On an ordinary day, we are woken up by our mobile phone; we get up and check our emails, answer them, call somebody, chat with a total stranger on ICQ, and have a video chat with some friends overseas. Our social relations seem more and more dominated by communication technologies and have assumed a wider dimension as our contacts spread in networks around the globe. Companies, nations and individuals come together, making “[t]he 21st century ... the age of networks” (v. Dijk 2006).
This essay discusses the key features of network sociality and the debates around the concept of network society, focussing on the influence of internet use on social interaction particularly in form of virtual communities.
At a glance
- Grade: 1.3 (1.0 is the best grade)
- Examines Wittel’s five features of network sociality
- Considers Kraut’s 1998 survey and 2002 follow-up
- 17 sources in the bibliography
Contents
1. NETWORK SOCIALITY
2. VIRTUAL COMMUNITIES
Objectives and Themes
This essay outlines the features of network sociality and critically examines the idea of a networked society, focusing on how internet use affects social interaction and virtual communities.
- Network society and social transformation
- Individualization and changing relationships
- Information, technology, work and mobility
- Online and offline social interaction
- Virtual communities and sociability
Excerpt from the Book
VIRTUAL COMMUNITIES
As many relations are established, managed and maintained online, web communities grow. Mitchell identifies the emergence of a new public sphere, in which new links can be forged (Hampton 2004, p.223). On the one hand 'real life' communities establish websites; on the other hand there are purely virtual communities.
The virtual communities have been built up in electronic environments and thus are neither tied to time and place, nor to physical and material circumstances. They offer a platform for mediated communication between loosely connected individual computer users in relative anonymity. There is a steady flow of new members joining the communities and existing members leaving.
Membership in virtual communities is often based on shared values and interests (Jones 2004, p.85). It is assumed that they are the only aspects its members, who are in all other aspects heterogeneous, have in common. Even if every member is highly individual, total heterogeneity seems unlikely though: surely members of a virtual community share some other characteristics, i.e. their nationality, location, language or gender, which are not necessarily tied to a specific interest. But maybe these markers are background information and therefore irrelevant in the virtual sphere.
Although virtual communities only exist online, they are not detached from reality, rather does 'reality' determine the topics discussed in the communities. This might have been restricted to texts in the past, but new technologies also enable the user to communicate in voice chats and video conferences via webcam (Boase 2006).
With a growing number of virtual communities, the question is raised, if involvement in them reduces or enhances sociability. Based on his 1998 survey, Kraut claims that the growth in virtual communities goes hand in hand with a weakening of face-to-face interaction. The 2002 follow-up survey however contests this view. It seems there are two oppositional trends: users who have many contacts in real life benefit from going online and succeed in extending their networks, while people with only few contacts become more isolated (Kraut 2002). Easily, games set in virtual worlds like Second Life or role playing scenarios can become the only social life. People live their fantasies online and lose interest in getting involved in real life activities (Castells 2001).
Chapter Summaries
NETWORK SOCIALITY: This section examines Wittel’s account of network sociality alongside broader theories of network society. It considers changing relationships, work, information and technology, as well as debates about internet use and social interaction.
VIRTUAL COMMUNITIES: This section discusses the characteristics of online communities and the relationship between virtual participation and offline sociability. It considers differing interpretations of research on internet use and social connections.
Keywords
network society, network sociality, virtual communities, social interaction, information and communication technologies, internet use, individualization, social networks, weak ties, strong ties, mediated communication, sociability
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the essay about?
It examines network sociality and critically assesses the idea of a networked society, with particular attention to internet use and social relationships.
What are its central themes?
Its themes include individualization, changing relationships, work and mobility, communication technologies, and virtual communities.
What is the primary question?
The essay asks how network sociality can be characterized and how the notion of a networked society should be assessed, particularly in relation to online social interaction.
What method does the author use?
The author develops a critical discussion of published theories and research, comparing arguments and survey findings from other scholars.
What does the main discussion cover?
It considers the features of network sociality, the relationship between technology and social ties, and the characteristics and implications of virtual communities.
Which keywords characterize the essay?
Key terms include network society, network sociality, virtual communities, social interaction, individualization and mediated communication.
How does the essay use Andreas Wittel’s theory?
It discusses his five features of network sociality, including individualization, changing relationships, information, the merging of work and play, and technology.
How are virtual communities discussed?
The essay considers their shared interests, mediated communication and relationship to offline life, as well as competing arguments about their effects on sociability.
- Quote paper
- BA, MA Kathrin Gerbe (Author), 2007, Key features of network sociality and critical assessment of the notion of a ‘networked society’, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/75179
