In 2005, The Social Net was a pioneering project to bring together contributions from leading scholars on the major topics pertaining to the social aspects of the online world. The book has been a great success and has helped many, including students, academics, and lay people, to attain a broad comprehensive knowledge of online social psychology. One of the leading aims of the book was to demonstrate the significant role the Internet plays in so many aspects of people’s social lives. Judging from the feedback it received, it appears that the book successfully fulfilled this purpose, and some ... More

In 2005, The Social Net was a pioneering project to bring together contributions from leading scholars on the major topics pertaining to the social aspects of the online world. The book has been a great success and has helped many, including students, academics, and lay people, to attain a broad comprehensive knowledge of online social psychology. One of the leading aims of the book was to demonstrate the significant role the Internet plays in so many aspects of people’s social lives. Judging from the feedback it received, it appears that the book successfully fulfilled this purpose, and some people even suggested that ahead of its time, this volume predicted the colossal impact of the social networks. Now 7 years on, with around two billion people online, and countless websites covering all aspects of our existence, it is time to update this knowledge. During these years a great many articles have been published in this field, and it is important to bring this knowledge together into a more coherent whole. The book has been extended significantly to cover this rapidly growing phenomenon of human behavior in cyberspace. An A-team of leading scholars have produced an exciting new edition of The Social Net which promises to be on the cutting-edge of this dynamic field. Topics include: The Internet and personality, social cognition, identity manipulation, online romantic relationships, social influence on the Internet, online decision-making, the Internet and aggression, prosocial behavior online, online group processes, e-leadership, online prejudice and discrimination, online Intergroup contact, and online research. The book provides a comprehensive picture of the main areas of social psychology in the Internet arena and shows clearly that an understanding of the net cannot be limited to the technological aspects, for without an appreciation of the human factor involved, our grasp of this medium must be incomplete