November 11, 2016
We are pleased to welcome Patrick C. Shih, a new Assistant Professor of Informatics in the School of Informatics and Computing at Indiana University Bloomington, as a Fellow of the Center for Computer-Mediated Communication. He defines his area of research specialization broadly as community informatics, with a focus on social media and the design of mobile applications. Shih and his collaborators have proposed a model in which mobile technology increases social presence, which then leads to increases in people having community identity, which further increases how aware and involved they are in the community and in local social support networks.
Recently, he has researched using social media, police reports, and local crisis information to assist emergency personnel to plan for emergencies before they happen, particularly in small communities. The local aspect is important, because many small communities do not have a lot of funding and need to rely on volunteers to plan for local events and emergencies. Shih and his co-authors have argued that harnessing the power of social media is a cost effective way for these communities to draw on local knowledge of common problems and solutions that the community has encountered in the past.
Related to providing access to community history and information, Shih was recently part of a research team that developed a timebanking smartphone application called Mobile Timebanks, which was designed to appeal to younger users. Timebanking refers to community-based volunteering in which participants provide and receive services in exchange for time credits; the contributions of younger adults, who tend to be very active smartphone users, are especially valuable to the community. As an additional benefit, according to Shih and his collaborators, timebanking strengthens social connection and a sense of community attachment.
Last but not least, Shih is a devoted dog owner who cares about the well-being of pets. He and a collaborator have coined the term Human–Pet–Computer Interaction (HPCI) to refer to the study of how technology can be designed and used to advance human–pet companionships. Their first foray into HPCI involved a personal information visualization prototype designed to inform pet owners about their dogs’ caloric inputs/outputs, as well as their pets’ exercise and movement habits.
You can read more about Professor Shih’s studies in these recently-published articles:
Han, K., Shih, P. C., Rosson, M. B., & Carroll, J. M. (2016). Understanding local community attachment, engagement and social supported networks mediated by mobile technology. Interacting with Computers, 28(3), 220-237. Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Elsevier. doi:10.1093/iwc/iwu040
Nelson, J. K. & Shih, P. C. (2016). CompanionViz: Mediated platform for gauging canine health and enhancing human-pet interactions. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies. Amsterdam, The Netherlands: Elsevier. doi:10.1016/j.ijhcs.2016.04.002
Shih, P. C., Han, K., & Carroll, J. M. (2015). Using social multimedia content to inform emergency planning and management of recurring and cyclical events in local communities. Journal of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, 12(3), 627-652. Berlin, Germany: De Gruyter. doi:10.1515/jhsem-2014-0071