This is a Walden University course (DPSY 6121 and 8121), Electronic Media Influence Part 1 and 2. It is written in APA format, includes references, and has been graded (A) by Dr. Elizabeth Essel ," Nice job on Part 1 of this assignment, Orlanda. You nicely discussed how the media you chose impacted yourself and how it might impact you as a professional. You also did a very nice job highlighting some important milestones about the media you chose. For part 2, you did a great job discussing how some of theories we learned about in our class this week could explain the behaviors you discussed in part 1. Overall, you included some really good sources to support your paper. Great job! Note from Orlanda Haynes: Higher-education assignments are, usually, submitted to Turnitin, so remember to paraphrase. Let us begin.

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Electronic Media Influence Part 1: The Internet
The Internet is a worldwide communication system that enables wireless networks,
electronic devices, and protocols (rules embedded in mainframe computers) to connect (Cortada,
2017; Haigh, Russell, & Dutton, 2015). For example, transmission protocols enable data
exchange and communication among most computers (e.g., Windows, Mac, and OS operating
systems) as well as wireless devices like iPhones (Cortada, 2017). Interestingly, some end-users
refer to the Internet as the Worldwide Web (WW); however, the WW is a protocol with linked
pages; it enables connections among multiple communication systems, such as internet service
providers (ISP), telephone lines, WIFI networks, modems, cellphones, etc. Most education
communities, for instance, subscribe to ISP to gain internet access (Haigh, Russell, & Dutton,
2015). Historically, the United States (U.S.) Department of Defense launched the Internet
through the Advanced Research Project Agency (ARPA, 1969), which was a wartime defense
strategy to enable real-time communication (Cortada, 2017; Haigh, Russell, & Dutton, 2015). Its
success was a milestone for digital and wireless technologies. Education communities
(especially those with defense contracts) and the U.S. National Science foundation, for example,
could use communication systems and related devices irrespective of geographical boundaries or
time-restraints (Cortada, 2017; Haigh, Russell, & Dutton, 2015). These events changed the
Internet from a military communication tool to a global communication system assessible to
millions of countries and populations (Cortada, 2017; Haigh, Russell, & Dutton, 2015).
Internet Milestones
(a) The ARPA (1969), a protocol to link education and government communities went
online; (b) electronic mail (1972) followed; (c) communication protocols via the Internet (1973)
became the norm; (d) government officials used emails (1976); and (e), (in 1994) the office of

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the United States President created its official website (https://www.infoplease.com/science-
health/internet-statistics-and-resources/internet-timeline).
Human Behaviors and Development
Research shows that internet services such as smart home and social media such as
Facebook influence human behaviors and development (HBAD) (Komarov, Konovalov, &
Kazantsev, 2016; Manca, & Ranieri, 2013). Dedicated protocols, for instance, allow end-users
to operate household systems (e.g., turn on, off or adjust settings) such as heat and air
conditioners, kitchen appliances (e.g., ovens, coffee pots), and home alarms from distant
locations (Komarov, Konovalov, & Kazantsev, 2016). Likewise, Manca and Ranieri (2013)
discovered that Facebook has widespread appeal among education communities primarily
because its platform, among other factors, allows students and faculties to discuss course
assignments, to form collaborative relationships, and to exchange relevant information and
resources, which improves learning and education practices. However, substantial research
suggests that some end-users use social network sites (such as Facebook) to cause harm to others
because they post media that spread rumors, bully classmates, and harass members of social
groups (Hooper, & Kalidas, 2012; Woodley, Edu., & Silvestri, 2013). Likewise, Yang,
Huesmann, and Bushman (2014) discovered that most video game designers use stereotypical
characters like male bikers to play lead roles, which, in most instances, induce aggressive
behaviors among some video players, especially males. However, most researchers that
correlate aggressive behaviors with watching violent video games emphasize that deviant acts
are unacceptable behaviors that could have negative effects on human development (Hooper, &
Kalidas, 2012; Thomas, Horton, Lippincott, & Drabman, 1977).
Author’s Internet Influences

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In contrast, my internet experiences (both socially and professionally) have been and are
completely positive. My formal education, for instance, began in face-to-face classrooms, which
had time-restrains, and I spent a largest portion of my time sitting in traffic. However, when the
evolution of the Internet and emerging technologies occurred, my pursuit of higher-education
and my schedules became much easier. Upward mobility would not have been as smooth as it is
today without the influence of the Internet and the Worldwide Web.
Electronic Media Influence Part 2: Human Development Theories
This section includes an overview of three major theories that address how the Internet
influenced human development in Part 1: cultivation effects, displacement hypothesis, and
desensitization. The primary premise of the cultivation effect is that a large percent of the
population uses social television programs to form beliefs and opinions about people, places, and
things in the real-world. Long-term effects, however, depend largely on the frequency of the
behavior patterns (Chung, 2014; Werner, et al., 2016). George Gerbner, a professor of
communication, founded the theory in the 1980s (Gerbner, Gross, Morgan, & Signorielli,
1980a). Today, the premise is that cultivation effects correlate with aggressive behaviors
such as those portrayed immediately after watching or playing violent video games,
cyberbullying, and creating media that inflict pain and suffering against others (Hooper, &
Kalidas, 2012; Woodley, Edu., & Silvestri, 2013; Yang, Huesmann, & Bushman, 2014). On the
other hand, the displacement hypothesis, developed by Peacock and Wiseman in 1961, suggests
that, negatively or positively, one thing such as an object, an event, an activity, or a behavior can
replace another (DiMaggio, Hargittai, Neuman, & Robinson, 2001; Henry, & Olekalns, 2010:
Werner, et al. (2016).
Positively, the Internet has replaced modes of communication and influenced human

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behaviors and development (Cortada, 2017; Haigh, Russell, & Dutton, 2015). Prior to the 1960s,
for instance, computers were very large and immobile. As such, traveling to and from specific
sites or requesting magnetic, computer tapes via government postal systems was commonplace–
if one needed data. Move over, military communication could not occur in real-time and
education communities which included teaching and learning options were bound by
geographical boundaries (Arslan, n.d; Cortada, 2017; Gruzd, Staves, & Wilk, 2012; Haigh,
Russell, & Dutton, 2015; Manca, & Ranieri, 2013; 2015; Ryan, 2010). And, as mentioned in the
author’s internet experiences section, upward mobility was not as viable as it is today (Arslan,
n.d; Cortada, 2017; Cortada, 2017; Gruzd, Staves, & Wilk, 2012; Haigh, Russell, & Dutton,
2015.
In contrast, the theory of desensitization asserts that continuous exposure to violence
irrespective of its source (e.g., television, movies, videos, or video games), among other factors,
evokes aggressive behaviors or thoughts, discourages empathy for the suffering of people and
other life forms, and desensitizes negative effects of violence (Engelhardt, Bartholow, Kerr, &
Bushman, 2011; Jones, 1991). Mary Cover Jones, a psychologist, discovered the process of
desensitization during her experiment with Peter, a research subject. The aim was to find an
effective means to remove fear responses.
Conclusion
This essay presents overviews of the histories of the Internet and the Worldwide Web
including their influences on human behavior and development; five Internet milestones that
began during and after the evolution of the Internet and the Worldwide Web; and, three major
theories that show how behavioral phenomena occur and their effects on human development:
cultivation effects, displacement hypothesis, and desensitization.

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