Table of Contents:
Frequently Asked Questions: Cyber-psychology
Links to other cyber-psychology sites
Cyber-psychology reports from past generations
Dr. James and cyber-psychology
Q: What is cyber-psychology?
A: To put it simply, cyber-psychology is the study of people in cyber-space. Cyber-psychology is the study of human interaction and behavior in a virtual environment made up of computers and the Internet. The term "cyber" comes from the word Cybernetics. Cybernetics is the science of communication and control theory that is concerned with the comparative study of automatic control systems, such as the nervous system and brain and mechanical-electrical communication systems. The "psychology" aspect of it is that the behavioral aspects, thought processes, and communication styles of people on the Internet are studied.
Q: What are the topics covered in cyber-psychology?
A: Cyber-psychology covers a broad range of topics that have to do with human behaviors, computers and the Internet. Some of these topics are: cyber-marriage, internet addiction, artificial intelligence, online addictions, identity and behavior on the internet, education on the internet, affective computing, online therapy, business (buying/selling), internet violence and crime (viruses, hacking, invasion of privacy, spamming etc.) and much more. Among these topics, behaviors and relationships between people and computers are examined. Cyber-psychology examines the Internet as a new technology created and used as another means of communication. Other topics covered in cyber-psychology are features of the Internet such as search engines, chat rooms, newsgroups, e-mail, and web pages.
Q: What are the principles of cyber-psychology?
A: The field of cyber-psychology is important to understanding the human mind, thought processes and behaviors because cyberspace involves the mind almost exclusively. Some major principles of cyber-psychology are:
Cognitive factors: How do people think when they are in cyberspace (on the Internet)? Is their thought process different when communicating with someone on the internet as opposed to communicating face to face with that same person? Are there organizational patterns in the patterns of thinking? How does imagination develop while in cyberspace?
Affective factors: These are the emotional and motivational factors of a person while in cyberspace. What motivates a person to be in cyberspace? What kind of emotional relationships are formed on the Internet between people? How is one different emotionally in cyberspace as opposed to the "real" world? What causes a person to become addicted or attached to someone or some aspect of the Internet?
Sensorimotor factors: Physically, being on the Internet does not require a lot of sensorimotor actions. You basically sit on a chair in front of a computer, using your eyes to read and your hands to type. Your sensorimotor behaviors are limited. Since a lot of learning is done by using your senses, the study of cyber-psychology is interested in learning behaviors and the absence of the use of your sensorimotor abilities -- using your mind for the entire process instead.
Q: Who would be interested in cyber-psychology?
A: I think that it is beneficial to anyone to learn more about cyber-psychology. The Internet is a growing technology that is going to continue growing and maybe become a part of every day life for almost everyone. Cyber-psychology is a topic that attracts psychologists because it is a new study that has potential to teach us a lot more about the human mind and behaviors. Therapists should become acquainted with cyber-psychology because the Internet is a potential therapy station for those looking for a private, cheap and convenient therapy session.
People who would like to use the Internet as a means of advertising (buying and selling) could use concepts and ideas covered by cyber-psychology. It may benefit them to learn more about who spends time on the internet, what people look for on the internet, what would persuade someone to buy something from the internet, what kinds of things people would purchase from the internet, how to make an attractive page that would keep a customer interested in the products, etc.
Educators could learn a lot from cyber-psychology. Many classes are now being offered over the Internet. Cyber-psychology could answer questions about what advantages learning over the Internet could have. What kinds of things can an educator do over the Internet that will help students exercise their brains and keep them interested?
Students, like myself, are interested in the topic of cyber-psychology. If not, this page wouldn't be here!
There are many people who are interested in the topic and for many reasons. I think that anyone could benefit from the topic since the Internet is integrated into our lives in many ways: school, work, social lives, shopping, and much more.
Q: What is virtual reality?
A: "Virtual reality is the dimension that is created in cyberspace. This dimension is infinite and is not bounded by physical barriers, nor can it be measured by physical principles. According to Dr. James, virtual reality is created by interactivity. This interactivity is what forms cyberspace and creates the dimension of virtual reality. Interactivity is created by the links and text that is available on the Internet. There are also many other forms of interactivity, such as newsgroups, chat groups, e-mail, listservs, etc." (I found this excellent explanation here) Virtual reality on the Internet is space made up by the human mind where one can experience and interact with another person. In this space, one can simulate activities actually carried out in the physical world. On the Internet, one can have a virtual home, virtual pet, virtual playground, etc. The word virtual means something hypothetical, something with no proof or evidence of existence. Virtual reality is something that a person creates in their mind and in cyberspace, something that is real to them where they can experience life.
Q: What is the relationship between cyberspace and the mind?
A: Cyberspace has everything to do with the mind. Cyberspace is created by the human mind's imagination. Because of this, cyberspace is a representation of the human mind and thought process. Cyberspace is not created by just one mind, or a small business group who brainstormed and came up with internet software, it is a system created by everyday people from all over the world. Cyberspace is made up of the minds of millions.
Cyberspace can be thought of a representation of the mind. The mind does not physically exist in the real world, much like cyberspace. If one "loses their mind", they can't just go out and buy a new one to replace the old one. The computer, which contains cyberspace, can be thought of like the human brain, which the mind stems from. The mind and cyberspace lie somewhere in the realm of virtual reality and need the "hardware: -- the brain or the computer -- to operate. This leads us to the principle of dualism. One thing can physically exist, but at the same time not be physically present. Not physically present means that it is mental or spiritual. Cyberspace does not physically exist, yet all the information that you read on the Internet is physically present through your computer monitor. The mind is similar. You have thoughts and feelings that only exist in your own mind, but it can become physically present through your senses. Through cyber-space and your mind you are able to create things that do not physically exist.
Q: What is the spiritual significance of clicking on a link?
A: Clicking on links takes you to new places. I think that it is a spiritual thing to click on a link for the reason that when you decide to click on a link you are learning more about yourself. You click on what interests you. Looking back at the affective factors of cyber-psychology, we see that emotions and motivations come into play. Your spirit is what makes up your personality. Personality is made up of emotions and personal characteristics that motivate you to behave in a certain way. Why one clicks on a link, what motivates them to do so is most likely a result of their personality. (For a more in depth answer to this question, visit Ross Takahara's report by clicking here.)
The following are professional links to sites related to cyber-psychology:
Dr. James wrote an article called "Cyberpsychology: Principles of Creating Virtual Presence". In this article, Dr. James covers the following topics: The Hyper in Hypertext, Cyberspace and Mind, Virtual Reality, Communal Mind, Forming Virtual Community, Navigation and Presence, The Virtual Book, Spirituality and Cyberspace and Acquiring Cyberspace Citizenship. Dr. James provides links to other professional cyber-psychology sites and even to student pages on the topic. *See the section below called "Dr. James and cyber-psychology" which discusses Dr. James' article further.
Dr. Suler is a psychologist who is interested in "understanding the various psychological components of cyberspace and how people react to and behave within it. This framework is the basis for [his] ongoing research on what [he calls] "the psychology of cyberspace" - or simply 'cyberpsychology.'" Topics covered on his page are: The Basic Psychological Qualities of Cyberspace, The Psychology of the Individual in Cyberspace, The Psychology of Cyberspace Relationships, Group Dynamics in Cyberspace, Research Methods in Cyberpsychology, and a case study called "The Palace Study" in which people interact with text, sounds, and graphical representations of themselves called "avatars."
A different kind of link that I came across is called Cyber-Psych -- Where The Future of Psychological Care is On-Line. This page offers help and covers information on many topics such as addictions, mood disorders, psychology schools, sex information, psychological tests, trauma recovery, psychology journals, and much more.
An interesting article called " Exploring the world of cyber-psychology" by Tom Abate, talks about Dr. Sherry Turkle and her book "Life on the Screen: Identity in the Age of the Internet", which is the textbook for this class. This page talks about identity and the Internet.
This page, called Cyberpsychology, is a page that has a few links to site containing information about a Resource Center for Cyberculture Studies, The Psychology of Cyberspace Forum, CyberPsychology: How are we feeling today? Psybernet, Psychology of the Internet: Research & Theory [Research mailing list], Cyber-Psych [links to various topics - addictions, anxiety disorders, domestic abuse etc.], and Society for Computers in Psyc. This page does not contain information on the topic, just links, so if that is what you are looking for... go there!
I learned a lot about cyber-psychology through previous cyber-psychology students' reports. These are a few of the reports that I found to be most helpful...
My favorite student report on cyber-psychology was done by Ross Takahara. Ross begins with links to pages on cyberspace and cyber-psychology. His links have brief explanations of the sites. Unfortunately, some of the links are dead links. Next, Ross goes into the frequently asked questions that I have on my page. This is the part that I liked most about his page. He really put a lot of thought into his answers and was very thorough. These questions and answers make up the entire content of the page. He does not have a section which refers to Dr. James' reports on the topic, but he mentions Dr. James' views and links to his page in his answers. He doesn't link to other student reports either. I like this page because it is not too long and the information on the page is very valuable.
Another excellent page is done by Cynthia J'Anthony (G10) First, I was attracted to what her page looks like. I thought that it was different and original. It is very organized and neat. Cynthia's page begins with frequently asked questions also. I learned a lot from her answers because they were also very informative and thorough. They weren't only opinionated answers, they seem to have been researched well. Next, Cynthia lists resources on cyber-psychology, such as Turkle (the author of the text for this class), Suler (a psychologist and author, and also a helpful link to ProFusion, a search engine that searches through all of the most popular search engines at the same time. Next, she reviews topics and thoughts discussed by Dr. James on cyber-psychology. She offers a great summary and some useful quotes.
The next page that I found useful was done by Kyle Kaneshiro (G10). Kyle starts off with links to pages, which cover the topic and even a link to courses in cyberculture (online courses). Kyle links to two past students who did a report on cyber-psychology. Following this section is a summary of Dr. James' view on cyber-psychology. Kyle doesn't offer much personal opinion here like the other students had. The next section is his Frequently Asked Questions. This section is what I liked about his page. His answers are short, simple and to the point. I like the above student's answers because they are thorough and well thought out, but on the other hand I like Kyle's answers because they are short, easy to read and opinionated. His page is also easy to read, which again is a good thing.
Dr. James wrote an article called "Cyberpsychology: Principles of Creating Virtual Presence". In this article, Dr. James covers the following topics: The Hyper in Hypertext, Cyberspace and Mind, Virtual Reality, Communal Mind, Forming Virtual Community, Navigation and Presence, The Virtual Book, Spirituality and Cyberspace and Acquiring Cyberspace Citizenship.
What does Dr. James mean by "The Hyper in Hypertext"? In this section, Dr. James discusses that the word "hyper" means "above the normal". According to Dr. James, hypertext is on an entirely different dimension relative to normal text. By using hypertext, we can click ourselves away, jumping from place to place in cyberspace. Dr. James poses some questions such as "In what way does hypertext reflect the human mind?" and "What is the social or philosophical significance of hypertext?"
Next, Dr. James talks about the mind and virtual space/cyberspace. The topics he discusses are "Cyberspace and Mind", "Virtual Reality" and "The Communal Mind". Dr. James says that " computers are convenient and powerful extensions of the human mind" Cyberspace is a virtual reality made up by the human mind that is accessed through computers. He also says that "the form and characteristics of cyberspace are necessarily similar to and congruent with the mind. Every characteristic of the mind can be expected to show up as a property of cyberspace." He explains this idea by talking about virtual reality. Virtual reality is a place with no physical components, no boundaries, no ends, like the mind. Dr. James makes an analogy between the computer as hardware and cyberspace as software, much like the brain is the hardware and the mind is the software. He compares the mind to cyberspace. Dr. James says that "Cyberspace is like mind in two important respects -- interactivity and organization. Minds interact through organized content. That is, our mind communicates with other minds and the content of the exchange is organized by topic and by attitudes towards the topic. Cyberspace is made up of topics and access doors to these topics. Topics create zones of networked interactions. Popular sites on the Web become whirlpools of information exchange with thousands of people examining the same set up simultaneously. Cyberspace is in effect the communal mind."
I understand the term "communal mind" as this: the Internet is an interlinking system that is created by the minds of many. It is an exchange system where people share ideas, communicate, and create virtual spaces together. There is no one person responsible for this virtual space, no group of businessmen who created the system. It is a virtual place that is still expanding as more minds add to the system. It is a connected system, where people can freely click themselves from place to place where they become connected to more minds and information.
This subject leads to the topic "Forming Virtual Community". This section is about how people come together on the Internet. Who do we choose to be when we log on? How do we decide where to visit when we log on? Who do we choose to interact with? When people get together on the Internet to interact, they have a recognized topic, a mutual intention and a common interest. "These virtual objects (topic, intention, interest) are communal, which means that they are produced in joint activity." says Dr. James.
Dr. James next talks about "Hypertext Navigation". Navigation on the web is made possible by hypertext (as discussed above). Or as Dr. James puts it, "Hypertext links are navigation vehicles and roadways in cyberspace." Links are used to connect pages, like bridges. There are so many links and connections, it is impossible to draw a map of cyberspace. Cyberspace is has an unlimited size and shape. It is not a physical form, it has no boundaries.
The next topic discussed is called "The Virtual Book". This is a new subject, one that I have not heard of before. What I understand "The Virtual Book" to be is another analogy in which the Internet is seen as a book, where each page is linked together through a table of contents made up of hypertext. On the web, there are millions of pages (home pages) which are organized in a virtual, electronic library, which is unlimited and growing. This idea of the virtual book seems similar to that of the communal mind and hypertext linking. This library is a creation of ideas, thoughts and interactions of many minds, all linked together through hypertext links. In this section, Dr. James discusses web architecture. What makes a good page, what attracts a person to a page, or what sells that page. "At first the novice Web managers act like or believe that site appearance is the chief method for achieving virtual presence. Most of their efforts are directed at constructing beautiful, classy looking Pages with dramatic audiovisual support and entertaining language", says Dr. James.
"Spirituality and Cyberspace" is the next topic. Dr. James says that the mind and the spirit are closely connected. Since cyberspace is a creation of the mind, there is something spiritual about cyberspace. Dr. James says that "Clicking in hyperspace is equivalent to one's spiritual practice in daily life. This is because clicking is at once a moral, ethical, economic, and psychological act." In my opinion, I think that clicking your way through cyberspace can be spiritual because when you decide to click on a link you are learning more about yourself. You click on what interests you. Looking back at the affective factors of cyber-psychology, we see that emotions and motivations come into play. Your spirit is what makes up your personality. Personality is made up of emotions and personal characteristics that motivate you to behave in a certain way. Why one clicks on a link, what motivates them to do so is most likely a result of their personality. Dr. James makes the statement that "Not-clicking is a moral act."
The last topic discussed in this article is "Acquiring Cyberspace Citizenship". Today, the web is becoming a part of everyday life. Internet literacy is important. Dr. James talks about his experiences with new students who he teaches to navigate themselves in cyberspace. He says that "Information literacy, computer literacy, and prolonged online experience are not effective in eliminating technophobic attacks or the momentary loss of ability to read instructions or figure out how to do something." Dr. James found that he "needs to use collaborative learning techniques to overcome technophobia and resistance to information seeking. [He] created the generational curriculum and the community classroom." What this means is that each new set of students is designated as a "cybercommunity generation". The generations learn from each other and improve the curriculum of past generations with new ideas. The generations share frustrations and experiences, so that future generations can learn from them.
So, that is Dr. James' article in a nutshell! If you would like to read his article, click here. He has links on the bottom of the page to student reports, the student generational zone, his own home page, and within his article, there are helpful links to further information on the above topics.