Internet Usage Pattern and Types of Internet Users among Malaysian University Students

摘要

University students are the important asset of a nation as they will contribute to the prosperity and growth of a nation. They are considered as digital natives as they are the natural users of the internet and mobile devices. However, they can be easily influenced by the heavily usage of the internet devices in this digitalised environment. Hence, there is a need to investigate the ways in which internet are used among students since its misuse may lead to the disruption of nation building. Thus, this study aimed to explore the types of users and patterns of internet usage among the university students in Malaysia. This study conducted a survey involving 214 respondents among students using a self-report questionnaire. Data were analysed using simple statistic methods. The study revealed that the majority of the students were excessive internet users. They spend between 1-6 h. With respect to the patterns of using internet three aspects have been investigated which are the location, time and purpose of using the internet. Further, the online platforms for entertainment and socializing were also investigated. It is found that university students tend to spend between 1-6 h daily accessing the internet. The most common location accessing the internet is at home. Further, although their main purpose of accessing the internet is for education, entertainment and online gaming seem to be prevalent. The popular online platform for the purpose of education is YouTube while the popular platform for socializing is Facebook. It is concluded that their internet usage patterns can contribute to internet addiction. These findings provide valuable insights for policy makers to take appropriate measures to curb internet addition among younger generations.