Paper Gaming: Creating IoT Paper Interactions with Conductive Inks and Web-connectivity through EKKO

Paper is ubiquitous. It forms a substantial part of our everyday activities and interactions; ranging from our take-away coffee cups -- to wallpaper -- to rail tickets -- to board and card games. Imagine if you could connect paper to the Internet, interact and update it with additional data but without recourse to reprinting or using e-ink alternatives. This paper explores work examining conductive inks and web-connectivity of printed objects, which form part of an emergent sub-field within the Internet of Things (IoT) and paper. Our research is starting to explore a range of media uses, such as interactive newspapers, books, beer mats and now gaming environments through prototype IoT device named EKKO; a clip that allows conductive ink frameworks to detect human touch interaction revealing rich media content through a mobile application as the 'second screen'

Avatars and computer-mediated communication: a review of the definitions, uses, and effects of digital representations

Avatars are growing in popularity and present in many interfaces used for computer-mediated communication (CMC) including social media, e-commerce, and education. Communication researchers have been investigating avatars for over twenty years, and an examination of this literature reveals similarities but also notable discrepancies in conceptual definitions. The goal of this review is to provide a general overview of current debates, methodological approaches, and trends in findings. Our review synthesizes previous research in four areas. First, we examine how scholars have conceptualized the term “avatar,” identify similarities and differences across these definitions, and recommend that scholars use the term consistently. Next, we review theoretical perspectives relevant to avatar perception (e.g., the computers as social actors framework). Then, we examine avatar characteristics that communicators use to discern the humanity and social potential of an avatar (anthropomorphism, form realism, behavioral realism, and perceived agency) and discuss implications for attributions and communication outcomes. We also review findings on the social categorization of avatars, such as when people apply categories like sex, gender, race, and ethnicity to their evaluations of digital representations. Finally, we examine research on avatar selection and design relevant to communication outcomes. Here, we review both motivations in CMC contexts (such as self-presentation and identity expression) and potential effects (e.g., persuasion). We conclude with a discussion of future directions for avatar research and propose that communication researchers consider avatars not just as a topic of study, but also as a tool for testing theories and understanding critical elements of human communication. Avatar mediated environments provide researchers with a number of advantageous technological affordances that can enable manipulations that may be difficult or inadvisable to execute in natural environments. We conclude by discussing the use of avatar research to extend communication theory and our understanding of communication processes

The Generation Z Audience for In-App Advertising

Abstract Purpose: The audience for in-app mobile advertising is comparable in size and viewing rate to that for TV but divides its attention across a highly fragmented selection of apps, each competing for advertiser revenue. In market, the assumption is that this audience is deeply segmented, allowing individuals to be contextually targeted on the apps that define their interests and needs. But that assumption is not supported by the Laws of Double Jeopardy and Duplication of Viewing which closely predict usage in other mass media. Our purpose is to benchmark in-app audiences against these laws to better understand market structure. Method: We collected nearly three thousand hours of screen time data from a panel of Generation Z respondents and tested the predictive validity of two models against observed interactions with twenty-three popular apps in six categories over a week. Findings. Results show that contrary to industry assumptions, this audience for in-app advertising is not segmented. Engagement on individual apps and sharing rates between apps and app formats is predicted well. Originality/Value: Many authors have called for consistency in metrics to compare on and off-line media performance. This study bridges that gap, demonstrating how reach and frequency measures could inform digital scheduling for contextual targeting. Implications Optimising in-app advertising for short-term activation only limits its potential for brand-building. These findings encourage advertisers to schedule online campaigns for brand reach as well as sales lift, by advancing current understanding of audience behaviour