One online activity that I believe definitely is associated with problematic internet use is online shopping. Many online users have resorted to online shopping over physically shopping for many reasons. First of all there is a lot of convenience involved; you can shop at any time of the day and do not need to schedule in shopping time between regular store hours. Another reason is that it is often a procrastination tool. Instead of sitting at the computer and doing your homework, it is easy to get sidetracked by looking at the new fall sales at your favorite store’s website. Also, online shopping is definitely a tool conducive to compulsive shoppers. You can buy something on the spur of the moment without ever leaving your chair.
Because of all the characteristics involved with online shopping it seems that it would very easily lead to PIU. You can sign on at any time and make purchases, and it can interfere with your school work by being a procrastination tool. It can also have an affect on financial management, because you may find you are charging more things to your credit than you realized. Including tax and shipping costs, the final amount of an online purchase is always more than you expect it to be. As people continue to see the convenience of online shopping and continue to use it, they can easily become obsessed with it to a point where it disturbs other areas of their life.
Some of the same factors in Caplan’s model can be applied to problematic internet use related to online shopping. People who have psychosocial problems and do not necessarily want to leave their house to go shopping will have a preference for online shopping. These people will also feel that shopping online is less threatening and more comfortable then actually going out and physically shopping in a store or mall. This comfortable feeling can then lead to excessive or compulsive online shopping, which can then add to the psychosocial problems the person had in the first place. This may happen to people who are overweight or not comfortable with their bodies. It may be uncomfortable for them to go to a store and go shopping because they feel that people will stare and judge them. However they do have the option of going shopping in their own homes, where they are safe from other people’s judgments. However by doing this they are isolating themselves from society and this may only lead to them being more uncomfortable with their body.
There are definitely some unique properties and affordances of the online shopping world. For instance online shopping does not involve interaction with other people. Therefore people who are introverts can find themselves attracted to online shopping because it is a way to enjoy the internet without interacting with anyone else. It is easy to get a sense of joy from online shopping. You are not depending on anyone else to make you happy. You simply search around until you find something you want to purchase and then you buy it. Your satisfaction does not depend on a response from another person. The fact that online shopping does not depend on anyone else, and because you can get a sense of satisfaction easily from it, allows it to easily lead to problematic internet use.
It is not rare to find Cornell students online shopping for hours instead of studying for a final exam. You can also easily find people waking up at 2am because they just thought of something else they want to bid on from E-bay. Problematic internet use comes in all forms, and sometimes it easy to overlook spaces like online shopping where there is not much interaction with other people.
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