March
2
2013
This Spring, one of the most renowned theorists of online interpersonal communication has joined CcaM as a visiting professor. It is a start of a long-term research collaboration on the use and effects of online communication and social media on teenagers and adults.
Professor Joe Walther is a professor at the Departments of Communication and Telecommunication at Michigan State University. He is the founding father of research into the interpersonal effects of computer mediated communication. His Hyperpersonal Communication theory, which explains why individuals self-disclosure more online than offline, is one of the most cited articles in the field of communication. In 2012, Professor Walther was listed as one of the six most productive scholars in core communication journals worldwide. His visit is supported by a Dutch/American Fulbright Foundation scholarship.
Professor Walther will be in CcaM and Amsterdam until late May. In addition to teaching a course in the Graduate School of Communication, the aim of Walther's visiting professorship is to set up a solid research collaboration with Patti Valkenburg, Jochen Peter, and other CcaM researchers. Currently, two new experimental studies are designed, one on the differential effects of feedback (likes, dislikes) on online and offline self-disclosure, and one on the effectiveness of dating profiles on dating sites.
Click here to follow Professor Walther’s blog of his visit in Amsterdam.
