Evaluation of the impact of the internet on sport and exercise psychology

The Internet started to dominate many aspects of human life in the 21st century and is part of most academic domains in developed, as well as developing, nations around the world. Sport and exercise psychology is a relatively new scholastic area that emerged as a recognised field of study prior to the Internet’s public spread. The fast and easy access to information in any area is an advantage that has benefited sport and exercise psychology, especially in light of the nearly parallel growth of this field and the Internet. Indeed, the new communication medium accelerates the growth as well as the popularity of sport and exercise psychology but there is a need for careful and critical selection of the information obtained from the World Wide Web. This article examines the specific areas in sport and exercise psychology on the Internet that could expand and/or facilitate knowledge. The article also looks to research opportunities available on the Internet and the areas in which special caution needs to be taken in conjunction with the use of the Internet. The article concludes that, while vast information is available on the Internet, the areas of research and counselling are not fully exploited in sport and exercise psychology.