Overview

Adolescence, Identity, and the Politics of Recognition in the Social Media Era explores the political identity formation of adolescents online, with a focus on recognition theory, affect, and lived experiences of belonging and non-belonging. In a socio-political moment characterised by culture wars and epistemic disjunctures, largely facilitated by the algorithmic logics of modern social media technologies, people are increasingly turning their attention to the role of social media in political belief formation, rising populism, and polarisation. Understanding how these dynamics inform the developing political identities of young people coming of age online is, however, under-explored. In response, this book examines how the desire for recognition and belonging drives identity articulation and political affiliation—both online and offline—for teens negotiating identity construction in the digital era. Using interviews and surveys with New Zealand teens, and employing recognition theory, the book discusses findings which demonstrate how the political identities of adolescents are informed by their relationships with others, and mediated by the algorithmic logics of social media platforms. The main themes in the book explore how social media adoption has become a rite of passage for young people in Aotearoa New Zealand and around the world, facilitating new sites and pathways for recognition. Additionally, insofar as these sites are governed by algorithmic technologies, they demonstrate capacities to both facilitate and inhibit capacities for autonomy, connection, and meaningful recognition of both self and others. Adolescence, Identity, and the Politics of Recognition in the Social Media Era will be of great interest to students and scholars of Politics and Communication Studies, as well as Social Anthropology, Sociology, Youth Studies, and Education.

Full Product Details

9781041070627

Table of Contents

Reviews

“Billington's work contributes a timely exploration of social media as a rite of passage for young people, exploring the ways in which the 'agency' of algorithms and media both enhance and inhibit, aid and distort young peoples' relations and development. Without succumbing to technological determinism, she provides savvy and critical insights into the contradictions and complexities of contemporary mediated lives. Her approach is smart both theoretically and empirically, offering a seamless analysis of her original empirical research through the lens of affect, recognition theory, and epistemic injustice, arguing for scholars to understand social media as a ""recognition machine"" which in turn requires a focus on technojustice. For Billington, recognition theory provides a means for dissecting both how algorithmic dynamics entrench epistemic injustice, but also promise dialogue and reciprocity. Accessible, incisive, and smart, this book explores these critical and urgent questions with exemplary and impressive breadth, never sacrificing the complexity and nuance required to grasp the fraught and mediated experience of coming of age in the 21st century.” Professor Megan Boler, University of Toronto “Drawing on the perspectives and lived experiences of New Zealand teens, this book thoughtfully engages with the messy but fascinating truth about social media: these platforms simultaneously widen and narrow teens' agency in their quest to develop a sense of self and political identity.” Professor Susannah Stern, University of San Diego

Author Information

Rachel Anna Billington (Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki) is a lecturer in the Media, Film and Communication Programme at the University of Otago, Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka. She lives in Ōtepoti Dunedin with her husband, stepkid/s, chickens, and cat, and likes to use an em dash—despite its reputation.

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