New work examines social media’s effects on urban space, community action

New work examines social media’s effects on urban space, community action
Thursday, December 9, 2021

New work examines social media’s effects on urban space, community action

Professor of Architecture Eric Sauda and alumni Alireza Karduni ’17 M.Arch. ’20 Ph.D. and Ginette Wessel ’08 M.Arch. recently published “Social Media and the Contemporary City.” The book focuses on the interplay between social media, local communities and urban space in a variety of political and economic settings related to social activism, informal economic activity, public art and global extremism.

According to the publisher’s description, “the book views social media not as a replacement for the local community or urban space but rather as a translation of the uses and meanings of all three realms.”

Ten chapters at the core of “Social Media and the Contemporary City” take as case studies a wide range of events – local, national and international. Among those are two Charlotte-centric investigations: One chapter focuses on the protests that followed the Keith Lamont Scott shooting in 2016, while another is a study of mobile food trucks in Charlotte in 2015. Other case studies include the 2016 Pulse Night Club shooting in Orlando; the 2017 Women’s March in Washington, D.C.; the 2019 massacre at the Al Noor mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand; and the Burning Man arts festival, held virtually in 2020.

In addition to his position on the faculty of the School of Architecture, Sauda teaches in the University’s Charlotte Vis Center and School of Data Science.

Read more on the College of Arts + Architecture website.