Hi I am interested in continuing my education through research and a phd in web and internet related topics, so I would like to know which are the best universities to check for this type of research. I am looking at internet studies in general at the moment so I would be open to any topic as long as it is related to web and internet, or even related things like email. Anyone can help me out? thanks

Hi,

As you've probably realised from your preliminary research, the Internet is a HUGE HUGE HUGE area of research. ALL established disciplines are engaging with it. Media and communications studies engages with it as 'new media' and there is a plethora of work happening in cybercultural studies (read Silver, bell, buckingham), cyber law, cyber ethics, safety, privacy, regulation, networking, young people/teens/identity/community and social networking (read Livingstone, Danah Boyd), media literacies (Livingstone, Buckingham), race and ethnicity studies online (read Nakamura, Gajjala), textual and narrative studies, hyper literacies (Landow, Bolter, Snyder, Burbules), ICTs and development (Mansell, Samrajeeva) and so on...I could go on.

Almost all schools with departments of Information Systems, Media and communications studies are opening jpint centers for the study of the internet or their existing faculty are making fantastic new ventures. So, for instance you have the UC Berkeley school of information, the Oxford Internet Institute, the Berkman center at Harvard, the USC annenberg center and so on. I cannot even begin to list the range of work you could do with the internet.

A good place to begin would be with these:

Check out the AOIR, the association of internet researchers website.
The following journals: New Media and Society, Information Communication and Society.

Read Livingstone and Lievrouw edited Handbook of New Media. Theres a student edition as well.


Instead of looking at schools, first decide on areas of interest. A lot has already been done. A LOT. and a lot still remains. Start from your own core background and look at a niche of interest, do a breif review of lit, then decide areas of tetaive focus, find out potential supervisors, and then reach the school. Read journals and the names I suggested, they are the best way to look for leading scholars.

Best.

Thanks alot for the informative post, I will definitely be following your recommendations :-)