All day, everyday, and mostly everywhere are facebook home pages and profiles opened up and being observed for updates and news amongst our peers. Facebook has such a domineering effect on our lives that our thought process once near a computer goes as follows: “Turn on the computer, quick, go to facebook.... but wait don’t forgot to send a message to friend on facebook… think it’s an old friend’s birthday, quick check on facebook and post on their wall…oh, haven’t seen her in a while, let’s she what she is up to…”.
When observing the mass world of problematic internet use amongst college student, facebook is the fore front winner. It definitely a problem when I walk into the computer lab of the library and see the infamous blue border of 7 out of the 10 screens that are being utilized. Yes, it might only be for that two second quick check whereas you are just reading that wall post you received an e-mail about, but then the clicking spirals into a chain of viewing status updates, currents events, and coming up birthdays, not mention the checking out of the photos. The prime obsession with facebook users became very clear with the addition of the photo application, which has definitely added and encouraged to the abuse of the website.
For most users facebook falls under the two main dimensions described by Davis, Flett, and Besser, social comfort and distraction/procrastination. It is the one place where at any time of day you can see your friends through their photo albums and reminisce on the good times you had with them.
Facebook is such a problem amongst users, specifically college students, because to holds so many of the Wallace’s internet factors. It’s 24/7 access and affordability corresponds perfectly with everyday common broke student, all-nighter college student. Furthermore, its browsability and interactivity amongst on the expanded global scale makes it more enticing. You can contact your friends asynchronously and visually see what they have been up to across the world through their pictures with the click of a button. Caplan’s model does not apply as much to this PIU. Caplan model’s suggest that the cause of the PIU stems from negative perceptions about their social competence. Hence, the individual would prefer online interaction because it is efficacious and less threatening. The excessive and at times compulsive use of facebook with students does not necessarily follow the first part of the theory. Social incompetence of an individual does not automatically lead to the abusive of facebook; however it’s social distance still fulfills the reduction of loneliness or depression in one’s life. The heavy use of facebook is more dependent of Davis et. al dimensions. Facebook has grown into one of the biggest procrastination tools that the internet has seen thus far.
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Saturday, November 10, 2007
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
9: Bejeweled: Mystery Revealed!
The first things that went through my mind when I thought of common internet problems were typical – poker, porn, and instant messaging. As I was thinking about all of this, I was in the midst of playing Bejeweled for my third hour in a row. Bejeweled is an online interactive puzzle that challenges the user to figure out combinations and patterns to put animated jewels in. The game takes place within a 10 by 10 box, and as the user moves jewels one at a time to connect similar colors and clear the board, the increment of points you get for each combination increases. Eventually, despite the perpetual life of the board, the game ends when the user can no longer move a single jewel to make a combination to further clear the board.
Bejeweled’s concept is relatively simple to understand and easy to pick up the rules to. Unlike some of my peers, I don’t enjoy complicated interactive games, so figuring out how to play Bejeweled was both very doable and rewarding.
Bejeweled has an addictive nature, with its flashy colors, nice plinky-plunky sounds effects, and the variable rewards schedule. With some game boards, the user gets boards with very few moves available, and sometimes the user get boards with a ton of moves available that lets you advance very far in the game. As I can attest to this, it is very easy to lose track of time while playing this game, especially if you’re playing it to procrastinate. Because the user plays this game in a synchronous time space, the variable schedule is ever the more potent. For all of these reasons, I believe that this online psychosocial space leads to PIU.
The Caplan model does not apply to Bejeweled. With Bejeweled, (at least with the version I play), you don’t play against anybody or chat with anybody within the game. There is no text based communication with Bejeweled; it is a purely individual game. The only medium you interact with is the computer program, and your interaction with this medium is strictly based on moving animated jewels around.
I believe the Caplan model applies to this psychosocial medium. This medium not only increases procrastination, but it detracts from time spent doing more valuable activities, such as going to the gym, hanging out with your friends, and doing work. Bejeweled can be an escape from social activities for more introverted people because of its nature as a distraction. In this sense, Bejeweled can lead to more isolation of the user from the real world in place of social interaction, which can eventually lead to compulsive use of the Internet, and a continuance of the cycle of psychosocial problems. However, I think that using Bejeweled, even compulsively, doesn’t necessarily detract from one’s social competence, it just has features that make the user want to play it. It is still possible to chat and talk at the same time as playing Bejeweled. Bejeweled is a PIU when playing it gets out of control. Of Wallace’s four factors, which I alluded to before, the operant conditioning is extremely present on Bejeweled. With the variable schedule, it becomes challenging to stop playing Bejeweled, since you never know when you’re going to get to a higher level, which leads to a higher overall score.
9: A Wiki-ddiction
I am a Wikipedia addict. I don’t know when it first started, but I know I can’t stop. Talking to my friends, I know a lot of them have the same addiction (maybe we should join an online support group). For us, Wikipedia is the ultimate source of problematic internet usage. It seems like every time I have to do some schoolwork on my computer, I inevitably end up on Wikipedia for a large amount of time, looking up articles that have nothing to do with my work. Caplan aptly describes problematic internet use as excessive and compulsive use of the internet. That, I feel, does a pretty good job at describing an addiction to Wikipedia. Maybe the compulsive aspect is a little more relevant than the obsessive (because I don’t sit around doing other things wishing I was back on Wikipedia), but the overall effect remains the same: it leads to a massive online time waste. I do not think, though, that the reason Caplan gives for PIUs applies well to this situation. Caplan says that PIU is related to psychological well-being, in that people who are lonely or have low perceptions of their social competence tend to prefer online interaction “because it is less threatening and they feel more efficacious.” All the time spent online, in turn, makes people feel even less socially competent in the real world. Now, this doesn’t make very much sense with Wikipedia because Wikipedia is not really a social site. Wikipedians do not know whether or not I, personally, am viewing a page they worked on, and probably could care less. My viewing tons of Wikipedia pages can’t then be an attempt to find online interaction because offline interaction is too hard (that’s what Facebook is for).
Wallace, on the other hand gives four different reasons for PIU. They are locus of control, operant conditioning, maintenance of virtual presence, and newbie disease. Just like the Caplan model, only one of these features really seems to play a factor in Wikipedia addiction: locus of control. According to Wallace, those people who believe they are in full control over their lives/circumstances are more likely to become addicted to the internet. This seems to make sense when considering why I always find myself on Wikipedia when I am supposed to be doing work. I still feel like I am in control. As long as I still have what I am at my computer, I know that I can go back to work whenever I want to. Tabbed browsing made the problem even worse. It creates no clutter on my screen to keep opening new tabs, and as long as that original page I was at is still open somewhere, I never really left it, right? I just went on a slight detour. Then before I realize it, I spent more time than I realized reading more pages than I wanted to. But only this one aspect of Wallace’s views on PIU seem to apply to Wiki-ddictions.
A third view comes from Davis, Flett, and Besser. They analyzed internet addictions in four categories: diminished impulse control, loneliness/depression, social comfort, and distraction/procrastination. Again, not all of these perfectly describe a Wikipedia addiction, but diminished impulse control along with distraction/procrastination seem to fit the best out of any other theories. It is the distraction and procrastination effect that definitely gets me started on Wikipedia, and then the diminished impulse control keeps me there. I view it as a short little break when I first start, but once I am on, it’s hard to stop clicking on new articles. For example, I might look up an album on Wikipedia to find its track listing. After that I will probably end up at the general page for the band that made the album, and before I have finished reading that, I already have five new tabs waiting for me with the links to other bands they toured with, the members’ various side projects and all sorts of things like that. So because I start by looking for a bit of distraction, I end up not being able to leave Wikipedia when I can’t control my impulses. This model best fits the Wiki-ddiction.
Comments:
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9: I’m a Vikings fan, but Urlacher’s on my fantasy team…
Every fall, as the weather starts to cool down, it is once again time for America’s most diehard fans to cheer on their teams…their fantasy teams of course. Fantasy Football is an Internet phenomenon that engages millions of people through many different online leagues. For those few months of the year, boys and girls, men and women, obsess over changing rosters and minute statistics in hopes of achieving Fantasy Football mastery—the ultimate goal of the League Championship. Is this Problematic Internet Use?
Caplan theory of problematic Internet use and psychosocial well-being could be applied to this situation. The theory says that people prefer online interaction because it is less threatening and perceived as more efficacious. Passionate sports fans can be overwhelming, and if you are not prepared for it, even scary. Many people who may feel intimidated by these hardcore sports fans in FtF communication may feel more comfortable interacting with them online because it is a less threatening atmosphere. They have a greater degree of anonymity and less perceived social risk. Also, they have greater control over self-presentation, so maybe if they are not that excited and intense in person, they can make themselves appear to be that way online to blend in with the other fans. As Wallace says, they have a greater locus of control. However, from my experience, the vast majority of people playing Fantasy Football are those crazy, hardcore sports fans, and many play in leagues with their own groups of friends. In these cases, the excessive and compulsive use of the Internet space does not lead to a negative impression of FtF; it may actually support it within the group because they will spend more time talking about football.
In playing Fantasy Football, both excessive and compulsive use are apparent. While people may plan to just go online and check the scores they got, they usually end up spending extended periods of time analyzing every little thing. From my own experience with Fantasy Football, I can admit to obsessively checking scheduling and injury updates, extensively researching obscure players, and anxiously awaiting trade offers to the point where I would automatically go on my Fantasy Football site the moment I sat down at the computer. Problematic use of Fantasy Football does have negative effects. People would rather read pages of numbers of yards and tackles than socialize or study. Over the summer I worked in an office, and many of the guys there were involved in a Fantasy Baseball league and would check it everyday at work. For my own sanity, and to avoid conflicts of interests in rooting for my actual favorite team, I no longer play Fantasy Football.
Davis hypothesized four dimensions that contribute to PIU. Of those, distraction/procrastination and social comfort can clearly be seen in playing Fantasy Football. Also, of Wallace’s factors, operant conditioning and newbie disease are significant contributors. People new to Fantasy Football will spend weeks learning everything there is to know, obsessing over all the fantasy tip websites, figuring out what each stat means, but once the newness wears off, there is likely to be a drop in how much it is used. Operant conditioning exists in that you never know when a player you chose will reward you with points or when someone might get injured.
There are many aspects of Fantasy Football that fit the symptoms of PIU, and there are many cases where it is actually an issue. It depends though. Is the player an anti-social person who is compulsively on it everyday instead of doing their homework, or are they an excited sports fan that started a pool with some friends to have some extra fun?
http://comm245brown.blogspot.com/2007/11/9-tv-online.html#c6105169523411528988
http://comm245brown.blogspot.com/2007/11/shopping-for-piu.html#c3419935534535953741
9: Scrabulous
Scrabulous is a virtual version of the popular Milton Bradley game, Scrabble. The online game was recently made into a Facebook application which has yielded an explosive population of addicted gamers. Scrabulous is now an offshoot of an already addicting online space.I think Scrabulous is a culprit of problematic internet use (PIU) because it exhibits a number of factors that make certain individuals spend too much time online. In the physical world, people play one “synchronous” Scrabble game at a time, and have to tally up points after every move. On Scrabulous, one only has to click the link to the app on their profile (once one is logged into Facebook, one is logged on to Scrabulous), play a word in one of their games, and move on to other games they are playing with other friends. When one gets bored of Facebook stalking, they can move seamlessly to their Scrabulous application and back.
Wallace defines the “locus of control” as an individual characteristic which measures how much a person feels they are in control of their environment. Those individuals who have an internal locus of control (those who feel like their actions affect their environment) are more likely to become addicted to the Internet, which inherently allows for increased control over the environment. People with an internal locus of control would appreciate the affordances that Scrabulous offers. For instance, scores are calculated and recorded automatically. Each user has a record of their wins and losses that is displayed to other users. One also has access to an electronic dictionary, so there is an increased ability and time commitment to try multiple combinations. In Wallace’s terms, Scrabulous includes “operant conditioning” which, like many forms of gambling, rewards the user on a variable basis. For example, when one plays a word, they receive new tiles randomly. These new tiles seldom include high valued letters such as a “Z” and “Q,” but when the user receives these tiles they are positively rewarded. The game generally does not operate in real time since each user plays their words whenever they log into Facebook. For this reason, addicted users check their games’ status frequently to see if it is their turn. (This is yet another display of operant conditioning.) Scrabulous also includes another addicting characteristic that Wallace mentions – Maintainance of a virtual presence. If a user takes longer than 24 hours to make a move, an option pops up to send the user an automatic Facebook message, or a “nudge” (see the posted image). Wallace also mentions “newbie disease,” which is exhibited when new players have an initial surge of commitment to the game. I personally had a case of newbie disease – I played often at first, but now I am playing fewer games and check them less often.
The affordances of Scrabulous might not cause PIU without a specific individual’s personality. If a user is patient and conscientious, Scrabulous is likely to result in an explosive addiction.
Caplan (2004) draws a connection between PIU and psychosocial well-being. When one has a psychosocial problem, they feel they are socially lacking. The Internet offers a perceived outlet for this perception, since online spaces are less threatening and one’s actions seem more effective. The preference for internet interaction then leads to excessive and compulsive internet use which detracts from professional, academic, and social life. Like Facebook, Scrabulous may have this effect on certain individuals. You may not have planned to be on Scrabulous very long, but once you start playing in a number of close games, your original intentions are reversed.
Caplan also states that Internet interaction has certain affordances which make it more preferable than FtF interaction. Scrabulous is socially less threatening than Scrabble because the pressure of real time attention is not present online. For example, when one is playing Scrabble you stare your opponent eye-to-eye, and the clock is ticking as you think of your word. Online, one can have unlimited time to make a move, and even look words up in a dictionary before placing the move on the board. Since one’s aptitude is represented by their score and diction, the words that the user chooses are a form of self-presentation. Also, a good wins/loss ratio implies that the person is intelligent.
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9: TV online.
OH, NO!!! I missed today’s Heroes episode. Heroes? I don’t watch that show. They are not having any reruns right now and I don’t want to start somewhere in the middle and ruin everything. Well, no problem, you can watch the episodes online.
Watching videos/shows online has become somewhat of a trend lately. I don’t have any statistics on what percent of the population watch shows online or how many people are watching videos online at a given second. What I can say is that a large chunk of people I know watch movies, episodes of anime or TV shows online. Some are pretty “addicted” to it (I am, unfortunately, one of them).
So why are people so hooked onto video streaming? What affordances/features are people attracted to? Well, for one, most of the video streaming sites are FREE (affordability). No more DVD rentals and late fees. The number of videos online is HUGE (variety). It can be argued that the most popular video streaming site would be Youtube with its vast collection of videos and the constant and massive video uploading (though its videos are often subjected to removal by Youtube staffs due to term violations etc). But there are many other sites with their own vast collections (e.g. Veoh). They can be viewed by anyone with access to a computer and Internet connection (accessibility). You can search these sites for anything that pops into your mind (searchability, interactivity). Some sites are like a menu consisted of links to streaming sites with the complete series (e.g. Animethat!). You don’t even have roam the net or browse on Youtube looking for your favorite series, it’s already hunted down and sorted for you (accessibility). When the video streaming site enables comments on the video (e.g. Youtube), people have a place to share their opinion with other fans/viewers who has watched the same video (interactivity).
Without a doubt, Anime, Movie, TV show streaming can lead to Problematic Internet Use (PIU). According to Caplan, Problematic Internet Use is made up of two components: excessive use and compulsive use.
Excessive use is when the time one uses to spend in an online space exceeds the normal or planned amount. An episode of a sitcom or an anime is around 30mins. A tv show like heroes is 1hr. Movies are over an hour. When they no longer need to jump into the middle of an episode because they missed the schedule, people would like to watch whole episodes. Thus, people who watch episodes or movies online tend to video streaming 30+ minutes in one sitting. After finishing an episode (especially one that ended in a cliffhanger), people want to find out what happens next. In normal television setting, people would usually have to wait for the next episode to come up the next day or the following week. But in online video streaming, people can view the next episode with a few keystrokes in the search engine or a few mouse clicks in the related search result list or the playlist. People would tend to watch one episode after another until something stops them.
Compulsive use refers to the inability to control one’s online activities along with a feeling of guilt of the lack of control. Even with a huge load of work chasing after them, people may still be found saying to themselves things like “just a little more, just until I know what happens to after this.” They know they should be doing work. They know they shouldn’t be watching videos, even if it’s a cult classic. And before they know it, they have spent a couple more hours watching video online, and the work they need to finish did not decrease one bit. An attempt to relax turned into a marathon and before they know it, they may have become too tired to do their work. They may have to pull all-nighters to finish their work (sometimes even all-nighters can’t help, especially if they are watching videos in the middle of doing work). As a result, people are tired, sleepy and feeling terrible in the morning. They feel guilty about not being able to do their best at work or in class. They feel guilty about not finishing work. They feel terrible about not being able to do other things that they planned or wanted to do. All these guilt originated from their watching video online, but they just can’t stop themselves when the videos are right there.
Personally, I think the PIU caused by watching videos online does not fit well into Caplan’s Theory of Problematic Internet Use and Psychosocial Well-Being since people who watch videos online don’t necessarily have psychosocial problems in real life—it may be alternative of watching TV for them.
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https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=5400576841210402935&postID=8650747066461652173
Watching videos/shows online has become somewhat of a trend lately. I don’t have any statistics on what percent of the population watch shows online or how many people are watching videos online at a given second. What I can say is that a large chunk of people I know watch movies, episodes of anime or TV shows online. Some are pretty “addicted” to it (I am, unfortunately, one of them).
So why are people so hooked onto video streaming? What affordances/features are people attracted to? Well, for one, most of the video streaming sites are FREE (affordability). No more DVD rentals and late fees. The number of videos online is HUGE (variety). It can be argued that the most popular video streaming site would be Youtube with its vast collection of videos and the constant and massive video uploading (though its videos are often subjected to removal by Youtube staffs due to term violations etc). But there are many other sites with their own vast collections (e.g. Veoh). They can be viewed by anyone with access to a computer and Internet connection (accessibility). You can search these sites for anything that pops into your mind (searchability, interactivity). Some sites are like a menu consisted of links to streaming sites with the complete series (e.g. Animethat!). You don’t even have roam the net or browse on Youtube looking for your favorite series, it’s already hunted down and sorted for you (accessibility). When the video streaming site enables comments on the video (e.g. Youtube), people have a place to share their opinion with other fans/viewers who has watched the same video (interactivity).
Without a doubt, Anime, Movie, TV show streaming can lead to Problematic Internet Use (PIU). According to Caplan, Problematic Internet Use is made up of two components: excessive use and compulsive use.
Excessive use is when the time one uses to spend in an online space exceeds the normal or planned amount. An episode of a sitcom or an anime is around 30mins. A tv show like heroes is 1hr. Movies are over an hour. When they no longer need to jump into the middle of an episode because they missed the schedule, people would like to watch whole episodes. Thus, people who watch episodes or movies online tend to video streaming 30+ minutes in one sitting. After finishing an episode (especially one that ended in a cliffhanger), people want to find out what happens next. In normal television setting, people would usually have to wait for the next episode to come up the next day or the following week. But in online video streaming, people can view the next episode with a few keystrokes in the search engine or a few mouse clicks in the related search result list or the playlist. People would tend to watch one episode after another until something stops them.
Compulsive use refers to the inability to control one’s online activities along with a feeling of guilt of the lack of control. Even with a huge load of work chasing after them, people may still be found saying to themselves things like “just a little more, just until I know what happens to after this.” They know they should be doing work. They know they shouldn’t be watching videos, even if it’s a cult classic. And before they know it, they have spent a couple more hours watching video online, and the work they need to finish did not decrease one bit. An attempt to relax turned into a marathon and before they know it, they may have become too tired to do their work. They may have to pull all-nighters to finish their work (sometimes even all-nighters can’t help, especially if they are watching videos in the middle of doing work). As a result, people are tired, sleepy and feeling terrible in the morning. They feel guilty about not being able to do their best at work or in class. They feel guilty about not finishing work. They feel terrible about not being able to do other things that they planned or wanted to do. All these guilt originated from their watching video online, but they just can’t stop themselves when the videos are right there.
Personally, I think the PIU caused by watching videos online does not fit well into Caplan’s Theory of Problematic Internet Use and Psychosocial Well-Being since people who watch videos online don’t necessarily have psychosocial problems in real life—it may be alternative of watching TV for them.
Comments:
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9 Digging Into a Pile of PIU
Social news sites, like digg.com and reddit.com, can often stimulate problematic behavior in its users. For those who are unsure of the term, social news sites are basically online spaces where members submit news stories or interesting links found throughout the web, which are subsequently voted on by other members if they are found to be particularly interesting or noteworthy. The most popular links wind up on the front page of the site and usually consist of only those few stories that the community finds most remarkable and appealing. Oftentimes, people will form habits of checking these sites every so often in order to see what the most popular stories of the moment are, relying on these sites to provide them with a dependable source of important news. The common user might not realize the bad habit that they are forming, rather believing they are educating themselves and furthering their knowledge by checking the site every so often. For every substantial news story or worthy article, there are two or three submissions to the site that are nothing more than links to funny youtube videos, or comical pictures, or time-wasting “empty” articles that add no real value to the user’s fundamental pursuit of knowledge. Before you know it, you’re spending hours and hours entertaining yourself with the funny links and you forget the fact that you came to the site to read up on the news! Granted, sites like digg.com can often provide better links to news stories and subjective articles than traditional news sites, such as cnn.com, yet they have a mysterious power to suck you in and make you addicted to reading up on each and every posting to the site. Soon enough, you are spending all of your free time on sites like digg.com, all the while thinking that you are making yourself more knowledgeable when you are, in fact, more likely wasting your time. This can lead to problematic internet use, or PIU.
Caplan might attribute such behavior to excessive and compulsive use. Participants in social news sites often exceed their planned time expenditure, as it is very easy to get distracted on these sites. Compulsive behavior also applies to these types of environments, especially with respect to the guilt involved concerning the lack of self-control – it is extremely tempting on websites like digg.com to satisfy the urge to click on something we think might interest us, even if it is merely entertainment. Perhaps the reason why stories become popular on Digg in the first place is because they do so well tantalizing the user to click through and find out more about a particular submission. This makes it difficult to control the amount of time we spend on these types of sites. This characteristic also belongs in one of the four dimensions of problematic internet use described by Davis, Flett, and Besser – the distraction/procrastination dimension, especially in reference to the site’s ability to distract you from what you are supposed to be doing.
The social aspects of these sites, particularly on digg.com, align with Caplan’s Theory of Problematic Internet Use and Psychosocial Well-Being. Some members on digg.com that might have psychosocial problems may hold negative perceptions about their social competence, and therefore prefer to express their views and opinions to the online Digg community rather than in their real world interpersonal relationships. The advantages of a less threatening environment and the ability to more effectively express their views might cause them to prefer these social spaces. This preference, as Caplan describes, may lead to excessive or compulsive online interaction, which may in turn, affect their social behaviors in the real world. This may create a cycle of negative outcomes that spirals into a pattern that only worsens. Nonetheless, in order to escape the addiction of these social news sites, one must begin to understand whether these sites provide more social harm than good.
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Caplan might attribute such behavior to excessive and compulsive use. Participants in social news sites often exceed their planned time expenditure, as it is very easy to get distracted on these sites. Compulsive behavior also applies to these types of environments, especially with respect to the guilt involved concerning the lack of self-control – it is extremely tempting on websites like digg.com to satisfy the urge to click on something we think might interest us, even if it is merely entertainment. Perhaps the reason why stories become popular on Digg in the first place is because they do so well tantalizing the user to click through and find out more about a particular submission. This makes it difficult to control the amount of time we spend on these types of sites. This characteristic also belongs in one of the four dimensions of problematic internet use described by Davis, Flett, and Besser – the distraction/procrastination dimension, especially in reference to the site’s ability to distract you from what you are supposed to be doing.
The social aspects of these sites, particularly on digg.com, align with Caplan’s Theory of Problematic Internet Use and Psychosocial Well-Being. Some members on digg.com that might have psychosocial problems may hold negative perceptions about their social competence, and therefore prefer to express their views and opinions to the online Digg community rather than in their real world interpersonal relationships. The advantages of a less threatening environment and the ability to more effectively express their views might cause them to prefer these social spaces. This preference, as Caplan describes, may lead to excessive or compulsive online interaction, which may in turn, affect their social behaviors in the real world. This may create a cycle of negative outcomes that spirals into a pattern that only worsens. Nonetheless, in order to escape the addiction of these social news sites, one must begin to understand whether these sites provide more social harm than good.
Comment 1
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9. Procrastination Science
Procrastination Science is listed as my major on Facebook, and it is actually the most accurate description of what I spend the most time doing here at Cornell. The use of the Internet for distraction and procrastination is a truly problematic online activity for me. Although I know that this is a general problem that many people have, but I’ll mostly be talking about my personal case of Problematic Internet Use.
I think the best example of my problem is simply the fact that I’m writing this at4:17am, 4:38am, 4:50am, 5:12am, 5:31am, 5:47am because instead of doing my work at a more appropriate time, I felt compelled to, among other time wasting activities, go to collegehumor.com and watch this acoustic rendition of Usher’s “Yeah!”
College Humor, The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs, The New York Times (online), Slashdot, Facebook, Wikipedia and many other web sites are the time wasters that push my real work back until ungodly hours and ultimately lead to this:
(Although that was last year; I’m no longer on Red Bull, now it’s just coffee)
Caplan’s definition of Problematic Internet Use is practically a definition of me:
This is where Caplan’s theory is dead on with my case of PIU. Often my academics suffer greatly because of my procrastination, my social life can suffer when I need the weekend to recuperate, and beyond Caplan’s definition, my health can suffer (and has) because of the lack of sleep I get. All of these consequences can be traced back to Problematic Internet Use. Caplan goes on to define two components of PIU: excessive use, which applies to my case because I generally waste far more time than I ever intended, and compulsive use. I can remember multiple situations when I’ve opened an internet browser to check Blackboard and start my homework, but a link on my homepage caught my eye, and all of the sudden I’m 27 clicks removed from my homepage and 90 minutes have gone by. Although no one likes to think that they aren’t in control, compulsive use is definitely applicable in my situation.
However not all of Caplan’s theory applies to my case. Strangely enough, my Problematic Internet Use does not require any interaction with other people. Caplan’s Psychosocial theory depends entirely on the interactive component of online activity. What is interesting about my problem is that although it does not depend on interaction with other people, it is all about my need for new information and media to keep me satisfied. We all find ourselves regularly checking the news feed on Facebook, but do you also find yourself checking who died recently, or reading the latest Mac rumors, or browsing the crazy Halloween costumes that college students came up with this year? To me this stuff is like a drug, and although my Problematic Internet Use is not a psychosocial issue, it is a real problem none the less.
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9: A Wiki-ddiction
9 | Remember, remember the Fifth of November
I think the best example of my problem is simply the fact that I’m writing this at
College Humor, The Secret Diary of Steve Jobs, The New York Times (online), Slashdot, Facebook, Wikipedia and many other web sites are the time wasters that push my real work back until ungodly hours and ultimately lead to this:
(Although that was last year; I’m no longer on Red Bull, now it’s just coffee)
Caplan’s definition of Problematic Internet Use is practically a definition of me:
Maladaptive cognitions and behaviors involving Internet use that result in negative academic, professional, and social
This is where Caplan’s theory is dead on with my case of PIU. Often my academics suffer greatly because of my procrastination, my social life can suffer when I need the weekend to recuperate, and beyond Caplan’s definition, my health can suffer (and has) because of the lack of sleep I get. All of these consequences can be traced back to Problematic Internet Use. Caplan goes on to define two components of PIU: excessive use, which applies to my case because I generally waste far more time than I ever intended, and compulsive use. I can remember multiple situations when I’ve opened an internet browser to check Blackboard and start my homework, but a link on my homepage caught my eye, and all of the sudden I’m 27 clicks removed from my homepage and 90 minutes have gone by. Although no one likes to think that they aren’t in control, compulsive use is definitely applicable in my situation.
However not all of Caplan’s theory applies to my case. Strangely enough, my Problematic Internet Use does not require any interaction with other people. Caplan’s Psychosocial theory depends entirely on the interactive component of online activity. What is interesting about my problem is that although it does not depend on interaction with other people, it is all about my need for new information and media to keep me satisfied. We all find ourselves regularly checking the news feed on Facebook, but do you also find yourself checking who died recently, or reading the latest Mac rumors, or browsing the crazy Halloween costumes that college students came up with this year? To me this stuff is like a drug, and although my Problematic Internet Use is not a psychosocial issue, it is a real problem none the less.
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9: A Wiki-ddiction
9 | Remember, remember the Fifth of November
9: YouTube Madness
One of the great enablers of procrastination and potentially more serious consequences is the advent of an endless stream of free (and questionably legal?) content available on YouTube. According to BBC News and TechCrunch, a blog, YouTube serves up 100 million videos per day (68 per user per month, on average) and receives 65,000+ new video uploads per day. Excessive YouTube usage leads to problematic internet use for several reasons. Caplan’s model is definitely relevant here.
This online psychological space may lead to Problematic Internet Use because of Caplan’s two factors. Caplan (2004) states that problematic internet use, problematic behavior related to spending too much time online, has two major components: excessive use and compulsive use. Excessive use is when one spends more time in an online space than is normal or that a person had planned to spend. YouTube, like many other areas of the internet, is designed to make you stay on their site and explore it for as long as possible. With so much media content and the way that YouTube is set up, there is literally an endless stream of videos that can be delivered to one user. After finishing one video, one sees links to 3 more related (and frequently popular) videos in that same video window: just a click away. What starts out as taking a short break by viewing one video can turn into excessive use as one ends up spending possibly 30 minutes to an hour watching dozens of videos. Compulsive use is when one feels they cannot control their online activity and they feel guilty about this lack of control. Often, one feels guilty after compulsive use of YouTube because they feel guilty that they cannot control their consumption of YouTube media and they end up procrastinating and being guilty that they could not finish their work on time.
Many unique affordances/features of YouTube entice its users to “over-use” its site and lead these users to PIU behavior. YouTube has an almost endless amount of content (interactivity/variety/searchability), all of which is free (affordability) and accessible to anyone with a computer and an internet connection (access).
Unfortunately, I would argue that the Caplan’s Theory of PIU and Psychosocial Well-Being is not as applicable with YouTube because YouTube is an inherently social medium more than an individual activity. Much of the time, you are brought to the site (and into possible PIU) by a friend who sent you a funny video or by a new video being announced by someone to whom you have subscribed. Due to this social design, YouTube is less useful in alleviating individuals with negative perceptions about their social competence and who prefer online interaction, although PIU of YouTube may lead to increased procrastination and problems completing schoolwork or other work. Therefore, Caplan’s “vicious cycle” is not as pervasive on YouTube. Wallace’s 4 factors may be more appropriate for describing PIU of YouTube, especially with operant conditioning (rewarding behavior with a variable schedule, making it more difficult to stop that behavior) is very present on YouTube. One may constantly subscribe to different producers to be notified when they upload a new video.
While an obsession with YouTube may lead to PIU, it leads more towards increased procrastination and avoidance of what one needs to do than towards an avoidance of social situations, since it is inherently a social online psychological space.
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Assignment 9 - AIM
Instant messenger programs are widely used in CMC. AIM is one of the more popular instant messenger programs. AIM has become a part of everyday life. When used appropriately it can speed up and aid in communication, when it is not, it can lead to problematic internet use (PIU). Although it is not as rich as face to face communication, FTF is not always possible. To get full advantage of AIM’s capabilities, I like many other people am always logged on if I am at my computer (which is most of the time). Unfortunately I also use my computer to study and often find it hard to keep AIM shut off or to ignore messages from people. In fact while writing this blog I am talking to a friend in China, a friend in St. Louis, and the guy in the room next door to me (which has caused this assignment to take a lot longer than it should have).
Now, I don’t feel that I suffer from self-perceptions of social incompetence. But there are many users of AIM out there that follow Caplan’s model and try to use CMC to avoid FtF communication. Caplan uses some of Walther’s theories in support of the idea that CMC facilitates hyperpersonal communication where people like the reduced nonverbal cues and the ability to edit before they send a message. In some cases, these feelings of low confidence can lead people to develop PIU issues. The preference for CMC leads to compulsive use of AIM and can result in people resorting to using AIM specifically to avoid face to face communication.
Many people, myself included will sign into AIM compulsively. I tell myself that I am doing it because either I can control myself or because it will help me get my work done faster, which is sometimes true. Sometimes I do work slower when I am signed in, however, I do not believe that I am using AIM excessively. I do not stalk away messages or profiles. When I am online talking to someone, I am doing something productive in some way, even if it is off topic. I would say in most cases something productive is being done. Excessive use begins when nothing is being accomplished through the use of the internet. PIU is not problematic unless someone is actually hurting themselves or others through this excessive use.
Online Porn - Shhh, No One Will Ever Find Out
Online pornography has become a serious problem for many people in our society. People of all ages have easy access to pictures, videos, posts of pornography with just a few clicks of a button. Individuals can remain anonymous and can easily hide their enjoyment of online pornography. Individuals can become obsessed with Internet pornography and can visit these sites excessively. This is when Problematic Internet Use can be applied.
Various aspects of Wallace’s Theory apply to and confirm the fact that online pornography can indeed be a PIU. First of all, Wallace defines the “Locus of control” as the degree to which individuals believe that they have control over their circumstances. In most cases, individuals addicted to online pornography don’t realize their inability to stop. They continually believe that they have full control over their pornography viewing, which leads to a more severe degree of PUI. Furthermore, Wallace’s factors of operant conditioning, maintenance of virtual presence and the “newbie disease” also apply to this example perfectly. Operant conditioning, when a behavior is rewarded, is a perfect aspect of PIU in relation to internet porn because many of these websites provide links and access to other internet sites that offer different aspects of pornography. The Newbie disease, for instance, states that the level of non-adaptive behavior fluctuates. In other words, new porn users may be very excited initially about online porn so may visit websites much more often than usual.
Many aspects of Caplan’s model apply to PIU of online pornography. Caplan states that the “maladaptive cognitions and behaviors involving Internet use that result in negative academic, professional, and social consequences. It is pretty evident that online pornography can lead to negative consequences in real life. Relationships with family members, or partners will be effected in a negative way and will probably cause distance between loved ones. Excessive use definitely applies as many individuals go online way more than normal as a result of their continual obsession with pornography. These individuals may end up staying online longer than they had initially planned. Compulsive use is another factor that applies to online porn as individuals who frequently visit these websites often have the inability to control their online activity. They also feel guilty about their continual use of the Internet for online pornography. Furthermore, the psychosocial well-being of individuals who view internet pornography excessively is definitely affected. These individuals prefer online interaction rather than face-to-face interaction because it appears to be less threatening. As a result, this leads to excessive and compulsive online use of pornography and worsens or even causes problems in the real world.
For many, online pornography is not considered a problem. Some state that it is a good way to “escape” and “appreciate” the human body. Others will oppose these opinions by expressing the moral and ethical issues surrounding pornography in general. The serious problem occurs when individuals become obsessed with its use and begin suffering in the real world as a result. It’s when the use of online pornography replaces aspects of individuals’ lives and affects relationships with friends and family that the issue of Problematic Internet Use really comes into effect.
Various aspects of Wallace’s Theory apply to and confirm the fact that online pornography can indeed be a PIU. First of all, Wallace defines the “Locus of control” as the degree to which individuals believe that they have control over their circumstances. In most cases, individuals addicted to online pornography don’t realize their inability to stop. They continually believe that they have full control over their pornography viewing, which leads to a more severe degree of PUI. Furthermore, Wallace’s factors of operant conditioning, maintenance of virtual presence and the “newbie disease” also apply to this example perfectly. Operant conditioning, when a behavior is rewarded, is a perfect aspect of PIU in relation to internet porn because many of these websites provide links and access to other internet sites that offer different aspects of pornography. The Newbie disease, for instance, states that the level of non-adaptive behavior fluctuates. In other words, new porn users may be very excited initially about online porn so may visit websites much more often than usual.
Many aspects of Caplan’s model apply to PIU of online pornography. Caplan states that the “maladaptive cognitions and behaviors involving Internet use that result in negative academic, professional, and social consequences. It is pretty evident that online pornography can lead to negative consequences in real life. Relationships with family members, or partners will be effected in a negative way and will probably cause distance between loved ones. Excessive use definitely applies as many individuals go online way more than normal as a result of their continual obsession with pornography. These individuals may end up staying online longer than they had initially planned. Compulsive use is another factor that applies to online porn as individuals who frequently visit these websites often have the inability to control their online activity. They also feel guilty about their continual use of the Internet for online pornography. Furthermore, the psychosocial well-being of individuals who view internet pornography excessively is definitely affected. These individuals prefer online interaction rather than face-to-face interaction because it appears to be less threatening. As a result, this leads to excessive and compulsive online use of pornography and worsens or even causes problems in the real world.
For many, online pornography is not considered a problem. Some state that it is a good way to “escape” and “appreciate” the human body. Others will oppose these opinions by expressing the moral and ethical issues surrounding pornography in general. The serious problem occurs when individuals become obsessed with its use and begin suffering in the real world as a result. It’s when the use of online pornography replaces aspects of individuals’ lives and affects relationships with friends and family that the issue of Problematic Internet Use really comes into effect.
9 - Stumble
There are many different types of Problematic Internet Use (PIU) that affect people of all ages. PIU can lead to someone becoming disconnected from the physical world, or simply act as a way for that person to waste time. One area on the internet that can lead to PIU is StumbleUpon.
StumbleUpon is a toolbar for Firefox with the main feature of bringing you to a random web page any time you click the "Stumble!" button. To use this toolbar you need an account and that is because the toolbar has options for ranking any page with either a thumbs up or a thumbs down, and your rankings are monitored and stored. They are used the next time you push the "Stumble!" button to help the program find a page that you'll like. Also, there are features for selecting categories that you're interested, and this also helps Stumble find pages that it thinks will interest you.
Stumble leads to PIU for many reasons - if it brings you to a site that you like, you will spend time on that site and then you are likely to push the "Stumble!" button again because you expect to find another site that you like. If it brings you to a site that you don't like, you will likely push the "Stumble!" button again because you want to find a site that you like. Obviously this is a problem as there is no apparent end to this cycle of traveling around the web looking for entertainment. Stumble can also lead to the "just one more site" mentality where the user of Stumble realizes it is time to stop, but they want to find just one more entertaining site. Unfortunately, the cycle of continually clicking the "Stumble" button usually tkaes over. Caplan defines PIU as "maladaptive cognitions and behaviors involving Internet use that result in negative academic, professional, and social consequences”. Stumble can lead to any or all of these negative results because if someone is using Stumble, they are not doing work for school or a job, and they are not socializing with others in the physical world.
Caplan's model also explains why some people can become addicted to StumbleUpon with pyschosocial theory and internet affordances. . Stumble does not generally lead to any social interactions online so someone who has low social competence may feel more comfortable using Stumble. Generally, the internet adds a layer of anonymity to social interactions, but someone who is not even comfortable with online social interactions can feel comfortable using Stumble. Also, any ratings that someone makes to a webpage can be hidden from other users to provide even more protection. However, if a user does choose to let other members of Stumble see his/her rankings, it is easy for the user to manage their self -presentation because they don't have to rank pages if they don't want to. There is also a decreased level of perceived social risk and social responsibility to a user using Stumble because as with many spaces online, they can appear anonymous and safe. A user of Stumble can use Stumble to avoid social responsibilities in the physical world as well.
Stumble also has the interesting property that it appeals to people of all ages and interests. Because of all the configuration options and the fact that Stumble learns over time what types of pages interest you, it is very easy for anyone to configure Stumble to show pages they find interesting. Stumble can be a great way to pass some time when bored because it will often show you interesting pages on the web; however, it can also be a dangerous tool towards PIU.
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StumbleUpon is a toolbar for Firefox with the main feature of bringing you to a random web page any time you click the "Stumble!" button. To use this toolbar you need an account and that is because the toolbar has options for ranking any page with either a thumbs up or a thumbs down, and your rankings are monitored and stored. They are used the next time you push the "Stumble!" button to help the program find a page that you'll like. Also, there are features for selecting categories that you're interested, and this also helps Stumble find pages that it thinks will interest you.
Stumble leads to PIU for many reasons - if it brings you to a site that you like, you will spend time on that site and then you are likely to push the "Stumble!" button again because you expect to find another site that you like. If it brings you to a site that you don't like, you will likely push the "Stumble!" button again because you want to find a site that you like. Obviously this is a problem as there is no apparent end to this cycle of traveling around the web looking for entertainment. Stumble can also lead to the "just one more site" mentality where the user of Stumble realizes it is time to stop, but they want to find just one more entertaining site. Unfortunately, the cycle of continually clicking the "Stumble" button usually tkaes over. Caplan defines PIU as "maladaptive cognitions and behaviors involving Internet use that result in negative academic, professional, and social consequences”. Stumble can lead to any or all of these negative results because if someone is using Stumble, they are not doing work for school or a job, and they are not socializing with others in the physical world.
Caplan's model also explains why some people can become addicted to StumbleUpon with pyschosocial theory and internet affordances. . Stumble does not generally lead to any social interactions online so someone who has low social competence may feel more comfortable using Stumble. Generally, the internet adds a layer of anonymity to social interactions, but someone who is not even comfortable with online social interactions can feel comfortable using Stumble. Also, any ratings that someone makes to a webpage can be hidden from other users to provide even more protection. However, if a user does choose to let other members of Stumble see his/her rankings, it is easy for the user to manage their self -presentation because they don't have to rank pages if they don't want to. There is also a decreased level of perceived social risk and social responsibility to a user using Stumble because as with many spaces online, they can appear anonymous and safe. A user of Stumble can use Stumble to avoid social responsibilities in the physical world as well.
Stumble also has the interesting property that it appeals to people of all ages and interests. Because of all the configuration options and the fact that Stumble learns over time what types of pages interest you, it is very easy for anyone to configure Stumble to show pages they find interesting. Stumble can be a great way to pass some time when bored because it will often show you interesting pages on the web; however, it can also be a dangerous tool towards PIU.
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9: Shopping for PIU
For people who crave the latest bargains but prefer the comfort and security of their own home, online shopping has proven to be an immensely popular alternative to shopping at brick and mortar stores. Unfortunately, this behavior, if not controlled, could potentially lead to problematic internet use (PIU). Caplan defines PIU as “maladaptive cognitions and behaviors involving Internet use that result in negative academic, professional, and social consequences” (Caplan 626). Specifically, it is characterized by Internet usage that is excessive and compulsive.
Some victims may be drawn to shopping online not only because of the desire to buy various items, but also by the thrill of completing a successful transaction. This is especially true of auction sites such as eBay, where bidders may be drawn to the competition of trying to outbid other individuals. Indeed, one of Wallace’s factors for PIU is operant conditioning. Every time an online shopper purchases something, he or she is rewarded with feelings of contentment (and, on eBay, the thrill of victory) and, of course, the item itself. This pattern of rewarded behavior may make it increasingly difficult to refrain from shopping online.
In addition, the fact that the transaction takes place in a virtual space makes it easier for frequent online shoppers to ignore the negative effects of their actions. They do not have to as much as glance as their wallets because they can store their payment information online. As a result, they may fail to recognize and appreciate the fact that the money is real and that they are responsible for it. This is related to Wallace’s notion of locus of control – the online space gives them the illusion that they have control over their circumstances.
Only some of Caplan’s model applies to this concern. Caplan cites loneliness and depression as key psychosocial problems that lead to a preference for online interaction. However, with this particular issue, I would argue that an inability to control one’s impulses and resist temptation is a more relevant determiner. Physiologically, victims may be in a constant under-aroused state and be pulled in by the excitement that this behavior offers. The affordances that online shopping provides also differ from Caplan’s model. For example, he notes that the Internet allows for greater anonymity and increased control over self-presentation, which are not particularly relevant to this issue. However, his concept of less perceived social risk and social responsibility is certainly applicable; as previously discussed, people may not be aware of how much money they’re spending, even as they sink into debt, and thus do not recognize that they have a responsibility to pay back the money they owe. Finally, arguably the most important affordance of online shopping is the convenience factor. Because there is no need to travel, shoppers easily incorporate this behavior into their schedules, which may decrease its visibility both to the victims and to their friends and families.
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Monday, November 5, 2007
Assignment 9
Throughout our analysis of social communication, we have understood the Internet and other
communication technologies to be mediums through which communications take place. That is to say, the Internet is a tool for communication in lieu of face to face interaction, not an impetus or force which drives us to communicate. So then, when we push on to analyze the addictive natures often associated with Internet and other technology use, we must continue to view the Internet as a mechanism for addictive behavior, not the addictive provenance itself. We find on the Internet a multitude of activities that can lead to addictive behavior including shopping, gambling, gaming, and sex. What is to be remembered here is that the Internet is an avenue to these addictive venues and many (including all of the aforementioned) have been documented as problematic areas offline leading to compulsive and/or addictive behavior.
Understanding the above, we can begin to deseminate one of these Problematic Internet Uses (PIU), perhaps gaming, to understand why it is people experience compulsiveness and addictive behavior when going online. Simply to further our discussion, let us focus on a specific area of gaming: the massively multiplayer online roleplaying game (MMORPG) genre that includes World of Warcraft, Everquest, and other titles. This genre is charactized by graphical interfaces into colorful and detailed fantasy worlds, in which players become adventurous hereos and heroines. Players create notoriety of themselves by improving their characters, amassing in-game wealth, and making allies & enemies alike. What is often most addictive of online games and that creates the lure to pull in newer players are the reward systems. As you play, your character gains experience allowing it to level up, gain new skills, wear new and better armors, explore new areas, battle new creatures, etc. Positive action causes positive reward early and often; however, as a player carries on, rewards are less frequent, more variable and harder to come by. However, a player has become used to these rewards, a feature of addictive vices known as operant conditioning according to Wallace and now must devote more time and energy to earn their reward. The time intensive focus of continued play is often the very source of the PIU associated with online game playing.
Further to the nature of these worlds and their reward systems, is their compositions which provide outlets for predisposed pyschosocial problems in the players combined with the enchanced affordances for addiction found on via the Internet as a communication device. We learned from Richard Bartle that online games with their social nature lend themselves to certain caches of people: achievers, explorers, socializers, and killers (Wallace 96). Of these four, I would believe the achievers and the socializers the most suspectable to PIU. Achievers are defined by their focus on game driven goals like collecting treasure, gaining character skills, or finishing quests. While, socializers primarily use the MMORPGs as social outlets to interact with other players and make friends. What we find with these types of players is a greater
pre-disposition towards the guile of compulsiveness related to their game play. Achievers innately desire to satisfy the need for higher levels, stronger armor, and better skills that most game systems provide (which was discussed earlier). However, when the game they are playing is online, their achievements are no longer personal, but public. They can be ranked verse other players-- known for their high level and awesome equipment. They can be revered by newer players for their great rank and success. This external praise only serves as a further reward for their problematic overuse of the game which takes away from other aspects of their life. Meanwhile, socializers find themselves with a different cannon of problems. Online popularity can be much easier to achieve then offline which feeds upon players with a pre-deposition to loneliness/depression, one of the four predictors of PIU (Davis, Flett & Besser). People often going online, play these games as their social outlet, and thus, they are eager to converse, share, and reciprocate. Once a socializer begins to develop strong bonds with their friends and allies in the gaming world, they often feel guilt by not logging in. They see themselves as neglecting their obligations online by focusing on their lives away from the screen. What we find is that the Internet often enchances the negative associations of gameplay by compounding pyschosocial
problems through exposure to other players. Troubled gamers develop an online presence by achieving or socializing and failure to log in quickly damages their stature. A cycle is bread in which as a player spends more time online, they feel greater need to continue their time online because of their previous time investments (poker players often call this cashing bad money with good).
In respect to the affordances for addictive or compuslive behavior provided by MMORPGs presence online, we can attribute two of Walther & Boyd's four dimensions of attraction to online social support: anonymity and interaction management as features which promote the addictive nature of gaming via the Internet. Anonymity can be key to a gamers comfortableness with compulsive play. By using an avatar and alias, no player is likely to have their offline self known to their online companions. Further, by playing under an alias, a player can distance himself from his offline problems by focusing on the virtual self held within the MMORPG. Secondly, the Internet affords oneself the ability to manage his or her interactions by self impression management, ease of striking up new interactions (there are thousands of other players in these worlds waiting to be talked to) or relieveing oneselfs from negative encounters (can close the program with one click), and even by starting over under a new name and with a new alias.
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communication technologies to be mediums through which communications take place. That is to say, the Internet is a tool for communication in lieu of face to face interaction, not an impetus or force which drives us to communicate. So then, when we push on to analyze the addictive natures often associated with Internet and other technology use, we must continue to view the Internet as a mechanism for addictive behavior, not the addictive provenance itself. We find on the Internet a multitude of activities that can lead to addictive behavior including shopping, gambling, gaming, and sex. What is to be remembered here is that the Internet is an avenue to these addictive venues and many (including all of the aforementioned) have been documented as problematic areas offline leading to compulsive and/or addictive behavior.
Understanding the above, we can begin to deseminate one of these Problematic Internet Uses (PIU), perhaps gaming, to understand why it is people experience compulsiveness and addictive behavior when going online. Simply to further our discussion, let us focus on a specific area of gaming: the massively multiplayer online roleplaying game (MMORPG) genre that includes World of Warcraft, Everquest, and other titles. This genre is charactized by graphical interfaces into colorful and detailed fantasy worlds, in which players become adventurous hereos and heroines. Players create notoriety of themselves by improving their characters, amassing in-game wealth, and making allies & enemies alike. What is often most addictive of online games and that creates the lure to pull in newer players are the reward systems. As you play, your character gains experience allowing it to level up, gain new skills, wear new and better armors, explore new areas, battle new creatures, etc. Positive action causes positive reward early and often; however, as a player carries on, rewards are less frequent, more variable and harder to come by. However, a player has become used to these rewards, a feature of addictive vices known as operant conditioning according to Wallace and now must devote more time and energy to earn their reward. The time intensive focus of continued play is often the very source of the PIU associated with online game playing.
Further to the nature of these worlds and their reward systems, is their compositions which provide outlets for predisposed pyschosocial problems in the players combined with the enchanced affordances for addiction found on via the Internet as a communication device. We learned from Richard Bartle that online games with their social nature lend themselves to certain caches of people: achievers, explorers, socializers, and killers (Wallace 96). Of these four, I would believe the achievers and the socializers the most suspectable to PIU. Achievers are defined by their focus on game driven goals like collecting treasure, gaining character skills, or finishing quests. While, socializers primarily use the MMORPGs as social outlets to interact with other players and make friends. What we find with these types of players is a greater
pre-disposition towards the guile of compulsiveness related to their game play. Achievers innately desire to satisfy the need for higher levels, stronger armor, and better skills that most game systems provide (which was discussed earlier). However, when the game they are playing is online, their achievements are no longer personal, but public. They can be ranked verse other players-- known for their high level and awesome equipment. They can be revered by newer players for their great rank and success. This external praise only serves as a further reward for their problematic overuse of the game which takes away from other aspects of their life. Meanwhile, socializers find themselves with a different cannon of problems. Online popularity can be much easier to achieve then offline which feeds upon players with a pre-deposition to loneliness/depression, one of the four predictors of PIU (Davis, Flett & Besser). People often going online, play these games as their social outlet, and thus, they are eager to converse, share, and reciprocate. Once a socializer begins to develop strong bonds with their friends and allies in the gaming world, they often feel guilt by not logging in. They see themselves as neglecting their obligations online by focusing on their lives away from the screen. What we find is that the Internet often enchances the negative associations of gameplay by compounding pyschosocial
problems through exposure to other players. Troubled gamers develop an online presence by achieving or socializing and failure to log in quickly damages their stature. A cycle is bread in which as a player spends more time online, they feel greater need to continue their time online because of their previous time investments (poker players often call this cashing bad money with good).
In respect to the affordances for addictive or compuslive behavior provided by MMORPGs presence online, we can attribute two of Walther & Boyd's four dimensions of attraction to online social support: anonymity and interaction management as features which promote the addictive nature of gaming via the Internet. Anonymity can be key to a gamers comfortableness with compulsive play. By using an avatar and alias, no player is likely to have their offline self known to their online companions. Further, by playing under an alias, a player can distance himself from his offline problems by focusing on the virtual self held within the MMORPG. Secondly, the Internet affords oneself the ability to manage his or her interactions by self impression management, ease of striking up new interactions (there are thousands of other players in these worlds waiting to be talked to) or relieveing oneselfs from negative encounters (can close the program with one click), and even by starting over under a new name and with a new alias.
We mentioned before that the social nature of the online games provides extra affordances towards compulsive behavior by rewarding additional time online in the form of recognition and praise from peers. But, how exactly is it that anonymity and interaction management create additional externalities that would make gaming online more addictive towards the socializers and achievers? According to Caplan in his 2003 study on preferences for online interaction, certain types of people (in our discussion the aforementioned achievers and socializers) have negative perceptions of their own social prowness in Face to Face settings. They feel lonely, depressed (Davis, Flett, & Besser) or see themselves as deficit in some regard when attempting to build friendships offline. So, then, as the Internet provides these affordances towards impression management and anonymity, there is less pressure to perform socially and perceived anonymity which allows them to feel more comfortable online. Once these types of people go online, they fall into a cycle in which their previous offline deficiences become compounding by lack of attention and too much time online. This is especially true of the MMORPG in which players who strive to suceed by amassing great wealth or skill or a large social circle of friends and allies, find themselves neglecting their offline obligations. Those who would already feel anxious or unfit in social situtations offline feel better accepted online and their neglect to their duties only creates more problems which in turn makes interaction online all that much more welcome.
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9: AIM overuse
Instant messaging is one of the most used aspects of the internet today. According to my buddy list, the majority of my friends are on AIM any time they're at their computer, either while trying to get work done, or just sitting in class. While I and most people use instant messaging to casually talk to friends without the bother of making individual calls, some people become unhealthily involved with this feature, leading to PIU, or problematic internet use. One instance I saw of this was one of my friends having about 20 instant messages open at once, and trying to keep up some form of communication with every one of them. Not only is there obsessive talking with every person that is online, but you can stalk friends' away messages and profiles, as well as update your own.
This online space has a strong tendency to lead to PIU because of the "Affordances of Internet Interaction" which are related to Caplan's paper. The affordance that relates most closely with the space of instant messaging is the issue of "more intense and intimate self-disclosure". Since AIM is a leaner media, people can feel more comfortable sharing private details and having delicate conversations. This goes along with the Social Distance Theory, which says that some actions, such as lying, are uncomfortable, so a more distributed, leaner media would be desireable. This aspect also goes along with the "Re-allocation of Cognitive Resources" part of the Hyperpersonal Model. This says that in a leaner media, you can focus your brain power on analyzing wording, choosing your own vocabulary, and other things that would be too difficult while worrying about face to face factors. One more relevant theory is Social Information Processing. This says that over time, you adapt yourself to a lean media, so impoverished impressions will not necessarily be formed. People who spend a lot of time on AIM adapt to it and learn to use the intricacies of the lean media to their advantage.
This space shows classic correlation to several theories we've studied which explain why it would become a problematic use of the internet. According to Caplan, the two main signs of a PIU are excessive use, and compulsive use. From my experience with friends, AIM definitely satisfies both of these. A large percent of my buddies are the type of user that are on everyday, for most of the day. Also, I often find friends with away messages such as "I should be working" or something along those lines. This shows how they compulsively sign on, even though they know they should be working on something else at the time. They sign on because it is addicting, not because they actually need to talk to someone.
This online space has a strong tendency to lead to PIU because of the "Affordances of Internet Interaction" which are related to Caplan's paper. The affordance that relates most closely with the space of instant messaging is the issue of "more intense and intimate self-disclosure". Since AIM is a leaner media, people can feel more comfortable sharing private details and having delicate conversations. This goes along with the Social Distance Theory, which says that some actions, such as lying, are uncomfortable, so a more distributed, leaner media would be desireable. This aspect also goes along with the "Re-allocation of Cognitive Resources" part of the Hyperpersonal Model. This says that in a leaner media, you can focus your brain power on analyzing wording, choosing your own vocabulary, and other things that would be too difficult while worrying about face to face factors. One more relevant theory is Social Information Processing. This says that over time, you adapt yourself to a lean media, so impoverished impressions will not necessarily be formed. People who spend a lot of time on AIM adapt to it and learn to use the intricacies of the lean media to their advantage.
This space shows classic correlation to several theories we've studied which explain why it would become a problematic use of the internet. According to Caplan, the two main signs of a PIU are excessive use, and compulsive use. From my experience with friends, AIM definitely satisfies both of these. A large percent of my buddies are the type of user that are on everyday, for most of the day. Also, I often find friends with away messages such as "I should be working" or something along those lines. This shows how they compulsively sign on, even though they know they should be working on something else at the time. They sign on because it is addicting, not because they actually need to talk to someone.
9: Addicted to the BlackBerry
PIU is defined as problematic behavior related to too much time online. An online activity that I commonly associated with problematic Internet usage is constant checking of one’s email. This has become even more prevalent as people increasingly communicate over email as opposed to snail-mail and the telephone, and as hand-held devices such as the BlackBerry and iPhone become more widespread. In my own experience, I see this problem among not only my friends, but also my family members.
In particular, my father finds it difficult to put down his BlackBerry when away from the office. On family vacations, the BlackBerry never leaves his side and after a long plane-ride, it is the first thing that he turns on when the plane touches down at our destination. While this usage might not qualify as “addiction,” it certainly makes it difficult for us to relax when on vacation or while spending time as a family.
Wallace identifies operant conditioning as a property of the Internet critical to PIU. Operant conditioning occurs when a behavior is rewarded with a variable schedule. This results in behaviors that are difficult to extinguish. Operant conditioning clearly plays a role in the “email checking” problem. People are drawn to checking their email in hopes that they will have a new exciting or important email. While one is not always rewarded with a new email each time that he/she signs online, he/she is bound to encounter an email at least every couple of tries. This “variable reward schedule” makes email checking very attractive and difficult to abandon.
Another relevant Internet property is the need to maintain a virtual presence online. It is important to respond to pressing emails in order to let senders know that their emails have been received. Other than sending a reply-message, there is no other way to maintain your online presence and let other know that you are receiving the information that they are sending.
A third Internet factor Wallace identifies is “newbie” disease. She predicts that those who are newer to online spaces will be more drawn to the excitement and novelty that such spaces bring. In the case of email use, I do not find this to be the case. Most have had access to email and hand-held devices for years now, yet the fascination with checking email has not subsided.
In regards to individual factors, Wallace predicts that individuals with a high locus of control are more drawn to the Internet. Wallace predicts that because these individuals believe that they have a high level of control over their circumstances, they will be attracted to the Internet’s ability to allow them to engage in selective self-presentation. I do not believe that this factor plays a role in compulsive email checking. I find that individuals are more drawn to checking their email and writing short replies than with actually initiating new, lengthy emails and therefore selective self-presentation is not relevant.
Caplan identifies a model associated with PIU. In her studies, she has found that individuals with psychosocial problems hold negative perceptions about their social competence. These individuals prefer online interaction because it is less threatening and because they feel more effacious online. Furthermore, their preference for online interaction leads to excessive and compulsive online interaction, which then worsens their problems (at school, home, work). In sum, Caplan identifies two factors key to PIU a) individual characteristics such as loneliness and depression and 2) a preference for online interaction.
I do not find that this model applies to compulsive email checking. Unlike other compulsive online activities (gambling, chatrooms, gaming, etc), email normally occurs in a context that supplements face-to-face interaction. I find that those likely to receive dozens of emails daily are not those who are lonely and depressed, but instead are actively engaged in their communities and have multiple contacts. Instead of acting as a forum in which these people feel more comfortable and effacious, email allows them to communicate efficiently at anytime and place. Therefore, because compulsive email checking acts as a supplement to face-to-face communication unlike other online activities, it does not easily fit into Caplan’s theory.
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9 eBuy by responsibility!
This week I decided to delve into the topic of online “shopaholism” that has occurred due to sites like Amazon, eBay, Half.com, etc (but mainly eBay). These sites offer practically anything you could ever want to purchase at a “reasonable” price. However, a few purchases or an exciting bid win can lead to increased propensity for shopping (meaning more time spent surfing these auction sites and less time spent offline). This can cause severe problems in the real world, ranging from being reprimanded at work or even worse in mounds of debt.
The first thing I did when I decided on this topic I went to Google Groups again to see any support groups describing this behavior. I came across this one article that described a woman’s case of severe problematic internet use (PIU). Most cases I read about in personal blogs stated that in the beginning the users (mostly women) had individual control (Wallace) over their shopping habits, but over time that control turned into an excessive, compulsive state where shopping was like second nature to them; they could not function without making a purchase or bidding on an item. Davis, Flett, and Besser (2002) studied PIU based on four dimensions: diminished impulse control, loneliness/depression, social comfort, and distraction/procrastination. I feel that all of these can be attributed to online shopping addictions – you purchase items because they are on sale, or because they make you happy (or it looks good on you, etc), or just to buy them (a new fad, etc).
The thing about online shopping is that the internet has so many properties that make it so appealing; it is easily accessible, the sites offer relatively affordable goods, you can remain anonymous, it’s searchable and global and interactive. Sites like eBay offer the kind of operant conditioning Wallace describes because you are rewarded with a variable schedule (i.e. you don’t always win bids). This is a property of the internet that can lead to PIU. EBay is unique in that it requires a sort of maintenance of virtual presence, because if you want to win the item you must keep bidding.
In the case of shopaholism, I do not think that Caplan’s model applies because it is more about the purchasing of a product and how it makes you feel rather than the interaction and associated self-presentation and self-disclosure attributes.
In all, online shopping can lead to PIU, which can result in negative personal and professional consequences. I feel that the individual and the Internet are at fault with this type of addiction; however, individual differences carry more weight. The Internet offers properties that can potentially lead to excessive use (accessible, interactive, searchable, anonymous), but when it comes down to it, it is the individual and their own self-control that determines how much and often you will be online.
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9 No Love for YouTube
Surprisingly, I have not read a single blog post about many online activities that contribute to Web 2.0: searching, downloading, blogging, retailing, p2p networking, and YouTube. (On the other hand, I read about 10 posts a week about Facebook.) In case you have not attended a single lecture and live under a rock, YouTube is a video-sharing website where you can upload and watch video clips. YouTube has impacted the world greatly. In a recent RollingStone article and other online articles, YouTube was described to be the single force that changed the direction of MTV. Instead of playing music videos, MTV has resorted to creating reality shows and such because music videos became less popular to watch on television, when YouTube has access to every music video you can possibly imagine. YouTube (and several other sites) actually rank higher than Facebook in terms of traffic, so why has nobody posted anything about YouTube yet?
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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9 | Remember, remember the Fifth of November
…for it is the day when the DemonSlayer Guild on the Frostmourn server will take down Illidan, the “final boss” in World of Warcraft. Move aside, Guy Fawkes Day, for the guild needs my fire-magic-caster to kill evil-and-powerful-demon. I am referring to, of course, the wildfire internet phenomenon known as “MMORPG” – massive multiplayer online role playing game. Initially propelled by the success of early titles such as Everquest, Dark Age of Camelot, and Ultima Online, the MMORPG category has crystallized into its current most addictive form, World of Warcraft.
As of this quarter, Blizzards reports about 9 million World of Warcraft players, roughly equivalent to the population of Sweden. Players have known to quit jobs, school, and even relationships to obtain their +10 Magic Sword of Killing Things. These mmorpg addicts lose friends, family, their future, and in extremely rare cases, the ability to breath. Modern psychologists and psychiatrists quickly noticed the rise in such issues, and many believe that mmorpg addiction is a solid case of Problematic Internet Use (PIU).
How does an online video game capture the time, energy, and indeed the souls of millions of people? World of Warcraft, as the pinnacle of such soul-draining cyber machination, demonstrates several aspects of online psychological space that lead to addiction. First, the anonymity and security of hiding behind a virtual avatar (the player’s “character” in the game) greatly boasts people’s willingness to interact and helps to tear down traditional gates of communication such as gender, appearance, and age types of discrimination. A typical World of Warcraft player, depicted below realistically -
- may present himself as a beautiful enchantress capable of all kinds of wonderful things. This virtual esteem boost is often desired by those who are less socially-apt in real life, thus they seek out an online world to avoid unwanted Face-to-Face confrontations. This fits neatly with Wallace’s Locust of Control and Maintenance of Virtual Presence: the players have absolute control over the appearance and “fate” or back-story of their characters, and their avatars are their sole representation in the game.
Secondly, the game itself offers continuous rewards to “hardcore” players. A game such as World of Warcraft may easily take years to reach the “final” quest, yet even then the players still have tremendous amount of incentive to keep playing. A longer sword, a bigger fireball, a virtual dragon as pet, and many other perks are constantly added into the game to keep the addicts addicted. In addition, the best (known as “Epic”) items are only awarded to the most dedicated players. As a good old saying from Warcraft goes, “girlfriends come and go, but Epics are Soulbound.” – Soulbound is the game term/mechanic that makes the item permanent to the player who obtains it. This aspect correspond to Wallace’s Operant Conditioning, that is, the players receive consistent positive reinforcements to the act of playing, thus making the act itself very difficult to extinguish.
Caplan’s model of PIU applies quite well to World of Warcraft addicts. The players are largely from the male teenager demographic, and many have expressed personal psychosocial reasons for staying online. These individuals are unconfident in real life interactions, and thus resort to the anonymous WoW universe to seek social comfort. This easy, affordable, and unthreatening world helps the hapless players to fall into compulsive and excessive use, ultimately resulting in the sacrifice of many significant real life factors just to maintain a consistent gaming habit. As the real life social interaction of those addicts decline, they are even more motivated to hide in World of Warcraft.
But why World of Warcraft? Many other modern MMORPGs offer similar experiences, yet only WoW reached universally-known status. The game is unique in that it is very fluid, with constant minor and major rewards, innumerable customization options, and a very “safe” atmosphere where players’ possessions are well-protected. It is also has various integrated channels to ease interaction between players, with many missions/quests that encourage or even require group work over extended period of time to achieve challenging but rewarding goals. However, as law of exchange dictates, you must lose some to gain some – as they progress through the in-game quests, the addicted players gradually slip from their real life goals and missions and may finally lose their self-identity as an individual of the physical world.
1day12hours4min, #9
Problematic Internet Use affects an array of people across the board in so many different ways and usually these problems or even addictions go unnoticed. PIU can affect people obsessed with online gambling, pornography addiction and less noticed addictions like obsessions with Myspace or chat rooms. According to Caplan, PIM is the loss of control over time on the Internet doing something where your spending long amounts of time starts to impede on the users off-line life.
The example that I feel shows PIU really well is eBay and its addictive qualities. There are many people who begin their accounts on eBay thinking they will look for one specific item to buy or sell something in particular before they start excessive use and are on the web and are exceeding their planned amount of time online. Then when the eBay user looses the control over their online activity they develop guilt about their lack of control. There are a number of reasons that eBay has a very addictive tendency. For one there is bidding involved which just like online gambling brings excitement and thrill, then the bidding can go on for hours to days and one can "watch" the item and see who else has bid and compete. This quality to be able to watch and bid and search for similar or new products at all time is very dangerous because there is never an end to control the time limit because there are always items for sale and being bid on. Similarly you can watch your own items action.
Caplan also describes a number of ways in which PIU begins to affect the users Psychosocial Well-Being. Individuals with psychosocial problems hold negative perceptions about their social competence. This is clear in eBay because all of the bidding, buying and selling goes on behind their eBay account. People can remain anonymous and hidden but still act as much as they would like. Therefore, this preference to be online is because it is less threatening. This preference then leads to the spiral into excessive and compulsive online interactions, which will worsen their problems at home, work, school, and family. These people begin to compromise their off-line lives for this addiction and the hours they dedicate to it uncontrolled.
The example that I feel shows PIU really well is eBay and its addictive qualities. There are many people who begin their accounts on eBay thinking they will look for one specific item to buy or sell something in particular before they start excessive use and are on the web and are exceeding their planned amount of time online. Then when the eBay user looses the control over their online activity they develop guilt about their lack of control. There are a number of reasons that eBay has a very addictive tendency. For one there is bidding involved which just like online gambling brings excitement and thrill, then the bidding can go on for hours to days and one can "watch" the item and see who else has bid and compete. This quality to be able to watch and bid and search for similar or new products at all time is very dangerous because there is never an end to control the time limit because there are always items for sale and being bid on. Similarly you can watch your own items action.
Caplan also describes a number of ways in which PIU begins to affect the users Psychosocial Well-Being. Individuals with psychosocial problems hold negative perceptions about their social competence. This is clear in eBay because all of the bidding, buying and selling goes on behind their eBay account. People can remain anonymous and hidden but still act as much as they would like. Therefore, this preference to be online is because it is less threatening. This preference then leads to the spiral into excessive and compulsive online interactions, which will worsen their problems at home, work, school, and family. These people begin to compromise their off-line lives for this addiction and the hours they dedicate to it uncontrolled.
9: MySpaced.
The face of various addicts is oftentimes easy to detect: the red-faced alcoholic who wears sunglasses at night, the white-lipped crack addict constantly itching his neck, the list goes on forever. With that said, it’s appropriate that I now describe the face of the addict I will be referring to in this post, the MySpace addict. Indeed, the MySpace addict-- normally about 14-years old and female-- can oftentimes be found in a dimly lit room with a digital camera in hand, held strategically overhead to capture the image of their adverted glance as well as the rest of their outfit (ingenious). Sitting tirelessly before a computer screen, the MySpace addict will constantly update their page’s layout, the information they reveal, and of course, upload countless numbers of self-photographed MySpace-pictures. Additionally, they will study their friend’s page’s, comment on their photographs, and leave messages to let their friends know how wonderful they are. While using MySpace is not inherently dangerous (unless 13-year old Sara is actually 40-year old George), the fine line between recreational use and hardcore addiction is becoming increasingly blurred.
Like many other Internet addictions, those who find themselves at the mercy of MySpace crave online communication due to the inherent Internet properties of access, anonymity, and interactivity. Specifically, these characteristics contribute significantly to the susceptibility of middle school-aged Internet users. During this unbearably awkward time in one’s life, a venue through which to interact with friends (and of course, the opposite sex) free from the supervision of parents and teachers is absolutely an opportunity to be embraced. Operant conditioning takes place as frequent users are continuously checking their own sites for new comments/messages, and others’ sites for any new updates. Since users’ sites are affected by information added by others (via comments), the locus of control is not exclusive to the creator of each MySpace page. This lack of complete control could potentially add to the compulsive nature of MySpace addict’s frequently checking their sites. Thus, in keeping with the standards delineated by Caplan, MySpace can be addictive in nature due to this compulsive quality due to lack of control. Also, as users constantly check their sites and spend a large quantity of time on MySpace, addicts also display the characteristic of excessive use.
Caplan’s model proposes the cycle of psychosocial problems such as low social competence leading to preference for Internet interaction due to affordances of such interaction. However, recreational MySpace users as well as addicts do not necessarily seek interaction on the Internet because of a lack of real-life social skills. On the contrary, MySpace allows users a venue through which to increase their social interactions since users oftentimes communicate with people they know in the real world. Also, as previously stated, users who fall within the middle school-aged demographic may seek Internet interaction solely because it is the only venue through which they can freely do so.
However, MySpace addicts choose online interaction for many of the reasons explained as “affordances” of Internet interaction by Caplan. Such affordances include greater anonymity, greater control over self-presentation, more intense and intimate social-disclosure, and less perceived social risk. Of the given characteristics, ‘less perceived social risk’ is definitely one of the main characteristics of MySpace that keep frequent users coming back for more. Once again referring to the middle school demographic, the idea of communicating outside the classroom or the cafeteria provides a venue that is immediately less socially intimidating.
There are certain characteristics that separate MySpace from other social networking sites, increasing its addictive-nature. Particularly, MySpace allows users to add their own creative input to the formatting and design of their site. Unlike Facebook where a user adds their Favorite Movies, TV Shows, etc., within an unchangeable format, MySpace allows users the freedom to create a site unique to them. This perpetuates addictive behavior in two distinct ways. First of all, in a search for self-discovery, MySpace users may continuously seek new ways to artistically portray themselves through the Internet. Secondly, formatting ones own MySpace in a unique manner can allow users to push themselves not only creatively, but electronically. Thus, creating a more sophisticated MySpace site could aware someone artistic and technological merit. As users try to “one up” one another, the search for the most complex MySpace layout is a seemingly unending quest.
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