Self-(re)presentation now

Questions of presentation and representation of individuals, groups, and communities have become key sites of struggle, as evidenced by the battles in both physical and digital spaces – battles which have also thrown the roles of digital affordances, systems, industries, and structures into relief. This book shows that questions about the (re)presentation of the self in digital culture are now key to how the field of media and communication must engage with the political; and demonstrates the wide range of scholarship focusing on presentation and representation of the self in recent times. The contributors show that questions of self-presentation and representation in digital culture are the focus of lively debate, critique, and investigation and that this is taking place from a number of theoretical perspectives and locations across the globe. This book was originally published as a special issue of Popular Communication.

Nancy Thumim is Associate Professor in the School of Media and Communication at the University of Leeds, UK. Her published work variously considers the relationship between media users and media spaces. She is particularly concerned with understanding the constraints and opportunities shaping individuals’ and communities’ self-representation in contemporary digital cultures.