[Air-L] New Book

Robyn Longhurst robyn.longhurst at waikato.ac.nz
Wed Nov 2 14:10:24 PDT 2016


Hi everyone

A few years ago when I began researching this book I asked list members for
suggestions on existing work on Skype and was generously steered in a
number of productive directions. Many thanks for this.

I thought, therefore that some of you may be interested in the resulting
book (even though I am a cultural and social geographer by training rather
than an internet researcher).

Skype: Bodies, Screens, Space

For more information see:
https://www.amazon.com/Skype-Bodies-Screens-Robyn-Longhurst/dp/1472434544

About the book:
Despite the popularity of Skype with video many of us are still figuring
out how to ‘do’ it. Interviews reveal that we can now run the programme but
we are less certain about how to ‘perform’ in front of the webcam. Seeing
ourselves in the box on the side can feel strange. We are not quite sure
which bits of our bodies to display on the screen, how much to move around
the room, or move the device around the room. Is it acceptable to use Skype
with video at a funeral, in crowded spaces or while in bed? This book
addresses how people are emotionally and affectually connecting with others
audio-synchronously on the screen in a variety of different spatial
contexts. Topics include Skype with video being used by grandparents to
connect with grandchildren, friends and family using it for special
occasions, and partners using it for romance and sex. Theories addressing
bodies, gender, queerness, phenomenology and orientation inform the
research. It concludes that while Skype does not offer some kind of utopian
future, it does open up possibilities for existing power relations to be
filtered through new lines of sight/site which are shaping what bodies can
do and where.

Best wishes

Robyn Longhurst



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