Information Age: Internet & Society
GSOC 5115/ Spring 2011
Prof. Eiko Ikegami
Wednesday, 4-6pm
Course Description:
The Internet has critically altered our ways of connecting with other people. This course
intends to explore how the ongoing development of communication and information
technologies is embedded in myriad social/cultural institutions and social processes. The
topics include; theories of networked society, internet and social capital, civil society and
democracy, cyber-economy and globalization, and 3D virtual worlds. The goal of this
seminar is to help students to create their own research projects in this
increasingly important site of sociological research.
Course Requirements
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Regular attendance and active participation in class discussions
Class presentations (2 per person)
Four memos on weekly readings; they should be submitted before the assigned
class. (2 pages max)
A Final paper on Social Networking Comparisons and Analysis
Social Networking Comparisons and Analysis:
It is assumed that most students are already users of social networking sites (SNS) and
media outlets such as Facebook, Twitter and the like. In order to capitalize on this
existing SNS familiarity, while also creating opportunities for productive sociological
analysis, students in this course are asked to join other SNS outlets, particularly those that
differ in form or function from sites you already belong to. For example, if you are an
avid Twitter user, creating a Tumblr account focused on images and video may provide a
different SNS experience. Suggestions for potential SNS resources are listed below.
The goal of this exercise is to push students to develop the ability to critically engage
with social networking resources and behaviors that are becoming increasingly routine.
Students will be asked to submit a short (5-7 page) critical analysis of their comparative
experiences at the end of the course. Students are encouraged to keep a journal of their
experiences to make this end-of-semester reflection easier.
All students are also expected to create personal accounts in Second Life.
SNS Suggestions/Examples:
Tumblr - General. Micro-blogging, RSS, Highly Customizable
deviantART – Art Community
Facebook – General
Flickr - Photo Sharing, Commenting, Photography Related Networking
Twitter - General. Micro-blogging, RSS
LinkedIn – Business and Professional Networking Similar to Facebook
Delicious - Social Bookmarking
CiteULike – Social Bookmarking of Academic Papers
NOTE: In the interest of protecting students’ privacy and encouraging SNS exploration
that is personally relevant and stimulating, students will not be required to share SNS
content or information beyond what they are comfortable sharing. However, they will be
expected to share their experiences by way of reflection and analysis.
Readings and Class Schedule
January 26 – First Class, Introductions
February 2 – Guest Speaker: Goubin Yang
Yang, Guobin. 2009. The Power of the Internet in China: Citizen Activism Online. New
York, NY: Columbia University Press
February 9 – Internet and Network Analysis
DiMaggio, P., et al. “Social implications of the Internet.” Annual Review of Sociology
(2001) vol. 27 pp. 307-336
Lin, N. “Building a Network Theory of Social Capital.” Connections. (1999) vol. 22 (1).
pp. 28-51
Pachucki and Breiger. “Cultural Holes: Beyond Relationality in Social Networks and
Culture.” Annual Review of Sociology (2010).
February 16 – No Class: (The Instructor is giving a public lecture at Stanford)
!!Make up class, Feb 21 Monday, at Second Life:
Discussion Session on Internet and SNS Research.
Suggested Reading: Internet and Inequality
Susan Halford and Mike Savage. Reconceptualizing digital social inequality.
Information, Communication & Society, 13(7):937-955, 2010.
Selwyn. “Reconsidering Political and Popular Understandings of the Digital Divide.”
New Media & Society (2004) vol. 6 (3) pp. 341-362
van Deursen and van Dijk. “Internet Skills and the Digital Divide.” New Media & Society
(2010)
Rodino-Colocino. Laboring under the digital divide. New Media & Society (2006) vol. 8
(3) pp. 487
Sassi. “Cultural differentiation or social segregation? Four approaches to the digital
divide.” New Media & Society (2005) vol. 7 (5) pp. 684
Gunkel. “Second thoughts: toward a critique of the digital divide.” New Media & Society
(2003) vol. 5 (4) pp. 499
February 23 – Internet and Social Change #1
Walder, Andrew. 2009. “Political Sociology and Social Movements.” Annual Review of
Sociology 35: Pp. 393-412.
Rolfe, B. “Building an Electronic Repertoire of Contention.” Social Movement Studies
(2005) vol. 4 (1) pp. 65-74.
Breindl, Y. “Critique of the Democratic Potentials of the Internet: A Review of Current
Theory and Practice.” tripleC-Cognition (2010) vol. 8 (1) pp. 43-59.
Suggested Further Reading:
Van Laer and Van Aelst. “Cyber-protest and civil society: the Internet and action
repertoires in social movements.” In Yvonne Jewkes and Majid Yar (Eds.)
Handbook of Internet Crime. London: Willan Publishing. (2010)
Earl. “Pursuing Social Change Online: The Use Of Four Protest Tactics On The
Internet.” Social Science Computer Review (2006) vol. 24 (3) pp. 362
Ducheneaut et al. “Virtual “Third Places”: A Case Study Of Sociability In Massively
Multiplayer Games.” Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) (2007)
vol. 16 (1) pp. 129-166
Walker. “Digital Design In Social Action Settings: A Review Through A Sociotechnical
Lens.” Paper presented at Prato CIRN 2008 Community Informatics Conference
(2008)
Carroll and Hackett. “Democratic Media Activism Through The Lens Of Social
Movement Theory.” Media, Culture & Society (2006) vol. 28 (1) pp. 83-104
March 2 – Internet and Social Change #2
Kahn And Kellner. “New Media And Internet Activism: From The 'Battle Of Seattle' To
Blogging.” New Media & Society (2004) Vol. 6 (1) Pp. 87
Russell. “Myth And The Zapatista Movement: Exploring A Network Identity.” New
Media & Society (2005) Vol. 7 (4) Pp. 559
Neumayer and Raffl. “Facebook for Global Protest. The Potential and Limits of Social
Software for Grassroots Activism.” Paper presented at Prato CIRN 2008
Community Informatics Conference. (2008).
Underwood and Welser. “'The Internet is Here': Emergent Coordination and Innovation
of Protest Forms in Digital Culture.” Paper presented at iConferece 2011.
http://oak.cats.ohiou.edu/~welser/Underwood.Welser.2011.pdf
Maynor, J. W. (2009). "Blogging for democracy: deliberation, autonomy, and reasonableness in
the blogosphere." Critical Review of International Social and Political Philosophy
(CRISPP) 12(3): 443-468.
Suggested Further Reading:
Blodgett. “And The Ringleaders Were Banned: An Examination Of Protest In Virtual
Worlds.” Proceedings Of The Fourth International Conference On Communities
And Technologies (2009) Pp. 135-144
Hollenbeck And Zinkhan. “Consumer Activism On The Internet: The Role Of AntiBrand Communities.” Advances In Consumer Research. Vol. 33. (2006)
Wall. “Social Movements And Email: Expressions Of Online Identity In The
Globalization Protests.” New Media & Society (2007) Vol. 9 (2) Pp. 258
Carty And Onyett. “Protest, Cyberactivism And New Social Movements: The
Reemergence Of The Peace Movement Post 9/11.” Social Movement Studies
(2006) Vol. 5 (3) Pp. 229-249
Clark And Themudo. “Linking The Web And The Street: Internet-Based.” World
Development (2006) Vol. 34 (1) Pp. 50-74
Stein. “Social Movement Web Use In Theory And Practice: A Content Analysis Of US
Movement Websites.” New Media & Society (2009) Vol. 11 (5) Pp. 749-771
March 9 – MMORPGs and 3D Worlds: Beyond Gaming
Bray and Konsynski. “Virtual Worlds: Multi-Disciplinary Research Opportunities.” ACM
SIGMIS Database (2007) vol. 38 (4) pp. 25
Moore et al. “From 3D Space to Third Place: The Social Life of Small Virtual Spaces.”
Human Organization (2009) vol. 68 (2) pp. 230-240
Harris et al. “The Evolution Of Social Behavior Over Time In Second Life.” Presence:
Teleoperators and Virtual Environments (2009) vol. 18 (6) pp. 434-448
Stromer-Galley and Martey. “Visual Spaces, Norm Governed Places: The Influence Of
Spatial Context Online.” New Media & Society (2009) vol. 11 (6) pp. 1041
Suggested Further Reading:
Ducheneaut and Moore. “The Social Side Of Gaming: A Study Of Interaction Patterns In
A Massively Multiplayer Online Game.” Proceedings Of The 2004 ACM
Conference On Computer Supported Cooperative Work (2004) pp. 360-369
Steinkuehler. “The New Third Place: Massively Multiplayer Online Gaming In American
Youth Culture.” Tidskrift för lärarutbildning och forskning nr 3 2005 årgång 12
pp. 17
Bradley and Froomkin. “Virtual Worlds, Real Rules.” New York Law School Law Review
(2004) vol. 49 pp. 103
Lehdonvirta, V. (2010). "Online Spaces Have Material Culture: Goodbye To Digital
Postmaterialism And Hello To Virtual Consumption." Media, Culture & Society
32(6): 883–889
March 16 –Spring Break
March 23 Subcultures and Digital Cultures
Wilson and Atkinson. “Rave And Straightedge, The Virtual And The Real: Exploring
Online And Offline Experiences In Canadian Youth Subcultures.” Youth &
Society (2005) vol. 36 (3) pp. 276
McArthur, J. A. (2009). "Digital Subculture: A Geek Meaning of Style." Journal of
Communication Inquiry 33(1): 58-70.
Schultz, S. (2008). "Anonymous vs. Scientology: A Case Study of Digital Media." Idea
Lab: Community News for the Digital Age. Retrieved 11 December 2010, 2010,
from http://www.pbs.org/idealab/2008/02/anonymous-vs-scientology-a-casestudy-of-digital-media005.html
Singel, R. (2010) Pro-WikiLeaks Attacks Sputter After Counterattacks, Dissent Overt
Tactics. Wired Magazine (12 December, 2010). From:
http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2010/12/wikileaks-attacks-sputter/
Katayama, L. (2010). "Meet Hiroyuki Nishimura, the Bad Boy of the Japanese Internet."
Wired Magazine 16(6): 1-7. URL:
http://www.wired.com/techbiz/people/magazine/1606/mf_hiroyuki?currentPage=all
March 30 –Identity in 3D Virtual Worlds
T. Boellstorff. Coming of Age in Second Life. (selections)
W. S. Bainbridge. The Warcraft Civilization (p. 1-79)
April 6: - Identities of the Internet and Identity Construction on the Internet.
Brown, J. J., Jr. (2008). "From Friday To Sunday: The Hacker Ethic And Shifting
Notions Of Labour, Leisure And Intellectual Property." Leisure Studies 27(4):
395-409.
Westlake, E. J. (2008). "Friend Me if You Facebook: Generation Y and Performative
Surveillance." TDR: The Drama Review 52(20): 21-40.
Hardey, M. (2002). "Life Beyond The Screen: Embodiment And Identity Through The
Internet." The Sociological Review 50(4): 570-585.
Zhao, S., S. Grasmuck, et al. (2008). "Identity Construction on Facebook: Digital
Empowerment in Anchored Relationships." Computers in Human Behavior 24(5):
1816-1836.
Boyd, d. a. J. H. (2006). "Profiles as Conversation: Networked Identity Performance on
Friendster." Proceedings of the Hawaii International Conference on System
Sciences (Persistent Conversation Track,).
April 13 – The Internet in Local Contexts: Case Study of Japan
Ishii, K. (2006). "Implications of Mobility: The Uses of Personal Communication Media
in Everyday Life." 365.
Ishii, K. and M. Ogasahara (2007). "Links between Real and Virtual Networks: A
Comparative Study of Online Communities in Japan and Korea."
CyberPsychology & Behavior 10(2): 252-257.
Kobayashi, T. (2010). "Bridging Social Capital in Online Communities: Heterogeneity
and Social Tolerance of Online Game Players in Japan." Human Communication
Research 36(4): 546-569.
Takahashi, T. (2010). "MySpace or Mixi? Japanese engagement with SNS (social
networking sites) in the global age." New Media & Society 12(3): 453-475.
Ozawa-De Silva, C. (2010). "Shared Death: Self, Sociality and Internet Group Suicide in
Japan." Transcultural psychiatry.
Salzberg, C. (2008). "Caught in the Web." J@pan Inc.(82): 37-40.
April 20 - Case study of Korea and other East Asian societies
Herz, J. (2002). "The bandwidth capital of the world." Wired Magazine 10(08).
Fulford, B. (2003). "Korea's Weird Wired World." Forbes 172(2): 92-94.
Jung, J.-Y., Y.-C. Kim, et al. (2005). "The Influence of Social Environment on Internet
Connectedness of Adolescents in Seoul, Singapore and Taipei." New Media &
Society 7(1): 64-88.
Chung, J. (2008). "Comparing Online Activities in China and South Korea: The Internet
and the Political Regime." Asian Survey 48(5)727-751.
Chang, W.-Y. (2005). "Online Civic Participation, and Political Empowerment: Online
Media and Public Opinion Formation in Korea." Media, Culture & Society 27(6):
925-935.
April 27 –Student Presentations
May 4 –Student Presentations
May 11 - No Class: Final Paper Due