What Parents and Teachers Should Know About Cyberpsychology: A field that is steadily gaining ground

With almost a year into the pandemic, Cyberpsychology seems to have silently permeated every home and every system of education. As a parent or as a teacher, have you ever found yourself asking these questions?

• Is too much screen-time affecting my child's/student's mental and physical well-being?

• Is my child/student anxious about missing out on something if he/she is not connected online?

• Is my child/student engaging in any other online activities beyond what is required for learning?

• How well is my child/student coping up with the use of technology and the overwhelming amount of unchecked information available on the internet?

If you have, then - Bingo! - the ideas related to Cyberpsychology are already present in your thought process; all you have to do now is to give your thoughts an insightful direction.

What is Cyberpsychology?

If Psychology is the study of the human mind and behaviour, Cyberpsychology is the study of the human mind and behaviour in cyberspace or the virtual world. 

Cyberspace presents to us an alternative world where people interact with each other globally over networks, with the help of the internet and digital devices like the computer, tablet and smartphone.

Hence, Cyberpsychology is an amalgam of two broad disciplines:

• Cybernetics (of which Computer Science is only a part)
• Psychology (of which Educational Psychology is only a part)

Though the two disciplines contribute to the content and context of Cyberpsychology, its influence, however, extends to other disciplines as well, such as - Political Science, Economics, Sociology, Forensic Science, Mass Media, and yes, Education, to name a few. 

Some Important Considerations about its Meaning in a Nutshell:

• The discipline of Cyberpsychology is at its infancy, i.e. it is an emerging area under Applied Psychology, constantly evolving and growing with every advancement in research, technology and innovation in Cybernetics, Psychology and all other fields of knowledge.
• It is both an area of Knowledge as well as a course of study. As a course of study, it is available at very few universities in western countries, and none that I know of in India. But, its future inclusion in Indian universities is inevitable.
• Its scope is as broad as that of Cybernetics and Psychology. However, its impact extends to every functioning sector of the real world.
• It does not discriminate between children/adolescents and adults and impacts them all alike.
• It has its own set of pros and cons. It can at once be a goldmine for information seekers, as well as a cesspit of unnecessary or unwanted experiences.

Why is Cyberpsychology Relevant?

As per The World Bank, about 50% of the world population were internet users in 2019, and the number of users must have increased unprecedentedly during the pandemic throughout 2020. Almost all internet users in the world today spend a considerable amount of time in cyberspace. With schools and offices operating from home, non-internet users were also bound to fall under the ambit of remote learning and remote working. Many were unprepared and more than many lacked the skills, yet, we all had to adopt and adapt to a new way of life to keep functioning as socio-economic beings and to keep our boats afloat. Not bad eh! So, what's the glitch?

With increased internet use, many people who are not technocrats or digital natives, easily fall victims to online malice, caprice and fraud. Other more naive ones fall victim to cyberstalking, bullying, trolling and identity theft. Further, excessive internet use for fear of missing out, posting selfies and feel-good photos more often in a day, compulsive social media usage, posting videos and messages to get more attention and likes, excessive gaming, watching pornography, etc. may have deep-seated psychological repercussions.

The new internet users today are Generation Alpha born after 2010 who have inherited internet usage as their birthright, and Generation Z born between 1995 - 2009. It is assumed that both groups that include school and college-going children are vulnerable to excessive and compulsive internet usage, which may thereby lead to several psycho-social problems if left unchecked.

Well, amid rising psychological problems related to cybernetics the world over, cyberpsychology with its dedicated research and development activities is constantly looking for novel solutions to tackle these novel problems. This, therefore, increases its relevance as a field to accurately identify problems that arise out of human-machine interaction and offer remedies, suggestions and best-practices. Yes, this field is the need of the day, and is definitely here to stay!

Why is it Relevant for Parents?

It is not enough for parents to provide their child with all the amenities they need. Children also need guidance in making proper and ethical use of these amenities. Many progressive parents, it is observed, get digital devices for their child, and after a while, allow him/her to use them unchecked. It is here that most psycho-social problems give rise. Therefore, for every parent, having a working knowledge of Cyberpsychology is imperative. Parents themselves need guidance on many facets of best online practices, and a little more technical knowledge to be able to problem-solve with their child. If children are getting digitalized, why should parents be left behind?

Why is it Relevant for Teachers?

Teachers are the crux of the education system, be it traditional or digital. Working knowledge of cyberpsychology will not just help the teacher to manipulate digital media for the purpose of teaching and learning, but will also give him/her an edge over others in terms of competence. Teachers can increase awareness amongst the students on the vagaries of social media and internet use, and how students can become smart social media or internet users. This can be done through classroom teaching, or during assembly sessions, or by organising group discussions and debates as co-curricular activities. The themes could be selected from the various trends related to cyberpsychology.

The Way Forward

Many times cyberpsychological problems may be either, hidden, unknown, unrecognised or dismissed as unimportant. This could be because of the lack of knowledge of parents and teachers. It is important for all teachers and parents who care, to keep up with the ever-growing domain of information and technology. And this can be done in two ways:

• By enrolling in online certificate, diploma or degree courses on Cyberpsychology.
• By reading books on Cyberpsychology and keeping oneself up-to-date.

Here's a list of books to consider buying from Amazon.

• The Oxford Handbook of Cyberpsychology 

• Ethical Challenges in Digital Psychology and Cyberpsychology 

• An Introduction to Cyberpsychology

• CYBERPSYCHOLOGY: A Brief Introduction to Cyberpsychology

Disclaimer: The author is not an expert in the subject matter. All reference materials have been hyperlinked. The author is also an Amazon Associate (new) and has no other role besides product promotion.