Reflection

Overall my experience was eye opening...again. I consider myself to be very internet savvy, and definitely am not offended or shocked by many things on the internet, but Habbo takes the cake. Being an adult, it’s shocking to see that this Hotel is really just a cesspool for internet dating and cyber sex. I was mostly just observing, and it seemed that every room was dominated with girls and guys looking for significant others. It did not matter what the theme of the room, it seemed to be springtime at all times, because Internet love was definitely in the air. I simply went into about 5 rooms, and really nothing changed but the décor, conversation's all seemed to have the same draw, and mostly was inappropriate. I did notice that there was little to no interaction between members of the same sex. I would approach guys and say hello, and immediately they would walk away without a word,but when I would approach a girl, it became imperative to keep her attention, or they would quickly walk away.

I found this to be a daunting task as I was not looking for a quick internet hookup or a Habbo girlfriend.

I think that Habbo is creating a poor social structure for these teens. Many of the teens go through numerous boyfriends in one night; I witnessed the ultimate accomplishment in speed dating as I watched one girl go out with and break up with two guys in the span of 20 minutes. I think that this kind of behavior will contribute to unhealthy dating behavior outside of the virtual world. This may give teens, especially the 10-13 demographic the idea that relationships can be disposable. This generation is already dominated by disposable technology, what is “in” and “top of the line” can be thrown out and obsolete within days, I feel that this kind of behavior could contribute to that within their dating habits.

Secondly I believe that though Habbo makes sex and alcohol seem cool. I witnessed many people hook up at a virtual club, and also had the displeasure of walking too close to a “couple” engaging in cyber sex in the general chat. I stated earlier 90% of the users on Habbo are between the ages of 13-17, so I know these kids are too young to be partaking in cyber sex. This kind of behavior personifies sex, and may lead to the idea that if its okay to “cyber” with a different partner every night; the same must be true with real intercourse. It may be all fun and games on the Internet, but in real life, these children have to deal with the reality of sexually transmitted infections, and pregnancy. I'm sure I sound like a public service announcement, but most of these kids don't know the implications of their actions. In the clubs, I noticed that there are always bars, and though its fake it’s still sending the wrong message that it is cool for kids to drink. They walk their avatar up to the bar, and order a fake drink, but this can lead to wanting to try alcohol outside the virtual world. Granted it is not always easy to obtain, but when I was a teen I always believed that if there is a will there is a way. Lastly, while I visited “tha Street” I saw a girl talking about “tossing her cigarette into the fire”, so not only are they pretending to drink, but they also are pretending to smoke. This is another terrible habit, and if the teen thinks its cool to pretend to smoke on Habbo, than it could be conceived as cool, in the real world, and that is the same stereotype that we have been trying to end in America.