Peter Nagy

Arizona State University | ASU · University College

In this article, we introduce the term "conjuration of algorithms" to describe how the tech industry uses the language of magic to shape people's perceptions of algorithms. We use the image of the magician as a metaphor for how the tech industry strategically deploys narrative devices to present their algorithms. After presenting a brief history of...

In this chapter, Wylie et al. demonstrate the effectiveness of using a well-known, preexisting text as a foundation for an accessible, audience-driven learning experience. The authors describe their findings in creating an informal science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) learning project based on Frankenstein--both the original 1818 novel...

How the blurring of media forms—transmedia—became the default for how we experience narratives, and how that cultural transformation has redefined the worlds of education, entertainment, and our increasingly polarized public discourse. Over the past decade, the power of narrative has been unleashed with awesome and terrifying consequences, and it h...

In this paper, we present findings from an exploratory qualitative study that investigated how hands-on activities can help learners think of socioscientific issues more concretely. These activities borrowed themes, such as the responsibilities of creators and limits of scientific exploration from the culturally ubiquitous Frankenstein story to sti...

In the past decade, creativity researchers have attempted to explore how creative fixed and growth mind-sets shape creative outcomes and effort. Previous studies found a strong association between creative mind-sets and self-perceptions. However, research on the relationship between creative mindsets and performance led to mixed results. In an atte...

Responsible research and innovation (RRI) is a framework for thinking about the implications of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) discoveries and innovations and shaping them in a way that is responsible to people, future generations, and the natural environment. In this paper, we present a project that engages museum visitors in le...

In this chapter we present theories and research findings from communication, media and design studies that have stemmed from James Gibson's highly influential affordance theory originating from the late 1970s. We do so from the lens of human-machine communication to determine how the field can benefit from the use of Gibson's work. Long before the...

The purpose of the current paper is to explore the influence of identity on self-extension tendency and virtual consumption in online communities. The importance of material possessions for individual identity has been explored extensively in offline yet only sporadically in online conditions. Data were collected from a group of Second Life residen...

Using Mary Shelley's Frankenstein as inspiration, this paper presents a Frankenstein‐themed transmedia storytelling experience, which encompasses simple hands‐on activities and an online narrative experience that allows students to model scientific work and engage in various science activities. The study aimed to test whether students can develop h...

Boasting a wide range of interactive and engaging features, narrative-based learning has become increasingly popular in educational settings. Narrative-based instructional approaches engage students in a novel set of engaging experiences for educational purposes. Although it is not a new concept, the implications of narrative-based learning for sci...

In order to help students become scientifically literate citizens, science education should allow them to gain a more concrete understanding of the potential social and ethical impacts of scientific and technological change. Using Mary Shelley's Frankenstein as an imaginative tool, we designed simple hands-on activities and a digital narrative game...

This paper introduces the Frankenstein200 experience, which combines simple hands-on activities and narrative-based learning to enable learners to position themselves as scientists and learn about science and science ethics. Presenting findings from 2 studies in science museums, the current work describes how Frankenstein200 was implemented and tes...

Digital object attachment is a complex phenomenon that received limited attention in the extant literature. The purpose of the current article is to develop a conceptual model to clarify discrepancies and encourage future work in this area. We classify digital objects into four categories by their complexity, user control, interactivity and user va...

Transmedia storytelling has been shown to provide a wide range of positive learning outcomes, like increased academic achievement and interest. However, while several studies have investigated the potential learning benefits of transmedia storytelling, it is still not fully understood how it can support learners' identity development. Here, we pres...

Research on learning with digital media and educational technology has been central in the Learning Sciences over the past decade. To support learning with these tools, multiple instructional approaches and pedagogies have been implemented, including storytelling and adding narrative elements. The purpose of this paper is to present results of a sy...

Technologies change users' existing social, cultural, and material practices by providing new opportunities for reflecting on and managing their lives. As technological advancements pervade our private and professional lives, users are tempted to see them as "magic bullets" that can help them become more organized and efficient. In this paper, we i...

Since its first publication in 1818, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus has transcended genres and cultures to become a foundational myth about science and technology across a multitude of media forms and adaptations. Following in the footsteps of the brilliant yet troubled Victor Frankenstein, professionals and practitioners ha...

As one of the best known science narratives about the consequences of creating life, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus (1818) is an enduring tale that people know and understand with an almost instinctive familiarity. It has become a myth reflecting people’s ambivalent feelings about emerging science: they are curious about sci...

Reflecting the dangers of irresponsible science and technology, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein quickly became a mythic story that still feels fresh and relevant in the twenty-first century. The unique framework of the Frankenstein myth has permeated the public discourse about science and knowledge, creating various misconceptions around and negative e...

Reflecting the dangers of irresponsible science and technology, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein quickly became a mythic story that still feels fresh and relevant in the twenty-first century. The unique framework of the Frankenstein myth has permeated the public discourse about science and knowledge, creating various misconceptions around and negative e...

Abstract Background Marfan syndrome is a genetic disease, presenting with dysfunction of connective tissues leading to lesions in the cardiovascular and skeletal muscle system. Within these symptoms, the most typical is weakness of the connective tissue in the aorta, manifesting as aortic dilatation (aneurysm). This could, in turn, become annuloaor...

In 2016, Microsoft launched Tay, an experimental artificial intelligence chat bot. Learning from interactions with Twitter users, Tay was shut down after one day because of its obscene and inflammatory tweets. This article uses the case of Tay to re-examine theories of agency. How did users view the personality and actions of an artificial intellig...

User-generated content (UGC) has been receiving increasing attention given its spread throughout digital media platforms and applications. Previous research focusing on Web 2.0 based platforms highlighted linkages with personal characteristics, user attitudes, and social as well as individual motivators. Interestingly, UGC has not been addressed on...

With practically unlimited opportunities for having fun, the Internet and numerous applications rapidly became favourable means of popular media among members of the younger generation, who enthusiastically embraced the contributions of the new Digital Age. The purpose of the current article is to explore the nature of adolescent gamers’ use of ava...

In this essay, we reconstruct a keyword for communication—affordance. Affordance, adopted from ecological psychology, is now widely used in technology studies, yet the term lacks a clear definition. This is especially problematic for scholars grappling with how to theorize the relationship between technology and sociality for complex socio-technica...

In this essay, we reconstruct a keyword for communication—affordance. Affordance, adopted from ecological psychology, is now widely used in technology studies, yet the term lacks a clear definition. This is especially problematic for scholars grappling with how to theorize the relationship between technology and sociality for complex socio-technica...

Given the increasing emphasis on online consumption in our digital era, the current study aimed to explore the avatar–self relationship in association with the concept of product attachment. Through constructing their own avatars and selecting certain virtual possessions for them, participants in the sample were able to represent different elements...

The current article explores patterns of identity development in virtual worlds, with the aim of introducing a conceptual model of virtual identity. Despite the rapid spread of virtual environments, no model has been developed to date that fully captures this complex entity. Rather than taking a purely social approach, as has been the dominant tren...

The primary aim of the current paper is to explore ways in which organizations can benefit from virtual environments to expand their social and professional spheres. Applying the theory of third places to virtual worlds, our conceptual model incorporates practical organizational affordances within three composite dimensions. First, we propose that...

Purpose – The current paper aims to embrace an interdisciplinary approach to illustrate some of the ways in which virtual worlds expanded upon the individual, social and professional options of employees in organizational settings. Design/methodology/approach – Through an extensive literature review, the paper compiles the latest and most fundamen...

There is compelling evidence for a genetic contribution to physical performance. In addition, there is an advanced scientific knowledge on the predisposition to sports-related diseases and injuries. Genetic testing of performance related polymorphisms can serve as a new opportunity for developing the process of talent selection. Sport-related genet...

This paper examines the relationship between virtual identity and virtual consumption in Second Life. More specifically, we investigate the tendency to link the virtual world to reality through the concept of identity, and explore the role consumption and business endeavors play in this process. Information was obtained from comments posted on four...

Virtual social environments opened the door to individual experiences that may not be feasible or possible in real physical settings; in turn bringing to question the applicability of certain more traditional theories to digital environments. Addressing some of this gap in the available literature, in the current study, we compare virtual and real...

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore teenagers' and young adults' use of social networking sites (SNS), in light of certain personal, social and educational outcomes and attitudes. Design/methodology/approach Data were gathered on the basis of surveys, and were analyzed through a series of multivariate models. Findings It was found tha...

Marfan syndrome is a genetic disorder of the connective tissue, which affects approximately 2000-3000 individuals in Hungary. Given its multi-systemic manifestations, this disorder is often difficult to diagnose. To date, the National Marfan Register system contains approximately 250 cases, and this number is dynamically increasing. Collection of d...

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to assess the content of food industry web sites targeting children by advergames with the purpose of granting brand loyalty and trust toward the products of certain companies in Hungary. Design/methodology/approach Scientific investigation conducted by two independent researchers included the content analysis...

Virtual social worlds, such as Second Life, by gaining more and more popularity, have attracted the attention of the business media. The aim of the present article is to explore the relationship between the Second Life avatar (using the term of virtual identity) and shopping habits in Second Life focusing on consumer behaviour. Firstly, we present...