Chair: Joanne Broder Sumerson, PhD
joannebrodersumerson@gmail.com

It was wonderful to see so many of you at the APA convention in DC!  The Social Hours are always a wonderful opportunity to meet new colleagues and reconnect with friends.  Unfortunately, we never get to talk to everyone we want to; but the good news is that we have the technology to make it feasible and realistic to stay in touch throughout the year.

An ongoing goal of the Membership Committee is to identify members’ needs through periodic Membership Surveys.  The feedback received on such surveys helps us to improve our Society’s functioning.  The Membership Committee is working to make the Society the best it can be for everyone by listening to the data. We meet via videoconferencing, not only to plan for future programs, but also to test out which software would work best for us.  I would like to express my special thanks to Josh Cohen, Jonathan Grimes, Judy Logue, Eric Peterson, Gayle Stever, and Patrick McNabb for your time, talent, and patience with the technological issues.

We are psychologists, practitioners, scholars, journalists, and students who work together to study, educate, and publicize to bridge the gap between research and practice in the media’s influence on behavior.  Social media is a great way to connect and network with our members.  Follow us on Twitter at follow us on Twitter @APADivision46 to stay in the know with what is latest and greatest. Our Facebook group, APA Division 46|Society of Media Psychology and Technology, is a great place to learn some of the newest trends and controversies on topics of how we are influenced by media, technology, and other related issues in pop culture.  “Like” us on Facebook for fun and relevant articles and hear members’ news such as links to their blogs, publication announcements, and media appearances.  Plus, the group is always looking for interesting content from you!

All the best as we transition from 2014 to 2015.