Table of Contents

Instructions for this report

• ONLINE IDENTITY -- EXPRESSIONS OF THE TRUE SELF?
• SCAMMING ONLINE -- CAN A CYBERSPACE CITIZEN HANDLE IT?
• FANTASY VS. REALITY -- WHO'S TO KNOW THE DIFFERENCE?

• CMC -- WHAT IS IT?
• VIRTUAL COMMUNITY OR VIRTUAL SETTLEMENT -- WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?

• TECHNOLOGY AND ONLINE BEHAVIOR -- HOW DO THEY RELATE?

• ASAKO SHINAGAWA (G5)
• LESLIE FRANCIS (G5)
• RYAN SHINTANI (G5)

By reading the excerpts from a listserv discussion group on virtual relationships, I've found that a majority of people find it easier to reveal their true self through online communication as opposed to face-to-face communication. It may not bring forth the same kind of interaction physically, but it does bring forth some kind of emotional contact and mental release in which many cyberspace citizens look for in their lives. Part of the discussion goes on to say that there are some people who take on an Other-persona for destructive reasons. This may be true in many cases, however, I believe that the essence of online communication is to express one's self fully without feeling stifled or condemned, openly and honestly. I'm sure however, that people do get criticized for things that are said online and even rejected for that matter. However, the important point here is that the cybercitizen is able to pour out their thoughts and opinions without having to go through the embarrassment of identifying themselves if they choose not to. It may be easier and to their advantage, I believe, to use the Internet as a medium to express what they have deep in their heart and soul. Virtual contact can be rich indeed, but I would think that there are people out there who abuse the privilege.

 How do we know if someone is truly honest, or authentic with us online? The fact of the matter is, is that we don't really know. A person could be deceiving or cunning just to get their kicks online. They can make us think that they are the most trustworthy person that we could have ever met in our lives but, in a lot of cases, hearts get broken just as it does with face-to-face communication. However, in my opinion, it really doesn't matter if they are honest, or deceiving because sooner or later we will find out the truth (hopefully) and, it is up to the user to determine whether or not he/she will accept what is being communicated or not. We can close the door to online communication and decide that it's not worth getting hurt over or, we can decide to take a chance. It is the same thing when we communicate face-to-face; A person could look you straight in the eyes and lie to you at the same time, but do we know if they are deceiving us, or do we think they are really honest? It's a matter of knowing in your heart and soul whether this person is legitimate or not. We all get hurt in one way or another many times, and I believe that the people who do get scammed online is their own fault -- no one to blame but yourself. We would like to give people the benefit of the doubt and assume that they are truthful, but the fact of the matter is that some people just aren't that way. As far as falling "in love" with someone online, it could possibly happen, but until one gets to meet them in person (face-to-face), in my opinion, I would hold my guard up. Sometimes we like to play games with each other, and it's up to us to know the difference when a game it being played (virtual reality).

There's nothing wrong in fantasy, but one has to be aware of the difference between fantasy and reality -- especially while on the net. I say this because cybercitizens tend to put on their masks after their nine to five workday (or whatever) and play out fantasy roles that inhabit their unconscious mind. I would assume that people get some kind of tension release by playing out roles that they have brewing in their unconscious minds, or conscious minds for that matter. Dr. James pointed out one day in class how we all have a consciousness of who we are, but we are not fully aware of it. Our mind is like a dark room (our consciousness) we are not so sure what's in it, however, if we shine a flash light within that dark room, we become more aware of what can be found in it. Does this necessarily mean that we have many personalities lying within our minds just waiting to be disclosed? Well, I'm not sure about that one, but I do know that sometimes we like to think of ourselves as someone that we would like to be -- which is sometimes hard to play out in reality. Computer based interaction is one way that we can act out whatever fantasy that we have in our minds. It doesn't necessarily mean that we are out to hurt anyone.

CMC -- WHAT IS IT? 

Computer mediated communication or CMC have researchers that are closely identified with archaeologists (those who focus on cultural artifacts). The difference is that CMC researchers focus on cultural artifacts via "virtual communities." Through this research, CMC archaeologists will be able to systematically provide an, "integrative framework for a community's life." In order to examine and model the framework for virtual community life (provided by their cultural artifacts), linguistic tools must be available for taxonomy. For example, are there more than one use for the term, "virtual community?" Confusion usually occurs when these types of terms are used. Therefore, researchers for CMC will attempt to give us deeper insight as to what these terms are all about. Furthermore, they will try to determine how and why virtual communities are sociological phenomena's and not just a series of CMC messages.

It seems that there are many views as to what the word "community" constitutes. In Webster's dictionary, community is described as, "a body of people with something in common, eg neighborhood, religion etc.; Rheingold, one of the prime popularizers of the term virtual community, describes it as, "...social aggregations that emerge from the Net when enough people carry on those public discussions long enough, with sufficient human feeling, to form webs of personal relationships in cyberspace." He goes on to say that, "whenever computer mediated communications technology becomes available to people anywhere, they inevitably build communities with it."

"Community, is a collective of kinship networks which share a common geographic territory, a common history, and a shared value system, usually rooted in a common religion." The term virtual community is an assemblage of people being "virtually" (what a person "makes real") a community than being a real community in the nostalgic sense. In other words, even though these communities aren't physically in a common geographic area, people who relate through the use of the internet are considered to share common history and value systems which is considered to be a virtual community. Both virtual communities and communities are composed of "groups." The only difference is, is that virtual communities come together online through the computer from virtually all over the world. People relate to one another through a process of online communication, and build relationships that may or may not flourish. This virtual reality will not go away anytime soon. In fact, it is widely being accepted by the majority of the world's population.

The term virtual settlement, on the other hand, is a place where people not only meet and gather, but they do it on a regular basis. It is the cyber-place within which a virtual community operates. For a cyber-place with associated group-CMC to be labeled as a virtual settlement, a minimum set of conditions need to be met. "1) A minimum level of interactivity: 2) A variety of communicators 3) A minimum level of sustained membership; and 4) a virtual common-public-space where a significant portion of interactive group-CMCs occur." Interactivity is the key word when describing what a virtual settlement is. It is a cyberplace in which significant interrelated interactive group-CMC occurs.

Technological determinists "propose that the invention and adoption of a particular technology will lead to a particular set of outcomes." Virtual Community commentator, Rheingold, suggests that there is a "predictable relationship between technology and people's behavior. He goes on to mention that, "whenever computer mediated communications technology becomes available to people anywhere, they inevitably build communities with it." How does the use of technology affect behavior? This question has left virtual community researchers with a dilemma about how to relate technology to new social structures while avoiding technological determinism. Virtual communities and virtual settlements will continue to grow and most likely take on a whole different kind of social structure. Through the use of group-CMC, people have more of an advantage to pick and choose just what sort of group they would like to be associated with.

I've never had the experience of "chatting" online, and I guess I never really thought about it too much to want to. I'm just now experiencing exactly what the computer has to offer me. For example, I never knew that virtual reality existed until I started doing research for this class. I think that it's a good concept for many people because it's another way of communicating to one another -- the only difference is, is that they are in their own world. I mean, we don't really know just who we are communicating to in cyberspace. Are the relationships that we encounter as a cybercitizen real enough for us to accept? As far as I'm concerned, until I get to know the concept fairly well and familiarize myself with virtual communities, I won't be able to grasp how true relationships can occur online (I'm trying to understand though).

I can't say how much I've enjoyed learning about this topic -- CMC. It has enlightened me in many ways. I have a better understanding of just what "virtual reality" is all about. I would definitely like to do more research on this topic to better understand just what I can get out of CMC. Virtual reality is becoming a true reality to many and is continuously growing. Communicating through the computer is a huge benefit that we have in this day and age. It has many advantages that people should look into to expand their horizons. As for myself, I will definitely try to get more in tune with all the features and concepts that the computer and virtual reality has to offer. I think it's great!

Asako Shinagawa (G5) has a lot of thoughts and feelings that relates with me. She seems as though she has gotten a lot out of this course. She has found out how virtual reality relates to the mind. According to her paper, "cyberspace is like the human mind, and it has also similar characteristics such as nonphysical existence and unlimited space for thoughts and feelings." She goes on to mention the aspects of how the human mind governs behavior in cyberspace. Cyberspace, according to Ms. Shinagawa, "allows people to express and/or generate their thoughts and feelings" -- the cognitive and affective part of the human intellect. She relates how she uses the computer through spiritual acts. For instance, what you feel (affect) and what you think (cognitive) all relates to what you do with the computer. This is how we make virtual communities real.

Leslie Francis (G5) reports on her experiences with newsgroups. Newsgroups are part of the CMC interaction. She explains how she explored newsgroups through the use of LavaNet's NewsXpress. She found it much easier that going into the UNIX operating system. Newsgroups, according to Ms. Francis, "tend to attract people with like interests and values." In cyberspace, we have many destinations that we can visit to get more information, chat, spam, email, etc. Ms. Francis introduces how newsgroups have a variety of subjects that can either have serious topics that relates to social issues , to others that don't have any issues at all -- such as cooking. I feel that newsgroups can be very helpful to people who have issues that they would like to discuss or debate with others through cyberspace. It gives the opportunity to get input, reactions, and even suggestions.

Ryan Shintani (G5) reports on the relationship between cyberspace and the human mind. He mentions how virtual reality does not have a physical form, but rather a spiritual interactivity between user and computer. He goes on to mention just how huge cyberspace and virtual reality is. For example, by logging in on the internet, gaining access to thousands of subjects is right at your fingertips. We can find many things in cyberspace such as newsgroups, chat rooms, home pages, etc. With all this information at hand, virtual reality becomes real. The computer, and the benefits that go along with it, is an extension of one's mind. We can make real whatever our minds want to make real. For example, chatting online can become a reality if both parties want to exist is that virtual world. Advertising, communicating, listing, advocating, all this is done through the computer via with the spiritual mind. The computer is just a means of getting the messages across.

My fellow G8 classmates seem to have more of an understanding of what CMC is all about. At the beginning of the semester none of us seemed to know hardly anything about the computer and the world that it had to offer. A few are first time explorers of cyberspace and virtual reality, however, after going into the depths of this research, many seem to grasp the concept of just what virtual reality, virtual communities, and virtual settlements is all about and seem to be on the verge of contributing great thoughts. This topic has sparked a lot of interest in getting to know more about the concepts that we make real through our minds.

Get to know everything you can about what the computer has to offer. Once you achieve this, it will become easier to grab onto and understand the concepts of the virtual world in cyberspace. Experiment, travel to other sites, go to chat rooms, in other words "Surf the Net." It'll eventually get you where you want to go.