Module 5 Reflections
In reflecting on this module and the slide presentation, “CMC and Internet Psychology”, I was struck by a lot of the statistics in the slideshow. I also was struck by just how much Prezi presentations are way too jumpy for my liking with all of the zooming and animations.
In reflecting on this module and the slide presentation, “CMC and Internet Psychology”, I was struck by a lot of the statistics in the slideshow. I also was struck by just how much Prezi presentations are way too jumpy for my liking with all of the zooming and animations.
One of the
statistics that struck me was about online dating were that I expected the
percentages to be higher at this stage in the game. I feel like most single
people that I know, including one of my 64-year-old coworkers, utilize some form
of online dating and meet up groups. I read an article that people gravitate
toward online dating for the following reasons: anonymity, fulfillment of
emotional needs, opportunity to meet a larger pool of people with similar
interests, and the ability to be more open due to the veil of anonymity (Pace, Reid,
and Santarelli).
Regardless,
I suppose the methods of how they determined the numbers would have to be seen
to better understand the outcome. Did anyone else think the numbers were low?
The other
stats from the presentation that stood out for me was the one from the Barak
and Suler article about how much the internet has woven itself into the fabric
of everyone’s lives, including nations that are considered to be third world
countries in some regards still. I feel this poses a problem because the true
basic needs of people and societies should be addressed before other
advancements, which just leave the rest of the people further behind. Also, the
final piece that I noticed was from the Prezi about how the Internet affects
our sense of self. I feel that both the positive and negative theories have
good points and that there is truth in both, but it would depend on the
specific instance being referenced. The Internet definitely impacts us
psychologically in more ways than just interactions and communication. Some retailers
are so interested in the online behaviors of customers that they hire
psychologists in order to better understand what makes people purchase items,
so that they can get them to do so (Ossola).
Works Cited
Ossola,
Alexandra. "Internet Psychologists Study How the Web Affects Us (and Make
You Click 'Buy')." Motherboard. N.p., 30 Jan. 2015. Web. 06 Aug.
2016.
Pace,
Megan, April Reid, and Jonathan Santarelli. "The Psychology of Internet." My
Webspace Files. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Aug. 2016.
Kimberly,
ReplyDeleteI agree with your takeaway about the online dating numbers seeming low. I have many friends who are single or divorced that are involved in online dating. I also find it hard to believe because that is what most people, in my peer group, started out doing when the internet began to take off. Meeting people in chat rooms was the thing to do back in the mid-90's. With that said, since we are wired to seek companionship, the internet makes it so easy to connect with people for that reason. Therefore, I think the numbers are much, much higher than what we saw in the Prezi presentation.
I also like the point you brought up about how the rapid advancement of the internet is leaving countries behind, instead of helping them meet their basic needs. While there are many great organizations and non-profits out there helping real third world countries, it does seem that the nations continuing to excel quickly with the internet are forgetting about such basic needs of living that less advanced nations still have. I suppose it remains to be seen how this will change but I am not overly optimistic that it will change for the better.