Title: Portable communities : the social dynamics of online and mobile connectedness /
Authors: Chayko, Mary, 1960-
Publisher: SUNY Press,
Year: 2008
Subjects: Interpersonal communication Technological innovations Social aspects.; Mobile communication systems Social aspects.; Online social networks; Interpersonal relations; Communities.; Digital divide.
Abstract: "In Portable Communities, sociologist Mary Chayko examines the social dynamics and implications of having access to countless others at any time. Teeming with the observations of people who blog, email, instant message, game, and chat on cell phones, wireless computers, and other portable devices, the book captures the appeal and the excitement, the challenges and the complexities, of online and mobile connectedness. Chayko considers some of the external dynamics that emerge as these communities resonate within the larger society-constant availability, social interaction that is more controlled and controllable, and new opportunities for self-expression, creativity, and even voyeurism. Internal social dynamics involving emotionality, intimacy, play, romance, and networking are also fully explored. Portable Communities provides a unique view of shifts in the social landscape and points the way toward needed social and political change."--Jacket.
Contents: The portability of social connectedness -- Thinking in tandem: cognitive connectedness -- Feeling connected: emotionality and intimacy -- Playing around: fun, games, and hanging out -- Social networking: convenience, practicality, and sociability -- Being there: constant availability -- Harnessing social interaction : the control of time, space, and people -- Creating, expressing, and extending the self (and watching others do so) -- Shaping the social landscape: equalities, inequalities, possibilities.