The internet has both its pros and cons. With the internet becoming more and more popular and technologically advanced, internet addictions are thus becoming more rampant. Addictions range from excessive gaming, to compulsive gambling, and to constant purchasing of items on eBay. The convenience of purchasing anything and everything your heart desires is a major component to why online auction sites have become so renowned, and consequently, a major reason why people have evolved into such compulsive bidders.
Caplan’s theory of problematic internet use and psychological well–being is described as a person having behavioral problems related to too much time on the internet. Due to the excessive amounts of time spent online, people are consequently losing important possessions, and a majority of the time their jobs are at risk as well. I found a story of a woman who spent numerous hours on eBay bidding with money she went to desperate measures to get. She said she took money from her husband’s 401k without his knowledge and as a consequence he almost divorced her because of it. This woman’s compulsive use, her inability to control her online activity, almost resulted in devastating manner.
People who are addicted to the internet, specifically eBay, have compulsive behaviors such as feeling a sense of “pride” for making the highest bid, getting up at all hours of the day/night to make a bid, or even bidding with money that isn’t available for them to use. Many people who are addicted to sites such as eBay have psychological problems and have negative perceptions about their social competence, according to the first category of Caplan’s three factors. Because people lack confidence, using eBay is a way for them to increase their perception of themselves and their capabilities, such as feeling a sense of accomplishment for making the highest bid. As a result, people feel more comfortable interacting online as it’s less threatening and people feel more satisfaction with their actions. People have the freedom to act and behave however they please with no one there to ridicule or threaten them in any way. Anonymity, more control over their self presentation and self-disclosure, less social risk, and less social responsibility are also factors which contribute to people feeling more confident with internet usage and online auctioning. Bidding online is anonymous as there’s no need for others to know who you are and there’s less concern for social relationships and self disclosure as these qualities are not important when it comes to auctioning. With the internet being a sort of safe haven for those who have psychological problems and negative perceptions about their social competence, people thus have a high preference for online interaction as it’s more rewarding, even though these rewards often lead to a losing family, friends, and jobs.
As internet addictions are becoming more problematic throughout society today, there are various places available to receive help with any online addiction a person may have. I found a addiction recovery site which can be found at: http://www.netaddiction.com/resources/ebay_addiction.html#
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Hi you!
As soon as I saw that you wrote about eBay, I had to read your post, as one could argue that eBay is one of my favorite places to visit when I have a spare moment. While I would not go as far to argue that I have a PUI in regards to eBay, I most certainly see how this type of behavior could happen with this site. Not only do Caplan’s, Wallace’s, and Davis’ factors apply to this online forum, but also eBay itself offers some unique features that could also lead to problematic behavior.
The great thing about eBay that makes it so addictive is not only the fact that you can most likely find exactly what you are looking for at an extremely lower price, but also the fact that you can find almost anything you have ever wanted on it. Even if an item is no longer carried in a store or no longer made, it can, most likely, be purchased on eBay. Just the other day, I wanted a pair of rain boots from Jcrew, but they were all sold out. So, I logged on to eBay, found the exact pair of rain boots, in both the color and size I wanted, and purchased the boots, for much less money I must add, right then and there. People can spend hours on the site comparing prices and sellers, in order to find the perfect match for what they are looking for.
Furthermore, the way most purchases on eBay are made also attributes to problematic behavior. Although they do offer a system called “buy it now,” the buying process on eBay is mostly done through a bidding system. This bidding system encourages people to stay at their computers, logged on to eBay for as long as the bidding session is, in order to ensure that they do not get outbid.
Overall, great job! I look forward to reading more!
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