Psych 532: Psychological Effects of The Internet

Katie Platt's online diary during her experience of the online course at UW-Madison

[katiesinternetdiary-blog]

~WELCOME~

This Tumblr is dedicated to those who have not had the chance to take Psychological Effects of the Internet at the University of Wisconsin-Madison but who are interested in what it’s all about. What you will find on this blog is a detailed overview of each unit of the course (15 in total) with supplementary information placed along the way as well. I hope that by reading this you gain a better understanding about what this course is all about and has to offer. Please enjoy!

[katiesinternetdiary-blog]

~Unit 1~ Getting Started on the Internet

As this was my first online class ever taken, I was nervous because I had no idea what to expect of this course. These first few assignments were plain and simple, just follow the instructions and include all of the requirements and you will be able to receive full credit for the assignments.

I did not realize that we would be placed into discussion groups, as you are placed in discussions for physical classes. At first, this felt weird. Being able to communicate with people online for a class without actually having to talk to them face to face? Perfect. Discussions where you have to sit in a room and uncomfortably sit in silence when the TA asks a question because nobody wants to be the brave soul to give their opinion are over! You can put your thoughts and ideas to this board without feeling super awkward and then receive credit for it. 

The flexibility of this class also surprised me. I thought that this class would have video lectures that we would have to watch and then quizzes following them. I was pleasantly surprised when I saw that we would be reading interesting articles or watching stimulating videos and writing responses that incorporate both information from the articles or videos as well as our personal opinions. I like how we can complete these assignments on our own time throughout the week before its due date, there is no force of sitting in a room for an allotted amount of time and that is the source of “learning”.

[katiesinternetdiary-blog]

How do you talk to people in your discussion group then if you don't have to physically sit with them and go over the information?

For some of theassignments we have to respond to other people’s posts that they made about thedifferent articles or videos. We are instructed to include certain componentslike a compliment, a question, or a comment in our responses to them. Thisallows us to see what other people are saying about the topic and then respondand include some of our own insight to their ideas.

[katiesinternetdiary-blog]

~Unit 2~ Learning via the Internet

This unit taught how we can use the internet to many different kinds of advantages, and showed how we can learn different skills from using the internet. 

We read an article by Professor Gernsbacher that highlighted why an Internet based education is a good way of learning and we had to pick out one reason and say why it resonated the most with us. I really liked the point that an online class can allow for students to work on their own time which leads to optimal performance. I had never taken an online class before, so I wasn’t really sure what to expect with this one, but I fell in love with it right away. There is so much flexibility in an online class and it really allows for you to create time in your schedule on when you will do the assignments. Since I had more free time in my schedule without having to have a specific time to do this class I was able to choose when I would complete the assignments when I actually had time for them, which I thought was really helpful and did, in fact, lead me to my optimal performance.

We also got to surf through Pinterest or other DIY friendly websites and pick a fun activity and learn a new skill and receive credit for it! I chose to use an old Eos lipbalm and lipstick and transform the two into a tinted chapstick as well as learn a new recipe for baking chicken. I never thought that doing an activity like this would be something that I would receive a grade for, but I really had fun doing it!

Since this is an online course we do not meet in person with those in our discussion groups, but we have ways of communicating with them. This week we met for the first time with our Chat Group, which consists of two to three members, and talked with each other for one hour. This is a really nice way to get to know a small amount of people in our discussion and be able to go through the different material each week. It’s also really convenient that we can pick a time that works within our schedules to meet with each other as it is usually fairly simple to coordinate a meeting time.

[thewitchofwonderlust]

DIY Sea Shell Candles🕯🌊 made from recycled birthday candles

I’m sure there are plenty of posts like this one, but I’m just proud that I made some myself! So here’s my process!

What I used:

~ Old birthday candles ~ Shells (Mine were muscle shells) ~ Essential Oils of your choice(I used chamomile & peppermint) ~ A peeler, knife or scissors ~ Something to melt the wax in(I was lucky enough to have metal measuring cups) ~ A clothes pin to keep the wick up

Here’s how to do it!

Originally I was just trying to get the white design off the candles, so I could have homemade looking colored candles for spells. I ended up breaking a few of them while trying to peel the design off so I just used the left over candle and reused the wick for my sea shell candles!

🕯First I scraped the design off(carefully), and kept them in piles of the color. You’ll have to break one of the candles for the wick. One wick will work for two sea shells unless your shells are larger.

🕯Second I put the scraps of wax into the metal measuring cup and placed that on a pan on the stove to heat it and melt. Once melted, I tossed a few drops of my essential oils into the wax to make it smell good. I used chamomile(for calming, success, & easing anxiety) & peppermint(for healing, love, cleansing, and that extra little boost I need sometimes!) But feel free to add whatever you like!

🕯Third I poured the wax into the shells carefully. You may want to make sure the shells are evenly placed, maybe put something on one side to balance it so the wax doesn’t spill out. Then, while the wax is still hot I used a clothes pin to put the wick in and left it to dry. Once dry, your shell doesn’t have to be level(unless you filled it to the top - then your wax will shift when lighted!)

That’s it! It was super simple and easy and quick. Now I also have some great, mini and homemade looking spell candles as well as some aromatherapeutic sea shell candles for my desk while I work & read. Enjoy your sea shell candles my fellow witches! 🌙

Blessed be🥀

[katiesinternetdiary-blog]

DIY!

[rosannapansino]

Double Chocolate Mug Cake

Yields 2 mug cakes

The things you’ll need

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter, melted

¼ cup milk

1 egg, room temperature

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup self rising flour

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

¼ cup mini semi sweet chocolate chips

Pinch of salt

Equipment

2 small mixing bowls

Whisk

Spoon

Rubber spatula

2 microwaveable mugs

Decoration

Powdered sugar

Small sifter

Let’s get started!

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, salt, and sugars.

Whisk the egg, milk, vanilla and melted butter until smooth.

Stir in chocolate chips.

Divide evenly into mugs and microwave on high for about 1 minute. If cake is not set, microwave in intervals of 10 seconds until fully cooked.

Time to decorate!

Allow mug cakes to cool slightly then dust on some powdered sugar on top.

[katiesinternetdiary-blog]

Here is an example of a DIY that could be done for one of the assignments for this week. There was a plethora of options you could do, and they are all so fun and in this case tasty!

[katiesinternetdiary-blog]

~Unit 3~ Educating via the Internet

In this unit of the course we learned about the many benefits of online courses when compared to the typical “normal” college class where 200 students sit in a lecture and listen to the professor. I know that when I go and sit in a huge lecture hall with such an enormous amount of people it feels very impersonal. It makes me think about how weird it is that I pay money to go sit in a class and just listen to a highly educated person talk at me and I’m supposed to just absorb the information. College is an interesting concept. Even though online classes are less traditional and you may be taking them on your own time they may be more beneficial and personal when compared to an in-person class.

We read different articles and watched different videos that explained how the cost of college has risen exponentially over the years; one source states that college tuition has risen more than 1,122% since 1978. WHAT?! Tuition is one thing, and textbooks is another. Most classes that I personally take have at least one textbook usually costing $100-$200 if bought new and maybe about half of that price if bought used and even at a different edition than recommended for the class. Then later in the semester when I realize I’m not actually doing most of the reading is when I regret actually spending that money on it.

Taking online courses can both reduce the rate of tuition, eliminate the cost of textbooks, and also open up class sizes so more people can take them. Daphne Koller, a professor at Stanford, explained in a TEDtalk all the benefits of taking online courses in college. There could be 100,000 people taking the course at one time, which extremely broadens the horizons of the amount of people who can take the course at once. Online courses also force students to actually focus on the information, during in-person lectures students may just sit and mindlessly take notes, but in an online course students can pause and re-listen to information as well as take quizzes to check if the information is being properly processed throughout the lectures.

Education online is growing due to the high rate of the use of the Internet therefore I believe that because of all the benefits of online courses it will become much more prevalent in society rather than only attending in-person classes.

With our chat group this week we discussed the challenges that college students face today and we attempted to create solutions for it. It is so nice to collaborate with other people and share ideas and come up with new solutions, it really opens up my mind to things that I may not have thought about before.

[katiesinternetdiary-blog]

Here is a TEDtalk of Daphne Koller giving information about all the benefits of taking online classes. 

[katiesinternetdiary-blog]

What would you propose to be solutions of integrating both in-person and online courses? I'm not sure if there could be a total switch to all online classes...

Great question!

I do believe that it wouldnot be possible to make the complete switch to having all online classes, thereason I wanted to go to college is to meet new people and have a traditionaleducational experience. However, taking this online class has opened me up moreinto liking the idea of the online education, but I don’t think there could bea total switch.

One idea could be havingclasses that are held online with lecture and information, but still having anin-person discussion each week where you meet with classmates and a TA to discussthe information and get to know people in a more physical context. There alsocould be the option of once or twice a semester meeting personally with theprofessor of the course to talk about the class and ask any questions.

Thiscould allow all the benefits of online courses while still having sometraditional aspects of education still implemented for students to have.

[katiesinternetdiary-blog]

Here is a video we watched for an assignment that explains the drawbacks of traditional education. Class sizes being very large, tuition is immense, and textbooks not being helpful are a few of the issues brought up.

[katiesinternetdiary-blog]

~Unit 4~ Communicating via the Internet

During the fourth week of the course we learned all about the different forms of communication on the Internet and if the Internet is changing the way that we interact and communicate with others.

It is widely believed that the Internet is making communication much briefer, however that is not the case. There are certain things that have changed in regards of how we prefer to communicate with others, but it has not become any briefer because of the internet.

We do prefer to speak to people both intransience and asynchronously. Speaking intransience means that we want to talk to someone in a way that is long lasting and permanent, such as email or text message. Speaking asynchronously means not talking in real time, again like using email or text, where we can take time to think of responses and not have to answer right away.

An example of using this form of communication that I had which is similar to one that Professor Gernsbacher brought up happened when I was in 7th grade. A few of my friends and I planned to break up with one of the girls boyfriend’s after school over text. We all sat around and deviously planned what the message should say and once we had received an answer from the boy we discussed all the possibilities of what to text back. The Internet has allowed for this form of communication, which may not be beneficial for everyone, the boyfriend being dumped in this example, however for the most part it is seen as very useful.

In an article written by Professor Gernsbacher, it was found in a research study that people also communicate more honestly over text message than spoken on the phone. This is because they tend to be more honest and also they are able to give more accurate answers if they have more time to think about the answer. It makes a lot of sense why it is this way, when there is a screen dividing us from other’s it definitely makes it easier to disclose personal information to someone else.

For the chat this week we all read different articles that all encompassed the same idea, is texting finding negative associations in children’s cognitive functioning? All the researchers studied the effects of texting and the use of abbreviations on children and most studies found that there were not any negative effects. They were attempting to discover if it reduced scores on literacy or grammar tests but there showed no changes of those who often used texting versus those who did not.

[katiesinternetdiary-blog]

Since the Internet is changing the way that people communicate, what is the proper way to email a professor?

There are a lot of problemsthat student’s face nowadays in regards to emailing a professor, and manystudents make mistakes when doing so. Here’s a list of things to follow whencommunicating to a professor through email:

1) Use your university emailaccount

2) Use your professor’s lastname in the salutation

3) Start with a new message

4) Use an informative subjectheader

5) Don’t use a professor’sfirst name UNLESS they have instructed you to do so before

6) Use proper grammar andspelling..SPELL CHECK IS YOUR BEST FRIEND

7) Use paragraphs to separateideas

8) No whining or ranting!

9)Write the body of the email first, and the TO: lastout

[katiesinternetdiary-blog]

~Unit 5~ Broadcasting via the Internet

At this part of the course we learned about a bunch of different sensations and phenomenons that happened because of the Internet. I’m sure so many people remember famous videos that went viral, such as “Charlie Bit My Finger” that got lots of fame on YouTube, as well as the phenomenon that supported the ALS Association known as the Ice Bucket Challenge.

Videos like “Charlie Bit My Finger” were not intended to grow in fame, however it sparked like wild fire because, well, it was funny. People wanted to watch it and show their friends because of its humor.

The sensations like the Ice Bucket Challenge went viral because of its importance of the cause itself, people wanted to take part in the challenge and then challenge their friends, but more importantly; to donate and help others. It was emotionally salient, after learning about this disease it’s hard to not want to help. There was also a huge point of connection, most people had their family and friends also take part in the challenge. There also was the element of surprise, people everywhere were taking part in it, even Bill Gates!

Due to the Internet there can be a whole plethora of different things going viral, either for a cause or even just for humor. There’s also differences in phenomena that people wanted to go viral or just so happened to gain fame. The ALS challenge was meant to go viral, but videos like “Charlie Bit My Finger” just so happened to gain popularity.

This unit also taught the importance of personal information such as social media accounts. In this day and age almost everyone has a Facebook account where we all connect with our family and friends. People may not realize that not only are their family and friends looking at their profile, but also potential employers. This unit taught me that I need to be very very careful about the information that I put on my social media accounts, what may just be a cute picture of me and my friends may look like I am a “party animal”. I was able to check the settings I have on my Facebook account and also go through my friends list and likes and delete people or pages that are not relevant to me.

For our chat this week we talked to our group about our ideas for our term project! I ran this idea of creating a Tumblr that gives explanations about what this class is all about and my group provided good feedback about what exactly I should do with it. It’s so helpful talking to other people about what they think because they likely will have ideas that I never thought about before and could end up using.

[hiddlescheekbones]

Hiddlesbatch’s ALS Ice Bucket Challenges completed.

[x] [x]

[katiesinternetdiary-blog]

Some examples of the Ice Bucket Challenge, all proceeds went to ALS!

[katiesinternetdiary-blog]

We get to watch cute videos like this! Here is the viral sensation “Charlie Bit My Finger”

[katiesinternetdiary-blog]

~Unit 6~ Socialization on the Internet

In this part of the course we learned about different ways that people are using the Internet to socialize, which I thought was a really fun unit to learn about.

One thing that was so fun learning about was online dating. I had always wondered how dating websites like farmersonly.com were ACTUALLY a thing. Like how is there an entire website based on that, how many people would actually use that? However, these are websites that are referred to as “niche” websites. So basically just a specific website that’s catered towards one type of person. There’s also christianmingle.com which I think is also a pretty popular one.

These websites are actually of great popularity because people tend to like others who are very similar to them. This is known as similarity attraction, which actually makes a lot of sense. It is so easy to be around people who are in agreement with you about most things, it’s like you are getting positively reinforced just by being around them. So using websites that promote finding someone who is similar to you actually makes a lot of sense.

We also learned about aggression and interpersonal aggression in this unit and how it is reflected online. The Internet has been used a lot for people to post mean comments about others on it. For some people, being behind a screen provides somewhat of a shield for them, and they find it so easy to just type up a mean comment and send it to them, it’s not like they have to see their reaction, right?

We read an interesting article about someone who confronted their cyberbully years later and honestly, it made me so upset. The cyberbully decided to deny any type of cyberbullying that she had done to this girl despite her having done it so obviously and so attacking. Bullying has been around for many many years, even Albert Einstein received some forms of bullying.

Hopefully with more education on this there will be an end to cyberbullying, which is a terrible way to use the Internet for communication. Even at my high school people used the Internet as a way to bully others. My sophomore year there was a Twitter account made that was somewhat of a “Gossip Girl” type account, where people could send in messages to the anonymous owner of the account and they would post them for people’s enjoyments.

[katiesinternetdiary-blog]

I absolutely LOVE James Corden and he did this hilarious bit on his TV show where he had people do a “live Tinder” and it was amazing. He puts a funny twist on this form of online dating.