Document details

Digital Roots: Historicizing Media and Communication Concepts of the Digital Age

Berlin; Boston: De Gruyter Oldenbourg (2021), vi, 318 pp.

Series: Studies in Digital History and Hermeneutics, 4

ISBN 978-3-11-074020-2 (pdf); 978-3-11-073988-6 (print)

CC BY-NC-ND

"As media environments and communication practices evolve over time, so do theoretical concepts. This book analyzes some of the most well-known and fiercely discussed concepts of the digital age from a historical perspective, showing how many of them have pre-digital roots and how they have changed and still are constantly changing in the digital era. Written by leading authors in media and communication studies, the chapters historicize 16 concepts that have become central in the digital media literature, focusing on three main areas. The first part, Technologies and Connections, historicises concepts like network, media convergence, multimedia, interactivity and artificial intelligence. The second one is related to Agency and Politics and explores global governance, datafication, fake news, echo chambers, digital media activism. The last one, Users and Practices, is finally devoted to telepresence, digital loneliness, amateurism, user generated content, fandom and authenticity. The book aims to shed light on how concepts emerge and are co-shaped, circulated, used and reappropriated in different contexts." (Publisher description)
Digging into Digital Roots. Towards a Conceptual Media and Communication History / Gabriele Balbi, Nelson Ribeiro, Valérie Schafer und Christian Schwarzenegger, 1
TECHNOLOGIES AND CONNECTIONS
Networks / Massimo Rospocher und Gabriele Balbi, 19
Media Convergence / John O’Sullivan und Leopoldina Fortunati, 41
Multimedia / Katie Day Good, 59
Interactivity / Benjamin Thierry, 77
Artificial Intelligence / Paolo Bory, Simone Natale und Dominique Trudel, 95
AGENCY AND POLITICS
Global Governance / Francesca Musiani und Valérie Schafer, 117
Data(fication) / Erik Koenen, Christian Schwarzenegger und Juraj Kittler, 137
Fake News / Monika Hanley und Allen Munoriyarwa, 157
Echo Chambers / Maria Löblich und Niklas Venema, 177
Digital Media Activism / Emiliano Treré und Anne Kaun, 193
USERS AND PRACTICES
Telepresence / Jérôme Bourdon, 211
Digital Loneliness / Edward Brennan, 229
Amateurism / Susan Aasman, Tim van der Heijden und Tom Slootweg, 245
User-Generated Content (UGC) / Göran Bolin, 267
Fandom / Eleonora Benecchi und Erika Wang, 281
Authenticity / Andreas Fickers, 299