Research | Projects | Background
I'm a PhD student at the School of Information at the
University of California, Berkeley, where I earned my Masters
degree in May 2010.
My work examines information networks: how we interact with these networks, the effects of network design on communication and behavior, and how these networks emerge alongside and interact with existing networks.
Research
While with Yahoo! Research's Internet Experiences Group (June 2009 - March 2011) I explored how people, businesses, and advertisers use Internet-based information networks, particularly social media services, to communicate with one another for shopping, travel, and sports-related experiences.My Masters thesis, Everyday Consumer Activities and Real-time Information Sources [download], examined consumer-related information use and flow on the social media network Twitter. I identified how Twitter users communicate with one another and brands as part of their consumer experience, as well as the differences between Twitter users' and non-users' shopping motivations and attitudes towards advertisements. Additional thesis-related research explored users' and non-users' attitudes towards privacy and trust.
Workshops
Brooks, A., and Churchill, E. (2010). "Tune in, Tweet on, and Twit out: Information Snacking on Twitter." Workshop on "Microblogging: What and How Can We Learn From It?" at ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, Atlanta, GA, April 11, 2010.
Brooks, A., and Churchill, E. (2010). "Knowing Me, Knowing You: A Case Study of Social Networking Sites and Participant Recruitment." Workshop on "Research Ethics in the Facebook Era Revisited" at ACM CSCW Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work, Savannah, GA, February 6, 2010.
Panel
Brooks, A. (2010). "Navigating Uncharted Waters: A Student Perspective on Emerging CSCW Research." Panelist for "Tapping the Social Web for CSCW Research: Terms of Service, Ethics, and Bias." Fellow panelists: Karrie Karahalios, Amy Bruckman, Cliff Lampe. ACM CSCW Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work, Savannah, GA, February 8, 2010.
Posters/Works-in-Progress
(forthcoming) Brooks, A., Cheshire, C. (2012). "Ad-itudes: Twitter Users & Advertising." In Extended Abstracts of ACM CSCW Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work, Seattle, WA, 2012.
Ryokai, K., Raffle, H., Brooks, A. (2009). "Tangible Message Bubbles for Children's Communication and Play." In Extended Abstracts of ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, Boston, MA, April 4-9, 2009.
Projects
Ticket (Re)Sale Networks: Actors, Connectors, and the Ticket
An analysis of the rapidly evolving music and sporting event ticket industry that proposes the whomever controls the object of exchange in a network - in this case, a ticket to an event - wields ultimate control over that network.
Diasporta: A Service for Giving Geographically Displaced Sports Fans the Home Field Advantage
A service for helping geographically displaced sports fans establish and maintain connections, designed to leverage features of existing web services in order to provide users with a convenient and familiar experience.
Assessing Contributor & User Motivations as a Means to Gauge the Potential Impact of User-Created Content on the Social Construction on Maps
A historical review of the relationship between map creators and users, and how that relationship may change with the spread of accessible tools that facilitate user-contributed content (aka Google Maps).
Understanding Storytelling: Tools & Technology in the Post-Production Stage of Documentary Filmmaking
An ethnographically-inspired study of filmmakers at UC Berkeley's Graduate School of Journalism and the PBS television show FRONTLINE.
The Reflectable
A prototype table top interface for promoting social engagement in public spaces. Created for Fall 2008 course Tangible User Interfaces.
Background
I received my B.A. in economics at the University of California, Davis, and Masters in information management and systems at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Information. Prior to pursuing graduate studies I worked extensively in marketing and product management roles for a pair of early stage startups offering Internet-based services and a global data brokerage firm.