*Call for chapters in an edited volume on*
*Internet and Emotions *
Research Network 11 of the European Sociological Association (Sociology of
Emotions) is engaged in editing a series of books that will focus on variou=
s
aspects of emotions in society. The intended volume on *Emotions and
Internet* is part of this endeavor. It emerged out of discussions in recent
conferences and the interest of members of RN 11 in studying the interplay
between new forms of virtual environment enabled by the internet and
emotions. The book will collect cutting-edge articles that deal empirically
and theoretically with internet and emotions, as well as make an attempt to
map and theorize this emerging scholarly field.
* *
During the last couple of decades, at least two novel processes that are of
interest to our planned project have been evolving. The first is the
penetration of the Internet into virtually every sphere of social life. Fro=
m
friendship, dating, and shopping to economic, political, cultural, and
social practices, from social networking to virtual conferencing, no aspect
of life as we knew and understood it has remained unaffected. It can be
claimed that the Internet is no longer just another tool that people use,
but an environment within which people operate and live. The second
development that has occurred during these two decades has been the advent
of the sociological study of emotions. Theoretical and empirical scholarshi=
p
has refined our understanding of emotions and the emotional world and has
demonstrated that emotions are present in every aspect of social life and
play an important role in central processes and structures.
The purpose of the present book is to explore the emotional aspects and
processes occurring within this new socio-virtual environment. As new
emotional practices emerge, new emotional feed-back loops are built, and ne=
w
emotional language and manifestations crystallize on the Internet, we need
to study them empirically and to theorize them. There are ample examples of
possible questions. For example, the phenomenon of flaming has received
attention among communications scholars but the general question of the
language of emotions that is evolving on internet communication has not bee=
n
explored before. Or the question of feeling rules and emotions display rule=
s
in the virtual world; the ways in which anonymity and disembodiment affect
the disclosure of emotions on the Internet; the differences and
similarities among various genres of CMC as far as the expression of
emotions is concerned, etc. are yet to be explored.
We are seeking both theoretical and empirical contributions that focus on
issues that emerge at the intersection of emotions and Internet at three
levels of social organization: The micro level, of the individual and dyadi=
c
relations; the mezzo level of groups, organizations, social movements and
community, and the macro societal, transnational networks level. Internet
and media scholars dealing with some aspect of emotions are particularly
welcome to submit their work.
Please submit abstracts of no more than 300 words to Dr. Tova Benski via
email: (tbenski /at/ colman.ac.il)
Deadline for submission: *April 15 2011.*
* *
*Tova Benski, Dept. of Behavioral Sciences
College of Management
Rishon Leziyon, Israel*
* *
*Eran Fisher, Kreitman School for Advanced Graduate Studies
*
*& The Department of Communication Studies
*
*Ben Gurion Univer**sity, Israel
*
