Social media freaks : digital identity in the network society Machine generated contents note: Section 1: The Story behind Social Media Introduction Chapter 1: Social Media and the Network Society Chapter 2: The Social Structure of Social Media Section 2: Case Studies of Identity and Inequality in Social Media Introduction Chapter 3: Black Lives Matter: Racial Perspectives on Social Media Chapter 4: Disabling a Meme: Disability Perspectives on Social Media Chapter 5: Occupy Wall Street: Class Perspectives on Social Media Chapter 6: GamerGate: Gender Perspectives on Social Media Chapter 7: Leave Britney Alone: Sexuality Perspectives on Social Media Chapter 8: Call Me Cait: Trans Perspectives on Social Media Section 3: The Possibilities and Pitfalls of Social Media Introduction Chapter 9: Social Media Toolbox Chapter 10: Conclusion: A Social Media Revolution Social media has been transforming American and global cultural life for over a decade. It has flattened the divide between producer and audience found in other forms of culture while also enriching some massive corporations. At the core of Social Media Freaks is the question: Does social media reproduce inequalities or is it a tool for subverting them Social Media Freaks presents a virtual ethnography of social media focusing on issues of identity and inequality along five dimensions race class gender sexuality and disability. It presents original and secondary findings while also utilizing social theory to explain the dynamics of social media. It teaches readers how to engage social media as a tool for social activism while also examining the limits of social medias value in the quest for social change