PSMVG Lecture 1 — Foundations of Social Media and Videogames

What does cyberpsychology study?

Psychological processes associated with human interaction with digital technology. Cue: people + technology.

Why is social media use a multidimensional construct?

It has several aspects: time

What is the main weakness of retrospective self-report of app use?

Recall and estimation errors. People may forget brief visits or misjudge duration. Cue: looking back relies on memory.

What did Parry et al. (2021) find about reported versus logged use?

Self-reported time correlated only moderately with logged use. People’s estimates do not reliably match recorded time.

What is Experience Sampling Method (ESM)?

Repeated reports collected in everyday life

Why can repeated ESM prompts reduce data quality?

Participant fatigue: people may rush answers

What does Uses and Gratifications Theory explain?

People use media to meet needs

What does social media intensity mean?

How integrated social media is into someone’s everyday life. It includes involvement beyond simply the number of minutes spent using it.

What is active social media use?

Directly contributing or interacting

What is passive social media use?

Consuming content without directly responding

Why is “active use helps and passive use harms” too simple?

Each category contains different experiences. An argument is active

Which three behaviour styles did Shaw et al. (2022) distinguish?

Passive: consuming. Reactive: responding without a direct exchange. Interactive: sharing or creating opportunities for interaction. Cue: view

What is an ecological-validity concern with a mock social media platform?

It may not reproduce everyday habits

What did Hall (2018) show about social media use and social interaction?

75% of participants did not feel they had socially interacted

What does the displacement hypothesis propose?

Time online can replace offline social interaction

How can online interaction complement offline relationships?

It can add contact

Why does high usage alone not establish problematic use?

Duration cannot show loss of control or disruption. Ask whether someone can stop as intended and whether use interferes with everyday life.

What experiences does the Bergen Facebook Addiction Scale assess?

Examples include struggling to cut down and using Facebook to forget problems. Applying addiction models to everyday technology use remains debated. Andreassen et al. (2012).

Why does disagreement about what counts as social media matter?

Participants may include different platforms when answering the same question

Why can “casual gamer” be an ambiguous label?

It can mean someone who plays casual games OR someone who plays casually. Game type and degree of involvement are different things.

What did Eklund (2016) show about casual and dedicated gaming?

Dedicated genres attracted more time on average

Does playing videogames automatically mean identifying as a gamer?

No. Playing is behaviour

What are the three needs in Self-Determination Theory?

Competence autonomy and relatedness. Cue: CAR = capable, choice, connection. Ryan and Deci (2000).

What is competence in Self-Determination Theory?

Feeling capable and effective. Example: mastering a difficult skill move. Cue: “I can do this.”

What is autonomy in Self-Determination Theory?

Experiencing choice and control. Example: choosing your team’s tactics and transfers. Cue: “I choose.”

What is relatedness in Self-Determination Theory?

Feeling connected to others. Example: cooperating and chatting with friends in Pro Clubs. Cue: “I belong.”

How does need satisfaction help explain gaming enjoyment?

Satisfying competence

Does an enjoyable gaming session necessarily improve overall wellbeing?

No. It may satisfy needs during play while interfering with sleep or responsibilities. Examine both the session and its wider consequences.

What is a gaming affordance?

A possibility for action or experience offered by a game. It enables an experience but does not guarantee a psychological outcome.

Which gaming affordance means feeling as though you are in the game world?

Presence. Cue: “I feel there.”

Which gaming affordance lets players influence what happens?

Interactivity. Cue: “My actions affect the game.”

Which gaming affordance allows players to create or customise identities?

Identity multiplicity. Cue: “I can represent myself in different ways.”

How does sociability differ from relatedness?

Sociability is the opportunity to interact offered by a game. Relatedness is the player’s feeling of connection. Opportunity does not guarantee connection.

What do perpetuity and portability refer to in gaming?

Play can continue across time and devices. Cue: continuing play across sessions and places ; availability varies by game.

Application: restarting a challenge and finally mastering it involves which affordance and need?

Restoration allows restarting

What is the Proteus effect?

Embodying an avatar can influence self-perception and behaviour. Cue: the avatar may shape how I act. Yee and Bailenson (2007).

Why randomly assign avatars when testing the Proteus effect?

To reduce self-selection as an explanation: confident people might choose confident-looking avatars. Random assignment helps balance pre-existing differences across groups on average.

Why does a correlation between gaming and loneliness not establish causation?

Loneliness could increase gaming (reverse causality)

What are serious games?

Games designed for purposes beyond entertainment