Description
Book SynopsisMany believe that our sense of community is dying as the result of our digitized world. In this book, Brooke Dunbar-Treadwell refutes this claim and presents a case that connection is thriving in online spaces as people share stories, practice vulnerability, and build communities. From memes to Reddit to Facebook, Dunbar-Treadwell offers perspectives that combine relevant scholarship with examples from her research, pop culture, and society. She addresses some of the factors that contribute to disconnection like political division and dehumanization, while also painting a picture of a society that desperately desires connection and may not always know how to find it. Ultimately, this book illustrates how community and connection have changed over time, how they are currently alive and well, while offering some important practical advice for how readers can consider their own choices in online spaces to help them find the community that they seek. Scholars of communication, media studies, and political science will find this book of particular interest.
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments
Introduction
Chapter 1: Defining Community
Chapter 2: Revolutions, Innovation, and the Evolution of Community
Chapter 3: The Hyper-personal and Connection
Chapter 4: Political Bunkers and Common Enemy Intimacy
Chapter 5: Community as a Place for Authenticity & Belonging
Chapter 6: The Case for Community in Online Spaces and Hope for the Future
References
About the Author
