The culture of connectivity a critical history of social media

Abstract

A C K N O W L E D G M E N T S For academics in the humanities, writing a book used to be a pretty isolated activity, the author spending hours, days, weeks in virtual isolation in archives and libraries or sitting behind a desk. Over the past decade, writ- ing has become an intensely social venture at all stages of the process: researching, archiving, communicating ideas, contacting sources, and, of course, endless chatting over different kinds of online media. Research never stops and writing happens everywhere; it fills all pockets of time and space. Writing a critical history of social media is bound to be an endless, dynamic adventure. Every time I look at my screen, the world of social net- working and online sociality has changed and begs to be reinterpreted. There are two reasons to pause and put a full stop to this infinite stream of information, even if the halt is wistfully provisional. First, you realize that another tweaked interface or new app is not going to solve the world’s real problems or change the basics of the history you have already assembled. Second, you find yourself doing more socializing online than offline, even inside your house or office. This book was written in continuous conversation with many people on three continents, and listing them all would mean adding another chapter. Therefore, I would like to thank a few people who have given this book an extra dimension or made its production possible. After I served a term as a dean, it was a real treat to spend a sabbatical doing research. I am grateful to my employer, the University of Amsterdam, for allowing me precious time off from administration and teaching. Thanks to Liduine Bremer and the support staff at the Bungehuis for keeping me sane during the hectic years of my deanship. My colleagues in the Department of Media Studies are the best academic home to return to after serving years of duty: Patricia Pisters, Richard Rogers, Christoph Lindner, Jeroen de Kloet, Julia Noorde- graaf, and Theo Thomassen. A special thanks to my longtime colleague Frank van Vree, who has graciously taken over the dean’s desk. The first draft of this book was written in California; as always, Santa Cruz has proven to be a locus of inspiration, not just because it is close to Silicon Valley, but because of the many friends making life social: thanks to Craig, Woutje, Mary Ellen, Katherine, Paul, Linda, Karen, and Quentin; and to Dan and Lynn for a wonderful housing exchange. The second draft of this book owes much of its sculpting to Australia, where I spent three months as a Distinguished Visiting Professor at the University of Technol- ogy in Sydney. I would like to thank Dean Theo van Leeuwen and Catriona Bonfiglioli for their perfect hospitality. Many ideas in this book have drawn on discussions with students and staff at UTS, and these debates were an impetus to revise the arguments presented in these chapters. A special word of thanks to Bert Bardoel and Caroline Spaans, whose friendship turned Sydney into one of the warmest and most comfortable places on earth. To all members of DutchLink who attended my presentation on social media and engaged in heated debates afterward, both online and offline: your contributions are greatly appreciated! Back in my native habitat, I count myself lucky to work with so many smart and enthusiastic graduate students. A special word of thanks to Sab- ine Niederer, with whom I coauthored an article on Wikipedia, and to David Nieborg for coproducing an article on Wikinomics; both articles have been published by New Media & Society and have served as input for chapter 7. I want to express my deep gratitude to the collaborators in our research group on social media at universities in Amsterdam and Utrecht: Eggo Muller, Mirko Schaefer, William Uricchio, Ginette Verstraete, Thomas Poell, and David Nieborg. Thomas and David, I owe you both for being such sup- portive and critical readers of the first and second versions of the manu- script. Without your insightful comments, this book would have resembled a collection of tweets. The same holds for the three anonymous referees of this manuscript: their perceptive comments and critical remarks were extremely helpful and have led to substantial revisions. I would like to pledge allegiance to the academic peer review system: without the elaborate comments and high-quality work of many scholars in response to articles and chapters writ- ten in preparation for this manuscript, there would have been no book. Books may soon be a relic of the past, but in whatever material form they survive, I hope publishers will sustain their support for this archaic format of sentences, paragraphs, and chapters, if only to remind students that there are cultural forms requiring a longer attention span than tweets, entries, and blog posts. With the much-appreciated help from my friend and colleague Karin Bijsterveld, I found a true believer in books at Oxford University Press. Norman Hirschy has been the most dedicated editor an author could probably wish for. His encouraging words and alert e-mails Acknowledgments [ ix ] turned this process into a smooth ride. Richard Isomaki has proven to be a superb editor with a keen eye for detail. What makes writing a book a truly social experience, though, are the emphatic responses of loved ones. It is not the first time that Ton has put his superb editorial skills and keen criticism at the service of one of my projects. I am greatly indebted to his generosity and loving partnership. This book is dedicated to my three sisters, who made my life “social” long before online media began to introduce the practices of friending and shar- ing. Loes, Bernadet, and Kitty: you are my role models of courage and san- ity; our genetic bond is one of the great gifts of my everyday life.