PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF NEW MEDIA

PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF NEW MEDIA

ABSTRACT

New media is a subtype of electronic media also known as digital media which synthesizes and broadcasts information through binary digit system 0 and 1.It includes computer technology like laptops,smartphones,PCs,internet and also memory devices like Hard Disks,CDs,DVDs,SD cards and pendrives.

This technology was invented to make the lives of people easier when it comes to accessing information and entertainment at cheaper expenses.But as science can be transformed from being a boon to a curse,same is true for new media.

People have made themselves dependent on new media to a greater extent.There brains have been adversely affected which has resulted in an uncanny addiction to digital platforms.

The paper will discuss in details about how new media psychologically affects a human.It will make use of scientific evidences,interviews and statistical data to achieve the purpose.Interviews will show different perspectives of people of different age groups and profession.

Moreover the paper will also discuss how online content affects our thinking differently than content available on print,radio and TV.

INTRODUCTION

Electronic media is divided into two types-digital media and analogue media.Analogue media includes electronical appliances which use sinusoidal electromagnetic waves for sending and receiving messages.It includes television,radio,telegrams and also storage devices like VHS,VCR,Gramophone records,etc.On the other hand digital media,popularly known as new media,uses binary digit system of 0 and 1.0 means off and 1 means on where on and off refers to switiching on and off of led lights fitted in computer screens.

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New media can be anything from a simple calculator to more complex supercomputers.Devices mainly include laptops.PCs,smartphones,tablets,smart TVs and storage devices like CDs,DVDs,pendrives,SD cards,card readers and hard disks.

These devices convert normal information into binary digit format which can be decoded by other devices in order to show the required information.For example,the word COMPUTER will be converted into “01100011 01101111 01101101 01110000 01110101 01110100 01100101 01110010” by the devices for ease of sending and receiving.This binary code cannot be encoded by ordinary humans but a digital device.Even images and videos are converted into this code before they are sent as signals to other computers.

In digital storage devices,storage capacity is fixed upto few MBs or even GBs.If the storage gets full,no more audio-video or other information will be stored on that device.Thus there is no problem of overwriting as is the case with analogoue media.Also it is an effectively fast and time independent mode of communication.In analogue or cable television,audience was able to view a specific programme at a particular time slot and if they have to watch it again,thay have to wait for the repeat telecast of the programme.But this is not the case with digital media as the programmes can viewed at any time as they are always available once uploaded on a website.Also,due to the wireless technology,these programmes and other informations can be accessed form anywhere,even from a congested traffic jam.Thus it is a boon for common people.

But,like any other boon it also has some strings attached to it.If this boon is overused or abused,it will turn into a nightmare.Studies have shown that increasing use of new media platforms has resulted in a number of psychological and psychosomatic changes.These are generally sleep deprivation,stress mismanagement,addiction,depression,OCD and also incriminated mindsets of people.

BACKGROUND STUDIES

The gadgets and devices used for accessing digital media can adversely alter the chemistry of human brain.Laptops,mobiles and television emit a radiation called blue light.Prolonged exposure to blue light inhibits the secretion of melatonin,the hormone responsible for sleep.As a result,the user suffers from Sleep Phase Disorder,a psychological disorder characterised by disturbance in the natural sleep cycle.It may also disturb the balance of other feel good hormones like serotonin,dopamine and norepinephrine.Thus,it may lead to Depression,OCD,Bipolar Disorder.As a result of disturbance in brain chemistry,people end up in getting addicted to these gadgets.This is the reason why people get addicted to social networking sites such as facebook,twitter or whatsapp.People get so dependent on these platforms they post each and every part of their life on facebook.It may be sharing birthday pictures,quotes and sometimes even private photos and information.This may lead to blackmailing,forced prostitution and even suicide.The victims of these crimes are mostly women,especially the teenagers.They often face problems like receiving rape threats,death threats,slut shaming,body shaming and also some vulgar and ,literally,incestuous comments whenever they upload any glamorous picture of theirs.Also some people morph their photos to make them look really vulgar and then they blackmail them to do their bidding,which is not always about money.Some renowned celebrities have also faced these types of indescent online criticism.Nora Fatehi,Mandira Bedi and Zarine Khan are one of them.All of them one by one appeared on a show called MTV Troll Police.They told the audience what type of slut shaming and rapethreats they receive on twitter and Instagram.Also they confronted that one troller who harassed them the most.Thus,another psychological impact of new media is incrimination of human mind.

Some major types of cyber crimes are as follows-

Phishing Scams

Phishing scams are attempts by scammers to trap you into giving out your personal information such as bank account numbers, passwords and credit card numbers. These scammers will contact you out of the blue, via email, text message, phone call or even through social media, pretending to be a legitimate business such as your bank, telephone company or even internet provider.

The scammer may ask you to renew them on your details so they can refresh their systems, they may even ask you to fill out a survey in order to win a prize like new iphone X or ipad. But this is how scammers get access to your emails,phone numbers,etcAnother way these scammers get to know your information is by telling you that ‘unauthorised or suspicious activity has been happening on your account’, and they will then ask for your information so they can “sort it out”.

In fact they are going to steal from you. Phishing works in the same manner as fraudulent phonecalls asking for banking details.

Email Bombing

An email bomb is more a form of internet abuse. Email bombing overloading an email id with tons of emails with a purpose of making the server slow or sluggish.They may not be stealing anything from you but having a laggy server can be a real headache and hard work to fix.

Social Media Hack & Spamming

Social media hacking is often done as a joke, like the attack by the people who hacked Burger King’s twitter account.Many celebrities that are hacked may end up following people they Generally don’t know. Even though for the average, seeing a celebrity or brand posting odd stuff can be entertaining, it’s a violation of privacy.

However a hacker can also spread unwarranted content that can be distressing to people who view this content, it can also cause your account to be reported and shut down.

Social media spamming comes when a person creates a fake account and becomes friends or followed by the average person. This then gives the spammer the liberty to spam inboxes with bulk messaging, this can be done for spreading malware.

Spamming can also spread nasty links created with the intent to harm, mislead or damage a user or their device. Clicking on these links, which may be an advertisement for a new iPhone or weight loss remedy, means you could be downloading malware or trojans which can lead to the theft of personal information.

Another dark side of social media is the ability for malicious accounts to spam your output by constantly replying with negative messaging. A form of trolling.

While you can easily report such behaviour to the social media platform and they should remove the user, or you can block them from seeing your content, it’s easy for people to set up new bot accounts in minutes and begin their attack again.

Some people have too much time in their hands.

Cyber Stalking

There have been many cases of stalking on facebook or Instagram across the world and it is especially very common with teenagers and young adults. Generally, the victim and the stalker already know each other. The victim is generally subjected to online harassment in forms of a bombardment of online messages and emails. The aim of cyber stalking is to make the victim miserable or exert control as a perverse way of being in contact with the victim, just like ordinary stalking.

Cyber Bullying

Cyber bullying can also be done by posting objectionable images and videos online that will offend the victims. It can also be barring people online, creating fake accounts to post harmful or distressing content, and again sending abusive messages like death threats,rape threats and other vulgar comments.Generally,women fall victims of such crimes by receiving rape threats and comments as a form of slut shaming and body shaming.

Identity Theft

Identity theft is one of the most widespread types of cyber crime. The main reason of it’s occurence is creating scam for financial gains. Criminals generally steal information of others such as credit card information, addresses, email addresses and more. With this information they can pretend to be someone else and create new bank accounts.

Child Soliciting & Abuse

In this, criminals appeal children via chat rooms for the purpose of pornography. It can also come in forms of content that shows or describes sexual abuse towards children. A child is viewed as someone who is under the age of 16. This type of cyber crime is under heavy surveillance by the police.

It can be a threat to companies as well as individuals because the culprits may be looking to adopt another persons online.

These types of crimes may often lead In 2012,number of males below 18 years of age who got arrested for rape was highest in the state of Madhya Pradesh which is 279.Followed by Uttar Pradesh with 123,Rajasthan with 109 and Maharashtra with 104.For Adults,again Madhya Pradesh topped with 2807.The grand total of all age groups was 4708.

Between 2014-16,Arunachal Pradesh topped with 2.1 %* of crime rate.It was followed by Maharashtra with 2%,Karnataka with 1.8% and Telangana with 1.6%.

Another new practice that arise out of new media use is that of taking one’s own picture using smartphone,popularly known as selfies.Within recent years,social media has been flooded with selfies.Some people are so obsessed with the practice that they are used to take selfies everywhere they go;parties,ritual ceremonies,toilets and even graveyards.But this practice has also resulted in deaths.Thousands of people die every year just when they are about to take selfies.India has topped the charts of selfie death statistics and is now called world capital of selfie deaths.

The Washington Post reported in January 2016 that about half of at least 27 selfie related deaths in 2015 had occurred in India. No official data on the number of selfie deaths in India exists, but reports show that from 2014 to August 2016, there have been at least 54 deaths in India while taking selfies.The Indian Ministry of Tourism asked states to identify and barricade ‘selfie danger’ areas.This was it’s first national attempt to deal with the selfie deaths.Mumbai Police identified at least 16 danger zones after a man drowned attempting to save a selfie-taker. “No-selfie” zones were also established in certain areas of the Kumbh Mela because organizers feared bottlenecks caused by selfie-takers could spark stampedes.

All India Institute of Medical Science researchers say that last year half of the 259 selfie deaths occurred in india between 2011 and 2017.Most common selfie deaths occurred due to getting hit by a car,truck or train,or falling from a height.But,they also say that the original statistical data of these deaths could be much higher.

Another new phenomena that occurred due to use of cyber media is suicide due to social media.According to World Health Organisation,1.53 million people will die due to suicide.Main reason for these suicides is cyberbullying.The suicide case of Phoebe Prince,of Masachusetts,USA,is one such example.This case brought national attention to the issue of cyberbullying.Thus,the use of new media has to be under constant monitoring.