Chris Fullwood

Current Perspectives on Personality and Internet Use

The Internet provides a means to take part in various online activities, for example, leisure activities (e.g., online gaming), social activities (e.g., online chat), and information activities (e.g., online newspapers). Patterns of Internet consumption tend to vary greatly and this is said to be a possible function of personality. Therefore, knowing something about the personalities of those who favor specific activities online may provide a better insight into the motivational factors behind use. This article combines and reviews current literature regarding personality and Internet use, using Eysenck’s three-factor personality theory as a framework of convergence. Although the Internet allows us to play with our identities, it would still seem that online behavior tends to somewhat mimic the behavior expected by one’s off-line personality.

Blog function revisited: a content analysis of MySpace blogs.

The present study concerns the content of MySpace blogs and whether it differs from the blog style found on sites specifically designed for blogging. A content analysis of MySpace blogs was conducted to investigate trends in purpose, format, and style and to compare these across sex and age categories. Most blogs were written in a positive tone, and the main motivations for blogging appeared to be writing a diary and as an emotional outlet. Findings also indicate that while there were no significant sex differences, blog purpose and style differed across age groups; for example, bloggers over 50 were more likely to use the blog as an emotional outlet with a negative tone. Bloggers between 18 and 29 predominantly used a semiformal language style, whereas bloggers over 30 were equally as likely to use a semiformal or formal style. Results suggest that MySpace blogs are not dissimilar from other forms of blogging because they provide an important outlet for emotion and self-expression.

Internet Access by People with Intellectual Disabilities: Inequalities and Opportunities

This review gives an overview of the societal inequalities faced by people with intellectual disabilities, before focusing specifically on challenges people face accessing the Internet. Current access will be outlined along with the societal, support and attitudinal factors that can hinder access. Discussion of carer views of Internet use by people with intellectual disabilities will be covered incorporating consideration of the tension between protection, self-determination and lifestyle issues and gaining Internet access. We will address how impairment related factors may impede access and subsequently discuss how supports may be used to obfuscate impairments and facilitate access. We will move on from this to critically describe some of the potential benefits the Internet could provide to people with intellectual disabilities, including the potential for self-expression, advocacy and developing friendships. Finally, strategies to better include people with intellectual disabilities online will be given along with future research suggestions.

Emoticon convergence in Internet chat rooms

The present study examines sex and age differences in the use of emoticons (graphic representations of facial expressions) in Internet chat rooms. Data were collected from four Noesis chat rooms (“18+”, “30-something”, “40-something” and “50+”). Although women were more likely than men to use emoticons, there was no difference between the sexes in the range of emoticons used. The fact that men expressed a similar range of emoticons to women implies a general convergence towards female expression in mixed-sex communication contexts. Chat room users without a profile picture were also more likely to use winking emoticons. This may be because these types of emoticons are more flirtatious in intent, and it is easier for chatters to engage in risky communications when they are less identifiable. Furthermore, age had little bearing on the uptake of emoticons as well as the types of emoticons expressed. We draw upon Communication Accommodation Theory to help explain why emotional expression may converge in the chat room context.

My virtual friend

As mobile phones have evolved into Smartphones, they have become more than simple communication tools; transforming into personal assistants, entertainment devices and information gateways. There is a need to understand how this rapid transformation and complexity of Smartphone uses have impacted on users relationship with their phones. This study presents a thematic analysis of three focus group discussions around attitudes and experiences of owning and using Smartphones. Themes that emerged included a bifurcation in attitudes to Smartphones as simultaneously materialistic objects, and ones which users express anthropomorphic and sentimental views about. Participant accounts reflected the evolution of Smartphones from functional communication devices, to informational and recreational tools. Participants discussed using Smartphones to alleviate boredom and that device usage had become habituated for some users. However, context determined Smartphone use with some participants using them to feel secure while away from familiar settings. Participant accounts provide rich insights into different Smartphones uses and infer numerous implications for understanding why some users develop strong psychological attachments to them. Findings also imply that users may not be attached to the device itself, but rather the affordances on offer. The implications of these findings, for example in the assessment of Smartphone addiction, are discussed. Qualitative account of young peoples attitudes and experiences of smartphone use.Smartphone described simultaneously in materialistic and anthropomorphic terms.Smartphones help users feel secure when away from their familiar, home setting.Sheds light on reasons why some people may become attached to their smartphones.

We’ve got something for everyone: How individual differences predict different blogging motivations

The principal aims of this study were to develop a Blogging Motivations Questionnaire (BMQ) and to test the hypothesis that sex, age and personality would be associated with individual blogging motivations. A total of 160 bloggers completed the BMQ and the International Personality Item Pool. Six motivations for writing blogs were confirmed: personal revelation, emotional outlet, creative outlet, selective disclosure, social networking and advertising. Conscientiousness predicted the ‘social networking’ motivation, Agreeableness predicted ‘selective disclosure’ and Openness predicted ‘creative outlet’. Women were motivated by ‘selective disclosure’, and men for ‘advertising’ and as an ‘emotional outlet’. Finally, older bloggers were motivated to use their blogs as a ‘creative outlet’. With reference to the Uses and Gratifications theory, it is likely that bloggers actively construct blogs to satisfy very personal needs. Moreover, the types of needs that one wishes to satisfy are likely to vary with personality type and with one’s age and sex.

Linguistic Androgyny on MySpace

This article examines gender differences in the use of gendered language features in “about me” sections and forum comments on MySpace. Although men and women communicated in more stereotypically gendered ways in the forums, linguistic androgyny prevailed in “about me.” It is likely that “about me” sections provoke a more gender-neutral style of communication, as they are the self-representation in MySpace. Moreover, presenting oneself androgynously will be more appealing to a wider spectrum of users.

Put on a Smiley Face: Textspeak and Personality Perceptions

With the emergence of Web 2.0, there has been a dramatic surge in user-generated content. Although the Internet provides greater freedom in self-presentation, computer-mediated communication is characterized by a more relaxed attitude to grammar, spelling, and punctuation. The language of the Internet, or textspeak, may be suitable for casual interactions but inappropriate in professional contexts. Participant perceptions of an authors personality were tested in two distinct contexts (formal vs. informal) and the written information was manipulated under three levels of textspeak: none, low, and high. Participants judged the author as less conscientious and less open but more emotionally stable when textspeak was used. However, context had no impact. Personality perceptions of textspeak users differ to those who write in Standard English, and this is likely to extend to informal impression management contexts (e.g., online dating). These findings also have a number of implications, for example in terms of screening applicants via social media.

Perceptions of the risks and benefits of Internet access and use by people with intellectual disabilities

Accessible summary Both good and bad things can happen when people use the Internet, and people with learning disabilities are not using the Internet as much as other people. Worry about the bad things that can happen online might be one reason people with learning disabilities are not supported to access the Internet as much as other people. We wanted to find out what people without learning disabilities believe about these good and bad things for people with learning disabilities. We wanted to find this out because the way people without disabilities think about the good and bad things online might affect how people with learning disabilities are treated. We found out that people without learning disabilities think that both the good and bad things are more likely to happen to people with learning disabilities when they use the Internet. Abstract Background: Information and communication technologies, with the Internet at the forefront, have the potential to enhance the knowledge, service, employment, development and social interactional opportunities available to people with intellectual disabilities. Despite this, people with intellectual disabilities are not accessing the Internet to the same degree as people without intellectual disabilities. Issues of safety, risk and protection online for people with intellectual disabilities have yet to be adequately investigated, and these currently serve as reasons given for hindering people from gaining online access. Materials and Method: This survey aimed to gauge the views people without intellectual disabilities have of risks and benefits of using the Internet for themselves and for people with intellectual disabilities and to compare self-ratings of risk and benefits to ratings for people with intellectual disabilities. Results: The survey findings indicate that, with only a small number of exceptions, both the risks and benefits of being online were believed to be greater for people with intellectual disabilities compared with those without intellectual disabilities. Greater use of the Internet was associated with increased perception of benefits to being online for both people with intellectual disabilities and for participants. Conclusions: Perceptions of increased benefits suggest more needs to be performed to improve online access whilst a perception of increased risk may help to explain the reduced inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities in the online world.

Sex, blogs, and baring your soul: Factors influencing UK blogging strategies

There is an abundance of evidence to suggest that online behavior differs from behaviors in the offline world, and that there are a number of important factors which may affect the communication strategies of people within an online space. This article examines some of these, namely, whether the sex, age, and identifiability of blog authors, as well as the genre of communication, affect communication strategies. Findings suggest that the level of identifiability of the blog author has a limited effect upon their communication strategies. However, sex appeared to influence online behavior in so far as men were more likely to swear and attack others in their blogs. Genre had an important influence on disclosure with more self-disclosure taking place in the diary genre i.e., blogs in which people talk about their own lives comparative to the filter genre i.e., blogs in which people talk about events external to their lives. Age affected both self-disclosure and language use. For example, younger bloggers tended to use more swearing, express more negative emotions and disclose more personal information about others. These findings suggest that age, sex, genre, and identifiability form a cluster of variables that influence the language style and self-disclosure patterns of bloggers; however, the level of identifiability of the blogger may be less important in this respect. Implications of these findings are discussed.