Ever since the birth of the Internet, people have been wondering how it
works, how it affects people and what its impact will ultimately be. In a
masterstroke of self-reference, the Net itself has many of the answers, for
anyone interested in researching the whys and wherefores of cyberlife.
The first international think-tank devoted to the Net has just gone online
at http://aoir.org. Still in its formative stages, the Association of Internet
Researchers aims to promote research into the social, cultural, political,
economic and aesthetic aspects of the Net. It was set up by Steve Jones of the
University of Illinois department of communications, and was inspired by last
year鈥檚 World Wide Web and Contemporary Cultural Theory conference at Drake
University in Iowa. To read some provocative views on how the Net affects
literacy, youth culture and politics, and allows hackers to provoke civil
disobedience, go to www.drake.edu/swiss/webconference and hit the 鈥渁bstracts鈥�
link.
A simpler introduction to the world of Internet research can be had at The
University of Maryland鈥檚 Resource Center for Cyberculture Studies
(www.otal.umd.edu/~rccs/). There you鈥檒l find a discussion of cyberculture,
defined by the centre as 鈥渂road, deep, and in a constant state of flux鈥�. There鈥檚
also a wealth of related information on books, courses, and research.
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Find out what makes Net users tick by checking out The Psychology of
Cyberspace at www.rider.edu/users/suler/psycyber/psycyber.html. This online
book by John Suler at Rider University in New Jersey explores almost every facet
of Net psychology, including cyberspace romances, gender switching and managing
鈥渄eviant behaviour鈥� in online communities. For more Net psychology links, hit
www.concentric.net/~Astorm/research.html.
If you find you can鈥檛 drag yourself away from all that, you鈥檇 better get
tested at the Center for On-Line Addiction (http://netaddiction.com/).
