Guest Post: Do you play World of Warcraft or Second Life?

Sin�ad — Mon, 26 Jan 2009 14:03:26 +0000

World of Warcraft currently has 11.5 million monthly subscribers, there are 15 million registered-accounts on Second Life, and 38,000 active members in-world at any one time. These numbers show that millions of people are interacting, collaborating, and forming strong relationships online every day -�with fascinating outcomes.

My name is Eily Coghlan, and I’m currently studying Msc Cyberpsychology along with Sin�ad. My research is specifically interested in investigating gender bending online. This is when an individual chooses to play an avatar who has a different gender online then they have in real life. It’s a common occurrence in online gaming, and a simple Google search returns�hundreds of thousands of results. I’m trying to discover what inspires people to gender bend and what reasons they have for doing so. As part of my reseach I have created an online�survey which I need people who gender-bend in these games AND people who don’t gender-bend to fill out.

Like Sin�ad has already done, you also have the chance to win a �50 Amazon voucher at the end of the survey! You can now double your chances! I appreciate anyone who responds, I am extremely grateful! If you don’t happen to play either of these games, please pass it on to anyone that you know who does.�It’s quite quick, only takes 10 minutes to complete!

Thanks to Sin�ad for letting me sneak in on her blog!

Cyberpsychology Digest Volume 3

Sin�ad — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 15:06:55 +0000

‘Facebook Generation’ Faces Identity Crisis: A psychiatrist has suggested that young people are growing up with a different and potentially dangerous view of the world and their own identity. However, in the same article it is also pointed out that the vast majority of psychiatrists worldwide are unaware of the full magnitude or impact of the online world on the younger generation. This story is an example of how an unfounded comment (backed up by no research study) can be picked up by the mainstream media and twisted into stories such as Facebook and Myspace generation ‘cannot form relationships’, ‘Mental risk’ of Facebook teens and thus highlights the importance of continued Cyberpsychology research.

Markers of Status: Different, and Yet the Same: Interesting observations from Danah Boyd into the social activities of teens online, particularly the notion that the social hierarchies that exist in everyday life are replicated and reinforced online. These insights contradict numerous media reports that have highlighted how social networking can support negative behaviour in teens and pre-teens.

Will video games solve sex-discrimination in science?: This article discusses research regarding the gender differences in visuospatial skills necessary for complex mathematics. Findings suggest that the simple act of playing video games could improve these skills. Related Article: Unpacking the Science of Sex Difference

How User Interfaces can make or break a new service: Discussion by industrial designer Alexander van Elsas on the subject of usability and user interface design that suggests that UI is the most important fail factor for any new product or service. Related link: Social Design

Intel Anthropologists Find Keys to Tech Adoption: This article highlights a study from Intel that investigates the so called �technology gap� between richer and poorer countries. Their most recent results indicate that it�s much more than levels of disposable income that influence the adoption of new technologies.

If anyone has anything they�d like to contribute to the next digest, or related articles for this volume, feel free to drop me a comment or an e-mail – Sin�ad.

Volume 1
Volume 2
Volume 3
Volume 4

Sin�ad's Lifestream » gender

Guest Post: Do you play World of Warcraft or Second Life?

Cyberpsychology Digest Volume 3