The Spectacle of Online Life
Christopher T Conner editor Danielle Antoinette Hidalgo editor Matthew N Hannah editor
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Published:20th Nov '25
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
The Spectacle of Online Life explores digital paradoxes—connection and isolation, empowerment and control—through topics like influencer culture, AI moderation, and online conspiracies.
The Spectacle of Online Life offers a groundbreaking exploration of the digital age's most pressing paradoxes: connection and isolation, democratization and control, authenticity and performance.
Edited by Danielle Antoinette Hidalgo, Christopher T. Conner, and Matthew N. Hannah, this volume assembles a diverse array of scholars to critically examine how online technologies shape, reflect, and amplify the complexities of modern society.
Chapters in the text draw on insights from the Frankfurt School, Situationist International, and contemporary media studies. This collection delves into topics as varied as promotional livestreaming, climate change conspiracy theories, beauty influencer culture, and the role of artificial intelligence in content moderation. As the authors show, digital platforms are a double-edged sword both empowering grassroots movements and reinforcing systemic inequalities.
"In this age of spectacle and excess — this moment of what Erich Fromm called "sadistic circuses" — how welcome it is to see critical scrutiny applied in such a bracing and sober way to the many dimensions of our society of digitized spectacle. The authors, experts all, offer a treasury of insights across the spectrum of online themes." * David N. Smith, University of Kansas *
ISBN: 9781666948387
Dimensions: 230mm x 160mm x 24mm
Weight: 600g
328 pages