Bluefly.com, shopbop.com, llbean.com, nike.com. Online retailing is a multi-million dollar business that sucks away the time of men and women of all ages. I have watched countless numbers of girls scroll through pages full of shiny new merchandise and boys scan the pages of the latest sneakers and sports equipment during class time. Is this a problem? Caplan (2004) defines Problematic Internet Use as, “maladaptive cognitions and behaviors involving internet use that result in negative academic, professional, and social consequences”. Due to several factors, I believe online shopping qualifies as an online activity that leads to PIU.
Online shopping comes in several forms. I have taken part in online window shopping, i.e. browsing without intention to buy. Due to the internet’s accessibility, I can search through merchandise unique to different stores in different geographic areas that may be difficult to visit. I could find African tribal masks, Australian boomerangs, or even drugs that are not yet FDA approved. The internet offers a great variety that is easy to search through.
When online browsing leads to online purchases, internet use can become even more problematic. Most online transactions require the use of a credit card, and many people easily lose track of how much they spend. Caplan (2004) cites operant conditioning as a reason for the development of problematic internet use. Operant conditioning occurs when a certain behavior is rewarded, and thus causes the behavior to occur again. In this example, when a customer orders something online and receives the object, they will feel rewarded and may purchase something else. This is fine in moderation, but can be extremely dangerous if spending activities are not monitored.
Although internet shopping does not usually require interacting with others in the psychological space, it definitely is a time sink. People that have psychosocial issues and do not feel comfortable in public may choose to do all of their shopping online so they do not have to interact with others.
1 comment:
Really nice post. You were quick and to the point and your argument was strong. I'm glad you used the term "time sink-" it was a nice tie back to the text and it also proved your knowledge of the term.
You explain operant conditioning nicely but it may have been nice to expand upon your reasoning. For example, why do people feel "rewarded" when they order things online? Is it simply because the item ordered is delivered directly to them? Or are there special "online discounts" that reduce the guilt sometimes associated with shopping? Or possibly, a combination of both?
The sentence that read "I could find African tribal masks, Australian boomerangs, or even drugs that are not yet FDA approved" covered the wide market that the internet houses. By providing specific examples you gave the reader an idea of just how extensive online shopping has become. Well done!
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