Interview with the editors: Rikke Andreassen, Michael Nebeling Petersen, Katherine Harrison, and Tobias Raun
How did the idea for Mediated Intimacies arise?
We increasingly live our lives in/through/with so-called “new” media, blurring our own boundaries between private and public as we negotiate changing norms of relationality and connectivity. This fast-growing and increasingly complex aspect of daily life in many parts of the globe brings us both closer and further away from each other in ways that often challenge or provoke. As scholars working in the fields of media studies/cultural studies/gender studies, we were inspired by the burgeoning literature on mediated intimacies, but felt that there was a need for a more in-depth exploration of the relationship between media and intimacies.
Rikke Andreassen, Michael Nebeling Petersen, Katherine Harrison, Tobias Raun
What is the original contribution of this anthology?
This book provides a timely contribution to an academic lacuna; by inter-linking new media and intimacy with each other, and exploring them through each other, the book contributes with new insights into the field of media as well as of intimacy. More importantly, it provides new understandings of both media and intimacy (as well as affectivity and emotions) by reading these two fields (new media and intimacy) against each other. This provides new understandings, and introduces new concepts and models for understanding the intimacy constructions unfolding in our contemporary social media landscape.
How do you think Mediated Intimacies can be important for other areas of research, on media and communications, and beyond?
One of the great strengths of this anthology is its broad scope. The anthology analyses a wide range of media, for instance dating sites and dating apps, online classified adverts, YouTube, blogs, SnapChat, Facebook, Badoo, CouchSurfing, Grindr, health apps, iPads, smart phones/apps, Tumblr, as well as online activism. Similarly, it employs various methods, e.g. ethnography, netnography, content analysis, survey, interviews, observation, participatory observation, cross-national comparative studies, visual methods, platform analysis, etc. In other words, the anthology covers a wide variety of media sites as well as methods; at the same time a clear red thread weaves its way through the volume, as all chapters explore the connections between intimacy and new media.
Finally, it engages with various geographical settings – and links these to the global mediascape – while most chapters depart from a European setting (including the UK, Spain, Sweden, the Netherlands, Bulgaria, Portugal, Denmark and Finland), other articles depart from countries like Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, Canada, and the US. This makes the volume truly international in context as well as scope.
This scope and contextualization of the individual case studies makes the volume relevant to a wide range of both media studies scholars and those working with affect theory. Furthermore, this volume provides new understandings of the bodily and intimate doing of, and experiences with, technology. In doing so, it also questions traditional boundaries between body, media, technology and intimacies. As such, we envisage a significant third audience for this volume in the form of scholars working with gender studies/feminist theory which is often highly attuned to bodies and identities.
Do you feel this is a timely publication in public terms?
Media coverage and public discussion of changing media and intimacy practices has been in evidence for some time. However, the publication of this volume now feels particularly apt in light of recent events, such as the #metoo campaign in which intimate practices and new media were intertwined in important political and personal ways.
How was the process of the ECREA book series and how important was it for your publication?
The publication enabled us to work closely together as well as work together with other scholars. We continue working together, as we are hosting a conference at Roskilde University, Denmark, on ‘online intimacies, intimacies online’ in the spring (May 30 – June 1) 2018. One of our keynote speakers at the conference is a contributor to the anthology (Debra Ferreday). The process with ECREA as well as with Routledge has been very smooth and a positive experience. We are happy to be a part of the ECREA book series, which we consider an important series for bringing forth and highlighting new research.
Ana Jorge
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