Making serendipity stick : translating short, live online interactions into meaningful relationships
Name
920474236-MIT.pdf
Description
Full printable version
Size
8.06 MB
Format
Adobe PDF
Checksum (MD5)
bbd6aa41c56722a32942497a7f87d4b8
Author(s)
Sethi, Srishti
Advisor(s)
Mitchel Resnick.
Alternative Title
Translating short, live online interactions into meaningful relationship
Date Issued
2015
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
Deep personal connections foster rich learning. Making such connections is one of the most valuable benefits of attending face-to-face conferences. Online technologies offer the opportunity to meet with more people at a fraction of the cost. However, it is more challenging to experience the immediacy of face-to-face meetings in online gatherings and virtual conversations. Forming strong ties with people at conferences is much easier offline, than online, where it is easy to get distracted and harder to reach out and connect. This thesis extends Unhangout, a platform for online unconferences, and investigates how we can help people translate short, live online interactions into lasting relationships. I mimicked some of the successful features of the offline unconferences into an online experience on Unhangout. I designed and implemented a series of interventions around three distinct phases of an online event, "Who to connect with?", "How to connect with others?" and "How to stay connected?" and explored their impact on people's behaviors and ability to form relationships with each other. Throughout this study, the purpose is to help users of an online event make deeper and longer-lasting connections with other participants.
Description
Thesis: S.M., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, School of Architecture and Planning, Program in Media Arts and Sciences, 2015.
Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 109-111).
Subjects
Architecture. Program in Media Arts and Sciences.
MIT Department
Program in Media Arts and Sciences (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
Terms of Use
M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.
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