New Media and Intercultural Communication: Identity, Community and Politics

There is increasing awareness of the development of newer «smart» and more interactive media, at precipitate speed, in many parts of the world. The concept of change-as opposed to continuity-is central to the increasing interest in digital media. However, this focus has not yet been matched by substantive theoretical discussions, or by extensive empirical examinations of computer-mediated communication and intercultural communication. Against such a backdrop, this volume offers theoretical insights, fresh evidence and rich applications as it assesses the nature of digital culture(s) in order to address assumptions about the present state of mediated global society(ies) and their future trajectory. Chapters explore what happens in praxis when digital media are implemented across cultures and are contested and negotiated within complex local and political conditions. The book showcases interpretative and critical research from voices with diverse backgrounds, from locations around the world. As such, this volume presents a rich and colorful tapestry that provides opportunities for comparative analyses and deepened international understandings of digital media connections, particularly in the areas of identity, community and politics.

Pauline Hope Cheong (PhD, University of Southern California) is Associate Professor at the Hugh Downs School of Human Communication, Arizona State University. Her multidisciplinary research focuses on the socio-cultural implications of communication technologies. She has published widely in flagship journals including New Media and Society, Journal of Computer Mediated Communication, Information, Communication and Society, The Information Society, Journal of Communication and Journal of International and Intercultural Communication.
Judith N. Martin (PhD, Pennsylvania State University) is Professor of Intercultural Communication in the Hugh Downs School of Human Communication at Arizona State University. She has published numerous research articles in Communication journals as well as other disciplinary journals and has co-authored three textbooks in intercultural communication with Thomas K. Nakayama: Intercultural Communication in Contexts, Experiencing Intercultural Communication, and Readings in Intercultural Communication.
Leah P. Macfadyen (PhD, The University of British Columbia) is a researcher and instructor in the Faculty of Arts at The University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. Most recently, her writing on aspects of culture, identity and online education have appeared in edited collections such as Digital Differences: Perspectives on Online Education (2010) and Learning Cultures in Online Education(2010).