Early this morning I found myself on the Breakfast Show on BBC Radio Solent talking about “virtual pets”. They’ve come a long way since those early Tamagotchis! They had asked me to take part as I am an Internet Psychologist and they wanted the low down on the psychological implications of having virtual pets instead of real ones. I think they were a bit surprised when I pointed out the massive benefits of virtual pets and why children and the elderly should have them. The manufacturers and web site owners of online pets are missing a real trick; they are targeting young children, girls, for the most part. Yet, there is a huge untapped audience of people over 65 who would really benefit and warm to online and virtual pets of all kinds.
Film Makers Don’t Get the Internet Picture
You would have thought, wouldn’t you, that those creative types based in Hollywood would be really switched on when it comes to new technology like the Internet. But they are not. In spite of a