Two Minutes

Taking on the interpersonal divide

It's not that Michael Bugeja is against technology. He has a cell phone, conducts research online and frequently uses e-mail. But the director of ISU's Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication is concerned that increased use of technology feeds an interpersonal divide.

Virtual void: In his book "Interpersonal Divide: The Search for Community in a Technological Age, Bugeja explores the void that develops when people spend too much time in virtual, rather than real, communities.

Facing up to problems: Bugeja points to our increasing inability to use face-to-face communication to solve problems. "The more we can value each other face-to-face, the better we can develop a sense of community."

Facebook, and other digital distractions: Bugeja also authored Living Ethics across Media Platforms, which explores where ethics fits in the new high-tech media environment. His recent articles in national higher education publications include: "Facing the Facebook," "Second Thoughts About Second Life," and "Harsh Realities About Virtual Ones."

--Mike Ferlazzo
Michael Bugeja

"Information technology was supposed to bridge digital divides, enhance student research and foster multicultural awareness. Increasingly, however, our networks are being used to entertain members of the Facebook Generation who text during class, cell-phone during lab and listen to iPods rather than guest speakers in the wireless lecture hall."

Michael Bugeja

Bugeja is an Iowa State University administrator in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. His book Interpersonal Divide: The Search for Community in a Technological Age won the Clifford Christians award for research in media ethics. More Two-Minute briefs.