a fourth age of Internet Studies? what glues Internet Studies together?
Dear AoIRists, Partly for the sake of a recent lecture at the University Institute of Lisbon, (ISCTE-IUL), kindly hosted by Gustavo Cordoso and colleagues, I reviewed some work on Internet Studies including: Mia Consalvo & C. Ess, *The Handbook of Internet Studies*, Blackwell, 2011. C. Ess & W. Dutton, *new media and society *15(5: 2013) 633–643 Panayiota Tsatsou, *Internet Studies: Past, Present, and Future Directions. *Ashgate, 2014. Håkan Selg, *Researching the Use of the Internet — A Beginner’s Guide. *Uppsala Dissertations from the Faculty of Science and Technology 109, 2014. What I found (in part): Internet studies in what Barry Wellman and Bernie Hogan identify as “the third age” of Internet Studies – and what Heidi Campbell and Mia Lövheim identify as “the third wave” of work in Digital Religion (as a subdomain of Internet Studies) – continues from the earliest work in CMC a focus on community, along with more interdisciplinary / longitudinal studies.
From the overview Bill Dutton and I took away from our special issue of new media and society – from among several patterns we described, I further highlighted the increasing prominence of critical studies as grounded, e.g., in political economy approaches, including a thread of attention to how far autonomy, empowerment (of citizens, not simply consumers), gender equality, etc. are indeed fostered via Internet-facilitated communications, where these communications take place in almost entirely commercialized spaces aimed at commodification and self-commodification.
A good part of this is extended and developed by Panayiota Tsatsou, who argues for a research agenda focusing on: *1. *the concept of *agency* (versus structure) and the question of whether agency in relation to the Internet derives from social or systemic/structural actors and factors; *2. *the concept of *power* and the question of *who owns power and the implications of power relationships and dynamics *for Internet development and effects; *3. *the concept of *identity* and the question of *whether the Internet has an identity and, accordingly, the Internet’s implications for user identity*. (2014, 216) I then suggested that Campbell and Lövheim’s account of an emerging “fourth wave” of work in Digital Religion might be a suggestive analogue for how Internet Studies will continue to unfold, as including: 1. further refinement and development of *methodological – and, I [Ess - but also Tsatsou] would add, ethical -* approaches, as well as the creation of *typologies* for *categorization* and *interpretation* purposes. 2. *longitudinal* studies on *the / relationship between the online–offline contexts* 3. reflection on the *social and institutional implication*s of practicing religion online 4. what impact, if any, this will have on the *construction of identity, community, authority and authenticity* in wider culture. Again, matters of identity, agency, relationship, community, and power come to the fore here. All of this inspired an effort to try to encapsulate these various insights into something of a heuristic for Internet Studies - a first response to the question of "What is it"? and/or the question, as nicely put by Tiago Lapa (ISCTE-IUL), "What glues Internet Studies together?". I offer the following as something of a draft - not intended to be exhaustive or complete, but something of a starting point, for the sake of asking AoIRists: what would you add and/or correct? == Drawing on disciplines throughout the natural sciences, social sciences, and the humanities, Internet Studies explores Internet-facilitated human (and machine) communication with characteristic (but not exclusive) focus on how identity, agency, relationship, community, and power interact with the affordances of Internet-based communication technologies, often with a careful view towards larger ethical, social, political, cultural, economic, legal, and other human contexts. Internet Studies further includes meta-theoretical development and refinement of various research methodologies; specific attention to the ethical challenges and possible resolutions to these challenges that arise in the course of such research; and the histories of the Internet, including web history as a domain in its own right. == Many thanks in advance, - charles ess -- Professor in Media Studies Department of Media and Communication University of Oslo Director, Centre for Research in Media Innovations (CeRMI) Editor, The Journal of Media Innovations <https://www.journals.uio.no/index.php/TJMI/> President, INSEIT <www.inseit.net> Postboks 1093 Blindern 0317 Oslo, Norway c.m.ess@media.uio.no
Thank you, Professor Ess, for posting this great summary and question. I am not sure I can add to the discussion other than to say that this post proved very timely for me. I am currently preparing for my comprehensive exams to complete my masters and one major component to the exams is my focus on defining Internet Studies and my future role in that. Two of the four texts mentioned have been central to that preparation (Consalvo and Ess, and Tsatsou) and now I will locate the other two. This discussion list in general has been a direct way to build my reading list and I am very thankful for it. I will mention that I inadvertently stumbled into what Professor Ess defined as the "Fourth Age" of Internet Studies as I began my new career in it through gender and critical approaches. If there is anything else folks want to add to this discussion that focuses on this Fourth Age, I would appreciate the pointers. ~~Lisa ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Lisa M. Heinz Masters Student, Media Arts & Studies Fall 2015: PhD Student in Mass Communication - Journalism Ohio University http://Twitter.com/livingrural http://LinkedIn.com/in/lisaheinz ________________________________________ From: Air-L <air-l-bounces@listserv.aoir.org> on behalf of Charles Ess <charles.ess@gmail.com> Sent: Friday, May 15, 2015 1:36 PM To: Air list Subject: [Air-L] a fourth age of Internet Studies? what glues Internet Studies together? Dear AoIRists, Partly for the sake of a recent lecture at the University Institute of Lisbon, (ISCTE-IUL), kindly hosted by Gustavo Cordoso and colleagues, I reviewed some work on Internet Studies including: Mia Consalvo & C. Ess, *The Handbook of Internet Studies*, Blackwell, 2011. C. Ess & W. Dutton, *new media and society *15(5: 2013) 633–643 Panayiota Tsatsou, *Internet Studies: Past, Present, and Future Directions. *Ashgate, 2014. Håkan Selg, *Researching the Use of the Internet — A Beginner’s Guide. *Uppsala Dissertations from the Faculty of Science and Technology 109, 2014. What I found (in part): Internet studies in what Barry Wellman and Bernie Hogan identify as “the third age” of Internet Studies – and what Heidi Campbell and Mia Lövheim identify as “the third wave” of work in Digital Religion (as a subdomain of Internet Studies) – continues from the earliest work in CMC a focus on community, along with more interdisciplinary / longitudinal studies. From the overview Bill Dutton and I took away from our special issue of new media and society – from among several patterns we described, I further highlighted the increasing prominence of critical studies as grounded, e.g., in political economy approaches, including a thread of attention to how far autonomy, empowerment (of citizens, not simply consumers), gender equality, etc. are indeed fostered via Internet-facilitated communications, where these communications take place in almost entirely commercialized spaces aimed at commodification and self-commodification. A good part of this is extended and developed by Panayiota Tsatsou, who argues for a research agenda focusing on: *1. *the concept of *agency* (versus structure) and the question of whether agency in relation to the Internet derives from social or systemic/structural actors and factors; *2. *the concept of *power* and the question of *who owns power and the implications of power relationships and dynamics *for Internet development and effects; *3. *the concept of *identity* and the question of *whether the Internet has an identity and, accordingly, the Internet’s implications for user identity*. (2014, 216) I then suggested that Campbell and Lövheim’s account of an emerging “fourth wave” of work in Digital Religion might be a suggestive analogue for how Internet Studies will continue to unfold, as including: 1. further refinement and development of *methodological – and, I [Ess - but also Tsatsou] would add, ethical -* approaches, as well as the creation of *typologies* for *categorization* and *interpretation* purposes. 2. *longitudinal* studies on *the / relationship between the online–offline contexts* 3. reflection on the *social and institutional implication*s of practicing religion online 4. what impact, if any, this will have on the *construction of identity, community, authority and authenticity* in wider culture. Again, matters of identity, agency, relationship, community, and power come to the fore here. All of this inspired an effort to try to encapsulate these various insights into something of a heuristic for Internet Studies - a first response to the question of "What is it"? and/or the question, as nicely put by Tiago Lapa (ISCTE-IUL), "What glues Internet Studies together?". I offer the following as something of a draft - not intended to be exhaustive or complete, but something of a starting point, for the sake of asking AoIRists: what would you add and/or correct? == Drawing on disciplines throughout the natural sciences, social sciences, and the humanities, Internet Studies explores Internet-facilitated human (and machine) communication with characteristic (but not exclusive) focus on how identity, agency, relationship, community, and power interact with the affordances of Internet-based communication technologies, often with a careful view towards larger ethical, social, political, cultural, economic, legal, and other human contexts. Internet Studies further includes meta-theoretical development and refinement of various research methodologies; specific attention to the ethical challenges and possible resolutions to these challenges that arise in the course of such research; and the histories of the Internet, including web history as a domain in its own right. == Many thanks in advance, - charles ess -- Professor in Media Studies Department of Media and Communication University of Oslo Director, Centre for Research in Media Innovations (CeRMI) Editor, The Journal of Media Innovations <https://www.journals.uio.no/index.php/TJMI/> President, INSEIT <www.inseit.net> Postboks 1093 Blindern 0317 Oslo, Norway c.m.ess@media.uio.no _______________________________________________ The Air-L@listserv.aoir.org mailing list is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at: http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org Join the Association of Internet Researchers: http://www.aoir.org/
Dear All, Dear Charles; Within the recently started DIGMEX-network, the fourth wave also contains the existential dimension: et.ims.su.se Cheers, Amanda Amanda Lagerkvist PhD Associate Professor Wallenberg Academy Fellow Dept. of Media Studies (IMS/JMK) Stockholm University PO. Box 27861 115 93 Stockholm email: amanda.lagerkvist@ims.su.se phone: +46 (0)8 161530 mobile: +46 (0)73 6600574 http://www.su.se/ http://www.wallenbergacademyfellows.se <http://www.wallenbergacademyfellows.se/> http://et.ims.su.se Den 2015-05-20 15:32 skrev Heinz, Lisa <ls144009@ohio.edu>:
Thank you, Professor Ess, for posting this great summary and question. I am not sure I can add to the discussion other than to say that this post proved very timely for me. I am currently preparing for my comprehensive exams to complete my masters and one major component to the exams is my focus on defining Internet Studies and my future role in that. Two of the four texts mentioned have been central to that preparation (Consalvo and Ess, and Tsatsou) and now I will locate the other two.
This discussion list in general has been a direct way to build my reading list and I am very thankful for it. I will mention that I inadvertently stumbled into what Professor Ess defined as the "Fourth Age" of Internet Studies as I began my new career in it through gender and critical approaches. If there is anything else folks want to add to this discussion that focuses on this Fourth Age, I would appreciate the pointers.
~~Lisa
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Lisa M. Heinz Masters Student, Media Arts & Studies Fall 2015: PhD Student in Mass Communication - Journalism Ohio University http://Twitter.com/livingrural http://LinkedIn.com/in/lisaheinz
________________________________________ From: Air-L <air-l-bounces@listserv.aoir.org> on behalf of Charles Ess <charles.ess@gmail.com> Sent: Friday, May 15, 2015 1:36 PM To: Air list Subject: [Air-L] a fourth age of Internet Studies? what glues Internet Studies together?
Dear AoIRists, Partly for the sake of a recent lecture at the University Institute of Lisbon, (ISCTE-IUL), kindly hosted by Gustavo Cordoso and colleagues, I reviewed some work on Internet Studies including:
Mia Consalvo & C. Ess, *The Handbook of Internet Studies*, Blackwell, 2011.
C. Ess & W. Dutton, *new media and society *15(5: 2013) 633–643
Panayiota Tsatsou, *Internet Studies: Past, Present, and Future Directions. *Ashgate, 2014.
Håkan Selg, *Researching the Use of the Internet — A Beginner’s Guide. *Uppsala Dissertations from the Faculty of Science and Technology 109, 2014.
What I found (in part):
Internet studies in what Barry Wellman and Bernie Hogan identify as “the third age” of Internet Studies – and what Heidi Campbell and Mia Lövheim identify as “the third wave” of work in Digital Religion (as a subdomain of Internet Studies) – continues from the earliest work in CMC a focus on community, along with more interdisciplinary / longitudinal studies.
From the overview Bill Dutton and I took away from our special issue of new media and society – from among several patterns we described, I further highlighted the increasing prominence of critical studies as grounded, e.g., in political economy approaches, including a thread of attention to how far autonomy, empowerment (of citizens, not simply consumers), gender equality, etc. are indeed fostered via Internet-facilitated communications, where these communications take place in almost entirely commercialized spaces aimed at commodification and self-commodification.
A good part of this is extended and developed by Panayiota Tsatsou, who argues for a research agenda focusing on:
*1. *the concept of *agency* (versus structure) and the question of whether agency in relation to the Internet derives from social or systemic/structural actors and factors;
*2. *the concept of *power* and the question of *who owns power and the implications of power relationships and dynamics *for Internet development and effects;
*3. *the concept of *identity* and the question of *whether the Internet has an identity and, accordingly, the Internet’s implications for user identity*. (2014, 216)
I then suggested that Campbell and Lövheim’s account of an emerging “fourth wave” of work in Digital Religion might be a suggestive analogue for how Internet Studies will continue to unfold, as including:
1. further refinement and development of *methodological – and, I [Ess - but also Tsatsou] would add, ethical -* approaches, as well as the creation of *typologies* for *categorization* and *interpretation* purposes.
2. *longitudinal* studies on *the / relationship between the online–offline contexts*
3. reflection on the *social and institutional implication*s of practicing religion online
4. what impact, if any, this will have on the *construction of identity, community, authority and authenticity* in wider culture.
Again, matters of identity, agency, relationship, community, and power come to the fore here.
All of this inspired an effort to try to encapsulate these various insights into something of a heuristic for Internet Studies - a first response to the question of "What is it"? and/or the question, as nicely put by Tiago Lapa (ISCTE-IUL), "What glues Internet Studies together?". I offer the following as something of a draft - not intended to be exhaustive or complete, but something of a starting point, for the sake of asking AoIRists: what would you add and/or correct?
==
Drawing on disciplines throughout the natural sciences, social sciences, and the humanities, Internet Studies explores Internet-facilitated human (and machine) communication with characteristic (but not exclusive) focus on how identity, agency, relationship, community, and power interact with the affordances of Internet-based communication technologies, often with a careful view towards larger ethical, social, political, cultural, economic, legal, and other human contexts. Internet Studies further includes meta-theoretical development and refinement of various research methodologies; specific attention to the ethical challenges and possible resolutions to these challenges that arise in the course of such research; and the histories of the Internet, including web history as a domain in its own right.
==
Many thanks in advance,
- charles ess
-- Professor in Media Studies Department of Media and Communication University of Oslo
Director, Centre for Research in Media Innovations (CeRMI) Editor, The Journal of Media Innovations <https://www.journals.uio.no/index.php/TJMI/> President, INSEIT <www.inseit.net>
Postboks 1093 Blindern 0317 Oslo, Norway c.m.ess@media.uio.no _______________________________________________ The Air-L@listserv.aoir.org mailing list is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at: http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org
Join the Association of Internet Researchers: http://www.aoir.org/ _______________________________________________ The Air-L@listserv.aoir.org mailing list is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at: http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org
Join the Association of Internet Researchers: http://www.aoir.org/
Thanks in turn, Lisa - so heartening to know that this may be of help in some way or another. Let me also reiterate your spot-on call: If there is anything else folks want to add to this discussion that focuses on this Fourth Age, I would appreciate the pointers. There has been some discussion on a Facebook thread helpfully started up by André Brock that has also been excellent for adding criticisms, emendations, additions, etc. Once I manage to figure out how to respond to and incorporate all of that, along with responses I hope to get from colleagues next week at the Department of Journalism, Media, and Communication (JMK) at the University of Gothenburg - if a new and improved version thus emerges, I will happy share onlist. Again, many thanks, - charles On Wed, May 20, 2015 at 3:32 PM, Heinz, Lisa <ls144009@ohio.edu> wrote:
Thank you, Professor Ess, for posting this great summary and question. I am not sure I can add to the discussion other than to say that this post proved very timely for me. I am currently preparing for my comprehensive exams to complete my masters and one major component to the exams is my focus on defining Internet Studies and my future role in that. Two of the four texts mentioned have been central to that preparation (Consalvo and Ess, and Tsatsou) and now I will locate the other two.
This discussion list in general has been a direct way to build my reading list and I am very thankful for it. I will mention that I inadvertently stumbled into what Professor Ess defined as the "Fourth Age" of Internet Studies as I began my new career in it through gender and critical approaches. If there is anything else folks want to add to this discussion that focuses on this Fourth Age, I would appreciate the pointers.
~~Lisa
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Lisa M. Heinz Masters Student, Media Arts & Studies Fall 2015: PhD Student in Mass Communication - Journalism Ohio University http://Twitter.com/livingrural http://LinkedIn.com/in/lisaheinz
________________________________________ From: Air-L <air-l-bounces@listserv.aoir.org> on behalf of Charles Ess < charles.ess@gmail.com> Sent: Friday, May 15, 2015 1:36 PM To: Air list Subject: [Air-L] a fourth age of Internet Studies? what glues Internet Studies together?
Dear AoIRists, Partly for the sake of a recent lecture at the University Institute of Lisbon, (ISCTE-IUL), kindly hosted by Gustavo Cordoso and colleagues, I reviewed some work on Internet Studies including:
Mia Consalvo & C. Ess, *The Handbook of Internet Studies*, Blackwell, 2011.
C. Ess & W. Dutton, *new media and society *15(5: 2013) 633–643
Panayiota Tsatsou, *Internet Studies: Past, Present, and Future Directions. *Ashgate, 2014.
Håkan Selg, *Researching the Use of the Internet — A Beginner’s Guide. *Uppsala Dissertations from the Faculty of Science and Technology 109, 2014.
What I found (in part):
Internet studies in what Barry Wellman and Bernie Hogan identify as “the third age” of Internet Studies – and what Heidi Campbell and Mia Lövheim identify as “the third wave” of work in Digital Religion (as a subdomain of Internet Studies) – continues from the earliest work in CMC a focus on community, along with more interdisciplinary / longitudinal studies.
From the overview Bill Dutton and I took away from our special issue of new media and society – from among several patterns we described, I further highlighted the increasing prominence of critical studies as grounded, e.g., in political economy approaches, including a thread of attention to how far autonomy, empowerment (of citizens, not simply consumers), gender equality, etc. are indeed fostered via Internet-facilitated communications, where these communications take place in almost entirely commercialized spaces aimed at commodification and self-commodification.
A good part of this is extended and developed by Panayiota Tsatsou, who argues for a research agenda focusing on:
*1. *the concept of *agency* (versus structure) and the question of whether agency in relation to the Internet derives from social or systemic/structural actors and factors;
*2. *the concept of *power* and the question of *who owns power and the implications of power relationships and dynamics *for Internet development and effects;
*3. *the concept of *identity* and the question of *whether the Internet has an identity and, accordingly, the Internet’s implications for user identity*. (2014, 216)
I then suggested that Campbell and Lövheim’s account of an emerging “fourth wave” of work in Digital Religion might be a suggestive analogue for how Internet Studies will continue to unfold, as including:
1. further refinement and development of *methodological – and, I [Ess - but also Tsatsou] would add, ethical -* approaches, as well as the creation of *typologies* for *categorization* and *interpretation* purposes.
2. *longitudinal* studies on *the / relationship between the online–offline contexts*
3. reflection on the *social and institutional implication*s of practicing religion online
4. what impact, if any, this will have on the *construction of identity, community, authority and authenticity* in wider culture.
Again, matters of identity, agency, relationship, community, and power come to the fore here.
All of this inspired an effort to try to encapsulate these various insights into something of a heuristic for Internet Studies - a first response to the question of "What is it"? and/or the question, as nicely put by Tiago Lapa (ISCTE-IUL), "What glues Internet Studies together?". I offer the following as something of a draft - not intended to be exhaustive or complete, but something of a starting point, for the sake of asking AoIRists: what would you add and/or correct?
==
Drawing on disciplines throughout the natural sciences, social sciences, and the humanities, Internet Studies explores Internet-facilitated human (and machine) communication with characteristic (but not exclusive) focus on how identity, agency, relationship, community, and power interact with the affordances of Internet-based communication technologies, often with a careful view towards larger ethical, social, political, cultural, economic, legal, and other human contexts. Internet Studies further includes meta-theoretical development and refinement of various research methodologies; specific attention to the ethical challenges and possible resolutions to these challenges that arise in the course of such research; and the histories of the Internet, including web history as a domain in its own right.
==
Many thanks in advance,
- charles ess
-- Professor in Media Studies Department of Media and Communication University of Oslo
Director, Centre for Research in Media Innovations (CeRMI) Editor, The Journal of Media Innovations <https://www.journals.uio.no/index.php/TJMI/> President, INSEIT <www.inseit.net>
Postboks 1093 Blindern 0317 Oslo, Norway c.m.ess@media.uio.no _______________________________________________ The Air-L@listserv.aoir.org mailing list is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at: http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org
Join the Association of Internet Researchers: http://www.aoir.org/ _______________________________________________ The Air-L@listserv.aoir.org mailing list is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at: http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org
Join the Association of Internet Researchers: http://www.aoir.org/
participants (3)
-
Amanda Lagerkvist -
Charles Ess -
Heinz, Lisa