John Postill is Senior Lecturer in Media at Sheffield Hallam University and a Fellow of the Digital Anthropology Programme, University College London (UCL). He holds a Ph.D. in anthropology from UCL and is the author of Media and Nation Building (Berghahn 2006), based on fieldwork among the Iban of Borneo, and coeditor of Theorising Media and Practice (Berghahn 2010).

• List of FiguresAcknowledgementsPrefacePhoto-EssayChronology                                                                                Chapter 1. An Internet FieldChapter 2. Localizing the InternetChapter 3. Research SettingChapter 4. Smarting PartnersChapter 5. Personal MediaChapter 6. Internet DramasChapter 7. Residential SocialitiesChapter 8. ConclusionFAQsReferencesIndex

"Theoretically rich, yet written in clear and effective prose, this book brings the best of ethnography--narrative explication, deep cultural context, and informant-generated knowledge--to the study of social media. In the best ethnographic tradition, it presents complexity rather than reductively erasing place, people, and politics. It is long overdue and should be widely read as an important contribution from media anthropology to the wider field of digital media research."  ·  Mark Pedelty, University of Minnesota“This is a very strong contribution to media anthropology [that] will quickly stimulate a spate of innovative research on the Internet because it provides conceptual tools that open new avenues of study.  The key idea, “the field of residential affairs,” is very rich, and I particularly like the way Postill connects this new area of anthropology (internet studies) to the classic works of the Manchester School.”  ·  Andrew Arno, University of Hawai’i“[A] very interesting case study of the intersection of online activities and offline contexts in relation to political organization and community activism in suburban Malaysia.”  ·  Leighton C. Peterson, Miami University

John Postill is Senior Lecturer in Media at Sheffield Hallam University and a Fellow of the Digital Anthropology Programme, University College London (UCL). He holds a Ph.D. in anthropology from UCL and is the author of Media and Nation Building (Berghahn 2006), based on fieldwork among the Iban of Borneo, and coeditor of Theorising Media and Practice (Berghahn 2010).

• List of FiguresAcknowledgementsPrefacePhoto-EssayChronology                                                                                Chapter 1. An Internet FieldChapter 2. Localizing the InternetChapter 3. Research SettingChapter 4. Smarting PartnersChapter 5. Personal MediaChapter 6. Internet DramasChapter 7. Residential SocialitiesChapter 8. ConclusionFAQsReferencesIndex

"Theoretically rich, yet written in clear and effective prose, this book brings the best of ethnography--narrative explication, deep cultural context, and informant-generated knowledge--to the study of social media. In the best ethnographic tradition, it presents complexity rather than reductively erasing place, people, and politics. It is long overdue and should be widely read as an important contribution from media anthropology to the wider field of digital media research."  ·  Mark Pedelty, University of Minnesota“This is a very strong contribution to media anthropology [that] will quickly stimulate a spate of innovative research on the Internet because it provides conceptual tools that open new avenues of study.  The key idea, “the field of residential affairs,” is very rich, and I particularly like the way Postill connects this new area of anthropology (internet studies) to the classic works of the Manchester School.”  ·  Andrew Arno, University of Hawai’i“[A] very interesting case study of the intersection of online activities and offline contexts in relation to political organization and community activism in suburban Malaysia.”  ·  Leighton C. Peterson, Miami University

John Postill is Senior Lecturer in Media at Sheffield Hallam University and a Fellow of the Digital Anthropology Programme, University College London (UCL). He holds a Ph.D. in anthropology from UCL and is the author of Media and Nation Building (Berghahn 2006), based on fieldwork among the Iban of Borneo, and coeditor of Theorising Media and Practice (Berghahn 2010).

• List of FiguresAcknowledgementsPrefacePhoto-EssayChronology                                                                                Chapter 1. An Internet FieldChapter 2. Localizing the InternetChapter 3. Research SettingChapter 4. Smarting PartnersChapter 5. Personal MediaChapter 6. Internet DramasChapter 7. Residential SocialitiesChapter 8. ConclusionFAQsReferencesIndex

"Theoretically rich, yet written in clear and effective prose, this book brings the best of ethnography--narrative explication, deep cultural context, and informant-generated knowledge--to the study of social media. In the best ethnographic tradition, it presents complexity rather than reductively erasing place, people, and politics. It is long overdue and should be widely read as an important contribution from media anthropology to the wider field of digital media research."  ·  Mark Pedelty, University of Minnesota“This is a very strong contribution to media anthropology [that] will quickly stimulate a spate of innovative research on the Internet because it provides conceptual tools that open new avenues of study.  The key idea, “the field of residential affairs,” is very rich, and I particularly like the way Postill connects this new area of anthropology (internet studies) to the classic works of the Manchester School.”  ·  Andrew Arno, University of Hawai’i“[A] very interesting case study of the intersection of online activities and offline contexts in relation to political organization and community activism in suburban Malaysia.”  ·  Leighton C. Peterson, Miami University