Brauer, Christopher. 2011. Netmodern: Interventions in Digital Sociology. Doctoral thesis, Goldsmiths, University of London [Thesis]

Preview

Text SOC_thesis_Brauer_2011.pdf - Accepted Version Download (4MB) | Preview

Abstract or Description

The techno-economic grid of the Internet looks set to fulfil its autopoietic potentials as a global and multi-dimensionally immersive knowledge and memory archival network. This research project moves through a series of Digital Sociology case studies that mimic the changes in paradigms of the WWW from 2005-2010 in the forms of Web 1.0 to 2.0 and beyond to augmented reality and the cloud. Netmodern social theory is an emergent and speculative product of the research findings of this thesis and the subjective experiences of the researcher in experiencing and explaining digital realities in the research. All of the case studies employ practice-based approaches of original investigation through digital interventions completely immersed in particular waves of innovation and change. The role of the researcher shifts from administrator to mediator and observer as the very fabric of the social web transforms and evolves. The suggestion of the research findings is that you need to actually look at everything differently in order to study the research objects of emergent social agency and forms in digital media. Existing forms of critical analysis and methodological frameworks, particularly those concerned with conceptual models of media literacy or collective intelligence are insufficient as explanatory methods. Studying media literacy is most concerned with ‘how’ we create and interact in online social life beyond issues of simple accessibility. The focus of collective intelligence research is ‘what’ knowledge is available for interaction and a canvas for relationships between agency and knowledge forms. All of the case studies in this research project speak to and critique the intersections and relationships of emergent social agency and forms prevalent in Digital Sociology. The collective case studies explore online academic communities (BlogScholar), agency and popularity in the Twitter social network (Twae) and a variety of representations of collective intelligence in action (Web 2.0 cases studies). The research results suggest that the Internet is not so much intersecting with as it is being culture, economy, and technology.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Keywords:	digital sociology, computing, social science, internet, social media, web, mobile, interventions, digital, sociology, twitter, content management, wikileaks, gold farming, cloud computing, crowdsourcing, netmodern, quantum sociology, critical realism, media literacy, collective intelligence
Departments, Centres and Research Units:	Sociology
Date:	23 March 2011
Item ID:	6392
Date Deposited:	09 Jan 2012 13:57
Last Modified:	08 Sep 2022 10:31
URI:	https://research.gold.ac.uk/id/eprint/6392

View statistics for this item...

Edit Record (login required)