Ambivalent Internet

Ryan M. Milner is Assistant Professor of Communication at the College of Charleston. Whitney Phillips is Assistant Professor of Literary Studies and Writing at Penfield College, Mercer University.

"Memes, trolling and weird internet jokes are becoming part of the everyday language of contemporary societies, whether occupying centre stage in mainstream politics or scuttling around in the darkest corners of the web. In this book, two leading scholars of digital communication have joined forces, in turn bringing folklore together with rigorously forensic studies of internet culture to create a new theoretical vocabulary for understanding, researching and teaching the Internet’s multiple vernaculars."Jean Burgess, Queensland University of Technology"From pranks and tasteless jokes to political propaganda, it’s never been more important to face how online media give rise to and amplify the longstanding communal practices that lie between play and hate, fun and cruelty. Like its subject, this book is both entertaining and disturbing. It’s an honest, uneasy, and essential reckoning. You’ll laugh, feel bad you did, and understand."Nancy Baym, Principal Researcher at Microsoft Research“[The book’s] wide range of cases serve as a powerful starting point for theorizing ambivalent expression. A key strength of the book lies in the authors’ personal writing style, making it both an accessible and enjoyable read. The book will be of interest to both students and senior scholars examining cultural production, community building, participation, and political communication online.”Johan Farkas, Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly“This book is highly informative to a wider readership especially in its discussions about what ethical and political problems are at stake in the digitally mediated space.”Dayei Oh, Loughborough University

• Contents Acknowledgments Introduction 1. Folkloric Expression 2. Identity Play 3. Constitutive Humor 4. Collective Storytelling 5. Public Debate Conclusion Notes References Index