Bums, Bridges, and Primates: Some Elements for a Sociology of Online Interactions
Web Culture: New Modes of Knowledge, New Sociabilities, February, 2011
4 Pages Posted: 9 Oct 2011
Date Written: February 10, 2011
Abstract
Since the beginning of the 2000s, social scientists have progressively moved away from the hypothesis that computer use is correlated to social isolation. But what kind of social structures do users of computer-mediated communication technologies (notably, the Web and social media) contribute to put in place? Do online 'friending' actually enlarge the size of users' personal networks? Scientific understanding of Web-based sociabilities has progressed enormously in the last decade: this should inform public policies touching on the Web, its regulation and governance. Text of the presentation at the conference.
Keywords: Dunbar’s number, Facebook, Google, hacker culture, hackers, social interactions, social network analysis, social networks, sociology
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