Adolescence, Identity, and the Politics of Recognition in the Social Media Era Being and Becoming After the Algorithmic Turn

Introduction

Recognition, adolescence, and (political) identity in the algorithmic era

The affective politics of digital media

Adolescent identity development online

Outline of book

1: Recognition theory, social media, and the dialectical moment

Recognition and identity

   Honneth’s framework

   Phenomenologies of misrecognition

   Misrecognising the self

   Identity politics

The dialectical moment

   Culture wars as struggle

   From polarisation to epistemic disjuncture

   A fourth order of recognition: Epistemic

The normative potential of (an amended) recognition theory

   Recognition as a radical endeavour

Conclusion

2: The hybrid lives of teens online

Hybrid ecologies

Tensions, transitions, and identity work

Digital affordances for belonging

Affective; collective; political

Toxic discursive environments

An algorithmically distorted recognition order

Conclusion

3: Researching recognition

Methodological framework

   Perspectivism and representation

   Storytelling/storylistening

   Meaning-making, interpretation, and hermeneutics

   Reflexivity and researcher positionality

Research methods

   Phase one: Surveys

   Phase two: In-depth interviews

   Analysis

Conclusion

4: Affective orientations to the political

Social media as recognition machine

   Social media adoption as a rite of passage

   Fitting in

   Performing belonging and signalling desirable traits

   Performing the self as self-discovery

   Affirming versus compensatory online practices

   Mitigating loneliness

Identifying with a collective

   Recognising the self in others

   Constructions of us and them; ingroup norms and values

To be recognised is to be understood

   Cancel culutre, self-silencing, and the fear of rejection

Conclusion

5: Digitally mediated identities

Autonomy-enhancing or autonomy-inhibiting?

   Information-seeking, interests, hobbies

   Enabling and inhibiting connection

Agency and intentionality

   Addiction, wasted time, mindless scrolling

   An emotional (sc)rollercoaster

   Depression, anxiety, apathy

   A question of consent: Unwanted exposure to distressing content

Environmental influences

   Filter effects and epistemic autonomy

   Symmetrical versus asymmetrical hermeneutic environments

   The power of dialogue

Conclusion

Conclusion: Autonomy, ambiguity, and justice in the algorithmic age

Ambiguities in the liminal

Political orientations

Technologies of power

The normative and transformative potential of recognition theory

Biography

Rachel Anna Billington (Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki) is a lecturer in the Media, Film and Communication Programme at the University of Otago, Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka. She lives in Ōtepoti Dunedin with her husband, stepkid(s), chickens, bees, and cat, and likes to use an em dash—despite its reputation.

“Billington's work contributes a timely exploration of social media as a rite of passage for young people, exploring the ways in which the 'agency' of algorithms and media both enhance and inhibit, aid and distort young peoples' relations and development. Without succumbing to technological determinism, she provides savvy and critical insights into the contradictions and complexities of contemporary mediated lives. Her approach is smart both theoretically and empirically, offering a seamless analysis of her original empirical research through the lens of affect, recognition theory, and epistemic injustice, arguing for scholars to understand social media as a "recognition machine" which in turn requires a focus on technojustice. For Billington, recognition theory provides a means for dissecting both how algorithmic dynamics entrench epistemic injustice, but also promise dialogue and reciprocity. Accessible, incisive, and smart, this book explores these critical and urgent questions with exemplary and impressive breadth, never sacrificing the complexity and nuance required to grasp the fraught and mediated experience of coming of age in the 21st century.”

Professor Megan Boler, University of Toronto

“Drawing on the perspectives and lived experiences of New Zealand teens, this book thoughtfully engages with the messy but fascinating truth about social media: these platforms simultaneously widen and narrow teens' agency in their quest to develop a sense of self and political identity.”

Professor Susannah Stern, University of San Diego