Camgirls: Celebrity and Community in the Age of Social Networks (Digital Formations) (Paperback)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: friends list, digital drag, theatrical authenticity, Ana Voog, Jennifer Ringley, Friends Page (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

This book is a critical and ethnographic study of camgirls: women who broadcast themselves over the web for the general public while trying to cultivate a measure of celebrity in the process. The books over-arching question is, What does it mean for feminists to speak about the personal as political in a networked society that encourages women to represent through confession, celebrity, and sexual display, but punishes too much visibility with conservative censure and backlash? The narrative follows that of the camgirl phenomenon, beginning with the earliest experiments in personal homecamming and ending with the newest forms of identity and community being articulated through social networking sites like Live Journal, YouTube, MySpace, and Facebook. It is grounded in interviews, performance analysis of events transpiring between camgirls and their viewers, and the authors own experiences as an ersatz camgirl while conducting the research.

About the Author

Theresa M. Senft is Senior Lecturer in Media Studies at the University of East London. Her books include History of the Internet: A Chronology, 1843Present (co-authored), and a special issue of Women & Performance devoted to sexuality and cyberspace (co-edited). Senft has published in The New York Times, appeared on U.S. National Public Radio, and was featured in the documentary Webcam Girls.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Peter Lang (July 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0820456942
• ISBN-13: 978-0820456942
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 6.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: No customer reviews yet. Be the first.
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,265,747 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)