Abstract:

Problematic internet use is linked to high levels of emotional loneliness and friendship relationships. In addition to cognitive disorders such as low self-esteem, loneliness, which leads to emotional and social isolation, is considered to be an important reason behind internet addiction, especially for young people who are in a critical period in terms of self-identity formation and meaning-making. Research has shown that internet addicted individuals experience alienation in their social relationships and feel high levels of emotional loneliness. Research has shown that poor family relationships can lead to feelings of loneliness, which can increase the likelihood of seeking emotional support online and eventually lead to internet addiction. Individuals with high levels of social and emotional loneliness are more likely to interact with strangers online. Therefore, loneliness has a strong relationship with internet addiction.

Rapid developments in technology have made internet addiction an important behavioral, psychological and social health problem in recent years. Social media, online games, chatting, tracking, banking, entertainment and other transactions over the internet are among the factors that strengthen internet addiction. The Internet has become a rapidly increasing tool of use not only among young people but also among adults and children. Excessive use of the internet is known to cause many health problems as well as being beneficial at times. Although it is an indispensable part of daily life for students, the internet is seen as a serious problem that can result in academic failure and negatively affects academic career and mental health.

Emotional loneliness is experienced by individuals as a pervasive sense of anxiety that includes poor concentration, persistent alertness to threat or tension, and an inability to organize their perceptual and emotional energies to remedy loneliness. Social loneliness is a state of mind associated with broken connections with one's supportive social network. It is a form of loneliness characterized by a lack of interaction with one's external environment and many factors can be associated with social loneliness, including residential instability, infrequent contact with friends, children and siblings, lack of participation in social groups and declining health.

The aim of this study is to measure the impact of internet addiction on social and emotional loneliness for university students. As a result of the correlation analysis, as internet addiction increases, social and emotional loneliness increases by 71.3%. As a result of regression analysis, internet addiction was positively and significantly related to social emotional loneliness behavior. Internet addiction has the power to explain social emotional loneliness behavior with R2 = 73.8%. As the perception of IA (Internet Addiction) increases by 1 unit, the SEL (Social and Emotional Loneliness) dimension increases by 0.736 unit. The preparation of training programs to improve the communication skills of young people and the implementation of social skills trainings that can be effective in reducing loneliness can be effective in the prevention and treatment of internet addiction. It is recommended that necessary legal regulations be made to reduce the harm that internet use can cause to students and that local governments include programs to combat loneliness in psychological counseling services

Keywords:

Internet Addiction, Social Emotional Loneliness, University Students, Regression Analysis.