This project seeks to improve our understanding of how new communication technologies are used by people in their everyday lives.

Recent reports indicate that not only is the Internet the most rapidly disseminated communication technology in history, but that it is also rapidly evolving as it penetrates millions of homes and communities. Internet-based technologies offer functions that only a few years ago were simply not available, and these functions are now accessible to more and more people, from citizens of large metropolises to residents of rural communities. Given this proliferation, it is important that we understand how people use these technologies in their everyday lives.

I approached this issue with a number of different research methodologies. I have conducted several diary-based studies that provided insight into what kind of technologies people use in their social interactions, with who, and about what. I have also conducted a number of experiments examining how communication technologies affect how we talk to one another, and how it may affect our interpersonal perceptions. Finally, I have also done several logging experiments that have captured how people actually interact in their everyday lives using online communication tools.

We have increased our understanding of how online communication tools can be used to facilitate our social interactions with one another. This understanding has important implications for how we design new technologies, and on how they may be incorporated into a variety of activities, from social interaction, to business interaction, to learning contexts.

improve understanding of technology use