Programs studying cyberculture?

[galacticat]

I have a very strong interest in the Internet and the new cultures and communities that technology helps form and mediate. (Basically, cyberculture and virtual communities.) I am a rising senior with an anthropology background. I am looking for programs that would allow me to study these topics at the graduate level. My first thought was to ask my professors if they had any suggestions for colleges or even particular faculty members, but they admitted they didn't know very much about the topic and couldn't really think of anyone.

I did hear about MIT's HASTS program, but it's very selective and definitely an ambition/reach school for me. I'm hoping people on this site will have tips of how to search to find departments with faculty who would be willing to mentor this kind of project. If you've already got into grad school, how did you find departments with your research interests? If you're still looking, what search strategies are you using? Should I stop trying to stay within anthropology and be willing to branch out to other areas of social science, and if so, will having an anthro background hurt me?

[RefurbedScientist]

This is not exactly my field, but I would check out:

UC Irvine anthropology with Mimi Ito.

NYU Media, Culture, and Communication with the likes of Gabriella Coleman and others.

WashU American Culture or Interdisplinary Project in the Humanities with Joe Loewenstein.

I think I'll be able to turn up more later. If I forgot to post again, PM me.

As for your more general questions: I think your research interest is very cool, and it's definitely a hot topic now in some circles. Anthropology is certainly part of the conversation here, and I think Gabriella Coleman is a stand-out (in my limited knowledge). Both her and Mimi Ito are anthropologists, so that should encourage you. The thing about new media research is that is can kind of happen in any department. It would be welcome in most any socio-cultural anthro department, so long as someone there is doing media or communities. It would also be very welcome in some cutting-edge communications departments. I would look at Northwestern, USC-Annenberg, Penn-Annenberg to see if there are any faculty who interest you there.

It all depends on the approach you're taking, but from the sounds of it, cyberculture and virtual communities are probably best suited to an anthro program.

[RefurbedScientist]

Woops. Gabriella Coleman left NYU this semester to head to McGill. http://gabriellacoleman.org/

In any case, check out NYU MCC faculty. Also check out Coleman's co-authors, if any, and find out where they work (if her's is the kind of research that interests you).

You can also see if there are any academic associated with this event, ROFLcon.

Or shit, just email a professor you like somewhere and say "hey." They might know more than me (but not more than the collective intelligence of the internet )

Edited May 30, 2012 by SocialGroovements

[allhandsonthebadone]

If you aren't averse to going to Canada also consider University of Toronto's sociology program. Barry Wellman is probably one of the most prolific scholars on cyberculture. I will warn you it is very competitive to get into.

[jacib]

Not my field, most names I know have been mentioned. My only addition: I forget its name, but the program danah boyd went to at Berkeley (she teaches at NYU now). There are also anthro and sociology programs to consider. Boellsdorf is also at Irvine in anthro, Hargattai is also at Northwestern. There's also a program at RIT. In general I'd recommend looking hard at the discipline based programs: a sociologist or anthropologist can get a job at a communications department more easily than vice versa.

[jacib]

Also danah boyd is the best. Look at the blog www.savageminds.com. It's a general anthro blog but they have an interest in anthropology of virtual worlds. They just reviewed a book called "leet noobs". See where that author got his degree. They've also referenced a bunch of other authors if you poke around.