Time Perspectives and Online Behavior of Digital Natives at the Tertiary Education Level
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Publication date: 2019-06-19
Polish Sociological Review 2019;206(2):217-236
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ABSTRACT
The time perspective has been the subject of various studies aimed at understanding human behavior.Our goal was to extend the growing literature in this field by studying the role of time perspectives in shaping online behavior among digital natives. 569 digital natives at the tertiary education level completed self-report forms assessing two major processes: time perspectives and online behavior. Adverse time-perspective biases were found to be related to rude, harsh, and distrustful online behavior. Present-oriented people displayed a high amount of online activity, while future-oriented ones showed a more functional approach to Internet use. Pastpositive and past-negative orientations occurred concomitantly with different levels of affability online. We discuss the findings and their limitations, along with suggestions for future research in this field. As it is possible to modify time perspectives, this study may contribute to the development of methods aimed at preventing undesirable online behavior and improving individuals’ well-being.