The Psychology of the Internet

Cover......Page 1
Half-title......Page 3
Title page......Page 5
Copyright information......Page 6
Dedication......Page 7
Table of contents......Page 9
Preface to the Second Edition......Page 13
Acknowledgments......Page 15
List of Figures......Page 16
List of Tables......Page 17
1 The Internet in a Psychological Context......Page 19
Defining the ‘‘Internet’’......Page 23
A Taxonomy of Online Environments......Page 24
The Web......Page 25
Under the Surface: The Deep Web and Dark Web......Page 26
Email......Page 27
Asynchronous Discussion Forums......Page 28
Blogs......Page 29
Social Networks......Page 30
Twitter and Texting......Page 31
Virtual Worlds and Virtual Reality......Page 32
Mobile Apps......Page 33
More Psychological Dimensions of Online Environments......Page 34
Language on the Net......Page 35
Applying Theory to Online Behavior......Page 37
Empowering Internet Users......Page 39
Notes......Page 41
2 Your Online Persona: The Psychology of Impression Formation......Page 43
Online, Onstage......Page 44
Online Self-Presentation: A Challenging Stage......Page 45
Self-Presentation Strategies......Page 46
Forming Impressions Online and Offline......Page 47
The Chilly Internet......Page 48
Emoticons and the Socioemotional Thaw......Page 50
How Do Emoticons Affect Impressions?......Page 51
Impression Formation Shortcuts......Page 52
Looking Through a Lens......Page 55
Online Behavioral Residues......Page 56
The Personal Home Page Advantage......Page 57
A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words......Page 59
Behavioral Residues and Number of Friends......Page 60
The Company We Keep......Page 62
Managing Impressions for Multiple Audiences: The Collapsing Context......Page 63
Dimensions of Narcissism......Page 65
The Narcissist’s Online Stage......Page 66
A Narcissism Epidemic?......Page 67
Do Online Environments Promote Narcissism?......Page 68
Making the Keyboard Work Harder......Page 71
Notes......Page 72
The Emergence of a Group, Offline and Online......Page 75
Can Cohesive Groups Emerge Online?......Page 76
Social Identity and ‘‘Groupness’’......Page 77
The Asch Experiments......Page 79
Why Do People Conform?......Page 80
Group Norms......Page 81
Online Norms......Page 82
Where Do Online Norms Come From?......Page 84
The Sign on the Door......Page 85
Handling Norm Violations: Arched Brows, Unfriending, and Trial by Twitter......Page 87
In Search of the Leviathan......Page 89
Group Polarization......Page 90
The ‘‘Risky Shift’’......Page 91
Group Polarization Online......Page 93
The Echo Chamber......Page 95
Group Polarization on Twitter......Page 96
Online Activism......Page 98
Flash Mobs......Page 100
Biased Discussions in Online Work Groups......Page 101
Online Ingroups and Outgroups......Page 102
Status Effects......Page 104
Minority Opinions in Online Workgroups......Page 105
Work Groups and Electronic Brainstorming......Page 107
Developing ‘‘Swift’’ Trust in Virtual Work Groups......Page 109
Notes......Page 111
4 The Psychology of Online Aggression......Page 114
Frustration and Aggression......Page 115
Sarcasm Misinterpreted......Page 118
When Does a Flame Become a Flame?......Page 120
Anonymity......Page 121
The Components of Anonymity......Page 122
The Eyes Have It......Page 123
Retaliation......Page 125
Reproaches......Page 126
Overretaliation......Page 127
Don’t Feed the Trolls......Page 128
Catharsis: Is Letting Off Steam Good for You?......Page 130
Cyberstalking......Page 131
Stalking Behaviors......Page 132
Victims and Offenders......Page 133
Aggression: Internet Style......Page 134
Strategies to Reduce Aggressive Behavior Online......Page 135
Unfriending, Unfollowing, Unlinking......Page 136
Online Reputation Systems......Page 137
Notes......Page 139
The Basics of Interpersonal Attraction, Offline......Page 142
The Magnet of Physical Attractiveness......Page 143
Beyond Appearance: Proximity and Familiarity......Page 145
Humor......Page 146
The ‘‘You Like Me, I Like You Too’’ Spiral......Page 147
Finding the Right ‘‘Match’’......Page 149
Interpersonal Attraction Online......Page 150
Proximity and Familiarity: Who Is Next Door on the Net?......Page 151
Similarity: Birds of a Feather, Flocking Together......Page 152
Mutual Liking......Page 153
The Profile Photo......Page 154
Popularity......Page 155
Self-Disclosure......Page 156
Jealousy, Surveillance, and Internet ‘‘Creeping’’......Page 158
Who Uses Online Dating Services?......Page 160
The ‘‘Long Tail’’ Phenomenon......Page 161
Why Is Online Dating Different?......Page 162
Too Many Fish in the Sea?......Page 163
Initiating Computer-Mediated Contact......Page 165
Deception and ‘‘Catfishing’’......Page 167
Romance and Math: Do Matching Algorithms Work?......Page 169
Notes......Page 172
Random Acts of Kindness: Internet Style......Page 176
Volunteerism......Page 177
Fundraising and Crowdfunding......Page 178
Internet Support Groups......Page 180
Why Do People Help Each Other?......Page 184
Helping Behavior and Personality......Page 185
The Bystander Effect......Page 186
Reduced Responsibility in Larger Groups......Page 188
Beyond Group Size: Time Pressures......Page 189
Priming......Page 190
Mood......Page 191
Who Helps Whom?......Page 192
Prosocial Behavior Online......Page 193
Bystander Effects Online......Page 194
Reversing the Bystander Effect?......Page 195
Mood, Helping, and Facebook......Page 197
Online Time Pressures and Microvolunteering......Page 199
Slacktivism......Page 200
Gender Effects......Page 201
People like Us......Page 202
Munchausen by Internet......Page 203
Charity Scams......Page 204
Digital Manipulation......Page 205
Notes......Page 207
7 The Psychology of Online Gaming......Page 211
Psychological Dimensions of Video Games......Page 212
Motivations for Gaming......Page 216
Gaming and Personality......Page 218
Gaming and Gender......Page 220
Gender Swapping in Role-Playing Games......Page 221
Underlying Psychological Principles of Game Design......Page 222
What Are the Rewards in a Game?......Page 225
Unintended Consequences of Game Mechanics......Page 226
Violence in Video Games: Effects on Aggression......Page 228
Desensitization......Page 230
Cognitive Benefits......Page 232
Motivation and Persistence......Page 234
Emotional Benefits and ‘‘Flow’’......Page 235
Social Benefits......Page 236
The Proteus Effect......Page 238
Education and Training Applications......Page 239
Health Applications......Page 240
Evaluating Serious Games......Page 241
Notes......Page 242
8 Child Development and the Internet: Growing Up Online......Page 246
The Ecology of Human Development......Page 247
What Are Children and Adolescents Actually Doing?......Page 248
Cognitive Development......Page 249
Computers, Internet Use, and Academic Achievement......Page 250
Online Learning......Page 252
Games and Cognitive Development in Children......Page 255
Preschool Children and Digital Media......Page 258
Media Multitasking in Children and Adolescents......Page 259
Sleep Patterns......Page 262
Childhood Obesity and Physical Exercise......Page 263
Social and Emotional Development......Page 264
Friendship Patterns......Page 265
Identity Development......Page 266
Navigating the Collapsing Context......Page 268
Cyberbullying......Page 269
Sexting......Page 272
Pornography and Online Predators......Page 274
Child Development and the Internet: Promoting the Good, Avoiding the Bad......Page 276
Notes......Page 277
Male and Female: Not Opposite Sexes......Page 282
Gender and Social Networks......Page 283
Gender and Language......Page 284
Gendered Language in Face-to-Face Settings......Page 285
Gendered Language and Power......Page 286
Interaction Styles......Page 287
Gendered Language on Twitter......Page 289
Interaction Styles Online......Page 290
Adapting to the Majority......Page 291
Clues to Gender, Gender Bending, and the Turing Game......Page 292
Online Social Networks......Page 294
Online Performance Strategies......Page 295
Types of Sexual Harassment......Page 296
The Mr. Bungle Affair......Page 299
The Internet as Information Resource......Page 300
Virtual Passion and Cybersex......Page 302
Psychological Aspects of Pornography......Page 304
Inadvertent Exposure......Page 305
Effects of Violent Pornography......Page 306
Gender Issues and Sexuality on the Frontier......Page 307
Notes......Page 308
10 The Psychology of Online Privacy and Surveillance......Page 312
Privacy\'s Legal Roots......Page 313
Defining Privacy in Legal Terms......Page 314
Psychological Aspects of Privacy......Page 316
Online Privacy......Page 317
The Privacy Paradox......Page 318
Targeted Marketing......Page 321
Going Viral......Page 322
The Tip of the Iceberg......Page 323
The Agents of Surveillance......Page 324
The Internet of Things......Page 325
On Being Watched: Psychological Effects of Surveillance......Page 326
Managing Disclosure......Page 329
Technical Protections......Page 332
The Future of Privacy......Page 333
The ‘‘Right to Be Forgotten’’......Page 334
Predictions......Page 335
Notes......Page 336
11 The Internet as a Time Sink......Page 339
Work-Life Balance......Page 340
How Mobility Blurs Boundaries......Page 341
Diagnosing the Problem......Page 343
How Prevalent Is the Phenomenon?......Page 345
Online Games......Page 347
Social Networks......Page 349
Fear of Missing Out (FOMO)......Page 350
Online Auctions......Page 351
Changes in the Brain......Page 353
Treating the Afflicted......Page 354
Newbie Disease?......Page 355
Naming the Affliction: Addiction? Overuse? Self-Indulgence?......Page 357
Notes......Page 358
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly......Page 361
Technological Determinism Revisited......Page 362
Shaping the Online World......Page 365
The Meta-discussion......Page 366
Anonymity and Accountability......Page 367
Tragedies of the Electronic Commons......Page 369
Trust......Page 370
Piling On......Page 372
Critical Thinking and Information Literacy......Page 373
Providing Guidance......Page 374
Rewards on the Internet......Page 376
Psychology of the Internet: The Next Generation......Page 377
Notes......Page 383
Index......Page 385