Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2005, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects:

MDES, University of Cincinnati, 2018, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning: Design

This research aims to explore how to create the emotional connection in instant messaging tools. To respond to this question, I analyzed existing problem solving-oriented design methods. Later on, I synthesized the findings and used them to develop a new framework by making subtle changes in the define phase. Then, I used my new framework to design the new emotional connection functions in instant messaging tools. The goal of this project is to provide a set of possibilities in instant messaging tools that help with emotional connections. Considering emotional connections as a starting point for working in the area of instant messaging products helps designers translate the emerging technology into a format on the emotional level, enjoy the process of creating the product, find a way to users' minds and heart, and create a better emotional connection experience.

Committee: Craig Vogel M.I.D. (Committee Chair); Matthew Wizinsky M.F.A. (Committee Member) Subjects: Design

Master of Fine Arts, Miami University, 2016, Art

The research paper is about maintaining social connectedness through hanging out using Facebook Messenger. This research explains how young adults and adults, age 18-29 years, connect with friends by hanging out. The definition “hanging out” does not mean speaking the entire time when friends meet up. Hanging out means being and establishing familiarity through a series of “chit chats” while engaged in other activities. The paper is mainly focused on how people define hanging out and how young adults are currently utilizing Facebook Messenger to maintain those social connections digitally. A total of 51 young adults participated in the survey to discover how people are hanging out physically and digitally. 6 survey participants were interviewed. Both methods are created to discover design opportunities the Facebook Messenger. The research outcome is a prototype conversation generator. Usability tests are conducted with the prototype to confirm its capabilities to identify the feature usefulness in messenger hangout settings.

Committee: Silas Munro (Advisor) Subjects: Communication; Design; Technology

MS, University of Cincinnati, 2005, Engineering : Computer Science

The object of this thesis is to develop a collaborative tool for interactive communication and file sharing among peers in a peer-to-peer (p2p) network where collaborations are established and maintained using the MyBook Desktop System application. The collaborative tool we develop, the MyBook Instant Messenger, allows groups of peers to collaborate on topics of common interest and organize and compile the information they have contributed in a visually effective organizational structure called a MyBook. MyBook Instant Messenger is different from existing instant messengers in the following ways. It allows for the creation of topic-focused communities. Peers who do not know each other, but have a common interest, can find each other by searching for a MyBook on the topic of interest and then interacting with other peers in the collaboration associated with the MyBook using the MyBook Instant Messenger. The features for MyBook Instant Messenger are multi & private messaging, file sending, file logging, various text formatting, and creation of new communities of common interest topics. User authentication is performed using salted one-way MD5 hashing algorithm. Experiments and testing for MyBook Instant Messenger were performed on test data; such as text messages and file transfer testing. Test results were mostly obtained from benchmarking as well as human factor testing. Every task module is coded and subsequently all the modules are put together to form the final MyBook Instant Messenger application. The software package is developed using Microsoft C#.NET language and Java. Index Terms: Collaboration among peers, Instant messaging, MyBook software

Committee: Dr. Kenneth Berman (Advisor) Subjects: Computer Science

Master of Arts, Miami University, 2007, Speech Communication

This study used quantitative content analysis software to create a linguistic profile of college student instant messaging (IM) behaviors to investigate sex differences in text-based communication. Linguistic indicators of psychological states, differences in affective language use by conversation dyad type, and gender differences within the context of IM were investigated. Linguistic markers did not indicate positive psychological effects of frequent IM communication. Significant differences were found between female-male, female-female, and male-male dyads in the use of affective language. Additionally, a multi-dimensional profile of linguistic characteristics by gender revealed significant differences between males and females in areas such as use of psychological process words, relativity words, and words about personal concerns.

Committee: James Patterson (Advisor) Subjects: Speech Communication

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2007, Psychology/Clinical

In the last decade, computer-mediated communication (CMC) has increased dramatically as a format for social interaction, particularly among adolescents. Despite this increase, little research has focused on the types of behaviors occurring in CMC. The purpose of this study was to address questions regarding adolescents' CMC use (specifically ratings of use of instant messaging and blogging, and aggressive and prosocial behaviors engaged in while online), the relation between CMC behaviors and face-to-face behaviors, and the relation between ratings of use and both CMC and face-to-face behaviors. Participants were 484 7th, 9th, and 11th grade students who completed a survey about their CMC use and online and face-to-face aggressive and prosocial behaviors as agents and recipients of those behaviors. Most adolescents reported engaging in some form of CMC at least a few times a week. Females reported a higher rate of CMC use than males. Adolescents reported engaging in more online prosocial behavior than online aggression and endorsed being the agents of online behaviors more so than being the recipients. Males and females were similar in their reports of online aggression but females were higher in online prosocial behaviors. Engaging in online aggression and prosocial behaviors was related to engaging in corresponding face-to-face behaviors. Adolescents reported being agents of prosocial behavior and recipients of aggression and prosocial behavior more when face-to-face than when online. Seventh-grade males reported the highest rates of being recipients of aggression, across contexts. Eleventh-graders reported being the recipients of prosocial behavior less than 7th and 9th graders. Adolescents' CMC use was related to all online behaviors and to face-to-face prosocial behaviors. CMC use predicted adolescents' online behaviors above and beyond their face-to-face behaviors. Limitations of this survey study included limited generalizability of results because of the age (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Eric Dubow (Advisor) Subjects: Psychology, Clinical