Technology and the Emotions

Technology and the Emotions

Paper Prospectus

Susan J. Matt

The history of technology is a vibrant field. Yet few assessments have been made of the historical effects of technological change on subjective experience. And, within the study of the emotions, little attention has been paid to technology. I will discuss the benefits that can be reaped by examining the two subjects together, and will briefly explore how technology—from the railroad and steamship to the telegraph and movies— has reshaped emotional experience. Such new inventions have changed notions of distance, done battle with isolation, increased knowledge of others, and altered individuals’ expectations and opportunities. How, and to what extent, have these material changes affected internal life?