Posts Tagged: research

Definitions and Attitudes towards “Normative Social Media Behaviors” and “Deviant Social Media Behaviors”of Online Pseudo-relationships on Social Media Websites

While researching reference material for my research topic, I came across a blog site that discussed what it meant to be in a pseudo-relationship. This relatively new term was defined on the site as being a “situation of two people where they are more than friends, but not considered to be dating. It is when you do things most couples do, yet, you have no strings attached, no commitments, nothing, just your togetherness and friendship.” I found this definition interesting because when applied to online social media sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, it appropriately described the relationships that users have with this medium in regards to their connections to other people on the site. I don’t know how many times I have heard my friends say “I mean I don’t really know him (her), but I’m friends with them on Facebook” as if that accounts for something. It is interesting that people feel they have a connection or relationship with another just because they are linked to them through a social media website. With this said, social media websites are radically changing societal norms in regards to personal relationships, privacy, and behaviors.

In this study, I would like to try and focus on this attitude behavior towards online relationships and what is considered as “normative” behavior today. Also I’d like to extend that and study at which point these attitudes begin to shift from what is considered “normative social media behavior” to what is considered “deviant social media behavior”, such as “stalkerism”, obsession, and addiction for example. I’d also like to explore how terms such as “friends”, “stalkers”, “addicts”, “obsession”, and “connection” are reconstructed throughout this process. For example, a new issue that has come up recently is Facebook’s new idea of including a “stalker button” as a feature that people can use to literally stalk others on the site at all times. In regards to this new idea, I’d like to include this in my study and examine how people feel about this possible new feature and whether or not they think that it is pushing the limits of normative behavior. For instance, would this inclusion of this interactive button be appropriate and therefore reaffirm normative behavior or do people feel that it’s crossing the line in regards to privacy and therefore would this feature be considered more as “deviant behavior”?

I believe that this study would be relevant to our culture today for many reasons. The first and main reason is that social media websites are becoming increasingly more popular everyday. Another reason is that I feel that the aforementioned term “pseudo-relationship” accurately defines people’s online relationships with social media websites because of this idea of indirect self-disclosure. In essence, when people have a medium unto which they can express themselves with some sort of barrier or by indirect means, I believe that they feel more comfortable and are more likely to self-disclose at a quicker rate to others.

Additionally, people may feel more comfortable to express themselves while connecting and networking with other people online through these sites than they would ordinarily. These sites allow for individuals to express themselves without concerns about censorship or fears of social rejection. This is an obvious, major reason why these websites are very popular and powerful among a wide range of people and therefore highly relevant to the construction of today’s cultural and societal norms.

Social media sites are great tools to use for the previous mentioned reasons. However, I believe that these pseudo-relationships can be abused and misused. There are many people who use these social media websites for other purposes, consciously and subconsciously, that in some ways are ultimately harmful to themselves and others. As an extreme example of this, there was a recent story in the news about a famous plastic surgeon, Dr. Frank Ryan, who died in a car accident because they claimed that he was twittering while driving and drove off of a cliff in Los Angeles from lack of attention.” Although this is a pretty radical story, and we do not know if Twitter was really the cause of his death, the story still brings up this idea that there may be a problem that needs to be acknowledged in regards with behaviors such as addiction and obsession to social media. I mean there are now PSA’s and public advocacy campaigns out there highlighting the dangers of texting and tweeting while driving. This, among other reasons, is why I believe that these deviant social behaviors, such as obsession and addiction, could potentially be a problem for society today and in the future and therefore needs to be addressed. First, we must understand what society considers to be a “normative” social behavior and what they label as a “deviant social behavior” and how they do this.

Therefore, for my research paper I would like to focus on the question of “How does social media and virtual pseudo-relationships that are formed through these online communities affect and redefine what is considered to be ‘normative social media behavior’ as well as ‘deviant social media behavior’ through terms such as obsession, addiction, and stalking?” For instance, is it considered socially acceptable now to check a persons Facebook numerous times in one day? What is too much? Where can the online community draw the line? I hope that this research study can clear up some of these answers.

I would like to use an interpretive approach to the study and attempt to ask the question of how online users habits and attitudes towards social media define cultural terms now such as “obsession”, “stalker”, “addiction”, “friends”, and “connection” towards social media behaviors. In essence, what can be considered typical user behavior on a social media site in comparison to abnormal behavior in regards to these issues? When do addicts or obsessive users reach what most people define as “stalker status” or can be labeled as a “Facebook addict” or “Twitter addict”?

To do this, I believe that I will try to create and distribute a trend survey either online or to other classes on campus with questions regarding people’s usages and attitudes towards two of the most popular social media websites, Twitter and Facebook. These questions will ask what they define as normative social media behaviors, and use this to identify and compare what they consider to be deviant social behaviors using key words “stalkerism”, addiction”, “privacy”, and “obsession”. I will also use the method of content analysis to research past work and other articles on this topic.

Online Gaming Addiction: Is online gaming the drug of the future?

Proposal by John Hartley

This research paper will discuss and dissect one of the most prevalent Internet problems of the day. That problem is addiction to online gaming. Since the Internet was introduced, even before online gaming, signs of addiction were prevalent throughout the United States with some studies dating back into the 1990s. The following research will show how, over time, this addiction has consumed massive amounts of users, from Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games such as World of Warcraft, to smaller browser-based games like FarmVille. This research is important to the future of the Internet and society as identifying the problem before it becomes too serious means a cure can be found. Many researchers have looked at past statistics of addiction and past technology surrounding online gaming, but few have hypothesized about the future and direction these online games are going.

The researcher will show how online gaming is and has become an addiction to many through past research on the topic and will make comparisons to drug addiction statistics (most closely marijuana). A definition of “addiction” will be set, followed by an outline of how each stage of addiction can be found in gamers and how addiction effects gamers’ lives. One article of study will show “The Effect of Computer Gaming on Subsequent Time Perception” (Luthman, Bliesener, Staude-Muller), which will solidify a major effect of online gaming addiction.

Through statistics, comparisons will be drawn and will then be applied to the main statement: Online gaming is becoming the next major addiction of the future. By looking at studies dealing with endorphin release and general brain function while playing video games, the research will again show a deep comparison to drug addiction. Along with the study of endorphin release, the researcher will also call on information from the psychological and medical communities for studies on the adverse effects this condition can have on addicts. In the second half of the paper, the study will point to why online gaming has the potential to be the “drug” of choice in the future. By analyzing virtual reality platforms and accessibility with widely popular games like “FarmVille” the researcher will build his case.

Through this study, new information is expected to be found showing that there is a pattern in the online gaming culture that is leading to more addicts every year. A correlation will most likely be found between online gaming usage and drug abuse. Statistical analysis may be gathered with simple ANOVA tables, which will prove or disprove any correlation between the two. If a correlation cannot be disproved the researcher will hypothesize on the future of online gaming addiction using the studies and research already used for the backing of the study. A survey may also lend to this research, contrasting drug use and online gaming use and reasons for each.

With this research, online gaming addiction could be better understood, leading to a possible “cure” for gamers worldwide. The research also has potential to have an interactive format, which would help it spread across many mediums.

After an entire week of training, I think its safe to say that we’ve officially become the Batmen (and women) of interactive media and communication. We are ready to get out there and solve the comm mysteries and restore to order to the chaos. No further explanation is needed right? In the likely the case that the bat-metaphor goes over your head, allow me to explain. Let’s consider what we learned in this week’s reading: types of knowledge, comm. theory genres, research principles and practices, research and measurement techniques, and the practical application of all these things. In essence, we’ve acquired a communications batbelt of tools. From this point on, whenever we encounter a new mystery, we can simply reach to our belt and pull out the right tool to remedy the situation.

As we discussed in class, that’s all these things really are, tools. A theory, or research methods like interviews or statistical analysis, merely give us the ability to tackle larger questions and issues. After all, Batman did not succeed because of any superpowers. Only through applying the right tool at the right time was he capable to take down the villains. So really, the responsibility still rides with us. We have to move beyond looking at the comm theories and definitions in our reading as vague generalizations, and onto using them in practical application, whether that is building a new flash site or exploring new online trends.

So what tools do we have on the belt, and can they help me answer of my previous questions? Well let’s consider my first quandary: do the old-school comm theory rules still apply? Well I guess it depends on what we’re looking at. The Hypodermic Needle might be a tad obsolete, but it does open up an interesting conversation. How influential is the media on individuals and how is that influence acted out? The Uses and Gratifications theory is a great way to examine how and why people consume certain media. And as for the more general techniques, like hypotheses, variables, constructs, and measurements… these are instrumental, not only to communications studies, but to any type of academic study. These techniques make it possible for us to focus our minds on specific cause-and-effect relationships.

My following questions dealt with the nature of interactive media and causality. Namely, how to provide the user with an optimal experience. Well that’s where we get into the research methods discussed in the third chapter. Aside from creating projects as engaging as we can, based on expert grad school educations, we’ll also have to tailor our projects toward the audiences whom we expect to interact with our creations. Whether through anecdotal research like interviews, or measure the ways people interact with the site, there are numerous ways for us to provide the best interactive media available.

So kids, looking towards the rest of the semester, program, and our careers, remember to have your belt strapped on at all times, for you never know when you’ll need to reach for another trusty bat-theory.

• Are there any particular reoccurring theories that seem to be most relevant to interactive media studies (more specifically, recent studies in the implications of social media growth, for instance?) …And if so, what do these theories suggest?
• What, if any, are the theories that have become outdated since the fading of traditional media and the subsequent birth of interactive media?
• What research or studies have been conducted most recently that has given way to brand new theories about the development of interactive media?
• What are the most highly debated theories regarding the development of interactive media, and/or what are, if any, the theories that have been widely accepted?