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Higher education students' perceptions of the involvement, advantages and disadvantages of the Internet

With people's daily life immersed in the Internet, especially that of higher education students, some interesting reflection and research topics arise such as those associated with higher education students' perceptions regarding the involvement, advantages, disadvantages and use of the Internet for research, entertainment and communication. Therefore, this study looks into these aspects using a sample of students taking degree courses in a Portuguese higher education institution. The main aims of the study were to identify the terms undergraduates ascribe to the concept of Internet as well as to its advantages and disadvantages, and to assess the frequency of Internet use regarding information search, entertainment and communication. This is a mixed-methods study, being qualitative and quantitative and possessing descriptive and interpretive features. The data was obtained through a survey conducted in the academic year of 2016/2017 and content analysis was the main data treatment technique used. Among the results obtained, we highlight that students' perceptions regarding the involvement, advantages and disadvantages of the Internet are associated with the Internet tools, the actions they can develop with such tools, the contents available and the implications that Internet use may have on its users.