In her brief survey of online addiction, Parks addresses four basic questions: Is online addiction real? Can people get addicted to social networking? How serious of a problem is compulsive online gaming and gambling? Can people recover from online addiction? Obviously, the first question drives the rest, and in this entry in the Cybersafety series Parks acknowledges that there is a body of opinion that such addiction is not real, although there is an expanding body of professional opinion that argues that online addiction in its various forms is a viable consideration for evaluation and treatment. Parks addresses each of her four questions in separate sections of her book, which begins with a narrative overview, followed by primary source quotations, facts, statistics, and illustrations. A chronology, source notes, and a bibliography conclude. The format is visually pleasing and highly accessible, and the text, though necessarily brief, is cogent and well written. A useful introduction to a highly dynamic field.

PARKS, Peggy J. Cyberbullying . ISBN 978-1-60152-262-7 . LC 2011047780. PARKS, Peggy J. Cyberwarfare . ISBN 978-1-60152-264-1 . LC 2012020131. PARKS, Peggy J. The Digital Divide . ISBN 978-1-60152-266-5 . LC 2012021782. PARKS, Peggy J. Online Addiction . ISBN 978-1-60152-270-2 . LC 2012014191. ea vol: 96p. (Compact Research: The Internet Series). charts. photos. chron. further reading. index. notes. websites. CIP. ReferencePoint . 2012. PLB $27.95. Gr 9 Up Designed as research sources, these titles begin with introductory overviews, followed by four chapters that each pose and answer an important question about the topic. Three chapters explore the issue in depth, and the final chapter describes possible solutions or future implications. Each section has three parts: a clearly written and objective description that includes background information and examples taken from current events or real-life situations; a selection of primary-source quotations that encompass a variety of viewpoints; and a data section with statistics, charts, and graphs. A few average-quality photos plus lists of people and organizations and detailed source notes supplement the texts. These books will help student researchers, but the writing is occasionally dry and, given the rapidity of technological change, they are likely to date quickly. An additional purchase based upon the need for report materials.