Module No.

and Title : Module 4: Dark Side of the Internet

Lesson No. and Title : Lesson 1: Utopian and Dystopian Views on the Internet
Lesson 2: Media Acceleration and Information
Lesson 3: Internet Addiction and Isolation
Lesson 4: Selective Exposure and Political Polarization

Learning Outcomes:

In this chapter you will learn about:

 Differentiate the utopian and dystopian views of the internet
 Determine the rate of progress of acceleration in media and information
 Define the causes and effects the impact of selective exposure on political
polarization

Time Frame: 3 Hours

Introduction:
Hello my dear students! Welcome to this chapter which tackles about the dark
side of the internet which comprises of firstly, the utopian and dystopian views of the
Internet, the two extremes of ideologies of a view, in this case the future of
innovations and technological advancements.

Secondly, media acceleration and information, the fast progression or the rise
of the internet in terms of exchanging information and the growing number of uses
that users can do with it. Thirdly, internet addiction and isolation, which talks about
the bad effects that internet can possibly cause to its users. A problem that may need
to be cured long term.

Lastly, selective exposure and political polarization that discusses the impact
that the internet can cause even to the country's political issues. This chapter focuses
on the dark side or the negative aspects of the internet. Keep Fighting! And Enjoy
Learning!

Activity: (ANSWER THIS)

Come to think, what could be the bad habits or benefits of the era of the technology.
(Atleast have a 10 list)

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
 7.
8.
9.
10.

Analysis: (ANSWER THIS)

Based on what you listed in the Activity, have you ever experience this kind of bad
habits or benefits and why you came up this kind of habits
Bad Habit/Benifits Reason why you do this can of
habits/experience
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Abstraction:

A. Utopian and Dystopian Views of the Internet

Throughout the years, the
Internet has provided great service
and help to researchers, professors,
students, and whoever needs any help
of anything. But it also has its fair
share of issues and controversies and
because of this, people have different
opinions or views about the Internet.
People tend to think of the negative
sides of the Internet and the possible
negative effects that it may possess
through the dystopian mentality. It is
easier to judge than to appreciate the
beauty in life, same goes with our
view of the Internet. Although it
would never hurt to have a positive
thinking for the Internet, or the
What is Utopia?
According to the
Cambridge Dictionary, utopia
is the idea of having a perfect
society in which everyone
works well with each other and
is happy. Describing an idea or
thinking as utopian means that
it is too optimistic, unrealistic
and sort of impossible.
Utopian thinking is an
imagination of a perfect
society mostly applicable in
government, politics, and
economics.
The term utopia was coined, from Greek word meaning 'no place' or
'nowhere', by Sir Thomas More used in his 1516 book Utopia, describing a fictional
place and an almost perfect society

Importance of having a Utopian view in Technology

Utopianism plays an important role in influencing change. One question to
ask to get in a Utopian thinking is - What should the future be like? What would we
want life to be like one day? A human's mind is more powerful than what we credit it
for. Having a Utopian idea may seem naive for some, because of it being far from
reality but aren't the latest technologies used to be just a silly concept in the past
years. Utopian thinking lets us to maneuver different possibility of innovation,
imagining and creating masterpiece inside our heads that could someday be a
possible output. Changes in technology seldom start with having an actual invention
on the spot, it is formed from our imagination with the thirst for innovation and
inventing something that does not yet exist. From the past years, who knew that
someday we would have self-lacing shoes, robots that can serve us coffee, driverless
cars, and other technologies that were once a crazy illusion but somehow it became a
possibility. Utopian ideas may be a little ahead of our time but it could help in
shaping what can be our future.

Negative Effects of having a Utopian view in Technology

Utopianism may be important for the improvement of our way of life. It may
possess great effects but if it is not used carefully, it may become dangerous. It can
be dangerous because it can lead to people to do whatever it takes into attaining an
almost impossible goal.

What is Dystopia?
According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, dystopia is an imagined world or
society in which people lead wretched, dehumanized, fearful lives. Dystopia is an
imperfect world, where everything goes the wrong way. It shows the nightmare of
having a doomed future filled with rebellion, wars, oppression, corruption, disasters -
the exact opposite of Utopia.

Utopian and Dystopian Views of the Internet and Technology

Jobs that were once performed by humans are now being done by machines.
Jobs are vanishing, huge amount of people being unemployed because of this. As
time goes by, these numbers will undeniably increase. Artificial intelligence,
augmented reality, virtual reality, universal basic income, and blockchain, these are
advances in our technology that developers promised to mold the future and solve the
problems the world has as of the present. However, through the development of
these, the world is at risk of possibly removing the sole purpose of humans. In the
online world, our need for easier communication before, resulted into today's
successful mode of communications. The utopian goal was to have a perfect mode of
communication and it became triumphant. On the other hand, with these utopian
goals comes with a dystopian fear things going awry that it could lead to a huge
destruction. As of now, it may not yet reach to that extreme but if we continue to take
advantage of it, things could go out of our control. One of the bad effects internet has
caused today is the rampant spreading of fake news, and the use of different accounts
to fool other people. Today, the utopian justifies the dystopian effects and if we learn
to control and properly use it, then we could live in a world without the fear of the
world's destruction.

B. Media Acceleration and Information

What is Data Smog? (Information Overload)
Data Smog points out the staggering amount of information and data, these
data are usually acquired through internet searches. The term data smog is connected
to the smog we experience through nature. The mixing of fictitious and factual
information online is compared to the mixing of fog and smoke pollution, both of
which make it hard to distinguish one from the other. Overwhelming amount of data
on almost every possible topic can be favorable, but this continuous bombardment of
data can have negative effects without us even noticing it.

Here are several tips on how to avoid the negative effect of data smog:

1. Go on "data fast."
2. Try spending some time away from communication devices, television, and
the internet.
3. Make use of print media every once in a while.
4. Avoid sending or forwarding chain messages, or any other useless
information online.
5. Filter unwanted messages and/or emails.

Media Acceleration in Sports Culture

The use of blogging, vlogging, and social networking sites -- especially
Twitter, by professional athletes, sports leagues, sports teams, and sports fans, has
increased quickly and has been rampant over the past few years.

Twitter
Twitter has been one of the
most used social media platform by
the sports community. Twitter is an
arena where athletes could make
their fans' day by replying to them
from time to time. Where leagues
post updates about the latest games
for people who were not able to
watch them. Through this, we can
see barriers being broken when
athletes of different teams or even
of different sports "tweet" each
other online. This displays that the
sports community can be united.

Twitter has been an avenue for athletes to promote their brands, announce
their recent activities, and to update us of their own feelings which cannot be seen in
ordinary news or in print media
Athletes use this to "trash talk"
each other before big games, which
makes us, the fans and watchers, more
interested and hooked on the game.
Fans have also used twitter to scream
out their support and enjoyment, and
to vent out their frustrations about
games. Twitter makes the fans feel
like they can be close to their idols
and a part of the community.
 Instagram
Before, through
Instagram, we can see athletes
posting photographs of their
travels, games, their family. It
was already great because fans
can see what they have been up
to recently. But ever since the
introduction of Instagram
stories, where users can upload
a
series of 15 seconds long videos that will expire and be gone after 24 hours. This
feature made fans feel even closer to the game. Athletes post their daily rituals, daily
workout routines, foods, parties, and a lot of behindthe-scenes that other types of
media just cannot seem to get. Athletes posting e m b a r r a s s i n g m o m e n t s o f their
co-athletes, that makes supporters realize that their human too, they are not some
type of gods that we can never be in the same level with .

With these social media platforms, print media would cease to exist. Because of
the free access of twitter and such athletes, managements, andpromoters would make full
use of social media sites and news writers, reporters, and more would lose its purpose.
Also, since most athletes manage their own accounts, controversies are unavoidable. With
just one wrong click, or an impulsive spurt of emotion, they can be bashed, banned, and
other heavy repercussions for their actions.

Blog
Blogging was introduced in the Philippines early 1995 and started to grow during
2012 as a revolutionized medium of communication, and probably influence Philippine
society.

Ten steps to blog:

1.Find out your forte in writing. Choose skills where you can excel and
compete. ,
2.Analyze your competition. Look for a topic or niche that you plan to blog
and list the top blogs. You may use Google to search for the niche or
topic.
3.Create a plan. Make a formal and detailed plan and be brave entrepreneur
who can take the risk.
4.Develop your blog. Register domain name and invest quality web host.
Develop professional and marketable blog.
This is an example of package:

a.Free 1 year .COM domain registration worth P600 (just add P1,000 to
register a .PH domain)
 b.Free 1 year web hosting worth P6,001:I
c.Premium WordPress theme worth P5,000
d.Search engine optimized WordPress framework
e.HTML5 and mobile responsive blog
f.Google Analytics and Search Console Installation and more
5.Publish evergreen and engaging content. Unique and high content of
evergreen with organic traffic search engines.
6.Optimize your content for search engines. The quality content of search
engines must be high.
7.Promote your blog and content in social media. Create an account on
social media platforms like pages and profiles to build up your brand and
attract followers.
8.Monitor and analyze your blog's performance. Monitor the blog's
performance and other important information by installing Google
Analytics and Google Search Console.
9.Apply and implement available monetization schemes. Use AdSense
because of its popularity and easiest monetization scheme available for
bloggers.
10.Continue blogging and wait for your earnings. Be patient, consistent,
tough, competitive and expect a lot of hardships and challenges.

Vlogging
Vlogging also known as video blogging requires commitment, consistency to
build a habit from audience and set a series of videos that follow an individual's daily life.
The vlog lasts for about 5 minutes to 15 minutes and vlogger uses YouTube to consume
longer form, highly produced video content.

The most progressive athletes should look at investing in a video channel if they
wish to sustain relevance, stand out from the pack and build great opportunities off the
back to the channel's success. If an athlete is clear about his or her positioning, the video
medium is unquestionably the most important medium to build that brand in 2018.

The most popular vlogs are full of cinematic footage, impressive editing, engaging
characters, all of which combine to tell interesting, enjoyable, and addictive stories.

It is important to note the difference between vlogging and other social platform
video content such as Instagram or Snapchat Stories.

What are the benefits?

1.Build Brand: Athletes also often have difficulty changing fans' perception of
them by how they appear when playing their chosen sport.
2.Build Leverage: Athletes can build incredible leverage to support their
endorsers and engage advertisers in a more authentic way.
 3.Build Relevance: Athletes can build a really authentic channel just the
way they like it, communicate who they really are and ensure long-term
popularity.

What are the drawbacks?

1.Invites Criticism: This is something that athletes must be prepared to deal with
before vlogging.
2.Takes Effort: We've found this to be the number one issue for football players
(and anyone in general). The preconception that it takes ages to film a high-
quality video production scares a lot of people.
3.Needs Commitment: Athletes like Kobe Bryant are now going through a major
transformation from 'sports icon' to 'creative force'. With his most recent
Oscar nomination, the Black Mamba is quickly shifting his obsession to the
creative industries — video can play a powerful medium to speed track this
mind shift in the hearts of fans.

C. Internet Addiction and Isolation

What is Internet Addiction?
Internet Addiction Disorder
(IAD) is identified as an impulse control
disorder but without the involvement of
illegal drugs or alcohol. It is slightly-
identical with gambling. The users enjoy
different things online, like playing games,
social media, and even binge watching
series and movies.

Types of Online

1. Games - include excessive amount of time online playing online games and
gambling (like online poker). This is the type of addiction that is very rampant
nowadays, especially with the younger generation.
2. Cyber Sexual and Cyber Relationships - include obsession with online
dating, watching pornography, and cybersex.
3. Social Networking - include the over usage of social networking sites like
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. The user also feels the need to constantly
update his/her social media and to monitor different posts.
4. Net Compulsions - include addiction in online shopping or stock trading.
• Information - includes obsession with searching and collecting different
information.

Signs of Internet Addiction

1. Gradual increase of time with the use of Internet just to feel satisfied.
2. The user uses Internet to cope with negative feelings and bad mood.
3. The user feels anxious, restless, irritable, or moody when they are not able to
go online.
4. The user is unable to minimize the use of Internet after multiple attempts.
5. The user loses track of time when online.
6. The user chooses to spend most of his/her time using the Internet over other
significant things in life like work, school, travel, relationships, and other more.
7. The user is willing to sacrifice or to lose job, relationship, opportunities to be
able to go online.

Causes of Internet Addiction

1. The user who might be shy in real life may feel secured with the feeling of
anonymity when using the Internet.
2. The user turns to Internet use to escape from problems.
3. The user uses the virtual world to connect with people to compensate
their lack of ability in real life communication
4. The feeling of having a quick access to everything persuades to use the
Internet more often than intended.

Effects of Internet Addiction

1.Family problems - the user does not spend time with his/her family which
leads to disagreements.
2.Mental health problems - creating another persona online may soon lead to
depression and anxiety if it is not used moderately.
 3.Academic difficulty - significant decrease in the user's academic records.
4.Financial issues - internet addiction can be costly especially with online
gambling and online games.
5.Medical problems - spending too much time using the computer can be
the cause to complications in our health like severe headaches, body aches,
carpal tunnel syndrome, dry eyes, and eating irregularities.
6.Work complications - this leads the user to neglect office works that may
lead to losing the user's job.
7.Unhealthy sleeping habits - internet addiction makes the user lose track of
time due to long durations or over use of the internet.
8.Socially awkward - frequent use of the internet takes away the time that
can be used to socialize and explore the world.

How to Treat Internet Addiction?

When it comes to mental health problems or psychological problems, like
internet addiction, the very first thing that a person has to do is to determine if
there is a problem or what is the problem. Secondly, the person has to accept that
he/she really has a problem.

There are two ways to treat Internet addiction. First is self-help, which can
be used if the person thinks that the problem is not that serious, yet. If the user
thinks that he/she can still handle and correct themselves on their own. The second
is professional treatment, this involves a licensed psychologist or a councilor,
who can help the user in controlling their use of the internet.

For the self-help treatment, these are several steps to help in treating mild
internet addiction:

1.Keep track of your daily internet use.

2.Look for other easy activities that can be used to replace the time of using
the internet.
3.Think of reasons why you always end up using the internet too much.
 4.If you feel restless when not using the internet, try different relaxation
methods to center yourself.
5.Keep yourself busy doing other things.
6.If there is still no progress, start to consider asking for professional help.

Professional Treatment

Therapies are already being made available for internet addiction since it is
becoming very rampant today because of the accessibility of internet use. One of
the most common therapies is the Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Treatment
which includes the exploration of the person's usage pattern. Then after analyzing
the usage pattern, they can give a strict schedule of the time limitation in using the
internet. This can help in force altering the usage pattern of the user. Support
groups are also encouraged to help the user in feeling motivated to improve.
Residential Inpatient Internet Addiction Treatments Centers are also
available. Having a healthy environment can often help in speeding up progress
and there are nurses or helpers that can help in supervising and guiding the user. In
worst case scenarios-, prescription and over-the-counter medications are taken into
consideration to further help the treatment. Although currently, there are still no
over-the-counter medications known to directly assist internet addictions.

What is Social Isolation?

Social Isolation is the
state in which a person feels the
lack of ability in socializing.
The person also feels like
he/she does not belong. He/she
also usually fails in creating
relationships with others.
People who feel socially
isolated involuntarily prevent
contact and socialization between individuals and the society.

A person experiences social isolation if he/she suffers from:

1.Shame and depression

2.Solitude
3.Social anxiety and fears of abandonment
4.Lack in social contact
5.Relationship on social and professional are limited
6.Loneliness and distress

Emotional Isolation
 It is a state of unable and unwilling to share emotions with anyone. It
occurs due to social isolation and isolated emotionally because of social network.

Solitude, Isolation, and Loneliness

Solitude means being alone.

Isolation means lack of support in social relationships and emotion.
Loneliness means longing for social contact

Does Social Media Cause Isolation?

Social media feel

connected that replaces in-
person in fleeting online
interactions substitute for
more substantive
conversation that increases
access to meaningful
relationships and reduce
isolation.

From 19 up to 32 years old found frequent social media users and got the
higher levels of perceived social isolation with three times as likely to feel isolated
as the least frequent users. The use of social media as a result may be harmful or
feel isolated.

How the Internet affects Social Isolation?

People who use the Internet

frequently spend fewer time in doing
different kinds of activities and this
includes socializing. But do people
really sacrifice social interaction to
be able to use the internet or do they
use the internet because they lack
the ability to socialize? A study
conducted by Sanders, Field, Diego, and Kaplan (2000) shows that lower internet
use by teenagers or adolescents is related to a better relationship with parents and
even friends. The study also found that higher internet use leads to a person's
weaker social ties.

D. Selective Exposure and Political Polarization

What is Selective Exposure Theory?
Selective Exposure Theory is the
tendency of a person within mass media to
avoid stumbling upon an information that
opposes their current opinion and to search
for an information that can strengthen or
prove their view. It is human nature for us
not to want our ideas, opinions, and beliefs
to be contradicted. A human's emotion
plays a big part in this. It is not a
requirement to change your opinion or
beliefs when you read a contradicting
information, but it is best to at least
recognize it.
Selective Exposure in the Internet Age
With the rise of the internet, we tend to rely deeply on it in everything that
we do. Although there are certain parameters we have to follow to fully utilize its
use. It may not be noticeable but selective exposure takes place in our daily use of
the internet, especially on social media. With 500,000 new users a day in Facebook
alone, users go through thousands to millions of posts each day. This is where we
can positively use the concept of selective exposure theory.

There are negative and positive sides in using selective exposure in the
internet age. For the negative side, readers should not avoid information
contradicting their current view. Instead, the reader should learn to read
information to educate themselves without the need to change their opinions
because selectively reading information that only coincides with a reader's belief
can cause for the reader to miss •out on important facts. For the positive side,
readers should learn what to believe or what not to believe when reading
information online. This way, readers could stay away from "fake news" and from
spreading it. According to Facebook's estimate no more than 3% of its users are
fake accounts and 6% to 10% of it are duplicate accounts. The numbers may seem
small in percentage but when translated into the number of accounts, that would be
a whopping 270 million Facebook accounts that are fraudulent. There are
circumstances where a user should carefully choose what to see, read, or listen to
avoid unwanted happenings.
What is Political Polarization?
According to DiMaggio, Evans, Bryson (1996), "Polarization is both a state
and a process. Polarization as a state refers to the extent to which opinions on an
issue are opposed in relation to some theoretical maximum. Polarization as a
process refers to the increase in such opposition over time."

So basically in politics, polarization refers to the divided political outlook

in ideological extremes. Middle ground usually cannot be found in these cases but
two extremely contradicting opinions. There are two types of political polarization:
elite polarization and popular polarization.
Elite Polarization is the
polarization within a party. This
happens when the party's views are
homogeneous. Political parties with elite
polarization have a distinct or a
particular point of view and are more
unified internally, and are habitually
seen in a parliamentary system of
democratic governance.
Popular Polarization or sometimes called mass polarization happens when
majority of the people in a party have a more heterogeneous view, principle, and
policies. Members are divided and usually become less moderate in cases of
political polarization.

The Impact of Selective Exposure to Political Polarization

According to Yonghwan (2013), citizen's selective exposure to
ideologically-slanted media outlets will lead to polarized attitudes toward political
candidates. Conservative Republicans consuming more conservative media outlets
were more likely to have polarized attitudes toward presidential candidates.

An estimated 40% among the human population have access to social

media and that translates to a staggering number of over 3 billion users logging
onto social media. That number may not be equally divided into two oppositions
but that still has divisions of interest, and those who are like-minded are that ones
that usually interact because of selective exposure.

The internet has become a significant aspect when it comes to voting and
other political issues. But do the readers really seek for the better option or are
they just selectively looking for information that can strengthen their faith in their
choices? This is how selective exposure affects political polarization. People try to
prove their views as blinded as they can be, which creates two very contradicting
oppositions that strongly reinforce political polarization.
Application: (ANSWER THIS)

I. FILL IN THE BLANKS

Pick the correct answer from the words inside the box. Write the correct answer
before each number.
Selective Exposure Dystopia Data Smog
Internet Addiction Disorder Utopia Net Compulsions
Social Isolation Sign Political Polarization
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Treatment

__________________ 1. What is the idea of having a perfect society in which

everyone works well with each other and is happy?
__________________ 2. What is an imperfect world, where everything goes
the wrong way?
__________________ 3. What points out the staggering amount of information
and data, these data are usually acquired through
internet searches?
__________________ 4. What is identified as an impulse control disorder but
without the involvement of illegal drugs or alcohol?
__________________ 5. What is a type of online addiction that includes
addiction in online shopping or stock trading?
__________________ 6. Gradual increase of time with the use of Internet just
to feel satisfied is a _______ of internet addiction.
__________________ 7. Most common therapy used for treating internet
addiction.
__________________ 8. What is the state in which a person feels the lack of
ability in socializing?
__________________ 9. What is the tendency of a person within mass media to
avoid stumbling upon an information that opposes
their current opinion and search for an information
that can strengthen or prove their view?
__________________ 10. What refers to the divided political outlook in
ideological extremes?
II. UNDERSTANDING
What could be the bad or harmful effect in the society or in general with the
following:
1. Twitter

2. Instagram

3. Blog

4. Vlogging

III. ESSAY
1. What is your ideal Utopia in the Era of Technology?

2. What are the things you should do to avoid living Dystopia?

IV. PUT IT YOUSELF
Imagine yourself that you have an Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD), fill out the
table below.
Type of Online Addiction:

Sign of Internet Addiction:

Causes of Internet
Addiction:

Effect on Internet
Addiction:;

How you Treat Internet

Addiction:

References:

Living In The Information Technology Era

Teodero F. Revano Jr.
MINDSHAPERS CO., INC.

Congratulations! You did a great job for this lesson! You can now proceed to the next
lesson.