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  • © 2017

Taking Offence on Social Media

Conviviality and Communication on Facebook

Palgrave Macmillan
  • Draws on a large empirical survey of Facebook users’ perceptions of online interaction in order to examine how people manage the potential giving and taking of offence

  • Combines empirical study and innovative theoretical apparatus to offer a significant contribution to the understanding of language and communication via social media

  • Author's reflect on the wider significance of this study for contemporary social relations and political stance-taking

  • Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

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Table of contents (7 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-ix
  2. Creating Facebook: A Study of Online Conflict and Conviviality

    • Caroline Tagg, Philip Seargeant, Amy Aisha Brown
    Pages 1-17
  3. Online Communication as Context Design

    • Caroline Tagg, Philip Seargeant, Amy Aisha Brown
    Pages 19-42
  4. Giving and Taking Offence: Theoretical and Empirical Approaches

    • Caroline Tagg, Philip Seargeant, Amy Aisha Brown
    Pages 43-52
  5. Social Media and Intradiverse Networks

    • Caroline Tagg, Philip Seargeant, Amy Aisha Brown
    Pages 53-66
  6. The Impact of Intradiversity on Online Offence

    • Caroline Tagg, Philip Seargeant, Amy Aisha Brown
    Pages 67-88
  7. Constructing Conviviality in Online Interaction

    • Caroline Tagg, Philip Seargeant, Amy Aisha Brown
    Pages 89-111
  8. Afterword: Beyond Facebook

    • Caroline Tagg, Philip Seargeant, Amy Aisha Brown
    Pages 113-121
  9. Back Matter

    Pages 123-139

About this book





This book explores communication on Facebook, developing the new theoretical concept of context design as a way of understanding the dynamics of online interaction. Against a backdrop of fake news and other controversies surrounding online political debate, the authors focus on inadvertent acts of offence on Facebook; that is, when users of the site unwittingly offend or are offended by the airing of political or religious views, or of opinions deemed racist or sexist. Drawing on a survey of Facebook users, they explain why instances of offence occur and what users report doing in response. They argue that Facebook users contribute to the construction of a particular social space, one that is characterised by online conviviality and a belief that Facebook is not the place for serious debate. These views in turn shape the kind of political debate that can take place on the site. This thought-provoking book will appeal to scholars and students of applied linguistics, and anyone interested in the role of social media in contemporary political and social life.

Authors and Affiliations

  • Languages and Applied Linguistics, Open University , Milton Keynes, United Kingdom

    Caroline Tagg

  • The University of Nottingham Ningbo , Ningbo, China

    Philip Seargeant

  • Open University , Milton Keynes, United Kingdom

    Amy Aisha Brown

About the authors

Dr Caroline Tagg is Lecturer in Applied Linguistics at the Open University, UK.
 
Philip Seargeant is Senior Lecturer in Applied Linguistics at the Open University, UK.
 
Amy Aisha Brown is a Teaching Fellow in the School of English at the University of Nottingham Ningbo, China.


Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Taking Offence on Social Media

  • Book Subtitle: Conviviality and Communication on Facebook

  • Authors: Caroline Tagg, Philip Seargeant, Amy Aisha Brown

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-56717-4

  • Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Cham

  • eBook Packages: Social Sciences, Social Sciences (R0)

  • Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2017

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-319-56716-7Published: 11 August 2017

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-3-319-85982-8Published: 03 August 2018

  • eBook ISBN: 978-3-319-56717-4Published: 04 August 2017

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: IX, 139

  • Number of Illustrations: 9 b/w illustrations

  • Topics: Applied Linguistics, Sociolinguistics, Discourse Analysis, Social Media, Media and Communication

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 44.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 59.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 59.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access