"The definitive and first major text on personas in contemporary culture Modern social media and communication technologies have reshaped our identities and transformed contemporary culture, revealing an expanded and intensified reforming of our collective online behavior. Billions of people worldwide are increasingly engaged in the production, presentation, and modification of their public selves-curating personas through various social media and fundamentally altering how we interact in the twenty-first century. The study of persona is essential to understanding contemporary culture, yet literature in this emerging field is scarce. Filling a gap in current knowledge, Persona Studies: An Introduction is the first major work to examine the construction, delivery, and curation of public identities in contemporary online culture. This timely book helps readers navigate the changing cultural landscape while laying the groundwork for further research and application of persona studies. Three case studies are included-examining personas of the artist, gamer, and professional­-to illustrate how personas continue to transform identity and reshape contemporary culture. From the historical precursors of the current iteration of persona to emerging configurations of public self, this unique work offers readers a broad introduction to the evolving theories and concepts of how persona defines the contemporary condition and its relation to technology and collective identity. To summarize, the book: Analyzes how identities linked to data are cultivated, curated and mined for various purposes Discusses the mediated blending of media and different types of interpersonal communication Explores tools for the investigation and analysis of persona, including Prosopographic field studies and information visualization Translates new research, concept, theories, methods, and approaches into clear case studies and applications Examines the personalization of public, private, and intimate information in the building of new personas Persona Studies: An Introduction is an innovative resource for students, academics, researchers, and professionals in fields covering digital and social media, technology and culture, mass media and communications, social and media psychology and sociology, and professional studies"--"This book represents a culmination of research into persona as well as launching point for others to take these ideas and explore many other constructions of public identity.

Although certainly not a requirement of reading this book, it makes sense to get the background fully in place by working through the concepts, new terminology, and ultimately the methods. This background is the material that will be nuanced as this field advances and we are encouraging all interested readers and researchers to engage and debate with our approaches on this strategic and now pandemic online identity we call persona. To further facilitate this exchange and research collaboration as well as recognise that we are building a field of study, the end of our book is not just the concluding chapter, but also a glossary of the terms we have generated as well as repurposed for our investigation of Persona Studies. You will also notice that words that are in the glossary are highlighted in their first usage in the text to help you navigate effectively through our work on persona and its contemporary transformations"--.