PIU stands for Problematic Internet Use and is defined as problematic behavior related to too much time online. This problematic behavior results in academic, professional, and social consequences. PIU is influenced by psychosocial issues within the individual and also the affordances offered by online spaces.
World of Warcraft (or MMO playing in general), which I feel will be a popular topic covered by the class in this assignment, can be a very addicting internet game that is often associated with PIU. In World of Warcraft (WOW) you manipulate an avatar of your choosing in an online world called Azeroth. Within this space, there are guilds and factions (Alliance vs Horde) that divide up the social interaction and drive the in-game group formation as well as conflict. You develop relationships with other players that you meet in the game and complete quests which are mini missions that can be completed to gain experience and receive items.
World of Warcraft can lead to PIU and this is influenced by Caplan’s (2004) list of affordances of internet addiction:
1. Greater anonymity: WOW provides anonymity through the use of an avatar to represent your in-game self. You control how much of yourself others get to know and as a result you can remain as anonymous as you wish to be.
2. Greater control of self-presentation: Briefly alluded to within the previous bullet, was the ability to control how much of yourself you reveal to others. This is especially relevant in that you get to control your own self-presentation. If you want to have brown hair, voluptuous lips, and be a woman, you can be. Or, on a more grounded note, you have time to formulate your responses and think about how your avatar will represent you.
3. More intense and intimate self disclosure: More intense relationships can initially be formed online and this is partially based on your willingness to self-disclose information online to others. Friendships you form online in a game like World of Warcraft can be very influential. When a friend or someone in your guild asks you to stay online to help with a quest, you sometimes may feel obligated or have a real desire, as a friend, to stay and help out. When your online friends need you, especially ones that you have developed intense intimate relationships with due to interaction frequency and common ground (factors from Haythornwaite (2007)), you feel like you need to be there for them.
4. Less perceived social risk: If you are not face to face with an individual, as you would not be in WOW, you worry less about how you present yourself and the perceived risk associated with that presentation.
5. Less social responsibility: Online you are not face to face with an individual and therefore are less obligated/responsible for maintaining that social relationship. This comes back to you being able to choose who you want to be friends with and how good of friends you want to be. If you don’t want to help someone with a quest, you don’t have to. You could always act like you went idle or aren’t there. However, in face to face if someone asked you for help and you stood still and acted like you weren’t there, it wouldn’t be nearly as effective.
Psychosocial factors of an individual that plays an MMO also apply. I have friends that started to play and quit after a month and I have friends that still play and have been playing ever since the game was released. These friends that still play, also do so in an excessive manner. I am sure the internet affordances influence how much they play but another major factor in how much they play are psychosocial factors and a possibly addictive personality.
There are two very funny episodes titled IMAPWNU OF AZEROTH and I <3>
http://www.purepwnage.com/episodes/s1/6/index.html
http://www.purepwnage.com/episodes/s1/11/
My other comments:
No comments:
Post a Comment