The Social Media Age - Paperback

by Zoetanya Sujon (Author)

Exploring power and participation in a connected world.

Social media are all around us. For many, they are the first things to look at upon waking and the last thing to do before sleeping. Integrated seamlessly into our private and public lives, they entertain, inform, connect (and sometimes disconnect) us.

They're more than just social though. In addition to our experiences as everyday users, understanding social media also means asking questions about our society, our culture and our economy. What we find is dense connections between platform infrastructures and our experience of the social, shaped by power, shifting patterns of participation, and a widening ideology of connection.

This book introduces and examines the full scope of social media. From the social to the technological, from the everyday to platform industries, from the personal to the political. It brings together the key concepts, theories and research necessary for making sense of the meanings and consequences of social media, both hopefully and critically.

Dr Zoetanya Sujon is a Senior Lecturer and Programme Director for Communications and Media at London College of Communication, University of the Arts London.

Author Biography

Dr Zoetanya Sujon is a Senior Lecturer and the Programme Director for Communications and Media courses at London College of Communication (LCC), University of the Arts London. Before joining LCC in 2018, Zoetanya was a Senior Lecturer in Media and Communications at Regent's University London (2010-2018) and lecturer/Fellow in Media and Communications at the London School of Economics and Political Science where she completed her PhD.

Originally trained as a sociologist, Zoetanya draws from an interdisciplinary lens to address the relationships between new technologies and social life, particularly as related to everyday political and social life. Currently, these interests are based around four themes: social media, technologies and platform politics; the intersections between dataveillance, privacy and sharing culture; innovation and emerging technologies; and the impact of digital media on changing skill sets and digital literacies.

Zoetanya has published in leading media journals such as New Media and Society, Social Media + Society, and the International Journal of Communication. Zoetanya also currently serves on the programme committee for the international conference on Social Media and Society, and is on the editorial board for Digital Culture and Education.