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{December 4, 2006} Internet Dating Sites:

I have realised that all of the information i have written about is on internet addiction and not internet dating addiction. So i have read books and newspaper articles on internet dating and internet dating addiction. I have found out the following:

Internet Dating Sites:

Professor Ben-Ze’Ev has completed a study of ‘Love Online’ and is the author Love Online-Emotions on the Internet. He states that the number of people going online is growing and states that many of the millions of people are looking for romantic encounters.

‘ Nowadays, one of the most exciting social, as well as romantic, sites to visit is cyberspace, millions of people across the globe are surfacing that space, socializing with each other or having romantic affairs. Their number is growing y the minute.,(Ben-Ze-Ev (2004, pg 1)

Internet dating has revolutionised the way in which people are able to meet potential partners. Initially there was a stigma attached to internet dating, people were embarrassed to tell their friends and families that they had met their new partner online. At the beginning of 2002 the Wall Street Journal published an article which told the stories of many couples who had lied about meeting their partners due to embarrassment. However this began to change, by the end of 2002 Internet dating began to really take off.; The Wall Street Journal placed Internet dating high on its list of what ‘was in’ for the following year. In the same year Match.com, the largest internet dating service saw its membership double from the previous year, with membership numbers rising to 8 million. Executives from Yahoo Inc claimed that online personal advertisements had helped to revitalize the whole company. (Orr 2004, pg 12) Additionally in 2002 MarketData valued internet dating services to be worth $ 304, claiming that the majority of internet dating companies had doubled their profits from the previous year. They also estimated that towards the end of 2002 25% of single Americans were using internet dating services.More recently the internet dating boom appears to be stronger than ever. Last year In Britain alone 3.5 million people logged onto internet dating sites to try and find love. (Pozzi, Times Magazine 2006) There is a great variety of internet dating sites available, there are sites catering for straight people, gay people, married people, there are sites dedicated to Christians Muslims: Muslims.com and singlemuslims.com, Buddhists and many others. On GreatBoyfriends.com every man on there has been put on and approved by a woman they know. Many women have put their ex boyfriends on this site as they think they would be ideal for another woman, just not themselves. Internet dating is not just confined to the west; it has become popular in
India,
Japan, parts of
Asia, Latin American and
Eastern Europe, as well as some Middle Eastern countries. In
Colombia only 1 million of the 41million population have access to the internet, of these one million 16% are using sites such as Match .com; this shows that internet dating has reached people around the world. Joe Cohen, Match.coms head of international business, states that registration numbers are high in certain Arab and Muslim counties, he goes on to say that in Turkey and Egypt up to 1,000 people are signing up for membership a day.

Why people use internet dating sites.

Andrea Orr, Author of Meeting, Mating (…and cheating) Sex, Love and The New World of Online Dating says that one of the major benefits of internet dating is that people can log on and instantly have access to at least a hundred or so potential partners. This point is reiterated by Mike Presz, Match.coms chief technology officer… ‘Think of all the bars you’d have to go into to meet the people we could provide you in 20 minutes. One of the women Orr spoke to in the research had over a hundred messages from potential partners in a week. On February the 14^th 2003, one woman’s profile on Match.com had been read by 4,462 on that day alone. (Orr 2004, pg 150) Orr states that several acquaintances of hers have found and married a partner through online dating. She thinks that internet dating has revolutionised people’s social lives. Several people she talked to during her research told her that they had been in contact via email for a substantial period of time before eventually meeting their potential partner. Some people became addicted… ‘…They had become so addicted to the format, and the embellishment it encouraged, that it had become a social crutch’ (pg X)

Case Studies/Real life stories:Diana Bryant of The Guardian wrote an article on her own experience of internet dating.) In her article ‘Getting Hooked’, 2001 she states that internet dating has become her new addiction. She felt thrilled every time she went online and saw she had another message, she also couldn’t help herself from logging on when she should have been working ‘I am at work. I should be working. I realise I must ration my addiction. Pg 2 (Bryant 2001) Bryant thinks that one of the benefits to internet dating is that you can correspond with potential dates for a while before having to meet with them in person. In one week she says that she was inundated with emails from
London based males, several of whom she talked to on the phone and one she went on a date with. Bryant says that she has learned that men often don’t look as good as they do in their online photographs and thinks that flirting online can be better than meeting the person in real life. She states that online dating has become more socially acceptable and says that personally she is happy to date online but wouldn’t ever answer a newspaper advertisement.

In 2002 The Daily Mail got a volunteer, Rosa King to join www.UDate.co.uk and published an account of her experience. After registering her profile, which typically involves answering questions on your likes and dislike, stating your age, interests and profession. You are also asked to place a recent photograph of yourself. Some sites, such as udate ask sexually related questions, such as how adventurous you are, with an option to answer: Not really, it depends, quite, very or anything goes.In a week she was contacted by 15 men, one of whom confessed to being an internet dating addict. Recently I’ve been getting very flirty with one man, who admits to being an internet dating addict…’Coleman 9(2002) Pg 1. King said that she received 30 or more emails at any one time and had to start putting potential partners on her ‘friends list’. When people are on your friends list UDate will tell you when they are online and when they are talking to other people. King thought that internet dating was a really good way to be friendly with people…’It’s funny how you start to become friendly with people and once you get through t he boring, polite small talk it’s amazing how pally you can become. (Pg 1)

Black et al (1999) used two case studies in his research. One man went online for up to 30 hours a week. He spent most of this time in chat rooms building friendships and meeting potential partners, several of whom he had gone on to date. Black argues that this person isn’t necessarily addicted to the internet, but does states that he uses the net excessively for functional purposes. (Black 1999)

Young uses numerous case studies. One example of an internet addict is a 43yr old house wife who started visiting online chat rooms for several hours a week. Within three months she was spending 60 hours a week online. She stated that she only meant to go online for a few hours, but often spent up to 16 hours talking to people. The woman in question also started to neglect her social life and said that when she wasn’t online she felt anxious, depressed and irritable.

Tim Pozzi found internet dating to be addictive; he likened it to shopping saying that ‘the thrill of the browse is an end in itself’. Although he met a partner through online dating he does say that the most important factor in attraction is chemistry, and this is something which is not able to be conveyed online.

{December 4, 2006} 2nd Dec:

I have read the rest of the journals. I think they have helped give me a comprehensive idea of internet addiction and the symptoms. I have found out:

Symptoms and affects of Internet addiction:

Internet addiction has been linked to impulse control disorders such as pathological gambling and overeating. When the addict thinks about their disorder they feel anxious, agitated and tense, which is only relieved when they can complete the act, in this case go online. In Egger and Rauterbergs (1996) study participants felt guilty about going online, they also reported feelings of anticipation.

Young (1996) states that internet addicts go online for significant amounts of time, often surfing late into the night, which often causes them to feel tired due to sleep deprivation. This in turn affects work or educational performance due to fatigue and inability to concentrate properly. She states that addicts will keep the truth about their internet usage from others.

Greenfield’s study looked at whether or not internet addicts shared the same symptoms as other addicts, such as substance misuse. He found that participants who were classified as addicted displayed a variety of symptoms consistent with tolerance and withdrawal. (Tolerance and withdrawal is almost always present in addicts). Participants felt restless when attempting to cut back on their internet usage (79%), they had made several unsuccessful attempts to cut down (68%) they were also pre-occupied with using the net. Brenner 1997 also found that internet addicts displayed characteristics of tolerance and withdrawal and experienced cravings to go online.

Rotunda, Kass, Sutton and Leon (2003) conducted an online study using 393 students with an average age of 27.6. The participants were 53.6% female and 46.4 male%. Participants identified several negative aspects that the internet had caused, or was causing them. 34% went online to take their mind off other problems in their lives. 25% occasionally felt exited or euphoric and 22.6% stated that they socialized more on the net than in their personal lives.

Dr Orzack is a Psychologist at

Harvard
University. She founded, and is the director of The Computer Addiction Centre at
McLean hospital. She states that the symptoms of computer addiction are quite specific, specifying them as :

‘Having a sense of well being or euphoria while at the computer
Inability to stop the activity
Craving more and more time at the computer
Neglect of family and friends
Feeling empty, depressed, irritable when not at the computer
Lying to employers and family about activities
Problems with school or job’ Dr Orzact (1999, pg 1)

{December 4, 2006} 25th Nov:

This week i have been reading some critical opinions of emperical research on internet addiction. I have found out:

Critical Reviews of ‘Internet Addiction’

Widyanto and Griffiths (2006) wrote a paper critically reviewing previous empirical research on internet addiction. They argue that Young’s study had many limitations, mainly due to the fact that participants were self selected and her sample was somewhat small. They also state that her results may be biased as she posted the question online advertising for ‘avid internet users’ (Widyanto and Griffiths 2006)

Widyanto and Griffiths also raise the question of whether or not the criteria Young used to diagnose internet addiction were reliable and valid. ‘There was also the assumption that excessive Internet use was akin to pathological gambling’ pg 33

Despite their criticisms of Young’s study they state that her study may have ‘kick- started a new field of academic inquiry’ pg 33

Egger and Rautberg (1996) carried out a similar study to Young. They advertised for participants online using similar questions, except their study relied solely on the respondents to say whether or not they felt they were addicted to the internet. Egger and Rautberg received 450 respondents, of whom 84% were Swiss males. They drew similar conclusions to Young, finding that addicted participants claimed that their internet usage was having negative consequences on their lives. As the majority of participants were males, from the same country the findings can not really be generalised. Also as participants diagnosed themselves the findings may not be valid.

In 1999
Greenfield carried out a study using 17,251 participants. His study also took place online, using a survey, which he called ‘The Virtual Addiction Survey’. The survey, like Young’s used diagnostic criteria taken from pathological gambling. He adapted ten questions to access whether respondents were internet addicts.
Greenfield respondents were 71% male, 82% Caucasian and had an average age of 33.

Using his criteria only 6% were classed as addicted.
Greenfield’s study showed several aspects of the internet which addicts found appealing; the highest were loss of boundaries, disinhibition and intense intimacy. Widyanto and Griffiths think that ‘the results should be interpreted with caution due to the fact that only a preliminary analysis was carried out.

Widyanto and Griffiths think that it is difficult to plan any kind of comparable groups because most researchers use convenient self-selected participants. Furthermore they go on to say the majority of studies haven’t used validated addiction criteria, stating that ‘Those that did assumed that excessive internet use was akin to other behavioural addictions like gambling and/or used very low cut off scores which would increase the percentage of those defined as addicted. (pg 36)

Widyanto and Griffiths also point out the fact that most researchers have not proposed a theory for the cause of internet addiction, therefore there studies lack theoretical basis.

Griffiths (2000a) states that a distinction needs to be made between people addicted to the internet itself, such as people participating in cybersex and cyber relationships. (They are addicted to the internet as there activities can only be performed online)and people who are addicted to a function on the internet, such gambling addicts. There addiction is gambling and they would do this in other way then the net.

In conclusion Widyanto and Griffiths think that even if internet addiction really exists then it only affects a small number of people, furthermore they go on to say that it is still unclear what exactly people are addicted to on the internet, therefore further research is needed.

{December 4, 2006} 17th November:

This week i have found out the following information:

Internet Addiction:

In 1996 Young formally introduced the term Internet Addiction at the American Psychological Association, causing much controversy amongst academics and clinicians. Many dismissed the idea that the internet could be addictive. ‘Many researchers argued that the term addiction should be applied only to cases involving the ingestion of a drug’. (Walker 1989, Rachlin 1990). Young points out that the term addiction has been used to describe a variety of disorders other than the ingestion of drugs, such as overeating and pathological gambling.

Over the last ten years Internet addiction has become recognised as a growing disorder amongst the mental health profession, with journals such as Cyber Psychology and Behaviour immerging. ‘During the past decade a growing body of peer reviewed literature adapted the term Internet addiction and its acceptance as a legitimate disorder grew (E.G Ferris, 2001
Greenfield 1999. Hansen, 2002,) (Young 2004, pg 404). Internet addiction also comes under the more broad area of Technology Addiction, which involves human.- machine relations. Marks 1990, argues that ‘Technological addictions can be viewed as a subset of behavioural addictions. Do I need this? Young (1996) was the first person to conduct an empirical investigation, primarily concerned with whether or not the internet could become addictive. She developed a questionnaire using diagnostic criteria, previously used to identify pathological gamblers. Young states that ‘The DSMIV criteria for pathological gambling were modified to develop an eight item questionnaire as pathological gambling was viewed to be the closest in nature to pathological internet use’ Young 1996.

Young posted the questionnaire (see Appendix 1 for copy) online and received 496 responses. Of these self selected responses 396 were classed as addicted, 60% of who were female. The addicted participants spent on average 38.5 hrs online per week, mainly in chat rooms and other interactive sites. The non-addicted participants spent on average 4.9 hrs per week. The addicted participants stated that their internet usage was causing moderate to severe problems in personal and professional aspects of their lives, as well as having a negative impact on their health and finances. Young drew two main conclusions from her study. The first being that ‘the more interactive the internet function the more addictive it is’ Young YEAR, PG??? and secondly that participants who were classed as addicted reported substantial negative affects in many aspects of their lives.

{November 4, 2006} Sat 28th Oct:

All of my books have arrived , at last!!! Have been reading Caught In The Net By Dr K Young, as mentioned previously. Have found out some useful information. Dr Young conducted a 3 year study into Internet Addiction, she was one of the first people to bring Internet Addiction; to the Media, and therefore publics attention. Although her study was criticised by some academics thousands of people visited and used her website www.netaddiction in the first year.

Caught in the Net:

I have been reading Caught in the Net by Dr Young :

Dr Young devised a questionnaire to diagnose Internet Addiction, using the same criteria from similar questionnaires used to diagnose other addictions, such as gambling. She devised this questionnaire in 1998, but has since updated it to an online questionnaire/test which is available on the website www.netaddiction.com. I feel that this survey will be useful to me, I am thinking of using it, or adapting it to see if the people I will be interviewing fit the criteria of Internet Addiction.

Dr Kimberley .S Young a clinical psychologist first became aware of Internet Addiction in the early 1990’s. Several factors lead her to do research on Internet Addiction. A friend divorced her husband for spending all his free hours on online chat rooms and the American media reported that the increase of computers in the home was leading to people becoming addicted to the net. “…The business magazine inc. made a remark about a 12-step program for Internet addicts. CNN commented on how the surge of modems suddenly appearing in households throughout the country was “creating a society of on-line addicts” Young (1998, pg 3) “Internet users admitted that they were investing more time online at greater and greater cost to their real lives’

Young (1998, pg 3) Young devised a short questionnaire to help diagnose whether or not internet users were addicted. In 1994 she put the questionnaire online. She received more than 496 replies. 396 people stated they were addicted to the net. “They felt anxious and irritable when offline and craved their next date with the internet. And despite Internet-triggered divorces, lost jobs, or poor grades, they couldn’t stop or even control their online usage” Young (1998, pg 4) After conducting this survey she went on to interview people in person and on the telephone. Young states that she was starting to realise that Internet Addiction was widespread and very real.

Dr Young decided to focus her research paper on Internet Addiction, it was titled ‘Internet Addiction: The emergence of a new clinical disorder’The Media took an interest in Young’s study leading to news stories on Internet Addiction being reported in several major American newspapers such as USA today as well as The London Times and broadcast coverage from American, Japanese and Swedish TV Stations. “I had hit a nerve. In our cultures eager embracing of the Internet as the information and communications tool of the future, we had been ignoring the dark side of cyberspace. My study of internet addicts had brought the in sue to light, and since then the network of obsessive internet users and concerned families…has continued to expand. (Young (1998, pg 6)

(Copy of questionnaire, Young 2003)

To assess your level of addiction, answer the following questions using this scale:1 = Rarely.
2 = Occasionally.
3 = Frequently.
4 = Often.
5 = Always.

1. How often do you find that you stay on-line longer than you intended?

1 = Rarely
2 = Occasionally
3 = Frequently
4 = Often
5 = Always
Does Not Apply

2. How often do you neglect household chores to spend more time on-line? 1 = Rarely
2 = Occasionally
3 = Frequently
4 = Often
5 = Always
Does Not Apply

3. How often do you prefer the excitement of the Internet to intimacy with your partner? 1 = Rarely
2 = Occasionally
3 = Frequently
4 = Often
5 = Always
Does Not Apply

4. How often do you form new relationships with fellow on-line users? 1 = Rarely
2 = Occasionally
3 = Frequently
4 = Often
5 = Always
Does Not Apply

5. How often do others in your life complain to you about the amount of time you spend on-line? 1 = Rarely
2 = Occasionally
3 = Frequently
4 = Often
5 = Always
Does Not Apply

6. How often do your grades or school work suffer because of the amount of time you spend on-line? 1 = Rarely
2 = Occasionally
3 = Frequently
4 = Often
5 = Always
Does Not Apply

7. How often do you check your e-mail before something else that you need to do? 1 = Rarely
2 = Occasionally
3 =Frequently
4 = Often
5 = Always
Does Not Apply

8. How often does your job performance or productivity suffer because of the Internet? 1 = Rarely
2 = Occasionally
3 = Frequently
4 = Often
5 = Always
Does Not Apply

9. How often do you become defensive or secretive when anyone asks you what you do on-line? 1 = Rarely
2 = Occasionally
3 = Frequently
4 = Often
5 = Always
Does Not Apply

10. How often do you block out disturbing thoughts about your life with soothing thoughts of the Internet? 1 = Rarely
2 = Occasionally
3 = Frequently
4 = Often
5 = Always
Does Not Apply

11. How often do you find yourself anticipating when you will go on-line again? 1 = Rarely
2 = Occasionally
3 = Frequently
4 = Often
5 = Always
Does Not Apply

12. How often do you fear that life without the Internet would be boring, empty, and joyless? 1 = Rarely
2 = Occasionally
3 = Frequently
4 = Often
5 = Always
Does Not Apply

13. How often do you snap, yell, or act annoyed if someone bothers you while you are on-line? 1 = Rarely
2 = Occasionally
3 = Frequently
4 = Often
5 = Always
Does Not Apply

14. How often do you lose sleep due to late-night log-ins? 1 = Rarely
2 = Occasionally
3 = Frequently
4 = Often
5 = Always
Does Not Apply

15. How often do you feel preoccupied with the Internet when off-line, or fantasize about being on-line? 1 = Rarely
2 = Occasionally
3 = Frequently
4 = Often
5 = Always
Does Not Apply

16. How often do you find yourself saying “just a few more minutes” when on-line? 1 = Rarely
2 = Occasionally
3 = Frequently
4 = Often
5 = Always
Does Not Apply

17. How often do you try to cut down the amount of time you spend on-line and fail? 1 = Rarely
2 = Occasionally
3 = Frequently
4 = Often
5 = Always
Does Not Apply

18. How often do you try to hide how long you’ve been on-line? 1 = Rarely
2 = Occasionally
3 = Frequently
4 = Often
5 = Always
Does Not Apply

19. How often do you choose to spend more time on-line over going out with others? 1 = Rarely
2 = Occasionally
3 = Frequently
4 = Often
5 = Always
Does Not Apply

20. How often do you feel depressed, moody, or nervous when you are off-line, which goes away once you are back on-line? 1 = Rarely
2 = Occasionally
3 = Frequently
4 = Often
5 = Always
Does Not Apply

In 1998 clinics to treat Internet Addiction were opened in
America. Around this time The Universities of Maryland and
Texas started offering students counselling and seminars on and for Internet Addiction.

Young launches her own website stating that the website was… ‘Designed to provide a quick overview of my research and alert internet users of the problems I’ve uncovered. (Young 1998) During the websites first year several thousand people used the site.

During her three year study she talked to people in great detail. As a result of this she has many real life examples in Internet Addiction:

Pg 16 onwards, pg 19 example of woman leaving her husband.

Are you an internet addict, pg 31.

{November 4, 2006} Copy of Independent Study Proposal:

Donna Smiley Independent Study Proposal:

For my Independent Study Proposal I intend to conduct an Empirical study. I will be investigating the link between chat rooms (specifically dating/meeting sites) and Internet Addiction. The main aims of my study are to firstly explore the area of Internet Addiction. I want to find out when Internet Addiction was diagnosed and look into statistics regarding how many people are thought to have this condition and what the signs and symptoms are. Secondly I want to find out why people use meeting/dating sites and focus on what factors make them addictive. My study will focus more on my second aim; my first aim is really to give people an introduction to Internet Addiction.

The main reason I want to conduct my proposed study is personal interest. Last year for the module Communication and the Media I wrote an essay on the pros and cons of the internet, which I found very interesting. Whilst researching possible ideas for my independent study proposal I came across a website on Internet Addiction www.netaddiction.com I found this website very informative, I was not aware that Internet Addiction even existed. I found myself thinking a lot more about Internet Addiction and decided that this was an area which I would like to explore further. During the summer whilst talking to friends I discovered that many of them had started to use the internet as a way to meet men or women. I knew that several of my gay friends used gaydar.co.uk, (a popular gay and bisexual meeting site) as a way of chatting and meeting men and had been doing for years. However I did not know that many young ‘straight’ people used the net as a way of meeting people. To start with I thought this seemed a bit strange, however as the summer went on more and more people were telling me that they were gong on internet dating sites. I had a look at several sites and discovered that there were a large number of young people, aged 16 onwards on the sites. I thought that this area would make an interesting study. I got talking to several people who told me that they could not stop going on these sites. With this in mind I decided to base my independent study on Internet Addiction and dating/meeting sites. “Computers have changed not just the way we work but the way we fall in love. Falling in and out of love, flirting, cheating and even having sex online have all become part of the modern way of living and loving. Yet we know very little about these new types of relationship.

(Ben-Ze’Ev (2004, pg 1) I am working towards the degree title ‘Media and Culture in Communications’. My proposed work is relevant to this area as the Internet is an area of the Media which is very important within modern day society. The Internet has transformed the way in which people (mainly in developed societies) work, communicate, gain information and entertain themselves. Internet use has grown rapidly over the last decade. Globalreach.com estimates that in 2004 there were over 940 million people across the globe who had access to the internet. I feel that the internet is an area of new media communications which needs further study and investigation.Chat rooms have been popular since day one due to the internet allowing people to communicate freely and openly with one another. I personally feel that dating/meeting sites have become more popular with the younger generation. As mentioned above through speaking to people over the summer I discovered that many of them now regularly visit these sites. My study will investigate why people choose to communicate with each other over the net. By carrying out my study I want to make people aware of the reasons for which people use dating /meeting chat rooms. I want to give people an insight into what is it like to go on these sites, what specifically happens, what sort of people use them. I also want to find out the reasons why people become addicted to these sites, what is it that specifically drives them to constantly use dating/meeting chat rooms? I also want to make people aware of Internet Addiction as I do not think that many people are aware that it even exists.

I think that I will know if I have achieved my aims by the results from my interviews. If I manage to interview my candidates successfully I will have honest and detailed accounts of their internet usage. If I have detailed answers to the majority of my questions I will have been successful in my study as I will have found out what I wanted to know. I also think that to successfully achieve a competent study I need to interview a diverse range of people so that I can generalise my findings.

“…The business magazine inc. made a remark about a 12-step program for Internet addicts. CNN commented on how the surge of modems suddenly appearing in households throughout the country was “creating a society of on-line addicts” Young (1998, pg 3)

Young devised a short questionnaire to help diagnose whether or not internet users were addicted. In 1994 she put the questionnaire online. She received more than 496 replies. 396 people stated they were addicted to the net. “They felt anxious and irritable when offline and craved their next date with the internet. And despite Internet-triggered divorces, lost jobs, or poor grades, they couldn’t stop or even control their online usage”

Young (1998, pg 4) The Media took an interest in Young’s study leading to news stories on Internet Addiction being reported in several major American newspapers such as USA today as well as The London Times and broadcast coverage from American, Japanese and Swedish TV Stations.

“I had hit a nerve. In our cultures eager embracing of the Internet as the information and communications tool of the future, we had been ignoring the dark side of cyberspace. My study of internet addicts had brought the in sue to light, and since then the network of obsessive internet users and concerned families…has continued to expand. (Young (1998, pg 6) Professor Ben-Ze’Ev has completed a study of ‘Love Online’ and is the author Love Online-Emotions on the Internet. He states that the number of people going online is growing and realises many of the millions of people are looking for romantic encounters.

Ben-Ze’Ev thinks people look to the internet to find potential partners because it is accessible, affordable and easier than meeting people in public.

‘One does not have to do much or invest significant resources in order to step into this imaginative paradise. Millions of people are eagerly waiting for you on the net every moment of the day’ (Ben-Ze-Ev (2004, pg 19)

In a lot of the dating chat rooms people never actually meet each other, they chat and have online relationships. During his study Professor Ben-Ze’Ev discovered that there were many reasons why people would want to have online relationships. Two of the main reasons were Anonymity and self-disclosure, people felt they could say what they felt and not be judged. He states that previous studies have discovered that people who communicate online are more likely to participate in intense self disclosure. ‘Two seemingly contrasting features of online relationships are greater anonymity are: greater anonymity and greater self disclosure. Anonymity is associated with concealment, which is contradictory to self disclosure. However, greater anonymity typically facilitates greater self-disclosure, and in turn increases familiarity and intimacy’. Ben-Ze’Ev (2004 pg 34)

Firstly to gain a deeper understanding of my chosen topic area I intend to read a wider range of literature on: Internet Addiction, Internet dating and sexual behaviour online. I have ordered several books (which are unfortunately talking longer than expected to arrive) there are:

Carega, A (2002) Hooked on the Net, Kregel Publications.
Porter, D. (2006) Diaries of an Internet Lover, Virgin Books
Collins (2005) The Little Book of Internet Dating Michael O’Mara Books
In the Shadows of the Net: Breaking Free of Compulsive Online Sexual Behaviour…
Carnes, P. et al (2004) E-mail Trouble: Love and Addiction at the Matrix. Hazelden Publishing & Educational Services

(I am not sure where these books have been published as I have not received them and there are no details of this on Amazon.) I am currently reading:· Young, K. (1998) Caught in the Net-John Wiley & Sons Inc· Ben-ze’ev , A. (2004) Love Online Cambridge, Cambridge University Press· Marteau, D. (2001) Addiction Dinton, Quay· Orr, A. (2003) Meeting, Mating (…And Cheating) Sex, Love, and The
New World of Online Dating. Reuters

I will be looking to Dr. Young’s work for guidance. Dr Young is a Professor of Psychology whose main area of interest is Internet Addiction. She is responsible for setting up the internet site www.netaddiction.com, which I referred to earlier and is well known for her research into Internet Addiction.

I intend to base my study on interviews. Interviews are useful for learning about participant’s thoughts and experiences and can provide detailed answers; they also allow a degree of flexibility and can help the interviewer to develop a rapport with the participant. I plan to talk to people online and intend to interview them either in the chat rooms or by email. I will post a blog explaining that I am conducting a research project and explain my aims. I have found several sites which focus specifically on Internet Addiction; www.netaddiction.com has a blog page where users can share their thoughts and feelings. I am going to post a blog here; hopefully I will get some replies. I have also found four people who have agreed to let me interview them face to face. All of these people have told me that they use meeting chat rooms daily. To successfully carry out my study I will be relying on the participants, this worries my slightly. Although I have found four people who have said they are willing to be interviewed I am concerned that one or more of them may drop out. As I explained earlier I intend to post blogs asking people to talk to me about their addiction, I am pretty sure that I will get replies as chat room addiction seems to me to be an area which people do not mind discussing. I will be making the participants anonymous, a fact which I will make clear from the beginning. I think that people will talk to me if they know that their identity will not be identified, they will have nothing to lose. I intend to post several blogs before I conduct my face to face interviews, this way I will hopefully have detailed information and will know what further questions I will need to ask to delve deeper. I would like to interview as many people as possible to get a diverse insight, however realistically I have set an aim of 6-8 people due to time restraints. I feel that this number of people will allow me to get a fairly wide opinion whilst also allowing me time to conduct detailed interviews. The people who talk to me will have volunteered to do so. I am not forcing them to take part in my study it is something which they have chosen to do. The people who I will be interviewing may be vulnerable. I intend to explain to them exactly what I am doing and why I am doing it before they agree to talk to me. As my participants will remain anonymous there will be no breech of confidentiality and no risk that something they say can be used against them. I would like to get a consent form each Of the participants to show that they agree to participate in my study, however as they are anonymous I am not sure if they will want to sign a consent form. The four people who I am interviewing face to face probably won’t mind signing a form, but this may prove impossible from the email interviews. This is something I am going to discuss with my supervisor.

References: Ben-Ze’ev, A. (2004) LOVE ONLINE- Emotions on the Internet
Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press

Young (1998) Caught in the Net-How to Recognise the Signs of Internet Addiction-and a Winning Strategy for Recovery
Canada John Wiley & Sons, Inc

Bibliography:Ben-Ze’ev, A. (2004) LOVE ONLINE- Emotions on the Internet
Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press

Howard, N.P. Jones, S. (2004) Society Online-The Internet in context.
Thousand Oaks,
London,
New Delhi SAGE Publications.

Marteau, D. (2001) Addiction Wiltshire Quay Books.

Orr,A. (2004) Meeting, Mating, (…and Cheating) Sex, Love, and the
New World of Online Dating

Young (1998) Caught in the Net-How to Recognise the Signs of Internet Addiction-and a Winning Strategy for Recovery
Canada John Wiley & Sons, Inc

Appendices:Timetable of proposed work:

Nov 15: Deadline to have read and made notes on all relevant literature

Nov 16: Post Blog asking for participants

Nov 30: Interview People via email, chat rooms

Dec 11: Aim to have written up Aims, Introduction, Literature review and email interviews.

Dec 15-Dec 31: Conduct four face to face interviews and write them up.

Jan: Analyse results

Feb: Write up results, discussion and conclusion.

Follow “Independent Study:”