The definitive and first major text on personas in contemporary
culture
Modern social media and communication technologies have reshaped our
identities and transformed contemporary culture, revealing an expanded
and intensified reforming of our collective online behavior. Billions of
people worldwide are increasingly engaged in the production,
presentation, and modification of their public selves--curating personas
through various social media and fundamentally altering how we interact
in the twenty-first century. The study of persona is essential to
understanding contemporary culture, yet literature in this emerging
field is scarce. Filling a gap in current knowledge, Persona Studies:
An Introduction is the first major work to examine the construction,
delivery, and curation of public identities in contemporary online
culture.
This timely book helps readers navigate the changing cultural landscape
while laying the groundwork for further research and application of
persona studies. Three case studies are included--examining personas of
the artist, gamer, and professional---to illustrate how personas
continue to transform identity and reshape contemporary culture. From
the historical precursors of the current iteration of persona to
emerging configurations of public self, this unique work offers readers
a broad introduction to the evolving theories and concepts of how
persona defines the contemporary condition and its relation to
technology and collective identity. To summarize, the book:
- Analyzes how identities linked to data are cultivated, curated and
mined for various purposes
- Discusses the mediated blending of media and different types of
interpersonal communication
- Explores tools for the investigation and analysis of persona,
including Prosopographic field studies and information visualization
- Translates new research, concept, theories, methods, and approaches
into clear case studies and applications
- Examines the personalization of public, private, and intimate
information in the building of new personas
Persona Studies: An Introduction is an innovative resource for
students, academics, researchers, and professionals in fields covering
digital and social media, technology and culture, mass media and
communications, social and media psychology and sociology, and
professional studies.
