Carol N. Ohta's Site on Documents: Getting Hold of
Cyber-Psychology
"Documents I Found that are Worthwhile in Understanding
Cyber-psychology"
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[DR.JAMES]
Documents that I feel, think, and consider worthwhile to understand
what Cyber-Psychology means.
Dr. James said, "People gather in one place become an audience when
they achieve a joint focus." I think this is true. If I didn't like
exploring and writing on the Web, I don't think I'd be a part of the
Virtual Community that Dr. James is creating at the University of
Hawaii.
I agree that Virtual Reality on the Internet gathers people from all
over the world and achieves a general joint interest as to what the
capabilities that the Internet can provide for everyone's need. (James, 4-5).
"When they power up their computers, launch a program, write email,
or logon to their online service, users often feel- consciously or
subconsciously- that they are entering a "place" or "space" that is
filled with a wide array of meanings and purposes." (Suler, 1996)
In understanding that exploring the World Wide Web is a place to
travel and explore things, you'll have a better understanding at what
motivates, drives, catches your eye, and makes you want to explore and
journey into the Cyberspace Atmosphere. Meaning, in understanding what
you like and dislike doing on the World Wide Web, motivates and drives
you to either continue or discontinue you exploration into the Cyberspace
that you are in.
John Suler, Ph.D., Rider University. Human Becomes Electric: The
Basic Psychological Features of Cyberspace. Copyright notice: May,
1996.
"The virtual world is quite different than the in-person world.
Digitizing people, relationships, and groups has stretched the boundaries
of how and when humans can interact." (Suler, 1996)
If you are interested in knowing what Cyberspace is on the Internet,
you should really visit this site. This site really separates in-person
social interactions from the Cyberspace social interactions on the
Internet. In the paragraph of "Access to Numerous Relationship," he
really touches on the Psychological aspects of Psychology on the Internet
without you even thinking that their are drives and motivations that you
have when your online. Check it out.
"In this article I'd like to explore the parallels between Cyberspace
and altered states of consciousness, especially the states of mind that
surface in dreams." (Suler, 1996)
In the section Identity Shifting (Dissociation), Suler writes, "One
wishes to observe the action, to take it all in, to perhaps secretly
inject some influence- but without owning responsibility for any of it.
It's not unlike claiming that your dream is "JUST a dream"- thereby
disowning and distancing yourself from it." I think he's right. I do
this from time to time. I visit a place on the Internet and don't sign
into the guest book of the person I'm visiting. I think it deals with
consciously wanting to keep me anonymous.
I really enjoy Suler's section on Cyberspace as an Alternative to Dreaming.
"The virtual world can stir up all sorts of personal anxieties.
People may feel something is missing, that there's turbulence below the
surface, that this scenario is not completely under their thumb... But
unlike life in the physical world, you can easily hit the "off" button if
things get too uncomfortable in Cyberspace." (Suler, 13 of 18) This is
true, you can have control over what you want to see, hear, and
experience. If something you are seeing, and experiencing feels funny or
uncomfortable you do have the control to exit out of there, you don't
need to stay there and view something you do not like. In Cyberspace,
you can have the right to run away from the uncomfortable atmosphere. In
real life you can do that too, but you do have to deal with the fear,
anxiety, and emotion of the whole situation.
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Dr.
Leon James, Cyber-Psychology: Principles of Creating Virtual Presence.