THE IMPACT OF ONLINE SHOPPING ADDICTION

AMONG THE STUDENTS

PSYCHOLOGY AND EDUCATION: A MULTIDISCIPLINARY JOURNAL

2023
Volume: 10
Pages: 688-691
Document ID: 2023PEMJ891
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.8132486
Manuscript Accepted: 2023-9-7
Psych Educ, 2023, 10: 688-691, Document ID:2023 PEMJ891, doi:10.5281/zenodo.8132486, ISSN 2822-4353
Research Article

The Impact of Online Shopping Addiction Among the Students

Roland R. Lasin*, Sheina Farah D. Camado, Norjane G. Panglima, April Jeanine Autida,
Nati M. Bangon, Jodimer M. Mato
For affiliations and correspondence, see the last page.
Abstract
The study focused on assessing the impact of online shopping addiction among the students of Illana
Bay Integrated Computer College, Inc. Online shopping addiction is a rapidly growing
phenomenon. Excessive or uncontrollable buying over the internet can be defined as online
shopping addiction. This addictive situation directly affects consumers and causes several negative
impacts. It refers to the inability to take an individual’s online shopping urges under control and has
attracted a great deal of research interest over the last decade, given the prevalence of internet
technologies and the advent of data-driven marketing strategies in e-commerce. The current study
sought to examine the determining factors that can potentially result in online shopping addiction
among the students of Illana Bay Integrated Computer College, Inc. One of the various forms of
technology used to make life easier is online shopping. Reasons for which one might prefer online
shopping over real-life shopping include such factors as ease of search, lower prices, a variety of
goods, time saved, and ease of use, entertainment, promotions, and impulsive behaviors in the
shopper.

Keywords: online shopping addiction, online shopping, buying, technology addiction

Introduction generation of Idiots”. When the intensity of some habit

Online shopping is the process of purchasing goods
directly from a seller without any intermediary, or it
can be referred to as the activity of buying and selling
goods over the internet. Online shopping deals provide
the customer with a variety of products and services,
wherein customers can compare them with deals of
other intermediaries also and choose one of the best
deals for them (Sivanesan, 2017). An online shopping
addiction, also known as compulsive buying disorder,
is a behavioral addiction that involves impulsive and
compulsive buying of good and services online.
Online shopping addictions often serve as a temporary
way to induce pleasure and feel good, and as a way of
avoiding negative emotions and evading boredom.
Online shopping is not only about the purchasing in
and of itself, but is also about the excitement of
browsing prior to the purchase
Addictive behaviour is a term applied to excessive
behaviour that has negative consequences. The word
“addiction” is most often used by clinicians to refer to
a condition that involves intense preoccupation with
the behaviour and leads to physiological changes
particularly in the brain. It is characterized by a loss of
control and negative outcomes for the individual either
psychologically, physically or socially (Sussman et al.,
2010). Various Surveys proved –An Average teen
spends more than 8 hours per day surfing internet on
smart phone. This data justifies the famous proverb of
Albert Einstein-“I Fear the day that technology will
surpass our human interaction. The world will have a
grows beyond an extent it can be said as addiction of
things. Addiction implies being negative as it develops
lots of odd behaviour in individuals which may or may
not be realized by self. Irresistible shopping beyond a
control limit or recurring need to buy or habitual
excessive buying can create family issues or may
reduce stress. Such behaviour can be said as
compulsive buying behaviour and may lead to
Debit/Credit card abuse or post-purchase regret (Korur
& Kimzan, 2016).
On-line shopping nowadays is absolutely in demand
because of the convenience costumers could avail such
as easy payment, great deals at a low price, free
delivery and a lot more propaganda to attract online
shoppers. In on-line shopping, potential customers
become attracted to the information provided by the
sellers about their products which at times would
address the felt needs of these costumers. Customers
now would begin to look through the products, assess
them and later on select the alternative that will fit
their criteria and thus will prompt them to buy the
product to satisfy their felt need. This is also the
beginning of the transaction between the on-line
shopper and the on-line seller. Online shopping makes
the life of people easier and better. We chose online
shopping to conduct simply because we are also
interested to the buyer and seller relationship and
preferably the preferences of the consumers.
Landau (2011) stated that shopaholics or those who are
addicted to shopping were more likely to feel nearly as
same as the intake of alcohol. Online shopping make

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Psych Educ, 2023, 10: 688-691, Document ID:2023 PEMJ891, doi:10.5281/zenodo.8132486, ISSN 2822-4353
Research Article
you feels good for a moment but only in a temporary
state, then you are tend to do it again and again. The
rewards of shopping have been recognized to extend
beyond the actual act of purchase and may include
pleasure afforded by the shopping process, the
attention and praise of others as well as relief from
anxiety or stress (Davenport et al., 2012). One of the
most visible changes that technology is bringing to
people’s lives is the manner in which they are going
about their shopping. Consumers are buying globally
and increasingly online. Progressive enhancements in
internet technology, online payment security, and rapid
delivery systems have made internet shopping a
flourishing global industry. A US research study
estimates that internet shopping will account for 11
percent of all purchases in 2018 in that country. Online
sales have reached 15 percent of total sales in the UK
this year. The western developed countries, however,
are left far behind in terms of the volume of China’s
online shopping. In 2014, China’s online retail market
became the largest in the world, accounting for 34% of
the world’s internet retailing market share.
In the Philippines has encouraged new companies in
the fashion industry to enter their country for the past
few years. This has led to the market's continued
growth and has been observed in the wholesale and
retail sectors, leveraging the e-commerce market with
new brands in the country. According to data from the
Philippine Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), E-
commerce increased the nation's GDP by 3.4%, or
USD 12 billion, in 2020. In addition, the DTI wants to
see a growth in E-commerce businesses from 500,000
in 2020 to 750,000 by 2021 and 1 million by 2022.
The fast-growing middle class, high consumer
spending, and an emerging technical population all
contribute to the growth of E-commerce.With a vibrant
economy and a large population savvy in digital
technology, the Philippines is a fast-growing E-
commerce market in Southeast Asia. Some websites
and digital applications are competing for market share
with global, regional, and domestic players. Increasing
connectivity in the Philippines and rapidly overcoming
Filipino infrastructure problems has made more and
more of the large population access the Internet.
Connected Filipinos access the country's E-commerce
market primarily through mobile devices and
computers.In Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in
Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), the economic
performance of BARMM grew by 6.6 percent in 2022,
though slower than the previous year’s growth rate of
7.5 percent, but still increased, which indicates good
economic performance of the region," Tula said.
COTABATO CITY— The Bangsamoro region’s
economy grew at a 6.6 percent rate in 2022 and
Lasin et al.
reported the tenth-fastest economic growth among all
17 regions in the Philippines, the Philippine Statistics
Authority (PSA- BARMM) said during its
dissemination forum on Wednesday, April 27,
2023. Furthermore, in order to draw attention to this
issue, the researcher wants to discuss how online
shopping addiction affects students at Illana Bay
Integrated Computer College Incorporated. The
financial impacts, psychological impacts and physical
impacts among the students who are addicted to online
shopping will be discussed and be considered.
Research Questions
This study aims to identify the impact of online
shopping addiction by knowing their experiences,
coping strategies and effects. Specifically, this sought
to answer the following questions:
1. What are the experiences and perceptions of college
students regarding the impact of online shopping
addiction on their academic performance and personal
life?
2.How can educational institutions and mental health
professionals support and assist college students
struggling with online shopping addiction?
3. What coping strategies do college students use to
manage online shopping addiction?
Methodology
This study employs Heideggerian phenomenology to
explore the participant's online shopping experiences.
Participant of the Study
The researcher selected 6 participants as Ellis (2016)
suggested that the ideal sample size of phenomenology
should be between 6-20. The participants are the
students that have experience to purchase 10 above
from different online shopping store. They were
chosen from the school of Illana Bay Integrated
Computer College Incorporated. Also, purposeful
s a m p l in g has b een u t il i z e d as the stu dy
needs.According to Adams et al. (2002; as cited in
Schubotz et al., 2022), age should be considered in a
social context as older individuals simplify stories in a
way that the younger listeners would understand.
Thus, the age was asked to keep the consistency of the
gathered data. Moreover, the interviewers were
accompanied by an elderly interviewer/translator to
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Research Article
prevent participants from adjusting the complexity of
their stories in a more straightforward form. According
to a study conducted by Otero Lopez and
Vilardefrancos (2014) in Spain on 2159 participants
found out that as females have more compulsive
buying behavior which leads them more towards
negative symptoms than males as females have more
anxiety, depression which lowers their life satisfaction
more as compare to males.
Data Collection Process
Researchers decided that the interview guide would
consist of nineteen (16) questions that may run up to
4–7 minutes. It was suggested to the participants that
after each question, state any ambiguities or issues you
have. The interviewer was equally ready to provide
explanations. by posing varying versions of the same
basic questions. The full transcript of the interview and
To make sense of the data, analyses were conducted.
learned knowledge. The transcription of the
conversation includes each person's exact verbatim
replies. to remove any doubt regarding the data from
the participant material in the collection.
Instrument of the Study
The researchers provided a semi-structured interview
guide explicitly designed to get the impact of online
shopping addiction, its causes, and its experiences. The
interview contains questions that elicit how they spend
money, time, relationships with their families and
friends, and their psychological states.
Ethical Consideration
Before data collection, research ethics principles
required informed voluntary participation under
Republic Act No. 10173 (the Data Privacy Act of
2012), according to which it is required to preserve
people's privacy. Those facts are important, and you
should keep the replies from this study. Exclusive to
this research and confidential. To guarantee that
participants have the requisite knowledge to decide
after considering the study's voluntary participation.
Data Analysis Procedure
Narrative analysis method was utilized in this study as
it allows researchers best to understand the innermost
meaning of the participants’. involves interpreting
stories to understand how people make sense of their
experiences and perception.
Lasin et al.
Results and Discussion
Based on the data collected, the following themes are
(1) The Financial impact, (2) The Psychological
impact, and (3) The Physical impact. Likewise, the
following sub themes were identified from the data-
gathering based on their aspects.
The Financial Impact
Online shopping addiction can lead to significant
financial strain for individuals, particularly if they are
spending more than they can afford or accumulating
debt. And for the students were just depending for
their allowance, borrowing money from their friends,
asking extra money for their parents and sometimes
instead of paying for tuition they spend it for online
shopping.
“Sometimes kasi yung mga hinihingi kung bayad sa
school na nagagamit ko nalang pang online shopping,
if nagagamit ko yung pera na pambayad ko sa school
ginagawan ko rin naman ng paraan, siguro na
dalawang beses or isang beses lang”.
“Yes minsan kasi nahh soshort sa budget dahil sa kaka
order sa online, minsan mas inuuna ko pa yung gusto
ko kaysa sa mga kailangan ko, minsan di ko na
napapansin na malaki na pala yung nagagastos ko sa
pag sho shopping online, minsan pag kulang yung
pambayad ko sa inorder ko humihingi ako sa nanay ko
ng pandagdag”.
Participant 4 and participant 5 answered to the
question related to the financial impact of students
encounter problems in terms of paying their purchases.
The Psychological Impact
Online shopping addiction can have a negative impact
on an individual's mental health, leading to anxiety,
stress, and even depression. This can also lead to
social isolation and a lack of meaningful interpersonal
relationships.
“Yung pag oonline shopping naman is nakakatulong
siya in a way na it parang nagiging stress reliever,
dahil sa budol dahil sa mga bagay yung mga inorder
ko na di naman kailangan yung curler yung sa bangs
mga wig yung sa charger ko, kasi pag nabudol ako
tapos iisipin tapos wala pa akong pera iisipin ko
nalang di ako makatulog kasi di ko pa siya na order
kasi ganon ganon sayang”.
“Uhmmm nakaka addict kasi ang anoo ihh pag o-
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Research Article
online shop di ka napapagod nag ih scroll ka lang at
tumi titingin ka lang sa mga bagay na gusto mong
bilhin so yun ang impact niya sa akin ay nakaka addict
siya, kasi di kana lumalabas kahit sa saan ka pwede ka
mag online shopping basta may signal ka yun siguro
yung main reason ko kung bakit ako na addict sa pag
online shopping, yung insomia siguro kasi sa gabi ko
talagaano uhmm nahh gugol ko pag o-online shop ko.
Participant 6 and participant 4 answered to the
question related to the Psychological impact of
students how they encounter and discover different
behaviour from their selves due to online shopping
addiction.
The Physical Impact
Online shopping addiction can lead to physical health
problems such as eye strain, back pain, and carpal
tunnel syndrome due to prolonged computer use or to
their smart phones.
“It’s been a year since I was so addicted in online
shopping halos every hour ko chinecheck ang phone
ko incase na mayrong flash deals and sales sa isang
buwan mayroon akong 5 pataas na order and
karamihan dun di ko talaga kailangan paminsan dahil
sa pagbabad ko sa cellphone kasi kahit matutulog nag I
escroll parin ako sa online shopping apps madalas
sumasakit ang aking mga mata or blurr na ang aking
paningin kadalasan pag gumising ako sa umaga
nahihilo ako dahil sa pagpuyat lamang sa pag scrool sa
online shop”.
“Ako yung tipon ng tao kungsaan kayang magbabad
ng kalahating araw para lamang mag online shop lalo
na kung may mga ganap pag na live ang mga seller
madaming vouchers or gifts na ibibigay paminsan nga
sumasakit na yung likod or pwet ko kakahiga or
kakaupo ng matagal”.
Participant 1 and participant 3 answered to the
question related to the Physical impact of students
experience pain to their bodies due to online shopping.
Conclusion
The study investigated the impact of online shopping
addiction among the students of Illana Bay Integrated
Computer College, Inc. Based on the summary of the
findings, online shopping has many benefits for
students, such as convenience and access to a larger
selection of items. However, it can also have negative
Lasin et al.
impacts such as addiction to online shopping, financial
pressure, academic performance, and social isolation.
Compulsive online shopping can prevent students from
concentrating on their academics and have a bad effect
on their grades.
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Affiliations and Corresponding Information
Roland R. Lasin
Parang National High School
Department of Education - Philippines
Sheina Farah D. Camado
Illana Bay Integrated Computer College Inc. - Philippines
Norjane G. Panglima
Illana Bay Integrated Computer College Inc. - Philippines
April Jeanine Autida
Illana Bay Integrated Computer College Inc. - Philippines
Nati M. Bangon
Illana Bay Integrated Computer College Inc. - Philippines
Jodimer M. Mato
Parang National High School
Department of Education - Philippines
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