Maria Ianeva

Maria Ianeva received her PhD in Work and Organizational Psychology and Ergonomics at the University of Lyon 2 in 2012. She has been resident member of the department of Social and Work Psychology at the University of Lyon 2 ,as well as of the Institute of Communication and Media Studies at Paris 3 Sorbonne Nouvelle between 2010 and 2012. In 2013 she joined the R&D Department of Colliers International France. Her research builds upon activity theory and distributed cognition and tackles reading and writing practices in flexible work arrangements, office design and organizational change.

We are more particularly interested in studying ICT’s use in flexible work and (supposedly “paperless”) environments. In this context, reading practices are becoming fragmented and distributed on a number of different medias (smartphones, computers, screens). Since flexible working tends to increase the use of mobile technologies, it also fosters reading on digital devices anywhere and anytime. What is the impact of digitalization on “manipulating” texts? How does it bears upon the professionals subjective and emotional experience of work? What are the effects of reading on tablets, smartphones and screens on social relations at work? How do screen affordances affect cognitive activity versus paper documents on desks?

We are particularly interested to take part of the working group on Ergonomics of reading. In line with WG4 overview, we consider reading as embodied and embedded practice. Print documents, under different forms such as files, folders or even post-it, provide specific affordances (as they allow carrying, manipulation, leafing through). As such they are also part of spatial arrangements (office desks) and support cognitive activities at work. How do digital devices (as a part of a flexible work environment) impede on these activities ? Do reading on screen affects the emotional state of the reader?