Grounded on respect for differing approaches to discovery and collaboration

In this media environment, creation and consumption were two sides of the same coin. Some called this the era of “Liquid Media”; others called it the “Creator Economy.” By entering terms into a search engine, users of all ages contributed the data on which the search engine runs.

Digitized Virtual Worlds has blossomed in recent years, enticing a wide variety of users via games, shared digital media, and participatory social networks. At the same time, computers increasingly supported professional work, with digitized documents and media and information exchange. The fusion of virtual and physical worlds for advanced human communications was important to understand.

As digital technologies evolved, there was a growing need for studies at the intersection of human sciences and information technology. Additional research was needed into the linguistic, cognitive, behavioral and visual information processing aspects of our interactions with computers, mobile devices and other digital technologies.

As digital technologies evolved, there was a growing need for studies that explore advances and applications for the use of sensors and video technologies in a range of fields, including education, healthcare and business. Additional research was needed at the intersection of human sciences and information technology to inform the development of emerging haptic and visual sensing tools.

The rapidly increasing use of mobile devices across personal and professional environments called for research into topics that range from a focus on the device itself to the needs, opportunities and requirements for integrating devices into the “connected” computing ecosystem. Additional areas of inquiry included user interfaces, consumer or enterprise use cases for various devices, and explorations of alternative form factors.

As online media evolved, users were increasingly empowered to tailor and customize content. In this context, there was a growing need for studies into the economics of information and the different structural drivers and mechanics of content personalization by users, content providers and advertisers. Additional research was needed into the technological, procedural, and/or legal mechanisms that facilitate consumer publication.

Innovations in digital teaching, learning practices and pedagogy called for research that deepened our understanding of their effects and helps improve the functioning of digital or blended learning technologies. This included research that leveraged the large amounts of data readily available to Stanford faculty from instrumented platforms, as well as data from formal, informal, in school and out of school learning environments, with implications that extend to learners and their contexts as well as instructors and administration.

As digital technologies evolved, there was a growing need for studies that explore interactions and applications for learning, behavior change and collaboration. Additional research is needed at the intersection of human sciences and information technology to inform the development of emerging educational and interactive technologies.

mediaX programs identified serious questions that brought academic and business researchers together for conversations, proofs-of-concepts and exploratory research. In this same spirit, this new set of questions can be explored and we hope lead to actionable insights.