Communicating in Cyberspace

Blog Entry
Communicating in Cyberspace

"It is clear that the Internet serves different needs for different people” (Rodgers and Sheldon, 2002, p.91)

Millions of people use the Internet daily and among those users can be categorized into four groups: researching, communicating, surfing and, shopping. These groups show the Internet user intentions and were identified with the testing of a Web motivations inventory. This program was conducted on both students and nonstudents and allows researchers to develop strategies to capture and maintain the user’s attention. Companies can customize their web sites to direct customers to popular products and sites. By creating visual and audio cues with colorful eye catching phrases the user is drawn to these sites. This allows online advertisements to direct the four groups to frequently used sites effectively reaching the target market groups.
As we have seen by current research and technology our interest can be identified through our Internet usage. This can have both positive and negative effects. Having websites tailored to meet the users need is a positive aspect of the research we may not think about. Providing links and prompts to popular sites can minimize our search, creating better utilization of our time. It is nice to easily navigate the Internet when sites have been tailored to meet our needs, but it is a little unsettling to know this type of information can be obtained from just the click of a mouse. This increases my concern for Internet privacy and the safety of information we enter when using the computer such as: ID numbers, passwords, account numbers and logins. Will the advance in technology lead to breach of privacy and personal security?

Campbell, C., Parent, M., Plangger, K., Fulgoni, G. (2011). Instant Innovation: From Zero to
Full Speed in Fifteen Years, Journal of Advertising Research, 8, 79. Retrieved from
URL: http://web.ebscohost.com.dml.regis.edu

Peggy B.