Past, Present, and Future

Throughout the course we have learned about a number of theories that I believe are still very relevant. The class favorite, Hyperpersonal Model, will be a timeless theory. No matter what we know about the dangers of the CMC world and how it may warp our impressions of those we interact with on the internet, the human psyche will likely always draw us into exaggerated thoughts and feelings. In addition, the allowances of the internet (high deindividuation being one of them), will likely always be utilized at its full advantage. When the opportunity arises, people will likely choose to self-present themselves in the best light and look for common ground to connect with others around the world.

Another important topic covered in this class was Caplan's Theory on Problematic Internet Use. Considering the way internet is incorporated into almost everything our generation does, it put into perspective how much is too much internet usage and whether we are at risk of PIU. I'm sure it also relieved a few people to know that they may not be using the internet too much. Caplan's Theory seems to also contain many important elements to it since it deals with psychological issues linked to the internet. I feel the internet will always allow socially inept people to become comfortable somewhere in the world and has a high chance of taking over other aspects of their lives.

One thing that I think should be covered in future classes is how the internet is affecting us as students and as potential employees in the future. Are there any studies out there linking social skills to internet use? Is our generation becoming less able to communicate ideas face to face because we have become so used to text based environments? Also, it would be interesting to see if our multi-tasking skills may be better than previous generations due to our use of several different sources i.e. Youtube, listening to music, chatting, playing a video game, writing e-mail, all while writing a paper. These would be interesting topics to discuss for the future if there is any good literature out there exploring these roles.