WWW: The Darwinian Imperative

Why do we blog, post videos, photos or maps? Why do we cooperate with and trust total strangers online? More generally what shapes our behavior online? This paper argues that much of the human behavior online can be grounded on modern evolutionary theory, particularly that of evolutionary psychology and sociobiology. Our goal is to develop a scientifically grounded understanding of the traits and motives behind human behavior online. We believe that the outcome of this research will eventually lead to creating online environments that are better suited for and compatible with the social human nature. In this abstract I give one example of this understanding and its implications.