Emotions in a Digital World: Social Research 4.0

This book presents an introduction to strategies for qualitative digital social research on emotions in a digital world.

The book emphasizes the connections that exist between emotional ecologies, emotions as texts, and the virtual / mobile / digital world that brings us closer to a hermeneutics of the practices of feeling. In the context of ‘society 4.0’, the book explores:

changes in the organisation of daily life and work in virtual, mobile and digital environments;
the impact of apps and social networks on sensations, emotions and sensibilities;
necessary changes in social research to employ the power of these apps and networks for social enquiry.

As such, it shares a set of social inquiry practices developed and applied to capture and understand emotions today. It should be considered as a first step in a long journey of exploring the close connections between sensibilities, emotions, and social research methodology. The book will appeal to students and instructors of emotion studies from across the social sciences, including sociology, psychology, organisation studies, ethnography, history, and political science.