China’s Online Users More Prone to Addiction; No!

By Michael Santo
Executive Editor, RealTechNews

In a study that produced a result that some would say “Duh!” to, China’s Internet users are much more dependent on the Web than U.S. users. However, it’s about more than just gaming.

A survey of more than 2,100 Internet users aged 16 to 25 years old in both countries showed that about 42 percent of users in China said they at times felt “addicted” to their Web use compared with 18 percent of U.S. users.

Nearly 25 percent of Chinese users said they would not be able to spend more than a day without the Internet compared with 12 percent of U.S. participants.

Less than a third of Americans said the Internet contributes to their social life, but 77 percent of Chinese users said the Web helped them make friends. Source: Reuters

We Say: Chinese users said they were free to do and say things online that they would not do in the real world. Based on the censorship issues, that’s surprising. On the other hand, based on their society, and most likely a comparative between real world and online experiences, it still might feel that way.