Media content, consumption, and use touch on virtually all aspects of our social lives – including how we think of ourselves and others, and how we understand, create, and maintain relationships. Almost all facets of our lives are affected by media, including our emotional and moral selves, and our lives pertaining to family, romance, friendship, and work. Likewise, changes in the media landscape imply that our social lives may be evolving as well. What do technologies such mobile communication, virtual worlds, and social networking imply about our social lives? This symposium will join leading scholars in efforts to explore the diversity of ways that media intersect with social life. Invited panels and addresses by senior scholars, as well as competitive papers, will set the course for future understanding of these connections. The three broad themes the symposium will address include 1) media and the self; 2) media and relationships; and 3) emerging media and social life.
Welcome and Opening Remarks. Sophie H. Janicke, Florida State University, Symposium Chair
Keynote Address: Morality, Moral Thinking, and Media Entertainment. Arthur A. Raney, Florida State University
Keynote Address: Media-Inspired Connectedness with Others. Mary Beth Oliver, Pennsylvania State University