Thesis proposal v3
- 1. 11.08.10 Thesis Proposal Laura Janet Rodriguez Researchable Question How could a cognitive artifact1 for reflective cognition 2 be integrated into the profile management process 3 of 18-24 4 year old participants of social networking sites? Sub Questions How could a cognitive artifact... ...encourage a synergistic relationship 5 with participants? ...reveal a participant’s pattern of online behavior that puts them at risk? ...communicate the permanence of online information? ...expose the susceptibility of the future self? Areas of Investigation 1 Cognitive Artifact: According to Donald Norman, an expert of cognitive science, cognitive artifacts are “those artificial devices that maintain, display, or operate upon information in order to serve a representational function and that affect human cognitive performance.” 2 Reflective Cognition: According to Donald Norman, “the reflective mode is that of comparison and contrast, of thought, of decision making.” 3 Profile Management Process: The input of information within the boundaries of one’s personal profile page—via text or photo—that can be viewed by approved outsiders. 4 18-24: There is empirical evidence that the 15-24 year old age group have similar perspectives on online privacy and similar online behaviors within the realm of social networking. I narrowed down the age group further to 18-24 in an effort to exploit the affordances of participants that are not under parental supervision. 5 Synergistic Relationship: The interaction of two or more agents or forces so that their combined effect is greater than the sum of their individual effects. social networking 18-24 year olds participants cognitive artifact cognitive artifact reflective cogntion synergistic relationship online patterns permanence of online info susceptibility of future self
- 2. 11.08.10 Thesis Assumptions, Justification, & Limitations Laura Janet Rodriguez Assumptions While there are many different kinds of social networking services, this thesis will focus on personal networks, like Facebook, Friendster and MySpace. These social networking services are designed to give viewers a sense of the participant’s true self, making their virtual identities similar to who they are in the real world. Most of the people in these networks are not hiding behind facades, since socially connecting with existing friendships is the main objective. Paul DiMaggio, et al writes in “Social Implications Of The Internet”, that “Online communities come in very different shapes and sizes, ranging from virtual communities that connect geographically distant people with no prior acquaintance who share similar interests, to settings that facilitate interactions among friendship networks or family members, to community networks that focus on issues relevant to a geographically defined neighborhood. Research on “online community” should distinguish among these forms, lest results appear contradictory and confusing“ (DiMaggio). Personal networks allow participants to create detailed online profiles and connect with other participants, with an emphasis on social relationships. They often involve the sharing of information with other approved participants, such as gender, age, interests, educational background and employment. These platforms may also share selected information with individuals and applications that are not authorized contacts (Fact Sheet 35). Justification The legalities on information privacy are currently fuzzy, so it is difficult to determine where the government is allowed to intervene. Our new ‘age of information’ is proliferating the exchange of private data without concise regulations on how collected information can be used. Participants of personal networks need to be cautious whenever inputting information, but caution and safety seem to dissipate within the framework of personal networks due to skewed perceptions on what is safe and trustworthy. Many participants of online social networks do not know the terms of use of the interface they interact and contribute to on a daily basis and they have no idea what role third party applications play or who truly has access to their information. The use of social networking sites is growing in popularity, and participants are not always aware of the lack of privacy in even a semi-public online environment. Although the 18-24 year old group only makes up 9% of social networking participants in the United States (Google Ad Planner: United States demographics data), they are proven to consistently post more information at a higher percentage than any other age group (Williams, Kaven, 2009). The amount of information participants post in their profiles could present risks to their privacy and safety; including identity theft, phishing scams, cyber harassment, cyber stalking, and cyber bullying. There should also be concern over the 18-24 age group because they soon will be entering the workforce with habits formed from long term risky behaviors online that could impact the security policy of their future workplace. Limitations Although there are many touchpoints where information privacy is at risk within the realm of online social networking, this study will focus solely on the profile management process where participants are confronted with specific motivations and prompts for sharing information. Although people aged 35-44 are the majority of social networking participants (Google Ad Planner: United States demographics data), older users are more concerned with information privacy than younger internet users ( I. Brown T. Zukowski, 2007). The 18-24 year old demographic, as whole, have similar online behaviors and attitudes toward privacy that place them at risk and will guide my design investigation’s purpose and outcome.
- 3. Literature Review started reading reflection participants 18-24 years cognitive artifact social networking Protect Your Digital Privacy: Survival Skills for the Information Age Glee Harrah & Cady McGregor Things That Make Us Smart Donald Norman Grown Up Digital Don Tapscott Imagination and play in the electronic age Singer, Dorothy G. Privacy Nudges Lorrie Faith Cranor, director of the Carnegie Mellon Usable Privacy and Security Laboratory at Carnegie Mellon University Visceral Nudges Ryan Calo, fellow at the Center for Internet and Society at Stanford Law School Cyberpsychology Kent L. Norman Privacy as a Behavioral Phenomenon Journal of Science Issues World Without Secrets Richard Hunter Designing Interaction: Psychology at the Human-Computer Interface John M. Carroll The second self : computers and the human spirit Sherry Turkle The Cognitive Artifacts of Designing Willemien Visser Relevant Projects 11.08.10 Thesis References Laura Janet Rodriguez