Sleepless in Cyberspace?

The Psychology ofComputer Dependency

Steve Wheeler

Introduction

• Some experts state that approximately 1-5% of all Internet users are "addicted.“

• Anyone who uses a computer could be vulnerable, but especially those people who are lonely, shy, easily bored, or suffering from another addiction or impulse control disorder.

Source: http://www.utdallas.edu/counseling/selfhelp/computer-addiction.html

Definitions

• Addiction: a compulsion to repeat a behaviour regardless of its consequences.

• Dependency: a strong need for something, so that without it, the person cannot function properly.

• Computer Dependency: relying on computers to fulfil a need or compulsion.

Dependency Checklist

• Do you feel preoccupied with the Internet (thinking about previous on-line activity or anticipate next on-line session)?

• Do you feel the need to use the Internet with increasing amounts of time in order to achieve satisfaction?

• Have you repeatedly made unsuccessful efforts to control, cut back, or stop Internet use?

• Do you feel restless, moody, depressed, or irritable when attempting to cut down or stop Internet use?

Source: http://netaddiction.com/articles/newdisorder.htm

Dependency Checklist• Do you stay on-line longer than originally intended?

• Have you jeopardised or risked the loss of significant relationship, job, educational or career opportunity because of the Internet?

• Have you lied to family members, therapist, or others to conceal the extent of involvement with the Internet?

• Do you use the Internet as a way of escaping from problems or of relieving a dysphoric mood (e.g., feelings of helplessness, guilt, anxiety, depression)?

Source: http://netaddiction.com/articles/newdisorder.htm

Question

• What are the possible implications of computer dependency in schools….

• for teachers?

• for pupils?

•Video Games•Internet•Chat Rooms•Television•Mobile Phones•E-Mail

In pairs, find out the facts, figures and views on one of the following dependencies:

Time Allowed: about 1 Hour

GROUP Exercise

Video Games• Shotton: “Apart from increasing your

manual dexterity and hand-eye co-ordination, video games speed up your neural pathways.”

• Schlimme: “…playing violent [video] games may be associated with a tendency to behave more aggressively.”

DiscussSource: http://www.takingchildrenseriously.com/video_games_a_unique_educational_environment

Video Game Statistics (USA)

• 84 % of teens overall play video/electronic games. 92 % of boys play games.

• 90 % of teens say their parents "never" check the ratings before allowing them to rent or buy video games. 8 % say their parents "rarely" check the rating. Only 1 % of teens said their parents had ever kept them from getting a game because of its rating.

• 32 % of boys who play video games download them from the Internet.

• 89 % of teens (91 % of boys) say that their parents "never" put limits on how much time they may spend playing video games.

• The average teen likes a moderate amount of violence in their video games (roughly 5 on a scale of 1 to 10). Among boys only, the average teen likes a fair amount of violence (7 on a scale of 1 to 10).

Source: Media Family "Whoever Tells the Stories Defines the Culture", Dr. David Walsh

Two Views

• 1: The General Aggression Model, where “Violent media increase aggression by teaching observers how to aggress” (Anderson and Bushman 2001).

• 2: The Catharsis Theory, where “Video game playing may be a useful means of coping with (or releasing) pent-up aggression” (Emes 1997).

Source: http://www.nestafuturelab.org/research/reviews/08_15.htm

Albert Bandura (Social learning Theory)

b.f. sKINNER (OPERANT CONDITIONING)

• We tend to repeat behaviours that are periodically rewarded.

• Responses to postings or e-mails may be [near] instantaneous, reinforcing engagement with discussion groups/chat rooms.

See Wallace (1999) The Psychology of the Internet, Chapter 9.

LEON FESTINGER (Social Comparison Theory)

• People need to compare their abilities against those of others.

• People tend to compete with those with similar status to themselves, and not with those much higher or lower than themselves.

• Online gaming and Internet chat are possibly ‘levellers.’

Julian Rotter (LOCUS of CONTROL Theory)

• Internal control: used to describe the belief that control of future outcomes resides primarily in oneself

• External control: the expectancy that control is outside of oneself, either in the hands of powerful other people or due to fate/chance.

LEON FESTINGER (COGNITIVE DISSONANCE)

• We feel uncomfortable doing things that go against our attitudes, beliefs or values.

• This tension motivates us to find some way to bring our actions and thoughts into line with our beliefs.

• We can’t erase what we have done but we can modify our perception of it.

Abraham maslow(HUMAN NEEDS THEORY)

Abraham maslow(HUMAN NEEDS THEORY)

• Rheingold (1996) explained that the ways in which people use CMC always will be rooted in human needs, not hardware and software. He states how "words on a screen are quite capable of moving one to laughter or tears, of evoking anger or compassion, of creating a community from a collection of strangers."

Source: http://www.healthyplace.com/Communities/Addictions/netaddiction/articles/habitforming_2.htm

Social Support

• Companionship/Romance• Raised Status (beyond real life)• Anonymity• Security• Affirmation• Control

Source: http://www.healthyplace.com/Communities/Addictions/netaddiction/articles/habitforming_2.htm

steve-wheeler.net

Sleepless in Cyberspace?