Nathan Gaunt - Young Adults and the Net

We are very pleased to offer this video interview with Nathan Gaunt.  Nathan is doing his doctorate on 'Internet friendships' at the University of Auckland, where he is also a Senior Tutor in Psychology.  Nathan gives us a better understanding of the role the Internet is playing in the lives of teenagers.

We'd also like to thank Tom Fowlie of Rumpus Productions for the filming of this interview.

You can click on any question and view the video clip, if you have Quicktime installed, (please be patient while it downloads). The text versions of the interview segments are also available if you don't have the video capability or you don't want to wait for the video download. If you are connecting to the Internet using a dial up connection you may find that the quality of the video download is not that great and it may be better to view the text answers.

Question 1
How important a social sphere is the Internet for young people?
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"For young people, the Internet is a really important social sphere. It actually is their sphere more than older people's. It's what they belong to - it's their group. Older people are involved but mainly on the fringes. It's for them."

Question 2
What are some of the benefits of socialising on the Internet for young people?
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"I think young people are really aware of the benefits of using the Internet. They can be anonymous; they can change their identity. They can use it anytime day and night. They can make friends internationally or locally. They can get information. They can use it for their homework."

Question 3
What happens when young people join a social or special interest group on the Internet and then, for whatever reason, are excluded from that group?
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"Being excluded from any group is damaging. It can really hurt people's self esteem. It can make them angry. It can make them act in ways that normally they wouldn't act. On the Internet, we've found that it actually makes things a little worse. People tend to become very angry, feel very upset and often do things that they normally wouldn't do and take risks. Being left out of a group is termed 'ostracisim'; so being left out of a group online we call 'cyber-ostracisim'. And often this leads to something we call 'cyber-bravado' or 'virtual bravado' - kind of the anger makes you stronger and off you go and do things you normally wouldn't do."

Question 4
Is such exclusion any more difficult on the Internet than in face to face interactions?
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"Being ostracized in cyberspace can be a lot different in that it can happen very, very quickly. You can belong to a group that you think are your friends, the people you interact with all day, every day. And suddenly, at the stroke of a key, you've been deleted. You've been blocked - people are having conversations privately behind your back in chatrooms. It's quite different; it can be quite damaging."

Question 5
What are some of the benefits and risks for young people in the online gaming environment?
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"Playing games online is fun; it's cheap; it's an easy way to meet people and make friends. And a lot of people do it and a lot of people have a lot of fun. However, there is a darker side to gaming. People can become over-involved; they can ignore their normal social responsibilities. And sometimes, hopefully rarely, but sometimes they can meet people whose intentions are less than good - people who are there for ulterior reasons, who actually want to hurt or harm you."

Question 6
Is it common for young people to behave in a manner on the Internet that is unlike their behaviour in face to face interactions?
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"When you're on the Internet, often you become 'disinhibited'. That means your inhibitions are lost. The things that you do to control your behaviours, to keep yourself normal and behaving well in society, often get chucked out the window while you're in this anonymous place. And on the Net, this is a very easy place for this to happen, which means that you might be tempted or might actually do things that you normally wouldn't do in a face to face situation. Maybe you'd talk in a way you wouldn't talk or you'd act in a way you wouldn't act."

Question 7
What kinds of problems can an antisocial alter-ego create for some young people on the Net?
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"Many people, adults and children, have an alter-ego on the Net. They pretend to be someone else - a different name, a different nickname, a different personality - sometimes even a different gender. And this largely is quite an okay thing to do - to experiment , to test the boundaries, to try other things. However, sometimes this testing can go a little far. Sometimes you might be hurting other people or doing things which you normally wouldn't do yourself. And sometimes the boundaries between reality and fantasy tend to blur and this alter-ego may start to intrude on your normal everyday life. So if you find that your alter-ego - your other personality on the Net- is doing things which you don't really like and wouldn't do in a face to face situation with your friends or your peer group, it may be time to step back. Have a look at that alter-ego and maybe either stop it or change it - modify it a bit. Make it into something you would be proud of, rather than ashamed of, if you were talking about it with a friend."

Question 8
What are some of the issues around web cams?
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"Web cams are great and are becoming increasingly common. Most chatrooms now have sections for web cams. However, they do give information to a lot of people on the Net. And you have to realize that once it's out there you never get it back. Once you put an image out on the Internet, you can't take it back. It'll be there forever. It can downloaded by anyone, anywhere. And now with web cams attached to phones, it's even easier. So you really have to think about what you do before you send information out. Would you really want your picture stuck on someone else's body for example? Not a nice thought really.

So while web cams are really good and you get to see people you're interacting with and you can show them interesting things about you and your room and where you live etc, it's important to remember that they will always be there if they're turned on and to remember to turn them off. Best to leave them off and turn them on when you want them, rather than having them go all the time. Remember if it's attached to your computer it can be activated by somebody, somewhere and they can see into your life. Do you really want that? Just pull the plug on it when you're not using it. "

Question 9
Are the safety issues any different for the Internet and mobile phones?
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"Most of what's available on the Internet is now available on mobile phones. You can even use your mobile phone to take pictures and send them to friends. This is great for a lot of things. However, it can be extra intrusive. What you normally do on the Internet you might be able to do during school. Does this help your schoolwork, for example? Also, you might be tempted even more to do things on your mobile phone than you would do on your Internet and let your guard down. So it's really important if you're using your mobile phone that the same rules apply."

Question 10
What is addiction to the Internet?
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"People can become addicted to more or less anything. Internet addiction is slightly different in that it's non-chemical. It's a technological addiction - addiction to a machine or the use of a machine. However, the effects are very, very similar. It can intrude into your life. It can affect your work, your play, your study time and even the way you interact with other people. If you feel like you're spending too much time on the Internet and it's affecting those around you and your work, you really need to have a look at what you're doing and maybe reduce the time that you're spending on the Internet. If you can't do this by yourself it's time to look to get some help."

Question 11
How can parents and counsellors best respond to young people who have become addicted to the Internet?
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"I think the best response for people to have if they know someone with a possible Internet addiction disorder is to educate themselves about the disorder first. Make sure you're not over- reacting. Then, seek help and information with regard to what you can do to help the person. As with any kind of addiction, it's not a good idea to just withdraw the Internet completely straightaway. Reduction is the best way to go. Talk about it with the person, reducing the time they spend on the Internet and their activities where they go first. Moderate what you do with that person. Don't offend them and don't make them feel stupid or small for what they're doing."

Question 12
How common are 'dodgy' sites - ones that cloak their anti-social agendas with a mainstream message?
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"I'm sure most of you who use the Internet have occasionally come across a site which you found offensive or even at least questionable in its content. Maybe it has something on it which you think is a little bit too rude or a little bit dangerous. And there are many of these sites about the place. It used to be these sites were easy to recognize. However, nowadays the people who make these sites often change the names and embed features in them so you find them by accident. Even when you're doing your homework, looking on a search site, you may come up with a site of something which you find objectionable.

Nowadays they're becoming even more clever and often they embed these sites on top of or inside other sites which are legitimate. For example, you may be looking for some information on suicide and you may find a site of anti-semitism (anti-Jewish people) which has been embedded in that site. So be careful what you look at and remember that it's not your fault if you accidentally find something. It's what you do when you find it which is important."

Question 13
How can we best prepare young people for encountering hate material?
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"It's important for you to remember that when you're using the Internet that there are extreme views there. There is some information there that shouldn't be there and some information which you may find objectionable. What you need to do is to stop - take a look at what you're looking at - is it beneficial for you? Is it beneficial for the people around you? If not, turn it off. Don't react to it. Just turn it off - it's probably the best thing you can do."

Question 14
What is cybersex and how common are such cybersex interactions for young people on the Internet?
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"A healthy interest in sex is a normal part of adolescence and most people are quite interested in what cybersex is - we hear it on the news, we hear it on TV, we hear it in the movies. So what is cybersex? Quite a difficult question to answer really. Cybersex is basically when you find any kind of sexual gratification across the Internet. So you are having sexual gratification relationships with someone you cannot see, or maybe you can if you're using a cam, but you're not actually there with them. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? Many people have debated this and so it's up to you to make your own decisions.

If you're exploring cybersex on the Internet and it starts to feel uncomfortable or you think people are asking you to do things you don't want to do or you've just changed your mind for any reason at all, stop it right there and then. You can ask the person to stop. If all else fails, reach across - pull the plug. It's the easiest way to stop it. As with any area of Internet use, cybersex can intrude on your 'real' life. So you've got to be careful that what you're doing doesn't take too much of your time up or make you feel bad in any kind of way. Also remember, that if you're going to involve yourself in cybersex you want to maintain anonymity. You want people not to know exactly who you are or where you are. So again it's a good idea to leave the cam turned off."

Question 15
How aware are young people about safety issues when they are socializing on the Internet?
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"Unfortunately, most young people using the Internet often let their guard down far too easily. It's important to remember that when you're on the Internet you're interacting with other people. Some of those people aren't nice; some of those people want to hurt and harm you. It's really important to keep your guard up at all times. Many people don't do this. They think that the rules about the Internet - the guidelines - apply to other people and it will never happen to them. The person that they're talking to sounds so nice that they have to be, and that stories that they hear from friends and in the media - newspapers and movies - are about other people. You always have to think that it applies to you. Be on your guard always and remember just to keep it real."