Another great researcher will find his way to Chemnitz in two weeks! After Prof. Latoschik, we are very happy to have Dr. Nicholas David Bowman at CrossWorlds from June 30th to July 1st. The next installment of our series of talks on “Interdisciplinary Research on Social Technologies” features Dr. Bowman with his talk “Achtung! The Technology Demands Your Attention (And We Demand the Same)” on July 1st, 9.00-11.00 a.m. in Room 2/N010 (Neues Hörsaalgebäude). He will discuss recent research on the notion of “demand” in virtual systems, focusing specifically on how the study of video games (as simulations of human behavior and interaction) can help us better understand “demand” in terms of its cognitive, affective, behavior, and social dimensions.

Again, CrossWorlds invites all interested students and university staff to attend the talk. Please spread the word!

You can read the abstract of the talk and a short bio of Dr. Bowman after the jump.

Abstract

Interactive technologies play a prominent role in how humans interact with their world, with touchscreens and voice-recognition interfaces becoming commonplace in both our digital and analog realities. As technologies broadly defined, these tools are designed with the goal of facilitating our daily deliberations. Yet, advances in computer processing far outpace the human adoption and integration of those tools into our daily discourse, environments, and experiences. Over the next 90 minutes, Dr. Bowman will discuss recent research and writings on the notion of “demand” in virtual systems, focusing specifically on how the study of video games (as simulations of human behavior and interaction) can help us better understand “demand” in terms of its cognitive, affective, behavior, and social dimensions. The goal of this presentation is to encourage closer examination into these notions of demand, so that we can better understand the lived experience of today’s (and tomorrow’s) technology.

Bio

Nick Bowman is an Associate Professor of Communication Studies at West Virginia University, USA, where he serves as a Research Associate in the Interaction Lab (#ixlab). His research looks broadly at the role that communication technology plays in human communication, with specific studies examining video game uses and effects, the use of technology in athletic coaching and training, user experience (UX) studies, and classroom teaching technologies (namely, social media). He holds a PhD in Communication with an emphasis in Media Psychology from Michigan State University, and is a highly collaborative researcher, having co-authored over four dozen journal articles, presented over 80 conference papers, and co-authored or edited three books. He is the current Chair of the International Communication Association Game Studies Division, and he serves as an Associate Editor of the Journal of Media Psychology. His research has been featured in BBC World Service, PBS Game/Show, and several other regional news outlets.

Tags: chemnitz, guest talk, media psychology