkáčová, H., Pavlíková, M., Tvrdoň, M., & Jenisová, Z. (2021). The Use of Media in the Field of Individual Responsibility for Sustainable Development in Schools, Sustainability, vol. 13(8), 1-21.
Warzecha, K. (2014). Internet w życiu współczesnego studenta: cele i intensywność korzystania a zagrożenie uzależnieniem [Internet in the life of the modern student, objectives and intensity using the risk of Internet addiction], Ekonomiczne Problemy Usług, 113, 387-397.
Warzecha, K. (2015). Aktywność wykonywana w sieci przez śląskich studentów niezagrożonych i zagrożonych uzależnieniem od Internetu – Analiza statystyczna [Activity exhibited on the Internet by the silesian students unthreatened Internet addiction and threatened Internet addiction – statistical analysis], Studia Ekonomiczne. Zeszyty Naukowe Uniwersytetu Ekonomicznego w Katowicach, 220, 99-116.
Wojtkowiak, M., & Szumilas-Praszek, W. (2013). Internet jako współczesne medium zagrożenia czy edukacji? Rola internetu w ponowoczesnym społeczeństwie [The Internet as a contemporary medium of threat or education? The role of the Internet in post-modern society], Społeczeństwo i Rodzina, 4(37), 133-142.
Xiao, B., & Wong, Y. M. (2013). Cyber-bullying among University Students: An Empirical Investigation from Social Cognitive Perspective. Retreved 18 April, 2021 from https://www.researchgate.net/publication/263138446_Cyber-bullying_among_University_Students_An_Empirical_Investigation_from_Social_Cognitive_Perspective
Ybarra, M. L., Mitchell, K. J., Finkelhor, D., & Wolak, J. (2007). Internet Prevention Messages: Targeting the Right Online Behaviors, Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 161(2), 138–145. DOI: 10.1001/archpedi.161.2.138D
Zaleśkiewicz, T. (2006). Ryzyko jako konieczność i ryzyko jako przyjemność. Teoria i jej empiryczna weryfikacja. In: M. Goszczyńska, & R. Studenski (Eds.), Psychologia zachowań ryzykownych. Koncepcje, badania, praktyka [The psychology of risk behavior. Concepts, research, practice] (pp. 19-45). Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Akademickie „Żak”.
Zenebe, Y., Kunno, K., Mekonnen, M., Bewuket, A., Birkie, M., Necho, M., Seid, M., Tsegaw, M., & Akele, B. (2021). Prevalence and associated factors of internet addiction among undergraduate university students in Ethiopia: a community university-based cross-sectional study, BMC Psychology 9(4). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-020-00508-z
Zucherman, M. (1994). Behavioral Expressions and Biosocial Bases of Sensation Seeking. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2021 Kamila Wylęgły
![Creative Commons License](http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by/4.0/88x31.png)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
CC-BY
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal. All authors agree for publishing their email adresses, affiliations and short bio statements with their articles during the submission process.