Sponsored vs. Independent Studies

I recently came across a US study on internet addiction among college students that took place at the University of Maryland. I didn’t find the results (that college students are showing signs of addiction to technology) particularly surprising – even though the study’s authors were only looking at college students, the findings are broadly in line with ours, which looked at a broader population. When looking at studies about internet and media use, it’s always very important to note the source – whether the study has been independently run by an academic organisation or whether the study has been sponsored by a technology company.

Academic studies will be objective; studies funded by technology companies, whether the science is valid or not, often seem to have results that differ from other research, and most come up with very positive results while underplaying negative results. Sponsored studies are actually quite common, so when talking about the benefits and drawbacks of technology, it’s really important to know the provenance of studies in question.