Published
May 28, 2024Page count
152 pagesISBN
978-1529227284Dimensions
234 x 156 mmImprint
Bristol University PressPublished
May 28, 2024Page count
152 pagesISBN
978-1529227277Dimensions
234 x 156 mmImprint
Bristol University PressPublished
May 28, 2024Page count
152 pagesISBN
978-1529227291Dimensions
234 x 156 mmImprint
Bristol University PressPublished
May 28, 2024Page count
152 pagesISBN
978-1529227291Dimensions
234 x 156 mmImprint
Bristol University Press
Just Here for the Comments
We all sometimes ‘lurk’ in online spaces without posting or engaging, just reading the posts and comments. But neither reading nor lurking are ever passive acts. In fact, readers of social media are making decisions and taking grassroots actions on multiple dimensions.
Unpacking this understudied phenomenon, this book challenges the conventional perspective of what counts as participatory online culture. Presenting lurking as a communication and literacy practice that resists dominant power structures, it offers an innovative approach to digital qualitative methods.
Unique and original in its subject, this is a call for internet researchers to broaden their methods to include lurkers’ participation and presence.
“Lively and relatable, sprinkled with discussions of popular lurker memes, but also thoroughly researched and theorized, this book provides a deeply insightful, much-needed analysis of lurking.” Thomas Poell, University of Amsterdam
"In this eloquent and revelatory book, Gina Sipley refutes the prevailing notion that lurkers are passive or dispassionate. Instead, Sipley’s brilliant deep dive into digital culture illuminates how the act of lurking can be imbued with agency, meaning, and even power." Brooke Erin Duffy, Cornell University
“Why do we lurk? What difference does lurking make to digital life? Just Here for the Comments is a delightful exploration of the all-too-familiar, yet all-too-neglected phenomenon of lurking. We pay attention to the loudest voices on social media. Gina Sipley makes a powerful case for paying attention to those who hide in the shadows. Stunningly original and beautifully written, Just Here for the Comments is an exciting contribution to the burgeoning field of social media studies.” Jason Hannan, University of Winnipeg
"What does it mean to be a lurker? These figures have been oddly neglected, in spite of how central their practice is to online interaction. Gina Sipley’s pathbreaking book turns a spotlight onto lurking as literary practice, in a richly insightful examination of this strangely unexamined phenomena." Mark Carrigan, University of Manchester
Gina Sipley is Associate Professor of English at SUNY Nassau Community College. Sipley is a first-generation college graduate.
Introduction: Everyone’s a Lurker
1. Don’t Mind Me: The History of Lurkers From Lerkere To Thriller
2. Readers Have History: Towards A Transactional Theory of New Literacies
3. To Let Others Know They Are Not Alone: Lurking and Community
4. Aint That Special: Moderating In The Age of Digital Exploitation
5. Resistance and Refusal: (Re)Evaluating Media Literacy
6. How Do We Account For Lurking?: Implications for Social Science Researchers
Conclusion: Participatory. And Valuable?
