• Question: What is cyberpsychology

    Asked by anon-290157 to Lisa on 16 Mar 2021.
    • Photo: Lisa Orchard

      Lisa Orchard answered on 16 Mar 2021: last edited 16 Mar 2021 12:36 pm

      Hi James. Cyberpsychology is a type of psychology specifically looking at psychology in relation to technology use. We are interested in feeling and thoughts around technology, as well as behaviours using the technology. As examples, a cyberpsychology researcher may try to find out:
      Why do people enjoy using social media?
      How is fake news spread online?
      What are the benefits of playing video games?
      What effect does wearing a FitBit have on health motivations?
      Does social media affect our mental health?

      I absolutely love cyberpsychology because new technology brings a whole lot of new questions. I love that it is so fast-moving and current. It also overlaps with all the other types of psychology. For instance, an occupational psychologist may be interested in the cyberpsychology of how we use technology at work; whilst a forensic psychologist may be interested in how crime is discussed online. Cyberpsychology was only recognised by the BPS a few years ago, but with our increasing use of technology, it will become more and more prominent in the future.

Comments

  • laraquartel commented on :

    Hi JamesH,

    This is obvious Lisa’s field and has given an excellent answer!
    I just wanted to add that cyberpsychology can be applied to other areas too including mental health. There are some really cool studies that look at virtual reality (VR) and improving outcomes in schizophrenia and paranoia in ‘exposure therapy’ on a tube train scenario.

    There is also something called ‘avatar therapy’ in psychosis research where patients create ‘avatars’ for the voices they hear (hallucinations) to make it easier to respond to in an assertive way.
    Fascinating stuff and would love to see how this field grows as our technological abilities increase!