Making Publics Making Places

Contemporary technologies shape and transform subjectivities behaviours beliefs creative techniques the form and governance of institutions and peoples experiences of connecting with others in the physical world and virtual spaces even in the city itself. Increasingly these modalities are formed fragmented and reformed through access to particular technologies -- platforms websites applications games profiles groups and hashtags. Transitions from web content delivery through the extraordinary fluidity in the communicative potential of social media to the smart control of aspects of ones environment are never smooth or uncontested. What constitutes a place or a public can be controversial. New developments benefit some and exclude or impose unexpected restrictions on others. This book focuses on the surprising generative possibilities which digital and smart technologies offer media consumers citizens institutions and governments in making publics and places across topics as diverse as Twitter audiences rural news the elasticity of the public sphere Weibo cultural heritage and responsive spaces in smart cities. Multidisciplinary perspectives engage with critical questions in new media scholarship. General readers curious about how technologies are enabling social public and civic participation will enjoy the books mix of fresh approaches and insights.