- Alice Marwick is an Assistant Professor of Communication and Media Studies and the Director of the McGannon Research ... moreAlice Marwick is an Assistant Professor of Communication and Media Studies and the Director of the McGannon Research Center at Fordham University. She is affiliated faculty in the American Studies program, an academic affiliate at the Center for Law and Information Policy at Fordham Law School, and an affiliated researcher at the Data & Society Research Institute.
Her work examines the impact of the large audiences made possible by social media on individuals and communities from a social, cultural, and legal perspective. She is the author of Status Update: Celebrity, Publicity and Branding in the Social Media Age (Yale 2013), a multi-year ethnography of the San Francisco tech scene which examines how people seek online status through attention and visibility, and the impact this has on gender and social status. Current research interests include online privacy practices, the changing nature of self-presentation (selfies, micro-celebrity), and gender, feminism and social media.
Marwick was previously a postdoctoral researcher in the Social Media Collective at Microsoft Research New England. She has written for popular publications such as The New York Times, The New York Review of Books and The Guardian in addition to academic publications including Public Culture, New Media and Society, Critical Studies in Media Communication, Television and New Media and others. Alice has a PhD from the Department of Media, Culture and Communication at New York University and is a Wellesley College graduate. She likes small dogs, vintage dresses, and dystopian science fiction.edit
Based on focus group interviews, we considered how young adults’ attitudes about privacy can be reconciled with their online behavior. The “privacy paradox” suggests that young people claim to care about privacy while simultaneously... more
Based on focus group interviews, we considered how young adults’ attitudes about privacy can be reconciled with their online behavior. The “privacy paradox” suggests that young people claim to care about privacy while simultaneously providing a great deal of personal information through social media. Our interviews revealed that young adults do understand and care about the potential risks associated with disclosing information online and engage in at least some privacy-protective behaviors on social media. However, they feel that once information is shared, it is ultimately out of their control. They attribute this to the opaque practices of institutions, the technological affordances of social media, and the concept of networked privacy, which acknowledges that individuals exist in social contexts where others can and do violate their privacy.
Research Interests: Privacy and Social Media
This essay examines Instafame as a variety of microcelebrity as it exists on a particular platform, Instagram.
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Today, social network sites are a key site for public displays of connection and grieving. Mourners weigh the benefits of publicness with the problems associated with large and diverse audiences. The replicability, scalability,... more
Today, social network sites are a key site for public displays of connection and grieving. Mourners weigh the benefits of publicness with the problems associated with large and diverse audiences. The replicability, scalability, persistence, and searchability features of networked publics influence both how mourners grieve and their control over depictions of the deceased. This article analyzes a corpus of posts and comments on Facebook memorial pages (N= 37).
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This paper examines moral panics over contemporary technology, or technopanics. I use the cyberporn panic of 1996 and the contemporary panic over online predators and MySpace to demonstrate links between media coverage and content... more
This paper examines moral panics over contemporary technology, or technopanics. I use the cyberporn panic of 1996 and the contemporary panic over online predators and MySpace to demonstrate links between media coverage and content legislation. In both cases, ...
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... Recognizing the achievements and contributions of Teenangels and WiredSafety/WiredKids Executive Director Parry Aftab, in addressing the growing problem of cyberbullying ... I wanted them to search for answers using what they knew... more
... Recognizing the achievements and contributions of Teenangels and WiredSafety/WiredKids Executive Director Parry Aftab, in addressing the growing problem of cyberbullying ... I wanted them to search for answers using what they knew dovetailed with what they were learning. ...
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Four issues dominate contemporary conversations about online safety: 1) sexual solicitation; 2) harassment; 3) exposure to inappropriate content; and 4) youth-generated problematic content. This article examines the core issues in each... more
Four issues dominate contemporary conversations about online safety: 1) sexual solicitation; 2) harassment; 3) exposure to inappropriate content; and 4) youth-generated problematic content. This article examines the core issues in each before turning to think about the most significant opportunity provided by the Internet: visibility.
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The journalistic hype and institutional exuberance embracing the sudden emergence of Massively Open Online Courses (MOOCs) could easily have led to the mistaken conclusion that online learning in higher education emerged, fully formed, in... more
The journalistic hype and institutional exuberance embracing the sudden emergence of Massively Open Online Courses (MOOCs) could easily have led to the mistaken conclusion that online learning in higher education emerged, fully formed, in 2012 (Kent & Leaver, 2014; Leaver & Kent, 2014). However, there is a long history of different forms of distance education, and more recently online education, which proceeded the MOOC era. Moreover, while not necessarily using the name, yet informed by the many initial failings of MOOCs comparative to the hype (Pretz, 2014; Strauss, 2013; Yang, 2013) there are also a substantial range of different online offerings which fulfil the ostensible characteristics of MOOCs without explicitly framing themselves within that rhetoric. One such alternative is the Selfie Course, a collaboratively authored online course which, in the first instance, was crafted by twelve online educators from seven different countries producing an initial six-week course, that was then refined and expanded into a full twelve-week course during a dedicated workshop at the 2014 Association of Internet Researchers’ (AoIR) annual conference.
While not explicitly badged as an institutional MOOC, The Selfie Course nevertheless has all the characteristics of a MOOC in that it is easily (and massively) scalable, fully available online (http://www.selfieresearchers.com/the-selfie-course/), available in an open format for free, and is crafted by educators with a clear and accessible course structure. This chapter is co-authored by a number of initial writers of the six-week course, as well as one author who contributed during the AoIR workshop.
The Selfie course emerged from the Selfies Research Network, a Facebook-based discussion and research group established by Theresa Senft in early 2014, which has 2000 active members. Twelve members of this group collaborated to write a course about selfies which they could teach in various capacities in their local institutions, whilst making the content fully available online. The initial content was focused on identity; celebrity and branding; digital surveillance and biometrics; gender and sexuality; subalternity and otherness; and space, place and location specificities. The course was refined using social media and online collaborative authoring tools, and released publicly via a bespoke website. Importantly, the content was released under a Creative Commons license, explicitly encouraging reuse (far more open than many commercially-backed MOOCs).
This chapter will outline this production process in detail, as well as the differing ways the initial course played out in local contexts for the authors, as well as more broadly online. Importantly, the chapter will also outline the second phase which produced a further six weeks of the course via a workshop run at the AoIR conference, where the course was discussed, analysed, tested, critiqued, and ultimately extended. This chapter will also address the highly effective nature of this form of collaborative course writing, introducing the new content areas explored at the workshop. Moreover, after situating these processes, the chapter will conclude by demonstrating in detail how this approach to pedagogical construction, the distributed nature of responsibility and ownership (without fidelity to any one institution), and the commitment to open access and open redistribution, actually fulfils the ideals of MOOCs far more effectively than most offerings by the corporate start-up style offerings most widely discussed in the press and most loudly promoted by institutions. Finally, the chapter will conclude arguing that the Selfie Course offers a model for meaningful MOOC development which emphasises the direct sharing of cutting edge pedagogy and broader learning opportunities all developed via participatory design.
References
Kent, M., & Leaver, T. (2014). The Revolution That’s Already Happening. In M. Kent & T. Leaver (Eds.), An Education in Facebook? Higher Education and the World’s Largest Social Network (pp. 1–10). London & New York: Routledge.
Leaver, T., & Kent, M. (2014). Facebook in Education: Lessons Learnt. Digital Culture & Education, 6(1), 60–65.
Pretz, K. (2014, February 3). Low Completion Rates for MOOCs. The Institute. Retrieved from http://theinstitute.ieee.org/ieee-roundup/opinions/ieee-roundup/low-completion-rates-for-moocs
Strauss, V. (2013, December 12). Are MOOCs already over? Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/12/12/are-moocs-already-over/
Yang, D. (2013, March 14). Are We MOOC’d Out? Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dennis-yang/post_4496_b_2877799.html
While not explicitly badged as an institutional MOOC, The Selfie Course nevertheless has all the characteristics of a MOOC in that it is easily (and massively) scalable, fully available online (http://www.selfieresearchers.com/the-selfie-course/), available in an open format for free, and is crafted by educators with a clear and accessible course structure. This chapter is co-authored by a number of initial writers of the six-week course, as well as one author who contributed during the AoIR workshop.
The Selfie course emerged from the Selfies Research Network, a Facebook-based discussion and research group established by Theresa Senft in early 2014, which has 2000 active members. Twelve members of this group collaborated to write a course about selfies which they could teach in various capacities in their local institutions, whilst making the content fully available online. The initial content was focused on identity; celebrity and branding; digital surveillance and biometrics; gender and sexuality; subalternity and otherness; and space, place and location specificities. The course was refined using social media and online collaborative authoring tools, and released publicly via a bespoke website. Importantly, the content was released under a Creative Commons license, explicitly encouraging reuse (far more open than many commercially-backed MOOCs).
This chapter will outline this production process in detail, as well as the differing ways the initial course played out in local contexts for the authors, as well as more broadly online. Importantly, the chapter will also outline the second phase which produced a further six weeks of the course via a workshop run at the AoIR conference, where the course was discussed, analysed, tested, critiqued, and ultimately extended. This chapter will also address the highly effective nature of this form of collaborative course writing, introducing the new content areas explored at the workshop. Moreover, after situating these processes, the chapter will conclude by demonstrating in detail how this approach to pedagogical construction, the distributed nature of responsibility and ownership (without fidelity to any one institution), and the commitment to open access and open redistribution, actually fulfils the ideals of MOOCs far more effectively than most offerings by the corporate start-up style offerings most widely discussed in the press and most loudly promoted by institutions. Finally, the chapter will conclude arguing that the Selfie Course offers a model for meaningful MOOC development which emphasises the direct sharing of cutting edge pedagogy and broader learning opportunities all developed via participatory design.
References
Kent, M., & Leaver, T. (2014). The Revolution That’s Already Happening. In M. Kent & T. Leaver (Eds.), An Education in Facebook? Higher Education and the World’s Largest Social Network (pp. 1–10). London & New York: Routledge.
Leaver, T., & Kent, M. (2014). Facebook in Education: Lessons Learnt. Digital Culture & Education, 6(1), 60–65.
Pretz, K. (2014, February 3). Low Completion Rates for MOOCs. The Institute. Retrieved from http://theinstitute.ieee.org/ieee-roundup/opinions/ieee-roundup/low-completion-rates-for-moocs
Strauss, V. (2013, December 12). Are MOOCs already over? Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/12/12/are-moocs-already-over/
Yang, D. (2013, March 14). Are We MOOC’d Out? Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dennis-yang/post_4496_b_2877799.html
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What constitutes “identity”? If I am asked about my identity, I might describe myself as a woman, a New Yorker, or a feminist. Other people may mention their ethnic or racial background, politics, sexuality, or religion. Still other... more
What constitutes “identity”? If I am asked about my identity, I might describe myself as a woman, a New Yorker, or a feminist. Other people may mention their ethnic or racial background, politics, sexuality, or religion. Still other people would talk about their personality traits, emphasizing who they “really are” or their “true selves.” Identity can mean subjectivity (how we think of ourselves), representation (how different facets of identity are depicted in culture and media), or self-presentation (how we present ourselves to others). ...
Abstract: While teenage conflict is nothing new, today's gossip, jokes, and arguments often play out through social media like Formspring, Twitter, and Facebook. Although adults often refer to these practices with the language of... more
Abstract: While teenage conflict is nothing new, today's gossip, jokes, and arguments often play out through social media like Formspring, Twitter, and Facebook. Although adults often refer to these practices with the language of “bullying,” teens are more likely to refer to the resultant skirmishes and their digital traces as “drama.” Drama is a performative set of actions distinct from bullying, gossip, and relational aggression, incorporating elements of them but also operating quite distinctly.
ABSTRACT People generally form network ties with those similar to them. However, it is not always easy for users of social media sites to find people to connect with, decreasing the utility of the network for its users. This position... more
ABSTRACT People generally form network ties with those similar to them. However, it is not always easy for users of social media sites to find people to connect with, decreasing the utility of the network for its users. This position paper looks at different ways we can make friend recommendations, or suggest users to follow on the microblogging site Twitter. We examine a number of ways in which similarity can be defined, and the implications of these differences for community-building.
Abstract: Fashion blogging is an international subculture comprised primarily of young women who post pictures of themselves, swap fashion tips, sell vintage clothes, and review couture collections. As such, these women participate in the... more
Abstract: Fashion blogging is an international subculture comprised primarily of young women who post pictures of themselves, swap fashion tips, sell vintage clothes, and review couture collections. As such, these women participate in the global flow of consumption while simultaneously producing fashion media which is read worldwide. Fashion blogging exemplifies a type of" conspicuous consumption" which is less about signaling free time and more about signifying" style" which is presumed authentic and personal.
Abstract: This paper examines how teens understand privacy in highly public networked environments like Facebook and Twitter. We describe both teens' practices, their privacy strategies, and the structural conditions in which they... more
Abstract: This paper examines how teens understand privacy in highly public networked environments like Facebook and Twitter. We describe both teens' practices, their privacy strategies, and the structural conditions in which they are embedded, highlighting the ways in which privacy, as it plays out in everyday life, is related more to agency and the ability to control a social situation than particular properties of information. Finally, we discuss the implications of teens' practices and strategies, revealing the importance of social norms as ...
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THE suicide of Jamey Rodemeyer, the 14-year-old boy from western New York who killed himself last Sunday after being tormented by his classmates for being gay, is appalling. His story is a classic case of bullying: he was aggressively and... more
THE suicide of Jamey Rodemeyer, the 14-year-old boy from western New York who killed himself last Sunday after being tormented by his classmates for being gay, is appalling. His story is a classic case of bullying: he was aggressively and repeatedly victimized. Horrific episodes like this have sparked conversations about cyberbullying and created immense pressure on regulators and educators to do something, anything, to make it stop.
Executive Summary The United States is a world leader in the use of Web 2.0 technology. Much of the research on social media use is conducted in the United States, many technologies were invented in the States, and American students are... more
Executive Summary The United States is a world leader in the use of Web 2.0 technology. Much of the research on social media use is conducted in the United States, many technologies were invented in the States, and American students are highly conversant with social media use. As a result, there are numerous examples of social media used for educational ends at colleges and universities throughout America, driven by current pedagogical theories of active, student-centred, constructivist learning models which ...
Privacy is a highly complex concept involving dimensions of access and control over space, information and personal identity (Allen, 1999). Individuals manage privacy though a normative process governed by four building blocks:... more
Privacy is a highly complex concept involving dimensions of access and control over space, information and personal identity (Allen, 1999). Individuals manage privacy though a normative process governed by four building blocks: information contexts; principal actors involved in the sending, receiving, and as subjects of information; information attributes or types; and transmission principles which govern the constraint and flow of information (Nissenbaum, 2010).
Abstract: Online versions of reality shows pit users against each other, following the conventions of television franchises like American Idol and Project Runway. An outgrowth of the popularity of both reality television and internet... more
Abstract: Online versions of reality shows pit users against each other, following the conventions of television franchises like American Idol and Project Runway. An outgrowth of the popularity of both reality television and internet fandom, online reality contests are fan-driven and made possible by free publishing tools such as Google Video, YouTube, Flickr and DeviantArt. These contests, like Google Idol and LiveJournal's Next Top Model (LNTM), comprise a new, hybrid genre of fan production that mimics the rules and structure of ...
... blogging tools like WordPress and Blogger made it possible to publish content online ... while mediaproducers want to maintain their traditional dominance over media content (286). Theories of ―participatory culture‖ extend the... more
... blogging tools like WordPress and Blogger made it possible to publish content online ... while mediaproducers want to maintain their traditional dominance over media content (286). Theories of ―participatory culture‖ extend the ―active audience‖ paradigm of media studies ...
When social media technologies, or "Web 2.0," emerged, scholars and technologists hailed them as a new era of participatory, egalitarian culture. This dissertation examines three status-seeking techniques enabled by social... more
When social media technologies, or "Web 2.0," emerged, scholars and technologists hailed them as a new era of participatory, egalitarian culture. This dissertation examines three status-seeking techniques enabled by social media-micro-celebrity, self-branding, and life-streaming-to provide an alternate view. I argue that Web 2.0 originated in the Northern California technology community, influenced both by counter-cultural movements which positioned new media as a solution to structural deficits of government, business, and mass culture, and the Silicon Valley tradition of entrepreneurial capitalism used as a model for neoliberal development world-wide. These status-seeking techniques constitute technologies of subjectivity which encourage people to apply free-market principles to the organization of social life. Drawing from discourses of celebrity, branding, and public relations, I describe three self-presentation strategies people adopt within social media applications to gain status, attention and visibility.
Based on fieldwork in the San Francisco technology scene from 2006-2009, I identify and describe these status-seeking techniques, how they are experienced, and their implications. Micro-celebrity involves creating a persona, performing intimate connections to create the illusion of closeness, acknowledging an audience and viewing them as fans, and using strategic reveal of information to maintain interest. Lifestreaming is the process of tracking and digitizing personal information and broadcasting it to a networked audience, creating a digital portrait of one's actions and thoughts. In a group of lifestreamers, the digital instantiation of personal information through social media creates a rich backdrop of social information to be scrutinized. Self-branding is the strategic creation of identity to be promoted and sold for enterprise purposes, promoted by self-help gurus and career strategists. These self-presentation strategies involve the creation of an edited self that can be safely viewed by a networked audience consisting of friends, family members, and co-workers. This self requires constant self-surveillance and monitoring and has real emotional affects, which constitute immaterial emotional labor.
Social media is thus undergirded by the neoliberal values of the Northern San Francisco tech scene. I argue that the prevalent myths of entrepreneurship and meritocracy are deeply gendered and contribute to a systematic devaluation of women's experiences, further undermining claims of egalitarianism and democracy.
Based on fieldwork in the San Francisco technology scene from 2006-2009, I identify and describe these status-seeking techniques, how they are experienced, and their implications. Micro-celebrity involves creating a persona, performing intimate connections to create the illusion of closeness, acknowledging an audience and viewing them as fans, and using strategic reveal of information to maintain interest. Lifestreaming is the process of tracking and digitizing personal information and broadcasting it to a networked audience, creating a digital portrait of one's actions and thoughts. In a group of lifestreamers, the digital instantiation of personal information through social media creates a rich backdrop of social information to be scrutinized. Self-branding is the strategic creation of identity to be promoted and sold for enterprise purposes, promoted by self-help gurus and career strategists. These self-presentation strategies involve the creation of an edited self that can be safely viewed by a networked audience consisting of friends, family members, and co-workers. This self requires constant self-surveillance and monitoring and has real emotional affects, which constitute immaterial emotional labor.
Social media is thus undergirded by the neoliberal values of the Northern San Francisco tech scene. I argue that the prevalent myths of entrepreneurship and meritocracy are deeply gendered and contribute to a systematic devaluation of women's experiences, further undermining claims of egalitarianism and democracy.