Psychology of Internet

The Internet has become an inevitable part in human endeavor. It has minimized the geographical boundaries between countries and seen as facilitator for every spheres of human growth and development. The number of web users’ world wide is estimated as 513 million and it is on the increase as well. Space and time get redefined it’s meaning in the internet world. This new environment has its own characteristics dominated by unique human behavior which has shown dramatic changes in the expression of personality, motivation, and emotions. When a person is connecting himself to the internet his behavior becomes on-line. The on-line behavior is significantly different from the real life behavior. It is an unreal universe and a soluble tissue of nothingness. The internet users say and do things in cyberspace that they would not ordinarily say or do in the face – to – face world. The internet realm enables the internet users to be open in their expressions due to uninhibited feelings. At times they share personal things about themselves, express dark emotions, fears and wishes or show unusual acts of affection, kindness and magnanimity. The usage of language in cyberspace is amazing. It shows a paradigm shift as offensive language; inconsiderate criticisms, anger, hatred and threats are common in this space. It can be asserted that the quality of life of internet users is changing at a rapid pace (Stroll, 1995). The citizens using internet facility, are given a new term of ‘netizens’ or ‘digital citizens’ (Katz, 1997). Like social etiquettes of society, netizens have their netiquettes in e-environment. These new advancements in the present cyber age are bound to have related impact in the psychological sphere of human life.