Personality, Internet Addiction, and Other Technological Addictions: An Update of the Research Literature

There has been a significant shift from the view that addictions are disorders involving compulsive drug usage to a view that non-substance related behaviors may now be considered addictions. There is evidence to suggest that people are showing signs of addiction to non-substance-related behaviors. Research into technological addictions, such as internet addiction, smartphone addiction and social networking addiction has exponentially increased over the last decade. Understanding how technological addictions relate to personality and key individual differences is important. This chapter provides renewed empirical and conceptual insights into technological addictions and how they may be related to different personality types and key individual differences. The complex nature of personality and technological addictions is discussed together with areas for future research.