Mary Chayko, Ph.D.

…to my website and the blog for my book Superconnected: The Internet, Digital Media, and Techno-Social Life, Third Edition.

For the book blog and companion website featuring lecture slides, videos,  discussion questions, sample assignments, and podcasts for each chapter, go to superconnectedblog.com.

I’m a sociologist, professor and director at Rutgers University’s School of Communication and Information, and a faculty fellow in residence at the Honors College – New Brunswick. My research is on the impact of the internet, digital technology and media on social connectedness and everyday life. It’s fascinating to see and study people’s creativity and ingenuity as they use technology to build relationships, networks, societies and even their own selves. And it’s critical to consider the consequences of doing so, both beneficial and harmful.

I had the good fortune to come of age with this topic when digital tech exploded in popularity. I’ve been researching, writing, speaking, and teaching about our superconnected society ever since.

Teaching about “Selfies and Digital Culture” at the Rutgers Honors College – New Brunswick

You can hear me discuss my research and the Superconnected book on the digital New Books Network and on Magic 98.3 WMGQ’s program “@CentralJersey.” And here’s my article on “What is 50 Years Spent on the Internet Worth to Humanity?” for NBC News Online.

In my spare time, I swim, hang out with my family and friends, enjoy pop culture (sports, music, movies, TV), go to the beach, and read for fun, preferably on the beach.  But my somewhat secret passion is music-making and recording. I’m a singer and flutist and have joined with two of my best friends, Corey Dolgon and Jim Pennell, to express musically our hope for a more peaceful and just world. Our CD is displayed on the bottom left, and you can listen to four of our songs on the “Music” page.

Making music with my little band

Well, there’s more, of course, but this is enough for the home page. Click around the site, read the Superconnected blog (http://superconnectedblog.com), check out my articles, books and music, and feel free to follow me on Twitter @MaryChayko, on Instagram @Mary.Chayko, and on LinkedIn.