"INTERNET USE" (Learning Journal Week 8)

This week's task is all about internet use and its extremeties. The article below
talks extensively about this also, pls follow the link below to read the article in full. Research show that there is a normal/abnormal use of the internet as seen
in the article below. Interestingly, this article's focus is on the pathological
effects of extreme internet use. Griffts (below) in his analysis of internet use looks at issues such as compulsive use despite harm (pathology), dependence on the
net, addiction etc. i suppose this relates to last week's discussions about the
"internet paradox", its psychological effects on users such as depression,
lonliness and so on.

Over the years, internet use has been an increasing cause for concern. Parents
have been really concerned not only about who uses the net but more about the
contents/use of the net. This article highlights the fears of misuse such as online
child grooming, paedophilia etc.

on the other hand, whilst the paradox seems to focus on people using the net
as a remedy to loneliness, 'internet use' presents the view of compulsive use
of the internet. in other words, that only the extreme/compulsive use of the
internet gives rise to issues such as paedophilia and not the 'normal' use of the net.
I suppose one could argue that the internet or rather, extreme use ofthe internet
gives rise to bad behaviour such as online child grooming, Arguably!

What is "Normal" Internet Use?

Psychologists have been studying abnormal Internet use since the late 1990s. In another article I discussed a presentation on pathological Internet use by Mark Griffiths at the American Psychological Association's 1997 annual convention. Griffiths used a model of addiction to analyze the behavior of several different people who had problems with their Internet use. What is normal Internet use? Several different answers were presented as a part of a symposium at APA. Victor Brenner studied Internet use through a World Wide Web survey. His preliminary results were published in Psychological Reports in 1997. He presented further results at APA that were consistent with the earlier results.
Brenner's subjects reported an average of 19 hours per week of Internet use. Many reported up to 10 signs of interference in role functioning (primarily failure to manage time, missing sleep, missing meals, etc.) .

A surprising result is that 80% of the sample reported at least five of these signs. These numbers suggest that the presence of some level of these problems is normal, and therefore should not be considered as pathological. The Internet seems to be a compelling medium, and some disruption in our lives is normal if we spend much time online.
http://mentalhealth.about.com/cs/sexaddict/a/normalinet.htm


"Netizens" different to "Newbies"

A Netizen (a portmanteau of Internet and citizen) [also known as a cybercitizen] is a person actively involved in online communities. Netizens use the Internet to engage in activities of the extended social groups of the internetworks (i.e., giving and receiving viewpoints, furnishing information, fostering the Internet as an intellectual and a social resource, and making choices for the self-assembled communities). Generally, a netizen can be any user of the worldwide, unstructured forums of the Internet. The word netizen itself was created by Michael Hauben (see first two external links below).

Netizens are Internet users who utilize the networks from their home, workplace, or school (among other places). Netizens try to be conducive to the Internet's use and growth. Netizens, who use and know about the network of networks, usually have a self-imposed responsibility to make certain that it is improved in its development while encouraging free speech and open access.
The term has been used most frequently recently in Korea and China where there are vigorous netizens movements. The election of President Roh Moo-hyun of South Korea in 2002 is widely attributed to the support for him among South Korean netizens, especially OhmyNews.

Netizens, one of the first books detailing the Internet, looks at the creation and development of this participatory global computer network. The authors conducted online research to find out what makes the Internet "tick". This research results in an informative examination of the pioneering vision and actions that have helped make the Net possible.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netizen
Please follow the link to read a reviewof Netizens i found
http://www.jetcafe.org/~npc/reviews/computing/netizens.html
"Newbies"
The word newbie is used mostly in Internet gaming culture. Its definition is to be new to something, mainly video games or an internet service.