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01 Internet Users and Virtuality

 
02 Internet Users and Identity
 
03 Behaviours and Anonymity
 
04 Multiple Identities

 

05 "Online Lives" or "Real Lives"
 
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Cases where Internet Users prefer their online lives to the extent they begin to abandon their "real" lives and spend most of their waking hours online

 

References

 

Turkle, Sherry
 
Ngee Ann Polytechnic
 
MIT
 
Larent Basley and Marc Bogdanowicz
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Internet Users tend to prefer time online when they are lonely, staying abroad alone, or they have personal problems and the internet serve as a diversion for problems. Single people spend time chatting with friends or socializing in chatrooms such as COCOA and Mirc. Multi-User Dungeon is another way people divert their problems into a virtual and illusioned environment. These are people with social problems or confused people.

Other organizations devoting to religions or counseling and charity also may spend most of their waking hours online. For example some counsellors stay online 24 hours a day because they want to help more people. This is prominent in chatrooms, Mirc.

Psychopaths also exist online chatrooms. Identities can be disguised and changed frequently. There are cases whereby psychopaths cheat girls into meeting them and kill them for pleasure. Online chatrooms can be dangerous!

Falling in love online. This is not new to many internet users. People socialize and communicate all the time. Similar characteristics and same interests draw people together. Many success stories have emerged from online love. However, there are also traps and evil people who lure girls to meet, abuse, rape and/or harm them.

Religions also form groups online. Chatrooms maybe named after the religion and all devotees will gather in there to discuss about the religion. On the other hand, terrorists may also form their own groups and discuss and plan terrorist attacks. Pros and cons are existent online.

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