Write a paper in which you investigate the effects of one or two common forms of current electronic communication and interaction on social behavior and psychological development. These can include text messaging, blogging, online social networking (Facebook, Twitter, etc), role player gaming, etc.  The goal of this analysis should not be to merely describe these forms of communication. Instead, you should seek to develop an analysis as to how they influence the way we think and interact in ways that go beyond that which is easily observed. For example, you may explore how these impact one's perception of relationships, the concept of friendship, the distinction between private and public information, perceptions of privacy, etc. You may also consider how these impact non-electronic socialization (i.e. face-to-face conversations, public interactions, etc). These are just few of the social/psychological effects to consider. Allow your research and your own thoughtful analysis to go beyond that which is already well-known about this topic.

Research

You are required to utilize at least 5 quality research sources, cited properly via MLA Format. You are highly encouraged to avoid partisan or clearly biased sources. Instead, seek sources that provide thorough, probing, and intellectually honest analysis.

You are highly encouraged to seek out high-quality books or articles from the Academic Databases, as these will provide the best level of information. Make sure that all of your online sources (from the general internet via Google searches, etc) meet the requirements as indicated in the lesson on "Determining the Legitimacy of Online Sources."

If you do not engage in a sufficient amount of quality research, your paper will lack the intellectual depth to achieve the level of composition and critical thinking necessary for this assignment. Thus it is important to not only seek out excellent sources, but also to give yourself the time necessary to find them, read them, and decide on how to respond to these sources. Quality writing and thinking always begins with a quality research process.

You must include proper MLA in-text citations and a Works Cited Page in both the 1st draft and final draft of this assignment.

Paper Requirements

• This paper must be typed, double spaced, font= Times New Roman 12 or Arial 10.
• This paper will beat least 2000 words in length. This generally equals at least 5 complete pages.This page count does NOT include the title page or Works Cited page. Do not exceed 10 pages. If you do not meet the minimum length requirement, you will not earn a passing grade on the paper.
• Any plagiarism on this paper or any of the steps in the writing process will lead to immediate failure of this course, so please do not make that mistake.
• You must utilize proper MLA Format, including MLA Format in-text citations AND a proper Works Cited Page.Without these, you cannot earn a passing grade in the course, no matter what your other assignment grades have been.