Social Psychology of New Media Notes

Quiz Information

  • Quiz #1
    • Opens: Tomorrow (Tue) at 9am
    • Closes: Midnight on Fri
    • Duration: 30 mins
    • Format: 2 MCQs and 1 short answer question
    • Coverage: Week 1 content

Tutorials Schedule

  • Start Date: Next week
  • Venue: Refer to Canvas for specific locations
  • Weekly Sessions:
    • MON: 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM (Canvas Zoom)
    • TD1 (Weeks 3, 5, 7, 9, 11): MON 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM (AS3-0215)
    • TD2 (Weeks 4, 5, 7, 9, 11): TUE 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM (AS6-0215B)
    • TE1 (Weeks 4, 6, 8, 10, 12): FRI 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM (AS4-0115)
    • TE2 (Weeks 4, 6, 8, 10, 12): TUE 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM (AS6-0215B)

Resources and Guides

  • Citing in APA Style
    • Essential for academic writing
    • Comprehensive resources available at NUS Libraries
  • APA Style Guide Overview
    • Basic citation structures including 1-3 author styles

Course Outline

  1. Week 1: Introduction to Social Psychology of New Media
  2. Week 2: Acceptance and Resistance
  3. Week 3: Media Affordances and Strategic Use(r)s
  4. Week 4: Psychology of Online Privacy
  5. Week 5: Violence in Media
  6. Weeks 6-9: Various psychological aspects of new media (e.g., Identity, Disinhibition, Misinformation)
  7. Week 10: Interaction with Robots and IoT
  8. Week 12: AI and Biases
  9. Week 13: Online Dependency

Concept of Resistance

  • Definition:
    • Activity unexpected by innovators, with a motive to challenge a project
  • Opposition vs. Avoidance:
    • Opposition: Expected challenges
    • Avoidance: Undefined motives
  • Types of Resistance:
    • Active / Passive
    • Individual / Collective
    • Intensity Measurement: Comparing across contexts

Forms of Resistance

  • Conscious Avoidance/Selective Use:
    • Choices influenced by technology features
    • E.g., Skepticism towards certain apps
  • Advocacy and Action:
    • Public boycotts or lobbying for ethics in tech
  • Ethical and Legal Responses:
    • Regulations, censorship, and laws (e.g., TikTok ban)

Theoretical Perspectives

  1. Technology Acceptance Model (TAM):
    • Focuses on perceived usefulness and ease of use
  2. Social Influence Model:
    • Emphasizes social factors in technology adoption
  3. Diffusion of Innovations (DoI):
    • Examines how innovations spread among social systems

Technology Acceptance Model (TAM)

  • Core Components:
    1. Perceived Usefulness (PU)
    2. Perceived Ease of Use (PEU)
    3. Behavioral Intention to Use (BI)
  • Example:
    • Older adults’ perceptions impacting their willingness to adopt digital games

Social Influence Model

  • Processes of Influence:
    1. Compliance
    2. Identification
    3. Internalization
  • Social Context:
    • Interaction among users, social referents, and technology

Diffusion of Innovations (DoI)

  • Characteristics Affecting Adoption:
    1. Relative Advantage
    2. Compatibility
    3. Complexity
    4. Trialability
    5. Observability
  • Adopter Categories:
    1. Innovators
    2. Early Adopters
    3. Early Majority
    4. Late Majority
    5. Laggards

Adoption Trends

  • Changing Timelines:
    • Rapid adoption of technologies in the 21st century
    • Shrinking period for new technologies to reach market saturation
  • Social Psychological Implications:
    • Understanding how new technologies affect social behaviors and attitudes

Conclusion

  • Key Points:
    • Acceptance and resistance observed through several models
    • Functional and symbolic features of technology matter
    • Next week’s focus: Media Affordances and Strategic Use(r)s

Questions and Clarifications

  • Feel free to reach out for further questions.