For this assignment I decided to analyze how celebrity gossip blogs can easily lead to Problematic Internet Use (PIU). PIU, according to Caplan, is maladaptive cognitions and behaviors involving Internet use that result in negative academic, professional, and social consequences. Checking celebrity gossip blogs is something that I personally do everyday, and is an activity that, if abused or done by a person with certain social predispositions, can lead to PIU. Sites such as Perez Hilton and Just Jared offer users a 24/7 glimpse into the latest celebrity news. These sites often provide humorous commentary and are updated throughout the day. Much like other blogs, they allow viewers to comment on the entry, usually with no type of censorship. These features of celebrity gossip blogs make the potential for PIU great among its users. This constant access and updating can cause people to check the site much more than necessary. Additionally, the commenting feature allows people to attempt to boost their social competence, sometimes unsuccessfully.
Caplan’s model of Problematic Internet Use highlights two main factors that may lead someone to excessive use – psychosocial problems and Internet affordances. These factors certainly apply to the dangers of celebrity blogs. As mentioned earlier, someone with low social competence and other psychosocial problems can turn to the anonymity of the Internet to try do deal with those problems. You can see this on the comment walls of celebrity blogs when there are vulgar and sometimes even threatening messages posted back and forth between users. Also, the affordances of Internet interaction are important to consider. For example, there is a greater control over self-presentation, there is less perceived social risk, and less social responsibility. These affordances can help lead someone who reads celebrity gossip blogs to PIU. Specifically, someone may use these affordances to justify not going to the grocery store and picking up the latest magazine. Checking the blogs may overtake someone’s real-life social interactions, causing them to use the Internet excessively.
The main unique property of celebrity gossip blogs is that they are constantly being updated throughout the day. Users can check the site several times and find something new every time. This can easily to excessive use by the viewer. Another unique property is the commenting feature. This allows the user to actually influence what is on the site, and make a personal contribution. This feature can cause a person to constantly make an imprint upon the site in order to boost social competence, leading to PIU.
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6 comments:
I really enjoyed your blog on the Gossip sites. This is pretty embarrassing, and wouldn’t normally admit it to any of my friends, (Hopefully they don’t check the Comm 245 blog), but I find the celebrity gossip news stories really addicting. I only usually buy those magazines at the airport to waste time, and they certainly serve their purpose. I agree with your post that blogs have a lot of characteristics such as their constant updating, anonymity, and self presentation control make the them an ideal space for internet addiction. I would guess that the individual innate personality traits influence the development of the problematic internet use. I think that, for the most part, the people that love celebrity blogs have a lot of things in common. It would be interesting to find the extent as to which the patrons of the sites you mentioned rate similarly on the core 5 personality traits as well as their gender, economic status, race, and other information.
Great Post.
Hey Eden, great post. I think you really captured the essence of why these gossip blogs are so addicting – how often they are updated. If you know a site is updated once a day, you will probably only check it once a day. If you know a blog is updated every hour however, or every half hour, you’ll check it at least that often. Thus, sites that are up to the minute, offer a limitless number of points in the day at which an Internet user can look at the site and see something new. A gossip blog site would not be nearly as captivating if it was only updated once a day. Additionally, you hit on the second big factor – ability to comment and add to the site. Not only do gossip blog regulars like to post, but they probably feel that, if they are known as a consistent contributor to the sites atmosphere, there is some pressure to keep up that reputation. This was one of the Internet characteristics cited as causing PIU. Good observations.
Hi Eden. I really enjoyed your blog about celebrity gossip blogs as an activity that can lead to Problematic Internet Use. I check Perez Hilton first thing every morning! You make a good point that since the celebrity gossip blogs are being updated throughout the day this can lead to excessive use of the Internet. The celebrity gossip blogs constantly being updated can definitely increase the intensity of someone’s problematic Internet use. I wonder where the continual updating fits into Caplan’s Problematic Internet Use Model.
I thought your post was very interesting, especially because I am definitely someone who loves to check celebrity gossip sites. You clearly addressed many of the reasons why people continually check such gossip sites for the newest celebrity news. You point at that a unique property of gossip blogs is that they are constantly updated throughout the day. This is related to the principle of operant conditioning because new gossip posts are not generally updated on a predictable schedule. Instead new posts are added on a variable schedule, and because of this inconsistency people are even more likely to check the sites for updates. As you accurately describe in your post, it is not just the unique properties of celebrity gossip blogs that leads people to problematic internet use, but also the specific individual differences among gossip blog readers.
Hey Eden,
So although your post was great, I want to focus on one aspect of it. The thing that I think hit the nail right on the head was how the websites are constantly being updated throughout the day. I think it is this aspect of the Internet that makes it truly addicting. Kind of like how people are addicted to reading the newspaper which changes everyday, we are addicted to internet sites that change every second. As a result, it is no wonder that Internet addiction and PUI is much more serious than newspaper addiction will ever be. I see this pattern with facebook and websites like craigslist where the spontaneity of its nature makes you feel compelled to check it all the time. Whoever can come up with the next new big thing that is constantly changing will surely make millions.
Plus I think everyone loves a scandal -- Its our nature! Great post!
Hey Eden,
I found your blog very interesting. I really like reading about celebrity gossip news, especially as a break from doing work. You mentioned many good points. It's true that blogs are always updated so it can be really addicting. It's the same reasoning that applies to facebook. Since new posts run on a variable schedule, people will frequently check for new updates on the website which can become a serious problem. With more updates, people are continually drawn to the site to read what people have to say. In addition, it allows you as the reader to comment about the celebrity gossip. I can see how this constant need of checking updates can lead to problematic internet use.
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