The Oxford Handbook of Cyberpsychology

The internet is so central to everyday life, that it is impossible to contemplate life without it. From finding romance, to conducting business, receiving health advice, shopping, banking, and gaming, the internet opens up a world of possibilities to people across the globe. Yet for all its positive attributes, it is also an environment where we witness the very worst of human behaviour - cybercrime, election interference, fake news, and trolling being just a few examples. What is it about this unique environment that can make people behave in ways they wouldn’t contemplate in real life. Understanding the psychological processes underlying and influencing the thinking, interpretation and behaviour associated with this online interconnectivity is the core premise of Cyberpsychology.

The Oxford Handbook of Cyberpsychology explores a wide range of cyberpsychological processes and activities through the research and writings of some of the world’s leading cyberpsychology experts. The book is divided into eight sections covering topics as varied as online research methods, self-presentation and impression management, technology across the lifespan, interaction and interactivity, online groups and communities, social media, health and technology, video gaming and cybercrime and cybersecurity.

The Oxford Handbook of Cyberpsychology will be important reading for those who have only recently discovered the discipline as well as more seasoned cyberpsychology researchers and teachers.

Alison Attrill-Smith, Senior Lecturer, Cyberpsychology Research, University of Wolverhampton, UK, Chris Fullwood, Reader in Cyberpsychology, University of Wolverhampton, UK, Melanie Keep, Senior Lecturer, The University of Sydney, Australia, Daria J. Kuss, Senior Lecturer, Nottingham Trent University, UK

Dr Alison Attrill-Smith is currently one of the co-ordinators of the Cyberpsychology Research Group at Wolverhampton University. Her expertise lies in understanding online behaviour, with an emphasis on researching how we create different versions of our selves online and the role that these self-creations might play in perpetrating online criminal behaviours.

Dr Chris Fullwood is a Reader in Cyberpsychology in the department of Psychology at the University of Wolverhampton, UK. He coordinates Wolverhampton’s Cyberpsychology Research group (CRUW) and has chaired a number of international conferences in cyberpsychology, including the 22nd Annual Cyberpsychology, Cybertherapy and Social Networking Conference in 2017. He currently sits on the editorial board for the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking and was a member of the steering committee responsible for developing the British Psychological Society’s Cyberpsychology section.

Dr Melanie Keep is a Senior Lecturer in cyberpsychology and eHealth at The University of Sydney. She has a keen interest in disentangling the psychological processes underpinning online communication, and its impact on health and wellbeing. Melanie coordinates a number of research projects on the bidirectional relationship between digital technologies and health, and leads several eHealth education initiatives.

Dr Daria Kuss is a Chartered Psychologist, Chartered Scientist and Senior Lecturer in Psychology at Nottingham Trent University, UK and Programme Leader of the new MSc Cyberpsychology. She has published prolifically in peer-reviewed journals and books, and her publications include over 60 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters, three authored books, and over 50 international conference presentations, including regular keynote talks. She has an international reputation as Internet addiction expert. She is currently a guest editor of Addictive Behaviors and the Journal of Addiction Research and Therapy, editorial board member of Psychopathology, Frontiers in Psychology and JMIR Serious Games. In 2016, Daria has been found to be among the Top 10 publishing academics at Nottingham Trent University, and has won the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health Best Paper Award 2015 for her research on online social networking.