Emotions and Technological Affordances

Abstract

Abstract Research on the ties between technological affordances or functions and users’ emotion is nascent. This chapter reviews the current work on this topic with a specific focus on the roles that digital affordances play in processes of both emotion regulation and emotion sharing and expression. Technological affordance refers to any capacity or feature of technology that shapes how users use it. Special attention is given to the implications of the affordances of interactivity, personalization, accessibility, visibility, and social cues for these affective processes. The chapter concludes with suggestions for future research on how the affordances that media and technology offer to users affect their emotional lives.