Carol's Methods Goals

I have been expressing myself visually with paints and pens and pencils my entire life, but I have yet to make a computer generate something visually stunning. I’m eager to learn how to design and implement data visualizations. I have also studied different cultures using ‘analog’ methods, and want to become proficient in the digital methods of cultural analytics, aggregation, and data mining. My Computer Science studies introduced me to writing code, but producing code for a research lab has caused me to think more critically about how best to write, share, and maintain code.

I have several interests in the digital humanities. In general I am curious about how people interact online. I find the problem of online verbal violence and toxicity both fascinating and important. While my past research has focused on how this manifests itself on Twitter, I want to learn more about how verbal violence plays out in other online communities. In particular, gaming communities such as Twitch have piqued my interest lately. I also find internet slang intriguing, especially in languages other than English.

I am most interested in mastering Negotiation. I can get sucked into a bubble of my own experiences and preferences, and though I want to know more about diverse perspectives I find it challenging to know how to expose myself to them. Performance makes me nervous, so while I’m not aiming to master it at this time, I could benefit from more practice. I also have a tendency to work independently, so I could could benefit from more focused effort on projects that depend on Collective Intelligence to thrive. Finally, the multitude of media channels actively in use by humanity in 2016 can be overwhelming at times, so also I want to master Navigating the bridges between those media.

Written on August 28, 2016 by Carol Schmitz