Weber Historical Lecture Series Focuses on Technology
OGDEN, Utah – The effect of technology on Americans’ emotions and social lives will be examined during the Weber Historical Society Lecture Series April 15 at 7 p.m. in Weber State University’s Hurst Center Dumke Legacy Hall.
WSU School of Computing assistant professor Luke Fernandez and history professor Susan Matt are authors of the book “Bored, Lonely, Angry, Stupid: Changing Feelings about Technology, from the Telegraph to Twitter.” The book examines how technology changes our emotions and redefines our feelings.
“Our book starts by exploring some of the issues facing society today, such as ‘Is social media making us lonely or narcissistic?’ or ‘Are we losing our tolerance for boredom because of our smartphones,’” Matt said. “The book puts these questions into historical context, examining how earlier generations dealt with similar feelings and how they used the technologies of their day to deal with these problems.”
The authors examined letters, diaries and memoirs from the 19th century to the present. They also conducted interviews with 55 participants from 13 states and the District of Columbia.
“Ultimately, as we examine Americans’ emotions and technologies, we conclude that many today are developing a limitless sense of self,” Fernandez said. “This means that in contrast to the past, people today do not set limits on how quickly they can communicate, how much entertainment they can seek and how much knowledge they can attain.”
The presentation is sponsored by the WSU Alumni Association, the College of Social & Behavioral Sciences, the Department of History, Stewart Library and the Weber Historical Society.
Visit weber.edu/history/historicalsociety for more information on the Weber Historical Society Spring Lecture Series.
Visit weber.edu/wsutoday for more news about Weber State University.
Ross Rosier, Office of Marketing & Communications
801-626-7948 • rossrosier@weber.edu- Contact:
Eric Swedin, history professor
801-626-6692 • eswedin@weber.edu