Purpose

This study empirically analyse the lived and individual experiences of internet use time among postgraduate students in a period where the line between the virtual and real is blurred. The infusion of the internet in higher education has not only facilitated the production of new knowledge but has also led to reports of internet addiction among many users during the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting lockdowns. This study aims to evaluate the level of internet addiction among postgraduate students and the supportive information services role that librarians could provide.

Design/methodology/approach

In this study, 279 postgraduate students completed a quantitative survey targeted at all the postgraduate students at a university campus in South Africa. Data was collected using an adopted internet addiction test questionnaire. The data was descriptively and inferentially analysed.

Findings

As many as 61 (22.7%) are always online, with most of the respondents, 112 (41.6%) spend 10 h or more on the internet daily. Laptop computers at 44.7% emerged as the primary electronic device used by postgraduate students for accessing the internet, surpassing the prevalence of mobile phone usage. On internet addiction level, internet use time had a statistically significant relation with problematic internet use levels in respondents. These results suggest that the increased uncontrolled internet use could negatively interfere with productive academic work of postgraduate students. However, based on the inferential statistical results, it can be concluded that academic use of the internet does not contribute to increased levels of internet addiction. The study recommends that librarians should provide literacy education and resources on how to use the internet safely and responsibly, including tips on setting boundaries, managing time online and productively using online information resources.

Originality/value

The study assesses problematic internet use among postgraduate students and provides suggestions on supportive information services that librarians could provide in an era where many library information services provision and higher education are hinged on the internet.

中文翻译：

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研究生的互联网使用和网络成瘾的流行：图书馆员在 COVID-19 后可以扮演什么角色？

目的

本研究实证分析了虚拟与现实界限模糊的时期研究生互联网使用时间的生活和个人经历。互联网在高等教育中的融入不仅促进了新知识的产生，而且还导致了许多用户在 COVID-19 大流行和由此导致的封锁期间出现网络成瘾的报道。本研究旨在评估研究生的网络成瘾程度以及图书馆员可以提供的支持性信息服务作用。

设计/方法论/途径

在这项研究中，279 名研究生完成了一项针对南非一所大学校园所有研究生的定量调查。使用采用的网络成瘾测试问卷收集数据。对数据进行描述性和推理性分析。

发现

始终在线的受访者有 61 人（22.7%），其中大部分受访者每天上网时间在 10 小时或以上，占受访者的 112 人（41.6%）。44.7%的笔记本电脑成为研究生上网的主要电子设备，超过了手机的使用率。在网络成瘾水平上，互联网使用时间与受访者有问题的互联网使用水平存在统计显着关系。这些结果表明，不受控制的互联网使用的增加可能会对研究生的富有成效的学术工作产生负面影响。然而，根据推论统计结果，可以得出结论，互联网的学术使用不会导致网络成瘾程度的增加。该研究建议图书馆员应提供有关如何安全、负责任地使用互联网的扫盲教育和资源，包括设定界限、管理上网时间和有效使用在线信息资源的技巧。

原创性/价值

该研究评估了研究生中存在问题的互联网使用情况，并就图书馆员在许多图书馆信息服务提供和高等教育都依赖于互联网的时代可以提供的支持性信息服务提出了建议。