Although i use the computer frequently, i do not consider myself to be particularly computer savvy, therefore am not familiar with computer-based multi-player video games, or virtual spaces such as second life. The only information i knew about second life was that Dwight from The Office is an avid member. My experience was not nearly as scary as i had anticipated. I understand there is a way to individually design every aspect of your avatar, but obviously i could not figure out how to do that, so i picked the "city chic" avatar. I was a tall and thin with hip clothing and dark hair. Once i had gotten my avatar up and running, I had trouble with the logistics of the game, like manipulating my avatar to move and communicate how i wanted. I was put on the balcony of some kind of castle, and the computer set me up with several tasks to complete to make sure i had could control of my avatar. I couldn't figure out how to successfully complete the tasks, so i ignored them, and just traveled about curiously. After interacting with several other individuals and exploring the island i was on, I came to several of the same conclusions as Yee and Bailerson.
Yee and Bailerson looked at how interpersonal distance and self-disclosure affected social interaction in their first experiment. They discovered that indeed, in terms of interpersonal distance, those who were more attractive tended to walk closer to the individuals they interacted with. Essentially, level of attractiveness was directly related to the distance between individuals while they communicated. Since i couldn't figure out how to design my avatar, fortunately, all of the pre-made avatars were fairly attractive. According to Yee and Bailerson "Self-representation has a significant and instantaneous impact on our behavior."(2007) I did notice that because i felt virtually attractive, i was not afraid to express my confidence in the ways that Yee and Bailerson described- specifically minimalizing the distance between myself and whoever i interacted with, particularly if they were male. (why not, it's not real life!)
In terms of self-disclosure, my interaction with others was mostly superficial and concentrated on the workings of the game. Since this was an assignment and not something i would have done voluntarily, I was not actually interested in meeting people and making memories. Because of this, i feel i was not as inclined to disclose information, even though i felt virtually attractive, which could explain why my interaction did not align with what Yee and Bailerson would have predicted.
Yee and Bailerson also evaluated the effect height has over negotiation behavior, and they concluded that height does affect negotiation behavior, but their prediction describes the affects being ones that are only seen over time. My experiences did not really include any negotiating, so i am not able to agree or disagree with Yee and Bailerson concerning negotiating behavior.
Yee and Bailerson high-light behavioral confirmation as being extremely influential throughout their study. I found that the way people considered me affected how i, in turn, interacted with them, so my experiences do align with Yee and Bailerson's evaluations of behavioral confirmation.
Overall, i found my interactions to match up with the conclusions Yee and Bailerson made.
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
assignment 9
One example of Problematic internet usage is gaming addiction. The online space that this most often falls under is the MMOG space, though addiction to online gambling is also highly prevalent. The very design of most popular MMOG's is intended to cause players to become increasingly involved in the game they are playing. Players tend to commit increasingly greater amounts of time to games such as World of Warcraft the longer they continue playing. A major factor in why MMOG's develop addictions among players is the nature of rewards in the game. In order for people to continue enjoying and being entertained by MMOG's, it is necessary that there be a constant stream of tangible rewards. Many games have systems for completing quests and other tasks that allow a person instant gratification upon accomplishing a task. It is a very idealized and unrealistic rewards system. In real life, not everything you do is met with a reward or praise. This type of instant gratification makes people more likely to increase their playtime while neglecting their real world responsibilities. The absence of an in game clock, as simple as it sounds, makes it so players lose track of time more easily and end up putting in far longer hours than they at first planned. The subscription nature of most MMOG's also means that players pay monthly in order to play. With the monthly fee comes great technical support and lots of additional content. In order to get the greatest advantage and experience all the additional content you are paying for, a player has to play a lot more than was first intended or expected. MMOG's require a growing investment of one's time as one continues playing. This online space's tendencies toward Problematic Internet Use coincide with Caplan's model in that the MMOG space is found to be less threatening than other online spaces and certain ftf interactions. Those with low social competence will find MMOG's to be a place in which good social standing can be achieved more easily with the help of one's skill as a player. In this way it is clear that MMOG's exhibit a number of factors that contribute to their success and widespread appeal. These same beneficial factors are also some of the main reasons why these games are so easy to get addicted to.
Eric
Eric
PIU: obsessive video watching
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
comments:
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=2774598650119543771&postID=8087269059104800747
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=2774598650119543771&postID=4778856930246721061
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
comments:
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=2774598650119543771&postID=8087269059104800747
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=2774598650119543771&postID=4778856930246721061
Assignment 9 - Forums
An example of an internet related addiction most people, but not all, may have encountered is the online forum space. Forums exist for all types of topics ranging from drug addition, to jet skiing to home theater; there is a space for everything. What is interesting about these forums is that they are an asynchronous way to have a long term conversation with a large number of people. Topics are generally started by one user and many other users will chime in and respond. Generally there are also a few “lead” forums users to direct many topics. This type of conversation network can consume large portions of users time that can eventually lead into Problematic Internet Use. I believe forum use may lead to PIU because of Wallace’s “Operant Conditioning” and “Maintenance of Virtual Spaces” factors. When using a forum, you receive a certain amount of satisfaction when someone responds to your post, or when you read an interesting one. I feel that this prolongs the use of the forum over time. For the virtual space, forums allow a user to create a certain personality and the ability to use this personality in their virtual world or forum. The ability to delve into this world may prove addicting for some.
The concept of the internet forum can also be viewed under Caplans model. People who have low social competency stemming from either depression or especially loneliness may flock to forums because they offer a low pressure and anonymous situation in which to discuss a topic. They may then begin to use forums as their medium of choice for communication resulting in less productivity at work and in other social situations. However, in order for this cycle to be achieved, I think one must be predisposed to depression and loneliness or else a forum may likely just be another regular social outlet. Forums are particularly notable because they offer a very anonymous situation in which to intimately discuss topics which may be hard to talk about (drugs, etc.) in another setting. Since forums are also asynchronous, they allow members to create more thoughtful and detailed responses than in synchronous chat. This may offer a more emotional and gripping response to forums.
Assignment 9 - Instant Messaging
As college students, I feel we are familiar with many forms of problematic internet usage (PIU). If it is to be defined as internet usage that negatively affects our academic, professional, and social lives, then I’m sure we can find an instance where surfing the web has caused us to turn a paper in late or say something online to a friend that we later regretted. The online activity that I think is most abused (except for possibly Facebook) is instant messaging.
As discussed in class, instant messaging lends itself to problematic usage due to its inherent nature. The ability to carry on dozens of conversation at once if you desire is not necessarily good. It is almost impossible to maintain that many simultaneous active conversations. This could result in people thinking you are ignoring them if you are really just switching between many conversations or simultaneously surfing the web. The bigger concern; however, is that time spent on AIM will take away from time you should be spending in a face to face social situations or working on academic assignments. It has been my experience that the most common way of using AIM to procrastinate work involves talking to others who have the same homework assignment and using others procrastination as an acceptable excuse for putting off one’s own work.
Wallace’s four factors of PIU seem to apply here. For locus of control, AIM’s many features allow the user to control almost every part of their experience, as well as put up an away message, convincing them that they can truly step away at any time. For operant conditioning, AIM rewards its users with a new experience every time they sign on, as different users are online at different times, meaning you never know when you may be missing a great conversation with an old friend or that girl from class. This keeps you not only signing back on, but also leaving your profile up when you are away, in order to maintain your virtual presence. Finally, as with any online activity, new users are quickly assimilated into the language of instant messaging. They learn shorthand as well as the etiquette of properly using an away message so as to fit in with everyone else online.
Instant messaging presents an interesting question for Caplan’s model. It would appear that for some AIM users, instant messaging is indeed their preferred method of interaction and may lead to excessive and compulsive internet usage. Unlike Caplan’s model; however, most AIM users use instant messaging as a communicative extension of their already existing face to face social network. In this case I think many users may compulsively use instant messaging in a problematic manner, but it may not be due to their preference for it as less threatening and more efficacious medium or negative perceptions about their social competence. While this may be the case for some people, it does not seem to be the trend.
http://comm245yellow.blogspot.com/2007/11/assignment-9-nude-no-more.html
http://comm245yellow.blogspot.com/2007/11/assignment-9-wow.html
Assignment 9, The most disgusting thing in the world
PIU – Problematic Internet Use. Who thought that checking up on your children via Internet can lead to anything problematic? Well, it can. Especially if you use online deception by becoming someone else (discussed by Hancock). I read an article about two years ago with th following story:
A 50+-year-old concerned (married) father initially felt his son was engaging in PIU by spending too much time in yahoo! chat rooms and talking to friends on AIM based on seeing an academic plunge in his 15-year-old sons report card and catching his son one day talking in a yahoo! chat room while he should have doing homework. This gave this man motivation to actually become his son to see how chatrooms are so time consuming so that way he can “give [his] son the proper advice because [he] didn’t want to be too pushy by banning his sons internet use since [his son] did need to use the internet for schoolwork.” He didn’t tell his son about his upcoming stalking mission but I’m assuming that his son eventually found out. At first, he could only go to the chatrooms that his son went to and BS for sometime. The unique affordance of the space was that this room was a room for people interested in Dance Dance Revolution. It wasn’t clear whether or not he was a DDR fanatic but he did know enough to spark and maintain conversation. He owned his own consulting company and did the majority of his work from home so he had some free time during the day to stalk. After stalking for a number of weeks, the 50+-year-old man met a 14-year-old that he (or should I say his son) began to build some sort of a relationship with. He somehow also managed to get his sons AIM password and begun speaking with this girl consistently. For a while, he was speaking as the son but later admitted that it was him the whole time speaking to her. For some reason, they girl continued to speak with the man. Long story short, he took a few trips out to visit her and eventually was caught having sex with her by this girls parents, they called the cops and he is currently serving 10 years in prison for having sex with a minor. The funny part about it is that if he had time to speak with a girl as his son, which meant that the son was not on AIM at that time and he had achieved his goal of keeping his son off the Internet.
I guess the effects of the online psychological space and his own psychosocial “discrepancies” took over. Due to the Locus of Control that this man had, he likely felt that it would be no harm to be deceptive because I guess he can always throw the blame on his son if he went out of line. Referring to the Social Comfort rationale presented by Davis, Flett and Besser, he must have felt safe and peaceful being in this chatroom. However, he should have had someone else “accept him for who he is.” I never was educated on the specifics of the online conversations but did hear that they were pretty “to the point” in the sense that he hinted at having sex with this girl a number of times. In regards to loneliness/depression, it was found out that he and his wife were going through what I’ll call a “time of trial” where they fought consistently and it seemed that they only wanted to stay together for their son. His wife had a full time job so the only time they would see each other would be during the evening and since they did not sleep together, I could estimate that they saw each other for a total of 2.5 hours a day. Tying in with the Caplan study, the rocky relationship likely was leading him down a path of depression and loneliness and the depression and loneliness exponentiated his PIU and resulted in doing something that I consider “the most disgusting thing in the world.” He’s a consultant so I would think he would be busy enough to not have so much time to chat on the Internet. Maybe he wanted to temporarily forget about things that he had to do but didn’t want to but the bigger issue is that his psychosocial took over and he was too weak-minded to cut off communication with the girl and he got busted. Too bad.
Comments:
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=2774598650119543771&postID=3719999304058990004
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=2774598650119543771&postID=6067500330767651826
A 50+-year-old concerned (married) father initially felt his son was engaging in PIU by spending too much time in yahoo! chat rooms and talking to friends on AIM based on seeing an academic plunge in his 15-year-old sons report card and catching his son one day talking in a yahoo! chat room while he should have doing homework. This gave this man motivation to actually become his son to see how chatrooms are so time consuming so that way he can “give [his] son the proper advice because [he] didn’t want to be too pushy by banning his sons internet use since [his son] did need to use the internet for schoolwork.” He didn’t tell his son about his upcoming stalking mission but I’m assuming that his son eventually found out. At first, he could only go to the chatrooms that his son went to and BS for sometime. The unique affordance of the space was that this room was a room for people interested in Dance Dance Revolution. It wasn’t clear whether or not he was a DDR fanatic but he did know enough to spark and maintain conversation. He owned his own consulting company and did the majority of his work from home so he had some free time during the day to stalk. After stalking for a number of weeks, the 50+-year-old man met a 14-year-old that he (or should I say his son) began to build some sort of a relationship with. He somehow also managed to get his sons AIM password and begun speaking with this girl consistently. For a while, he was speaking as the son but later admitted that it was him the whole time speaking to her. For some reason, they girl continued to speak with the man. Long story short, he took a few trips out to visit her and eventually was caught having sex with her by this girls parents, they called the cops and he is currently serving 10 years in prison for having sex with a minor. The funny part about it is that if he had time to speak with a girl as his son, which meant that the son was not on AIM at that time and he had achieved his goal of keeping his son off the Internet.
I guess the effects of the online psychological space and his own psychosocial “discrepancies” took over. Due to the Locus of Control that this man had, he likely felt that it would be no harm to be deceptive because I guess he can always throw the blame on his son if he went out of line. Referring to the Social Comfort rationale presented by Davis, Flett and Besser, he must have felt safe and peaceful being in this chatroom. However, he should have had someone else “accept him for who he is.” I never was educated on the specifics of the online conversations but did hear that they were pretty “to the point” in the sense that he hinted at having sex with this girl a number of times. In regards to loneliness/depression, it was found out that he and his wife were going through what I’ll call a “time of trial” where they fought consistently and it seemed that they only wanted to stay together for their son. His wife had a full time job so the only time they would see each other would be during the evening and since they did not sleep together, I could estimate that they saw each other for a total of 2.5 hours a day. Tying in with the Caplan study, the rocky relationship likely was leading him down a path of depression and loneliness and the depression and loneliness exponentiated his PIU and resulted in doing something that I consider “the most disgusting thing in the world.” He’s a consultant so I would think he would be busy enough to not have so much time to chat on the Internet. Maybe he wanted to temporarily forget about things that he had to do but didn’t want to but the bigger issue is that his psychosocial took over and he was too weak-minded to cut off communication with the girl and he got busted. Too bad.
Comments:
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=2774598650119543771&postID=3719999304058990004
https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=2774598650119543771&postID=6067500330767651826
Assignment #9
Caplan defines Problematic Internet Use (PIU) as “maladaptive cognitions and behaviors involving internet use that result in negative academic, professional, and social consequences” (2004). I believe most facets of the internet can lend itself to PIU. For this assignment I chose to look at online shopping as a PIU. Online shopping has boomed since its inception. Instead of taking a trip to a store such as Best Buy, you can go online to the website and order whatever you want. Once you are there, this website and many others; can offer you suggestions on what else you may like based on your choices, which can lead a user to begin PIU. Most clothing retail stores have an online version of their store, usually offering additional styles, colors, and sizes.
The anonymity, less social risk, and less social responsibility associated with online shopping make it a candidate for PIU. Someone I once worked with seemed to have a problem with online shopping. She admitted to opening up credit cards to use for her purchases, and usually did her online shopping while we were working – instead of doing the work we were assigned. In this situation she definitely “hurt” herself professionally, by not doing her actual job, as well as socially, many of the people we worked with noticed her shopping and browsing internet stores on and off throughout the day.
The Online Cognition Scale developed by Davis, Flett & Besser identify four dimensions of PIU, diminished impulse control, loneliness/depression, social comfort, and distraction/procrastination. Excessive online shopping can be brought on by any of these factors, especially a diminished impulse control. While you shop for something you may actually need online, it is so easy just to add extra items to your cart. People may convince themselves that they need something else as well, which can start a cycle of online buying. The other factors can also drive to PIU, shopping online out of depression can cater to those who don’t feel like leaving the house, and as a social comfort. I know many people who say they like to go shopping after a fight or a breakup, which can lend itself to doing so online excessively.
I believe shopping online for the most part, is a good thing. Items not readily available to you can be found on the internet, and there is a convenience associated with it. However, under the right individual conditions I believe online shopping can lead to an addiction, where academic, professional, social, and monetary consequences can be observed.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)