This volume provides a critical view of the nature and quality of political and civic communication on Twitter. The introduction lays out the current state of research, showing the continuum of views, from the more optimistic to more pessimistic, regarding the platform’s potential to facilitate civic conversations. The eleven empirical case studies in the book provide new insights, addressing a variety of topics through a diverse array of methodological approaches. Together, the chapters p...

Social Networking and Impression Management: Self-Presentation in the Digital Age, edited by Carolyn Cunningham, offers critical inquiry into how identity is constructed, deconstructed, performed, and perceived on social networking sites (SNSs), such as Facebook, and LinkedIn. The presentation of identity is key to success or failure in the Information Age, especially because SNSs are becoming the dominant form of communication among Internet users. The architecture of SNSs provide opportu...

Announcing presidential decisions, debating social issues, disputing the latest developments in television shows, and sharing funny memes—Twitter has become a space where ordinary citizens and world-leaders alike share their thoughts and ideas. As a result, some argue Twitter has leveled the playing field, while others reject this view as too optimistic. This has led to an ongoing debate about the platform’s democratizing potential and whether activity on Twitter engenders change or merely...

A revealing look at how negative biases against women of color are embedded in search engine results and algorithmsRun a Google search for “black girls”—what will you find? “Big Booty” and other sexually explicit terms are likely to come up as top search terms. But, if you type in “white girls,” the results are radically different. The suggested porn sites and un-moderated discussions about “why black women are so sassy” or “why black women are so angry” presents a...

Paradoxes of Media and Information Literacy contributes to ongoing conversations about control of knowledge and different ways of knowing. It does so by analysing why media and information literacy (MIL) is proposed as a solution for addressing the current information crisis.Questioning why MIL is commonly believed to wield such power, the book throws into sharp relief several paradoxes that are built into common understandings of such literacies. Haider and Sundin take th...

Mediatization has emerged as a key concept to reconsider old, yet fundamental questions about the role and influence of media in culture and society. In particular the theory of mediatization has proved fruitful for the analysis of how media spread to, become intertwined with, and influence other social institutions and cultural phenomena like politics, play and religion.This book presents a major contribution to the theoretical understanding of the mediatization of culture and soc...

The world is in the midst of a social media paradigm. Once viewed as trivial and peripheral, social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook and WeChat have become an important part of the information and communication infrastructure of society. They are bound up with business and politics as well as everyday life, work, and personal relationships.This international Handbook addresses the most significant research themes, methodological approaches and debates in the study of social m...

Digital technologies, digital media, and mobile technologies now shape the experience of everyday life in the Western world, yet the way our quotidian lives are enmeshed with these technologies is far from clearly understood.Through studies of the digital everyday, sociologists are beginning to reinvigorate the sociological imagination in light of digitization. Chapters in this Byte cover topics such as designing a research framework and how to work ethically as a digital researche...

"What a magnificent invitation to the field of media and communication - full of lively debate and relevant examples yet carefully balanced, comprehensive in scope and thoughtfully explained.“ - Professor Sonia Livingstone, London School of Economics and Political Science"This informative, important and readable volume should populate the shelves of all those wanting to understand more fully how the media and mass communication operate today." ...

The Ethics of Emerging Media engages with enduring ethical questions while addressing critical questions concerning ethical boundaries at the forefront of new media development. This collection provides a rare opportunity to ask how emerging media affect the ethical choices in our lives and the lives of people across the globe.Centering on different new media forms from eBay to Wikipedia, each chapter raises questions about how changing media for...

This book offers students a task-based introduction to Computer-Mediated Communication and the impact of the internet on social interaction. Divided into four parts which require students to learn, (theory), critique, (current issues), explore, (methods), and reflect, (practice), the book aims to:Provide a foundation to the social and communicative nature of information and communication technologiesEnable students to engage with the key theoretical issues associate...

From selfies and memes to hashtags and parodies, social media are used for mundane and personal expressions of political commentary, engagement, and participation. The coverage of politics reflects the social mediation of everyday life, where individual experiences and thoughts are documented and shared online.In Social Media and Everyday Politics, Tim Highfield examines political talk as everyday occurrences on Twitter, Facebook, blogs, Tumblr, Instagram, and more. He con...