ABSTRACT
In the previous chapter we introduced the geographies of asynchronous media, focusing on the various forms and initial attempts to reveal their spatialities and geometries. We now extend this analysis, turning our attention to synchronous social media where the social interactions between people take place in real time. Here, although the inhabitants of cyberspace are geographically dislocated, they share the same media at the same time. Synchronous social media are the virtual realm that have received perhaps the most academic and public attention, particularly by sociologists. As discussed in Chapter 3, it is felt that synchronous social media provide new spaces in which to explore identity, as well as creating and redefining notions of community. Whilst the broader arguments concerning the implications of synchronous social media are discussed in Chapter 3, in this chapter we discuss empirical work relating to a number of different kinds of synchronous media and specific attempts to chart their spatialities and geometries.
