Media today are our situation; they constitute the fabric of living. But a number of new crises–and subjects–have profoundly shaped the field of media studies, including an environmental turn in media studies, elemental media, ubiquitous computing, distributed sensing, and pervasive algorithms and artificial intelligence. Accordingly, this conference revists and updates Mark B.N. Hansen and WJT […]

Welcome to the Social Media & Society in India Symposium (SMSI 2025)  taking place on April 4-5, 2025, at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Even if you do not do work in India, take a look at the exciting list of topics, some of which speak to how social media is impacting society everywhere around the […]

  Abstract Through the critical case study of Ethiopia, this book project identifies three core mechanisms of China’s image-making in Africa: tangible enticement through material and experiential offerings, ideational promotion of values and governance practices, and censorial influence through guarding the production and diffusion of China narratives. The in-depth fieldwork in China and Ethiopia further […]

Dr. Cara Wallis will launch her new book, Social Media and Ordinary Life: Affect, Ethics, and Aspiration in Contemporary China. Stay tuned for more detailed information!