A google search for "obsessive youtubing" turned up 646 different results. But it's not just youtube. Now there's, metacafe.com, digg.com, abc.com, nbc.com, break.com, and current.com and all contribute to this behavior. The Internet is becoming our new TV and choice of media for receiving information and entertainment. Willvideoforfood.com is an actual website made by a self-proclaimed viral video genius! Indeed, viral video marketing is a smart move on the part of companies who want to reach our generation. The Harvard Business Journal published an article in March 2007 on the implications of businesses moving towards this type of marketing. (http://www.willvideoforfood.com)
This PIU (problematic internet use) is a fairly new and uncommon. However, after beginning my job as a campus rep for current.com, I realized the impact of online video watching on my own social circle. I have friends who are obsessed with learning through videos, otherswho insists on watching their favorite shows online, and others who spend obsurd amounts of time searching for funny videos. If it hasn't been labeled a PIU already, it will be eventually. Obsessive video watching is a problematic behavior related to too much time online when people choose it over real life interaction. These entertaining videos become a replacement for socializing in face to face. People would give up ftf to watch a video of strangers teach them something, perform a song or dance, videoblog about their daily life, or execute a funny prank.
Perhaps a lack of ftf social life is a contributing factor to logging online to watch videos. Those individuals who have nothing else to do log online to find entertainment; those who have no social circle to ask for help, advice, or news log online to find this information. Once they find this "solution," these people no longer need anything else except the endless search for new videos. Caplan suggests these obsessive video watchers have existing psychosocial problems. These problems lead to a feeling of low social competence and therefore, a preference for online interaction over ftf interaction. This preference eventually leads to obsessive Internet use. This obsession means users will never learn better social skills and so worsen their psychosocial problems.
This is especially a problem for obsessive video watchers because it has a unique property. Unlike computer mediated communication like instant messaging or facebooking which involve interaction, video watching is one way. This means the obsessed watcher is not exercising any social skills, even in the online form. The person is simply observing the work of someone else and not contributing in any way. Compared to other PIUs like gaming, video watching has the largest risk for worsening one's real life problems.
On a side note, in my research, I came across this article on a couple who was charged with child neglect because of obsessive Internet use. The child was severely malnourished. This is PIU at it's very worst.
http://forums.gametrailers.com/showthread.php?t=126618
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6 comments:
Linda,
Great post! I, too, am very interested in this new phenomenon of PIU through online video streaming. There is certainly no question that video streaming websites are the newest craze of the 21st century. Many people, including myself, have, are, or will substitute their televisions with their laptops to watch their favorite shows and movies with the new technology available to them (fast internet connection + video streaming websites = online laptop TV replacement). There are many different reasons why these sites (i.e., Google’s newly acquired Youtube.com site for $1.65 billion) have become so popular and profitable. Some of these reasons include the convenience factor of having all your favorite shows and clips in one place; the ability to receive immediate feedback from others; the ability to choose from a wider variety of videos to watch that cannot be seen on TV, in particular videos posted by other ordinary Internet users, and much more. This new online space has many unique characteristics that promote PIU for people who identify with Davis and et. al's four main characteristics: diminished impulse control; loneliness/depression; social comfort; and distraction/procrastination. I agree that this will surely become a more prevalent problem in the near future for these individuals.
Interesting post. I hadn’t thought of youtube being a PIU example but id say it definitely is. I’ve spent a little more time on youtube myself on more than one occasion. Some of the videos can be quite addicting. I think videos will become ever more present on internet life but I don’t see full motion video conversation ever becoming that popular. A lot of research suggests they make people feel uncomfortable and just aren’t that realistic. So at least that lowers the likelihood of something else becoming an internet addiction. I wonder if all of Caplan’s ideas apply to each type of media which can become an addiction. I feel that there may be different reasons for each type of medium that may lead to a addiction. Low social competency may just be a part of it.
Wow, a couple charged with child neglect due to severe internet use is outrageous! So interesting. Doing this assignment made me realize that problematic internet use existed and was a problem, but your blog made me realize that it could be an incredibly serious problem with actual legal consequences. New technology like being able to watch our favorite shows online is awesome, but it is a shame to think that some people can't handle balancing this technology with the responsibilities of their life. I never thought that the ability to watch a variety of shows and movies online was anything other than convenient, but clearly it can be problematic as well. I am wondering if there is a way to prevent the problems it is causing?
Hi you!
Overall, great job! I found your post to be extremely interesting, as I have recently realized the increasing number of people who seem to be addicted to sites such as YouTube and the like. Just the other day, one of my roommates came out of her room saying, “So I was just on YouTube for three hours, and you have to see some of the stuff I found.” Because this occurred a few hours after lecture on Thursday, immediate sirens starting flashing in my head; online video watching is becoming an enormous phenomenon, and I agree with you in the fact that excessive video watching online will soon be labeled as a PUI.
Perhaps another feature of online videos that makes them so attractive is the fact that you can find pretty much whatever you want to view on these sites. Content that has not been released yet, as well as movies or television shows from a very long time ago are frequently posted on these types of sites. Just the other day, I wanted to see the series finale of Friends, so I went to the site asseenon.org to find this episode. Furthermore, when an “incident” occurs on something such as a television program that is being talked about by many people, it is easy to turn to sites such as YouTube to view the actual program. When the Rosie O’Donnell and Elizabeth Hasselbeck fight broke out on The View last spring, for example, I was able to go on YouTube to view what everyone had been talking about.
Great job! I look forward to reading more of your posts!
Lauren
Youtubing is definitely qualifies as PIU; I never quite understood why it was so popular, even though I do it myself. I wonder if TV, which is perhaps Youtube’s closest cousin, had such an effect when it was first introduced. I don’t think that those who watch videos necessarily have psychosocial problems, however. Sometimes, it’s fascinating to watch things you would otherwise never see. I think the novelty of the content is probably allure, not so much the comfort or lessened social risk that it affords. In any case, there are definitely many cases where it characterized by excessive and uncontrollable use, although, I think for most people, the urge goes away from some time “bingeing” on videos. The novelty then wears off, and for the most part, no longer consumes their attention.
Great Post! I think recently images and the media have become so ingrained in our everyday life. In the post Sept 11th world everything receives a great deal of media coverage. We can see the world from our living room tv set or from our pc or mac. Its really interesting how youtube has contributed to all this. Now just about anyone can be seen by the entire world in the same way a breaking news story circulates so quickly. Whats different is that these youtube videos are a positive connection between people, not your average depressing news item. New developments in video and other visual media in CMC seem to have had a big effect in bridging the gap between CMC and FTF. As more cues are introduced to CMC and we become more adept at interfacing with technology I think CMC and FTF will eventually become seamlessly connected.
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