Although in its in its infancy compared to other online psychological spaces like porn and gambling sites I believe Facebook has the real potential for being a space online that could lead to Problematic Internet Use. PIU is defined by Caplan as problematic behavior related to spending too much time online which can result in maladaptive cognition and behaviors causing negative academic, work or social consequences. For those who need to have control or “to be in the know” about their social surroundings Facebook is a perfect match because it allows for a constant source of easily accessible information about individuals in your social network. Wallace says that the locus of control, or the degree to which one can have control over their circumstances, can have a great impact on problematic internet use. In the case of Facebook people have the ability to control what is listed in their profiles, they have the ability to tag/untag pictures, or even delete what someone has written on their wall. All of these features allow for a high locus of control and causing selective self presentation. One feature of Facebook itself is the existence of operant conditioning, which is when a behavior is rewarded on a variable schedule therefore making the behavior more difficult to extinguish. People who lack a social interaction in reality may turn to facebook for it, and because it is unknown when you will receive a wall post, friend request, or message there is this sense that you have to frequently keep checking to see who will interact with you and when. For some frequent checking may become obsessive checking.
I feel that Caplan’s model does apply here because those individuals that are experiencing psychosocial problems like loneliness may be more apt to have low social competence and therefore turn to a social networking site for interaction with others. Once people realize that they can feel comfortable interacting in a space like Facebook because of the affordances like anonymity, and less perceived risk they feel more efficacious because it’s less threatening then real social interaction. Once this preference for a less threatening type of interaction is established, and the individual has severe psychosocial problems there is a great possibility of excessive or compulsive use of a site like Facebook.
I believe that many of the spaces online that have the potential to lead to PUI, like gambling, porn or social networking sites have many similar properties like the ability to control actions or self presentation, anonymity and less perceived social risk. Facebook though is interesting and somewhat unique though because its basic premise revolves around a social network.
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