Introduction to the Critical and Ethical Studies of Digital and Social Media Minitrack

This minitrack addresses the cultural and political impact of digital and social media (DSM) technologies. DSM radically alter how we conceptualize the production, circulation, and consumption of information, and transform how we work, live, and play together in communities. However, users of DSM are increasingly expressing unease, and sometimes outrage, at the social and political terms they find they must accept in embracing DSM as the primary mechanisms for sharing their work and participating with others. Session 1 examines the opportunities and tensions that arise as DSM increasingly mediate public, creative, and social endeavors. Session 2 addresses the ethical challenges of conducting research on DSM. Session 2 closes with a discussion with all the authors and the audience to bridge the two sessions.