The waning distinction between private and public: Net locality and the restructuring of space

de Souza e Silva, A., & Gordon, E. (2013). The waning distinction between private and public: Net locality and the restructuring of space. In K. Gates (Ed.). The International Encyclopedia of Media Studies, volume VI: Media Studies Futures (pp.195-214). Boston: Blackwell.

Abstract: Media history is an emerging field. Ambiguities about its object of study and modes of explanation make it difficult to define the boundaries of media history. It is possible to sketch out some existing formations of scholarly work in the area. This introduction offers some suggestions for mapping the field while it introduces the structure and contents of the handbook. It also addresses the received history of the field of media studies. It challenges the likelihood of the emergence of accepted grand narratives about either media history or the foundations of media studies, but proposes that the resulting anarchy is a sign of intellectual robustness.