Use Of Chat Rooms Research Articles

Personality Traits and Psychiatric Comorbidities in Individuals with Internet Use Disorder - A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract Aim: The aim is to evaluate the association of personality traits, online activities, and psychiatric comorbidities with the Internet use disorder. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 481 professional college students (18–25 years) pursuing graduation. Participants responded to an online questionnaire consisting of Young’s Internet addiction test, Internet Gaming Disorder scale-short form, Big Five inventory and behavioral inhibition system/behavioral activation system scales (BIS/BAS) scales, and subsequent in-clinic evaluation using MINI 7.0.2 questionnaire. Results: Of 481 college students, 175 (36.38%) had Internet use disorder. Of these, 115 were found to have mild, 57 moderate, and 3 severe Internet use disorders with a mean age of 20.85 ± 1.84 years and sex ratio of M:F: 0.9:1. The prevalence of Internet gaming disorder was found to be 0.42%. On multivariate logistic regression, use of chat rooms (odds ratio [OR] - 1.24), instant messaging (OR - 1.33), Internet gaming (OR - 1.25), and recreational surfing (OR - 1.25) were independent predictors for Internet use disorder. Among the personality traits, on multivariate logistic regression, neuroticism (OR - 1.06) and openness to experience (OR - 1.09) were positive predictors for the presence of Internet use disorder and moderate–severe Internet use, while conscientiousness (OR - 0.87) was negative predictor. 19.4% (34/175) of students had psychiatric comorbidities (1 comorbidity – 21 students, >1 comorbidities – 13 students); the most common being major depression (alone or in combination). Conclusions: In this study, neuroticism and openness to experience were found to be predictors of Internet use disorder as well as moderate–severe Internet use. In addition, the use of chat rooms, instant messaging, online gaming, and recreational surfing was associated with higher Internet use disorder. A large proportion of psychiatric comorbidities with Internet use disorder were found.

Exploring the Use of Chatrooms by Developers: An Empirical Study on Slack and Gitter

Communication is critical for the software development teams to maintain project awareness, facilitate project co-ordination and avoid misunderstandings. The features offered in the chatrooms, such as private messaging, group conversations, and code sharing help accommodate the communication needs of the software development teams. Therefore, chatrooms have been increasingly adopted among the developers. Since the last study on Slack performed by (Lin <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">et al.</i> 2016), the audience of Slack has more than doubled possibly leading to an evolution of the ways Slack is used; while another rich community formed around Gitter and remains unstudied. In this paper, we perform an investigative study using qualitative and quantitative techniques to gain insights on the use of popular modern chatrooms, specifically Slack and Gitter. Based on the survey responses from 163 developers, the interviews with 21 developers, and the chatroom data collected from 11 Slack and 770 Gitter rooms, we are able to uncover the reasons behind the use of Slack and Gitter, the perceived impact on the associated projects, and the quality determinants of the two chatrooms. We find that the developers seek knowledge from the chatrooms to obtain timely feedback from experts, and in return share their expertise to build the project community and their reputations. Furthermore, it is perceived by the Gitter developers that the chatrooms have an impact on prioritizing the new features and the bug fixes. In Slack, the most reported impact concerns an increased project awareness, in terms of a better tracking of the work progress. As reported on the developers’ survey, both Slack and Gitter chat services have a visible impact on mentoring developers, and sharing the best practices. In terms of quality determinants, a non-ephemeral history and a better history management (e.g., advanced search) could be keys for both chat services to reach their full potential.

Predicting students' intention to continue online learning post-COVID-19 pandemic: extension of the unified theory of acceptance and usage technology

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to predict the intention to continue online learning post the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic among students in the two largest universities of higher learning in Botswana. Furthermore, the purposes of this study are to elucidate the nexus between performance expectancy and continuance intention to establish the effects of efforts expectancy on continuance intention to investigate the relationship between social influence and continuance intention to determine the relationship between facilitating conditions and continuance intention and to examine the relationship between satisfaction and continuance intention using the extended unified theory of acceptance and usage technology (UTAUT) model postulated by Venkatesh et al. (2003).Design/methodology/approachThe study is based on the descriptive research design, using a structured questionnaire to collect quantitative data from 509 undergraduate and postgraduate students at Botswana's two major Universities using convenience sampling strategy. An online survey was used to gather primary data due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The study employed correlation and regression analysis in testing the five hypothesized relationships.FindingsUsing the extended theory of UTAUT as a theoretical lens, the study found that: performance expectancy, social influence and satisfaction predict continuance intention of online learning services. These factors have shown to be good predictors of intention in previous research. Expectancy effort had no influence on intention.Research limitations/implicationsThe current study covered on only university students from two tertiary institutions; therefore, results cannot safely be generalized to the student population in the country. Therefore, future research should consider enlisting more universities to be more representative, focusing on lecturers, which is an important group in fostering online teaching that could have a spill-over effect on the students' continued online learning.Practical implicationsImplications for online technology selection: These findings suggest that although most universities temporarily adopted online teaching as an emergency solution, students appear to have felt that the outcomes delivered by the system improved their performance. This implies that academic institutions need to consider adjusting the curriculum to promote online learning in the future, whether there is pandemic or no pandemic. Implications for teaching and learning: First, the concept of social influence suggests that lecturers can make use of online chat discussion boards and rooms to foster student collaboration and a sense of community. Second, and finally online service providers should foster a close relationship with students to understand their expectations and extend the performance of their applications to satisfy their users.Originality/valueThis study contributes to literature on online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic period by including satisfaction and continuance intention to the original UTAUT model thus extending the practical value of the model. This study extends knowledge on the factors that determine continuance intention by incorporating satisfaction in addition to the four factors of the traditional UTAUT. The study provides evidence for the predominance of satisfaction over the four traditional factors in predicting intention to continue online learning among students.

Exploring the Use of Chatrooms by Developers: An Empirical Study on Slack and Gitter

Exploring the Use of Chatrooms by Developers: An Empirical Study on Slack and Gitter

Streamer-Interface-Viewer Entanglement

In China, the live-streaming industry has a distinctive model of cultural production: showroom live-streaming. It is often adopted by social media platforms to complement other social networking activities. This study reveals the ways in which social media platforms (specifically, Douyin and Momo) design their showroom livestreaming interfaces and aff ordances to normalise and commodify the aff ective interactions between female streamers and their male viewers and to establish a gendered power relationship. Using the walkthrough method during two stages of the apps (entry to live-streaming chatrooms and the everyday use of live-streaming chatrooms), this study analyses various aff ordances regarding their functional, sensory, and cognitive impacts on users. This research thereby demonstrates that the live-streaming interface design constructs two types of subject positions. The ideal user is constructed as a heterosexual male, who is empowered through the consumption of virtual gifts; in contrast, the interface nudges the female streamers to conduct emotional labour and deliver implicitly sexualised performances to maintain an aff ective relationship with viewers.

Ruang kelas virtual: pembelajaran dengan pemanfaatan permainan online Hago

Game users today have a lot, ranging from children to adults. Even parents are now starting to play the game as free time to get rid of boredom. Online games are now a favorite for users. The Hago application not only presents a number of game options, but the application can be used in the world of education, such as the use of chat rooms with several menu choices in it. With the chat room feature, users can communicate remotely, especially students and teachers in terms of learning. The purpose of this study is to describe the use of Hago chat Room as a virtal classroom for students. The type of research is descriptive qualitative. The data in the form of recorded chat room user conversations, while the data source in this study is the chat room menus in Hago. Data collection techniques are done by recording several menus in the chat room and data analysis techniques, namely analyzing the menus in the chat room into a virtual classroom. The results showed that the chat room has benefits in the world of education, namely virtual classrooms by utilizing the menus in the chat room.

Informing design of an app-based coaching intervention to promote social participation of teenagers with traumatic brain injury

ABSTRACTObjective: To examine perspectives of multiple stakeholders to inform the design of an app-based coaching intervention to promote social participation in teenagers with traumatic brain injury (TBI).Methods: Teenagers and college students with and without TBI and parents of teenagers with TBI were recruited from two children’s hospitals and two universities in the USA (n = 39). Data were collected via interviews, focus groups, and surveys and examined using descriptive statistics and content analyses. Results: Teenagers with TBI reported more social participation barriers and fewer strategies for addressing these barriers than teenagers without TBI. There was consensus across groups about the value of college student coaches and use of smartphones and apps. Participants expressed mixed views on the use of chat rooms and degree of parent involvement. Conclusion: Results provided insights about the possible benefits of the intervention, and informed its initial design (e.g., desired coach qualities, and type of coach training and supervision).

Associations between adult attachment style and mental health care utilization: Findings from a large-scale national survey

This study investigated the association between attachment style and the use of a range of mental health services controlling socio-demographic, physical and psychological risk factors. Using a large nationally representative sample from the US National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R), a total of 5645 participants (18+) were included. The majority of participants reported their attachment as secure (63.5%), followed by avoidant (22.2%), unclassified (8.8%), and anxious (5.5%). The percentages using different health services studied varied widely (1.1–31.1%). People with insecure (anxious and avoidant) attachment were more likely to report accessing a hotline, having had a session of psychological counselling or therapy, getting a prescription or medicine for mental and behavioural problems. Individuals with anxious attachment only were also more likely to report the use of internet support groups or chat rooms. This is a first analysis to explore relationships between self-reported adult attachment style and a wide range of health care services. Insecurely attached individuals were more likely to use a wide range of health care services even after controlling for socio-demographic factors, psychiatric disorders and chronic health conditions. These findings suggest that adult attachment plays an important role in the use of mental health care services.

Internet Use and Access Among Pregnant Women via Computer and Mobile Phone: Implications for Delivery of Perinatal Care.

BackgroundThe use of Internet-based behavioral programs may be an efficient, flexible method to enhance prenatal care and improve pregnancy outcomes. There are few data about access to, and use of, the Internet via computers and mobile phones among pregnant women.ObjectiveWe describe pregnant women’s access to, and use of, computers, mobile phones, and computer technologies (eg, Internet, blogs, chat rooms) in a southern United States population. We describe the willingness of pregnant women to participate in Internet-supported weight-loss interventions delivered via computers or mobile phones.MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional survey among 100 pregnant women at a tertiary referral center ultrasound clinic in the southeast United States. Data were analyzed using Stata version 10 (StataCorp) and R (R Core Team 2013). Means and frequency procedures were used to describe demographic characteristics, access to computers and mobile phones, and use of specific Internet modalities. Chi-square testing was used to determine whether there were differences in technology access and Internet modality use according to age, race/ethnicity, income, or children in the home. The Fisher’s exact test was used to describe preferences to participate in Internet-based postpartum weight-loss interventions via computer versus mobile phone. Logistic regression was used to determine demographic characteristics associated with these preferences.ResultsThe study sample was 61.0% white, 26.0% black, 6.0% Hispanic, and 7.0% Asian with a mean age of 31.0 (SD 5.1). Most participants had access to a computer (89/100, 89.0%) or mobile phone (88/100, 88.0%) for at least 8 hours per week. Access remained high (>74%) across age groups, racial/ethnic groups, income levels, and number of children in the home. Internet/Web (94/100, 94.0%), email (90/100, 90.0%), and Facebook (50/100, 50.0%) were the most commonly used Internet technologies. Women aged less than 30 years were more likely to report use of Twitter and chat rooms compared to women 30 years of age or older. Of the participants, 82.0% (82/100) were fairly willing or very willing to participate in postpartum lifestyle intervention. Of the participants, 83.0% (83/100) were fairly willing or very willing to participate in an Internet intervention delivered via computer, while only 49.0% (49/100) were fairly willing or very willing to do so via mobile phone technology. Older women and women with children tended to be less likely to desire a mobile phone-based program.ConclusionsThere is broad access and use of computer and mobile phone technology among southern US pregnant women with varied demographic characteristics. Pregnant women are willing to participate in Internet-supported perinatal interventions. Our findings can inform the development of computer- and mobile phone-based approaches for the delivery of clinical and educational interventions.

The Use of Internet Chat Rooms to Meet Sexual Partners: A Comparison of Non-Heterosexually Identified Men with Heterosexually Identified Men and Women

ABSTRACT. Objectives: Prior work suggests that many individuals use the Internet to meet romantic or sexual partners. Our intent was to explore perceptions and experiences with meeting people online. Methods: In 2008, the authors conducted U.S.-based online interviews with 65 predominantly White, self-identified heterosexual men and women and gay/bisexual men (Mean age = 30.8 years). Results: Reasons for meeting people online, desired partner characteristics, and the process of connecting for sex paralleled those observed in face-to-face contexts. People used Internet chat rooms to identify more partners and specific partner characteristics. “Background checks” of online partners, though often believed to be inaccurate, increased familiarity and trust leading to reduced condom use. Participants said online condom use negotiation was easier but usually occurred in face-to-face contexts.Conclusions: The fundamental processes of meeting partners online are similar in many ways to meeting partners face-to-face; however, the Internet facilitates rapid access to relatively large numbers of potential partners.

Internet addiction disorder and social networks: statistical analysis of correlation and study of the association with social interaction anxiousness

Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD) is an emerging psychiatric disorder, assimilable to impulse control problems and related to maladaptive use of new networks and social and virtual technologies. Our study aims to analyze the presence of IAD among adolescents and to study the correlation with social interaction anxiousness. We investigated also the possibility that the Social Network (SN) represent a source of risk for the development of IAD. The test group was composed of 250 subjects, aged between 14 and 18 years. They were administered: Young's IAT; IAS (Interaction Anxiousness Scale), AAS (Audience Anxiousness Scale) and SISST (Social Interaction Self-Statement Test) to analyze the dimension of social interaction anxiousness. We found a rate of 2% of the IAD. The SN are the most common use of the Net in our sample, but not the most clicked sites by subjects with IAD. It should be noted, finally, a correlation between social interaction anxiety and IAD, but not a significant difference in scores of social anxiousness scales based on the SN use/non-use. The use of SN intended as single variable doesn't correlate with increased risk for IAD, or for increased social interaction anxiousness. However, if associated with prolonged use of the net for 5-6 hours or more, or concomitant use of chat rooms and/or net gambling, we find a more significant risk of psychopathology. The data presented require further investigations, in order to guide new pathogenetic models and appropriate intervention strategies.

The Impact of ICT on Career Counseling Services: A case Study of Nigerian Secondary Schools

Information and communication technologies (ICT) will need to be fully integrated into the delivery of careers services as the world is now in the global era. Such integration would not only have the potential to achieve more but would also increase the flexibility of services and enhance their quality. Career choice is an important decision a person needs to make in his life time. Unfortunately, many young people find it uneasy to make appropriate career choice. The paper focused on the usage of career counseling services in selected public secondary schools in Nigeria. It sought to find out how students and teachers utilize career counseling services, students’ expectations in career counseling services and how school principals support career counseling services. Simple random sampling was used to select 380 from 34 public secondary schools from the sample population. Four-point Likert scale questionnaires were used to obtain data for the study. The findings revealed that the students use career counseling services to take career decision and aspiration, gather career information and select and take subjects that match their career interest. Secondary school teachers use career counseling services to guide students to make appropriate subject choice that match their career interest and help them with their career challenges and plans. This paper recommends that career counselors should integrate use of ICT, through the use of chat rooms, email and social networking. In other words several choice of career could be show to the students on DVD and CD Video. They should also be exposed to TV and radio Chat on Career choice. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11591/ijere.v1i1.709

Psychosocial correlates of internet use among Italian students

Davis (2001) introduced a cognitive-behavioral theory of generalized pathological internet use (GPIU) that attempts to model the etiology, development, and outcomes associated with PIU. According to this model, pre-existing psychosocial problems (depression, loneliness, or low levels of social support) predispose an individual to GPIU cognitions, behaviors, and negative outcomes. An exploratory study intended to investigate whether GPIU is associated with psychosocial health (loneliness, depression, self-esteem, and shyness), also taking account of types of internet services used, was conducted in a sample of Italian undergraduate students. A cross-sectional and descriptive correlational design was used. The participants were 157 undergraduate students (34 male and 123 female) enrolled at The University of Florence. The results revealed a stronger correlation between the frequency of use of communicative services (as opposed to leisure or informational services) and GPIU levels. Among services, the most significant predictor of GPIU was the frequency of use of chat rooms and "adult" websites. All psychosocial health variables were correlated with GPIU, with the exception of shyness; however, general loneliness was the only significant predictor of GPIU. Depression and self-esteem were not significant predictors of GPIU. These results are consistent with the assumption that GPIU is related to the social aspect of the internet (e.g., online chatting) and arises from the unique communicative environment found online. In accordance with recent studies, social wellbeing (i.e. loneliness) seems to play a greater role than psychological health in deriving negative effects from internet use.

Health Literacy and Online Health Discussions of North American Black Women

ABSTRACT Purpose: Women increasingly use the Internet for healthcare information. This pilot study examined the use of online chat rooms as a potential health promotion resource for women of color. Design: A directed qualitative content analysis assessed discussions (2002/2003 and 2004/2005) from two Internet chat rooms targeted to North American, English-speaking Black women. Methods: Verbatim transcripts were assessed using Nutbeam's (2001) model of health literacy. Results: Chat 1 and Chat 2 had 18 and 54 messages, respectively. Transcript readability was below grade 8 level. Discussions provided information on healthy behaviors, social support, and provocation for political action. Conclusions: The chat rooms provided health promotion information and social support at recommended readability levels and are illustrative of contemporary reorientation of health promotion services.

M4M chat rooms: Individual socialization and sexual autonomy

This paper uses data from twenty‐one online and in‐person qualitative interviews to examine the meaning and use of chat rooms located on men for men (M4M) websites from the perspectives of men seeking men on the Internet. This research is inspired by recent public health and social sciences literature on gay websites and chat rooms. The data indicate that these online sites help expedite learning about sex and sexuality and, for men who are shy or geographically isolated, to interact with metropolitan gay communities. There is, however, a measure of stigma associated with use of these chat rooms, particularly by men who are older or in coupled relationships. Using these data, the paper argues that M4M chat rooms play a vital role in fostering the sexual autonomy of many men who frequent these venues and that sociologists should devote more study to the complexity of online social interaction.

Electronic Bullying Among Middle School Students

Purpose Electronic communications technologies are affording children and adolescents new means of bullying one another. Referred to as electronic bullying, cyberbullying, or online social cruelty, this phenomenon includes bullying through e-mail, instant messaging, in a chat room, on a website, or through digital messages or images sent to a cell phone. The present study examined the prevalence of electronic bullying among middle school students. Methods A total of 3,767 middle school students in grades 6, 7, and 8 who attend six elementary and middle schools in the southeastern and northwestern United States completed a questionnaire, consisting of the Olweus Bully/Victim Questionnaire and 23 questions developed for this study that examined participants’ experiences with electronic bullying, as both victims and perpetrators. Results Of the students, 11% that they had been electronically bullied at least once in the last couple of months (victims only); 7% indicated that they were bully/victims; and 4% had electronically bullied someone else at least once in the previous couple of months (bullies only). The most common methods for electronic bullying (as reported by both victims and perpetrators) involved the use of instant messaging, chat rooms, and e-mail. Importantly, close to half of the electronic bully victims reported not knowing the perpetrator’s identity. Conclusions Electronic bullying represents a problem of significant magnitude. As children’s use of electronic communications technologies is unlikely to wane in coming years, continued attention to electronic bullying is critical. Implications of these findings for youth, parents, and educators are discussed.

Perspectives and issues of the creation for weblog‐based electronic portfolios in teacher education

The article discusses the continually evolving presence of the Internet in education. The use of synchronous chat rooms, newsgroups, and discussion forums is well established in education, but other computer-mediated communication systems, such as weblogs and blogging, are relatively new developments. The article discusses the use of weblogs as a means to establish an archive of information by date, as well as to provide hyperlinks to other blogs or sites of interest. Also considered are weblog-based electronic portfolios, and the role of weblogs in teacher-student relationships.

E-Learning as a Tool for Knowledge Transfer through Traditional and Independent Study at Two United Kingdom Higher Educational Institutions: A Case Study

Much has been made of the advances in computer-aided learning activities. Websites, virtual campus, the increased use of WebCT (an online proprietary virtual learning environment system) and chat rooms and further advances in the use of WebCT are becoming more commonplace in United Kingdom universities. However, the effectiveness of these learning methods from the student point of view needs to be questioned. This article looks for ways of changing higher education students' perception of the usefulness of recommended Internet websites for learning purposes, with the intention of increasing the usage rate of recommended module websites. The change could represent an adaptation of the existing, well-known technology to change students' perception regarding its potentially formative role. Subsequently, the outcomes from this preliminary research could be used in order to enhance the quality of Internet use for teaching and learning purposes. The article further draws on secondary sources, including the 2005 Oxford Internet survey that gives constructive perspectives into future policy direction. The article examines some of the learning technologies and introduces the discussion on the evaluation of web-based learning. The research problem that emerges from the discussion is defined and followed by the illustration of the investigative method deployed. The analysis of findings and recommendations conclude the article.

Internet Chat Rooms: Connecting With a New Generation of Young Men of Color at Risk for HIV Infection Who Have Sex With Other Men

The purpose of this study was to explore the use of gay-related Internet chat rooms by young men who have sex with other men of color (YMSMC) in a specific catchment area. Participants were 104 YMSMC age 18 to 24 (M = 21.56) who were encountered in two gay-related Internet chat rooms during April 2005. Participants were mainly African American (53.7%, n = 56), HIV-negative (57.6%, n = 60), and online looking for some type of sexual encounter (80.7%, n = 84). The results of this study support the need to develop specific culturally appropriate HIV prevention Internet outreach protocols targeting YMSMC at risk for HIV infection. Lessons learned while conducting this study and recommendations are also discussed.

O uso das salas de bate-papo na internet: um estudo exploratório acerca das motivações, hábitos e atitudes dos adolescentes

O objetivo deste estudo foi investigar motivações, hábitos e atitudes em relação às salas de bate-papo na internet entre adolescentes. Participaram 128 jovens (média de idade 17,02 anos; 61,7% mulheres), estudantes de uma escola de ensino médio e de uma faculdade da Grande São Paulo. Eles responderam em sala de aula a um questionário desenvolvido especialmente para este estudo. A análise dos dados revelou que homens e mulheres não diferiram quanto aos motivos pelos quais utilizavam as salas de conversação, tendo predominado as opções “se divertir” e “conhecer pessoas”. Um percentual significativamente superior de mulheres (em comparação ao de homens) indicou criar personagens ao entrar nas salas de conversação, enquanto um maior percentual de homens (comparado às mulheres) declarou achar mais fácil conversar sobre assuntos íntimos nas salas de conversação do que em uma relação face a face (por se sentirem mais protegidos no primeiro ambiente). A grande maioria dos participantes indicou que não busca as salas de bate-papo para resolver problemas pessoais, embora cerca de um quarto tenha reconhecido que as conversas nas salas os ajudam a se conhecer melhor. Conclui-se que as salas de bate-papo são vistas principalmente como um ambiente para diversão, não necessariamente implicam em formas diferenciadas das relações face a face. Palavras-chave: internet; comunicação; adolescência.