The Wired Child:How Social Technologies
Impact the Brain
Dr. Pamela RutledgeDirector, Media Psychology Research Center
American Museum of Natural HistoryOctober 6, 2011
Social media is about psychology, not technology
Roadmap
Media Landscape & Networks The Impact Of Change
Moral Panics & Cognitive Resistance Biological Bases Of Motivation Hierarchy Of Needs
Rewiring Maslow How Technology Amplifies Behavior The New Normal
Technology Has Rewired the World
Communications Model: Few to Few
Mass Media Model: One to Many
Network Model: Many to Many
The Small World Studies
Who Do You Know…
Omaha
Boston
Who Do You Know Who Knows…
Omaha
Boston
What a Small World!
Omaha
Boston
Social Technologies Are Interactive Information Organizers
Many types Information searches Folksonomy/Tagging Blogs Wikis Social Networking
Similar properties Participatory Interactive Constantly changing Create social connections Respond dynamically to
user
Impact: Structural & Experiential
Interactive ⌘ On-Demand ⌫ Asynchronous ⌥ Broad Access
Net Generation Has New Assumptions
We expect to participate, be heard, collaborate, and connect.
By doing so, we increase our our empathy, our social capital, and our efficacy
beliefs.
Technology is the new oxygen
Changing Roles and Uses
Is There No Respect?
Brief History of Media Technologies
10,000 BC 4,000 BC 1000 AD 1440 1860 1920 1950 1995 2004 2011
(NOT TO SCALE)
Mass Media’s Piece of the Pie
Old Game + New Rules = Cognitive Dissonance
• New is different• Different is scary• Adaptation takes effort• Willingness to change
History is Full of Moral Panics Over the Introduction of New Technologies
Socrates
People will forget how to use their memories
if they can write things down
Anthony Comstock
Vile books and papers are …used by Satan ... to debase, pervert and turn away from lofty aims to follow examples of corruption and criminality
John Phillips Sousa
Because of the gramophone, our vocal cords will
shrivel up
1930s Radio
Parents beware: The compelling excitement of the loudspeaker disturbs the balance of excitable minds
Now
Why Do Moral Panics About Media Matter?
Drive distance between generations
Become embedded in public policy
Bias research
Ignore the complexity of the environment
Divert resources away from real problems and more effective interventions
Disregard subjective experience of media use
Let’s say that media technologies are as awful as everyone fears.
Then what?
Technology is Just a Tool
The Biological Imperative
survival
Maslow’s Hierarchyof Needs
Self-actualization
Esteem
Belonging and Love
Safety
Biological and physiological
Maslow Rewired: Social Connectivity
Esteem, Reputation
& Competence
Safety, Order & Certainty
Community, Belonging & Love
Food, Shelter &
Sex
Social Behaviors Based on Survival
Collaboration
Reciprocity
Trust
Social Validation
Social Identity
Competence
Human Motivations and Goals
Intrinsic Motivation
• Autonomy• Mastery• Relatedness
Meet Bob
Online And Offline Merge
The same neural patterns
Mediated experience enriches face-to-face
Adoption driven by connection goals
Social media provides glue
autonomymastery
relatedness
self-efficacy engagement
competenceoptimism
resiliencepurpose
agency
Technology Enables Individual Action
Google+
Grandma’s On Facebook
Where’s the Mouse?
The New Normal: Blurring Boundaries
The New Normal: Learning to Blog
The New Normal: Collaborative Management
The New Normal: Customers as Fans
The New Normal: Creative Participation
The New Normal: Remixing Culture
Mash-up of 8 artists’ tracks:• Black Eyed Peas • Katy Perry• Snoop Dogg• Jay Sean• Nicki Minaj• Flo Rida• David Guetta• Kings Of Leon
The New Normal: Civic Engagement
The New Normal: Gaming for Good
The New Normal: Donating Through Gaming
The New Normal: DIY Philanthropy
The New Normal: Micro-Volunteerism
The New Normal: Citizen Science
The New Normal: It Gets Better
The New Normal: Participatory Social Change
The New Normal: Old People on Facebook
Going Forward
No distinction online and offline
More mobile means more autonomy Increased celebration of local
Increasing global awareness
Flattening hierarchies Respect, authenticity, and
transparency New business models &
entrepreneurship
The most important impact on the human brain is this:
Technologies have not only changed the way people can do things,
it’s changed their beliefs about what they can do.
Thank You.
Dr. Pamela RutledgeMedia Psychology Research Center
@mediapsychology