Yurchenko N.I. Review of the Sassenberg, Boos, Postmes and Reips’s article “Studying the Internet: A challenge for modern psychology”

This article provides a review of “Studying the Internet: A challenge for modern psychology” by Kai Sassenberg, Margerete Boos, Tom Postmes, and Ulf-Dietrich Reips, in which the authors explore the transformative impact of the Internet on society and psychology. The evolution of the Internet has expanded its applications in areas such as university teaching, e-commerce, virtual organizations, and online dating, significantly changing traditional communication methods. It is emphasized that the psychological study of Internet use has shifted from a marginal phenomenon to an important aspect of understanding everyday life. The Internet has become a significant object of psychological research, prompting a rethinking of early approaches that compared it to traditional media. Its dual role as a social network and a programmable medium supports a wide range of communication functions, deeply influencing social interactions and engagement parameters. The Internet allows people to maintain and form new connections, strengthening existing social networks and identities, while also creating and exploring new ones. As a result, psychological research has shifted its focus from the technical characteristics of the Internet to its psychological and social implications. Studies increasingly recognize the diversity of Internet use and its consequences. The authors discuss that the Internet serves as a vast laboratory for psychological research, enabling experimental and survey studies with broad participation, enriching the tools and scope of psychological research. The goal of this special issue of the Swiss Journal of Psychology is to provide a forum for these new developments. It focuses on three dimensions: studying the Internet as an object with socio-psychological implications, introducing new research methods and tools, and using the Internet as a laboratory for a wide range of topics typically studied in traditional labs. The authors successfully highlight the significant contribution of the Internet to psychology, inspiring future research and demonstrating the rich possibilities offered by this medium.

Key words: Internet, psychological research, social networks, digitalization

For citation: Yurchenko, N.I. (2024). Review of the Sassenberg, Boos, Postmes and Reips’s article “Studying the Internet: A challenge for modern psychology”. New Psychological Research, No. 2, 198–206. DOI: 10.51217/npsyresearch_2024_04_02_10

Acknowledgment

The article was prepared within a state task, project FNRE-2024-0016 “Psychological effects of digitalization of the educational environment: opportunities for cognitive and personal development and socialization risks”.