Abstract: Shyness is a temperamental trait that refers to tension and discomfort when facing a new social environment and/or consciousness of situations in which social evaluation is taking place. Shyness prevents people from normal interpersonal communication. However, with the emergence of the Internet, naturally shy people have found a way to reduce the level of nervousness and discomfort they normally feel during face-to-face communication. Internet use can have both a positive and negative impact on shyness. The positive impact is that it can reduce the level of shyness; but the negative impact is that for shy individuals, the internet can become an addiction. In future studies, there is a need to investigate the mediating and moderating variables between shyness and internet use, exploring in depth the relationship between shyness and internet use.

Key words: shyness, nternet, nternet communication, nternet addiction