I. Introduction: The Internet, Mobile Phones, and Community
1. The Portability of Social Connectedness
II. Internal Dynamics: Inside the Portable Community
2. Thinking in Tandem: Cognitive Connectedness
The Cognitive “Face” of the Community
Sociomental Space
Cognitive Resonance
Stories and Collective Memories
Proximity, Presence, and Reality
3. Feeling Connected: Emotionality and Intimacy
Friendship and Intimacy
Trust and Social Support
Happiness and Hostility: The Moderation of Moods and Behavior
4 Playing Around: Fun, Games, and Hanging Out
Games
Just “Hanging Out”
Playful Talk: Humor, Gossip, and Flirting
The Seductive Allure of Fun
5 Social Networking: Convenience, Practicality, and Sociability
Sociability
Convenience
Dating, Romance, and Sex
Learning, Working, and Getting Things Done
III. External Dynamics: The Portable Community in the Society
6 Being There: Constant Availability
Comfort and Companionship
Emergencies
Anxiety, Apprehension, and Overload
The Impact on Privacy
7 Harnessing Social Interaction: The Control of Time, Space, and People
Where, When, and Whether We Interact
Technology-Based Strategies for Interaction
Spontaneity and Social Interaction
8 Creating, Expressing, and Extending the Self(and Watching Others Do So)
Socialization in a Technological Age
The Making and Remaking of the Self
Voyeurism, Watching, and Lurking
Multitasking and the “Hyperlinking” of Identity
9 Shaping the Social Landscape: Equalities, Inequalities, Possibilities
Technological Divides and Power Differentials
Old Problems, New Angles
Agency and Activism: Mobilizing for Social Change
A Look Ahead
Acknowledgments
Appendix 1. The Methodology
Appendix 2: Profiles of Interview Subjects
Notes
References
Index