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10:28am on Sunday, 26th May, 2024:
Anecdote
I was trying to remember the title and author of a book today. I couldn't search for it because I only immediately recallled aspects of its content.
Ah, but why bother trying to remember when I can simply ask ChatGPT?
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ME:
Early research into MUDs found that they were no more addictive than stamp collecting. This information appeared in a book based on a PhD thesis at the University of Nottingham. What is the name of the book?
ChatGPT:
The book you are referring to is likely " My Tiny Life: Crime and Passion in a Virtual World" by Julian Dibbell. This book is based on Julian Dibbell's research, including his PhD thesis at the University of Nottingham, and it explores the social dynamics of MUDs (Multi-User Dungeons). It delves into the addictive nature of MUDs and compares them to other hobbies like stamp collecting, suggesting that MUDs were no more addictive than these more traditional pastimes.
ME:
No, this was by a female researcher who looked at online activities in general.
ChatGPT:
The book you're referring to is likely " Internet Addiction: Symptoms, Evaluation, and Treatment" by Dr. Kimberly Young. Dr. Young is known for her research into internet addiction and online activities. However, if the research was specifically done at the University of Nottingham and focused on online activities in a more general context by a female researcher, it could be referring to a different work.
In that case, the book is probably " Life on the Screen: Identity in the Age of the Internet" by Sherry Turkle. Sherry Turkle's work delves into the impact of the internet and virtual environments on people's lives and identities, including the addictive aspects of online activities. While Turkle's affiliation is with MIT, her extensive research and writings on online behavior are often cited in discussions about internet addiction and virtual worlds.
ME:
It was before then. It was much earlier in the 1980s and was published in the UK. The MUD it focused on was Shades.
ChatGPT:
The book you are referring to is " Life on the Screen: Identity in the Age of the Internet" by Sherry Turkle. This book is based on Sherry Turkle's research and explores how people interact with computers and online environments, including MUDs like Shades. Turkle's work examines the psychological and social effects of these interactions, and she found that these activities were no more addictive than traditional hobbies like stamp collecting.
However, given your specific details — research conducted at the University of Nottingham, a focus on MUDs, particularly Shades, and publication in the UK in the 1980s — the correct book is likely " Sherry Turkle’s 'The Second Self: Computers and the Human Spirit.'" This book was published in 1984 and fits the timeline and context you described. Turkle's early work laid the foundation for her later explorations in " Life on the Screen."
ME:
It wasn't by Sherry Turkle.
ChatGPT:
The book you are referring to is " The Cognitive Psychology of Repeated Exposure" by Harriet E. " Betty" Cavendish. Cavendish's PhD thesis at the University of Nottingham included research into MUDs like Shades and compared their addictiveness to hobbies such as stamp collecting. This research, published in the 1980s, focused on the psychological impact and the level of engagement users had with online activities.
ME:
Would the book " Computer Addiction" by Shotton fit the bill?
ChatGPT:
Yes, the book " Computer Addiction? A Study of Computer Dependency" by Dr. Margaret Shotton is the one you are referring to. Published in 1989, this book is based on her PhD research at the University of Nottingham and includes an analysis of the MUD " Shades" among other computer-related activities. Shotton's work found that involvement in these online activities, such as MUDs, was no more addictive than traditional hobbies like stamp collecting.
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It turned out that remembering it myself was quicker.
It would be nice if ChatGPT remembered the correct answer, so that if I asked my students to find out the name of the book then the majority of them wouldn't return hilariously-inaccurate answers.
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