From the introduction
Pleasure and fun, once widespread, even defining qualities of the site, can now feel like acts of resistance.
From the conclusion (last sentence)
By holding on to and choosing to amplify joyful expression, play, and sociable intimacy, we may yet find ways to reaffirm and rediscover the positive power of social connection that digital media platforms continue to afford — if only we can hear each other over the noise.
Prime example from the hashtag chapter of the book
These “serious” uses of the hashtag sit uneasily alongside, and sometimes arise from, more entertainment- and play-oriented practices. It is difficult to imagine #blacklivesmatter escalating as it did had “Black Twitter” not been well established already, in large part through creative, joyful uses of the hashtag feature. As Brock, Florini, and others have shown, early on Twitter was disproportionately popular among Black Americans, who found in it a mode of sociality that resonated with historical forms of language play, especially “signifyin.”
Jean Burgess and Nancy K. Bayn
Twitter: A Biography
And so for day 2955
14.01.2015