[Air-L] New media and public vs. private space

[Keith Hampton]

Holly,

I have a paper forthcoming in JoC (early 2010) that explores the relationship between privatism and public spaces. Title and abstract below, you can download a draft copy here: http://www.mysocialnetwork.net/downloads/wifipublic-knh33-dist.pdf

Title: The Social Life of Wireless Urban Spaces: Internet Use, Social Networks, and the Public Realm

Authors: Keith N Hampton, Oren Livio, Lauren F. Sessions

Abstract:
In recent years, changes to the structure of people's social networks, the mass media, and urban public spaces may represent a confluence of social trends that constrain exposure to diverse issues, ideas, and opinions in the public sphere. Technological change that influences how we maintain social networks, access information, and use public spaces may advance or hinder this existing trend. This study examines one such technological change: the impact of wireless Internet use (wi-fi) on urban public spaces, wi-fi users, and others who inhabit these spaces. Through extensive observations of seven parks, plazas, and markets in four North American cities, and surveys of laptop users in those sites, we explore how this new technology is related to processes of social interaction, privatism, and democratic participation. Findings reveal that wi-fi use within urban spaces affords interactions with existing acquaintances that are more diverse than those associated with mobile phone use. However, the level of social diversity to which wi-fi users are exposed is less than that of most users of these spaces. Although urban public spaces are not a public realm for wi-fi users, the activities in which they engage do contribute to broader participation in the public sphere.


Best,

-Keith


 ----------------------------------------
 Keith N. Hampton
 Assistant Professor
 Annenberg School for Communication
 University of Pennsylvania
 3620 Walnut Street
 Philadelphia, PA 19104
 F: 215.898.2024
 www.mysocialnetwork.net 
 



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Message: 8
Date: Mon, 22 Jun 2009 16:21:38 -0500
From: Holly Kruse <holly-kruse at utulsa.edu>
Subject: [Air-L] New media and public vs. private space
To: "air-l at aoir.org" <air-l at aoir.org>
Message-ID: <C6656012.46FD%holly-kruse at ad.utulsa.edu>
Content-Type: text/plain;	charset="ISO-8859-1"

A query on my own behalf...

The last chapter of the book that I'm writing (I'm currently revising this chapter of the manuscript) deals with issues of private vs. public space and new media technologies.  I want to make sure that I'm not missing any key texts or insights.  Is there anything that I really must read?  I am focusing on fairly particularly on the notion of space.  TIA ?

Holly

-----
Holly Kruse
Faculty of Communication
The University of Tulsa
800 S. Tucker Drive
Tulsa, OK 74104
918-631-3845
holly-kruse at utulsa.edu or holly.kruse at gmail.com http://personal.utulsa.edu/~holly-kruse