Paper Summary:

The paper explains three downsides of home pages and associated personal content used for self-expression in young adults. The paper explores Erik Erikson's theories of psycho-social developmental stages and Lawrence Kohlberg's theory of moral development to theorize about the impact of the Internet on social disintegration. The paper shows how, when used judiciously to promote healthy identity formation or to facilitate human communications, the Internet can be a boon for society. The paper stresses, however, that the Internet has become an emblem of deep-rooted social problems related to the disintegration of traditional communities. The paper maintains that the Internet needs to be combined with traditional social interactions in school so that children, adolescents, and young adults use the media as an adjunct to, not a substitute for, face-to-face communications.

From the Paper:

"The Internet has facilitated communication, commerce, and information dissemination. However, the downside to the Internet has become the topic of recent research due to the proliferation of digital media and the ways the computer has infiltrated human society. Well before the Internet flourished, computers replaced human beings in multiple job sectors, leading to loss of livelihood and corresponding loss of pride. Science fiction abounds with tales of man-machine interfaces and battles between human and cyborg. The Internet has also transformed the nature of human communications, depersonalizing them to the extent that individuals can easily hide behind pseudonyms . Anonymity and the isolation it can breed are among the possible deleterious effects of Internet use. Moreover, research shows that the effects the Internet has on young people may be profound including increased social anxiety and depression (Liu & Kuo 2007)."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Crain, W.C. (1985). Kohlberg's stages of moral development. Chapter Seven in Theories of Development. Prentice-Hall. Retrieved Jun 11, 2008 from http://faculty.plts.edu/gpence/html/kohlberg.htm
• Liu, C. & Kuo, F. (2007). A study of internet addiction through the lens of interpersonal theory. CyberPsychology and Behavior. 10(6).
• Poster, M. (2007). The secret self: The case of identity theft. Cultural Studies. 21(1). Jan 2007.
• Schmitt, K.L., Dayanim, S. & Matthias, S. (2008). Personal homepage construction as an expression of social development. Developmental Psychology. 44(2).
• van den Eijnden, R.J.J.M., Meerkerk, G., Vermulst, A.A., Spijkerman, R. & Engels, R.C.M.E. (2008). 44(3).

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