Description
Book SynopsisThis engaging, research-based textbook explores the psychological aspects of cyberspace and provides a balanced overview of the internet's effects on human behavior and social relationships. Readers learn how social media, texting, online games, and other environments influence impression formation, attraction, online dating, aggression, group dynamics, child development and privacy.
Trade Review'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
Table of Contents1. The internet in a psychological context; 2. Your online persona: the psychology of impression formation; 3. Group dynamics on the internet; 4. The psychology of online aggression; 5. Liking and loving on the net: the psychology of interpersonal attraction; 6. Altruism on the net: the psychology of prosocial behavior; 7. The psychology of online gaming; 8. Child development and the internet: growing up online; 9. Gender issues and sexuality on the internet; 10. The psychology of online privacy and surveillance; 11. The internet as a time sink; 12. Nurturing life on the internet.
