Our panel proposal can be read in full detail HERE, but to put it simply, our goal is to discuss the implications of three types of relationships: Familial, Professional, and Romantic. This video highlights one of those categories by following the evolution of a romantic relationship, online.

The relationship in this video will not appear unusual and it most certainly does not represent the downfall of interpersonal communication as our title may suggest. However, what is interesting about the evolution of this relationship is how public it is, how engaged both members are online, how social networks affect bonding and separation, and how desensitized we have become as a community to each of these phenomenons:

(If you’re on your iPhone, watch the YouTube version HERE)

If chosen, we hope to bring attention to the dynamic shift occurring in interpersonal relationships. We will discuss research in the field of communication as well as examine what positive and negative repercussions we can expect in the future as technology continues to progress.

We all engage in interpersonal relationships, whether it be with your spouse, your parent, your boss, or your child. Technology will help us do this, but it will also change the rules by which we play. Help us get to SXSWi 2010 and we’ll help you understand these changes and how to use them to your advantage. Thank you to everyone for the continued support and we look forward to seeing you in Austin this March!

UPDATE: We were accepted! If you’re attending SXSW this year, please check out our panel, Friday at 3:30pm in room 12AB at the Austin Convention Center. More info here.

“Is Technology Weakening Interpersonal Relationships?” from Ashley Brown on Vimeo.

Last night I had the pleasure of attending the inaugural Ignite San Diego. Hosted at Hive Co-Working Space and sponsored by Airdale Brewery, the event was standing room only in the chic, warehouse style digs. If you’re not familiar with Ignite, it’s a specific presentation format limited to 5 minutes and 20 slides.

While I am very familiar with the enthusiastic tech community within Austin, I was curious to check out the culture in my own hometown. Needless to say, I was blown away by the vision and passion behind each presentation.

Three presentations specifically interested me:

1. “Reverse Engineering the Brain, Online” by Stephen Larson

Larson is a Ph.D candidate in Neuroscience at UCSD and discussed the potential of combining both neuroscience and computer science to provide the academic and public communities with more information and a better understanding of the human brain. As soon as he mentioned developing a “Google Map of the Brain,” I was sold.

UPDATE: Stephen’s project is now live! Check it out: http://wholebraincatalog.org

2. “F*ck the Recession: 20 People Doing 20 Great Things” by Dave Brown

Brown’s presentation drove energy through the crowd as he walked to the front of the room and exclaimed, “I don’t know about you, but I’m f*cking tired of hearing about this recession!” As cheers subsided, Brown proceeded to highlight 20 people and products that are working through the turbulent economy  and making a positive impact within their own lives as well as the lives of those around them. One great example was the “Do Good” iPhone App.

3. “Classifying Twitter Engagement” by David Horn

As if reading my own mental frustrations with Twitter measurement, Horn discussed metrics for determining the overall impact of a Twitter user when calculated against his/her input and output. Horn’s metrics (complete with unqiue variables) suggested a more realistic and practical measure of influence. This analysis, based on “engagement,” gave me further hope that users’ “follower” counts will diminish in importance.

Overall the evening was engaging and lighthearted. I am excited to have had the opportunity to experience the culture of San Diego’s tech scene and I look forward to future collaborations with wonderful businesses, entrepreneurs, and students in the area.

Want more? Check out the complete list of last night’s Ignite San Diego speakers here.

In the past, dealing with news such as the recent Swine Flu Epidemic would require audiences to check the news regularly, speak to friends, or read local newspapers. But, thanks to social media (specifically, Twitter) we are exposed to immediate updates on where the epidemic is being reported, what is being done, and how we will be affected. By searching trends within Twitter, one can view a constantly refreshing page of updates in relation to swine flu, all hashtagged “swineflu.”

Although I am an avid user of Twitter and have been halfheartedly paying attention to the Swine Flu coverage for my own well-being, I do it with an understanding that the information represented may be incorrect. Because of Twitter’s accessibility, any registered Twitter user can distribute information regarding the epidemic. This information then has the possibility of being read by millions of people.

For example, in Austin where I reside, there have already been several misleading reports of the epidemic. First, there was a young girl infected. Then there was dispute about the young girl. Next, there were children at Dell Children’s Hospital being quarantined, and later there weren’t children at Dell Children’s Hospital…..you get the picture. In fact, several local journalists have practically been on damage control all day today. Omar Gallaga, the continually insightful tech journalist at The Austin American Statesman, actually wrote a “Don’t Panic!” post making many of the same arguments I made above.

What interests me the most about this phenomenon, however, is my own reaction to the news. As I said before, I read each tweet with the understanding that it may be false…with the exception of a few. As if it were 1999, I continue to put my trust in the hands of professional journalists and pay particular attention to the information being given from accounts such as The Statesman and CNN. In my mind, these professionals use Twitter just as if they were writing an article: they check the facts first. Unlike an emotionally driven user crying wolf, journalists must submit to reporting the truth. Simply put, changing mediums does not mean changing standards.

So what does this really mean? Well, as a student in media communication, I have begun to pity my fellow student journalists. Each day, an additional newspaper files for backruptcy, editors are forced to teach the news rather than report it, and students are increasingly switching specializations. Honestly though, this epidemic has only solidified my faith in journalism. Yes, 90% of the public can now do your job and simply report the news. But, will they report it accurately? Will they have the resources to gather all the facts? Probably not.

Swine Flu may come and go, but journalism is here to stay.

We are all aware that celebrities such as Britney Spears, Shaquil O’Neal, and Demi Moore jumped on board the Twitter train. However, until now, they merely co-existed with the remainder of the population.

This week, Ashton Kutcher (@aplusk), decided to challenge the news network, CNN, to a race to 1 million. Kutcher commented on the state of our media by insisting that he could impact just as many people as an entire network. As with all celebrity brawls, however, there were petty shots. Larry King attacked Kutcher by saying “Do you know how big we are? Do you know what CNN is?!” Nevertheless, Kutcher continued the fight and prevailed early Friday morning around 2:00am. CNN also reached 1 million followers…only a half hour later.

The race itself did not bother me. We should be used to these online cattle drives by now considering the floods of Facebook groups touting “1 million to bring back the old Facebook!” or “1000 and I’ll shave my head!”

In actuality, it was the backlash of this experiment that has disheartened me. After seeing Kutcher’s success, Oprah decided to make a huge statement, and join Twitter. Although Oprah’s actually significance is debateable, her influence within pop culture is undeniable.  In my opinion, her decision to take part in this new media experience will revolutionize Twitter. We may see soccer moms organizing weekly snacks via Twitter, single dads trading healthy recipes via Twitter, or maybe retired grandparents grumbling about last week’s Bingo game via Twitter. Whatever the outcome, us social media enthusiasts will need to make some room on board the nerd ship.

Unfortunately, we are already experiencing growing pains. Some “haters” just launched HereBeforeOprah, a site dedicated to demeaning Twitter users that are likely joining due to Oprah’s popularity. And just in case you are worried that followers doubt your authenticity, you can tweet the result to everyone (hooray for self-importance!)

Yes, Twitter is still not entirely mainstream and yes, the majority of users work in technology. But, that is not its goal. Twitter is not meant to be an elitist society of users that wear FailWhale shirts and have Tweet-ups to talk about how they use Twitter.

If soccer moms want to join Twitter, who cares? The best part about using Twitter is that….hold on, this may be difficult to grasp….you CHOOSE who to follow. It’s not like Facebook where you are bloated with external group requests and follow requests and highligher parties with friends from 6th grade. Twitter allows you to create your own network of followers.

How is communication expected to advance if users feel that only a certain number of people are entitled to its use? I am excited to see the outcome of this revolution in the coming weeks, so stay tuned for more insight into our constantly evolving communication system.