Communicating with the Techno-generalized Other: The Rise of the Micro-Self through Restricted Internet-based Interactions

• In Event: 338 - Section on Communication and Information Technologies Roundtables (one-hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable: Table 02.

Abstract

The prevalence of social networks and media are reshaping how and when people communicate with one another. Social media has the capability of being infused within users’ lives because they are available on a wide range of electronic devices that individuals can readily access. The interactions that are being facilitated by social media are also partially defined by the structure of the media itself. Interactions are the settings through which individuals come to create and maintain their identities. The self emerges in relation to others, but in the case of microblogs such as Twitter, Tumblr, and Instagram, these relations become limited, leading to the formation of a “micro-self” within these contexts.

Author

• Christopher Quiroz, University of Notre Dame