Living with television and the Internet

Publication Date

7-1-2021

Document Type

Article

Publication Title

New Media and Society

Volume

23

Issue

7

DOI

10.1177/14614448211019322

First Page

1850

Last Page

1862

Abstract

We communicate to survive. The social history of our species can be characterized by how we continuously expand our ability to connect with others. Television and the Internet function as unique resources people creatively use to fulfill their social needs and build communities. But they do so in very different ways. By placing television and the Internet in evolutionary perspective, this commentary compares the form, content, and contexts of how the two technologies are used as culturally embedded social resources. The methodological challenge of generating empirical data to reveal how the Internet is used socially is addressed. Quantitative and qualitative assessments, especially ethnography, play complementary roles in describing how multi-modal Internet users construct the social contacts and relationships that shape their everyday lives in the Communication Age.

Keywords

Ethnography, evolution, evolutionary communication, Internet, social uses, television

Department

Communication Studies

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