The mind in the Web: Psychology in the Internet age.

The emergence of information technology is changing the way people interact with computers. Technological advances have gradually shifted the focus from computers which have become less of an end in themselves, and more of a means in terms of what people actually do with them. The most evident sign of this change has been the diffusion of the Internet. It success is creating a new psycho-social space that is the fertile ground for new social relationships, roles, and a sense of self. Drawing on research in the social sciences, communications, and other fields, this special issue wants to analyze how the online environment is influencing the experience of psychology. However, understanding how the Internet is changing our everyday experience presents a substantial challenge for the psychologists. Now, research in this area is still sparse and limited in both the number and scope of studies: actual research, especially studies with strict methodologies, is only just beginning. The contributions in this special issue are among the first scientific attempts to take a serious look at various aspects of Internet-related psychology. However, we need not start from scratch. Psychology has a broad knowledge about the factors that affect human behavior in other setting. So, the papers collected for this special issue are descriptive and practical-oriented in nature.