I've decided to go ahead and tackle the ultimate CMC experience, which could be used for practicallly every blog assignment so far. That's right, I'm here to talk about facebook! It's widely used by college students today on a large scale. There are a plethora of features and things to keep people interested, and it's well known that there are many who sit on facebook for gargantuan periods of time for a variety of reasons. The vast social possibilities, and tempting areas for selective self-presentation draw people in, and keep them there. What can be said for certain is that facebook can lead to very Problematic Internet Usage(PIU from now on).
Problematic Internet Usage occurs when a person spends enough time on the computer for it to be called an addiction. The internet usage starts to effect other parts of their life in a negative way. This type of obsession easily takes place with many users on facebook. They get drawn into the medium of being able to post pictures, write on walls, poke, grab new applications, write notes, change their status, send messages, and lose touch with reality. You will often find people spending grossly larger amounts of time using facebook than they had originally planned, or stay on hoping something will change for hours at a time due to their addictions.
Caplan’s(2004) model on problematic internet usage states that those who have psychosocial problems will have more negative perceptions about their ability to socialize in real life. This, in turn, causes them to prefer a more mediated form of communication like CMC due to its lack of non-verbal cues, and unthreatening nature. This leads to some of the internet addiction and problematic usage we see today including some on facebook. There is many a lonely stalker on facebook, too scared to try FTF interaction, but still able to poke/message/application random people who they may not have had much contact with before. However, due to the extremely social nature of facebook as a medium, it can be assumed that this theory does not always apply to the problematic usage we see on facebook regularly.
4 comments:
I think you did a good job explaining how Facebook is associated with problematic internet use (PIU), especially in terms of excessive use. In terms of Caplan’s (2004) model, it is important to recognize that PIU is defined in regards to compulsive use as well. Concerning Facebook, this would include people’s inability to control their activity on Facebook, as well as feelings of guilt about their lack of control. I enjoyed your explanation and assessment of Caplan’s (2004) PIU model, and I was curious if you also looked into Wallace’s factors regarding PIU. I think that the principle of operant conditioning that Wallace describes as a property of the internet is particularly related to Facebook. When a behavior is rewarded on a variable schedule it is more difficult to extinguish and operant conditioning occurs. People are constantly drawn to check Facebook because wall posts, messages, and pokes arrive on an unpredictable schedule, which can thus influence some people’s PIU.
Nice job tackling Facebook. I really liked how you mentioned psychosocial problems in relation to Facebook usage. Personally, I don't turn to the Internet because of loneliness. I'm definitely not one of those people looking to meet new people online. But, when I am lonely (bored, with no work to do, alone in my room) I'll turn to Facebook as a source of entertainment and interaction, just because there's no one else around. Although I don't think that is consider that a psychosocial issue, Facebook is definitely a great definer of what lonely people do whether they are lonely with no friends all the time, or lonely with nothing to do for a few minutes.
I think you make great points about how Facebook is overused and can lead to PIU for many people. I guess just to play devil's advocate though, I feel like Facebook could also be the opposite or actually foster closer relationships and help the individual to have a better social life.
The reason I say this is even though people are constantly checking Facebook, I think most people, including myself, have Facebook open along with multiple windows so that Facebook is not the only nor the main thing they are looking at when on the computer. I know I frequently check Facebook, but only during breaks while I am working on assignments, emailng, chatting, etc.
I feel as if the main purpose of Facebook is to foster FTF relationships and connect people that normally would not be about to be in regular contact. Though spending too much time on Facebook is not a positive, because everything in moderation is best, I feel as if Facebook, the way it is designed, is not meant to lead to PIU.
Like any type of online site, there are individuals that are more prone to PIU because of their personality type, something the Internet is not responsible of because they have no control over that.
Overall I think you made a great argument for why Facebook can lead to PIU.
Hey Jeffrey! I definitely agree that Facebook is an Internet activity that can easily lead to problematic use. You outlined what aspects of Facebook can particularly lead to excessive use very well. I think part of what makes it so addictive, at least for myself, is the interactive aspect of the site. Most everytime you log in to the site, you contribute something new, making the user feel a sense of accomplishment rather than guilty about wasting time usually.
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