Overview and “Guided Tour”
Posted by Robert Frittmann on June 7, 2009
I have finally found time to sit a read through a page of Dr. Suler’s material, about a week after I stated that I have started my informal studies in cyberpsychology. I have also enrolled today in a cyberpsychology clinical study. More on that later. I am beginning with the overview and guided tour of the Psychology of Cyberspace materials, to get a feel for it.
Throughout this blog, I shall be quoting Dr. Suler’s text in orange text.
This paragraph gives a very good overview of how the curriculum is divided up…
For this psychology of cyberspace, I’ve chosen to divide the pie into six slices. The first section is an exploration of what makes cyberspace “psychological.” The next three deal with the individual’s reaction to cyberspace (a one-person psychology), the relationship between individuals (a two-person psychology), and the interpersonal dynamics among groups of people (a group or community psychology). No psychology of anything would be complete without a discussion of the research methods used – which is the purpose of section five.
This seems to be a logical and progressive way to approach the subject, I will enjoy learning like this, I’m sure. Dr. Suler then goes on to explain each category in more detail.
1. The Basic Psychological Qualities of Cyberspace
The “disinhibition effect” is very interesting to me. This reveals how the anonymity of the internet encourages some people to “act out” in cyberspace as they wouldn’t do in real life. I have met some real ratbags in my time online over the years: spammers, forum trolls, scammers, etc. I’m sure that if I met some of them in real life, they would be very nice, polite, upstanding citizens who wouldn’t show a hint of their online natures.
I like this quote, as it sets the scene for one of my favorite topics…
As a virtual reality, it stretches across a wide range from the simulated true-to-life experiences of webcams to the highly imaginative environments of avatar communities. In this reality we gain new insights into the meaning of “presence.”
… the subject of cyber-presence is something that I am often discussing, and I have a blog dedicated to it. There will be a lot of overlap on this blog and that blog when I start studying this aspect in the curriculum.
Here’s something interesting, how do you view the Internet? Is it a “market place”, a “soapbox”, or a “mischievous, even hostile playground”? I’m sure there are times when it is all these things and more.
2. The Psychology of the Individual in Cyberspace
This is the aspect of the study that I am particularly interested in, as it relates to my intended career goal of becoming a cyber-sleuth. I imagine that computer forensic investigators who have to backtrace IP addresses through switches and routers would also benefit from an application-layer search of a username, and that such a search may involve multiple aliases and possibly gender changing as well. My time as a moderator on a popular teen chat site was reminiscent of the circus game “whack-a-mole”, trying to subdue a spammer who just keeps coming back as another username.
Eek! This subject also looks at internet addiction. I might have to do some introspection during this study! That is not a pleasant thought. I guess I expected it though, as I can’t just study cyberpsychology to point the finger at everybody else without remembering that there are three fingers pointing back at myself. Addicted? I’m not addicted!
I like what Dr. Suler has to say on the subject of healthy internet use…
If there’s any one single piece of advice I would give people who want to be healthy in their use of the internet, it would be the “integration principle” – the importance of bringing together one’s online and offline living.
… this concept, and his previously stated contention that the internet “is psychological space that becomes an extension of one’s conscious and unconscious mind” is something that I practice already. My LinkedIn profile, for instance, is an extension of my written C.V. I see them as being intertwined and inseparable. Also, my Meez Gravatar is the visible extension of myself into cyberspace.
3. The Psychology of Cyberspace Relationships
Continuing the previous thought, what happens when the connection between your online and offline lives is severed? I have often thought about and discussed the issues surrounding real-life tragedy or death, and how that affects online relationships. How would a cyber-friend find out if something bad happens to you? Does a cyber-friend care enough to scour the online version of your local newspaper’s death notices? What about those online memorial and tribute sites? How close can you really get to someone on the Internet?
Some people get romantically involved online, only to find that, as we saw above, the object of their infatuation in real life does not resemble in any way who they are in cyberspace. It looks like this chapter of my studies is going to explore all these issues and more! “Ultimately, cyberspace is a supplement and alternative to in-person relationships, not a substitute.”
4. Group Dynamics in Cyberspace
This subject will again cause me to draw on my experience as a moderator on a popular teen chat site. I will probably get involved again during this part of the study, re-immersing myself into that world, in order to give the lessons some practical application. I will be studying the chapter on ethics in this curriculum first before I take such a step though.
Despite such difficulties, there are many unique advantages to extending an in-person work group into cyberspace by creating an e-mail list, or by extending a classroom into online discussion boards.
… This is something that will no doubt be put to the test in my more formal studies in computer forensics. I intend to create an online study group from among my classmates at university. You can see how that progresses on my Frittmann Forensics blog.
“As my long article on that topic reveals, the community leader’s tactics for dealing with misbehaviors need to be as varied and complex as the misbehaviors themselves.” - oh, do I ever know what he’s saying here! Where’s my ban hammer?! hehehe.
5. Research Methods in Cyberpsychology
This is where my own studies will begin. I need to learn how to learn this subject, and I think that, from the perspective of a lay person, (as in, a non-psychologist), this category should have come first in the list. “Last, but certainly not least, is the importance of ethics in online social science research.” Definitely top of my to-do list!
