I was strangely disappointed to find out that this title by Silver (2006) wasn’t a plaintiff cry for something that didn’t exist, but rather a call to map the progress of the discipline at that time. I wonder if, ten years on, much has changed?
Another thought I had when reading this introduction section to the book was that it must be so pleasant to be at the forefront of something at the earliest stages, when you’re just knocking around ideas and forming new coalitions.
Where is internet studies? It seems to be coming on nicely, conferences, papers, academic centres, collaborations. And exciting studies too. Even ten years ago, I was interested to read that one of the chapters in the book studies the “overlaps between off- and online interactions by examing community-building practices of young Hong Kong gamers.” (ibid p11) I must get to reading that.
Also I note with interest:
“Although the origins of critical cyberculture studies rests firmly in academia, it is most fully realized when it moves beyond campus and is built, challenged and rebuilt with as many publics as possible.”
In our own way, here on MSCEDC, we’re doing that too. We’ve moved beyond the “campus” and at least potentially, by being open, we’re reaching many publics.
Silver, D (2006) “Where is internet studies?” pp1-14 in Silver, David, Adrienne Massanari, and Steve Jones. Critical Cyberculture Studies, edited by David Silver, et al., NYU Press, 2006. ProQuest Ebook Central, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ed/detail.action?docID=865350.
image: http://summit.is4is.org
