Psychologists Set To Discuss The Psychosocial Impact Of The Internet

Main Category: Psychology / Psychiatry
Also Included In: IT / Internet / E-mail
Article Date: 16 Sep 2009 - 7:00 PDT

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The internet now plays a major role in many people's lives. Over the last 20 years psychologists have built up a substantial body of knowledge about people's social interactions in cyberspace. A symposium at the British Psychological Society's Social Psychology Section annual conference today, 16th September 2009, led by members of Nottingham Trent University's Cyberpsychology Research Group will examine some of the current psychological issues surrounding people's use of the internet.

Garry Young from Nottingham Trent University will question whether it is possible for people to consider computer games and online virtual worlds as taboo free zones where human morals need not be adhered to. They will also propose that there could be a psychological cost for people who choose to play computer and online games where they can behave in potentially morally and legally unacceptable ways, while having to act within normal moral boundaries offline.

Jill Arnold from Nottingham Trent University will present emerging ideas from her ongoing research with Hugh Miller into self presentation on social networking sites. They will discuss current research into how the structure or design of online social networking sites enable and constrain how people present their identity, so that a person's 'self' on their MySpace page will necessarily differ from their Facebook self. Jill said: "We are exploring the part played by people's use of the networks' material structures, sometimes in ways not unintended by the designers, and how they enable as well as restrict and limit presentations of 'who we are'."

Catherine O'Neill from Nottingham Trent University will present research which found patterns between personality traits and whether or not people believed cyber-harassing to be a criminal act.

These research projects were carried out by members of the Cyberpsychology Research Group at Nottingham Trent University, where they offer the first MSc Cyberpsychology to be developed in UK.

The British Psychological Society's Social Psychology Section annual conference takes place from 15th - 17th September 2009 at the Edge, Sheffield.

Source
British Psychological Society

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