Psychology
of Online Virtual Relationships:
The Future of Humanity?
Instructions
for this Report
Summary of Listserv
In the Listserv article, all the topics are similar
to problems associated with cyberspace. Most of the discussion deals with
false identities, spaming, flaming, Internet dependency, and work-related
uses for the Internet. Also, some briefly mentioned topics such as user
growth rates, and expectations of online relationships.
False identities in cyberspace are destructive
because they can promote negative responses. An example of this is a man
who fell in love with a woman online. When he met her in real life, he
found that she had lied about her physical appearance. She was also distraught
that the man cared so much about physique and not the person he fell in
love with. However, the Internet provides a way of connecting people on
a much higher level than romance. Intellectual connection has been achieved
emotionally, which provides opportunity for growth. The 'Net also provides
for a lightning quick transfer of ideas which enables efficiency.
Much of the discussion went to the problems of
hacking and spaming. Lawsuits have been filed and this tests the Constitution
on what freedom is. It was agreed that Internet providers should help with
verifying ID to control spaming. Also, many lie on the 'Net because they
think of it as fun. Some people take it seriously and lies hurt them very
much. This controversy has been temorarily resolved in the sense that if
you're not willing to play, don't get on-line. Some netizens can recognize
people who are malicious and in some examples have resorted to counter-spaming
or even mail bombings. I personally agree with the resolution because I
feel romance should be left to the physical world. I mean that I definitely
prefer to interact with a person, in person. In cyberspace there are too
many "ifs" and I don't care for that type of thing. I've been to chat rooms
and I see the lies and crap that go on. I have lied much and I haven't
considered the effects on the person I was talking to. I don't feel obligated
if I have crushed a person(not like I have) because they should expect
the Internet to be well, an illusion.
Flaming is also a very "hot" topic because the
discussion feels the need for netiquette. Some participants have voiced
concern because of the abundance of foul language, sometimes turning in
to direct threats. I also am concerned because I have witnessed this in
a chat room. I feel the threats are basically for fun or to liven up the
room, but what if some were to take it seriously? I know that some rooms
will kick you out if you become too disruptive, but what if little children
see it? Children are like a blank slate and they will learn to flame and
talk trash too. This can affect their interactions in cyberspace and the
physical world.
What I found interesting was the discussion on
Internet dependency. I did not know this type of phenomenon existed and
I found it rather strange. There is actually a clinic called the Lifestream
Behavior Center and it treats those who are addicted to cyberspace. Addiction
is characterized by a compulsive need to inhabit a false world they have
created through lying and deciet. People think that this disorder may be
due to boredom in the physical world and I agree. I mean, why not? The
Internet can fulfill other needs when the basics are met. You can have
a relationship on-line!
Also discussed, was the use of the Internet for
work purposes. The discussion yielded uses for pathology and some psychotherapy.
I don't agree with this usage, especially for psychological purposes because
I feel that the person-person contact needed can only be achieved physically.
Even though it cuts time and increases convienence, I just don't see how
the quality of treatment can be the same. As for the pathology, I found
that treating ailments with alternative techniques such as asian remedies,
can be effective and I don't see anything wrong with it. This is because
the interaction here is the same as if you were to go to a pharmacy. The
pharmacist just tells you what to take, something you can do yourself on-line.
The discussion included some students from UH
and gave their reflections of the Internet. Basically they all said that
the Internet connects Hawaii to the world. We are no longer isolated and
can share our ideas and learn new ones. An interesting outlook was that
Hawaii people tend to be rooted in asian culture which emphasizes shame.
This limits personal contact and the Internet provides a way for these
people to be open in the comfort of privacy. I agree with the students
because I see the isolation and close-knit of families in Hawaii. I think
that the world can learn a lot about the way Hawaii is and the Internet
is definitely the tool.
Summary of Quentin Jones
The article by Quentin Jones talks of three major
topics. Virtual Communities, Virtual Settlements, and Cyber-Archaeology
are all connected to each other in way. Mr. Jones claims that cyberspace
has created these terms on accident and now much debate over them has appeared.
Virtual Communities by definition are technically
not communities. They are the social type of gathering which became inevitable
with the ease of access to a computer. Business profits big from Virtual
Communities because they are a great way of sharing ideas, showing research
and communicating quickly. The debate on what a Virtual Community is stems
from the arguments of sociologists. Personally, I feel that the sociologists
should accept VC as a true community because it differs. This is a community
on-line and there are no boundries limiting cyberspace. Why can't a community
exist on-line? The sociologists don't have an answer for this, but it is
agreed that there is a need to distinguish the Virtual Community cyberplace
from the actual Virtual Community. I agree with this because you can't
call the VC website the actual community. The community exists within the
cyberplace like a housing community exists within a place called Waikele.
Virtual Settlements are a factor in the Virtual
Community. The VS defines characteristics that make up a community. There
are four basic parts:
1. The minimal level of interactivity is the level of interaction
no longer characterized by face-to-face meeting. This deals with the magnitude
of messages sent in sequence that all relate to each other.
2. Variety of communication is linked to number 1 and represents
the variation of the messages sent in a virtual community.
3. Common-public-space where the majority of interaction occurs
may relate to cyberspace. There are many questions here about where actually
interaction happens. This is characterized by disputed boundries and vague
solutions. One argument is that if interaction exists without a cyberplace,
doesn't that lead to loss of uniqueness from all other CMC?
4. Minimum of sustained membership refers to the quantity
of long-term users which contributes to the CMC user traffic. More users
may bring stability to the virtual community but what about the problem
of slow servers or inability to connect at certain times?
This Virtual Settlement is a bit unclear to me.
I am under the impression that the VS is a significant part of the VC.
It seems to me that the VS should be more of the focus in the debate of
whether a virtual community is a real community. The VS should be analyzed
by the sociologists, not the term Virtual Community. I feel that the VS
is the VC because it defines and gives meaning to the whole.
Cyber-Archaeology refers to the interest in the
transformation of human habitation in the virtual world. These researchers
want to understand how technical determinism affected the CMC which in
turn affected human behavior in cyberspace. They want to analyze the result
of this, or the Virtual Community. Researchers use a technique called pre-requisite
and bounded heiarchy. This has allowed for the determination that advances
in technology possibly served as the pre-requisite for behavior in cyberspace.
Also mentioned is the thought that humans have limits on cognitive processes.
Some researchers believe that human are limited by biology in the processing
of information. They claim that our understanding of cognition is so infant-like,
that cyberspace contains just too much information for us to handle right
now. A troubling question is what is the impact of cognitive processes
on the structure of virtual communities when cognitive processes are not
well understood? I think that cyber-archaeology sports some complex views.
Perhaps if they were more parsimonious in their definitions, their ideas
would have more hold. I found the pre-requisite/bounded theory to be very
confusing. Bounded refers to what? Also, the theory that we have very little
understanding of cognition, I support. It has been claimed that we use
about 10% of our brain in everyday actions? I cannot imagine what using
50% would amount to! I feel that the strive to understand cognition should
be researched before the reasons how we attained behavior on the 'Net.
The benefits of cognition will result to much more.
Maxichat Review
Maxichat is a site where a person can enter a chat
room. This site is free and is open to the entire world. What happens is
that the site automatically gives you a username. Since I live in the United
States I had a US173 ID. From that point one can type a message and click
on an icon that says send. You can also see what all other chatters are
talking about as well as your own message. People in this chat room seem
to have an exclusive group. To really be in on the chatting, you have to
interact with one of the "members". My guess is that you must frequent
the chat room and create your own personal ID. If by some chance you are
accepted in to the circle, you basically talk about things in your life.
What ou accomplished, what you are going to do on Friday night are very
hot topics. By observing the members, I found that there is one really
obnoxious person named Beavis. He teases and degrades all the other members
especially a girl named Chelsy. This in turn, enrages Chelsy's friends
who threaten and use very foul language against Beavis. It seems to me
that the hour I was logged in to Maxichat, thats all that happened. There
are many users not chatting, probably reading what the circle is saying.
I think the circle acts this way because they are bored with the usual
topics like where are you from. My guess is that these people spend hours
in Maxichat several times a week. I viewed this as having a social life
most of us don't think of as socializing. I feel that Beavis is the extrovert
because he needs to rile up people to have fun. Overall, Maxichat was not
a fun experience, then again maybe I just had the wrong combination of
chatters.
Car-club Review
This car-club was very interesting because it dealt
with Japanese sports cars. I found this site to have an excellent layout
complete with high-grade JPEGS and animated graphics. This site was open
to anyone for viewing, but to become a member of any of the clubs, you
had to give personal information and documentation that you have the car
in question. This site had almost any make of cars ranging from European
and Japanese imports to domestic muscle cars. When a person becomes part
of a club, they are mailed annual or monthly information regarding meetings,
BBQs, social events, or shows. They have a picture of their car on the
website with brief facts about the engine modifications and the like. My
guess is that members interact physically with others in their area and
maybe chat with members in a different area via chat rooms. It is an interaction
of people with like interests and hobbies. I view it as a type of bond
between car owners, perhaps for a sense of belonging. I think that the
number one result of being in a club is for acceptance and socialization.
Cape Cod 5 Review
Cape Cod 5 refers to a banking franchise in the Northeast
United States. I found it by using net search on lobbies. I found it interesting
because I don't know of any local bank that offers service over the Internet.
I also found it questionable how confidentiality is kept. People interact
here just as they would in an ordinary bank. I think Internet service is
a good idea here because many places are remote and a great distance away
from a bank. Cape Cod 5 has service for all banking components. My guess
is that you can talk to an operator who is an on-line teller. They specify
banking hours for the lobby as well as the 'Net which gives customers a
lot of convienence. Customers can get satisfaction from the comfort of
their home and can also dial in anytime to check account balances. I think
that the owners of Cape Cod 5 are very future-minded and have the potential
to become leaders in the on-line banking experience. I think that they
go to the utmost level of committment to their customers' satisfaction.
Internet Cafe Review
The Internet Cafe gives regular cafe service and
connection to the world wide web. Basically, you can walk in to the cafe,
order a drink and hop on the 'Net. Customers can interact with anyone on-line
anywhere in the world. They can also meet other customers in the cafe and
interact physically. This is sort of ironic but the cafe is a regular service.
Customers can also login to the cafe and chat with the other customers,
perhaps setting up meetings or other social activities. Customers go to
internet cafes because they can surf the 'Net with the same quality results,
a bonus if they don't own a computer. They also can form relationships
and friendships because they meet people with like interests. I don't feel
that most customers hang out at internet cafes to find romance. I think
they are just interested in similar things and want to talk to others to
share or gain information.
Impact of this Research
Since compiling all this various information, I have
begun to view the Internet as the single, most important tool of the future.
I cannot see how cyberspace would be excluded from business or pleasure
because it is already a central part in many people's lives. The Internet
will link everything in the future, even education and work. I see total
dependence but no effect to human individuality. Cultures will be linked
to one another which will allow understanding to prosper and the disappearance
of racism and prejudice. Humanity will become unified and we can all work
to a common goal such as exploring the oceans and the stars. Societies
will evolve faster because the 'Net will link all nations and provide for
a quick transfer of inventions, ideas and resolutions to conflict. With
all this good, there must be some bad and the possibility is very real.
What about the increased chance of scamming, or fraud? How about the existence
of bank accounts and personal information accessible to anyone with the
proper password? The possibility of dictatorship by being able to obtain
needs only through cyberspace? This dark part of the future has very real
potential to occur, therefore we must ensure today that this never happens
tomorrow.
Ms. Singh, Report 1
Ms.
Singh, G5 did her report #1 on the topic of virtual relationships on
the 'Net. She begins with the admittance that she is a "newbie" to cyberspace
and web page design. Ms. Singh then summarizes what Dr. James cites about
virtual relationships and how they relate to the mind. Virtual Relationships
are expanded greatly by the abundance of computers and access to cyberspace.
In cyberspace, destinations are endless because its like exploring the
thoughts people have. According to Dr. James, interactivity in cyberspace
is communication at a higher level and this allows for a higher quality
of thought. Also, the brain and mind are an analogy of hardware and software.
The mind corresponds to the thought and ideas that make up cyberspace,
but can only exist with a brain or the hardware. This leads to the idea
of dualism, or a correlation of mind and brain without a cause-effect relationship.
Virtual Communities may flourish with a communal of minds which strengthens
Virtual Reality. She then talks of the necessary steps to succeed in cyberspace.
First of all, an interest or willing to learn is central. Second, one must
master the on-line skills and third, Dr. James' class can help conquer
fears about computers. Hypertext navigation is the next part of her report
and says that it is the gateway to cyberspace. It allows thoughts, ideas
to be linked together, separated by the click of the mouse. No laws, constraints,
or limits inhabit hypertext navigation. Ms. Singh also refers to a virtual
book or a navigation vehicle. She gives links to G4 reports: Carol
Ohta, Jami Kaneshiro,
and Michelle Alonzo. Also,
a link to another
cyberpsychologist, Jon
Suler's page. She then wraps it up by listing her personal feelings
toward what she had learned and what the future holds for cyberspace.
Ms. Singh's suggestions to conquering your fears
of cyberspace are good, but did not help me. First of all, I never really
had a fear of computers, I was very interested in learning about cyberspace.
I only became fearful after realizing the complexity of it! I thought that
her keys to becoming a citizen of the 'Net were accurate because your interest
has to be in cyberspace. I also found her reference to virtual reality
helpful in reading and understanding the Listserv article because she explained
some topics in simpler form. I found her projections for the future of
cyberspace to be similar to my own. I realized from her report that Internet
knowledge is a must for future generations.
Ms. Francis, Report 1
Ms.
Francis, G5 reports about her experience with newsgroups and its ups
and downs. She emphasizes the use of NewsXpress, a way of finding newsgroup
articles, because it is very straightforward and simple. She likens it
to bookmarking web sites. Ms. Francis also gives an analysis of the types
of articles she found. She noticed many short postings and discussions
of flaming and spaming and solutions to it. Actual flaming was rare, and
discussions that became a little heated produced reactions with different
degrees of civility. She also participated in a discussion, and said that
if you find a topic you can relate to, interacting with all the other participants
is easy. Also listed, is a community response to newsgroups. She observed
a group who engaged in counter-spaming. Internet vigilantes is what they
were and some were known to be a bit extreme because they have sent mail
bombs.
I found Ms. Francis' report to be interesting
because it is very informative, yet not lengthy. I found that her mentioning
of the Internet vigilantes were quite a shock because some of these people
take their "duty" too seriously. Mail bombs are no joke, they can kill
someone. This is a possible threat of the future, especially if everyone
and every nation is interconnected via the Internet. This can lead to a
type of on-line terrorism. This is a topic I had not thought of before
reading Ms. Francis' report and I think it is very commendable.
Ms. Shinagawa, Report 1
Ms.
Shinagawa, G5 also reports on the topic of virtual relationships. She
also admits that she knows very little of computers and wants to conquer
this fear with Dr. James' class. These reports forced her to do research
which led to a huge increase in cyberspace knowledge. Like Ms. Singh's
report, Ms. Shinagawa summarizes Dr. James' definition of virtual reality.
Cyberspace is like computer space because there is no limitations on thoughts
and storage. She mentions "Netizens" or people who interact on the 'Net.
A dualist relationship exists between a netizen and citizen because they
are one. Sometimes one is a citizen, for example, working and buying the
groceries, and other times one is a netizen because they interact with
others in a chat room on-line. Communal minds create virtual reality because
you can do anything and go anywhere, your mind can roam freely. Hypertext
navigation is an essential part of the 'Net because it gives no need for
face-to-face interaction which can produce stereotypes. Also, isolation
is conquered by hypertext because it links everything on the Internet together.
Forming virtual reality is attractive to young people because it allows
for a virtual ID, one with no bias, prejudice or stereotypes. Links to
other reports include:
Junko Hashizame,
Ryan Mitsui,
and Kathy Morifuji. Comments
on how integrated cyberspace in the future will be ends her report.
I found Ms. Shinagawa's report to be very helpful
because I agree with her views on the importance of cyberspace in the future.
Her dualist belief that netizens and citizens exist is also an interesting
part of the report. That helped me understand the possibility of total
change in personality when a person enters a chat room. I feel that her
outlook for the future will be accurate because cyberspace has influenced
society so quickly in the past 4 years, perhaps in 15 years it will be
a dependency for humanity.
Impressions & Reactions
Upon exploring the other reports in the class, I found that
many of my peers had a similar layout of the Report 1. I designed my table
at the top to include the background of clouds. However, I seem to have
been unsuccessful because when I uploaded it, nothing came out. I liked
some other tables because their backgrounds were colored. Perhaps if I
ever figure out how to get the cloud background, I will upload it. But
if not, then maybe I will color it. I also liked my peers' links to other
reports and their easy-to-read font styles. It makes the reports a lot
easier to follow. I expect everyone's Report 2 to be just as good.
For the Future
My suggestions for any future generations who read
this report is that you should try and grasp a firm understanding of cyberspace.
I forsee the majority of the things we do, being integrated on the 'Net.
Things like buying cars and tickets are already on the Internet and maybe
one day, something like going to the doctor will be online. I feel that
the understanding of hypertext navigation is very important. Companies
will pay a good salary to keep up their home page with the latest designs,
graphics, and navigation capabilities. I have only achieved an analysis
of virtual relationships. Perhaps the future generations can actually experiment
and directly observe the types of relationships that occur in cyberspace.
Maybe conduct a newsgroup or discussion on virtual relationships. The possibilities
are endless!
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