The Public and Their Platforms : Public Sociology in an Era of Social Media

Available Open Access digitally under CC-BY-NC-ND licence. As social media is increasingly becoming a standard feature of sociological practice, this timely book rethinks the role of these mediums in public sociology and what they can contribute to the discipline in the post-COVID world. It reconsiders the history and current conceptualizations of what sociology is, and analyzes what kinds of social life emerge in and through the interactions between intellectuals, publics and platforms of communication. Cutting across multiple disciplines, this pioneering work envisions a new kind of public sociology that brings together the digital and the physical to create public spaces where critical scholarship and active civic engagement can meet in a mutually reinforcing way. Front Cover -- Series -- The Public And Their Platforms: Public Sociology In An Era Of Social Media -- Copyright Information -- Table Of Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Series Editors' Preface -- Introduction -- 1 Defining 'the Public' -- What/who Is 'the Public'? -- The Good, The Bad, And The Redeemable 'public' -- The Disappearance Of 'the Public' -- How To Rethink 'the Public' In Order To Revive It -- Becoming Citizens -- Practising Citizenship -- (re)making Public Space(s) -- 2 The History Of Platforms -- The Rise Of The (digital) Platform -- A Brief History Of Social Media Platforms Platform And Agency -- The Ideology Of Social Media -- The Reality Of Online Participation -- 3 Between Publics And Platforms -- Platforms And Their Publics -- Caught Between Publics And Platforms -- Publishers As Intermediaries -- The Divided Soul Of The Platform -- 4 Sociology And Its Platforms -- Reasons For Caution -- Rethinking Sociological Practice For Platforms -- Decentring Outputs -- Decentring Expertise -- Decentring Knowledge -- What Does This Mean For Public Sociology? -- 5 The Past, Present And Future Of Public Sociology -- The Past Of Public Sociology The Present Of Public Sociology -- Traditional Public Sociology -- Print Media -- Books -- Organic Public Sociology -- The Future Of Public Sociology -- 6 Making Sociology Public -- Social Media In Higher Education -- The Problems Of Platforms -- The Scholastic Disposition -- Forgetfulness O F Technics -- Building Platforms For Public Sociology -- 7 Making Platforms Public -- The Platform University -- The Epistemic Chaos Of Platform Capitalism -- The Contestation Of Research -- Public Sociology And Platform Governance -- 8 Assembling Public Sociology -- Sociology In Public What Is Public Sociology? -- What Is Public About Public Sociology? -- Who And What Is Its 'public'? -- What Is Public Sociology's Relationship To Its 'public'? -- Can Professional Sociology (ever) Be 'public'? -- The Digital Undercommons -- Public 'inter-lectuals' -- Notes -- References -- Index -- Back Cover Mark Carrigan And Lambros Fatsis. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Electronic Reproduction. Baltimore, Md Available Via World Wide Web. Front Cover 1 Series 2 The Public and Their Platforms: Public Sociology in an Era of Social Media 4 Copyright information 5 Table of contents 6 Acknowledgments 7 Series Editors’ Preface 8 Introduction 14 1 Defining ‘the Public’ 20 What/who is ‘the public’? 22 The good, the bad, and the redeemable ‘public’ 23 The disappearance of ‘the public’ 25 How to rethink ‘the public’ in order to revive it 28 Becoming citizens 28 Practising citizenship 32 (Re)making public space(s) 35 2 The History of Platforms 44 The rise of the (digital) platform 46 A brief history of social media platforms 52 Platform and agency 56 The ideology of social media 61 The reality of online participation 65 3 Between Publics and Platforms 68 Platforms and their publics 72 Caught between publics and platforms 78 Publishers as intermediaries 81 The divided soul of the platform 86 4 Sociology and its Platforms 92 Reasons for caution 95 Rethinking sociological practice for platforms 100 Decentring outputs 100 Decentring expertise 102 Decentring knowledge 108 What does this mean for public sociology? 111 5 The Past, Present and Future of Public Sociology 116 The past of public sociology 117 The present of public sociology 120 Traditional public sociology 123 Print media 123 Books 126 Organic public sociology 131 The future of public sociology 136 6 Making Sociology Public 140 Social media in higher education 141 The problems of platforms 147 The scholastic disposition 149 Forgetfulness of technics 152 Building platforms for public sociology 155 7 Making Platforms Public 162 The platform university 164 The epistemic chaos of platform capitalism 168 The contestation of research 177 Public sociology and platform governance 180 8 Assembling Public Sociology 186 Sociology in public 189 What is public sociology? 192 What is public about public sociology? 193 Who and what is its ‘public’? 193 What is public sociology’s relationship to its ‘public’? 194 Can professional sociology (ever) be ‘public’? 195 The digital undercommons 196 Public ‘inter-lectuals’ 200 Notes 208 References 220 Index 244 Back Cover 256 Cutting across multiple disciplines, this book maps out a new role for the public sociologist in the post-COVID world. It envisions a new kind of public sociology that brings together "the digital" and "the physical" to create public spaces where critical scholarship and active civic engagement can meet in a mutually reinforcing way.