The Extended Mind Online

With the rapid development of Internet technology and the rise of Web 2.0, individuals are no longer passive consumers of information but active content creators and transmitters in a virtual community on the World Wide Web. The newly emerged technological tools introduce revolutionary changes to the processing and representation of information and extend the mind to a virtual storage of infinite capacity. We are just beginning to examine the impact of Internet technology as a cultural force unique to our time on cognitive functioning and well-being. We are particularly interested in how people appropriate social media as an effective medium to curate, share and communicate personal experiences and what are the mnemonic consequences associated with social media use.

In this new line of work, we examine the mnemonic consequences of sharing personal versus non-personal information online; the effectiveness of online personal storytelling for communication; and the impact, mediation, and intervention of social media dependence.  

Selected Publications

Hou, Y., Xiong, D., Jiang, T., Song, L., & Wang, Q. (2019). Social media addiction: Its impact, mediation, and intervention. Cyberpsychology, 13(1), 4. doi:10.5817/CP2019-1-4 PDF

Stone, C. B., & Wang, Q. (in press). From conversations to digital communication: The mnemonic consequences of consuming and sharing information via social media. Topics in Cognitive Science.

Hou, Y., Jiang, T-L, & Wang, Q. (2017). Socioeconomic status and online shaming: The mediating role of belief in a just world. Computers in Human Behavior, 76, 19-25. doi:10.1016/j.chb.2017.07.003 PDF

Wang, Q., Lee, D., & Hou, Y. (2017). Externalizing the autobiographical self: Sharing personal memories online facilitated memory retention. Memory, 25, 6, 772-776. doi: 10.1080/09658211.2016.1221115. PDF

Jiang, T-L, Hou, Y., & Wang, Q. (2016). Does micro-blogging make us "shallow"? Sharing information online interferes with information comprehension. Computers in Human Behavior, 59, 210-214. PDF

Wang, Q., Blenis, R. C, Ng, M., & Gonzalez, P. (2015, May). Going public: The impact of social media on autobiographical memory. Poster session presented at the 27th APS Annual Convention, New York, NY. PDF