The Cyber Effect: Psihologia comportamentului uman in mediul online

by Mary Aiken

O EXPLORARE CURAJOASĂ DESPRE CUM MEDIUL ONLINE NE SCHIMBĂ FELUL ÎN CARE GÂNDIM, SIMŢIM SI NE COMPORTĂM!

Dr. Mary Aiken este cel mai important psiholog criminalist în momentul actual în domeniul cyberpsihologiei. Este directoarea reţelei de cercetare în acest domeniu, consultant al Europol şi a condus numeroase seminare de instruire şi cercetare organizate de mai multe agenţii globale, de la INTERPOL la FBI şi Casa Albă.



În zona sa de interes intră protecţia sistemelor interconec­tate la internet, criminali­tatea organizată în domeniul infracţiunilor informatice, folosirea comunicaţiilor elec­tronice în scop de hărţuire sau ameninţare, traficul de fiinţe umane facilitat de tehnologie, precum şi drepturile copilului în mediul online. Este membră a consiliului consultativ al Portalului de Justiţie de la Haga, a Fundaţiei pentru pace, justiţie şi securitate internaţională.



Lucrările sale inovatoare au inspirat serialul de televiziune CSI: Cyber.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction, Technology, Science, Parenting, Internet, Audiobook

400 pages, Paperback

First published August 18, 2016

About the author

Mary Aiken is an associate professor at the University College Dublin, Geary Institute for Public Policy, and academic advisor (Psychology) to the European Cyber Crime Centre (EC3) at Europol. She is a lecturer in Criminology and research Fellow at the School of Law, Middlesex University and a Fellow of the Society for Chartered IT Professionals. Mary is a sense making Fellow at the IBM Network Science Research Centre, and has served as a distinguished professor of the Practice of Cyber Analytics at AIRS. She is a member of The Hague Justice Portal advisory board and director of the Cyberpsychology Research Network.

Reviews

[Brian Clegg · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a weird one - it's a book with huge flaws, yet I'm giving it five stars because the content is really important. It's generally considered that the big change in environment moving from forest to savannah had a huge impact on the development of early humans. Similarly the industrial revolution changed lives immensely. Mary Aiken's book describes the way that a much more recent change in environment could have an equally huge effect.

The book is about the impact of the internet and ever-present e-devices on human behaviour. This is not one of those 'screens fry your brains' books we've seen before - it's about the way that living in this very different environment is changing the way we interact with each other and behave generally. And some of it is downright scary. Aiken describes a scene on a train where she watches a mother feeding a baby. Rather than giving the baby eye contact and interaction during the process, the mother is looking at her phone. Contact and interaction is absolutely fundamental in early child development, yet Aiken shows how time and again - from parents' own obsession with screens, to plonking infants in front of TV and tablets - we are taking away this hugely important environmental contribution.

Similarly, in chapter after chapter (it's quite repetitious), Aiken shows how we are living more and more of our lives in the cyber-environment, where we feel safer than in the physical world, so counterintuitively we put ourselves at risk more. Whether we're talking constantly checking phones and Googling - Aiken points out that searching is a natural human tendency, essential for a hunter-gatherer, and a lot of our obsession could be tied into the build-in rewards we get from a successful search - spending many hours on immersive computer games (to the extent some users have died), cyberbullying, the darknet or other risks to our behavioural norms, there's a lot to take in. Aiken is not saying 'go and live in the woods and never touch tech'. She accepts the benefits - but argues we need to be more aware of the risks and to act accordingly, particularly when it comes to protecting children and teenagers.

So that's the good part. There are, however, three issues with the book. One, which may be the fault of the publisher, is that it is presented in a very show-off fashion - Aiken mentions narcissism as an issue for teen users of the internet, and yet seems unaware of the way it threads through the book from the use of 'Dr' on her name, through the subtitle identifying her as a 'pioneering cyberpsychologist', through a totally irrelevant story about her going on a police raid to repeatedly bringing herself into the picture.

Although glaringly obvious, that's a relatively minor issue. A bigger worry (although it's fascinating in itself as an exposé of some aspects of psychology) is the unscientific nature of some of her arguments. She is positive about Freud, despite a total lack of scientific basis for his theories. She worries about radiation from tablets. She emphasises correlation is not causality, but then follows it up with 'no smoke without fire' responses, totally undoing the scientific bit. And one sees time and again the way psychological theories and definitions of mental conditions are made up by experts and then clung to, rather than being derived from good, evidence-based science. When she strays outside psychology, the facts can suffer a little too. She calls Tim Berners-Lee the 'father of the Internet' confusing the internet and the web, and calls Stephen Hawking 'the worlds foremost physicist,' something that would have most physicists rolling in the aisles.

Finally, though the book is very strong on the problems of our cyber-culture, it's all rainbows and unicorns when it comes to offering a solution. In a vague final chapter, Aiken suggests that the UN can sort it out, China might have a good idea in censoring web content and we'd be okay if there was a web-in-a-web where children were safe (despite all her previous arguments that children are going to outsmart parents' attempts to control their use). She suggests rightly that those who make lots of money from the internet, and are great at technology, should be devising solutions - but doesn't describe any incentive system for making this work. And then, finally, she seems to suggest that what we really need to do is live in the Irish countryside like she does and go for a walk.

As you might gather, I had real problems with a lot of this book. But I feel that the central information and observation of our changes in behaviour as a result of the internet and e-devices is so powerful, that the rest can be forgiven.

[فادي · Rating 4 out of 5]

التأثير السيبراني ..كيف يغيّر الإنترنت سلوك البشر [ ماري آيكين ] مترجم 2018
والكتاب مطبوع باللغة الإنكليزية عام 2016
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"ربما لا نشعر بالخوف من التعرض للأذى من قبل شخص لم يرنا في الحياة الواقعية؛ وفي رغبة عاجلة لتكوين رابطة معه نكشف الأسرار عن حياتنا بلا تردد"
وهذا ما دعته "ماري آكين" باسم غرباء في قطار، وكيف أنّنا ننجرف للبوح بأشياء حميمة جداً لأشخاص لا نعرفهم ظنّاً منّا أنّ هذه "الفضفضة" لن تؤثر علينا، فهل هذا الشيء صحيح؟
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«حين يتصادم البشر مع التكنولوجيا» بهذا العنوان استفتحت ماري كتابها والذي يدرس بشكل تفصيلي أثر الواقع السيبراني على حياة البشر.
تبدأ ماري بقولها إنّ المرحلة التي نعيشها اليوم في ظل الانفتاح التكنولوجي تشبه إلى حد بعيد حقبة التنوير التي سادت مطلع القرن [ 17 و 18 ] الميلادي، حيث أنّ الفضاء السيبراني أصبح مزحوماً لدرجة مرعبة، وتقول التوقعات إنّه بين عامي 2005- 2015 تضاعفت أعداد الأشخاص على الإنترنت 7 أضعاف.
أول ما تؤكد عليه ماري أنّ الفضاء السيبراني ليس شيئاً افتراضياً كما نحن نظنّ، بل الحدّ الفاصل بين الواقع والافتراضي يكاد يكون معدوماً،وهذا ما يدعونا إلى إعادة النظر في طبائعنا، وكيف أصبح تقريباً كل الناس الذين نعرفهم مهاجرين إلى الفضاء السايبراني، وهذا ما يدعونا لمعالجة كل القضايا في ظل هذه التغيرات.
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1- الفصل الأول: الشذوذ يتحوّل إلى حالة اعتيادية:

تقول ماري إنّه من الأوهام المنتشرة أنّ البيئة الافتراضية أكثر أمناً من البيئة الواقعية، أو أن يظن الشخص كونه متخفياً وراء اسماً وهمياً سيكون أكثر حماية لنفسه وهويته، وهو ما يشجع حالة "الاعتداد بالنفس".
وتقول أيضاً إنّ حالة الشذوذ [ وليس الشذوذ الجنسي فقط ] بل كل فعل شاذ مهما بدا غريباً سيجد له مصفّقون في البيئة السايبرانية، وكيف أنّ هناك مواقع غريبة جداً ومتاجر وتجمعات لبيع أشياء غريبة وتعويذات جنسية ما كان لها الانتشار لولا وجود البيئة المشجعة لذلك.
يضاف له نشر الروايات والأفلام والمسلسلات الحوارية وتقديم الإعلام لذوي الاهتمامات الغريبة كنوع من الحريّة الشخصية ساهم في جعل أي شيء غريب مقبول اجتماعياً بكثرة عرضه وتكرار أنّه فقط مختلف عنك.
ومن الأشياء الخطيرة التي نبّهت لها في هذا الفصل حديثها عن [التآلف السيبراني ] وكيف أنّ البيئة السيبرانية حاربت الوحدة والعزلة عن طريق فتح باب التعاطف والألفة لأي شخص ينضم لمجموعة ما، وهذا ما أستطيع تسميته بالشللية، فالقراء ومحبي القطط ولاعبي الكرة ومحبي الأغاني العاطفية والمهتمين بتاريخ الفراعنة كلّ واحد من هؤلاء سيجد شلّة ينضم لها، وهذا بحد ذاته ليس شيئا ًسلبياً، لكن الأثر الذي يستتبع هذا الانضمام وتأثيره على سلوكيات أعضاءه هو ما يستدعي الانتباه.
وتقول إنّ المباهاة في الفضائح وخصوصاً عند المشاهير أصبح سمة رائجة في الفضاء السيبراني وليس له من تفسير سوى ما يعرف باسم [ الافتضاح السيبراني ] وهو أمرُ مقصود لذاته ويفعله السياسيون والمشاهير بغية البقاء في الأضواء وجلب الأنظار إليهم حتى ولو عرضوا أنفسهم لمهانة وإذلال.
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2-الفصل الثاني: إدمان الإنترنت:

في الأعوام الماضية دخلت كلمة "إدمان الإنترنت" على القواميس اللغوية الغربية، وأًصبح لها تصنيف في أغلب الدراسات النفسية التي تعالج مشكلة الإدمان عموماً، وتوضح المؤلفة أنّ السبب الرئيس الذي يدفع المستخدم للإدمان على الإنترنت أشياء كثيرة لكن أبرزها ما سمّته " الإغراء المتقطع" أو "متعة الفشل" وشبهته بالطريقة التي يتعامل بها الفرد عند شراءه بطاقة يانصيب وهويعلم بنسبة 99% أنه لن يفوز بها ومع ذلك يشتريها على أمل الفوز مرّة.
وكيف أنّ الجرعات الصغيرة التي تمنحها مواقع التواصل الاجتماعي من الدوبامين للدماغ تجعله مرابطاً أمام الأجهزة على أمل أن يأتي شيء جديد يسرّه.
واجترحت المؤلفة عبارة" أنا أبحث إذاً أنا موجود" وكيف أنّ الفضول وحده هو ما يجعل الشخص يجلس ساعات طويلة دون فائدة حقيقية وهو يشعر أنّه يحسن صنعاً.
ثم تنتقل إلى فكرة اختبار الإدمان وكيف أنّ 12% من البالغين في أمريكا مصابون به، و90% من الشعب الأمريكي يستخدم الفضاء السيبراني بشكل فوق الحاجة.
ثم تعرّج على فكرة "التسوق القهري" وكيف يؤثر على السلوكيات عند البشر، ومن ثم تذكر فكرة إدمان الألعاب الإلكترونية وإدمانها وخصوصاً من قبل الشباب المراهق، وأنّ
"اضطراب ألعاب الإنترنت" يصيب فئة كبيرة من الشريحة العمرية بين 12-20 عالمياً.
ونبّهت إلى أنّ مواقع الإنترنت وتطبيقات التواصل الاجتماعي والألعاب مصممة خصصياً كي يُدمن عليها الشخص.
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3-الفصل الثالث: أطفال السيبرانية:

وهذا فعلياً أخطر فصل فيما يخصّ الأطفال في هذه البيئة لأنّهم المتضرر الأكبر، ونادراً ما يُتنبه لهم، وكيف أن طغيان الواقع السيبراني جعل الأطفال ينشئون في بيئة غير صحيّة، و أنّ كل برامج إلهاء الأطفال الإلكترونية لا تساهم في نموهم نموا طبيعياً ولن يكون أبداً بديلاً عن صوت الأم والأب الحقيقيين، وعن الألعاب البسيطة التي تناسب عمره. وتقول بصراحة: "إنّ الإنترنت بيئة غير صالحة للأطفال قبل الـ 14"، فما بالكم بأطفال يكون مهم أجهزة ويتاح لهم الدخول على الإنترنت في سن الثالثة والخامسة!؟
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4-الفصل الرابع: فرانكشتاين والفتاة الصغيرة:

تقول المؤلفة: " هل تأخذ طفلك إلى مدينة نيويورك وتتركه هناك وحده؟ هذا بالضبط ما تفعله حين تتركه وسط الفضاء السيبراني وحده".
المرحلة العمرية من حياة الطفل من عمر 4 إلى عمر 12 تعدّ من أبرز المراحل التي يتم فيها تشكيل هويّته ومعارفه وعلومه، والأرقام المفزعة تقول إنّ 84% من الأطفال في هذا العمر قادرون على الولوج إلى شبكة الإنترنت وهذا ليس أمرًاً مفرحاً.
تؤكد ماري أن هناك أكثر من 20 مليون قاصر مشترك في الفيس بوك مع أنّ العمر المحدد لاستخدام هذه المنصة هو 13 سنة، وأنّ الطفل مفطور على الاستكشاف والفضول وهناك أشياء كثيرة [ إباحية ونفسية وعنيفة ] لا تصلح للأطفال ولا لنفسيتهم.
ثم تحدثت عن "تأثير المتفرّج" وكيف أنّه كلّما زاد عدد الحشود المشاهدين لجريمة ما، أو حدثٍ يتطلب تدخل ما، فإنّ احتمالية التدخل تقلّ كلّما زاد عدد الحشود، حيث تقلّ المسؤولية عنهم بازدياد العدد تحت احتمال "لا بدّ أن يتدخل أحد لكن ليس أنا".
طبعاً هناك شروحات كثيرة لهذا المصطلح، وتفسيرات نفسية وعلمية له، لكن ما يهمني فيه هو ما يتصل بحياتنا اليومية وخصوصاً على مواقع التواصل الاجتماعي، حين يتعرض شخص ما للتنمّر مثلاً أويتعرض للتحرش اللفظي، ويقع هذا تحت سمعنا وبصرنا، فإنّ نسبة من يهبّ لمساعدته والدفاع عنه تكون قليلة.
وهذا ما يفسّر بعض الحالات التي ربما نراها في الأفلام والواقع عندما يتعرض أحدٌ ما للسرقة أو الاعتداء فإنّك ترى الغالبية تشاهد الحدث دون أن تتدخل، ربما تكون منزعجة مما يحدث، لكن يدور في خاطرها أنّ شخصاً ما سيتدخل ويساعد لكن ليس أنا.
هذا بالنسبة للكبار، فكيف سيكون الأثر على الأطفال؟
وتختم قولها بأنّ الرقابة الأبوية ليست حلاً جذرياً بل ربما يكون المرونة والتفهم والاستماع للطفل ومراعاة ظروفه مع الحسم والضبط قد يؤتي نتائج جيدة.
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5-الفصل الخامس: مراهقون وقرود ومرايا:

رأيي أنّ هذا الفصل من أجمل فص��ل الكتاب لما فيه من لمسات نفسية وتحليل لما وراء الأفعال التي نراها عادية، وتبدأ بالحديث عن السيلفي وكيف أنّ المراهقين عموماً لا يأبهون لما يفعلونه في الفضاء السايبروني، وأنهم في بداية عمرهم يسعون قدر الإمكان لإثبات ذواتهم وهويتهم، وبعضهم لديه "احتياج مرضي" للاهتمام.
النقطة الأساسية برأيي في هذا الفصل هو التأكيد على أنّ لكل مستخدم للإنترنت ذاتان، واحدة افتراضية والثانية واقعية، وكل واحدة منهما تتغذى على الأخرى، وأنّ مواقع التواصل تساعد على بناء الذات السايبرانية وتضخميها وتجميلها، وفي العموم فإنّ المستخدم يستمد نظرته لنفسه من خلال 3 محاور:
- نظرته لنفسه في الواقع
-القيمة التي يضيفها
-الرغبة في إثبات ذاته من خلال تفاعل الآخرين معه
وكيف أّنّ المراهقين لديهم حساسية خاصة تجاه ذواتهم وبعضهم مصاب فعلياً بالنرجسية المرضية التي تسعى دوماً للفت النظر والسعي نحو الإعجاب.
تقول ماري: إن كل مراهق يضع هذه القاعدة أمام عينيه حين ولوجه لعالم الإنترنت:
" أرى من السهل أن أكون نفسي على الإنترنت أكثر من أن اكون مع الناس وجهاً لوجه".
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6-الفصل السادس: رومانسيات الفضاء السايبروني:

تحدثت في هذا الفصل عن علاقات الحبّ الناشئة عبر الإنترنت، وكيف أنّ الحب الافتراضي إن بقيَ في هذا الفضاء فهو غير حقيقي بشكل كامل، وكيف أنّ المرء يفعل ويقول أشياء لا يفعلها عادة في الواقع متأثراً بفرضية "عدم رؤية الآخر".
تقول ماري:" إذا كان الانطباع الأولي إبجابياً فإنّ الفراغات التالية من العلاقة ستملأ تلقائياً بشكل جيّد".
ثم تعرّج على ذكر أشهر مواقع التعارف [ تيندر وأشلي ماديسون ] وعدد الخيانات الزوجية وأسبابها وتوضحّ أن الخيانة في هذا الفضاء أسهل وأيسر وأقل كلفة.
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7-الفصل السابع: السايبركوندريا ينبوع القلق:

في هذا الفصل تتحدث بشكل مفصّل عن أمر يقع لنا جميعاً حين نبحث على الإنترنت وبشكل خاص عن المعلومات الطبيّة، كيف أنّ الأمر يبدأ استكشافاً وفضولاً ثم يتحول لقلق قد لا يكون له أي أثر من الصحة، وقالت إنّ هذا الأمر يخضع لمرشّحين أساسين: الشك و الخطر المحتمل.
" الشبكة العنكبوتية تملك القدرة على تصعيد القلق لدى الناس الذين يفتقرون للخبرة أو لديهم خبرة قليلة"
وأنّه يُدفع سنوياً 20 مليار دولار على استشارات طبية غير ضرورية والسبب الرئيس هو "القلق غير المبرر".
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8-الفصل الثامن: أسرار وخفايا الأعماق

وفي هذا الفصل تتحدث الكاتبة عن الإنترنت المخفي Dark web وشبهته بالبحر الكاريبي في القرن 17-18 وأنّ القراصنة الذين يخوضون فيه يشبهون إلى حد كبير القراصنة في ذلك العصر، وكيف أنّ كل ما نستخدمه من إنترنت لا يمثل سوى 2 -4 % من رأس جبل الجليد، والباقي كله مخفي.
وما يجعل الإنترنت المخفي مربك كونه غير منظم وغير قانوني وبيئة خطرة لانتشار الجريمة ويصعب على الحكومات ضبط حركته بشكل دقيق، ثم تتحدث عن كون "البيتكوين" خرج إلى الناس من هذه البيئة الغريبة، وأن أغلب هجمات المخترقين المحترفين تبدأ منه، وحتى شركات الحماية غير قادرة على صدّ هجمات البرامج الضارة سوى بنسبة 5 بالمائة فقط.
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9- الفصل التاسع :الجبهة السيبرانية:

الفصل الأخير وفيه تعرض فكرة أنّ الهروب من معالجة المشكلة ليس حلاً وأنّ الإنترنت جعلنا وجهاً لوجه أمام التيار ولا مناص من المواجهة، وحت لو فضّلت الانعزال كلياً فهذا لن يكون حلاً فالآثار ستلاحقك أينما كنت، وتضع بعض الحلول لمعالجة أخطار السايبرانية المفتوحة، بزيادة الوعي والقراءة والإدراك لأخطارها، وبالتفكير جدياً بكيفية الاستفادة منها دون الوقوع في براثنها، وأنّ الحلول الفردية لا تنفع إن لم تؤطر بقوانين دولية وعالمية ترعاها ومبادرات إنسانية تحمينا من أضرارها.
" إنسانيتنا هي أثمن ما نملكه من مدخرات تتعرض للخطر،وعلينا حمايتها بكل السبل".
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طبعاً هذا كلّه لا يُغني عن قراءة الكتاب الأصل الذي أراه مهماً لكل مستخدم لشبكة الإنترنت.
حاولت قدر الإمكان الإلمام بأغلب أفكار الكتاب دون الانزلاق لشرح تفاصيل الموضوع وفي نفس الوقت ذكر بعض الأفكار الرئيسية لمن لا يطيق قراءة الكتاب كاملاً.

[Laura F-W · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

I feel like a better title for this book might have been 'Cyberpsychology for dummies who also want to be frightened out of their wits'. It's an overview of the drastic effects that the internet and technology are having on human brains and societies; however, it was very unbalanced. The author even says at the beginning that she just wanted to highlight the negative impacts of the internet, since there was already lots of information out there on the positive impacts. The result is a book which selectively highlights dangers in a way that sometimes borders on fearmongering.

Aiken covers areas as diverse as the effect of screens on the developing brains of children, the impact of freely available pornography on sexual appetites, the seedy (and genuinely scary) 'dark web', and the rise of cyber bullying. She has extensive experience as an academic in the field, and I was expecting a rigourous approach to the topic. Unfortunately, I didn't find her arguments particularly compelling and didn't feel like I learned much. The book reminded me of the kinds of conversations that have been happening in pubs and living rooms all over the world in recent years - 'Smart phones are giving people ADHD!', 'Porn is giving young men a skewed idea of sex!', 'A mother was so addicted to a game that she neglected to look after he real-life baby!'. In many cases, I didn't think that this book went any deeper than those kinds of conversations, with the added difference that it was very one-sided (after all, most of these conversations would usually include one person who's willing to point out the positive aspects of the internet).

The tone is accessible and conversational but at times I think the author 'mis-speaks', making casual asides which fall a bit flat. For example, when defining frotteurism "...a disorder in which a person derives sexual pleasure or gratification by rubbing himself or his genitalia against another person - usually in a crowd (a good reason to avoid overly crowded subway cars at rush hour)" [emphasis my own]. OK, I know it was a throwaway comment and probably wasn't meant to sound so victim-blamey, but it did make my eyebrows shoot up. I for one won't be late to work every day because I'm worried someone's going to rub their crotch on me.

Mostly, I found that the arguments in this book were based more on subjective opinion than on rigorous evidence and logic. For example, it sounded as if she was arguing that BDSM sites which matched dominant and submissive partners were a bad thing because a young woman in Ireland was killed by someone she met on the app... I feel like if you're going to make a compelling case against something like that then you need a bit more than anecdotal evidence.

It's a shame because I actually think I agree with Aiken's main hypothesis, which is that we need to stop thinking of the internet as a lawless final frontier in which governments shouldn't meddle and it's every person for themselves. The internet plays a huge role in our everyday lives and it's important that it's safe. There are ways of reducing internet bullying, making women and minorities feel safe, reducing illicit activity and protecting children, and these things need to happen. These are valid points but I don't think Aiken argues them convincingly, or at least not in a way which would convince someone who didn't feel that way in the first place. Instead, I think this book will frighten some people and infuriate others, which is a shame.

With thanks to the publisher and NetGalley who provided me with a free ARC in return for an honest review

[دينـا · Rating 2 out of 5]

كتاب عادي ، لا يعكس مضمونه عنوانه ، تتحدث الكاتبه وهي خبيرة في الأمن السيبراني عن التكنولوجيا وما تصنعه في سلوك البشر ، وان سهولة الاتصال مع الآخرين وإمكانية اخفاء الذات أمر سهّل ظهور الأمراض النفسيه التي يعانيها البشر ، سواء كانت مرتبطه بالشذوذ أو التنمر أو الاعتداء أو حتى بالوسواس القهري.
لكن الكتاب لم يضف لي الكثير والذي كنت انتظره إذ اقتنيته ، فالكاتبه لا تورد حقائق علميه بقدر ما تقتبس من كتب اخرى وتحكي عن افتراضات وتوقعات ، ناهيك عن التكرار الممل لنفس الأفكار .
للامانه ، فإن الفصل الذي نال اهتمامي هو المتعلق بالأطفال وعلاقتهم بالتكنولوجيا ، أوردت الكاتبه فكره مهمه وهي أن الكبار يعتقدون أن عليهم شغل وقت الطفل بالكامل ، فيغرقونه بالأجهزة الذكيه والشاشات ولكن الحقيقه ان الطفل يحتاج للملل كما يحتاج للنوم ، والتواصل الأمثل لبناء شخصيه سليمه هو التواصل الفعلي لا الافتراضي .
نحن اليوم في خضم التجربه ولن ندرك الأثر السيء للتكنولوجيا الا حين تكبر هذه الأجيال ونرى اختلاف مفهوم الحريات والعلاقات لديهم وان كنا نرى النزر القليل الان ، التكنولوجيا غيرت شكل العالم ومضمونه .
بالعموم انتظرت من الكتاب أكثر مما تلقيت وهو أمر أنقص تقيمي له.
ملاحظه : النسخه العربيه بها أخطاء املائيه عديده ، الكتاب يباع بسعر مرتفع نسبيا ولا بد من الاهتمام بجودة النسخ ! .

[Clare O'Beara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a nicely written book which can be easier to read than you might expect. A psychologist looks at human behaviour in a variety of ways but puts cyber in front of them. So cyber bullying, stalking, porn addiction, prurience, rule breaking, crime, drug peddling, self diagnosis, Munchausen, Munchausen by proxy. Not all bad. Some include learning, art, creativity and sharing as well as plain communicating.

I particularly like when this lady, who lives in Ireland, gives her own observations. She sat opposite a mother giving a baby a bottle on the train and noticed that during the 15 minutes or so, the baby kept looking up at the mother but the mother never took her eyes off her phone screen. She speculates that lack of social contact and connection will make kids raised on tablets a different kind of person. Reference the 1930s experiment with the wire monkey and cloth monkey mother replacements.

The author also says that women are expected to use the internet although it is largely designed and programmed by men, many of whom can't make eye contact. Then hacking; she told a room of Europol policemen plus a white hat hacker that hacking could come from risk taking or a desire to explore but her favourite theory was a desire to penetrate. The expert hacker said 'Respect!' and fist-bumped her. So... what about women hackers, not discussed?

We are told that the author regularly assists Europol with understanding cyber crime and the criminal. For instance a late chapter deals with the deep web, much of which is just storage but which contains a corner known as the dark net. She discusses the ease of buying drugs when someone thinks they won't get caught and that it is not a really real transaction. The Silk Road illicit market and Pirate Bay torrent file sharing without paying copyrights are discussed. As is buying services like prostitution and murder. If it is happening elsewhere it is happening more easily here because there is no easy way for the law to police it. She explains that we would not walk into a bad area of town at night in case of being robbed, but do not always recognise a scam e-mail which steals from our credit cards. And a curious teen, out to explore, coming up against someone with criminal intent in an area not policed, will lead to crime. She suggests we need to start thinking more like hackers and be more aware of cyber gang behaviour in youth.

Provided a look at mindsets and behaviours is what you want, not a technical book, this will be a good read. Teachers, parents, police and others will be interested.
The end pages contain a glossary, list of footnotes and an index 17 pages long. I counted 69 names which I could be sure were female.
This is an unbiased review.

[Lolly K Dandeneau · Rating 5 out of 5]

“There are risks that reward us and risks that ruin us.”

I found myself thinking about Cyberspace as a world unto itself. Rich with information and communication, more and more impossible to avoid we step into it as through a doorway, or a rabbit hole. I admit, the depravity is disturbing and this book had me thinking about things I never even imagined about the internet. It is another world, it isn’t crazy to think of it as an alternate universe, because it is. The addictions, the abuse, the hackers, criminals- sometimes being in cyberspace is a disappearing act. As with all things, there is good and bad but the balance may be off here. Lack of inhibition, pushing further than you would have otherwise gone in exploration of the forbidden is shocking! As adults, we think we’re safe but the issue is, are we safe from ourselves? When Mary Aiken brings children in cyberspace into the conversation, it changes everything you thought you knew.

This isn’t a book trying to scare you out of cyberspace, because as times change we are growing far more dependent on it, even for simple things such bill paying, education, you name it. We certainly are far more connected than ever, and that isn’t all negative. Never before could we instantly communicate with loved ones so far away or travel with the tap of a finger to the far corners of the world. News can ‘inform us’ but who better to tell it then the people there, experiencing and showing the truth through our devices? We’ve broadened our horizons, we’re learning to open our eyes to the rest of the world, to people different from us. There is nothing we can’t look up or search for, no question too big to find answers too. It’s not all predators, it’s not all sorcery and madness- but there are limits we should be setting, questions we need to be asking. There are dark things lying in wait too, some corners better left locked behind cells. We are manipulated in cyberspace just as we are in the walking day. It’s far more lawless than the solid world. I took more horror away with the effect it is having on children. Heartbreaking is the need for attention children are going without as so many parents have their noses buried in screens. Far more horrifying is the child predators and human trafficking. This is a must read for everyone, because even if you somehow are off the grid, off the internet- the rest of us are floating in the cyber-world.

Very provocative, and I think there will be a lot of conversation about the issues brought forth. I am appalled there were so many things I hadn’t even considered, because some are obvious. Any world where monsters can roam free isn’t safe for any of us, it is a utopia for the corrupt, and as cyberspace continues to expand, we need safety measures. But how?

Random House Publishing Group- Random House

Spiegel and Grau

Publication Date: August 23 2016 visit my blog https://bookstalkerblog.wordpress.com/

[Sarah Galvin · Rating 1 out of 5]

Incredibly moralistic, and a lot of off the cuff assumptions since there are no longitudinal studies. Also, most instances the writer uses are very well known. I dont feel like I really learned anything new from this book.

[C. Hollis Crossman · Rating 5 out of 5]

As other reviewers have pointed out, there are some major flaws in this book. The biggest one in my opinion is that Dr. Mary Aiken doesn't seem altogether savvy about the technology of which she speaks—she often accepts pop-culture definitions or understandings uncritically. For instance, in the chapter on the Deep Web, her default language when speaking about hackers is negative, as though "hacking" is inherently criminal or immoral. (To her credit, she does acknowledge the benefit of thinking like a hacker, but this seems a bit like crumbs to the dogs.) She also refers to her work as the expert consultant for the TV drama CSI: Cyber, a show so fraught with cybersecurity-related faux pas and inaccuracies that one wonders how this is meant to bolster her resume.

Despite all that, the issues Aiken raises in The Cyber Effect cannot be ignored. To put it in crass terms, her evaluation of human behavior online is essentially that people act drunk in the cyber environment—that inhibitions are lessened, extreme behaviors become more frequent and more pronounced, and any laws or rules that may happen to exist are blatantly disregarded. This has led to an Internet where crime is rampant, bad behavior is rather encouraged than curtailed, and the most vulnerable members of society are routinely subjected to cruel, risky, and otherwise dangerous content and activity. The Internet, in other words, is not safe for those who aren't capable of looking out for themselves, and therefore we need to think seriously about how to protect them without completely eradicating the freedom that the Internet enables.

Children are Aiken's primary concern. Out of nine chapters, three are devoted exclusively to the online behavior of toddlers, young children, and teenagers respectively. Admirably, Aiken's position is not alarmist: she never says children should not be exposed to computers or other digital devices, or that video games are inherently evil, or that teenagers should never be exposed to challenging material. Instead, she argues for wisdom—since we don't know yet how the young are affected emotionally, psychologically, or developmentally by extensive online activity, and since the dangers of early exposure to adult pornography and other moral and social detriments are very real, let's err on the side of caution when it comes to our greatest future assets. Kids need supervision in the real world, she argues, and they require it just as much in the online environment.

Other chapters examine the nature of sexuality online, digital addiction, online romance and dating, "cyberchondria," the Deep Web, and a final chapter on what can be done to ensure a brighter online future for ourselves and the world. Interestingly, Aiken eschews some of the more lurid examples in each chapter, opting rather to look at stories or trends that are disturbing but not completely on the fringes of the worst humanity has to offer. For instance, in the chapter on the Deep Web, she focuses on cybertheft, drug retail a la Silk Road, and criminal hacking; she doesn't talk much about human trafficking, extreme pornography, or snuff films. In the end, this approach makes her warnings much more plausible and worthy of attention—the examples aren't meant to titillate or shock anyone into being terrified by the very thought of going online.

Aiken herself acknowledges that there is much more to be done in the field of cyberpsychology, and that her research is the mere tip of the iceberg. It doesn't feel like that's the case when reading her book: it's filled with study after study and example after example, which can make some passages seem a bit repetitive and tedious. For the most part, however, the book is fascinating enough to keep the reader moving forward at a quick pace. Regardless of interest, however, it's an important contribution to the growing body of literature asking us to think twice before we uncritically accept the many blessings of the Digital Age without first considering what risks might be inherent in them. For anyone with kids and an Internet connection, or for anyone interested in the ethics of online behavior, this is a valuable and important book.

[Alex Fernández · Rating 3 out of 5]

Buenazo, por otro lado, como la mayoría de los ejemplos de la autora son casos forénsicos, la narrativa tienda a apoyarse de la exageración y el shock. Me sentí medio regañadote, pues. De cualquier manera, toca temas importantes sobre lo bueno, lo malo y lo horrible del Internet.

[Shana Yates · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting but uneven book. On the pro side, the author clearly has spent a great deal of time and effort in her field, and has thought deeply about a number of issues. Her passion for her subject area is obvious and it gives the book a sincerity and vitality. Some sections are very interesting, especially discussions of how social interaction on the internet can act to normalize various behavior, the impact of digital life on sex, romance, pornography, and human relationships, and medical websites and interplay with whether we see ourselves as "well." The book is also very thought provoking as it explores how technology connects us in one sense, but leaves of alone in a very real, physical way.

The author's true mission in life is protecting children from digital harm - whether that is protection from online predators or it is protection from the side effects of technology. As a result, at least a third of the book catalogs the state of research on these issues and can, if you do not share the interest as passionately (and especially if you are not a parent), drone on a bit too long. That said, she highlights some studies that appear to be definitive but which are mostly ignored - including that children under the age of 2 should spend as little time as possible (and none, ideally) in front of screens because it can and does negatively impact their mental development, can slow language acquisition, and does not help them develop in any way whatsoever (basically, Baby Einstein and any app or show aimed at the under-2 set is a lie).

On the negative side and what made the book a bit annoying at times is that she comes across as overly idealistic. She makes sweeping statements about what should be done, but completely ignores whether or not those changes are feasible. She blithely discusses curating internet content in a way that ignores freedom of speech and proposes intricate and far reaching regulations for technology developers that seem at the very least legally tenuous. She also sometimes has flimsy evidence to back her claims. I give this somewhat of a pass because, as she rightly points out, controlled studies take years or decades to carry out (especially when you are studying developmental effects on children), and not only can we not afford to wait decades before making educated guesses and putting in place protections, but we also cannot do controlled studies on any technology that we believe is harmful (as you can't knowingly put child subjects in harm's way). That said, she sometimes takes this understandable paucity of hard facts as an invitation to opine without recourse to any evidence where there should be some. She also seems to cherry pick the opinions of others who support her without fully putting forth the opposing view, and she lost some real credibility when she referred to Stephen Hawking as the world's foremost physicist as an intro to his well-publicized (and not unfounded) warnings about technology as an existential threat.

In short, the book is very interesting despite its shortcomings and worth the time.

[Jake Goretzki · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5.

Picked this up from my dad, who was at a conference where Mary Aiken was a celeb guest speaker of sorts.

Enjoyable in its breadth, but very subjective and speculative - a lot of the warnings about future threats and harms being based on a handful of case studies (e.g. cyberchondria, dark web, etc). In some respects it can feel like a polished up version of Daily Mail-level scaremongering.

What I disliked most was the seam of puritanism and disapproval running through it. 'Kids were playing Call of Duty! OMG! Mums were looking at their phones while breastfeeding! Well, that's another serial killer in the making, eh'.

I particularly dislike the position she takes on (legal) porn. When I was a child, we thirsted for the stuff and the only material we could get was found in hedges. We badly wanted it. The idea that it is corrupting or upsetting to young males is laughable. If anything, the absence of it would do more harm. She certainly didn't interview any teenage boys.

Besides that, I think she's wrong on the selfie, viewing this in exactly the way Boomers and Gen X see it as some kind of dead-eyed narcissism - all that 'look at the vacant stares of these zombie narcissists'. This is so reductive. A selfie might be 'Aren't I hot?', but it can also be 'Hello everyone', a reaching out to friends, a celebration... all manner of things. Sure, there are vain people out there, but to see a Kardashian in every selfie is to really misunderstand how people use technology.

Likewise that tired, thin-lipped use of inverted commas around the word 'friends', that says 'theyre not friends. You fools think they're friends but they're not!'. (Like anyone on Facebook *actually* considers the bloke in accounts who they worked with 12 years ago a 'friend'. For god's sake).

Lastly, I could have done with a little less LinkedIn-led trumpet-blowing from Aiken - she's a prolific qualification-dropper. I say this, of course, as someone who has chaired the pan-European biscuit working group, in collaboration with Dr Ivan Stokes-Bovril of the University of Waikikamookow and who coined the term 'cyberdumpling' in my recent paper on the subject for INTERBUTT.

So, readable enough - but all rather shrill, sensationalist and moralising.

[Ginni · Rating 1 out of 5]

The Cyber Effect purports to be a scientific look at the interaction of technology and psychology--an examination of the way human behavior changes online. Ms. Aiken assures us in the introduction that she isn't anti-technology.
Unfortunately, literally every chapter aside from the introduction is devoted to all the ways that technology could be harming humanity. Positives are glossed over; we get a few passing references to positives, but frustratingly, these aren't explored at all.

Okay, so the marketing department should have been more upfront about the fact that this is a book about all the possible dangers of technology. It still could have been interesting, had it been done well--especially had it actually been done scientifically.

But most of the chapters boiled down to “This case study says X, and that could mean Y and Z down the road. Do you really want to wait and find out the hard way?” Or, more often, "Once there was a girl named Laura, and she used the Internet to fuel her hypochondria. We can extrapolate from this case that the Internet is creating new mental disorders." Lots of speculation, lots of tired anecdotes that are far from normative (the Slender Man girls, really?), not a lot of science.

If you make it all the way to the last chapter, where she reiterates that she’s not anti-technology (just in favor of unspecified technological reforms that will force breastfeeding moms to look at their babies instead of their phones and keep people from becoming addicted to World of Warcraft), she’ll probably lose you with this:

“Fragmentation of the Internet, as China has done, does not have to be considered a negative; for some countries this may be the best way to preserve and maintain culture.”

That's right--China may be manipulating and controlling its citizens by squelching any discussion that questions it, but hey, at least they got rid of the porn.

(I received this book for free through a Goodreads giveaway.)

[Just Plain Neddy · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is the shoddy level of science I expect from a tabloid, not a scientist. Holy shit - where to start? Well, Aiken starts with kink, which is all bad apparently. This is because life-wrecking and criminal versions of kinky behaviour appear in the DSM-V. Which means that anyone who is interested in any form of kink is mentally ill in some badly-defined way, and probably dangerous in some even more badly-defined way. My eyebrows were on the ceiling by this point. Someone met someone else on Fetlife and got murdered. Is one case the best she can do, or the best she feels she needs to do given that she's already made her mind up? Obviously kinky people are not like nice married vanilla couples - who do also murder each other pretty damn frequently, but that's different. Somehow.

It's disappointing because there are valuable questions to ask about the ways in which online behaviour is different from offline. But the very first questions a psychologist needs to ask herself are: what are my biases? Where are my beliefs about the world, and how are they getting in the way of doing good scientific research? Followed by: Who examined this, what was their methodology, how sound are their results? Am I taking the existence of a disparate handful of vanishingly rare outliers - such as murderers or extremely abusive parents - to suggest that there is something wrong with commonplace behaviour which is harmless in almost everyone else?

Otherwise you can end up with what is basically a few hundred pages of Daily Mail headlines. That's what this book is. It's not badly researched so much as not really researched at all. It's an opinion piece. It isn't a scientific book with flaws. It's not science at all; the fact that a good book in this subject area is needed makes this piss poor one's existence more, not less disappointing.

[Kara Sabbagh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This took me years to read and it was all the hell out of order but it was really really good. I love the insanely weird range of topics covered here 😂 I feel like I really did learn some useful stuff that I will apply to my parenting in the future, but I also came across many points that nailed things that pertain to my own life that I otherwise wouldn’t have put in that perspective or known about. Love the writing style, love her voice. Really not that hard of a read I just infinitely dragged it out, but for anyone interested casually in psychology or the Internet I would highly recommend.

[lady lazarus 𖦹 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has very strong points and very weak points too - ultimately it feels like it’s demographic is upper middle class/rich moms (bonus point if they’re white and come from generational wealth).
First of all, why is half of the book focusing on kids? I was genuinely taken aback by how much “how to raise your kids content” there was in this book, and granted, children are an important part of our society and it’s crucial how they adapt to the cyber environment as well, but I really wish there was something in the marketing of this book that told me “hey!! by the way, if you’re not raising a toddler you can kinda skip this one”
It is also self evident that The Cyber Effect came from a very privileged perspective. From saying that a teen deserved two years in prison for pirating some movies on the schools computer because it’s basically like stealing from a store, to takes like “HBO is a victim of the phenomenon of piracy and even though they dont seem to care I DO I CARE” like okay im sure one of the biggest capitalist monopolies of our time is reaaaally suffering from some teens who lack pocket money watching game of thrones on 123movies.
Not to say it involves a classicist take - if only people that have money can consume media - therefore read books, watch films or be involved in some other parts of media culture, aren’t we excluding and, forgive me for using this term, gatekeeping even knowledge from the masses in the favor of a select few? It sounds so.. familiar to me.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying piracy has 0 consequences on creators either. Personally I think the problem is much more nuanced (I know you hate this take Mary Aiken, but yes, it’s a problem created by capitalism)
In conclusion! use strong passwords and take care of your hypothetical kids people! And don’t break into someone’s car to jerk off, that was weird ngl

[Jordan Matelsky · Rating 1 out of 5]

With respect to the author, I appreciate that publicly-accessible scientific writing is a challenge, and spanning computer science and psychology is particularly tricky. The internet has changed a lot since the book was written, though I'm not sure every issue I found was due to that alone.
Much of the neuroscience of this book was made up, or wildly inaccurate. (Neurotransmitters don't fire. Brain areas show up on an MRI whether or not they're actively contributing to a behavior. There is no "love center" of the brain, though that sounds nice.)

Much of the computer science of this book was made up, or wildly inaccurate. (I point mostly to the chapters on ~THE DARK WEB~ and company.)

More to the point, sexuality isn't a psychological disorder, and I think it's in bad faith to loop in BDSM with pedophilia.

Gretchen McCulloch's "Because Internet" nails the psychology of Internet with more rigor and kindness (https://gretchenmcculloch.com/book/) and I highly recommend it.

Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language

[Atila Iamarino · Rating 3 out of 5]

Uma boa leitura para saber as implicações morais e éticas do que a tecnologia tem mudado. Além do primeiro livro que ouvi a discutir bem o quão cedo introduzir tablets e afins para crianças – não tão cedo, bem pouco e dando muito mais atenção para a socialização, segundo ela. Tem uma boa coletânea sobre problemas atuais, de bullying, narcisismo, ansiedade e afins.

O lado ruim é que achei o livro muito alarmista. Talvez pela autora pensar o tempo todo nos piores cenários, ela acaba pintando sempre uma imagem de que o pior está para acontecer. Ou sou eu que não consigo me preocupar com algo mais sério do que me parece. A parte sobre dark net dela é bem sensacionalista, focando só nos crimes e possibilidades para o mal – o The Dark Net: Inside the Digital Underworld cobre isso bem melhor.

Juntando tudo, uma boa leitura para pais e professores em especial. Para o público em geral, acho mais proveitoso e legal ouvir o podcast Note to Self, que recomendo bastante.

[Jenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won a copy of this book.

Next time you're in a restaurant, look for a family with children. How many of the adults are on their phones? What are the kids doing? My guess would be adults are on their phones and children are either (a) on a device themselves or (b) looking to interact with the someone.

The next time you go to Target, pay attention to the parents who have kids with them. How are the kids interacting with the adults and vice versa? Aiken makes some compelling points as to why we should be more mindful when using our technology around children.

As a child, did you ever get yelled at for sitting too close to the TV because it could hurt your eyes? How do your eyes feel after looking at your computer screen for multiple hours a day? Ever get a headache from too much screen time? Should we now be worried about our infant's eye development? Aiken thinks so. She points out that there are companies that develop apps just for infants.

But all of this aside, the technology is so new, there isn't enough research to back up any of her hypothesis. Unfortunately, by the time it's ready, it might be too late.

[حمزة · Rating 5 out of 5]

كتاب قيم جدا من ناحية الرصد ويرسم صورة جيدة عن كيفة تعامل أجهزة الدولة في الغرب مع مشاكل الإنترنت وما ولده من تعقيدات مجتمعية ونفسية لا حد لها.
لكنه ضعيف جدا من الناحية الفلسفية وهو يقدم الحداثة ومنتجاتها كأمر واقع يجب على الجميع القبول به ووضع الحلول لأعراضه الجانبية (الطفيفة)!! كانتشار الممارسات الجنسية المنحرفة وبيع المخدرات باستخدام الإنترنت المظلم ووووو!
عدا عن تقديم بعض التفسيرات الداروينية المثيرة للضحك! وقد قيدت الكثير من ذلك ولكني لا أنشط للتعليق عليه ولا إبداء الرأي فيه وأرى أن أي مثقف متوسط سيعلم المعضلة التي تنطلق منها الكاتبة في محاولة تقديم حلول واقعية، بل أذهب إلى أبعد من ذلك فأقول إن الأرضية التي تقف عليها الكاتبة لا تمنحها أصلا مسوغا منطقيا واحدا لاعتبار تلك التصرفات شاذة أو مرضية! فممارسة الجنس مع الأطفال يمكن اعتباره -بحسب التفسيرات الرائجة الآن!- تنوعا بيولوجيا ورغبة إنسانية مشروعة شأنها شأن ممارسة الجنس مع الكلاب والحيوانات والبشر ! والمانع هنا ينبغي أن يكون مانعا هناك والمبيح هنا هو هو هناك ولا فرق! ولكن الحداثة بنسبيتها الانتقائية وبمراهنتها على المنجز المادي لإسكات أي صوت معترض لن تتقدم خطوة واحدة في رأيي في علاج مثل هذه الظروف وأقصى ما يستطيعونه هو المزيد من التشريعات القانونية التي تؤجل المشكلة ولا تحلها وتدفع بالمعضلات إلى الأمام حتى إشعار آخر!

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was terrible about writing reviews last year. TERRIBLE. I'm sorry. My hope is to keep better records in 2017.

The first book that I finished had some interesting details, and particularly significant things to say about technology and child development. Ultimately, despite its length, the work felt slight, as though the author deliberately avoided overtaxing the reader. So it's a good starter book for those interested in the intersection between the online world and psychology, and raises some significant questions. But, like Mary Aiken, I hope there will be more research and thoughtful discussions of the subject, and soon.

One item of note: In her discussion of the Uncanny Valley, Aiken notes that, like humans, other primates also have a visceral, negative reaction to computer-generated images of their species that are close, but not quite exact, copies of the real thing. I'm not sure what it means, but the implications are intriguing.

[Ynes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is abook that makes you want to go finish your life in a hidden inaccessible cave! The kind of reading that once you finish, you cannot pretend you didn't know. And this kind of knowledge is deeply disturbing. Realizing that the virtual dimension is actually bigger than real life is scary. The little control we have over it is very distressing. The Internet has and will continue to change humanity at every single level of its existence. This reads like a very gloomy picture of the book, but it's not. The book is an eye opener and can be of great help in understanding, and hopefully changing, our digital behaviour.

[Sherrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I expected this to be an interesting but technical slog however I was pleasantly surprised that it was not. It was very easy to read and graspable. I thoroughly enjoyed it and it gave me so much to consider. It’s incredibly important information to have, for anyone. I would highly recommend that anyone who has a child age 0-18, or works with kids in any capacity, should read at least the third of the book that pertains to children.
It came up as a Goodreads Giveaway from an alert via my Goodreads Want to Read list, I entered and I won an AUP copy.

[Tracey Ryan young · Rating 2 out of 5]

Feels a bit like 'Granny says be wary'. I found it interesting but annoying, information and studies are presented before huge presumptive leaps are made: a baby/toddler who looks at screens becomes a drug addict in just four easy stages. I do recommend this book with warning to beware of the warnings.

[Maria · Rating 1 out of 5]

Confounded associations presented as information and argumentation. Sensationalism.

She equates 9/11 to nazi concentration camps and less over protective european upbringing to making kids work in coalmines, topping it of with a tired „throwing them into the deep end of the pool“.

This is a horrible book!
Please don‘t read it!

[Buchdoktor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mary Aiken liegt der Schutz von Kindern und Jugendlichen im Internet besonders am Herzen. Die virtuelle Welt sei für Erwachsene geschaffen und halte kein Nichtschwimmerbecken für Anfänger bereit, weil jeder Teilnehmer als gleich betrachtet würde. Ob der Einfluss von digitalen Geräten zur Internetnutzung der Entwicklung von Kindern schadet, untersucht sie in ihrem schon 2016 im Original erschienen Buch. Bereits 3-Jährige besitzen heute eigene Tablets, Schulanfänger eigene Profile in den sozialen Medien. Zuletzt ereiferten sich auch deutsche Medien über Eltern, deren Kinder verunglückten oder ertranken, während ihre Eltern - angeblich - gerade mit ihren Smartphones beschäftigt waren. Ein weiterer Auswuchs der schönen neuen Welt seien Babywippen mit einer Handy-Halterung zur akustischen Bespaßung des Nachwuchses.

Aikens Streitschrift ist gegliedert in jeweils ein Kapitel zum Babyalter, zu Kindern von 4-12 Jahren und zu Jugendlichen. Es befasst sich außerdem mit bestehendem Suchtverhalten, das im Internet ausgelebt wird, und der konkreten Sucht, Zeit im Internet zu verbringen. Kurze Kapitel handeln jeweils von Partnerschaft und Dating im Internetzeitalter, Cyberchondrie (internetgestützter Hypochondrie), dem Darknet und einem Ausblick in die Zukunft des Cyberspace. Nach einem sehr vernünftigen Kapitel über Eltern-Kind-Bindung im Smartphone-Zeitalter war zentraler Teil ihres Buches für mich das Kapitel über Jugendliche, die ihr alterstypisches Risikoverhalten und ihre Lust an der Selbstdarstellung in sozialen Medien und Multiplayer-Games ausleben. Wichtige Erkenntnisse der Lektüre sind das Informationsgefälle zwischen Eltern und Kindern und die daraus oft resultierende Resignation betroffener Eltern, die Verschiebung von Normen und die Entwicklung von Narzissmus einer ganzen Gesellschaft. Allerdings kann auch die Cyberpsychologin nicht belegen, welcher Anteil an narzisstischem Verhalten in einer Gesellschaft der Pflege des Cyber-Ichs in sozialen Medien zuzuschreiben ist und welcher anderen Entwicklungen in den letzten 20 Jahren.

Nach eigener Aussage arbeitet Aiken gern mit Beispielen des Boulevardjournalismus, sie formuliert deutlich talkshowgerecht. Leider sind ihre Beispiele zum großen Teil schon älter und zigfach in den Medien abgenudelt. Ihre Aussagen belegt sie mit fast 400 empirischen Untersuchungen und Zitaten, die sich häufig auf Verhältnisse in den USA beziehen. Eine zitierte Befragung von Kindern zu ihrem Umgang mit dem Internet wurde erkennbar in Europa durchgeführt. Bei nahezu allen anderen Fundstellen ist für mich nicht ersichtlich, ob die Ergebnisse überhaupt auf Deutschland oder Europa übertragbar sind. Für betroffene Eltern ist z. B. der Abschnitt über ADHS-Diagnosen in Zusammenhang mit Internet- und Fernsehkonsum wichtig, aber auch hier frage ich mich, ob amerikanische Verhältnisse sich einfach so übertragen lassen.

Mary Aiken fordert zwar Eltern auf, ihr Buch zu lesen, sein Umfang von rund 500 Seiten und ein fehlendes Stichwortregister erschweren den Zugang jedoch unnötig. Aus dem Inhaltsverzeichnis geht z. B. nicht hervor, dass sie konkret auf drei Phasen in der kindlichen Entwicklung eingeht. Hätte ich das gleich erkannt, hätte ich mir einen Teil des Textes gespart. Wenn ein 9-Jähriger sich aktuell bei Instagram registrieren will, möchten dessen Eltern den Absatz zu sozialen Medien evtl. zuerst lesen. Wenn ich auf das ADHS-Thema treffe, hätte ich gern einen Verweis, ob und wo das Thema evtl. noch schwerpunktmäßig behandelt wird.

„Der Cyber-Effekt“ ist zwar populärwissenschaftlich geschrieben mit deutlicher Tendenz zu Boulevard-Themen, das Buch wird dadurch jedoch nicht leichter lesbar. Zu ausschweifend, fehlendes Stichwortregister, zu stark auf USA-Verhältnisse bezogen.

[Russell · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's an important book for the content it discusses no doubt.

Yet it would probably be of much utility to get a better perspective of said content if you read the comments on this Goodreads page; or wherever, really.

The insight that she provides into how widespread use of the Internet and its enabling devices and its impact on children is illuminating to an extent (an acute observer very well may have been able to come to the same conclusions (I came to a good many of them myself prior to reading Aiken's book, and I don't have children. What about parents whose position of observation are in towers higher than mine?)) What I do find troublesome to sift through is the sensationalist conclusions she does arrive at. While it is true that Japan has ageing population and diminishing birth rate, to continue and attribute modern amenities as the primary cause to the fear towards getting into relationships and arrive at: "By 2060, if current trends continue, Japan's population will have shrunk by 30 percent."

This clearly shows Aiken's moot claim in this context. It is not so much the subject matter in this instance that she has used inappropriately to prove a point, rather than it is her way of doing so; her process, if you can call it that. It quite clearly shows that while there is evidence present, there has been little analysis of external factors and even attempt at cultural understanding. Repeat this throughout and you can understand why I have my qualms with a book that does not examine existing evidence contrary to the initial claim. No matter how lucid and eloquent the argument she presents may be.

I should also mention this is one of the few example where Aiken actually provides concrete evidence, examples and anecdotes to back up her findings. In many other instances where I won't bother listing, the conclusions reached are as wild as a Super Mario Bros. speed run, jumping and whizzing about. And for that, the 20/20 vision of retrospect I have upon finishing this book has made me wonder whether I have to go back and scrutinise it further to come to a more balanced perspective.

While she has succeeded in bringing my attention to the necessary action we need to take towards our self-regulation of the use of technology, to fuel the call to action with arguments such as hers only takes us at the same breakneck speed of the rate technology is advancing - not exactly the least disastrous route. It's a reminder that psychologists do what they do; make generalised assumptions on human behaviour. Now, extrapolating it to the worst-case scenario while neglecting externalities such as the policy limitations at attempts at regulation, cultural preferences and leaving wide gaps in her argumentative process, does not succeed at convincing me entirely. A book to be taken with a pinch of salt. Perhaps Aiken knows that preying on people's fears sells well.

P.S. Getting featured on the front page of Daily Mail is often not a good thing.
P.P.S. To call Spike Jonze's "Her", "melodramatic" leaves me questioning whether I should, a) give this book two stars, and b) what characteristics a psychologist should have. I thought they were meant to be understanding.

EDIT: 2 stars it is. I went through the final chapter again to review the suggestions she made on what to be done to mitigate harm mentioned in the book... not inspired or illuminated whatsoever.

[Evelina · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I bought this book, I was very intrigued and hopeful to learn a lot about how internet changes human behaviour.
Unfortunately, it was quite disappointing. Author provides some interesting examples on how internet impact kids, romance, norms, but in 95% of cases from a negative point of view. She really views internet as a big threat and is only worried about the impacts, which feels weird given how much she talks about her passion for cyber psychology.
Anyways, it’s an interesting read, but not as insightful as I hoped

[سالم عبدالله · Rating 4 out of 5]

كتاب يحمل قيمة رايعة ويحمل تحذير من مخاطر إدمان الإنترنت والاجهزة المحمولة و لقد استوقفتني العديد من الارا في هذا الكتاب.. وهو بالمجمل تحليل ودراسة الشخصية السيبرانية للشخص.. وغالبا تكون غير واقعية..
بينت الباحثة الأضرار التي قد تصيب الحوامل بسبب اشعاعات الهواتف على الاجنة..
الكتاب ممتع وان كان طويل ولكن الفايدة اكبر.

[Oncescu Antoniu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting and good to know info. Good for parenting, social and individuals life's

[BookMagic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very important topic!
Everybody should read!