Panel Presentations:

Pairing Mobile Traces and Surveys to Situate Social Media Effects
Professor Joe Bayer
Assistant Professor in the School of Communication and Translational Data Analytics Institute
The Ohio State University

Lecture Abstract:
This talk advances a spatial approach for clarifying the contested literature on social media and well-being. Drawing on data from a large mobile sensing project, new results are presented concerning how social media use varies by location and transportation mode in daily life -- and how situated app use relates to emotional well-being. In the process, the opportunities and obstacles associated with designing studies that directly pair mobile traces (e.g., app logs, GPS) and surveys (e.g., ESM, EMA) are discussed. To that end, the talk showcases the potential of using mobile traces to understand the psychological implications of communication technologies.

Communication, Technology and Games: A Talk in Three Levels
Professor Dmitri Williams
Associate Professor at the USC Annenberg School for Communication

Lecture Abstract:
In 2020 games became the majority of all media activity, surpassing radio, books, film and TV combined. As a relatively underexamined medium, games continue to afford excellent data and opportunities for researchers. Professor Williams will walk through his recent and current work around communities, social dynamics and measurement using game data. After an adventure into startups, this work is informed by a mix of theoretical and practical considerations. His research agenda is framed by general Comm and CMC theories, and uses a wide range of methodologies, including ethnography and participant observation, experiments, surveys, and large-scale data techniques.