Assignment 9: Away Messages

AIM can be a virtual quick sand for some unfortunate users. For this reason you will rarely if ever find me signed on to AIM but if you do you can bet that I am checking everyone of my buddies away messages incessantly until my paper is due in the next hour and I have successfully written only the first sentence. AIM is a great tool for many to stay in touch with family and friends, multi-task, talk to several people at once and just stay connected in general. But for some AIM, particularly incessant away message stalking, can lead to problematic internet use (PIU), especially interfering with productivity and academics.

Wallace (1999) attributes certain properties of the internet to increased PIU. In the case of away message checking operant conditioning and maintenance of virtual presence are most relevant. Operant conditioning describes when a behavior is rewarded with a variable schedule, the behavior is more difficult to extinguish. One of the most addictive factors of AIM away messages is the possibility of constant change and update. Even if you have already checked everyone’s away message twice over there is always the possibility of being rewarded with a new status or quote to read in an updated away message. This possibility perpetuates the desire to stalk away messages and makes it seem as though wasting all that time was worthwhile. In addition, maintenance of virtual presence plays a big role in the PIU associated with away message checking. Because AIM is interactive and stalkers are also able to put up away messages and presumably change them often. With the idea that others will be checking their updated status with as much dedication as they would be themselves, changing their away message serves as another rewarding experience.

The online cognition scale from Davis et al predicts PIU on certain dimensions of an individual. In the case of away message stalking distraction and procrastination may be the most prominent. For most, myself included, problematic internet use occurs most when there are other, less exciting tasks in front of us that we do not want to do. Away messages are incredibly distracting especially because of their property of operant conditioning and especially in those that are prone to procrastinate. Who hasn’t claimed that they’ll just look once at some away messages and then be able to continue on with that paper? In addition, diminished impulse control plays a role in away message stalking. I have found myself unable to not click on a buddy if a little box in the corner of my screen has appeared telling me they are away. The ease and the quickness of checking makes impulses that much more difficult to deny. Finally loneliness and social comfort are factors of an individual that affect away message stalking. Those that feel lonely are more likely to check away messages and most likely perpetuate that feeling and a feeling of social comfort is also provided by the fact that individuals can know what people are doing and feel somewhat connected without having to step outside of a comfort zone and engage in synchronous chat or face to face encounter.

Caplan describes problematic internet use as maladaptive cognitions and behaviors involving internet use that result in negative academic, professional, and social consequences. Behavior relating to excessive use, spending too much time online, and compulsive use, an inability to control the amount of time spent online often accompanied by guilt, are indicators of PIU. AIM away messages can certainly perpetuate these behaviors in many individuals. Inordinate amounts of time are spent compulsively checking for updates often with feelings of “why did I do this” if no reward is received in the form of a new away message. The affordances of internet interaction that are described that are factors in away message stalking are greater anonymity and less perceived social risk. The idea that a certain person does not know that you have checked his or her away message ten times in the last five minutes spurs the behavior to reoccur. This same idea comes into play in less perceived social risk. Knowing that people are not aware of your behavior in addition to feeling like you have a better idea of what they are doing significantly increases the feeling of comfort in continuing the away message checking. Being able to mediate online interactions with the help of away messages and the information that they can sometimes provide can diminish the perceived social risk that one may feel in communicating through another medium.

For some individuals away message stalking can become problematic and interfere with academic life or stunt social encounters but it is a combination of both the factors and affordances of the internet/ AIM and the individuals factors and partiality to online mediated communication that can push this behavior from innocent amusement to problematic behavior.