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The Internet has enabled an exponentially larger number of people--individuals who are members of numerous and vastly different subgroups--to be exposed to one other. As a result, instead of the simple jocks versus geeks paradigm of previous eras, our society now has more detailed stereotypes of the undesirable, the under-the-radar, and the ostracized: cyberpervs, neckbeards, goths, tech nerds, and anyone with a non-heterosexual identity. Each chapter of this book explores a different stereotype of the Internet user, with key themes--such as gender, technophobia, and sexuality--explored with regard to that specific characterization of online users.

Author Lauren Rosewarne, PhD, supplies a highly interdisciplinary perspective that draws on research and theories from a range of fields--psychology, sociology, and communications studies as well as feminist theory, film theory, political science, and philosophy--to analyze what these stereotypes mean in the context of broader social and cultural issues. From cyberbullies to chronically masturbating porn addicts to desperate online-daters, readers will see the paradox in popular culture's message: that while Internet use is universal, actual Internet users are somehow subpar--less desirable, less cool, less friendly--than everybody else.