Session 19: The Internet and Utopia

The internet has been one of the most impactful technological innovations to date. Platforms like Facebook, WhatsApp, and Amazon have redefined the way we communicate, store information, shop, relax, read, and improve our lives. The internet is huge, almost 1,200 petabytes (1.2 Million Terabytes)! However, no one really “owns” the internet. Instead, this cyberspace is a conglomerate of service providers, hosts, home/work computers, smart devices, cell phones, and users like you. The Hitchhiker's Guide to No Man’s Land will help you understand your place and how the impacts of real-world decisions will affect the way you use and access the internet. Our goal is to get us one step closer to a Eutopia in this Utopia. This workshop will cover several important topics including Online Communication, Cyber-Law, Decentralization and Privacy.

The purpose of this study was to investigate why individuals with certain personality traits are more likely to engage in excessive internet use behaviors. We specifically examined gaming and pornography use in relation to the personality variables anxiety, impulsivity, narcissism, sexual narcissism, and Type D personality. Consistent with previous research, results found that gaming use had a significant positive correlation with anxiety and impulsivity. Additionally, we found significant positive relationships between pornography use and impulsivity, narcissism, and sexual narcissism. A new contribution to the literature is our finding that Type D personality was associated with higher gaming use. Despite falling under the umbrella of problematic internet use behaviors, gaming and pornography use appear to be quite distinct; we found only impulsivity to be correlated to both gaming and pornography. Moreover, regression analysis showed impulsivity significantly predicted gaming use while sexual narcissism significantly predicted pornography use. Further research is needed to determine the extent to which gaming and pornography use are coping mechanisms for people with certain personality characteristics such as these; however, we conclude that understanding the personality variables associated with gaming and pornography use may be helpful in mitigating the risk of developing problematic or addictive internet use behaviors.