In affluent western societies, digital communication and information technologies increasingly reshape our social relations and identities, the way we perceive our selves and others. Given that we are all communicative and relational bodies in complex webs of power, the media of communication are central to the ways we are socially structured and relate to one another. The purpose of my thesis is to sketch a framework which can account critically for the dangers and benefits of embodying digital technologies while rethinking the gendered body politics of the everyday world. In this thesis, I develop a set of theoretical abstractions through which to think our bodies. With these theories, I paint images of modern body politics and of the micro- and macro-politics of power over life in larger socio-historical processes. M y textual analysis of Tampax's TRoom (http://www.troom.com), a corporate website exemplifies thinking these broader historical and social issues of embodiment. I focus on this website as a discursive frame that calls girls as free and subjugated subjects into digital texts of feminine protection. Thinking girl bodies through and against the 'civilizing' and disciplinary dimension of digital and sanitary technologies provides us with both liberating and confining images of what it may be like to be or become a girl. In the conclusion, I present the image of cyborgs, as hybrids of human organism and technology, to think our selves through everyday life techniques and technologies. Tamponed cyborgs provide realities that reformulate a bodily unity, capture contemporary issues of "girls" embodiment and incorporation of technology, and contribute to an understanding of the possibilities for discursive remappings of girls' social relations and selves.

In this thesis, I conduct a case study of a virtual community (Metafilter.com) in order to apply Pierre Bourdieu's theory of capital and class to an online community. The specific goals for this thesis are in mapping the different forms of capital that are active in Metafilter in order to see how they structure its social space. The questions I address are: 1) what forsm of capital are active in the Metafilter community? 2) How are they similar to the forms of capital presented by Bourdieu? Having identified the active forms of capital, 3) do they act to influence stratification in the Metafilter community? / vi, 129 leaves ; 29 cm.

The Internet news medium has immense potential to restructure the existing media regime in Egypt. Online news sites offer new patterns for the production and consumption of media content and function as communication spaces in realms which lie beyond existing social and political constraints. This dissertation begins with an analysis of the social construction of the Internet in Egypt. It endeavours to show how certain political, economic and cultural interests and the agendas of key social actors are shaping the development of the Internet in Egypt. It also describes how institutional arrangements, the regulatory system and the communications culture are mediating the implementation and uses of the Internet. Following this analysis, the dissertation explores the nature of the Internet news medium, its communication architecture and its unique capabilities. Case studies of two Egyptian news organizations and their online news production processes are presented in order to develop an understanding of journalists' conceptions of the new medium, their work practices and the online gate-keeping processes. These case studies highlight different methods for constructing online audiences and different ways to approach the online news medium. Online news text and its structural and stylistic features are then analysed. Finally, the impact of the Internet on the mass media regime is assessed, paying particular attention to issues of access and participation, censorship and freedom of expression. The dissertation closes by considering the implications of the online medium for the emerging civil society in Egypt. The online medium permits new actors to participate freely in public debate, and could thus present a serious challenge to the dominance of the state in the public domain.

Pour la constitution de ce sujet, je suis partie du contexte de l'etude plutot que de son objet. L'Afrique m'est apparue comme un choix logique pour deux raisons principales. La premiere, d'ordre personnel, est que les personnes qui me sont les plus cheres sont, chacunes a leur maniere, proches du continent africain. Sous leur influence, j'ai developpe un interet certain pour les cultures et les problemes de l'Afrique noire. Ce penchant s'est transforme en conviction lorsque, dans les aleas de leur carriere professionnelle, mes parents ont ete mute au Mali il y a deux ans. Ce demenagement m'a permis de constater la situation de l'Afrique par quelques voyages sur le continent. Ces experiences me permettent aujourd'hui affirmer que l'Afrique occupe une part importante de ma vie et de mes centres d'interet. / La seconde raison a l'origine de ce devoir: Je pense qu'en adoptant une demarche critique vis-a-vis des rapports socioculturels, je pourrais construire un environnement intellectuel stimulant qui contribuerait a remettre en question nombre de presupposes que l'on tient trop souvent pour vrais et definitifs. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

This study aimed to explore adolescents perceptions of how their use of information and communication technologies may impact on the quality of the parent-adolescent relationship. Obtaining information from adolescents on how they experience their parents interaction with them when they engage with theses technologies, can provide insight into adolescents perceptions of whether information and communication technologies impact on this relationship. This research therefore aimed to explore the way that parents interact with their adolescents on their use of the Internet, gaming activities, or regulating their use of a cell phone, and how this is perceived by adolescents.

This thesis has a three-fold goal: (1) it aims to contribute to studies which analyze the gender dimension in social shaping studies of technology; (2) in its emphasis on the Internet and the new information infrastructure it is a complement to the literature in communication studies on the gendering of communication technologies; and (3) it adds to emergent theories of virtual communities by positing how gendered practices and gender-related activities have influenced the emergence of social policy mores in the evolving information infrastructure. / In emphasizing the social factors that shape technological change the thesis departs from dominant approaches towards technology that typically study the "affects" or "impact" of technology on society. This thesis similarly responds to the gender-perspective gap that exists in sociotechnical studies, and enlarges the scope of gender studies through its consideration of emergent information and communication technologies, notably the Internet. How the social mores of virtual communities have been influenced and affected by and through a consideration of gender and gendered practices on the Internet forms a core component of the thesis, based upon case studies. / As this thesis argues, new information and communication technologies must be considered in relation to other communication technologies, as well as in relation to the social context in which they are designed, developed and used, including the often unarticulated social assumptions of various groups, and the unanticipated consequences of the new information infrastructure. In this sense, social scientists are now at a key turning point in their explorations of new information and communication technologies. / This thesis should be of significance to communication scholars interested in the history and theory of gender and communication technologies; social historians of technology, and feminist scholars, with an interest in a gendered perspective on new communication technologies; and public policy officials interested in how different groups of individuals will interact with, influence, and be affected by new communication and information technologies.

As new methods of communication have been created by technological advances, it has become important to examine how students use these methods to interact with other students, the campus community, and the world. This study at Ball State University helped researchers understand how students communicated online in order to create policies regarding online communication. Data were gathered using the qualitative methodology of responsive interviewing. Students and administrators were interviewed (luring May and June of 2006. The data were analyzed by identifying important themes, trends, and concepts among the data according to Rubin & Rubin's (2005) model. The study found that institutions should create educational opportunities for faculty, staff, and students to learn about online communication technologies. These educational sessions should include how to use the technologies, the potential for their misuse, and the responsibilities attached to their use. The study concluded that existing policies should be used to address online policy violations. / Department of Educational Studies

This study aimed to explore adolescents perceptions of how their use of information and communication technologies may impact on the quality of the parent-adolescent relationship. Obtaining information from adolescents on how they experience their parents interaction with them when they engage with theses technologies, can provide insight into adolescents perceptions of whether information and communication technologies impact on this relationship. This research therefore aimed to explore the way that parents interact with their adolescents on their use of the Internet, gaming activities, or regulating their use of a cell phone, and how this is perceived by adolescents.

University of Macau / Faculty of Social Sciences / Department of Communication

This study aims to investigate the possible influence of Western culture on second-year Chinese students at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) in 2007 by focusing on their Internet usage. Roland Robertson’s theory of glocalization is employed as the theoretical framework in this study. The research design is qualitative in nature. Individual semi-structured interviews are the method of collecting research data while a thematic analysis is the means of analysing and interpreting the research data. The sample comprises twelve second-year Chinese students who are studying at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) in 2007 and have access to the Internet. This study has found that Western culture has exerted multi-faceted influences on the Chinese students through their Internet usage, and that they always negotiate such influences by selecting, adapting and appropriating what is useful in Western culture in an eclectic manner.