Humanities and Social Science Perspectives on Internet Governance

Over the last several decades, the Internet has rapidly permeated every aspect of life. The Internet has increasingly mediated social events, meanings, and human subjects, which is closely related to Internet user communities and cultures. Have Internet user communities actually had as much influence on Internet governance as they have been in other aspects of the Internet? More importantly, why is it imperative for user communities to participate in Internet governance? To help ourselves answer these questions, this lecture explores the meaning of user communities and cultures in the Internet universe and the implications of their participation in Internet governance from the humanities and social science perspectives. The notions of cosmopolitics and democracy will particularly play a role of conceptual tools to address important issues such as class, gender, geographical region, and the digital divide. This lecture will use real-world cases: Internet cultural trends by anonymous message boards; political movements from civilian demonstrations for democratization to the emergence of extreme right-wing movements claiming to advocate freedom of speech all bolstered by the Internet; new lifestyles endorsed by self-branding Internet celebrities. Case studies from anthropology, sociology, media studies, and cultural studies will be used as reading materials.