YouTube can, in fact, lead to Problematic Internet Use. According to Caplan, Problematic internet use consists of two components: excessive use and compulsive use. I had first-hand experience in both these categories this past weekend. I decided to take a short break and watch a YouTube video or two, but I ended up watching video clips for the rest of the day (approximately 7 hours). Excessive use was exhibited when I exceeded my anticipated viewing time, and compulsive use was exhibited when I was not able to control my activity, which in effect resulted in feeling guilt of not getting any work done. According to Caplan, I have Problematic Internet Use—my maladaptive cognitions and behaviors resulted in negative academic and social consequences.
What made YouTube so enticing? Everything. I would like to argue that this occurrence of problematic internet use was due to affordances of the online space, rather than the individual’s psychological problems… I mean who hasn’t gone on YouTube and spent several hours watching videos when they did not intend to? YouTube intentionally crafted their site so that you would spend hours browsing their videos. What do you see right after you finish watching a video? More videos. The videos that appear after you finish watching a video are chosen to get you to watch similar videos based on your interests. The same is true for the videos to the right. The Video, Categories, Channels, and Community tabs also serve a similar purpose. Video to help you find the most watched videos, so you do not feel left out. Categories to help you find videos that interest you. Channels to help you find videos made by the people you normally watch. Community to help you get ideas of what videos to upload based on groups and contests.
There are many properties that contribute to problematic use in YouTube: accessibility, affordability, anonymity, amateur affordances, interactivity, variety, and searchability (Yes, I stole this list word for word from the slide about porn…). Although all these properties are applicable to YouTube, the most striking feature is perhaps variety. There is virtually everything on YouTube: music videos, how-to videos, video blogging, news, sports, television shows, comedy clips, amateur musicians, etc.
Wallace also describes how properties on the internet lead to problematic internet use. Operant conditioning is very apparent in YouTube. Whether if it is to check smosh’s comedic antics, lonelygirl’s personal anecdotes, kevjumba’s humorous ranting, or any other user’s activity, people constantly check and subscribe to certain directors/users in order to see if they came out with a new video. Sometimes this operant conditioning gets out of hand. For example in his video’s, kevjumba complains about how people constantly harass him to come out with new videos, but instead of ignoring the subscribers, he feels a need to maintain his virtual presence by coming out with more videos.
YouTube fits nicely with Wallace’s theory and also Davis’s four dimensions of problematic internet use—diminished impulse control and distraction were both reasons that I decided to watch YouTube for several hours instead of getting my work done. Caplan’s model does not apply as much though. Loneliness and depression would not be feasible reasons for watching YouTube; there would not be a preference for watching YouTube over regular television/films because of these psychosocial problems. Thus, the vicious cycle does not exist on YouTube. This is probably because Caplan’s study was geared more towards social interaction, while YouTube is more geared towards entertainment. Interaction is present in YouTube though—through comments and video responses. A great example of interaction through video response can be seen Digitalsoul’s video, where people respond to him by making their own videos. However, people who make their own videos are probably more outgoing and less lonely or depressed. Caplan’s model does not apply to YouTube because the type of interaction in YouTube is very different than the usual CMC environment.
YouTube’s success can be explained by its ability to manipulate factors that contribute to problematic internet use. There are many affordances of this online space, and it does not depend on the individual’s physiological problems. Because the video’s are so numerous and diverse, people are guaranteed to find something they like.
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I definitely agree with you that YouTube can lead to PIU and your analysis of the operant conditioning the site. One of the things I always look at when I am on YouTube is the number of views a video gets. The ability for the site to track how many people watch a video allows for that person who posted the video to feel rewarded.
I think it is also worth it to mention the fact that people who post videos on YouTube might have a fixation of being watched.
Also, it has become a great way for undiscovered musical artists to get their material out. All these qualities of YouTube denitely can definitely lead to PIU>
Youtube was actually one of the first PIUs that came into my mind during lecture. Fortunately, I have not fallen victim to this PIU (at least not yet) like so many of my close friends. The availability, common interest factor, and variety Youtube possess is almost endless, which would make it very understandable how one video viewing can lead to watching dozens of clips. I personally enjoyed your link to kevjumba’s video. It was quite entertaining and if I did not already start to write this comment I probably would have clicked away on more of his clips.
In terms of Caplan's application to Youtube usage, I agree that there is not a strong connection but it can be argued that loneliness and depression can cause one to utilize a PIU like Youtube more often and even lead to excessiveness compared to the regular person because it has a degree of interactivity and accessibility that as Davis' indicates distracts from one’s problems for the time being. Thus, it only worsens the situation, especially if the stem of the depression is over something such as the lack of completion on HW assignments. As a result, more Youtube is watched than more schoolwork being done.
Great description and explanation with use of the theories for this PIU!
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