Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Technology and Emotions

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Handbook of the Sociology of Emotions: Volume II

Part of the book series: Handbooks of Sociology and Social Research ((HSSR))

Abstract

Technology alters how people feel, creates outlets for people to express their emotions, and provides social scientists with new tools and data on emotions. This chapter takes a sociological perspective toward research and theories of affect and technology. The chapter is organized into four distinct areas: (1) the relationship between the use of technology and emotions, (2) emotions through technologically mediated interaction and communication, (3) emotions from direct interaction with computer agents and robots, and (4) technological innovations that have altered methodologies for emotions research. Each section suggests how technology, especially modern digital technology, interacts with affective processes to affect individuals, interaction, culture, and society. This leads to a final section where I discuss ideas for future research and for applying theories of emotion to technology.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 99.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 129.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 199.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Acerbi, A., Lampos, V., Garnett, P., & Bentley, R. A. (2013). The expression of emotions in 20th century books. PLoS ONE, 8, e59030.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Albright, J. M. (2007). How do I love thee and thee and thee: Self-presentation, deception, and multiple relationships online. In M. T. Whitty, A. J. Baker, & J. A. Inman (Eds.), Online matchmaking (pp. 81–93). Basingstoke: Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Anderson, C. A., Shibuya, A., Ihori, N., Swing, E. L., Bushman, B. J., Sakamoto, A., Rothstein, H. R., & Saleem, M. (2010). Violent video game effects on aggression, empathy, and prosocial behavior in eastern and western countries: A meta-analytic review. Psychological Bulletin, 136, 151–173.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bainbridge, W. S. (2007). The scientific research potential of virtual worlds. Science, 317, 472–476.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bainbridge, W. S. (2013). Egods: Faith versus fantasy in computer gaming. Oxford: Oxford University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baker, A. J. (2007). Expressing emotion in text: Email communication of online couples. In M. T. Whitty, A. J. Baker, & J. A. Inman (Eds.), Online matchmaking (pp. 97–111). Basingstoke: Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beaudry, A., & Pinsonneault, A. (2010). The other side of acceptance: Studying the direct and indirect effects of emotions on information technology use. MIS Quarterly, 34, 689–710.

    Google Scholar 

  • Becker, M. W., Alzahabi, R., & Hopwood, C. J. (2013). Media multitasking is associated with symptoms of depression and social anxiety. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 16, 132–135.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boellstorff, T. (2008). Coming of age in second life: An anthropologist explores the virtually human. Princeton: Princeton University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bonetti, L., Campbell, M. A., & Gilmore, L. (2010). The relationship of loneliness and social anxiety with children’s and adolescents’ online communication. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 13, 279–285.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brave, S., & Nass, C. (2008). Emotion in human-computer interaction. In A. Sears & J. A. Jacko (Eds.), The human-computer interaction handbook: Fundamentals, evolving technology and emerging applications, human factors and ergonomics (pp. 77–92). New York: Taylor and Francis.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brave, S., Nass, C., & Hutchinson, K. (2005). Computers that care: Investigating the effects of orientation of emotion exhibited by an embodied computer agent. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 62, 161–178.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bridges, J. C. (2012). The illusion of intimacy: Problems in the world of online dating. Santa Barbara: Praeger.

    Google Scholar 

  • Buhrmester, M., Kwang, T., & Gosling, S. D. (2011). Amazon’s mechanical turk a new source of inexpensive, yet high-quality, data? Perspectives on Psychological Science, 6, 3–5.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Burke, P. J., & Franzoi, S. L. (1988). Studying situations and identities using experiential sampling methodology. American Sociological Review, 53, 559–568.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Castronova, E. (2007). Exodus to the virtual world: How online fun is changing reality. New York City: Palgrave MacMillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cerulo, K. A. (2009). Nonhumans in social interaction. Annual Review of Sociology, 35, 531–552.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Christian, B. (2011). The most human human: What talking with computers teaches us about what it means to be alive. New York: Doubleday.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clark, L. S. (2011). Parental mediation theory for the digital age. Communication Theory, 21, 323–343.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clark, L. S. (2013). The parent app: Understanding families in the digital age. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cotten, S. R., Goldner, M., Hale, T. M., & Drentea, P. (2011). The importance of type, amount, and timing of internet use for understanding psychological distress. Social Science Quarterly, 92, 119–139.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cotten, S. R., Ford, G., Ford, S., & Hale, T. M. (2012). Internet use and depression among older adults. Computers in Human Behavior, 28, 496–499.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Damasio, A. R. (1994). Descartes’ error: Emotion, reason, and the human brain. New York: Putnam.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dolev-Cohen, M., & Barak, A. (2013). Adolescents’ use of instant messaging as a means of emotional relief. Computers in Human Behavior, 29, 58–63.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ekman, P., & Friesen, W. V. (2003). Unmasking the face: A guide to recognizing emotions from facial expressions. Los Altos: Malor Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eriksson, K., & Simpson, B. (2010). Emotional reactions to losing explain gender differences in entering a risky lottery. Judgment and Decision Making, 5, 159–163.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ferdig, R. E., & Mishra, P. (2004). Emotional responses to computers: experiences in unfairness, anger, and spite. Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia, 13, 143–161.

    Google Scholar 

  • Flaherty, M. (1999). A watched pot: How we experience time. New York City: New York University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Forstie, C. (2013). Hopeful and then disappointed in the end love as social practice in craigslist missed connections. In American Sociological Association Annual Meeting 2013, New York City.

    Google Scholar 

  • Frank, R. H. (1988). Passions within reason: The strategic role of the emotions. New York: Norton.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gershon, I. (2010). The breakup 2.0: Disconnecting over new media. Ithaca: Cornell University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Golder, S. A., & Macy, M. W. (2011). Diurnal and seasonal mood vary with work, sleep, and daylength across diverse cultures. Science, 333, 1878–1881.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goleman, D. (2006). Social intelligence: The new science of human relationships. New York: Bantam.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gregg, M. (2011). Work’s intimacy. Cambridge: Polity.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hargittai, E., & Hinnant, A. (2008). Digital inequality: Differences in young adults’ use of the internet. Communication Research, 35, 602–621.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heise, D. R. (2004). Enculturating agents with expressive role behavior. In S. Payr & R. Trappl (Eds.), Agent culture: Human-agent interaction in a multicultural world (pp. 127–142). Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Heise, D. R. (2007). Expressive order: Confirming sentiments in social actions. New York: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hochschild, A. R. (1983). The managed heart: Commercialization of human feeling. Berkeley, : University of California.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hochschild, A. R. (2012). The outsourced self: Intimate life in market times. New York: Metropolitan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoey, J., Schröder, T., & Alhothali, A. (2013). Bayesian affect control theory: In affective computer and intelligent interaction. Geneva: IEEE.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hofferth, S. L. (2010). Home media and children’s achievement and behavior. Child Development, 81, 1598–1619.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Illouz, E. (2007). Cold intimacies: The making of emotional capitalism. Cambridge: Polity.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ito, M. (2010). Hanging out, messing around, and geeking out : Kids living and learning with new media. Cambridge: MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jerin, R. A., & Dolinsky, B. (2007). Cyber-victimisation and online dating. In M. T. Whitty, A. J. Baker, & J. A. Inman (Eds.), Online matchmaking. Basingstoke: Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Joinson, A. N. (2007). Disinhibition and the internet. In J. Gackenbach (Ed.), Psychology and the internet: Intrapersonal, interpersonal, and transpersonal implications (pp. 75–92). San Diego: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kavka, M. (2008). Reality television, affect and intimacy: Reality matters (Edited by S. Health, C. MacCabe, & D. Riley). Basingstoke: Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kim, Y., & Sundar, S. S. (2012). Anthromorphism of computers: Is it mindful or mindless? Computers in Human Behavior, 28, 241–250.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kurzweil, R. (2000). The age of spiritual machines: When computer exceed human intelligence. New York: Penguin.

    Google Scholar 

  • Latour, B. (2005). Reassembling the social: An introduction to actor-network theory. Oxford: Oxford University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Law, J., & Singleton, V. (2005). Object lessons. Organization, 12, 331–355.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lawler, E. J., Thye, S. R., & Yoon, J. (2009). Social commitments in a depersonalized world. New York: Russell Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lazer, D., Pentland, A. S., Adamic, L., Aral, S., Barabasi, A. L., Brewer, D., Christakis, N., Contractor, N., Fowler, J., & Gutmann, M. (2009). Life in the network: The coming age of computational social science. Science, 323, 721.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lenhart, A., Purcell, K., Smith, A., & Zickuhn, K. (2010). Social media and mobile internet use among teens and young adults. In Pew Internet and American Life Project, Pew Research Center.

    Google Scholar 

  • Levy, D. (2007). Love and sex with robots: The evolution of human-robot relationships. New York: Harper.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lo, S.-K., Wang, C.-C., & Fang, W. (2005). Physical interpersonal relationships and social anxiety among online game players. CyberPsychology and Behavior, 8, 15–20.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lui, Y. (2002). What does research say about the nature of computer-mediated communication: Task-oriented, social-emotion-oriented, or both? Electronic Journal of Sociology, 6, 191–233.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lulham, R. (2013). A theory of affective experience. In 19th International Conference on Engineering Design, Seoul, South Korea.

    Google Scholar 

  • Markovsky, B. (2010). Modularizing small group theories in sociology. Small Group Research, 41, 664–687.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Massey, D. S. (2002). A brief history of human society: The origin and role of emotion in social life. American Sociological Review, 67, 1–29.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCall, G. J. (2006). Symbolic interaction. In P. J. Burke (Ed.), Contemporary social psychological theories. Stanford: Stanford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • McGonigal, J. (2011). Reality is broken: Why games make us better and how they can change the world. New York: Penguin.

    Google Scholar 

  • McPherson, M., Smith-Lovin, L., & Brashears, M. E. (2006). Social isolation in America: Changes in core discussion networks over two decades. American Sociological Review, 71, 353–375.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mehroof, M., & Griffiths, M. D. (2010). Online gaming addiction: The role of sensation seeking, self-control, neuroticism, aggression, state anxiety, and trait anxiety. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 13, 313–316.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Menchik, D. A., & Tian, X. (2008). Putting social context into text: The semiotics of e-mail interaction. American Journal of Sociology, 114, 332–370.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mitchell, M. E., Lebow, J. R., Uribe, R., Grathouse, H., & Shoger, W. (2011). Internet use, happiness, social support and introversion: A more fine grained analysis of person variables and internet activity. Computers in Human Behavior, 27, 1857–1861.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Morahan-Martin, J., & Schumacher, P. (2003). Loneliness and social uses of the internet. Computers in Human Behavior, 19, 659–671.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nass, C., & Yen, C. (2010). The man who lied to his laptop: What machines teach us about human relationships. New York: Current Hardcover.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nolan, P., & Lenski, G. (1996). Technology, ideology, and societal development. Sociological Perspectives, 39, 23–28.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ortony, A., Clore, G. L., & Collins, A. (1988). The cognitive structure of emotions. New York: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Picard, R. W. (1997). Affective computing. Cambridge: MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Putnam, R. D. (2001). Bowling alone: The collapse and revival of American community. New York: Simon and Schuster.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rainie, L., & Wellman, B. (2012). Networked: The new social operating system. Cambridge: MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reeves, B., & Nass, C. (1996). The media equation: How people treat computers, television, and new media like real people and places. New York: Cambridge University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Robinson, D. T., Clay-Warner, J., Moore, C. D., Everett, T., Watts, A., Tucker, T. N., & Thai, C. (2012). Toward an unobtrusive measure of emotion during interaction: Thermal imaging techniques. Advances in Group Processes, 29, 225–266.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rohlinger, D. A., & Klein, J. (2014). From ferver to fear: ICT and emotions in the tea party movement. In N. van Dyke & D. S. Meyer (Eds.), Understanding the tea party movement (pp. 125-147). New York: Ashgate.

    Google Scholar 

  • de Rosis, F., Pelachaud, C., Poggi, I., Carofiglio, V., & B., Carolis De (2003). From Greta’s mind to her face: Modelling the dynamics of affective states in a conversational embodied agent. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 59, 81–118.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Saslow, L. R., Willer, R., Feinberg, M., Piff, P. K., Clark, K., Keltner, D., & Saturn, S. R. (2013). My brother’s keeper? Compassion predicts generosity more among less religious individuals. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 4, 31–38.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scherer, K. R., Bänziger, T., & Roesch, E. B. (2010). Blueprint for affective computing: A sourcebook and manual. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shank, D. B. (2010a). An affect control theory of technology. Current Research in Social Psychology, 15, 1–13.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shank, D. B. (2010b). Trusting technological actors: A foundation in structure and cultural sentiments. In D. Latusek & A. Gerbasi (Eds.), Trust and technology in a ubiquitous modern environment: Theoretical and methodological perspectives. Hershey: IGI Global.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shank, D. B. (2012). Perceived justice and reactions to coercive computers. Sociological Forum, 27, 372–391.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shank, D. B. (2013). Are computers good or bad for business? How mediated customer-computer interaction alters emotion, impressions, and patronage toward organizations. Computers in Human Behavior, 29, 715–725.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith-Lovin, L. (2009). To thine own self be true? Social structural sources of self, situation, and emotional experience. In J. C. Chin & C. K. Jacobson (Eds.), Within the social world: Essays in social psychology (pp. 164–175). Boston: Pearson.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, G. J. D. (2012). Suveillance work(ers). In K. Ball, K. D. Haggerty, & D. Lyon (Eds.), Routledge handbook of surveillenace studies (pp. 107–115). Oxon: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Spitzberg, B. H., & Cupach, W. R. (2007). Cyberstalking as (mis)matchmaking. In M. T. Whitty, A. J. Baker, & J. A. Inman (Eds.), Online matchmaking. Basingstoke: Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stivers, R. (2004). Shades of loneliness: Pathologies of a technological society (Edited by C. Lemert). Lanham: Rowman and Littlefield.

    Google Scholar 

  • tessexperiments.org. (2013). Tess: Time-sharing experiments for the social sciences.

    Google Scholar 

  • Troyer, L. (2004). Affect control theory as a foundation for the design of socially intelligent systems. In American Association for Artificial Intelligence Symposium on Architectures for modeling emotion: Cross disciplinary foundations, Menlo Park, CA, AAAI Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Troyer, L. (2007). Technological issues related to experiments. In M. Webster & J. Sell (Eds.), Laboratory experiments in the social sciences (pp. 174–191). Amsterdam: Academic Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Troyer, L. (2008). A strategy for incorporating social intelligence in the design of virtual environments. In J. Clay-Warner & D. T. Robinson (Eds.), Social structure and emotion (pp. 95–106). Amsterdam: Elsevier.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tsetserukou, D., & Neviarouskaya, A. (2012). Emotion telepresence: Emotion augmentation through affective haptics and visual stimuli. Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 352, 1–5 (IOP Publishing).

    Google Scholar 

  • Turkle, S. (2011). Alone together: Why we expect more from technology and less from each other. New York: Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Turkle, S. (1984/2005). The second self: Computers and the human spirit. Cambridge: MIT Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Turner, J. H. (2000). On the origins of human emotions: A sociological inquiry into the evolution of human affect. Standford: Standford University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Walby, K., & Spencer, D. (2012). How emotions matter: Objects, organizations, and the emotional climate of a mass spectrometry laboratory. In D. Spencer, K. Walby, & A. Hunt (Eds.), Emotions matter: A relational approach to emotions (pp. 181–200). Toronto: University of Toronto.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang, H., & Wellman, B. (2010). Social connectivity in America: Changes in adult friendship network size from 2002 to 2007. American Behavioral Scientist, 53, 1148–1169.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Webster, M., & Sell, J. (2007). Laboratory experiments in the social sciences. Amsterdam: Elsevier.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weiner, B. (1986). An attributional theory of motivation and emotion. New York: Springer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Whitty, M. T. (2007). The art of selling one’s ‘self’ on an online dating site: The bar approach. In M. T. Whitty, A. J. Baker, & J. A. Inman (Eds.), Online matchmaking. Basingstoke: MacMillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wolfe, A. (1991). Mind, self, society, and computer: Artificial intelligence and the sociology of mind. American Journal of Sociology, 96, 1073–1096.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wu, T., Butko, N. J., Ruvulo, P., Bartlett, M. S., & Movellan, J. R. (2009). Learning to make facial expressions. In IEEE 8th International Conference on Development and Learning, 2009, IEEE, pp. 1–6.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yen, J.-Y., Yen, C.-F., Chen, C.-S., Wang, P.-W., Chang, Y.-H., & Ko, C.-H. (2012). Social anxiety in online and real-life interaction and their associated factors. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, 15, 7–12.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yuki, M., Maddux, W. W., & Masuda, T. (2007). Are the windows to the soul the same in the east and west? Cultural differences in using the eyes and mouth as cues to recognize emotions in Japan and the United States. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 43, 303–311.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia

    Daniel B. Shank

Authors
  1. Daniel B. Shank
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Daniel B. Shank .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology, University of California, Riverside, USA

    Jan E. Stets

  2. Department of Sociology, University of California, Riverside, USA

    Jonathan H. Turner

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Shank, D. (2014). Technology and Emotions. In: Stets, J., Turner, J. (eds) Handbook of the Sociology of Emotions: Volume II. Handbooks of Sociology and Social Research. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9130-4_24

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation