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Cyberpsychology

The study of how people think, feel and act in digital environments and through technology. Sources describe it as a young area with journals, a handbook and master's programs.

Also called: psychology of cyberspace, psychology of online behavior

Interdisciplinary fieldWork and technology

Type of entry: Interdisciplinary fieldAn area that draws on psychology together with other disciplines. Types are editorial labels, not an official classification.
Cluster: Work, technology, and performanceOrganizations, design, markets, media, sport and the military.
Sources opened: 4 of 40 read as a full page, 4 as selected text or an abstract, 0 not verified.
Independent review: Admitted after correctionsClaude Code reviewer agent, separate from the writer, 2026-10-21. 8 claims checked against 4 sources opened by the reviewer.

What it studies

A 2020 overview describes cyberpsychology as concerned with the interaction of technology and human behavior through the lens of psychology. A 2018 handbook states that understanding the psychological processes underlying thinking, interpretation and behavior in relation to online interconnectivity is the core premise of cyberpsychology, with topics from online research methods and social media to video gaming and cybercrime.

History and people

The journal Cyberpsychology, published by the Faculty of Social Studies at Masaryk University, issued its first peer-reviewed issue in 2007. The Oxford Handbook of Cyberpsychology appeared in 2018, and a 2020 overview in Technology, Mind, and Behavior introduced the area as a discipline. The sources opened do not say who first used the term.

People and documented roles

Julie R. Ancis. Author of a 2020 overview of cyberpsychology
- Wrote an overview presenting cyberpsychology as a discipline and surveying five areas of research. [1]

The sources opened do not document who first used or defined the term cyberpsychology, so no originator is named.

Dated milestones

2007Publication. Year.First peer-reviewed issue of the journal Cyberpsychology, per its About page. [4]
2018Publication. Year.The Oxford Handbook of Cyberpsychology was published. [2]
2020Publication. Year.Overview article introducing cyberpsychology as a discipline appeared in Technology, Mind, and Behavior. [1]

Methods

The 2020 overview examines five areas: online behavior and personality, social media and psychological functioning, games and gaming, telepsychology, and virtual reality and artificial intelligence. A University of Buckingham master's page lists quantitative and qualitative research training, user experience design and a supervised dissertation.

Training and applications

In the United Kingdom, the University of Buckingham offers an MSc in Cyberpsychology that normally expects a 2:1 undergraduate psychology degree or a closely related degree. The page lists in-house cyberpsychology roles, user experience and user behavior analysis, and virtual reality platforms as career options and states nothing about professional accreditation. Titles and licenses are set by regulators, not by this guide.

Boundaries and limits

The 2020 overview states that the field is relatively in its infancy. The journal describes its content as social science research on digital technologies, so the area is not only a branch of psychology. The sources opened do not show cyberpsychology as a recognized professional specialty, and they do not compare it with media psychology, with which it overlaps.

Evidence behind the claims

In 'The Age of Cyberpsychology: An Overview', published in Technology, Mind, and Behavior in 2020, Julie R. Ancis introduces cyberpsychology as a discipline concerned with the interaction of technology and human behavior through the lens of psychology.
What it studiesDocumented in the sourceSource: [1]Where: Title, author, abstract opening, journal metadata and Published - 2020 status
Ancis states that the field of cyberpsychology is relatively in its infancy.
Boundaries and limitsDocumented in the sourceSource: [1]Where: Abstract
The 2020 overview examines five areas: online behavior and personality, social media and psychological functioning, games and gaming, telepsychology, and virtual reality and artificial intelligence.
MethodsDocumented in the sourceSource: [1]Where: Abstract
The 2018 Oxford Handbook of Cyberpsychology states that understanding the psychological processes underlying thinking, interpretation and behavior in relation to online interconnectivity is the core premise of cyberpsychology; its topics include online research methods, social media, video gaming, and cybercrime and cybersecurity.
What it studiesDocumented in the sourceSource: [2]Where: Abstract and topic list
The journal Cyberpsychology: Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace, published by Masaryk University, issued its first peer-reviewed issue in 2007.
History and peopleDocumented in the sourceSource: [4]Where: About section
The journal states that it publishes social science research on how digital technologies, platforms and digital media practices shape human experience, behavior and society, and accepts theoretical papers, systematic reviews and meta-analyses.
Boundaries and limitsThe organization's own descriptionSource: [4]Where: About section, scope paragraph
The University of Buckingham page describes cyberpsychology as exploring human interaction with technology and its impact on behavior; its MSc includes quantitative and qualitative research methods training, user experience design and a supervised dissertation, and normally requires a 2:1 undergraduate psychology degree or a closely related degree with an understanding of psychology research methods and statistics.
Training and applicationsThe organization's own descriptionSource: [3]Where: Course overview, content and entry requirements
The same page lists in-house cyberpsychology roles, user experience and user behavior analysis, and virtual reality platforms as career options, and makes no statement about professional accreditation.
Training and applicationsThe organization's own descriptionSource: [3]Where: Careers section

In the Psy101 course

OpenStax Psychology 2e, section 12.2: Self-presentationChapter 12, Social Psychology. Topic reading. Nearest related reading; direct coverage of this field has not been verified.Self-presentation is the nearest reading on online identity; not opened.

This is course relevance only. It is not evidence for the historical or practice claims on this page.See the full course map.

Sources and inspection

4 of 4 sources were opened and read at the level shown. A source marked as not verified supports no claim on this page by itself.

[1]
The Age of Cyberpsychology: An OverviewTechnology, Mind, and Behavior (record at NJIT), 2020. Review article. Supports the definition of the area.Abstract onlyRead the abstract and bibliographic record by Julie R. Ancis; full article text not opened.
[2]
The Oxford Handbook of CyberpsychologyOxford University Press (University of Gloucestershire repository record), 2018. Reference work. Supports the definition of the area.Abstract onlyRead the repository record with abstract and topic list; full text not available.
[3]
MSc CyberpsychologyUniversity of Buckingham, undated. University page. Supports a statement about practice.Selected text readRead the program description, content, entry requirements and career list; the page is inconsistent on duration, so duration is not used.
[4]
About the Journal (Cyberpsychology: Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace)Masaryk University, Faculty of Social Studies, undated. Original publication. Supports the history.Selected text readRead the journal scope, publisher and first-issue statement; no definition of the field is given.

Independent source review: Claude Code reviewer agent, separate from the writer, 2026-10-21. Verdict: Admitted after corrections. Of 8 claims checked, 5 were supported as written, 3 were reworded and 0 were removed.