PsyChOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF CyBERSPACE

1. PsyChOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF CyBERSPACE

2. What is cyberspace?

3. In its current usage the term cyberspace is aglobal network of interdependent information technology infrastructures,telecommunications networks and computer processing systems.

4. Cyberspace also stands for the meaning of “computer,” “computer network,” or “virtual reality”. The term has become a conventional means to describe anything associated with the Internet.

5. The network of minds In cyberspace we exchange our minds with others, we share our minds with others and develop our minds. In network reality there is a dialogical development of meaning.

6. “As people view the e-mail, web page or instant message written by an online companion, some people truly feel that their minds are connected to or even blended with the minds of the others”. (Suler 2007)

7. In the network of minds there is an interaction between minds. Individual brain-frame changed to inter-brainframe.

8. Positive aspects of cyberspace: temporal flexibility, no limitation of space, social multiplicity, textual communication, recordability,speed of exchanging information, entertainment, better informing, empowerment of human potential, equality, diminution of hallo effect...

9. Temporal flexibility • Time in cyberspace is flexible; • Streching of time; • Synchronouscommunication via chat rooms; metaworlds (avatars); • Asynchronous communication via e-mail, or forum discussions;

10. No limitation of space Geographical distance in cyberspace don’t exist.Computer network enable people to find each other without the limitation of time and space.

11. Social multiplicity In cyberspace a person can communicate with hundreds, perhaps thousands of people. By posting a message within a blog, discussion board, or social network, which are read by countless numbers of users, people are connected with others who match their interests.

12. Textual communication • E-mail, chat, instant messaging, SMS, and blogs continue to be the most common forms of social interaction; • Present oneʼs identity, perceive the identity of oneʼs online companion, and establish a relationship; • Some people feel that they can express themselves better in writing;

13. Recordability • The advantage of typed text that can always be saved (on disks, tapes), printed or stored in standard files; • In cyberspace people can reexperience and reevaluate any part of the relationship they wish;

14. Speed of exchanging information In cyberspace there is the ease and speed with which messages transmit across huge distances. People can send and get messages in very short time.

15. Entertainment • Through movies, video games, music, online books, magazines, and chatting the Internet offers people entertainment; • Internet has become a source of entertainment for the millions of people across the world;

16. More informing • In cyberspace people are better informed than in real life; • Through a lot of online newspapers, magazines, books and bulletin boards people can find any information they want;

17. Empowerment • Empowerment includes full development ofhuman potential, which means freedom from biases, compulsions, hostility, self-doubt, lack of understanding, and an unreflective acceptance of ideologies; • It helps develop creativity and personal identity;

18. Equality • The Internet does not discriminate and marginalize people by gender, class or ethnicity; • It gives people the opportunity to show their own ideas by creating their own sites for the World Wide Web; • Everybody can publicate on Internet his opinions, needs, interests and aspirations;

19. Diminution of hallo effect • In cyberspace the perception of one trait (i.e. a characteristic of a person or object) is not influenced by the perception of another trait (or several traits) of that person or object; • In cyberspace people cannot judge personality by its physical appearance;

20. Negative aspects of cyberspace: lack of sensual integration, absorbing information without filtering it, frustration caused by technical difficulties, redefining identity, cyberstalking, behavioral disinhibition, feeling that happiness belongs to others, cyberaddiction...

21. Lack of sensual integration In text based communication the failure of voices, facial expressions, or body language can cause misinterpretations. Tactile stimulation, gustative, olfactive and spatial feeling is lowonline.

22. Absorbing information without filtering it • Not all information on Internet is good, true, valid, or has quality; • Individuals can become unthinking consumers of the electronically- produced meanings flowing over the Internet; • Network leads individuals to expect that they can find a tool that can quickly solve every problem;

23. Frustration caused by technical difficulties • Frustration with technology can halt progress in a course; • It seems that students become paralyzed until the technical issue is resolved;

24. Redefining identity The Internet can distort ideas, and manipulate receivers, especially with youths that are vulnerable to uncritical acceptance of oppressive ideologies.

25. Feeling that happiness belongs to others • Social network sites (e.g. Facebook, Twitter...) can cause sadness and loneliness to people; • Looking at “happy” photos of others can cause that some people start to be convinced that other people lead a perfect life and they overestimate otherʼs happiness;

26. Cyberstalking Can be present in a variety of ways such as: • threatening or obscene e-mails; • spamming; • live chat harassment (flaming) • leaving improper messages onboards or in guest books; • sending electronic viruses or unsolicited e-mail and so on;

27. Behavioral disinhibition • Internet encourages anti-normative, aggressive, uninhibited behavior; • In cyberspace people are not constrained by the social rules; there is no negative feedback;

28. Cyberaddiction • Davis (2001) distinguishes the two types of Internet addictions as: specific and general; • Specific (e.g. gambling, stock trading); • General - multidimensional overuse of the Internet itself that result in negative personal and professional consequences;

29. Facebook addiction • People donʼt notice the vast amount of time and energy they devote to Facebook; • Facebook Addiction Disorder;

30. Psychosocial globalization, education online, anomymity as positive or negative aspects?

31. Online psychosocial globalization Positive aspects • Through social networking sites (e.g. Facebook, Myspace, Twitter) and virtual worlds (e.g. Second Life, World of Warcraft) people with common interests can share information, work together, tell stories, joke around, debate politics, help each other out, or play games.

32. Negative aspects • In cyberspace can communicate only those who have the possibility to communicate through the computer media.

33. Online education Positive aspects • Cyberstudentsgain new skills ; • Stronger motivation; • Multimedia usage; quizzes, games usage; knowledge sources online; synchronous chatting, discussion forums, video conferences, e-mails.

34. Negative aspects • Less liveliness; • Real-time discussions allow for teacher-cyberstudent interaction and provide the richness of interpersonal interactions so often missing in distance education classes.

35. Anonimity Positive aspects • By using the Internet people can choose a false name, hide personal information and identify details; • People express themselves more freely and sincerely than they would in a face to face interaction (online disinhibition effect); • .

36. Self-disclosure and intimacy can be accelerated; • helpful to those who live in countries where freedom of speech and the press may not be so widelysupported.

37. Negative aspects • The physical distance between web participants leads to disinhibited behavior; • Every person can create many identities (e.g. a man creates a female identity, or a high school student claims to be an egineer).

38. Conclusion Through cyberspace we have the ability to: • freely choose between synchronous and asynchronous alternative communication • be better informed • communicate without limitation of time and space • present our identity perfectly in a written form • record moments of our life • watch movies, play games, listen music, read book, magazines, chat • empower our identity and be equal with others.

39. On the other side, in cyberspace we: • cannot touch, smell or taste Sometimes we: • misinterpret messages • absorb a lot of information without filtering it enough • are manipulated in Internet by others • feel that hapiness belong to others • are frustrated because of the technical difficulties

40. are confused between virtual and real reality • encounter there with cyberstalking. • are anonyme in that virtual world, but our anonymity can cause that we communicate with violent people without being aware of it. • are globalized to a psychosocial network, but we put others people who are not Internet users on margins.

41. Cyberspace has become part of our everyday life, and it is necessary to thinks, can we find some options to make this aspects more positive than negative. Shall ever exist cyberspace with a minimum of negative aspects?It is up to all of us to built a new future of cyberspace with more positive aspects than negative.