Understanding the Technical and Social Complexity of the Internet: A Cognitive Developmental Resource Perspective

The Internet is a complex artifact system that reflects both technical and social complexity. In this context, technical complexity reflects that the Internet connects millions of computers and billions of users; social complexity reflects both the positive and negative social effects of the Internet (e.g., allowing people to easily communicate with one another online thereby providing a new avenue for cybercrimes). This chapter synthesizes recent studies concerning developmental differences in how children understand the technical and social complexity of the Internet. As part of this synthesis, we highlight the contributions of age, and direct and indirect online experience using the Internet. We also highlight that although understanding of the Internet's technical and social complexity improves with age, older adolescents and adults still show, for the most part, an incorrect understanding of the Internet. Possible explanations for this observation are explored, including the limited availability of internal and external resources that would lead to development of that understanding.