For this episode of the Digital Sociology Podcast I spoke to Harry Dyer about his work on online social platforms and identity. Harry tells me about his thoughts on the development and design of different platforms and how they make different actions and connections possible and restrict others.

Harry told me about what he has found from his research on the way in which young people use different platforms and the subtle ways they interpret and use platforms to present their identities. He tells me about the theoretical traditions he has drawn upon influenced by Erving Goffman and Karan Barad amongst others. I also here about the innovative way he has applied the analysis of comic books to social media. We also talk about whether communities are possible online and how the Facebook model of community differs from the “anonymous” one.

Harry is a lecturer at University of East Anglia and tweets at @HarryTDyer 

This is the first episode that I haven’t been able to edit properly. All of my previous episodes have included intro/outro music, stings and various bits of editing. But due to work commitments and particularly my (work induced) RSI I have had to stop doing this as I was finding it was making things worse. I have written more about this on my blog. This is also why this episode has been severely delayed. So, in order to be able to continue with this podcast I will (for the time being at least) be putting them out largely unedited. I didn’t want to do this but at the moment is the only way I can manage it.

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iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/digital-sociology-podcast/id1202207046?mt=2