Instant messaging such as AIM, Yahoo, or Google Talk have become immensely popular forms of CMC today. The majority of my friends since high school can be found on my AIM Buddy List and are online when at their computers. I, generally, think this is a good thing because it affords another means of communicating with someone via a medium that is semi-synchronous. While most people use instant messaging to casually talk to a friend without having to make a phone call, others become unheathily involved leading to Problematic Internet Use (PIU). According to Caplan’s defines PIU as “maladaptive cognitions and behaviors involving internet use that result in negative academic, professional, and social consequences.”
Instant messaging, whether to a close friend or anonymous in a chat room, lends itself well to the development of PIU. Instant messaging, by its nature, allows the user to be anonymous leading to an increased propensity for self-disclosure, relating to McKenna’s Relationship Facilitation Factors. Since AIM is a lean media, people are more comfortable sharing intimate details. Agreeing with Social Distance Theory, which says communication that is uncomfortable in FTF, such as lying, is more likely in to occur in leaner media.
Instant messaging is semi-synchronous because if 2 users are sitting at their computers giving full attention to the chat and replying quickly, this can be approximated as real-time conversation. However, users can also multitask while instant messaging leading to more time between exchanging messages. This reminds me of my roommate and how it can lead to PIU. He typically has 10-20 AIM windows of people he chats with from friends back home to lab partners to his girlfriend. He spends countless hours procrastinating online to the point where it hurts his academics. The semi-synchronous nature of AIM allows the user time to focus on choosing exactly what to say and the vocabulary to use. The greater degree of control leads to selective self-presentation and re-allocation of cognitive resources, part of the Hyperpersonal Model. Social problems or awkwardness that may be present in FTF are removed through AIM use leading people to prefer instant messaging over FTF instead of trying to solve those problems.
Ultimately, Caplan says that PIU is characterized by excessive and compulsive use. The fact that a good percentage of my friends can be found online and in one case, consistently having 10 active chat windows shows how instant messaging can lead to PIU.
5 comments:
Hey Vaishal,
I thought you chose a really good topic for an addicting online space. Instant messaging has been growing in popularity over the years. Even older elementary kids use MSN or AIM now.
You're right that although instant messageing is semi-synchronous, when the chatters multi-task, this leads to longer waiting time, and consequently people would spend more time, which eventually leads to PIU. I like how you applied the Hyperpersonal Model too, since it is so easy to control your interactions with people using instant messaging.
Your example of your roommate having multiple AIM windows open is funny, since I've seen it from lots of people.
I definitely know what you mean when you talk about online procrastination as it relates to AIM. I think we're all a bit guilty of that. Your post reminds me of an example involving my little brother. He's in 7th grade, and just beginning to get interested in girls. He has a girlfriend, but most of their conversation takes place over AIM (and now, text messaging...if only we had that in middle school). Every free moment he has, he is most likely at the family computer, and if someone else is using it, he gets extremely upset.
IMing is definitely a huge proponent of PIU. Not only does it allow for interaction with people that we don't necessarily know offline, but it is also a way for us to convince offline acquaintences that we are not as awkward as we appear in person. Great job!
I think you've touched on a good subject, because just about everyone I know uses a chat program (mostly AIM), including myself, and I can honestly say that I have use instant messaging as a means to procrastinate. I feel like we all use chat programs a little too much. However, I don't think it resembles Caplan's model, at least not in terms of affordances. I think ultimately, it is just a great way to procrastinate.
You did a great job describing instant messaging and how it relates to problematic internet use. It is definately an understandable method of procrastination, but I think that having 10 instant messaging windows is not only excessive, but I feel it would get overwhelming! I also like that you used a specific example and that this problme is even leading him to be hurt academically. You did a great job relating AIM to other models as well, such as the hyperpersonal model and Social Distance Theory. Instant messaging is clearly not only a procrastinaton tool, but it can lead to some serious problmes.
Nice choice of topic and great job on analysing it!
I can totally understand how people spend lots of time online chatting with each other since most of my high school friends have such problems. They can spend hours chatting with someone they dont even talk with at school...which seems really rare to me. But it's such a common phoenomenon. Maybe people just feel more comfortable talking with each other with some social distance.
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