The Psychology of the Internet

by Patricia Wallace

• ISBN13: 9780521797092
• ISBN10: 0521797098
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-03-19
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Summary

Based on solid research in social psychology and communication, this volume looks ahead to the future of the Internet and explores how the online world affects our behavior. Diagrams.

Author Biography

Pat Wallace is Executive Director of the Center for Knowledge and Information Management at the Robert H. Smith School of Business, University of Maryland. She is author of an interactive psychology CD-ROM called PRISM and of the textbook, Introduction to Psychology, Fourth Edition (with Jeffrey Goldstein). Dr. Wallace is also the principal investigator on grants from the Annenberg Projects/Corporation for Public Broadcasting dealing with language learning through CD-ROMs and the Internet.

Table of Contents

The Internet in a Psychological Context	1	(14)
Environments of the Internet: A Taxonomy	4	(5)
Language on the Net	9	(3)
Empowering Internet Users	12	(2)
Your Online Persona: The Psychology of Impression Formation	14	(24)
Warm and Cold Impressions	15	(1)
The Chilly Internet	15	(3)
The Socioemotional Thaw	18	(1)
Impression Formation Shortcuts	19	(2)
Person Types and Categories	21	(3)
Beyond Age and Gender	24	(1)
Social Cognition and Categories	25	(1)
The Rhythms of Impression Formation	26	(2)
Online, Onstage: Impression Management on the Internet	28	(2)
Online Self-Descriptions	30	(1)
The Home Page Advantage	31	(3)
Focus on Self	34	(2)
Making that Keyboard Work Harder	36	(2)
Online Masks and Masquerades	38	(17)
The Origins of Role Play	40	(1)
Leakage on the Internet	41	(3)
Role Play Danger Areas	44	(3)
Identity Experiments in the Internet Laboratory	47	(2)
The Dupes in the Experiment	49	(1)
Detecting Deceit, Offline and On	50	(1)
Deceit and Suspicion: Dance Partners	51	(2)
Pros and Cons of the Internet's Identity Lab	53	(2)
Group Dynamics in Cyberspace	55	(33)
``Groupness''	55	(4)
Conformity	59	(3)
Conforming on the Net	62	(2)
The Sign on the Door	64	(2)
The Arched Brow	66	(3)
In Search of the Leviathan	69	(2)
Experimenting with the Leviathan On a Social MUD	71	(2)
Group Polarization	73	(3)
Polarization on the Net	76	(3)
Finding Others of Like Mind	79	(1)
Virtual Work Groups	80	(1)
The Biased Discussion in Online Workgroups	81	(1)
Minority Opinions in Online Workgroups	82	(1)
Workgroups and Electronic Brainstorming	83	(1)
Developing Trust in Virtual Teams	84	(4)
Intergroup Conflict and Cooperation	88	(22)
The Robbers Cave Experiments	89	(2)
Intergroup Rivalries on the Internet Games	91	(5)
Player Types and Motivations	96	(3)
Ingroups on the Internet	99	(2)
``Expert-ism''	101	(2)
Global Villagers: Are We a Group?	103	(2)
Internet Group Power	105	(5)
Flaming and Fighting: The Psychology of Aggression on the Net	110	(23)
Born to Fight?	111	(1)
Frustration and Aggression	112	(1)
The World Wide Wait	113	(3)
The Hair Trigger	116	(1)
Retaliation	117	(2)
In the Eye of the Beholder: When Is a Flame a Flame?	119	(1)
Lab and Field Studies of Flaming	120	(2)
Reproaches	122	(1)
Over-Retaliation	123	(1)
Anonymity and Physical Distance	124	(3)
The &hash;$@@!!!& Software	127	(2)
Chatharsis: Is Letting Off Steam Good for You?	129	(1)
Aggression: Internet Style	130	(3)
Liking and Loving on the Net: The Psychology of Interpersonal Attraction	133	(24)
Who Makes Friends Online?	134	(1)
The Nature of Online Relationships	135	(1)
The Magnet of Physical Attractiveness	136	(2)
Attractiveness in the Dark	138	(1)
Proximity: Who's Next Door on the Net?	139	(2)
Birds of a Feather, Flocking on the Internet	141	(2)
Complementary Relationships	143	(1)
The ``You Like Me, I Like You, You Like Me More'' Spiral	144	(1)
When the Spiral Spins Down	145	(2)
Humor	147	(3)
Self-Disclosure	150	(1)
Enhancing Real Life Romance on the Internet	151	(1)
Virtual Passion	152	(3)
Roses on the Net	155	(2)
Psychological Aspects of Internet Pornography	157	(14)
Sensationalizing Cyberporn	157	(2)
But What Is Really Out There?	159	(2)
Psychological Aspects of Pornography	161	(2)
Aggressive and Violent Pornography	163	(2)
Views From the Internet	165	(2)
Checking IDs	167	(2)
How Much Should We Worry?	169	(2)
The Internet as a Time Sink	171	(19)
Locus of Control	173	(2)
Section 2	175	(2)
The Online Auction	177	(1)
The Internet's Addictive Properties	178	(3)
What Is So Compelling About the Internet?	181	(1)
The Psychology of Addiction in Synchronous Psychological Spaces	182	(3)
Life at the Palace	185	(1)
Newbie Disease?	186	(2)
Naming the Affliction: Addiction? Overuse? Self-Indulgence?	188	(2)
Altruism on the Net: The Psychology of Helping	190	(18)
Random Acts of Kindness: Internet Style	190	(2)
By the Numbers	192	(2)
Let Someone Else Take Care of It	194	(1)
Numbers on the Net	195	(3)
Who Helps Whom?	198	(2)
People Like Us	200	(1)
Asking For Help on the Net	201	(3)
The Internet's Support Networks	204	(1)
Support For Stigmatized Groups	205	(1)
How May I Help You?	206	(2)
Gender Issues on the Net	208	(25)
Male and Female: Not Opposite Sexes	208	(2)
Gender and Language	210	(1)
Language and Power	211	(1)
Interaction Styles	212	(2)
The Leap to Cyberspace: Are We Typing in Pink and Blue?	214	(3)
Adapting to the Male Majority	217	(1)
Stereotypes and Perceptions	218	(1)
The New Battlefield for the War Between the Sexes	219	(3)
Women-Only and Men-Only Groups	222	(2)
Gender IDs in the Games	224	(1)
A Hostile World for Women	225	(2)
Legal Aspects of Online Harassment and Threats	227	(3)
The Mr. Bungle Affair	230	(2)
Gender Issues on the Frontier	232	(1)
Nurturing Life on the Internet	233	(24)
Technological Determinism Revisited	234	(2)
A Perfect Place For Conspiracies	236	(1)
The Metadiscussion	237	(2)
Anonymity and Accountability	239	(3)
The Tragedy of the Electronic Commons	242	(2)
Trust and Grassroots E-Commerce	244	(1)
Encouraging Critical Thinking	245	(1)
Providing Guidance	246	(3)
Rewards on the Internet	249	(2)
Psychology of the Internet: The Next Generation	251	(6)
Index	257