Ch 7: Emotions & Affect

Question 1

What is “The Affective Turn”?

Answer 1

Focus on how technology impacts emotions and feelings within society and culture.

Question 2

Is technology neutral?

Answer 2

Technology may be neutral, but human responses to it are often emotionally charged.

Question 3

What drives emotional responses in digital society?

Answer 3

Affective intensity, fueled by the strength of our attachments, shapes digital society.

Question 4

How do feelings and emotions shape digital culture?

Answer 4

Emotional attachments to technology influence societal values and cultural norms.

Question 5

What is Actor-Network Theory (ANT)?

Answer 5

A theory that examines how human and non-human entities form complex networks and interact.

Question 6

Are non-human entities important in ANT?

Answer 6

Yes, material objects (non-humans) act within networks and influence relationships.

Question 7

Why are relationships in ANT significant?

Answer 7

ANT focuses on patterns of relationships within networks to understand how entities interact.

Question 8

What is “friction” in ANT?

Answer 8

Friction arises from constant interaction and transformation (“becoming”) within networks, generating affect.

Question 9

What is an “Affective Jolt” according to Paasonen?

Answer 9

The emotional “jolt” we seek while scrolling—something that grabs our attention and creates a sense of attachment.

Question 10

How do preferences act as sentiment online?

Answer 10

By logging emotions as binary or rankable (like/dislike, ratings), we allow platforms to quantify feelings and shape content algorithms.

Question 11

What impact do ranked preferences have on algorithms?

Answer 11

Ranked preferences feed algorithms, influencing how content is tailored and delivered back to users.

Question 12

What is “flaming” in digital communication?

Answer 12

Hostile or aggressive online behavior often amplified by the detachment of digital interaction.

Question 13

Why does “flaming” escalate easily online?

Answer 13

The distance from real-life consequences and lack of direct impact observation make hostility easier to express.

Question 14

How can digital communication be dehumanizing?

Answer 14

It often reduces people to stereotypes, fostering misunderstanding and escalating hostile emotions.

Question 15

How is “flaming” different from “trolling”?

Answer 15

Flaming is direct hostility and aggression, while trolling is intentional provocation, often with ambiguous intent.

Question 16

Why is trolling ambiguous on digital media?

Answer 16

Digital communication makes it harder to gauge intent, which adds to the ambiguity of trolling.

Question 17

How do trolls view themselves?

Answer 17

Trolls often self-identify as trolls, seeing their actions as intentional provocation.

Question 18

What do cute cats represent in digital media?

Answer 18

They are a metaphor for widely-shared, everyday user-generated content.

Question 19

How can “cuteness overload” networks be used beyond sharing?

Answer 19

Large-scale networks sharing “cute” content can potentially be co-opted for other purposes.

Question 20

What is the Cute Cat Theory?

Answer 20

Activist platforms are often less effective than widely used digital tools, as popular platforms (like those sharing cute cat content) reach larger audiences (Lindgren, p. 148)