Memo

My goal in this project was to determine if social communication devices are providing me with a healthy device to meet people and stay in touch with friends and family. I want to find if they are healthy for me to use regularly, and determine if they actually improve my social sphere – not just the number of friends I have. I also wanted to examine what the negative effects of internet technologies are, such as people developing addictions to these technologies. My final topic idea was sparked because of my interest in considering Internet technologies affect on my life and maintaining the relationships. I find myself every day using technologies such as Spidermail, Facebook, Twitter, and Ichat to communicate with my parents, sister, best friends, and girlfriend. Much of my time is spent using these technologies, and I want to examine if it has a negative effect. At the same time, however, I believe it helps because I can communicate with the new people I meet more easily. Therefore, I believe that social communication technologies make it easier overall to communicate. The major biase I held going into this project was that internet technology addictions did not exist; I did not think they had the power to change a person’s life that dramatically. I have many questions that I would like to answer through this project. First, is the time I spend using these technologies time well spent in terms of a healthy way to communicate? Is this Internet technology beneficial to my outside environment or does it hold me back from what is around me? Do studies show that Internet technology fills all the needs to maintain a strong and healthy relationship? I hope my resulting evidence will explore the answers to these questions, and many new topics that play into these questions that I would have never imagined. I could not cover in this project the other internet technologies and especially virtual worlds that are very addicting, and I would definitely recommend to a student to study these types of addictions. Here is my essay, enjoy!

Essay

Internet technology does fulfill all of the needs to maintain a strong and healthy relationship. Technology such as Facebook will allow people to find out about one another without ever meeting face to face. It identifies the relationship status of a person, his interests, his current mood, and so on. You can basically completely identify who a person is. Some people I think become too engaged in Facebook. I think it is wonderful that it allows you to find out about people without meeting them, but I think it is a bit “over the top” when people I have never met in person Facebook chat me. I really am not that bothered by a friend request if we go to the same school and I don’t know the person, but if I have never met him and he Facebook instant messages me asking me what I am doing, then I think he has gone too far with his power to communicate through Facebook. This has happened to me numerous times, when other students are just trying to find something to do at night or just because they are bored.

Social scientists have a name for this sort of incessant online contact. They call it “ambient awareness.” It is, they say, very much like being physically near someone and picking up on his mood through the little things he does — body language, sighs, stray comments — out of the corner of your eye (Thompson). 

Technology has allowed you to figure many of the questions without ever meeting the person face to face. It is the first of many social networking sites that can allow people to find out even the smallest bit of details about one another, and also communicate with them. If you are satisfied with how a person looks, their interests and moods, and communicated with them by chatting or writing on their wall, then you are creating or maintaining the tools of a strong and healthy relationship. It completely can keep you satisfied with someone without even seeing him. There are even technologies now that can help find out what one is doing more often if facebook does not satisfy your needs. Twitter is a microblogging device that posts updates that are:  “far shorter, far more frequent and less carefully considered” (Thompson). With this technology, you can find out what someone is doing down to every last detail. Twitter may not seem interesting if you just read one thread, but “Follow it for a day, though, and it begins to feel like a short story; follow it for a month, and it’s a novel” (Thompson). By finding what someone is doing every day, you begin to discover behavior patterns and their daily schedule and routine. You can see how they feel about parts of their day, such as getting up or going to work. In fact, it can make you so close to people that you can predict what they’re doing. It can even benefit your own plans; for instance, if you announced what your weekend plans are maybe a follower on your twitter can meet you there. To put it simply, twitter connects you with people by discovering their daily routine, being able to tell their mood without actually meeting them, and even making your weekend plans.

Twitter allows you to connect and follow as many people as you desire. This technology, along with others, allows people to expand the number of close relationships they have. “In 1998, the anthropologist Robin Dunbar argued that each human has a hard-wired upper limit on the number of people he or she can personally know at one time” (Thompson). Dunbar predicted that the average human usually makes about 150 close bonds in his or her lifetime (the Dunbar number). With communication networks such as Facebook and Twitter, people are able to expand their Dumbar number because it lets them keep in touch with people they might have lost acquaintance with or not know very well. So Internet technology can not only maintain strong relationships, but also create more by giving more opportunity to associate with people. Along with this, technology such as Twitter allows you to observe your own actions, and become more aware of your mood with your daily tasks: “The act of stopping several times a day to observe what you’re feeling or thinking can become, after weeks and weeks, a sort of philosophical act. It’s like the Greek dictum to “know thyself,” or the therapeutic concept of mindfulness” (Thompson). Self-reflection can often encourage one to improve his or her life.

The next study I examined showed that people actually become more involved in healthy activities in their society because they use online technologies. The author found data from a study done by the Princeton Survey Research International group and sponsored by the Pew Internet and American Life Project.

In fact, people who regularly use digital technologies are more social than the average American and more likely to visit parks and cafes, or volunteer for local organizations, according to the study, which was based on telephone interviews with a national sample of 2,512 adults living in the continental United States (Olsen). 

The study shows that people’s use of the Internet is associated with more diverse discussion networks. Also, when researchers reviewed each individual’s personal network, considering both their strong and weak ties, Internet use in general and the use of social networking sites are associated with more diverse social networks. The use of Internet technology provides people with more awareness to the current events happening around them. It gives them control of anything they want to know about. The rise of this technology therefore has helped people become less isolated because it is a database that allows people to become more involved. It lets people explore their passions and locally find what they are interested in. As noted from previous evidence, Olsen’s article also explains that people actually expand their social circle with evidence that people who use online photos or instant messages actually have a 9% larger social circle than nonusers. (Olsen) Along with this claim, the Princeton Survey study shows that once these social circles are created, they are maintained, especially with people of our generation: “The use of social networking services to maintain core networks is highest among 18-22-year-olds. Thirty percent of 18-22-year-olds use a social networking service to maintain contact with 90% or more of their core influentials” (Pew Internet).

So what do I do when I have the power of Internet technology at my fingertips? Personally, I believe girls log into Facebook more time than guys because they are more interested in the key attraction that Facebook has to offer: Gossip. They are interested in new pictures, new status updates, new wall posts, etc. just because it will give them something to talk to each other about and judge one another. I personally only log onto Facebook usually once every day. I check out if I have any new notifications, then I examine the live feed, and when it strikes me that I am aimlessly wasting my time I usually logoff then. AIM is another story, however, because I can easily lose track of how much time I spend on that. Video chatting on AIM is the closest I can feel to friends back at home. I usually video chat every day, varying on the amounts of time depending on the obligations the person I am talking to and myself have. Usually some time in the evening I will Video chat with either my girlfriend or my best friend. We spend anywhere from 15 minutes to an hour just talking, or many times just checking ourselves out in the little box that shows you instead of the person you are talking to make sure you look good. This portion of time in the evening could have easily been spent talking to kids in my hall or doing homework, but instead it is spent sitting on my bed talking to my friends from home. Then, the other personal uses of Internet technology for me include constantly checking my email, checking my Cross Country Coach’s Twitter page, and checking various running websites. Of course, these are usual habits to procrastinate by looking at something online that interests you, but I feel that I do this excessively and for every 2 hours I am on the computer doing work at least a half hour is spent doing these things. So all together, I probably spend about an hour and a half each night using Internet technology. That is not very healthy, considering most of my day is spent at Cross Country Practice, eating, sleeping, going to class, and doing homework. That leaves basically no free time to talk to friends here besides while I am eating.

To conclude the points I have explained, I found an article that shows from studies that people who use the internet can have an increase in the size of their local and distant social circles, their face-to-face interaction with family and friends, community activity involvement, and trust in people (Owens). Social networking sites also allow people to express their true selves to the public, listing their interests and activities, which they may have been too shy to expose these if one was in a position to present to the public. Also, when Internet partners liked each other, they projected qualities of their ideal friends to each other (more so than face-to-face) (Owens).

Now I would like to examine Second Life’s effect on my social interactions. Does it help me communicate and meet people easily, and is it healthy for me to communicate with people in Second Life?

The first thing I noticed about Second Life is that it is very accepting of all different kinds of people, as is our modern world today. Our world has come to be accepting of all ethnicities, races, sexual preferences, and everything that can define a human beings individuality. We live in a fast paced society where if you can’t accept people for who they are, and then you are the one that is wrong. When I got to college, I noticed different types of people whom I never had the chance to meet at a small all boys private school. It was truly an eye opening experience to meet all of these people, and even more impressing that everyone is accepting of all kinds. I suppose I come from a sheltered area where the majority of people are white Catholics, but I really enjoyed seeing this new adjustment. I feel that the different types of people in Second Life is a perfect example of what our world has come to accept today. I think this is healthy, and very beneficial because learning different perspectives from different backgrounds can be one of the most beneficial things I can learn in today’s society.

In Second Life, we’re not Americans, Europeans, Australians, Brazilians, Japanese, all sharing the same environment, tolerating each other’s views and cultures, and getting together for inter-cultural discussion, friendship, and business. We’re so much more than that: we’re Second Life Residents, and we have our own culture, our own way to establish relationships and make business (Lleweyln).

Since Second Life allows you to be whomever you want, there is no way to tell what background you are from; no accents, no skin tone. In Second Life, the most you can do to judge a person’s appearance is appreciate their creativity. Though some may think having a completely different avatar appearance than what you actually look like may sound “creepy”, it makes you appreciate the people for their inner qualities. As many people say, “I don’t see color” in real life, it is the same of how Second Life viewers see each other. It is a healthy way to accept people for who they are, not what they look like.

Second Life is healthy in this acceptance way for the most part, even though there are some studies that point to health issues. But what could make Second Life unhealthy (as with any other virtual world) is that it can either become an addiction or you can feel intimately involved in it. When I searched “Second Life Addiction” on Google, I found numerous blogs and articles telling about how being addicted to Second Life has ruined their real life. People become too involved in Second Life by creating the life they want to live; making beautiful avatars, gorgeous homes, buying clothes, meeting numerous friends, etc. Then I found an article from the Philadelphia Inquirer that posted questions to address people if they have a problem such as:  Are you addicted to SL? When you walk down the street in RL, do you find yourself trying to right-click people to see their details? Do you walk in RL at all? These questions can actually make people realize that they have addictions to it. There are comments from this article of people saying they have spent all the waking hours of the day on Second Life, losing real life relationships and salaries. Then, there is the falling into intimacy with avatars in Second Life – an addiction that can be even harder to end. Carmen first became enthralled by Second Life she joined a Gorean Slave community, where she would be role-playing a female slave while men took them by the collar and purchased them. At the time, she had also met an avatar named Riz who she eventually fell in love with and talked to many times a day over the phone.  The two of them became very addicted to the Gor role-playing community, and Carmen even got the idea hire a psychologist to come talk to the other female slaves in Second Life about being abused by their suitors. As she became more and more obsessed with her virtual life, her real life began to fall apart. When she was doing poorly in her real life, she used Second Life as an escape from her depression. Then, Riz just stopped talking to her and appearing in Second Life. Carmen, as a result, deleted all of her online accounts and committed suicide. This shows that when Second Life becomes an addiction, your real life can turn to ruin. If you do not receive help then, the consequences of this addiction can be fatal.

Since I found evidence regarding Second Life addiction, I was interested to see if other social communicating technologies such as Facebook is also addicting. And the resulting evidence is yes, there are disorders caused from both Facebook and Twitter. In fact, Facebook is the leading cause of Internet Addiction Disorder (Moote). Some of the signs of this addiction are similar to those from Second Life, such as: “2/. After reduction of Facebook use or cessation, it causes distress or impairs social, personal or occupational functioning such as wondering why your Vista is so fast and improved etc. These include anxiety; obsessive thinking about what is written on your wall on Facebook etc.” (Moote). This addiction is similar to being addicted to Second Life because it is destroying your real life. The major difference (reason why Second Life addiction is more serious), is that Facebook and twitter are not a role playing virtual world where you can not completely change your identity.

So what did I learn from this study? My theory was correct, social communication devices do in fact allow me to communicate more effectively to whomever I choose. The people I talk to do not necessarily have to be people from home, I can talk to friends from school online also. The technologies invented such as Facebook, Twitter, and Ichat really are amazing because they are unique and effective in their own ways. Facebook allows people to get an idea of what someone they just met would be like, Twitter can help you discover the interests and activities of other people, and Ichat is just a convenient and unique way to talk to someone face to face without actually being in front of them. These devices are healthy, and undoubtedly can improve your social sphere. Second Life has the same ability to improve and expand relationships with people, and it reflects today’s societal views on not to judge someone on their appearance. In this way, it is very healthy, but since you are given the ability to create your ideal life, it can turn into a fantasyland that you may never want to leave. As long as you are aware of the negative effects of Second Life and do not let it get in the way of your real life, Second Life is a great way to communicate. I definitely learned a lot from this study both about the way I use these Internet technologies and also the power they hold and opportunities they create. I hope you have learned something too!

Works Cited:

Thompson, Clive. “Brave New World of Digital Intimacy” The New York Times. September 7^th, 2008. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/07/magazine/07awareness-t.html?_r=3&oref=slogin&ref=magazine&pagewanted=print

Olsen, Stefanie. “Does Technology Reduce Social Isolation” The New York Times. November 5^th, 2009. http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/05/does-technology-reduce-social-isolation/?pagemode=print

Owens, Laura. “The Internet and Social Relationships” Suite101.com. April 23^rd, 2009. http://psychology.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_internet_and_social_relationships%C2%A0

Hampton, Keith / Sessions, Laura / Eun Ja Her /  Rainie, Lee.  “Social Isolation and New Technology” Pew Internet. November 4^th, 2009.   http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2009/18--Social-Isolation-and-New-Technology.aspx

Talamasca, Akela. “SL Addiction, Do You Have A Problem?” Odds and Ends. October 13^th, 2006.   http://www.secondlifeinsider.com/2006/10/13/sl-addiction-do-you-have-a-problem/

Meadows, Mark Steven /  Ludlow, Peters. “A Virtual Life, An Actual Death”. Hplus magazine. September 2^nd, 2009.  http://www.hplusmagazine.com/articles/virtual-reality/virtual-life-actual-death 

Moote, Idris. “Are You Suffering from Facebook Addiction Disorder?” FutureLab. June 1^st, 2008.  http://www.futurelab.net/blogs/marketing-strategy-innovation/2008/05/are_you_suffering_from_faceboo.html 

Yee, Nick. “Social Architecture in MMOs.” The Daedulus Project. June 10^th, 2008.  http://www.nickyee.com/index-daedalus.html

Au, Wagner James. “Has Second Life Cut its Mullet?” New World Notes. September 29^th, 2009.  http://nwn.blogs.com/nwn/2009/09/new.html

Mandell, Jonathan. “Are Gadgets, And the Internet, Actually Addictive?” CNN.com/technology. July 3^rd, 2007. http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/ptech/07/01/la.tech.addictions/index.html

Greenfield, David. “Internet Abuse Test.” Your Information Source on Internet Addiction. 2009.  http://www.virtual-addiction.com/

Ross, Winston. “Internet addiction sounds like a punch line, but it ruined my brother’s life.” A World Wide Woe. October 8^th, 2009. http://www.newsweek.com/id/216911