160 likes | 394 Views
Computer-Mediated Communication. Online Communities . Virtual communities are social aggregations that emerge from the Net when enough people carry on those public discussions long enough, with sufficient human feeling , to form webs of personal relationships in cyberspace .
E N D
Computer-Mediated Communication Online Communities
Virtual communities are social aggregations that emerge from the Net when enough people carry on those public discussions long enough, with sufficient human feeling, to form webs of personal relationships in cyberspace. Howard Rheingold, The Virtual Community Computer-Mediated Communication — Cheshire & Fiore
What is an online community? Social Spaces Role-playing Professional Groups Work-related discussion groups Medical and Illness support groups Geographically related groups Tech/Software Support Computer-Mediated Communication — Cheshire & Fiore
Role of the Participant Publisher, reader, content creator, commentator, advertiser, editor… Who makes sense of all of this? Researcher (sociology, anthropology, economics, etc) Developer (CS, engineering, etc) Computer-Mediated Communication — Cheshire & Fiore
Changing our lives?Rheingold (1995) Political change (aggregatesocial level) Person-to-person interaction (interpersonal interaction level) Perception, thoughts, personalities (individual level) Macro Micro Computer-Mediated Communication — Cheshire & Fiore
Web 2.37 is here NOW Vs. Computer-Mediated Communication — Cheshire & Fiore
Early Online Communities Rheingold– Virtual Community (1993) (Whole Earth ‘lectronic Link) • At this time, geography still played an important role because of BBS’s (local telephone access) • Less use of pseudonyms (identity persistence) • Less initial distrust Computer-Mediated Communication — Cheshire & Fiore
Usenet The first large-scale online communities were Usenet discussion groups and forums • Developed around 1979 • No official structure Red Letter Dates! http://www.google.com/googlegroups/archive_announce_20.html Explore the history of all messages on Usenet… http://netscan.research.microsoft.com/ Computer-Mediated Communication — Cheshire & Fiore
http://www.ischool.berkeley.edu/~atf/images/treemap_all.gif Computer-Mediated Communication — Cheshire & Fiore
Qualities of Virtual Communities Jones (1997) Four Qualities that characterize virtual communities: A minimum level of interactivity A variety of communicators Common public space A minimum level of sustained membership Computer-Mediated Communication — Cheshire & Fiore
Another view (Chromatic, from O’reilly Network) http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/network/2002/10/21/community.html Exist for a reason Users draw other users Users will surprise you A sense of ownership A shared history and culture Role of Mischief Barriers are mixed blessings Discuss the Community Openly Computer-Mediated Communication — Cheshire & Fiore
Onlinecommunities are neither built nor do they just emerge, they evolve organically and change over time. Developers cannot control online community development but they can influence it. Jenny Preece Computer-Mediated Communication — Cheshire & Fiore
Selected Social Issues in Online Communities Computer-Mediated Communication — Cheshire & Fiore
Facebook Information Fiasco “A lot of people, it's true, are getting hysterical because they feel their privacy was violated. It wasn't. They just think it was, because they don't realize that the news feed is just a condensed version of what they're already putting out there on the internet in the first place. Anyone that nnated (sic) to know that information could get it, and while this does make it easier, it's no more obvious.” (“Tom”, online comment) “The point is, you're always presenting the identity you want to present - you never have to worry about the identity you used to present … This morning, millions of students were shown that they can't actually rewrite history. Everything they do, all of the groups they join and interests they state or friends they make - it is all being recorded.” (Fred Stutzman) http://chimprawk.blogspot.com/2006/09/facebook-generations-identity-archive.html Computer-Mediated Communication — Cheshire & Fiore