Heavy Internet Use

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What Does Heavy Internet Use Mean?

Heavy Internet users are users who engage in online activities such as gaming, peer-to-peer file sharing, video streaming and other activities that use a lot of bandwidth. However, in less technical terms, heavy Internet user may also be someone who spends a large amount of time online.

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Techopedia Explains Heavy Internet Use

Heavy Internet users who use a lot of bandwidth may be subject to additional charges from their Internet service provider. This is increasingly becoming a problem as the number of high-bandwidth activities offered online increases and they become more popular.

Internet users who spend a large amount of time online may be considered heavy Internet users. This has several possible consequences. Excessive Internet use has been associated with depression in some studies. According to the Computer Addiction Study Center at Harvard University, between 5 and 10 percent of Internet users suffer from some degree of Internet addiction.

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Margaret Rouse
Technology Expert
Margaret Rouse
Technology Expert

Margaret is an award-winning technical writer and teacher known for her ability to explain complex technical subjects to a non-technical business audience. Over the past twenty years, her IT definitions have been published by Que in an encyclopedia of technology terms and cited in articles by the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine, and Discovery Magazine. She joined Techopedia in 2011. Margaret's idea of a fun day is helping IT and business professionals learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages.