An Examination of Functional Difficulties From Internet Use: Media Habit and Displacement Theory Explanations

Seminal studies concerning the Internet brought legitimacy to public concerns about its dissocializing effects. Although the negative social and professional outcomes of the Internet are still attributed to the time users spend online, scholars have more recently turned their attention to media habits in explaining these effects. This investigation tests the displacement and media habit perspectives on the consequences of Internet use. Study 1 uses cross‐sectional data to test the displacement and Internet habit positions. The data support media habit theory explanations but find little support for displacement theory. Study 2 replicates the results of Study 1 with longitudinal data from incoming college freshmen. Study 3 holds time constant and examines the causal direction between functional difficulties and habit strength