Computer-age modes of communication have evolved exponentially over the past fifty years since the installation of the first mainframe computer. Tools in the form of slide presentation software, Internet technology, online social networking sites and personal media have been conceived to expand an individual’s ability to learn and connect with the global community. However, their usage is becoming misguided and abused, bombarding the consumer with information that leads away from knowledge rather than towards it. This study explores the cognitive and sociological value of Microsoft PowerPoint, Google, blogs, Facebook and mobile phones and the resulting impact they are having on our social and mental construct by the very nature of their configurations and the ways in which users are exploiting their capabilities.
","abstract_html":"<p>Computer-age modes of communication have evolved exponentially over the past fifty years since the installation of the first mainframe computer. Tools in the form of slide presentation software, Internet technology, online social networking sites and personal media have been conceived to expand an individual’s ability to learn and connect with the global community. However, their usage is becoming misguided and abused, bombarding the consumer with information that leads away from knowledge rather than towards it. This study explores the cognitive and sociological value of Microsoft PowerPoint, Google, blogs, Facebook and mobile phones and the resulting impact they are having on our social and mental construct by the very nature of their configurations and the ways in which users are exploiting their capabilities.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["La Bash, Nancy Ann"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Arts","degree_level":"Master's Thesis","degree_discipline":"Humanities","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Leslie Ross, PhD","Bradley Van Alstyne, MA"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2010,"date_issued":"2010-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2010-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:06:07Z","subjects":["Humanities","Arts and Humanities"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://scholar.dominican.edu/humanities-print-theses/277","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Leslie Ross, PhD","Bradley Van Alstyne, MA"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["La Bash, Nancy Ann"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Humanities"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Master's Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Humanities","Arts and Humanities"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://scholar.dominican.edu/humanities-print-theses/277"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Computer-age modes of communication have evolved exponentially over the past fifty years since the installation of the first mainframe computer. Tools in the form of slide presentation software, Internet technology, online social networking sites and personal media have been conceived to expand an individual’s ability to learn and connect with the global community. However, their usage is becoming misguided and abused, bombarding the consumer with information that leads away from knowledge rather than towards it. This study explores the cognitive and sociological value of Microsoft PowerPoint, Google, blogs, Facebook and mobile phones and the resulting impact they are having on our social and mental construct by the very nature of their configurations and the ways in which users are exploiting their capabilities.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["The Dark Side of Computer-Age Communications: Misguiding Our Way to Knowledge"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Leslie Ross, PhD","Bradley Van Alstyne, MA"],"dc:creator":["La Bash, Nancy Ann"],"dc:description.abstract":["Computer-age modes of communication have evolved exponentially over the past fifty years since the installation of the first mainframe computer. Tools in the form of slide presentation software, Internet technology, online social networking sites and personal media have been conceived to expand an individual’s ability to learn and connect with the global community. However, their usage is becoming misguided and abused, bombarding the consumer with information that leads away from knowledge rather than towards it. This study explores the cognitive and sociological value of Microsoft PowerPoint, Google, blogs, Facebook and mobile phones and the resulting impact they are having on our social and mental construct by the very nature of their configurations and the ways in which users are exploiting their capabilities.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://scholar.dominican.edu/humanities-print-theses/277"],"dc:subject":["Humanities","Arts and Humanities"],"dc:title":["The Dark Side of Computer-Age Communications: Misguiding Our Way to Knowledge"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Humanities"],"thesis:degree_level":["Master's Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Arts"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:06:07Z"}