For many researchers Virtual reality (VR) is first of all a technology. However, this focus on VR as just a technology can be disappointing for other researchers and developers. This book, to overcome this limitation, describes VR as a communication tool - a communication interface in a single-user VR and a communication medium in the case of multi-user VR. The shifting structures of communication systems present opportunities for communication researchers and these require multidisciplinary approaches to communication research. This book attempts to scan the future of communications within...

Drawing on research in the social sciences, communications and other fields, this book analyzes 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. Research in this area is 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 book take a serious look at various aspects of Internet-related psychology, and the papers are...

The book describes promotion and fostering of positive psychological change in everyday life, focusing on the concept of Flow of Consciousness - an experience of subjective psychological wellbeing that nourishes and complexifies the Self. The authors propose a wide overview of positive psychological experience, considering individual characteristics, the influence of context, culture, social relationships, and new technologies environments.

Human-computer confluence refers to an invisible, implicit, embodied or even implanted interaction between humans and system components. New classes of user interfaces are emerging that make use of several sensors and are able to adapt their physical properties to the current situational context of users.
A key aspect of human-computer confluence is its potential for transforming human experience in the sense of bending, breaking and blending the barriers between the real, the virtual and the augmented, to allow users to experience their body and their world in new ways. Research on...

This book describe the Psychology of Social Networking. In order to 'be online', an individual has to create an online presence. This online self is presented in different ways, with diverse goals and aims in order to engage in different social media activities and to achieve desired outcomes. The authors propose a wide overview of the psychology of social networking and the several implications of new media in our lives.