Reimagining Internet Geographies: A User-Centric Ethnological Mapping of the World Wide Web

We propose a new user‐centric imagery of the WWW that foregrounds local usage and its shaping forces, in contrast to existing imageries that prioritize Internet infrastructure. We construct ethnological maps of WWW usage through a network analysis of shared global traffic between 1000 most popular w...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of computer-mediated communication 2016-05, Vol.21 (3), p.230-246
Main Authors: Wu, Angela Xiao, Taneja, Harsh
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Cross-cultural Comparison
Culture
Economics
Image contrast
Infrastructure
Internet
Internet Studies
Media Choice
Network Analysis
Online
Regional Cultures
Web Use
Websites
World Wide Web
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Summary:We propose a new user‐centric imagery of the WWW that foregrounds local usage and its shaping forces, in contrast to existing imageries that prioritize Internet infrastructure. We construct ethnological maps of WWW usage through a network analysis of shared global traffic between 1000 most popular websites at 3 time points and develop granular measures for exploring global participation in online communication. Our results reveal the significant growth and thickening of online regional cultures associated with the global South. We draw attention to how local cultural identity, affirmative state intervention and economic contexts shape regional cultures on the global WWW.
ISSN:1083-6101
1083-6101
DOI:10.1111/jcc4.12157