The Qualities of Virtual Life: A Theoretical and Empirical Investigation
Shalini Misra (Department of Planning, Policy and Design)
The proposed investigation into the qualities of virtual life introduces a new conceptual framework, typology, and constructs for the study of people-environment transactions as real and virtual components become inter-mingled in a single setting with the advent and increasing prevalence of the Internet. Four alternative modes of environmental experience with respect to individuals’ connectedness to real and virtual settings, the focus of their identities, and satisfaction of their socio-emotional needs are presented. The unique health, psychological, interpersonal, and societal level outcomes associated with these distinct environmental orientations such as information overload, stress, poor physical and mental health, and reduced sense of community and spatial awareness are examined.
Cultural Meanings of Personal Networks
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Irina Shklovski
Although there has been a substantial amount of research on computer-mediated communication, very little has been said on the issue of cultural differences in assessing the uses and interpretations of current technologies. Advances in communication technologies allow people not only to maintain existing relationships but also to reconnect with ties that had faded due to relocation and distance. New communication technologies such as, for example, social network sites enable people to re-activate weaker ties that maybe share a collective history but little current context. Yet we do not know why people seek out such ties and whether they benefit from them. Focusing on environments where social relationships are paramount for survival and where computer-mediated communication applications are just entering the popular discourse can help us examine how cultural preferences, social needs and constraints of available infrastructure shape the use of computer-mediated communication for relational maintenance. This project will focus on people’s personal networks manifested as connections to co-located contacts in post-soviet countries and to the Russian-speaking Diaspora. Russian-language social network sites provide citizens of these countries with new opportunities to reconnect within the Russian Diaspora, to re-establish connections lost due to out-migration, and to revitalize local connections that have deteriorated due to higher levels of local migration in economically volatile environments. Studying such settings can give a novel perspective on how cultural preferences, social needs and constraints of available infrastructure influence user’s decisions and use patterns. Contextual study of Internet and social network site use is especially valuable in a culture that differs from the predominantly Western perspective that developed or provided templates for the majority of current computer-mediated communication applications.
Facebook: Semiotics and Identity among Generation 1.5 Chinese Immigrants
Yen-Lin Chou (PhD student, Department of Education)
Participant’s multimodal representation on his Facebook profile page
The current study aims to better understand how the use of Facebook is interrelated with collegiate-level generation 1.5 Chinese immigrant students’ language development and identity formation. Recent years have seen increased attention given to the ways computer-mediated communication (CMC) affects language learners’ trajectories of language practices in social contexts and cultural identity developments (Black, 2008; Lam, 2004). However, few empirical studies have explored the relationship between Facebook and immigrant students’ online literacies, social interactions, and cultural identity representations. It is believed that the digital composition of Facebook allows users to generate not only linguistic forms but also visual images (e.g. photos and video and audio clips), which increase their meaningful transmissions in on-line communications, especially across potential language and ethnic barriers. In order to address this gap, this study will examine four, collegiate-level generation 1.5 Chinese immigrant students’ literacy and social practices on Facebook. Qualitative research methods, such as semi-structured interviews, direct/unstructured observations, and collection of physical artifacts (e.g. field notes, Internet data, and interview translations and transcriptions) will be used. The purpose of this research study is to better understand how college-age generation 1.5 Chinese immigrant students use the multimodal (image, text, sound, space, movement) functions of Facebook to communicate, express themselves, and represent their identities.
Participant's groups