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Essay on Analyzing Internet Applications Use
One of the curious things about living through a time of whirlwind change is that it is often difficult to understand exactly what is changing. In recent years, new technology has given us the ability to transform basic aspects of our lives: the way we converse and learn; the way we work, play, and shop; even the way we participate in political and social life.
Access to computer-mediated technologies, such as the Internet, has extended our informational and interactive capabilities. These technologies are highly publicized, debated, and regulated media. With the widespread use of such technologies, we require greater understanding of the personal and social attributes that affect why people use computer-mediated communication (CMC) and the outcomes of CMC-related behavior. Computer-mediated communication is communication facilitated by computer technologies, and is defined as "synchronous or asynchronous electronic mail and computer conferencing, by which senders encode in text messages that are relayed from senders' computers to receivers'” (Morris, & Ogan, 1996). Considering the widespread use of the World Wide Web, CMC-related activities would also include web browsing.
People initiate and maintain several on-line communities to overcome the confines of real life in cyberspace, and envision cyberspace as a utopian universe for achieving equality These on-line communities have been the subject of observations for several researchers, who have explored the interactive dimension of the Internet as setting this medium apart from other forms of communication.
Technologies such as the Internet, then, possess both interactive/social and informational/task-oriented dimensions for users. In this respect, the needs the Internet fulfill may not be too different from the needs met by more traditional interpersonal and media channels, including talk radio, which also enhances the opportunity to reinvent one's identity and to compensate for a sense of inadequate social interaction. Similar to findings about more traditional media, social and psychological characteristics should influence people's expectations and uses of the Internet....
