Take a look at the following websites containing only the finest, intellectually stimulating material:
lalalaa.com
http://www.virtual-bubblewrap.com/popnow.shtml
www.leekspin.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXtRTCLIkhM
I sincerely hope for your sake that you were not expecting the latest report on Presidential Candidates, or the discovery of a cure for multiple sclerosis. These websites all have one thing in common: they are purposeless, except for their entertainment value and their temptation to help you procrastinate. (YouTube video is an exception, however the content of the particular video goes along with this idea). Websites that waste time, and have no social and/or economic value to the individual that visits them, are a potential cause of PIU. Problematic Internet Use is defined by Wallace as problematic behavior related to too much time online. The online psychological spaces of “Websites that Waste Time” are a potential cause of PIU because of that – they give people a reason to avoid their homework from professors or tasks designated by their boss. Such sites also provide stimulation, engagement, and entertainment without having to interact with other people face to face. These factors appeal to the four dimensions of PIU devised by Davis, Flett, and Besser (2002), which are (1) diminished impulse control (a website like the bubblewrap site provides easy and quick stimulation during an impulse to go online); (2) loneliness/depression; (3) social comfort (#s 2 and 3 can be mitigated temporarily by laughter elicited from checking out lalalaa.com); and (4) distraction/procrastination.
In light of Caplan’s study in 2004, excessive and compulsive use of the internet when viewing these sites can result in a frightening case of PIU. I would imagine that all of you have at least one friend who views useless websites a bit too much for his/her own good. Before tv-links.co.uk was taken down, many may have spent hours wasting time watching television show streams on their computers, resulting in negative academic, professional, and social consequences in their lives (the degree to which this may have occurred varies by person, of course). To the extent that people have negative self-perceptions of their social competence, they can be lured by the beautiful voice of a Japanese cartoon character on leekspin.com to help them forget about their loneliness. A two-dimensional character on a computer screen is certainly non-threatening, providing 100% entertainment and 0% judgement, giving an internet surfer a feeling of efficacy in a medium where they can’t screw up. The ultimate preference for online interaction with “websites that waste time” can detract from their attention in school and work, and can even result in their neglecting what minimal and sad social relationships they have in real life. A user’s neglect of real life problems through an excessively greedy use of the internet is transformed into even lower self-confidence, creating a sort of positive feedback between over-usage of the internet and low self-esteem.
These “websites that waste time” do not fold up and fit neatly into the box that is Caplan’s model of PIU, however. Different aspects of the Affordances of Internet Interaction do not apply to these special places on the internet. Since our wasteful sites offer no means of social interaction with others, anonymity, control over self-presentation, and self-disclosure do not play a role in the ultimate preference for going online. Less social risk and responsibility are present, as mentioned before. The Holly Dolly Horse (at least that’s the animal I believe it to be) from the fourth link above will never reject you, and will continue to provide happy scat and improvisational singing until you’re ready to move on.
Some unique aspects of these wonderful websites is that they can be interactive – nowhere else on the internet can you pop bubblewrap except at the official Bubblewrap website (not even Facebook!). The main aspect of these sites is their comedic value – they provide viewers with G-rated entertainment that you don’t find too much of in porn or gambling. Although social interaction is lacking in this web space, “websites that waste your time” can be stimulating and addicting to those who do not handle them properly.
Comments:
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2 comments:
Hi Kristina,
Great post! I know I definitely spend more time than I should You-tubing music videos, movie clips, and other random things. Your connections to theory were great, but I wonder if people who waste time on purposeless websites do it for other reasons other than those you stated. For example, I always wondered why of my old friends from high school who was very social and successful in every aspect became addicted to surfing the net for useless websites like the ones you linked. She didn't seem to have any problems at all. What kind of issues could have led her to border-line PIU? Your blog definitely narrows down possibilities and sheds insight on the matter.
I'm surprised your post doesn't have more comments - I wouldn't have thought to look at leekspin, etc. I've actually had a lot of acquaintances that got hooked on these and sites with flash games to the point where their academic work greatly suffered.
In terms of wasting time, Youtube is just a monster. Despite the fact that I never watch television, I can spend five straight hours watching random episodes of various series when I'm bored and I have to avoid being online entirely if I need to get work done. Maybe part of the appeal is the fact that I can watch exactly what I want, when I want it? Perhaps this holds true for others, as well.
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