The media industry has incorporated romantic/sexual intimacy as a hot commodity. A prime example is the mobile dating app Tinder, which has served as a site that encourages users to forge intimacy online in non-traditional ways by appealing to the sexual freedom and fun associated with youth hookup culture. Many studies on romantic/sexual intimacy have alerted us to how social hierarchies of race and gender are adroitly concealed in contemporary visual culture through democratic post-civil rights discourses. In tandem with consumer culture, the increased media visibility of young, postfeminist-generation women deflects political discussions and restructures politics within economic principles. There are two problems here.

Online gaming communities have met a well-deserved rise in academic interest in recent years, yet the focus seems to linger or long-term or permanent communities; virtual temporary teams are a subject which leaves room for rich interpretations still. In this spirit, this thesis addresses the question of how strangers collaborate in solving complex tasks together, by way of analysing temporary teams in the “League of Legends” community. The focus of the study are the communicative and strategic practices that players employ during ranked games in their attempt to defeat the opposing team, as well as what might determine them to engage in such endeavours. The thesis sets off by presenting relevant information about the competitive League of Legends community, in the spirit of introducing the reader to a League-specific culture that will hopefully become familiar by the end of the study. This is followed by an account of related research on this matter, in terms of how previous studies connect to the one at hand. The theoretical foundation that follows is essential to the discussion of the findings. The methodological approach is essentially a cyber-ethnography, with a focus on two methods: textual analysis and semi-structured interviews. The main findings show a surprising level of complexity in what communicative and strategic patterns are concerned, which also points towards the interdependency between them. Moreover, the results show a clear connection between in-game social strata and player motivation in competitive communities. This study aims not only to update the knowledge we have on how social interactions are shaping and evolving in the context of online gaming, but also to provide results that are transferable and applicable in other fields of research; from culture and society to more particular areas such as management training and learning at work, a multitude of academic fields can benefit from and hopefully expand on the outcome of this thesis.

This study explores the power of ethnonationalist conflict-generated diasporas (CGD) as external actors in homeland conflict by exploring the nature of their political engagement on a transnational level using Internet Communication technologies (ICTs), with Rwanda as a case study. Virtual ethnography was chosen as the research methodology to explore the online activities of Rwandan CGD using social media (social networking sites) to form virtual transnational networks for political purposes. Diasporic online formations and activities were mapped in order to gain increased insights into ways that CGD use social media to engage in homeland conflict, and the effect their engagement has on the conflict cycle in the home country. Results of the study revealed that Rwandan CGDs demonstrate attitudes and motivations to act in ways that are consistent with other case studies of CGD, including exhibiting an enduring commitment and loyalty to co-ethnics, a romanticized conceptualization of homeland and a myth of return home. The results also revealed Rwandan CGDs' strong propensity to use social media to engage in homeland conflict on a political level through the development of a large and dense transnational network used for a range of political purposes, including the dissemination of genocide denial and propaganda consistent with the pre-genocide propaganda campaign. Implications for peace-building and conflict analysis are discussed.

Esta pesquisa visa analisar o trabalho imaterial de sujeitos usuários de dispositivos móveis convergentes. Para a compreensão do tema, estabelece-se uma retrospectiva histórica dos meios de comunicação, a partir do telégrafo. Desta forma, estuda-se a evolução dos media e recapitulam-se, inclusive, transformações tecnológicas que o telefone sofreu até o advento do smartphone. Posteriormente, para complementar a discussão, transformações sócio-culturais e político-econômicas decorrentes da pós-modernidade e da cibercultura são apresentadas. Essas reflexões auxiliam a investigação sobre a produção imaterial de sujeitos usuários de smartphones. Assim, os conceitos sobre império, multidão e trabalho imaterial são utilizados como marco teórico deste trabalho. Como procedimento metodológico a etnografia virtual é utilizada para analisar os impactos que os smartphones incutem no trabalho imaterial de sete sujeitos. Para isso, durante a coleta de dados foram aplicados questionários semi-abertos, entrevistas nãoestruturadas por MSN e SKYPE e diários de bordo com anotações dos indivíduos sobre os usos cotidianos que fazem dessas tecnologias digitais. Considera-se que a etnografia virtual é válida para estudos em cibercultura, pois permite que sejam realizadas observações sobre os sujeitos de análise, assim como uma descrição densa dos fenômenos investigados. Ainda, verificou-se que o biopoder do Império, através do uso de dispositivos móveis convergentes como os smartphones, interfere no trabalho imaterial dos indivíduos desta pesquisa. / The main objective of this research is to analyze the immaterial subjects that use convergent mobile devices. In order to understand the topic, we presented a historical background of the means of communication, starting it with the telegraph. Thus, we studied the media evolution and also the technological transformations that the telephone has undergone until the smartphone creation. Later, we presented social- cultural as well as political-economic changes trigged from postmodernity and ciberculture. Those reflections facilitated the investigation of the immaterial production of the subjects that used the smartphones. So, the concepts of empire, crowd and material work were the bases for this research. The methodology applied was the virtual ethnography used to analyze the impacts caused by smartphones in seven subjects’ immaterial work. In order to collect data, semi-open questionnaires and non-structured interviews were applied about the daily use of those types of digital technologies – this information was taken from MSN and SKYPE as well as the diary board annotations. We considered valid the virtual ethnography to carry out a research on ciberculture, since it allows the observations about the analyzed subjects as well as the description of the investigated phenomena. Besides, we also could verify that the Empire biopower, through the convergent mobile devices as smartphones, interfere with the subjects’ immaterial work.

Esta pesquisa visa analisar o trabalho imaterial de sujeitos usuários de dispositivos móveis convergentes. Para a compreensão do tema, estabelece-se uma retrospectiva histórica dos meios de comunicação, a partir do telégrafo. Desta forma, estuda-se a evolução dos media e recapitulam-se, inclusive, transformações tecnológicas que o telefone sofreu até o advento do smartphone. Posteriormente, para complementar a discussão, transformações sócio-culturais e político-econômicas decorrentes da pós-modernidade e da cibercultura são apresentadas. Essas reflexões auxiliam a investigação sobre a produção imaterial de sujeitos usuários de smartphones. Assim, os conceitos sobre império, multidão e trabalho imaterial são utilizados como marco teórico deste trabalho. Como procedimento metodológico a etnografia virtual é utilizada para analisar os impactos que os smartphones incutem no trabalho imaterial de sete sujeitos. Para isso, durante a coleta de dados foram aplicados questionários semi-abertos, entrevistas nãoestruturadas por MSN e SKYPE e diários de bordo com anotações dos indivíduos sobre os usos cotidianos que fazem dessas tecnologias digitais. Considera-se que a etnografia virtual é válida para estudos em cibercultura, pois permite que sejam realizadas observações sobre os sujeitos de análise, assim como uma descrição densa dos fenômenos investigados. Ainda, verificou-se que o biopoder do Império, através do uso de dispositivos móveis convergentes como os smartphones, interfere no trabalho imaterial dos indivíduos desta pesquisa. / The main objective of this research is to analyze the immaterial subjects that use convergent mobile devices. In order to understand the topic, we presented a historical background of the means of communication, starting it with the telegraph. Thus, we studied the media evolution and also the technological transformations that the telephone has undergone until the smartphone creation. Later, we presented social- cultural as well as political-economic changes trigged from postmodernity and ciberculture. Those reflections facilitated the investigation of the immaterial production of the subjects that used the smartphones. So, the concepts of empire, crowd and material work were the bases for this research. The methodology applied was the virtual ethnography used to analyze the impacts caused by smartphones in seven subjects’ immaterial work. In order to collect data, semi-open questionnaires and non-structured interviews were applied about the daily use of those types of digital technologies – this information was taken from MSN and SKYPE as well as the diary board annotations. We considered valid the virtual ethnography to carry out a research on ciberculture, since it allows the observations about the analyzed subjects as well as the description of the investigated phenomena. Besides, we also could verify that the Empire biopower, through the convergent mobile devices as smartphones, interfere with the subjects’ immaterial work.

Esta pesquisa visa analisar o trabalho imaterial de sujeitos usuários de dispositivos móveis convergentes. Para a compreensão do tema, estabelece-se uma retrospectiva histórica dos meios de comunicação, a partir do telégrafo. Desta forma, estuda-se a evolução dos media e recapitulam-se, inclusive, transformações tecnológicas que o telefone sofreu até o advento do smartphone. Posteriormente, para complementar a discussão, transformações sócio-culturais e político-econômicas decorrentes da pós-modernidade e da cibercultura são apresentadas. Essas reflexões auxiliam a investigação sobre a produção imaterial de sujeitos usuários de smartphones. Assim, os conceitos sobre império, multidão e trabalho imaterial são utilizados como marco teórico deste trabalho. Como procedimento metodológico a etnografia virtual é utilizada para analisar os impactos que os smartphones incutem no trabalho imaterial de sete sujeitos. Para isso, durante a coleta de dados foram aplicados questionários semi-abertos, entrevistas nãoestruturadas por MSN e SKYPE e diários de bordo com anotações dos indivíduos sobre os usos cotidianos que fazem dessas tecnologias digitais. Considera-se que a etnografia virtual é válida para estudos em cibercultura, pois permite que sejam realizadas observações sobre os sujeitos de análise, assim como uma descrição densa dos fenômenos investigados. Ainda, verificou-se que o biopoder do Império, através do uso de dispositivos móveis convergentes como os smartphones, interfere no trabalho imaterial dos indivíduos desta pesquisa. / The main objective of this research is to analyze the immaterial subjects that use convergent mobile devices. In order to understand the topic, we presented a historical background of the means of communication, starting it with the telegraph. Thus, we studied the media evolution and also the technological transformations that the telephone has undergone until the smartphone creation. Later, we presented social- cultural as well as political-economic changes trigged from postmodernity and ciberculture. Those reflections facilitated the investigation of the immaterial production of the subjects that used the smartphones. So, the concepts of empire, crowd and material work were the bases for this research. The methodology applied was the virtual ethnography used to analyze the impacts caused by smartphones in seven subjects’ immaterial work. In order to collect data, semi-open questionnaires and non-structured interviews were applied about the daily use of those types of digital technologies – this information was taken from MSN and SKYPE as well as the diary board annotations. We considered valid the virtual ethnography to carry out a research on ciberculture, since it allows the observations about the analyzed subjects as well as the description of the investigated phenomena. Besides, we also could verify that the Empire biopower, through the convergent mobile devices as smartphones, interfere with the subjects’ immaterial work.

This study aims to relate two peculiar events that marked the history of Brazil in relation to football: The 1950 and 2014 World Cup. The only two events held in Brazil were characterized by great preparation of the event infrastructure and enormous expectations of the crowd by winning the title, but it was not what happened. The two Brazilian Cups have been characterized by two very significant losses, the Maracanaço and Mineiraço, these were compared by fans and media and regarded as the worst defeats of the Brazilian team. To understand this problematic we carried out a Virtual Ethnography in Twitter platform in order to verify what users were commenting on the particular subject, as well as research in newspaper archives available online to also observe how the media have related these two Brazilian losses Thus, it was possible to understand with Maracanaço (1950) was gaining new meanings and updated with the new Brazilian defeat in 2014, the Mineiraço. / O presente trabalho tem por finalidade relacionar dois eventos peculiares que marcaram a história do Brasil em relação ao futebol: A Copa de 1950 e a de 2014. Os dois únicos eventos sediados no Brasil foram marcados pela grande preparação da infraestrutura do evento e enorme expectativa da torcida pela conquista do título, porém não foi o que aconteceu. As duas Copas do Brasil foram caracterizadas por duas derrotas muito significativas, o Maracanaço e o Mineiraço, essas que foram comparadas pelos torcedores e mídias e tidas como as piores derrotas da seleção brasileira. Para compreender essa problemática realizou-se uma Etnografia Virtual na plataforma Twitter com o objetivo de verificar o que os usuários estavam comentando sobre o determinado assunto, assim como, uma pesquisa nos acervos de jornais disponibilizados da forma online para também observar como as mídias relacionaram essas duas derrotas brasileiras. Assim, foi possível compreender com o Maracanaço (1950) foi ganhando novos significados e reatualizado com a nova derrota brasileira em 2014, o Mineiraço.

This study explores the power of ethnonationalist conflict-generated diasporas (CGD) as external actors in homeland conflict by exploring the nature of their political engagement on a transnational level using Internet Communication technologies (ICTs), with Rwanda as a case study. Virtual ethnography was chosen as the research methodology to explore the online activities of Rwandan CGD using social media (social networking sites) to form virtual transnational networks for political purposes. Diasporic online formations and activities were mapped in order to gain increased insights into ways that CGD use social media to engage in homeland conflict, and the effect their engagement has on the conflict cycle in the home country. Results of the study revealed that Rwandan CGDs demonstrate attitudes and motivations to act in ways that are consistent with other case studies of CGD, including exhibiting an enduring commitment and loyalty to co-ethnics, a romanticized conceptualization of homeland and a myth of return home. The results also revealed Rwandan CGDs¿ strong propensity to use social media to engage in homeland conflict on a political level through the development of a large and dense transnational network used for a range of political purposes, including the dissemination of genocide denial and propaganda consistent with the pre-genocide propaganda campaign. Implications for peace-building and conflict analysis are discussed.

Citizen Cyberscience Projects (CCPs) are projects mediated through the Internet, in which teams of scientists recruit members of the public (volunteers) to assist in scientific research, typically through the processing of large quantities of data. This thesis presents qualitative ethnographic case studies of the communities that have formed around two such projects, climateprediction.net and Galaxy Zoo. By considering these social actors in the broader contexts in which they are situated (historical, institutional, social, scientific), I discuss the co-shaping of the interests of these actors, the nature of the relationships amongst these actors, and the infrastructure of the projects and the purposes and nature of the scientific work performed. The thesis focusses on two relationships in particular. The first is that between scientists and volunteers, finding that, although scientists in both projects are concerned with treating volunteers with respect, there are nevertheless considerable differences between the projects. These are related to a number of interconnecting factors, including the particular contexts in which each project is embedded, the nature of the scientific work that volunteers are asked to undertake, the possibilities and challenges for the future development of the projects as perceived by the scientists, and the tools at the disposal of the respective teams of scientists for mediating relationships with volunteers. The second is amongst the volunteers themselves. This thesis argues that volunteers are heterogeneous, from disparate backgrounds, and that they sustain their involvement in CCPs for very different purposes. In particular, they seek to pursue these through the way they negotiate and construct their relationships with other volunteers, drawing on particular features of the project to do so. This thesis contributes to two fields. The first is to Citizen Cyberscience itself, with a view to improving the running of such projects. Some social studies have already been conducted of CCPs to this end, and this thesis both extends the analysis of some of these pre-existing studies and also problematizes aspects of CCPs that these studies had not considered. I discuss the significance of my findings for those involved in setting up and running a CCP, and present some recommendations for practice. The second field is Science and Technology Studies, in particular studies of public engagement with scientific and technological decision- and knowledge-making processes. The modes of engagement found in CCPs differ in key ways from those that have already been documented in the existing literature (in particular, different power relationships) and thus offer new ways of understanding how the public might be engaged successfully in such processes.

Submitted by Kenia Bernini (kenia.bernini@ufpel.edu.br) on 2017-08-03T17:05:11Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Cláudia_Cardoso_Goularte_Dissertação.pdf: 8428502 bytes, checksum: 3fed9e57bb4d8b152b747a3b8e5a6fea (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Aline Batista (alinehb.ufpel@gmail.com) on 2017-08-07T20:08:16Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 Cláudia_Cardoso_Goularte_Dissertação.pdf: 8428502 bytes, checksum: 3fed9e57bb4d8b152b747a3b8e5a6fea (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Aline Batista (alinehb.ufpel@gmail.com) on 2017-08-07T20:08:23Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 Cláudia_Cardoso_Goularte_Dissertação.pdf: 8428502 bytes, checksum: 3fed9e57bb4d8b152b747a3b8e5a6fea (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-08-07T20:08:30Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Cláudia_Cardoso_Goularte_Dissertação.pdf: 8428502 bytes, checksum: 3fed9e57bb4d8b152b747a3b8e5a6fea (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-07-06 / Esta dissertação toma a Feira de Tristán Narvaja, em Montevideo, como universo de pesquisa etnográfica. Ao longo de quatro capítulos é privilegiada a narratividade oral e imagética, assim como a importância de uma ligação no tempo com este lugar. Saliento para a pertinência e utilização de métodos e técnicas de pesquisa diversos, tais como: etnografia de rua, observação flutuante, observação participante, cartografia, etnobiografia e etnografia virtual, em diálogo com os aportes teóricos da Antropologia Urbana e Antropologia Visual. As especificidades dos interlocutores e das suas narrativas justificam a relação entre as alegorias do flâneur e do colecionador, assim como a relação entre surrealismo e etnografia. A partir disto, a Feira de Tristán Narvaja se constitui em um importante lugar de buscas e encontros relacionados com as trajetórias de vida dos interlocutores e da pesquisadora. A noção de mundos paralelos, como eixo estruturante da etnografia, remete às mercadorias comercializadas por trabalhadores conhecidos como cachivacheros. As memórias e histórias reunidas nesta pesquisa buscam desvelar a importância antropológica e as particularidades deste evento dominical que se repete há mais de um século na capital uruguaia, sem jamais ser o mesmo / This thesis takes the fair of Tristán Narvaja, in Montevideo, while the universe of ethnography research. Throughout four chapters, oral and imagery narrativity is privileged, as well as the importance of a connection in time whit this place. I emphasize the pertinence and use of methods and various research techniques, such as street ethnography, floating observation, participant observation, cartography, ethnobiography and virtual ethnography, in dialogue with the theoretical contributions of the Urban Anthropology and Visual Anthropology. The specificity of the interlocutors and their narratives justify the relationship between the allegories of the flâneur and the collector, as well as the relation between surrealism and ethnography. From this, the Tristán Narvaja’s fair is an important place for searches and meetings related to the life trajectories of the interlocutors and the researcher. The notion of parallel worlds, like structuring axis of this ethnography, refers to goods marketed by workers known as cachivacheros. The memories and histories gathered in this research seek to reveal the anthropological importance and the particularities of this Sunday event which has been repeated for more than a century in the Uruguayan capital, without ever being the same