Strategic uses of social technology

"On an everyday basis, we communicate with one another using various technological mediums, such as text messaging, social networking tools and electronic mail, in work, educational and personal settings. As a consequence of the increasing frequency of use and importance of computer-supported interaction, social scientists in particular have heeded the call to understand the social processes involved in such interactions. In this volume, the editors explore how aspects of a situation interact with characteristics of a person to help explain our technologically-supported social interactions. The person-by-situation interaction perspective recognizes the powerful role of the situation and social forces on behavior, thought and emotion, but also acknowledges the importance of person variables in explaining social interaction, including power and gender, social influence, truth and deception, ostracism and leadership. This important study is of great relevance to modern readers, who are more and more frequently using technology to communicate with one another"-- "A social psychological analysis of computer-supported social interaction Zachary Birchmeier, Beth Dietz-Uhler, and Garold Stasser The use of computer-supported social interaction (CSI) has become a primary feature of communication among individuals, due in part to its structural features (e.g., freedom of time and geographical constraints) and psychological features (e.g., anonymity). As a consequence, many social scientists have investigated the social processes in computer-supported interactions, including online impression formation, relationship development, and group dynamics. Because individuals communicate via the use of computers in many personal, educational, and professional settings, it is important to continue and encourage the study of social processes in such environments. These studies have identified a number of influences on the behaviors (i.e., conformity, economic choices, etc.), thoughts (i.e., attitude change, impression formation, etc.), and, to a lesser degree, physiological/emotional states of people involved in computer-supported interaction"--