Problematic Internet Use (PIU) is defined as problematic behavior related to too much time online. One online activity that I find can be associated with PIU is blogging. I decided to use this internet space as my example after observing Google group members last week. Not all bloggers are problematic internet users, but as observed in several groups, some people constantly post and respond to comments. The reason that these blogs can lead to PIU is due to both the affordance of the online space and psychosocial issues.
Wallace explains that operant conditioning and maintenance of virtual presence are two key attributes of the internet that can lead to PIU. Operant conditioning is when a behavior is rewarded with a variable schedule it is more difficult to extinguish. This is true with blogging because once you post, you never know when someone else will respond to your message (the reward). Maintenance of virtual presence is the idea that in this online space, the more time you spend, the more people know you and therefore the more you become part of the group. The more time you spend in your blog posting about to other people’s thoughts and relating to them, the more you will get to know the other members. Davis et al. predicted individual differences such as loneliness/depression, social comfort, and distraction/procrastination promote PIU. In the case of blogs, sometimes people may turn to posting their thoughts online as opposed to any other way due their loneliness or inability to talk to people FTF. Social comfort is also relevant because with these blogs often individuals are not comfortable in a FTF social setting and therefore turn online. For example, there are blogs about feeling shy, depressed, sad. etc. People on the blog we observed explained they do not feel easy about talking to people FTF and sought advice online. Finally distraction/procrastination from a stressful event is another reason people blog.
Caplan’s model can also apply to bloggers. According to Caplan’s model, individuals with psychosocial problems hold negative perceptions about their social competence and therefore prefer online interaction. This preference leads to excessive and compulsive use, worsening the problem. In the case of bloggers, as I said before, not all bloggers classify as problematic internet users. The key is blogging excessively (quantity that exceed normal use) and compulsively (inability to control one’s online activity) can lead to PIU. One reason that a person may feel more comfortable blogging is because you can remain anonymous. In a blog, some people do reveal their names, while others use fake names to stay unknown. Also, online, there is removal of gating features. In other words, any physical or social flaw they may feel uneasy about FTF is not apparent in a blog. Sometimes blogs are actually for the purposes of helping individuals cope with these anxieties.
A unique feature of a blog compared to other spaces is that blogs are themed with certain topics. Sometimes these topics are individuals dealing with depression, shyness, etc. When people post excessively or compulsively on these types of blogs, it is easy to recognize how Caplan’s model is relevant.
1 comment:
Hi Katelyn - that's an interesting point that you bring up that I had never thought of before. A lot of the time when we post something up on a blog or through notes on facebook or something like that, we don't really realize how much more comfortable we are in this anonymous situation. It's not exactly anonymous per se, but the fact of the matter is that we don't know who's going to read it, and that might facilitate better communication about one's self, especially if they have psychosocial problems.
Blog posting is a form of communication much like posting an away message. While the audience is not quite the same, They're still quite similar in the fact that we're talking blindly about ourselves to the larger world. And when we are unaware of who is going to read our comments, then we're probably going to communicate more. It's somewhat of a shot in the dark that you'll get what you want, but if you don't, what can go wrong?
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