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Social & Psychological Effects of Communication Technology

COMM 298 / 398 Fall 2021

Author: Alana Bonfiglio

Final Paper Summary

December 10, 2021 Alana BonfiglioEntries

Despite prominent companies’ recent claims of effort to diversify the world of technology, the most dominant forces in the world of technology have remained disproportionately white and male compared to demographic data in the U.S.[…]

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From Visual Simulation to Virtual Reality to Games – Alana Bonfiglio 11/23

November 22, 2021 Alana BonfiglioEntries

In From Visual Simulation to Virtual Reality to Games, Michael Zyda argues that the role of virtual reality in video games is increasing, and researchers should realign their focus to game research and development to[…]

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Associated Press Coverage of the Facebook Papers – Alana Bonfiglio 11/18

November 17, 2021 Alana BonfiglioEntries

In the first Associated Press article addressing the Facebook papers, Amid the Capital Riot, Facebook faced its own insurrection, Alan Suderman and Joshua Goodman show that Facebook missed critical signs of the planning of the[…]

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The Personalization of Politics: Political Identity, Social Media, and Changing Patterns of Participation – Alana Bonfiglio 11/16

November 15, 2021 Alana BonfiglioEntries

In The Personalization of Politics: Political Identity, Social Media, and Changing Patterns of Participation, Lance Bennett argues that social media and communication technology have created a shift from the identity politics of the mid-twentieth century[…]

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Why I Fight to Close the Digital Divide? – Alana Bonfiglio 11/11

November 10, 2021 Alana BonfiglioEntries

In the TedTalk “Why I Fight to Close the Digital Divide?,” Mignon Clyburn argues that a Digital Civil Rights Bill is necessary to ensure broadband internet access for all Americans in order to close the[…]

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Just 12 People Are Behind Most Vaccine Hoaxes On Social Media, Research Shows – Alana Bonfiglio 11/4

November 3, 2021 Alana BonfiglioEntries

In Just 12 People Are Behind Most Vaccine Hoaxes On Social Media, Research Shows, Shannon Bond shows that just a dozen people are responsible for the majority of misleading and untruthful information about COVID-19 vaccines[…]

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Technology and the Future of Mental Health Treatment – Alana Bonfiglio 10/28

October 27, 2021 Alana BonfiglioEntries

A report by The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), Technology and the Future of Mental Health Treatment, shows how the increased accessibility of mobile devices has changed mental health treatment by creating new ways[…]

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Unpacking “Privacy” for a Networked World – Alana Bonfiglio 10/26

October 26, 2021 Alana BonfiglioEntries

In Unpacking “Privacy” for a Networked World, Leysia Palen and Paul Dourish argue that privacy is a dynamic (changing) process similar to its definition by social psychologist Irwin Altman even before modern technology was created.[…]

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Keeping Together Long Distance Families: Technology as a Social Actor – Alana Bonfiglio 10/21

October 19, 2021 Alana BonfiglioEntries

In Keeping Together Long Distance Families: Technology as a Social Actor, Mădălina Ionescu shows how technology has allowed family members who have been separated due to economic migration or other reasons the ability to stay[…]

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Can the internet buy you more friends? – Alana Bonfiglio 10/19

October 19, 2021 Alana BonfiglioEntries

In the TEDxObserver video, “Can the internet buy you more friends?” Robin Dunbar shows that social media platforms such as Facebook have not fulfilled their promises of enlarging the social world. When Facebook was founded,[…]

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Midterm: Exploring Zoom’s User-Experience – Alana Bonfiglio

October 14, 2021 Alana BonfiglioEntries

In an article for Business Insider, Kristine Solomon (2018) argued that a great indicator of company success is when a company name becomes a verb. “Let’s Zoom,” is a phrase heard around the world, especially[…]

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TIME’s 25 Most Influential People on the Internet – Alana Bonfiglio 10/7

October 6, 2021 Alana BonfiglioEntries

TIME Magazine’s 25 Most Influential People on the Internet shows the list of the 25 people that had the greatest impact on social media in 2019. The list included musicians Lil Nas X, BTS, Ariana[…]

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The Social Dilemma – Alana Bonfiglio 10/5

October 4, 2021October 4, 2021 Alana BonfiglioEntries

Director Jeff Orlowski used The Social Dilemma (2020) to argue that technology, and particularly social media, is catastrophically altering human behavior.  The documentary features many ex-employees of large technology companies such as Facebook, Google, Instagram,[…]

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Why we have an emotional connection to robots – Alana Bonfiglio 9/30

September 29, 2021 Alana BonfiglioEntries

In the TedTalk “Why we have an emotional connection to robots,” Kate Darling argues that human biology hardwires us to project intent and life onto anything moving, thereby increasing our emotional attachment to robots.   After[…]

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Interactive Multimedia-Based E-Learning: A Study of Effectiveness – Alana Bonfiglio 9/28

September 28, 2021 Alana BonfiglioEntries

In Interactive Multimedia-Based E-Learning: A Study of Effectiveness, Dongsong Zhang argues that students in an interactive multimedia-based e-learning environment can achieve higher test scores and report higher levels of satisfaction than those in a traditional[…]

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Users like you? Theorizing Agency in user generated content – Alana Bonfiglio 9/23

September 23, 2021 Alana BonfiglioEntries

In Users like you? Theorizing Agency in user generated content, José van Dijck shows the impact of user participation on the creation and consumption of media.  José van Dijck argues that with the invention of[…]

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AI-Mediated Communication: Definition, Research Agenda, and Ethical Considerations – Alana Bonfiglio 9/21

September 20, 2021September 21, 2021 Alana BonfiglioEntries

In AI-Mediated Communication: Definition, Research Agenda, and Ethical Considerations, Jeffrey T. Hancock, Mor Naaman and Karen Levy argue that the introduction of artificial intelligence mediated communication (AI-MC) will transform the way we interact with others,[…]

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Digital Practices & Applications in a Covid-19 Culture – Alana Bonfiglio 9/16

September 15, 2021 Alana BonfiglioBios

In Digital Practices & Applications in a Covid-19 Culture, Christina Romero-Ivanova, Michael Shaughnessy, Laura Otto, Emily Taylor and Emma Watson show the difficulties of transitioning from in-person to remote classroom instruction seemingly overnight. In particular,[…]

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How Steve Jobs’ Love of Simplicity Fueled A Design Revolution – Alana Bonfiglio 9/14

September 13, 2021 Alana BonfiglioEntries

In How Steve Jobs’ Love of Simplicity Fueled A Design Revolution, Walter Isaacson shows how Jobs’ meticulous pursuit of the simple and sleek elevated the world of technology design out of its dark, industrial phase.[…]

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Social Psychological Aspects of Computer-Mediated Communication – Alana Bonfiglio 9/9

September 8, 2021 Alana BonfiglioEntries

In Social Psychological Aspects of Computer-Mediated Communication, Sara Kiesler, Jane Siegal and Timothy W. McGuire argue that CMC will have social and psychological consequences on society.   The authors show the impact of CMC on group[…]

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Do women and extroverts perceive interactivity differently than men and introverts? – Alana Bonfiglio 9/7

September 2, 2021 Alana BonfiglioEntries

In Do women and extroverts perceive interactivity differently than men and introverts? Role of individual differences in response to GCI vs. CMC interactivity, Yan Huang, Shyam Sundar, Zhiyao Ye and Arial Celeste Johnson show that[…]

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What motivates health information exchange in social media? Alana Bonfiglio 9/2

September 1, 2021 Alana BonfiglioEntries

Hsien-Cheng Lin and Chun-Ming Chang conducted a web-based survey on Taiwanese Facebook users to research the exchange of health information on social media. In What motivates health information exchange in social media? The roles of[…]

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“The Medium is the Message” – Alana Bonfiglio

August 30, 2021 Alana BonfiglioEntries

In “The Medium is the Message”, Marshall McLuhan argues that the personal and social consequences of mediums outweigh the effects of messages themselves. In simple terms, McLuhan argues that the way that information is presented[…]

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