Moving Forward...

As I look back on all I have learned this semester about the psychology of social computing as a legitimate, complex field of study, I am amazed. I'll be the first one to admit that I thought this class was going to be one of those "common sense" classes where as long as you take a look around you once in a while and know what's going on in the world, or in this case, what's going on on the internet, you'd be fine.

However, I found that the more theories I learned, I was not only able to apply those theories to my own life and the life of those around me, but that - surprise - I actually had to study! The great thing was, I didn't really mind. I'm not trying to sound like a total brown-nose, but one of the best things about this class was how current the curriculum was. For that same reason, I feel like the field of study will be growing and changing by leaps and bounds in the future. At the same time, I think some theories will be able to be applied even as technology and research advance. For one thing, a lot of more current theories seem to have roots in the Hyperpersonal Model. The idea that because we have fewer cues, we rely more heavily on those cues and thus attribute stronger characteristics to the person 'across the screen' is, I think, one that will persist even as more current theories develop.

As for what will change in the future, I have already alluded that the types of technology that connect us will most likely evolve. Already, since the publishing of Wallace's book, there have been several changes, such as the text-message craze, and the invention of the video chat. I have a feeling that more "arcane" (if that word can even be used in this context) forms of CMC, such as discussion forums, where time is irreparably asynchronous, will fade out, and more advanced forms of CMC, such as the previously mentioned video chat, will become more popular. With the advances in technology will come different theories because new cues will be introduced, and I think the CFO-perspective will eventually be entirely rejected.

Overall, I think the class covered a wide variety of topics, from social norms to gender differences and internet addiction. One thing I would have liked to have delved a little deeper into was exactly why people feel compelled to spend hours of time on the internet, with nothing to show for it. Perhaps in the future there will be more convincing research on the topic of internet addiction, or whatever it may be deemed. Also, I would have also been interested to learn about research concerning how people are affected by communicating more by CMC, and if a lack of what I deem to be 'real personal connection' caused their overall well-being to deteriorate. My intuition is that the more time people spend away from each other, staring at a screen or with their ear pressed against a phone, the less warmth they are able to derive from the person they are communicating with. I feel like humans are designed to depend on the presence of, and interaction with others on a daily basis.

Thanks for a great semester, I really enjoyed the class. :)
That's all!