The Psychology of the Internet

Description

An engaging and research-based text, The Psychology of the Internet provides a balanced overview of the psychological aspects of cyberspace. It explores crucial questions about the internet's effects on human behavior, such as why we often act in uncharacteristic ways in online environments and how social media influence the impressions we form and our personal relationships. The book's balanced approach to the subject encourages readers to think critically about the psychology of the internet, and how and why their own online behavior unfolds. Drawing on classic and contemporary research, this second edition examines new trends in internet technology, online dating, online aggression, group dynamics, child development, prosocial behavior, online gaming, gender and sexuality, privacy and surveillance, the net's addictive properties, and strategies for shaping the net's future.

Patricia Wallace is an adjunct professor at the University of Maryland University College's Graduate School and former Senior Director of CTYOnline and Information Technology at the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth. She is the author of thirteen books, including The Internet in the Workplace: How New Technology Is Transforming Work (Cambridge, 2004).

'As one of the original cyberpsychology researchers, Patricia Wallace provides an excellent exploration of a wide range of issues concerning how we experience cyberspace and how it affects our lives. She offers insights into not just the psychology of online identity, interpersonal relationships, and group dynamics, but also into the essence of human nature. Anyone interested in the Internet will appreciate her comprehensive knowledge of the fascinating role this new realm plays in the history of psychology.' John Suler, Rider University, New Jersey 'Whether you're an experienced IT user, a Facebook fan, an online shopper, a researcher, or simply someone who wants to know more about the Internet, this book is a must-read. Like the 1999 first edition, it is engagingly written and carefully documented. Much of what the second edition discusses, however - smartphones, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, viral videos, phishing, online privacy and surveillance, growing up online, and more - came about or morphed in the twenty-first century. The Psychology of the Internet offers a fascinating account of how the Internet affects all who use it and how we, in turn, can help to shape its future.' Joan Korenman, Professor Emerita of English, and Founder, Center for Women and Information Technology, University of Maryland, Baltimore County