Theorizing Online Interaction: Three Perspectives

• In Event: 3151 - Theory Section Refereed Roundtables (1 hour)
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: 4. Building Theory: Innovations and Applications – B

Abstract

How does interaction on social media differ from in-person interaction? While much work has focused on empirical outcomes of social media use, little work has theorized this interaction. In this paper, I will explore three schools of thought – pragmatism, as understood by Dubois, Cooley, and Mead; Goffmanian symbolic interactionism; and theories of the public square drawing on Mills, Habermas, Fraser, and Young – to gain insight on the social interaction that takes place on social media. First, I provide an overview of key concepts in each school of thought. I then show how each body of scholarship helps us understand online social interaction, as well as the limits of each theory. After offering my critiques I extend these theories in my discussion of three phenomena associated with online interaction: (dis)embodiment, a shift in the temporal frame, and the affordances of social media platforms leading to behavior known as ‘shitposting.’

Author

• Audra Dugandzic, University of Notre Dame