Education
Ph.D., Sociology, Rutgers University
M.A., Sociology, Rutgers University
Ed.M., Counseling Psychology, Graduate School of Education, Rutgers University
B.A., Communication and Psychology, Seton Hall University
Research Interests
Mary Chayko is interested in the impact of media and technology on society and humanity. Her current projects seek to understand and explain how social bonds and communities are formed, experienced, and given meaning in the absence of face-to-face contact generally, and through online and mobile technology use in particular. She also studies the consequences of connecting in these ways for individuals, their relationships, and their societies.
In earlier work, Chayko researched patterns of television use and how they vary by age, the formation of primary groups and primary group ties in mass media use, the ways that virtual reality has influenced our ability to determine what is “really” real, and the intersection of science and culture. Her current and future work remains the exploration and explanation of social connectedness in the modern technological age.
Biographical Notes
Mary Chayko is a sociologist of communication technology. She directs the Digital Communication, Information, and Media (DCIM) and Gender and Media minors at SC&I. She is a Faculty Fellow in Residence at the Rutgers-New Brunswick Honors College, a member of the Social Media and Society Cluster at SC&I, and is the author of several books on the impact of digital technology on society, community, and self. Chayko is also affiliate faculty for the SC&I Ph.D. program, the Rutgers Sociology Department, and the Rutgers Women's Gender, and Sexuality Studies Department.
