Linda Kaye

When “I” becomes “we”: What is being “social” online and why is this important?

Abstract

There are a wide range of online spaces which can allow us to be social, feel connected and support our relationships with others. These can include social networking sites and many types of online gaming. Despite the fact that we spent significant amounts of time using social media and engaging in online gaming, there is relatively little academic understanding of what being “social” actually looks like on these platforms. This talk will provide a conceptual overview of how “social” is best theorised in relation to these online spaces. Largely, this relates to level of direct interactivity or behavioural interdependence with others, but it is argued that being “social” occurs on a continuum. Namely, I will highlight that being “social” can refer to the collective identities we hold with others often via online spaces, and how this has been found to be important for well-being.

Bio

Dr Linda Kaye is a Reader in Psychology at Edge Hill University. She specialises in cyberpsychology, in particular how online settings promote social inclusion and well-being. Her work in cyberpsychology started back in 2007 when she started her PhD at the University of Central Lancashire on the topic of "Motivations, experiences and outcomes of playing videogames". Since then, she has worked in the Department of Psychology at Edge Hill University and dedicated her research to explore a wide range of topics in the area of cyberpsychology. Some of these include; social identity and stereotypes in digital gaming, personality correlates of online behaviour, and psychosocial impacts of online communication. Linda is also one of four founding members and now currently Chair of the BPS Cyberpsychology Section. This work has resulted in her being involved in a wide range of BPS task groups and policy enquiries. Further, Linda has her own private consultancy company "The CyberDoctor" in which she has worked with a range of clients to help inform technological solutions and give psychological insight into their users' online experiences. You can find out more about this here https://lindakkaye.wixsite.com/dr-linda-kaye/consultancy