A Networked Self - 9780415801812

"People spend most of their time online at social networking sites. In doing so, we construct a new sense of self and sociability, depending on our ability to redact ourselves and the completely mediated world around us. Any effort to understand this fascinating process must begin with this fantastic volume."---Mark Deuze, Indiana University, author of Media Life

"In this book, the field's top scholars address the wide range of issues raised by contemporary online social networks. Bridging social scientific and critical approaches, the authors offer sharp data-driven analyses that will be of keen interest to students and researcher."---Nancy Baym, University of Kansas, author of Personal Connections in the Digital Age

"The complex and sometimes contradictory phenomena of social media are among the most discussed aspects of digital culture today, and A Networked Self examines these phenomena through a variety of perspectives and approaches from sociology and communication theory. The collection offers new insights into the ways in which the affordances of social media lead users to construct, maintain, and remix their identities online. It provides solid evidence that we as a culture are indeed reshaping our social and political lives in and through social media. Both for its variety and depth, this collection will be an important resource for all students of digital culture for years to come."---Jay David Bolter, Georgia Institute of Technology, co-author of Remediation: Understanding New Media

A Networked Self examines self presentation and social connection in the digital age. This collection brings together new theory and research on online social networks by leading scholars from a variety of disciplines. Topics addressed include self presentation, behavioral norms, patterns and routines, social impact, privacy, class/gender/race divides, taste cultures online, uses of social networking sites within organizations, activism, civic engagement, and political impact.