I decided to explore "Second Life:" an online, synchronous, 3-D virtual world where members can create avatars of any size, shape or form they want and interact with others. Since my experience with online gaming is limited to never, the virtual space was very new to me and I had trouble at first getting started.
I entered a location created by a resident of the game where many people were basking in the sun and holding conversations with one another. I noticed immediately how uncomfortable I was with the way my avatar looked. I had started off with a generic character offered to new members and knew that I wanted someone who looked more like me. Since I had no idea what I was doing, I asked for help in the public chat space. Immediately "Glenda Noel" came to my rescue. She explained to me how to modify my appearance and gave me encouraging words after I had explained that I was new to the game. After learning how to do all these functions, I proceeded to modify my avatar to my liking.
Right after I learned how to change my appearance I became obsessed with my looks because I wanted my avatar to resemble me. I soon realized how fascinated I was with the fact that I could modify my looks with a few clicks and continuously changed things. This alone wasted 30 minutes of my time and I realized how easily this online game could become a time sink when I haven't even started to interact with others in the room yet! (Besides Glenda of course).
After being somewhat satisfied with the way I looked, I proceeded to talk with others in the room. I had no problem talking with people, but nobody seemed to really respond. Then one member commented, "XES, you have big hair. It's hot." Other male members in the room proceeded to comment on my looks and I began chatting with them. I felt perfectly comfortable chatting with people but I realized that these types of games weren't really for me. After about an hour of chatting, a member asked me how Second Life was treating me and I told him "First Life is better. I'm heading out. Bye!"
There were two things I noticed immediately about the game. First was how willing members were to help noobs like myself get started in the game. This type of online support is mentioned by Wallace who states that people are always willing to help out other new members to an online gaming world, especially if they are a girl. This held true in my case, even when the space was not your typical MUD/MOO such as WOW and Everquest where members are participating in duels.
The second thing I noticed was how easily this game can cause problematic internet use. Members seem very absorbed into the game and from their appearances, seemed to have a lot of experience in the room. When I signed onto the game at 11:30 p.m. on a Friday night, statistics showed that a little over 80,000 members were signed on at this very moment and about 1.5 million members have been on within the past 60 days. These figures surprised me, along with the familiarity many of the members seemed to have with each other. This indicated to me that they had established relationships for quite some time now and were frequent users of the space. The aspects of the game, such as anonymity and accessibility could easily lure members in. Along with the fact that many members could feel the need to maintain their social presence or could be much more comfortable online than off socializing with others due to the removal of gating features, furthering the possibilities of PIU.
Finally, I felt that the appearance of my avatar, to some extent, did have an affect on how I interacted with others in the game. Yee and Bailenson hypothesized that people with more attractive avatars would be more intimate with others around them and present higher self disclosure than those who find themselves less attractive, this is known as the Proteus Effect. I realized early on that I would not communicate with others until I was fully satisfied with my appearance and after modifying myself I began interacting with others in the game. I found this tendency to "walk up" to people that I was talking to in the game and got as close as possible. I did not share much personal information, however, and did not see a huge deviation from my usual personality on the space. Thus, once I was comfortable with the way I looked, I behaved like my normal self again.
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Saturday, November 10, 2007
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Assignment #9
John, an old roommate of mine, is a 53 year old who has been unemployed for the last three years. John’s inability to secure a job has little to do with his effort to find another job or with his lack of technical qualifications and experience, but is a direct result of inability to interact on the phone and in person at interviews in a socially favorable way. John realizes this, but finds hard to improve his social skills.
John is divorced and lonely. In the short time that I lived with him, it became very clear to me that John spent far too much time at his computer trying to develop friendships. One of John’s hobbies is photography. In hopes of creating other job opportunities for himself, he created a website where he could post his work and advertise his skill. Judging from the amount of time that John spends working on his website and trying to network as a photographer, he has become obsessed with the talent industry.
John’s excessive Internet use can be explained by McKenna’s relationship facilitation factors. Because John lacks the social skills necessary to build strong FtF relationships and find a job, he spends his time surfing the web trying to build promote his photography career. The removal of gating features, allows John the opportunity to overcome his social insecurities and develop relationships through website and in various talent networks that theoretically help him find work as a photographer. His online interaction also affords him the opportunity to connect with similar others and provides him with interactional control so that he can make a good impression. However, these self-presentational tactics fail John once he is hired for a project. The consistent poor quality of FtF interaction mean that John is rarely called back for repeat work meaning that even as a photographer, John is unable to make a living, yet each time John returns to his computer and his website to try again. This vicious cycle has been defined by Caplan in her idetification of Problematic Internet Use (PIU). She explains that “maladaptive cognitions and behaviors involving Internet use…result in negative academic, professional, and social consequences.” PIU is characterized by excessive internet use that leads to degradation of one’s livelihood.
John’s impulse, after failing to obtain consistent reliable work, is to return to the computer where he devotes his cognitive resources to finding more job opportunities rather than developing stronger social skills. As a result, he suffers severe professional and social consequences. Caplan argues that psychosocial disorders perpetuate these negative effects. John’s loneliness and lack of social aptitude are the underlying psychological issues that have created his unfortunate circumstances. Until John is ready to address his problems in a more constructive way, it seems that he has little hope of maintaining a healthy and sustainable livelihood.
John is divorced and lonely. In the short time that I lived with him, it became very clear to me that John spent far too much time at his computer trying to develop friendships. One of John’s hobbies is photography. In hopes of creating other job opportunities for himself, he created a website where he could post his work and advertise his skill. Judging from the amount of time that John spends working on his website and trying to network as a photographer, he has become obsessed with the talent industry.
John’s excessive Internet use can be explained by McKenna’s relationship facilitation factors. Because John lacks the social skills necessary to build strong FtF relationships and find a job, he spends his time surfing the web trying to build promote his photography career. The removal of gating features, allows John the opportunity to overcome his social insecurities and develop relationships through website and in various talent networks that theoretically help him find work as a photographer. His online interaction also affords him the opportunity to connect with similar others and provides him with interactional control so that he can make a good impression. However, these self-presentational tactics fail John once he is hired for a project. The consistent poor quality of FtF interaction mean that John is rarely called back for repeat work meaning that even as a photographer, John is unable to make a living, yet each time John returns to his computer and his website to try again. This vicious cycle has been defined by Caplan in her idetification of Problematic Internet Use (PIU). She explains that “maladaptive cognitions and behaviors involving Internet use…result in negative academic, professional, and social consequences.” PIU is characterized by excessive internet use that leads to degradation of one’s livelihood.
John’s impulse, after failing to obtain consistent reliable work, is to return to the computer where he devotes his cognitive resources to finding more job opportunities rather than developing stronger social skills. As a result, he suffers severe professional and social consequences. Caplan argues that psychosocial disorders perpetuate these negative effects. John’s loneliness and lack of social aptitude are the underlying psychological issues that have created his unfortunate circumstances. Until John is ready to address his problems in a more constructive way, it seems that he has little hope of maintaining a healthy and sustainable livelihood.
Assignment9 Emails
I choose to analyze the most common online activity: emails. The total time spend on checking emails may not turn out to be shocking, as not everybody spend more than 10hs a day sitting in front of the computer screen as I do, but most of my friends admit that the first thing they will do when they get to a computer with internet access is checking their emails.
Problematic Internet Use (PIU) occurs when people spend way too much time online. It includes excessive and compulsive Internet usage, which may affects people’s “real life” offline. Excessive Internet usage is when people spend more time online than they planned, and compulsive use is when people lose control in their online activity along with guilt about lack of control.
Emails can easily lead to PIU Before the widely use of software as email-reminder, which will remind you of new emails by a little pop-up window at the corner of your computer screen, emails are pretty unpredictable. People are likely to check their emails often to make sure there’s no new unread information they miss. People who were waiting for replies or information from emails are likely to check their mailboxes every 5 minutes since they don’t know when it will come. This lack of reward predictability makes people continually return for more. In typical cases, email users tend to behave compulsive use rather than excessive use. People won’t be able to control their urge to check email, but they generally won’t spend a longer amount of time than planned checking email. If emails are frequently checked, the time spend on checking unread emails wont be long. But as people have to frequently stop what they are doing and go open the browser, it will reduce efficiency in work and study. The more dangerous factor about checking emails is that you have to open a browser to do so. And when the mailbox is free offered such as Gmail, checking email means opening a window for online advertisements. You may find it easy to be distracted by an ad about discount for shoes or filling out some online research for free samples. Then your online activities are not just emails anymore.
Caplan’s model suggested that individuals with psychosocial problems hold negative perceptions about their social competence, and these individuals prefer online interaction because it is less threatening and they feel more efficacious. The preference for online interaction will then lead to excessive and compulsive online interaction, which then worsens their problems (at school, home, work). Not like instant messengers, emails are usually used for people with weak ties or conveying information at work. People use them because then receive them. People who check emails constantly are tend to be more social because they want to response to others as soon as possible, rather than being lonely and depressed. Wallace argues Internet properties are important. In this case, the affordance of internet may be more applicable in this case. Emails enable greater control of self-presentation, more intense and intimate self-disclosure, and less perceived social risk and responsibility.
Problematic Internet Use (PIU) occurs when people spend way too much time online. It includes excessive and compulsive Internet usage, which may affects people’s “real life” offline. Excessive Internet usage is when people spend more time online than they planned, and compulsive use is when people lose control in their online activity along with guilt about lack of control.
Emails can easily lead to PIU Before the widely use of software as email-reminder, which will remind you of new emails by a little pop-up window at the corner of your computer screen, emails are pretty unpredictable. People are likely to check their emails often to make sure there’s no new unread information they miss. People who were waiting for replies or information from emails are likely to check their mailboxes every 5 minutes since they don’t know when it will come. This lack of reward predictability makes people continually return for more. In typical cases, email users tend to behave compulsive use rather than excessive use. People won’t be able to control their urge to check email, but they generally won’t spend a longer amount of time than planned checking email. If emails are frequently checked, the time spend on checking unread emails wont be long. But as people have to frequently stop what they are doing and go open the browser, it will reduce efficiency in work and study. The more dangerous factor about checking emails is that you have to open a browser to do so. And when the mailbox is free offered such as Gmail, checking email means opening a window for online advertisements. You may find it easy to be distracted by an ad about discount for shoes or filling out some online research for free samples. Then your online activities are not just emails anymore.
Caplan’s model suggested that individuals with psychosocial problems hold negative perceptions about their social competence, and these individuals prefer online interaction because it is less threatening and they feel more efficacious. The preference for online interaction will then lead to excessive and compulsive online interaction, which then worsens their problems (at school, home, work). Not like instant messengers, emails are usually used for people with weak ties or conveying information at work. People use them because then receive them. People who check emails constantly are tend to be more social because they want to response to others as soon as possible, rather than being lonely and depressed. Wallace argues Internet properties are important. In this case, the affordance of internet may be more applicable in this case. Emails enable greater control of self-presentation, more intense and intimate self-disclosure, and less perceived social risk and responsibility.
Assignment #9
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.
#9: "I have HUNDREDS of friends... but I've never met any."
For those of you not familiar with MySpace, think of facebook… just on an even more broad, international, and outrageous level. It may sound a bit over the top, but in reality MySpace is just as amusing and entertaining as Facebook. On MySpace you have a profile, the opportunity to add/remove as many friends as you wish, leave “profile comments,” message others, and even post updates or funny updates called “bulletins” that will be visible to every user on your friend list. Sounds like a great site that allows you to have some fun and interact with others, right? There’s no doubt that sites like MySpace and provide some amount of entertainment (just look at how many users there are on the site!). However, is possible for this source of fun to be considered “unhealthy” and even detrimental to our lives?! Can MySpace lead to Problematic Internet Use?!
First of, many people may not be familiar to the expression “Problematic Internet Use” (PIU). An individual most likely is more familiar with the term “Internet Addiction;” however, one must get away from this extremely negative notion of “addiction”! Instead, Caplan suggests a less-harmful expression Problematic Internet Use, which is the excess use (too much time spent) or impulse use (uncontrolled, with an accompaniment of guilt) of the internet to the point where it may result in problematic and maladaptive social, academic and professional behavior in the individual. Because MySpace is so rich in the multitude of features ultimately enabling you to have virtual friendships with people you possibly have never met or have no intention of meeting, it is somewhat easy to see how a person may impulsively and/or uncontrollably spend there time on the internet.
Caplan’s model suggests that those with psychosocial problems (such as loneliness and/or depression) are more susceptible to internet use because they find it less threatening and more reliable in providing an intended result. An individual who spends too much time on MySpace may be shy and less confident when forced to interact with others in face-to-face situations. These people may prefer to socialize in on virtual community such as MySpace because they are more anonymous, allowing them to be at ease, reduce anxiety, and create higher levels of comfort. By utilizing the functions of MySpace (such as bulletin postings and profile comments), those with psychosocial problems are able to maintain friendships and even keep on top of their friends’ updates and happenings.
Though this might initially be viewed as a positive substitute for face-to-face interaction, this use of the internet can lead to greater conflicts. Those with loneliness/depression may be constantly turning to MySpace at all times of the day to reach out to others. However, as figured, not everyone is online at all hours. Problematic Internet Use can be caused because people are spending too much of their time waiting for interactions on MySpace to occur; they may be afraid that if they log-off, they’ll miss out on interacting with a friend. When others are not online to reciprocate social interaction, individuals may become even lonelier. Lives can also be affected because their Problematic Internet Use can lead problems at work, home, or even school. Attitudes and social competence can be affected because of excessive time spent on MySpace.
Socializing on social network sites, such as MySpace, definitely provides individuals with opportunities to socialize with others in various parts of the globe. One can simply enjoy the comforts and privacy of their own room while avoiding the pressures and anxiety of being face-to-face. However, as suggested by Caplan, when one spends too much time on such a site, it can negatively impact one’s life.
Sure, interacting on social networking websites can be fun and seem completely harmless. However, the next time it’s 3am and you’re logged on to MySpace (or any other social networking site) when you should be working on that paper (or blog post!) due the next day, it might be in your best interest for you to logout, step away from the computer, and then ask yourself: “Do I suffer from Problematic Internet Use?!?”*
*If you have any questions regarding diagnosing PIU, don’t see a doctor… simply contact Professor Hancock!
-Joshua Navarro
My Comments:
http://comm245purple.blogspot.com/2007/11/9-i-swear-this-is-last-video-i-click-on.html
http://comm245purple.blogspot.com/2007/11/9-online-shopping.html
First of, many people may not be familiar to the expression “Problematic Internet Use” (PIU). An individual most likely is more familiar with the term “Internet Addiction;” however, one must get away from this extremely negative notion of “addiction”! Instead, Caplan suggests a less-harmful expression Problematic Internet Use, which is the excess use (too much time spent) or impulse use (uncontrolled, with an accompaniment of guilt) of the internet to the point where it may result in problematic and maladaptive social, academic and professional behavior in the individual. Because MySpace is so rich in the multitude of features ultimately enabling you to have virtual friendships with people you possibly have never met or have no intention of meeting, it is somewhat easy to see how a person may impulsively and/or uncontrollably spend there time on the internet.
Caplan’s model suggests that those with psychosocial problems (such as loneliness and/or depression) are more susceptible to internet use because they find it less threatening and more reliable in providing an intended result. An individual who spends too much time on MySpace may be shy and less confident when forced to interact with others in face-to-face situations. These people may prefer to socialize in on virtual community such as MySpace because they are more anonymous, allowing them to be at ease, reduce anxiety, and create higher levels of comfort. By utilizing the functions of MySpace (such as bulletin postings and profile comments), those with psychosocial problems are able to maintain friendships and even keep on top of their friends’ updates and happenings.
Though this might initially be viewed as a positive substitute for face-to-face interaction, this use of the internet can lead to greater conflicts. Those with loneliness/depression may be constantly turning to MySpace at all times of the day to reach out to others. However, as figured, not everyone is online at all hours. Problematic Internet Use can be caused because people are spending too much of their time waiting for interactions on MySpace to occur; they may be afraid that if they log-off, they’ll miss out on interacting with a friend. When others are not online to reciprocate social interaction, individuals may become even lonelier. Lives can also be affected because their Problematic Internet Use can lead problems at work, home, or even school. Attitudes and social competence can be affected because of excessive time spent on MySpace.
Socializing on social network sites, such as MySpace, definitely provides individuals with opportunities to socialize with others in various parts of the globe. One can simply enjoy the comforts and privacy of their own room while avoiding the pressures and anxiety of being face-to-face. However, as suggested by Caplan, when one spends too much time on such a site, it can negatively impact one’s life.
Sure, interacting on social networking websites can be fun and seem completely harmless. However, the next time it’s 3am and you’re logged on to MySpace (or any other social networking site) when you should be working on that paper (or blog post!) due the next day, it might be in your best interest for you to logout, step away from the computer, and then ask yourself: “Do I suffer from Problematic Internet Use?!?”*
*If you have any questions regarding diagnosing PIU, don’t see a doctor… simply contact Professor Hancock!
-Joshua Navarro
My Comments:
http://comm245purple.blogspot.com/2007/11/9-i-swear-this-is-last-video-i-click-on.html
http://comm245purple.blogspot.com/2007/11/9-online-shopping.html
9. Online gambling
In my opinion, online gambling is a disease spreading through the Cornell campus at an alarming rate. Fraternity houses, such as my own, are hotbeds for this affliction. Many of my good friends have lost significant amounts of money this semester on online poker, as well as football bets. This certainly constitutes problematic internet usage.
Caplan discusses PIU as including "maladaptive cognitions and behaviors involving Internet use that result in negative academic, professional, and social consequences.” Online gambling results in all three. Users spend there time procrastinating on online poker sites, or watching sports games on which they have bet, rather then complete their assignments. The addicting properties of the sites coerce the users to continue in the face of repetitive loss by reinforcing the gambling behavior with the occasional reward on a variable ratio schedule. This operant conditioning leads to the development of a response that is very difficult to extinguish.
The sites are intelligent in their design, which requires users to pay a certain amount up front in exchange for E-currency being credited to their account on the site. This means that the user will not actually gain money from a win until he cashes out, and will not feel the affects of a loss until all the money in the account is gone. This usually leads to any winnings being immediately lost as they are pumped back into the gambling system before being realized. It also leads users not to associate any feeling of loss with the online gambling experience, as they do not ever have to “pay up” after a loss, they simply lose the funds previously invested into their account.
The availability of online gambling also leads to its addictive nature. The ability to gamble on your own, at any time whatsoever, allows individuals who would have had a problem with gambling in face to face environments to reach far more disastrous levels of addiction. When a game of poker can be joined at
I do not feel that Caplan’s model accurately describes the reasons for PIU in online gamblers, however. These individuals are not seeking a replacement for social interaction, and do not feel less socially competent. They simply become conditioned to continue executing a learned behavior whenever they have time in front of their computer. Betting on sports often involves spending time with friends in face to face environments, but is made easier and more removed through CMC gambling sights.
This dangerous online addiction seems to be growing more and more popular day. For years, gambling has been recognized as a dangerous addiction, and treatment and support groups have been available for those suffering from it. The effects of the internet on the potential damage caused by this addiction are enormous, as it is now available to users who are alone and do not feel as if they are spending real money.
Assgnmt 9: I bid 22 bucks for the latest edition of my addiction...
The problem of Internet addiction has become prevalent in today's generation of computer uses (mainly because we are the first generation of computer users...). This issue has led to the official title of Problematic Internet Use (PIU), which describes problematic behavior related to too much time online (usually considered an addiction). While a person's individual differences may define and play a part in their PIU, practically people today who use computers regularly have some problematic behaviors. Of course there is a wide range, from those who lose all aspects of their social life because they can't get away from online gaming sites or pornography sites, to those who feel the constant need to check facebook every time they are near a computer (which I think defines most college students..). However, it is not really a problem until these maladaptive behaviors result in negative academic, professional, and social consequences. Often times its due to excessive use of some component of the Internet. For the purposes of this blog I will focus on eBay and how it results in PIU among many online buyers.
The online activity of going to eBay and bidding/buying goods from other uses has led to many problems among buyers. I have heard many personal stories of people who once they start using the website begin to use it excessively and compulsively. In high school I babysat for a woman who certainly seemed to have PIU associated with eBay. Every time I went over she had lots of new clothes for her four year old daughter, and her living room was covered in piles of clothes she had bought or was ready to take pictures of and try sell on eBay. She explained her compulsive use of it, which showed me her apparent inability to control her online activity, which she did seem to feel guilty about because of her lack of control. She even said she was trying to hide some of it from her husband. I understand why it can become addictive; everyone likes to buy products for as cheap as they can. This website affords a great opportunity to find anything and everything that you want, and if you're lucky you can get it at an amazing price! It is also a great way to get paid for selling any old junk you may have lying around your house. While I have never experienced this first hand, I can understand why people may become addicted to find the best bargains, saving the most money possible and "winning" a product by having the best bid (it seems to have many similarities to gambling, to an extent).
While Caplan's PIU and psychosocial model does not exactly apply to this case, it can be modified to explain this addictive eBay behavior. Caplan described how individuals with psychosocial problems (loneliness and depression) often hold negative perceptions about their social competence (they have negative perceptions and do not want to go out and have real social interaction), which results in the preference for online interaction because it is less threatening. I do not think eBay can be described in this same way. Sure it may be true that people do not like going out in public to shop and feel uncomfortable socially interacting with sales people, but I think people enjoy eBay more for the "winning" aspect more so than the lack of social interaction. If someone has a psychosocial problem where they compulsively always have to be the best and out-do everyone else, in essence "be the winner" at all costs, they may feel socially incompetent to do this in a social way (such as making lots of friends or getting onto sports teams).. Or they may feel that they do not have the ability to shop in person and find the best deals available. Therefore, eBay would fill this immediate satisfaction. If someone wins a bid war over someone else, it may make them feel like they are a better strategist, or that they have more strength to "hold out" through the bid war to get the item that they really want. This leads into the next part of Caplans model, which explains peoples preference for Internet interaction. People may prefer eBay because they can then find any product they want and get it at a bargain, something they wouldn't be able to do in person. It is less threatening or less stressful because they do not need to worry about finding a product (for example, wondering if a movie store may have a certain movie) because there is a very likely chance that it will be on eBay. As individuals buy more and more products because they can find anything they want at such low costs, this will lead to excessive and compulsive online interaction, which enhances the problem. As a result, there will be a cyclic outcome, where psychosocial behaviors of not wanting to go out to shop and deal with searching for items becomes more of a problem.
Problematic Internet Use can happen to any individual. While 'online shopping' in general can be seen as a problem, eBay stands out among other shopping opportunities. It has the unique property that almost ANYTHING someone wants to find will be available (whereas when one looks at other websites to shop it's usually particularly for music, clothes, food, etc). Not only that, but someone can choose how much the product is worth to them, thus they can get something they've always wanted for a lot cheaper than if they went out to a store. It is no wonder that people are logged into their computers for hours at a time, arguing with someone in Iowa over how they will pay an extra three dollars for that special antique vase.
Comments:
http://comm245purple.blogspot.com/2007/11/assignment-9_8638.html
http://comm245purple.blogspot.com/2007/11/9-i-swear-this-is-last-video-i-click-on.html
The online activity of going to eBay and bidding/buying goods from other uses has led to many problems among buyers. I have heard many personal stories of people who once they start using the website begin to use it excessively and compulsively. In high school I babysat for a woman who certainly seemed to have PIU associated with eBay. Every time I went over she had lots of new clothes for her four year old daughter, and her living room was covered in piles of clothes she had bought or was ready to take pictures of and try sell on eBay. She explained her compulsive use of it, which showed me her apparent inability to control her online activity, which she did seem to feel guilty about because of her lack of control. She even said she was trying to hide some of it from her husband. I understand why it can become addictive; everyone likes to buy products for as cheap as they can. This website affords a great opportunity to find anything and everything that you want, and if you're lucky you can get it at an amazing price! It is also a great way to get paid for selling any old junk you may have lying around your house. While I have never experienced this first hand, I can understand why people may become addicted to find the best bargains, saving the most money possible and "winning" a product by having the best bid (it seems to have many similarities to gambling, to an extent).
While Caplan's PIU and psychosocial model does not exactly apply to this case, it can be modified to explain this addictive eBay behavior. Caplan described how individuals with psychosocial problems (loneliness and depression) often hold negative perceptions about their social competence (they have negative perceptions and do not want to go out and have real social interaction), which results in the preference for online interaction because it is less threatening. I do not think eBay can be described in this same way. Sure it may be true that people do not like going out in public to shop and feel uncomfortable socially interacting with sales people, but I think people enjoy eBay more for the "winning" aspect more so than the lack of social interaction. If someone has a psychosocial problem where they compulsively always have to be the best and out-do everyone else, in essence "be the winner" at all costs, they may feel socially incompetent to do this in a social way (such as making lots of friends or getting onto sports teams).. Or they may feel that they do not have the ability to shop in person and find the best deals available. Therefore, eBay would fill this immediate satisfaction. If someone wins a bid war over someone else, it may make them feel like they are a better strategist, or that they have more strength to "hold out" through the bid war to get the item that they really want. This leads into the next part of Caplans model, which explains peoples preference for Internet interaction. People may prefer eBay because they can then find any product they want and get it at a bargain, something they wouldn't be able to do in person. It is less threatening or less stressful because they do not need to worry about finding a product (for example, wondering if a movie store may have a certain movie) because there is a very likely chance that it will be on eBay. As individuals buy more and more products because they can find anything they want at such low costs, this will lead to excessive and compulsive online interaction, which enhances the problem. As a result, there will be a cyclic outcome, where psychosocial behaviors of not wanting to go out to shop and deal with searching for items becomes more of a problem.
Problematic Internet Use can happen to any individual. While 'online shopping' in general can be seen as a problem, eBay stands out among other shopping opportunities. It has the unique property that almost ANYTHING someone wants to find will be available (whereas when one looks at other websites to shop it's usually particularly for music, clothes, food, etc). Not only that, but someone can choose how much the product is worth to them, thus they can get something they've always wanted for a lot cheaper than if they went out to a store. It is no wonder that people are logged into their computers for hours at a time, arguing with someone in Iowa over how they will pay an extra three dollars for that special antique vase.
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