Identity shifting is when an individual alters his or her true
identity when they enter a chat room on the internet. People hide their
true identity for many reasons. Some people do it because they simply
don't want others to know their true identity. Others may find it fun to
take on another identity to see the different types of reactions they
will get from their new identity. Dr. Suler
discusses this topic in his homepage.
Freedom
In cyber-psychology you have the freedom to write down your ideas. You
are in control of what you place on your web pages. You can express your
deepest secrets and share your ideas. There are no limits to what you
can publish on your web page. There is no editor editing work. Isnt'
that great!
Who would be interested in Cyber-Psychology?
I feel that everyone would be interested in entering the Cyber-Psychology
world because there are endless number of topics with cyber-space.
Cyber-communities are forming everyday, which means a new diverse batch
of people who share one common interest, CYBERSPACE!
I can remember when I was in the third grade and learning how to use the
computer that only had a 5 inch floppy drive. Boy, how time has
changed. Nowdays, they are teaching computer skills to kindergarten
children. Some kids know more than me about how a computer actually
works, which makes me feel a little old. Computers are so essential not
only in school settings, but we see them everywhere, in the workplace,
stores, and libraries. The world seems so dependent on computers. I feel
that everyone needs to know how to use a computer in order to live in the
90's. In a way it is sad because of the advanced technology of computers,
it has eliminated so many positions in business. My mother worked for an
insurance company for 30 years and during those years my mother has seen
many great co-workers lose their jobs to a computer replacement.
However, on the positive side, computers have made for better efficiency
on data and record keeping. In all, Cyberspace has space for everyone.
What are the topics?
As I mentioned before, cyber-psychology is
the study of people in cyber-communities the range of topics are endless.
Some topics may include studying their thoughts and feelings. Also, you
can explore their physiological effects of being in a a cyber-community.
As for me I think being in a cyber-community is very exhausting on the
body. My fingers, neck, and back start to ache from sitting and typing
for two hours. Also, it can drain you mentally from reading all the
different pages and then analyzing them to put into my own page. Although
I experience some negative effects, there were some positive effects,such
as I gained so much knowledge and understanding from reading other peoples
reports. I learned that many people share similiar experiences and
feelings while going through the learning process of cyber-psychology. If
you would like a taste of some topics, I found a web page that lists
different topics of
Cyber-Psych. It lists different disorders, addictions, organizations,
and many others!
What is Virtual Reality?
Dr. James defines virtual
reality as being created by interactivity. I support Dr. James'
definition, however I would like to add that virtual reality means "all most
real", and this ties in with interactivity on the Internet because an
individual does not exactly visit each page, or person face-to-face. But
it is the closest you'll get to actually being there.
What is the Relation between Cyberspace and the Mind?
First of all, let me define the mind, it is defined in the Merriam-Webster
dictionary as being, "the part of an individual that feels, perceives, and
reasons." Cyberspace is where the people in the cyber-communities
communicate. I think cyberspace and the mind are interconnected because as Dr. James stated that,
"This is the communal mind, achieved in cyberspace out of mutual interest
and reciprocal benefit." This means that an individual clicks on to a
certain page that he is interested in and is able to download it.
Also, both cyberspace and the mind have a never ending amount of space
to be filled with anything your mind could ever imagine. Your human mind
is capable of holding vast amounts of information, just like cyberspace.
What is the Spiritual significance of clicking on a link?
The significance of clicking on a link is a spiritual act according to Dr. James I feel that this
is true because an individual is using his or her moral judgements whether
or not he or she choses to click on to the link or not. There is no one
setting any rules, there is only the individual and his or her values and
morals. And by doing this act of not clicking or clicking the individual
is exercising his or her personal feelings, emotions, and interests.
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