"A Sociological Introduction to Cyberspace" - Dr Jamie Halsall
Tuesday October 28th, 4.15pm - Room 5
"Cyberspace is a key concept that has been debated widely in the social science discipline. The focus of this debate has centred on what effect cyberspace has on people. More than ever before people are using different communication technologies, such as, computers, mobile phones and ipads. The aim of this session is to explore the contribution that cyberspace makes to society. Different aspects of cyberspace will be examined, namely: the internet, communication technologies and computer games."
Dr Jamie Halsall is a Senior Lecturer in Social Sciences in the School of Human and Health Sciences at the University of Huddersfield, UK. His research interests lie in the field of Sociology of Community. In November 2014 Jamie will co-publish a book with Professor Ian Cook and Professor Paresh Wankhade titled: "Sociability, Social Capital and Community Development: A Public Health Perspective". This will be published by Springer Press. Jamie is currently a Stream Co-ordinator at the British Sociological Association for the Social Divisions/Social Identities. |
PLATFORM NOTES
Some particularly interesting wider questions arise from this handout. It is particularly interesting to consider the implications and negative impacts of technology (as regards questions 4 and 8), and consider the impact of the perspective, voiced in the session, that despite the fact some people feel we are over-reliant on technology, we have no choice but to follow suit as that is the way the world is working. Is this really the case? Does it concern you that we human beings have apparently so little active choice? Isn't there a kickback against all this technological globalisation (localisation, or its hybrid cousin, glocalisation) that is also manifesting itself socially and politically?
A particularly interesting observation was made that ended the session. What is it about our relationship with the screen? We are well aware of the technological developments in books (Kindles, etc) and we understand that our hand-held devices are being increasingly used as a means of gaining and accessing knowledge. Yet if we see a train carriage full of people on their phones, we deplore this anti-sociality; we deplore our social state, our inherent unfriendliness, our corrupted communication skills. Yet if the same carriage of people all had their head in a book - similarly ignoring each other; similarly sitting alongside each other yet each lost in their own individual world - we do not react in the same way. We would probably applaud the people's cultured intelligence (my, isn't wonderful how many people read!). Yet we could all be reading on our kindles or on iBooks, yet we do not react in the same way. The difference is the media in our hands; the difference is the screen. What explains such a difference in our social behaviour, our social reaction, to this?
Suggested Reading
(pulled from the internet, inspired by the talk)
Media Technology
"Mapping Networks: Labor, Space and Globalisation" by Andrew Herod
"Globalisation: Interconnected Worlds" by James R. Faulconbridge and Jonathan V. Beaverstock
"Understanding the Implications of a Global Village" by Violet K. Dixon
(pulled from the internet, inspired by the talk)
Media Technology
"Mapping Networks: Labor, Space and Globalisation" by Andrew Herod
"Globalisation: Interconnected Worlds" by James R. Faulconbridge and Jonathan V. Beaverstock
"Understanding the Implications of a Global Village" by Violet K. Dixon