Cyborgs in Cyberspace: Contemporary Research in Cyber- and Digital Anthropology

Abstract

The article introduces the special theme of the issue on the “Anthropology of Cyberspace and Digital Technologies” and reviews the publications in various subfields and research areas in cyber- and/or digital anthropology of the last quarter of a century. They are subdivided into several broad categories, including methodology of digital ethnography, anthropological study of digital technologies and their influence on culture, language and society, and the research on digital professions, subcultures and identities. The article identifies key authors and publications in these fields, thus providing a guide for scholars who are planning research in one of the areas covered. Finally, it briefly assesses the current development of digital anthropology in Russia and mentions journals and centers that specialize in digital studies. The thematic collection includes contributions by Sokolovskiy S.V., Zemnukhova L.V., Kasatkina A.K., Poretskova A.A. and Slavgorodskii-Kazanets T.V., Sokolova E.K. and Shevchenko S.Yu., Kozhevnikova М. and Karpova S.V.