Portable Communities: The Social Dynamics of Online and Mobile Connectedness

by Chayko, Mary

• ISBN13: 9780791476000
• ISBN10: 0791476006
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-10-09
• Publisher: State Univ of New York Pr

Summary

In contemporary American life, community has become a portable phenomenon-you can "get it to go" wherever and whenever it is desired at the push of a button, mouse, or keyboard. 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. Book jacket.

Author Biography

Mary Chayko is Professor of Sociology at the College of Saint Elizabeth and the author of Connecting: How We Form Social Bonds and Communities in the Internet Age, also published by SUNY Press

Table of Contents

Introduction: The Internet, Mobile Phones, and Community
The Portability of Social Connectedness	p. 3
Internal Dynamics: Inside the Portable Community
Thinking in Tandem: Cognitive Connectedness	p. 17
The Cognitive "Face" of the Community	p. 18
Sociomental Space	p. 22
Cognitive Resonance	p. 25
Stories and Collective Memories	p. 31
Proximity, Presence, and Reality	p. 37
Feeling Connected: Emotionality and Intimacy	p. 43
Friendship and Intimacy	p. 44
Trust and Social Support	p. 51
Happiness and Hostility: The Moderation of Moods and Behavior	p. 56
Playing Around: Fun, Games, and Hanging Out	p. 63
Games	p. 64
Just "Hanging Out"	p. 69
Playful Talk: Humor, Gossip, and Flirting	p. 73
The Seductive Allure of Fun	p. 78
Social Networking: Convenience, Practicality, and Sociability	p. 87
Sociability	p. 88
Convenience	p. 93
Dating, Romance, and Sex	p. 97
Learning, Working, and Getting Things Done	p. 101
External Dynamics: The Portable Community in the Society
Being There: Constant Availability	p. 113
Comfort and Companionship	p. 114
Emergencies	p. 120
Anxiety, Apprehension, and Overload	p. 124
The Impact on Privacy	p. 130
Harnessing Social Interaction: The Control of Time, Space, and People	p. 141
Where, When, and Whether We Interact	p. 142
Technology-Based Strategies for Interaction	p. 145
Spontaneity and Social Interaction	p. 155
Creating, Expressing, and Extending the Self (and Watching Others Do So)	p. 159
Socialization in a Technological Age	p. 160
The Making and Remaking of the Self	p. 166
Voyeurism, Watching, and Lurking	p. 173
Multitasking and the "Hyperlinking" of Identity	p. 178
Shaping the Social Landscape: Equalities, Inequalities, Possibilities	p. 183
Technological Divides and Power Differentials	p. 184
Old Problems, New Angles	p. 186
Agency and Activism: Mobilizing for Social Change	p. 191
A Look Ahead	p. 197
Acknowledgments	p. 203
The Methodology	p. 205
Profiles of Interview Subjects	p. 215
Notes	p. 233
References	p. 255
Index	p. 291
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