A grad student in Communications, he studies issues of technology and the future. His students have never known life without the internet. His question to them, "How does the internet influence the pace, pattern, and scale of your life?" Answer:: it's not intrusive, it's the way they construct their relationships and lives, it’s just another part of life. He cautions patience when making value judgments. Social relationships may not look like they have in the past. "It's not good or bad, it's just different."
— with Adam Richard Rottinghaus.