This anthology uses in-depth interdisciplinary case studies from across the globe to examine the practice and concept of microcelebrity. Taking account of highly contextualized cultural settings and social histories, the chapters present scholarly interpretations of microcelebrity as it has proliferated and diverged in global social media networks.

This anthology uses in-depth interdisciplinary case studies from across the globe to examine the practice and concept of microcelebrity. Taking account of highly contextualized cultural settings and social histories, the chapters present scholarly interpretations of microcelebrity as it has proliferated and diverged in global social media networks.

This anthology uses in-depth interdisciplinary case studies from across the globe to examine the practice and concept of microcelebrity. Taking account of highly contextualized cultural settings and social histories, the chapters present scholarly interpretations of microcelebrity as it has proliferated and diverged in global social media networks.

This book presents a framework for thinking about different forms of internet celebrity that have emerged in the last decade. Through cross-cultural case studies, the book offers a brief history of internet celebrity; analysis on recent developments in the industry; and commentary on emergent trends.

This book is a critical and ethnographic study of camgirls: women who broadcast themselves over the web for the general public while trying to cultivate a measure of celebrity in the process. The book's over-arching question is, «What does it mean for feminists to speak about the personal as political in a networked society that encourages women to 'represent' through confession, celebrity, and sexual display, but punishes too much visibility with conservative censure and backlash?» The narrative follows that of the camgirl phenomenon, beginning with the earliest experiments in personal homecamming and ending with the newest forms of identity and community being articulated through social networking sites like Live Journal, YouTube, MySpace, and Facebook. It is grounded in interviews, performance analysis of events transpiring between camgirls and their viewers, and the author's own experiences as an ersatz camgirl while conducting the research.

Launched in 2007, tumblr became a safe haven for LGBT youth, social justice movements, and a counseling station for mental health issues. For a decade, this micro-blogging platform had more users than either Twitter or Snapchat, but it remained an obscure subculture for nonusers. Katrin Tiidenberg, Natalie Ann Hendry, and Crystal Abidin offer the first systematic guide to tumblr and its crucial role in shaping internet culture. Drawing on a decade of qualitative data, they trace the prominent social media practices of creativity, curation, and community-making, and reveal tumblr’s cultlike appeal and position in the social media ecosystem. The book demonstrates how diverse cultures can – in felt and imagined silos - coexist on a single platform and how destructive recent trends in platform governance are. The concept of “silosociality” is introduced to critically re-think social media, interrogate what kinds of sociality it affords, and what (unintended) consequences arise. This book is an essential resource for students and scholars of media and communication, as well as anyone interested in an influential but overlooked platform.

Images of faces, bodies, selves and digital subjectivities abound on new media platforms like Snapchat, Instagram, YouTube, and others-these images represent our new way of being online and of becoming socially mediated. Although researchers are examining digital embodiment, digital representations, and visual vernaculars as a mode of identity performance and management online, there exists no cohesive collection that compiles all these contemporary philosophies into one reader for use in graduate level classrooms or for scholars studying the field. The rationale for this book is to produce a scholarly fulcrum that pulls together scholars from disparate fields of inquiry in the humanities doing work on the common theme of the socially mediated body. The chapters in Mediated Interfaces: The Body on Social Media represent a diverse list of contributors in terms of author representation, inclusivity of theoretical frameworks of analysis, and geographic reach of empirical work. Divided into three sections representing three dominant paradigms on the socially mediated body: representation, presentation, and embodiment, the book provides classic, creative, and contemporary reworkings of these paradigms.

Instagram is at the heart of global digital culture, having made selfies, filters and square frames an inescapable part of everyday life since it was launched in 2010. In the first book-length examination of Instagram, Tama Leaver, Tim Highfield and Crystal Abidin trace how this quintessential mobile photography app has developed as a platform and a culture. They consider aspects such as the new visual social media aesthetics, the rise of Influencers and new visual economies, and the complex politics of the platform as well as examining how Instagram's users change their use of the platform over time and respond to evolving features. The book highlights the different ways Instagram is used by subcultural groups around the world, and how museums, restaurants and public spaces are striving to be 'Insta-worthy'. Far from just capturing milestones and moments, the authors argue that Instagram has altered the ways people communicate and share, while also creating new approaches to marketing, advertising, politics and the design of spaces and venues. Rich with grounded examples from across the world, from birth pictures to selfies at funerals, Instagram is essential reading for students and scholars of media and communication.

Ensuring current and future architecture is both successfully and sustainably produced is critical for cities and communities to not only survive but thrive. Additionally, improving built environment practices is necessary to protect the world as well as its various populations. Further study on the current challenges and future directions of sustainable architecture is required in order to create a stronger, healthier society. The Handbook of Research on Issues, Challenges, and Opportunities in Sustainable Architecture discusses the role of architecture and the built environment on communities, ecology, and society; relevant issues related to the production of sustainable built environments; and the socio-cultural integration aspects of innovative architectural designs in urban settings. The book also addresses heritage practices, responses to climate action, and technology applications. Covering key topics such as energy efficiency, urban green spaces, and sustainable solutions, this reference work is ideal for policymakers, architects, industry professionals, researchers, scholars, academicians, practitioners, instructors, and students.