ABSTRACT
Christoph Klimmt, Hanover University of Music, Drama and Media, and Matthias Brand, University of Duisburg-Essen
With the diffusion of online media and services, Internet addiction has emerged as a relevant threat to psychological health. The present chapter builds on current developments in theory and research on Internet addiction to discuss the implications of the new permanence in online communication (POPC) for the development, but also for the prevention and treatment of, pathological Internet use. The trend towards POPC may increase the risks of forming an Internet addiction through various mechanisms, including stronger affordances of online services, habitualization, and social acceptance of heavy online use. But mobile online devices may also assist users in controlling their Internet behavior.
