APLA2012

The Social Media Lab (http://SocialMediaLab.ca) at Dalhousie's School of Information Management studies how social media and other web 2.0 technologies are changing the ways in which people communicate and disseminate information and how these changes are impacting social, economic, and political norms and structures of our modern society. In addition, we are developing and testing new web tools and apps for discovering and visualizing information and online social networks. The broad aim of our various research initiatives is to provide decision makers with additional knowledge and insights into the behaviours and relationships of online network members, and to understand how these interpersonal connections influence our personal choices and actions.

This panel will highlight some of the various research initiatives currently underway at the Social Media Lab. The sample projects to be presented will include a study on political polarization in social media, the adoption and use of social media among scholars and a study of the TheOneRing.net, an online fan community.

(Moderator: Michelle Helliwell)