psychoftheinternet-blog

[psychoftheinternet-blog]

Predictions about the internet?

Long before the internet was invented and became commonplace in our day to day lives, people were making predictions about what the technology of the future would look like and the effects it would have. Oddly enough, many people accurately predicted what the internet and our means of accessing it looks like today. For example, in 1926 Nikola Tesla predicted that "we shall be able to witness and hear events...just as though we were present." This statement has indeed come true, as we often use the internet today to see and hear about events around the world. It is almost crazy to think about not being able to do these things online. I frequently watch the news on my computer--it shows me images and videos of things happening all over the world, making it seem far more real.

Arthur C. Clarke stated in 1976 that "we're gonna get devices which will enable us to send much more information to our friends." This to has become reality--the internet allows us to communicate with our friends at rapid speed and to share information. Think about texting, it allows us to be in constant conversation with our friends and share information immediately after acquiring it.

After the internet had already been fairly established, Steve Jobs predicted in his 2007 presentation that "apple is going to reinvent the phone." This also held true; iPhones are vastly popular and they have changed the way we view cell phones in many ways. Many people cannot even remember mobile phones before iPhones, but that is simply because iPhones changed the entire industry. (shoutout to those who had the classic flip phone like myself)

I have many beliefs and predictions of my own about the internet and what it will look like in a few years or so.

1. I think that in the future we will have internet connection everywhere we go--you wont have to worry about it disconnecting or your signal not being strong enough, it will connect automatically and always work.

2. I think we will be able to access the internet from our cars or vehicles.

3. I think that nearly everyone around the world will have access to the internet and the digital divide will close.

Mainly, I think that the internet will become even more widespread as the years go on. It will become easier to access, more reliable, and accessible from more locations. What do you think?

[psychoftheinternet-blog]

Help from Yelp?

How many of you guys check sites like Yelp before going to a restaurant? Personally, I almost always do when trying out a new place. I came across this really cool article talking about using Yelp reviews to identify cases of food poisoning and inspect the associated restaurants.  

Harrison et al.'s (2014) article explored the potential of using Yelp to uncover unreported outbreaks of foodborne illness--the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) worked with Columbia University and Yelp to create a pilot project that could identify restaurant reviews on Yelp that were referencing foodborne illness.

The program that they created had specific criteria that if they were met would flag a review and the review would then be further evaluated by a foodborne disease epidemiologist. There were 893 reviews that required this evaluation, 499 of them ended up describing an event consistent with foodborne illness. If multiple reviews describing recent foodborne illness at the same location occurred or if other existing criteria were met, the review was further analyzed by the DOHMH. The DOHMH then checked to see if there were any similar reports in the 311 database. (311 is a nonemergency service to report foodborne illness)

They found that only 3% of the illnesses identified on Yelp were also reported directly to New York City’s 311 service, suggesting that not many people are aware of the 311 reporting service. Thus, online restaurant reviews might actually help to identify unreported outbreaks of foodborne illness and restaurants who are not handling food properly. While it could be helpful and prevent others from getting sick, this kind of investigating is time consuming and requires a lot of resources.

[psychoftheinternet-blog]

How to analyze open ended survey question responses

Planning Council for Health and Human Services (2011) article talks about the most straightforward way to analyze open-ended survey questions. The key point that the article makes is that you have to create categories for the responses. 

Basically, you read through the responses to get an idea of emerging themes. Then you develop categories that include the themes you came across in your initial review. You sort through your responses, putting each one in a category you created. If you are sorting through several responses, excel can be an incredibly helpful tool for this process. Now, you need to check over your categories and ensure that they are actually appropriate/representative. From here, you can identify major patterns and trends within and between categories. 

[psychoftheinternet-blog]

Designing a quality online survey

Sites like SurveyMonkey and Qualtrics are being used more frequently as online surveys are growing in popularity. Online surveys can be a great way to conduct research because they are accessible and can be distributed to a wide range of people very quickly. They also tend to require less of a time commitment from participants and for researchers. For the most part, it is pretty simple to create a survey of your own on one of these sites. Still, there are multiple things that are important to keep in mind when designing a survey in order to achieve the results you want.

The bulk of work while making a survey consists of creating the questions. According to Harvard University's Program on Survey Research's (2007) article, the ideal question accomplishes three goals: it measures the underlying concept it is intended to tap, it doesn’t measure other concepts, it means the same thing to all respondents. It is crucial to create specifically defined questions without any vague terms, complex sentences, or leading language. Keep it short, but make sure you capture all of the information you need. 

There are two main types of questions that can be used to collect information, which the article from Science Buddies', called "Designing a Survey," discusses. The first type are structured questions that provide the respondent with a set of responses to choose from. These types of questions make data analysis easier and take less time to answer. They should be used when you have a good understanding of what possible responses would look like so you can accurately develop the answer choices. They can also be used when you aren’t trying to collect new ideas or thoughts from respondents.

Non-structured questions are open-ended and they don’t provide a list of answer choices--instead respondents simply type in their response to a question. These questions are best suited when you are exploring new ideas and you don’t have a complete understanding of what responses might look like. 

In general, it is also a good idea to gather demographic information from your respondents--this will allow you to compare your data to other factors in your participants lives and see if any patterns emerge. 

Other tips to keep in mind: Clearly state your intentions with your research and why you’re doing it, include instructions in your questionnaire even if it may seem obvious, only ask one question at a time, make sure questions are unbiased, ask questions your participants will know the answer to, anticipate all possible answer choices, and read over your questions after you’ve written them!

I found all of these guidelines to be incredibly helpful with my own endeavors creating surveys for school--I hope they are just as helpful to you!

[psychoftheinternet-blog]

Challenging procrastination with CBT

Hubbard’s article discusses how CBT can be an effective way to fight off procrastination. As a student, I found this article and the method proposed within it super helpful! 

The approach discussed is called SMART goals- they help you break down your goal into achievable steps. You identify where to begin, then move through the steps until the project is done. Checking off the steps along the way provides you with a feeling of accomplishment and motivates you to push forward. SMART stands for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.

Specific- state exactly what your first and next steps should accomplish

Measurable-ensure that each step can be measured and you will know when it is done

Achievable-each step should be hard enough that it is a challenge to get done, but not so hard that you won’t accomplish it

Relevant-each step must be relevant to the over-arching goal

Time-bound-this parameter should be used to designate how many times and when during the week you will work towards your goal

SMART goals gives you a do-able structure, keeps you on task, and increases motivation toward your goals! Try it out and let me know what you think about it!

[psychoftheinternet-blog]

Cognitive restructuring

Cognitive restructuring is a core part of cognitive behavioral therapy. As I already discussed in a previous post, CBT is an incredibly effective treatment approach for depression, anxiety, eating disorders, among other mental illnesses. 

This post is about to get a little personal, as I’m going to share with you my own experiences with CBT and how it has helped me immensely. Yep, you heard me correctly. In December of 2016, I was diagnosed with anorexia nervosa after struggling with the mental illness for quite some time. Since then, I’ve been seeing a therapist every week and receiving cognitive behavioral therapy.

Cognitive restructuring has completely changed my perspective on things. The most important and most challenging thing to learn with this process is to recognize your cognitive distortions. My therapist told me “your mind can lie to you, it isn’t always right.” This blew my mind. Your own brain can lie to you?! Yes, it totally can. Cognitive distortions are these lies, or inaccurate thoughts we have that typically reinforce negative thoughts or feelings. When you can recognize these distortions, you can begin to challenge them. Boyes (2013) article states that you should ask yourself three questions when you recognize a distortion. What’s the worst thing that could happen? The best thing that could happen? The most realistic?

For me, the most helpful question was “what’s the worst thing that could happen?” When I began to question my distortions, my eating disorder stopped having so much control over me. When you have awareness over your thoughts, you can truly see how many of them are unhelpful/unrealistic. You start to evaluate the evidence behind your thoughts; oftentimes, I would realize there was little to no evidence behind them. For example, I used to tell myself “carbs will make you fat, you’d better not eat them.” I would worry and worry and worry about eating too many carbs. Now, I am able to recognize when these thoughts appear and to provide myself with a more realistic thought, such as “carbs are energy and you need them to survive.” 

The main thing to remember is that these thoughts are not going to magically disappear--everyone has cognitive distortions, even those without mental illnesses. YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE THEM. The important thing is to be aware! Notice them, challenge them, and kindly tell them to screw off. Then come up with an alternative thought, a more balanced and realistic one.

From here, I began to practice mindfulness meditation and self-compassion. These things really saved me--they brought me back to the present moment. They helped me realize that I was wasting away worrying about food and I was no longer living. I had forgotten how to enjoy the moment and enjoy my life. Meditation allowed me to realize all that was happening in the current moment and to be grateful for it. Journaling is another great option for practicing mindfulness. 

Be mindful. Be present. Be kind to yourself. It will make life and your journey so much more enjoyable, I promise you. 

It’s not easy, but it’s worth it. 

[psychoftheinternet-blog]

In the video above, Christy Wright talks about some of the benefits of unplugging from technology. I can definitely see her point and I understand where she is coming from. Technology can be incredibly consuming and in some ways, it can distract us from what is going on right in front of us in the present moment. 

Cep’s (2014) article, “The Pointlessness of Unplugging,” offers a different perspective on the matter. She provides reasons why it really makes little sense to unplug, some of these reasons include:

-Unplugging from devices doesn’t stop us from experiencing our lives through their lenses, frames, and formats.

-Members of the unplugging movement scorn technology in the hope of finding the authenticity and the community that they think it obscures.

-Unplugging will not return you to the “real world,” this suggests that the selves we are online aren’t authentic, and that the relationships we forge in digital spaces aren’t meaningful.

-Those who unplug have every intention of plugging back in

-For most of us, the modern world is full of gadgets and electronics, and we’d do better to reflect on how we can live there than to pretend we can live elsewhere.

Which side of the argument are you on? Do you think unplugging is beneficial or a waste of time? Why?

[psychoftheinternet-blog]

Can you be addicted to the internet?

According to Perrin’s (2015) article, 73% of Americans go online on a daily basis and 21% report that they are online almost constantly. These statistics are pretty crazy--they kind of make you wonder what exactly constitutes an internet addiction? While I don’t know if there are exact criteria, I do believe that it is quite possible to be addicted to the internet.

Konnikova’s (2014) article presents several ways that internet addiction resembles substance addiction. While substance addiction involves a tangible item and internet addiction is more of a behavior, both involve issues with control. More specifically, both behavioral and substance addictions are characterized by an inability to control how often or how intensely one engages in an activity, even while noticing the negative consequences. Both are marked by an inability to stop engaging in a certain behavior and experience uncontrollable urges. They are also similar in the sense that both seem to have some genetic basis--the article mentions that some of the same gene mutations found in alcoholics and drug addicts are often found in problem gamers. The basic neuroscience of behavior addictions has been shown to be fairly similar to substance addictions, as both affect the pleasure center of the brain by influencing dopamine levels.

While I had believed internet addiction was a real thing prior to reading this article, the similarities between internet addiction and substance addiction only further validate this. It is possible to be addicted to the internet, just as it is possible to be addicted to the majority of behaviors. The trouble comes in defining what constitutes internet addiction, as the internet has become such an integral part of American’s lives. I guess in my opinion it would be considered addictive when a person continues to go online even when they do not necessarily want to and it begins to interfere with their life and daily functioning.

What do you think the criteria should be for defining internet addiction? 

[psychoftheinternet-blog]

cCBT for anxiety?

I came across a really interesting meta-analysis and I just had to share it with you all! Before I talk about the study, let me explain what a meta-analysis entails for those of you who do not already know. A meta-analysis is a method for combining data from multiple studies that are similar in nature to come to a single conclusion, with greater statistical power. To put it simply, a meta-analysis combines the effect sizes from multiple studies on the same topic.

The meta-analysis I found by Adelman et al. (2014) relates a ton to my last post about cCBT, its benefits, and its increasing popularity. The article examines the efficacy of computerized CBT (or cCBT) for anxiety disorders and the durability of treatment benefits during follow-up. This study was conducted because anxiety disorders affect a significant proportion of adults and adolescents in the United States each year. If left untreated, these disorders are likely to persist and may cause serious problems in all aspects of an individual's life. Yet, there are many common barriers to receiving proper treatment, which include: stigma, high costs, lack of insurance, poor access to treatment, and a lack of qualified clinicians. This is a huge part of why there has been an increasing amount of interest in computer-based cognitive behavioral therapy. Thus, it is vastly important to determine if cCBT really works, as it can break through many of the barriers preventing people from receiving treatment. Computer-based CBT can be delivered to those in rural areas, does not depend on the amount of qualified clinicians locally available, can be more cost-effective, and can eliminate some of the stigma associated with treatment.

This specific meta-analysis included forty trials overall and a total of 2,648 participants. cCBT was compared to wait-list, in-person CBT, and internet control. Their primary outcome measure was the endpoint score on a rating scale for anxiety, but they also assessed moderators of cCBT treatment gains over follow-up.When comparing cCBT to wait-list control subjects, they found significant benefits for cCBT. The SMD, or the effect size, was .92--this is a very large effect size, showing the significant difference.When comparing cCBT to in-person CBT, they found no significant difference in efficacy between the two treatments. The SMD, or effect size, was only 0.05--this is a very small, insignificant effect size.Earlier studies conducted tend to provide evidence favoring in-person CBT over cCBT. I think a lot of this has to do with the fact that internet use has only recently become widespread/common knowledge. The majority of people in current day are comfortable with using the internet, however, this probably was not the case 10-20 years ago. I feel that in the coming years cCBT will gain popularity, due to its many benefits along with its accessibility.

[psychoftheinternet-blog]

Now that you understand the basics of CBT, I want to talk to you about a really cool way that it is being implemented. cCBT, or computer aided cognitive behavioral therapy, is a method for delivering cognitive behavioral therapy through a computer, tablet, or phone! A few years back, there was not a whole lot of evidence available to support the effectiveness of these treatments. Recently, the interest in this area has really taken off and a lot of research about the potential benefits of cCBT has been conducted. As it turns out, much of the research actually shows this online method of providing CBT to be fairly effective. In addition, it cuts down on the time needed for clinicians to provide the therapy, is accessible, and removes some of the stigma associated with seeking help.

I stumbled across Enander et al.'s (2016) study, "Therapist Guided Internet Based Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Body Dysmorphic Disorder: Single-blind Randomised Controlled Trial." This study looked at individuals with BDD, or body dysmorphic disorder, which is a psychiatric disorder characterized by compulsive behaviors and preoccupation with perceived physical defects. BDD can become chronic and debilitating if left untreated--cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is often considered the best option for treating BDD, but lack of trained therapists, costs, and geographical barriers may prevent those in need from getting treatment.

This study compared the efficacy of a therapist guided internet based cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) program for BDD called BDD-NET with online supportive therapy. Online supportive therapy is virtually just generic, non-specific therapy. The participants consisted of ninety-four adults recruited from all over Sweden with BDD--they received either BDD-NET or supportive therapy for twelve weeks in a single blind parallel group randomized control trial study.

They found that BDD-NET (the online cognitive behavioral therapy) was superior to supportive therapy and was associated with large improvements in the severity of symptoms of BDD and depression. After twelve weeks, 32% of those receiving BDD-NET no longer met criteria for BDD, while only 2% of those receiving online supportive therapy were in remission. Thus, the internet based intervention was highly successful.

I think a big factor in why this intervention was so successful is that "many people with body dysmorphic disorder report that one important reason for not seeking treatment is related to feelings of shame and stigma associated with their concerns about appearance." If these people are able to access help via an online platform, much of that fear and stigma is taken away. I think many people with BDD would be more comfortable and willing to receive therapy in this way. Additionally, BDD-NET is specifically designed for those with BDD. It sounds like many times when patients with BDD seek out therapy, they are provided with generic, non-specific interventions which in the long run do not seem to be as effective.

Overall, I thought this was a really cool study with some serious implications. Online therapy can provide help to those who are struggling financially, have little time, have a hard time leaving their home, feel stigmatized, or need specific treatment. What are your thoughts on cCBT?

[psychoftheinternet-blog]

While researching the “science behind good selfies,” I stumbled across this video...I felt like it was completely necessary to share it with you all. 

Best of luck with all of your selfie endeavors.

[psychoftheinternet-blog]

Old school selfies

I was incredibly surprised to learn that one of the earliest photographs ever taken was a selfie! As Professor Gernsbacher's lecture video states, in 1839 Lewie Duh-gare announced the invention of photography and two months later Robert Cornelius took what is considered one of the very first portraits. It was a selfie!

This is actually so impressive--early photography was nothing like what we would imagine today. Old school cameras required a very long exposure time, like 15 to 20 minutes, of standing completely still or the picture would turn out blurry. It's crazy to me that this man in the 1800s achieved a quality selfie with that kind of equipment. I know I could not stand totally still for that period of time, not even moving a muscle.

So in all reality, selfies are not just “a thing of our generation.” They’ve been around for awhile--so long that the science behind taking a good selfie has actually been researched...

I read IMT Staff's (2014) article, "Why Your "Selfies" Never Look Good." This article was incredibly interesting to me, because I myself have wondered why I look different in selfies vs. the mirror. It turns out that the reason we are often unsatisfied with our selfies is because we are used to looking in the mirror, which apparently does not directly map on to our true image. Unless you are a completely symmetrical person, (which if you are congratulations) your mirror image is not what you actually look like.

What you see in your selfies, however, is truly what you look like! It is not a mirror image; apparently, the unfamiliarity most of us have with our actual faces can be a bit disconcerting. No worries though, the article does mention that most participants in a 1977 study preferred their mirror images more.

The main thing I got out of this article was that I need to take more selfies...The more you take, the more familiar you will become with how your face really looks and hopefully you will learn to love it just the same.

[psychoftheinternet-blog]

Are personality traits related to internet use?

The short answer: not really.

People love to generalize and create stereotypes, probably because it can provide you with an immediate impression of a person based off of a few pieces of information. However, we all know that generalizations are not always fully accurate and in fact, they are sometimes outwardly incorrect. People commonly associate certain personality traits with frequent internet users--after looking over the empirical data, it seems that oftentimes there is little to no association between personality traits and internet use trends.

Professor Gernsbacher's summary document contains journal articles that have examined personality traits as a function of internet use. Each table presents the proportion of variance explained by each of the provided variables, which are personality factors and demographic ones as well. Proportion of variance refers to the amount of variance that can be explained in the outcome measure from the predictor variable.

For example, Buckner, Castille, and Sheets (2012) found that age explained a slim to moderate proportion of the variance in self-reported problematic texting use. Correa, Hinsley, and de Zuniga (2010) also found an inverse association between age and self-reported social media use. Hughes, Rowe, Batey, and Lee (2012) found that using Twitter and Facebook for information purposes is related to self-reported sociability and self-reported need for cognition is related to Twitter use for information. These findings depict the relationships between demographic factors and internet use.

Moore and McElroy (2012) started to look more at the association between personality traits and internet use. They found that extraversion relates to the amount of Facebook friends a person has. Ross, Orr, Sisic, Arseneault, Simmering, and Orr (2009) assessed something fairly similar, finding that a person's degree of extraversion correlates with the number of Facebook groups they belong to.

I think it is important to remember that the internet is still a new concept and has only been around for a short period of time in the grand scheme of things. A 10-year-old article regarding internet use trends is likely not representative of current-day internet users at all. The internet itself has changed vastly within this time period and so have people's motivations for using it.

It is also important to keep in mind the sample size when assessing the validity of a study. It is a lot easier to achieve significant results with a small sample size, but that is not necessarily representative of the larger population. Additionally, the media has been known to play up super weak effects--for example, they may claim that x causes y, when in all reality only a slim amount of variance was explained between the outcome and the predictor variable. My advice would be remain cautious until you see the actual amount of variance explained!

So honestly there is little evidence that personality traits are linked to internet use--with nearly everyone in Western society using the internet, this is not all too surprising.

[psychoftheinternet-blog]

[psychoftheinternet-blog]

The digital divide involves the gulf between those who have access to technology and the internet, and those who do not. 

My own opinion is that there are three main ways to bridge the digital divide. Those are providing technology to those without, providing knowledge/instruction on how to utilize the technology, and creating centers with TECHNOLOGY and INSTRUCTION for those in low income communities.

Do you have any other ideas on how to bridge the gap? Or how bridging the gap could be funded? Let me know!

[psychoftheinternet-blog]

**Personal post ahead

Today I decided to finally teach my dad how to use Skype. He does not have an iPhone, like my mom, so he has never been able to Facetime me. For years, we have simply resorted to calling each other when we want to talk. This has not been an issue for us, however, it is nice to be able to see the face of the person you are communicating with! This was a great opportunity for me to finally convince my dad to download the app and to teach him how to use it. He just turned 60--he often becomes frustrated with technology and tends to give up on it quickly. 

First, I had to talk him through downloading the app on to his computer. While this sounds simple, even accessing Google is a struggle for someone who has spent their whole life as a blue-collar worker and has rarely gone on the internet. After he downloaded the app, I taught him how to open it, create a password and account, and how to add me as a friend.

When we finally got through this point, I taught my dad how to "call me" via Skype. Initially, he did not understand how to turn the video feature on and I could only hear his voice.

Eventually, he was able to turn the video on! He had a hard time getting his face in frame and I had to remind him that he could see himself in the bottom right corner of the window. From here, I showed him some other random features of the app, like how to mute your voice. He then proceeded to mute the app, say something, and ask me what I had thought he was saying (it turned in to a bit of a game).

Ultimately, I think my dad really enjoyed this experience and I am sure we will use Skype more in the future! Hopefully with more practice, Skyping my father will be a lot more straightforward.

Seriously it is so worth it to teach the older adults in your life how to use technology!! My dad got a lot of satisfaction from learning these new skills and now communicating with probably be easier/more rewarding. Take the time to do this with your own family/friends and see what a difference it can make. :)

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The Pew Research Center’s (2014) report, “Older Adults and Technology Use,” discusses the role of the internet in the lives of older adults. They conducted a large survey exploring technology use between Americans ages 65+ and the rest of the population, but within the senior population as well. They found some pretty cool results!

1) Two groups of older Americans emerged: those with substantial technology assets and a positive view toward the benefits of online platforms and those largely disconnected from the world of digital tools and services, physically and psychologically.

2) Internet and broadband adoption rates among seniors are steadily increasing, but still well below the national average. (Apparently today 47% of seniors have high speed internet connection at home, which I found to be pretty impressive)

3) Younger, higher-income and more highly educated seniors use the internet and broadband at rates approaching the general population.

4) A substantial majority of seniors now own cell phones, but smartphones remain rare within the 65+ population. (I thought this was a little weird, because both my my grandmas have smartphones currently...What do you think?)

5) Tablets and e-book readers are primarily “elite” devices among older adults. 

6) 46% of online seniors use social networking sites, but just 6% use Twitter. (I feel like this should say 46% of seniors use Facebook aka a way to keep an eye on your family, but only 6% use Twitter to rant about their lives)

7) Older women are more likely than older men to use social networking sites.

8) Social networking usage is more common among the younger cohort of seniors.

9) Many seniors face physical challenges to using new digital devices. (I genuinely never considered this)

10) Most older adults say they would need assistance learning how to use new devices and digital services.

11) Once online, most seniors make the internet a daily part of their lives and view it in a positive light.

12) Older social networking site users socialize more frequently with friends and family members than do non-users.

Overall, I felt like many of the points made in this article were in line with my beliefs and assumptions about older adults and social media use. However, some of the points struck me as odd/surprising too. I was surprised that smartphones are rare among the older population, as the industry almost makes it seem like that is all that is available these days. All of my older family members have smartphones now, although to be fair they do not really know how to use them and frequently struggle with them. So I guess it would make sense that some of the reasons why seniors may not be as connected can be attributed to the fact that they do not know how to use new technology or it is challenging for them physically. 

Take a second and think of the older adults in your own lives--do they use the internet? If they do, how do they use it and for what purposes? If they do not, why do you think that is? I had never considered some of these things before, so this article was really intriguing to me. I wonder what “the older generation” will look like in forty years when everyone has been using the internet for most of their lives--will internet use still be less common in older adults? Who knows.