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.
Internet jargon still baffles users
Internet users are confused by the jargon surrounding them. Research from Nielsen/NetRatings shows that people are buying new technology and are using it, but have significant misunderstandings because they are faced with so much jargon
