A.V. Pegova, candidate.
L.P. Gribkova, professor, Ph.D.
V.A. Pegov, associate professor, Ph.D.
Smolensk State Academy of Physical Culture, Sports and Tourism

Key words: modern generation, motor experience, motor activity, "technological addictions".

Introduction. Due to specific features of the modern generation of young people researchers can call it a special generation: Generation Y [5], Digital Generation [2], Generation Touch [7], Gamer Generation [3], Generation MeMeMe [8]. Hereat, the array of features reflected in these names creates a dramatic tension between the right opposite appetence of the spiritual life of young people. On the one hand, in no epoch before the human individuality has declared its activity with such strength and the word "me" has not been pronounced so often. On the other hand, there is an incredible body and motor passivity, becoming a phenomenon of "functional paralysis" that is not caused by organic reasons. The contradiction between these two aspirations is more distinctive when we look attentively at the phenomenon of so called "technological addictions". On the internet, on social web-sites, playing computer games "Addicts" divide their undivided individuality (in Latin "in-divid" – Engl. "undivided") into multiple avatars and nicknames changing their motor activity to virtual one.

The purpose of this study is to determine the characteristics of the relationship between the nature of the motor activity of young people and their resistance to "technological" addictions.

Materials and methods. 160 people (97 man and 63 women aged from 18 to 27) were involved in the study. They were students of the university of physical culture as, on the one hand, they had to have diversified motor and real-game experiences. On the other hand, they absolutely belong to the Generation Y. 6 application forms have been used during the study interview. Application 1 includes the following questions: attitude to drug addicts, situations of offering and taking drugs, thoughts of students about reasons of drug addiction etc. Forms №2-4 – Russian versions of the forms by D. Mitchell, D. Gerwin [6], are reflecting thoughts of the interviewers about their personalities. Form 5 includes questions related with "technological" addictions. Form 6 defines the special features of the motor activity and motor experience of the interviewers. In general 391 answers were taken and analyzed.

Results and discussion. The relationship between the answers, characterizing motor experience of the interviewers, and the answers which reflect the part of school and teachers in their physical development, was defined using the correlation and regression analyses. The core link with the maximum number of connections was assessment of school education. Those students who are generally not satisfied with school and teachers, who were motor passive during the school years and, particularly, in high school, are not satisfied with their physical development as well. Dissatisfaction with school education also correlates with the fact that school is considered to be the reason of life failures (P<0,05). From the other side dissatisfaction with school physical education and motor passivity in high school are connected with the statement that exactly school and teachers are responsible for starting smoking and taking drugs.

Thus, low rating of personal motor activity matches the critical rating of the part of school and physical education, considering teachers and school being the reason of personal life failures.

To identify possible cause-effect relationships, the multiple step-by-step line regression is used with the consecutive reduction of independent variables.

In the first equation as a dependant variable was the answer “yes/no” to the question “Have they ever had periods in life when they were immersed in gaming?”, independent variables – indicators of the application 6.

(1) Regression model:

III.F = 0,886 + 0,081 × IV.6.6. + 0,291 × IV.10.5. + 0,054 × IV.14.1. − 0,079 × IV.3. − 0,062 × IV.6.2. − 0,007 × IV.13.1.− 0,006 × IV.13.2. − 0,010 × IV.13.3. − 0,006 × IV.13.4. − 0,010 × IV.13.5. − 0,014 × IV.13.6. − 0,007 × IV.13.7.

III.F – indicator of the presence in life of such periods when they were into gaming;

IV.6.6 – indicator of power development;

IV.10.5. – indicator of work on the keyboard with six fingers;

IV.14.1. – indicator of motor activity in preschool years;

IV.3. – indicator of physical activity comparing to other people of the same age and gender;

IV.6.2 – indicator of development of resistance;

IV.13.1 – indicator of obligation to the mother for their physical development;

IV.13.4. – indicator of obligation to themselves for their physical development;

IV.13.5. – indicator of obligation to school in general for their physical development;

IV.13.6. – indicator of obligation to particular teachers for their physical development;

IV.13.7. – indicator of obligation to the coach for their physical development.

We can see strong resistance to different addictions among students whose physical development was made by different people (mother, father, other relatives, coaches, teacher, school in general). They also rate high their motor activity comparing to other people and the development of resistance that is the evidence of good health and life power. As we can see, “healthy life-style” is more important for these young people at the present moment than spending time gaming at the computer.

At the same time, “computer addicts” are not only good at using keyboard. They consider themselves to be physically strong and very motor active at a very young age. We can suppose that here we deal with a very common phenomenon among addicts which is inadequate rating of their body abilities and distorted perception of events happened in the past. Or they really were very active being small children but then computer games came into their lives and became prior.

In the second equation as a dependant variable we have the answer “I quite often (4-5 times last week) was physically active in my free time” to the question “What is from mentioned above the most exact explanation of what has happened for the last 7 days?” – independent variables – answers of application 5.

(2) Regression model:

IV.1.4. = 0,285 + 0,253 × III.12.6. − 0,198 × III.B.

IV.1.4. – indicator of frequent physical activity (4-5 times a week);

III.12.6. – indicator of doing sports in free time;

III.B – indicator of using internet for work.

Those who have physically active lifestyle do more sports and use less the internet for doing any work. We should add to this obvious relation that the Internet, computer games and social websites are less interesting for this group.

In the third equation as a dependant variable in the answer “All or most of free time was spent for things than did not require any physical efforts” to the question “What is the most exact explanation of what has happened for the last 7 days from the mentioned above?” – independent variables – answers of application 5.

(3) Regression model:

IV.1.1. = 0,162 + 0,149 × III.3.3. + 0,203 × III.8.2. + 0,158 × III.13.3. − 0,365 × III.7.1. − 0,222 × III.7.2. − 0,355 × III.7.6. − 0,156 × III.10.3. − 0,182 × III.12.6.

IV.1.1 – indicator of doing something that does not require any physical efforts;

III.3.3. – indicator of using a computer for communication;

III.8.2. – indicator of playing a computer game for less than an hour;

III.13.3. – indicator of using personal account in two or three social web-sites;

III.7.1. – indicator of playing “puzzles”;

III.7.2. – indicator of playing “strategies”;

III.7.6. – indicator of playing “shooters”;

III.10.3. – indicator of listening to music (radio) for 3-6 hours a day;

III.12.6. – indicator of doing sports in free time.

The testees, who do something that does not require any physical efforts in their free time, do not have any sport practice. But at the same time this group of students is less involved into “shooters”, “strategies” or “teasers”. They listen to music for about 3-6 hours a day. They communicate actively on 2 or 3 social websites and if they play any games these are usually so-called “on-line games” which are supposed to have active cooperation with other on-line gamers. In other words, from one side, tested young people do not “hang” in those activities that provoke inadequate behavior and closing on loneliness. But on the other hand, they also do not have the experience of live communication. They prefer virtual communication to real one.

Figure 1. Generalized scheme of research results, reflecting the characteristics of two groups of subjects with different motor experience.

Conclusions. On the general scheme the results of the correlation, depression and regression analyses are shown. Based on them the conclusions are the following:

1. This group of subjects showed that those young people who do not keep the motor activity up to the present moment of their lives are immersed much more in the experience of the old addictions (smoking, alcohol and drugs) and new "technological" addictions. They bear the traits of immaturity and instead prefer waking altered states of consciousness.

2. Among the investigated students a group of young people was emerged who found signs of dependence on social networks, preferring virtual communication and online games live and directly by the interaction with other people, including ignoring the experience of motor activity.

3. Involvement of all sorts of interested people in physical development of a young man in his early years, high endurance and physical activity at the moment create good prerequisites for resistance to dependence on computer games, Internet-addiction, dependence on social networks, as well as to "old" addictions.

References

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