Book Review: The Psychology of the Internet

Written by Patricia Wallace and published by the Cambridge University Press (1999), The Psychology of the Internet is not what I expected or hoped it to be. Wallace, who is the Senior Director of Information Services and Instructional Technologies in the Center for Talented Youth at John Hopkins University, received great reviews for her work from Publisher’s Weekly, American Forecaster Newsletter, and USA Today. So it must just be me.

Spanning 255 pages with interesting chapter titles such as “Online Masks and Masquerades,” “Linking and Loving on the Net,” and “Group Dynamics in Cyberspace,” the book is not a terribly difficult read, but it is not a particularly interesting read, in my opinion. Wallace states in chapter one that the book ”is about psychology more than technology.” That should have been my clue to select another book. The book jacket review by Technology Journalist Julian Dibbell should have been a red flag as well: “clear, concise, comprehensive . . . should be reading for every armchair cybershrink.”

I was searching for a book that would help me understand how to develop and enhance my techniques to attract people to my product or issue on the Internet. I found a piece that describes the behavior of avid Internet users, of which I am not, and it does so from a human behavior standpoint. At best, for me, the book is a challenge to gain a better understanding of the social context of the web. Wallace divides the landscape of the Internet into several categories: the World Wide Web, Email, asynchronous discussions, synchronous discussions, and MUDs (once known as multi-user dungeons because of the game Dungeon and Dragons). She states that the book attempts to examine how we behave when we act or interact online and why the characteristics of the medium can affect our behavior in surprising and sometimes troubling ways. She uses the results of research studies and online experiments to demonstrate the impact of role play and virtual worlds on users—the senders and receivers of messages. Examining well-known Internet controversies such as Napster, Wallace poses the question: Does the net deaden our senses to what we regard as ethical or moral?

Wallace also discusses the development of an online persona, or—my words—the way viewers assess you. Are you warm or cold; shy or very engaging; male or female; attractive or appearance challenged? Usually, face to face, these things are a littler easier to assess than online. Online, words and images are the only tools of communication. In person, you have body language, facial expressions, and vocal inflections. Words on a screen can’t reflect the tone of voice or glaring eyes. Wallace cites an early research study (1978) by Starr Roxanne Hiltz and Murray Turoff that examined socioemotional expression online. Results indicated that people seem much cooler and task-oriented than they really are in person. The study also showed that people were more apt to express disagreement online and less apt to concede a point of view in order to ease tension. As email and online forums grew in popularity, so did the need to personalize communication. Thus, emoticons were born—you know: 8-) smile & ;-) wink—as an attempt to take some of the chill off of the written word. And since the book’s publication, even these images, which we can create from our keyboards, have been upgraded to bright, colorful, animated images and don’t forget the avatars of virtual reality worlds—all with the goal of better conveying our personas—whether true or desired.


Wallace points out that the Internet is still a very young enterprise and users are still discovering how to navigate and manipulate it. In chapter nine she describes the Internet as a time sink driven by our own behavior. The term time sink implies that users, especially those new to Internet use, can become so engulfed in surfing the net that they lose all sense of time. And not just in the sense of minutes, seconds, and hours; but also time with family and diminishing real life social activities. According to Wallace, the time sink aspect of the Internet is receiving more attention because of the HomeNet trial (late 1990s). Conducted over a two year period in Pittsburg area, the trial studied Internet activities of a sample group of households. The study concluded that increased Internet use is not necessarily beneficial to one’s well-being or social involvement. According to the study, which was organized by Robert Kraut and Carnegie Mellon University, increased Internet use was also associated with greater feelings of loneliness and depression over time, for some. Wallace noted that Kraut hypothesized that people whose Internet use is higher may be substituting poorer quality social relationships for the stronger ones they had in real life, thus the sense of longing and depression. Wallace further notes that on the other end of the spectrum, some users display compulsive behavior tendencies, they have to be online, unable to logoff or be away from their computer. With today’s mobile technology, Internet access is no longer confined to a desktop computer. Cell phones, iPods, laptops allow users to remain connected 24/7—way too much for me. Though once thought of as a joke, psychiatrists are now giving serious thought to as to whether or not there may be such a thing as Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD).

Unless you are software developer or a psychologist, I am not sure that this book is for you. It may be an interesting read for the curious, but it does not seem to have a lot of practical application for the PR practitioner. It may, however, provide good cocktail conversation and help you be more alert to your online behavior and the impact you may have on others—in the virtual and the real world.