Transcript Cyberculture and young people

Young people in virtual
community : creating knowledge
in cyberspace
Creating Knowledge V. August 2008
Pia Södergård
Åbo Akademi University
Library / Department of Information
Studies
Metanetwork (Standard model)
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Network of networks which links up computer
resources for public access
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Designed to safeguard the transfer of
information (Leiner et al., 2003)
Platform for CMC
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Computer network which connects computers
and people behind these computers =
computer-supported social network (Wellman
et al., 1996)
Asynchronous communication & possibilities
to store information
Information is embedded in the social
networks that connect people to each other
(Haythorntwaite, 2001)
Internet as cyberspace
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A cultural approach to the Internet
A spatial metaphor – ”frontier region”
Earlier cyberculture studies more enthusiastic and
praising than later, critical studies (Silver, 2003)
Later cyberculture studies emphasize connections
between cyberspace and ”Real Life”.
Information is ”everywhere”(Porter, 1997; Jones,
1995)
Advantages and disadvantages of the
approach
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Changing perspective between life in the
community and ”real life”
Provided a way of talking about information
without using the word information
False expectations
The study, method and material
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Why do young people participate in virtual
communities? What kind of value does it add to a
young person’s life to be a member of a community?
Qualitative data, gathered through observations and
thematic interviews.Themes inspired by cyberculture
studies
29 Swedish-speaking Finns from different areas of
the Swedish-speaking regions in Finland
Members of LunarStorm webcommunity
LunarStorm community
www.lunarstorm.se
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Members have a ”nest” of their own
Presentation, net-diary and photo album
Frinds list, status points, top list etc.
E-mail, guestbook entries, chat rooms,
discussion groups
Consumer information, quizzes, radio
Identity establishment : conventions to be
followed
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Sincere in order to be meaningful
The aim is to describe one’s ”actual self”
Basic facts: First name (given name or pet
name), age, geographical location, present
occupation or concerns
Basic facts unlike the basic facts of the ”real
world”
Additional elements are needed to arouse
interest. Plagiarism disapproved of.
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Quantitative aspects are also important
A very long presentation = person is a ”lunar
freak”- a no lifer
Difference vs. Similarity
Visible social network = source of surprise
and wonder to the viewer
Strategies of evaluation
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Two strategies of evaluation: comparison and
cognitive authorities
Comparison between presentation and
person in real life, between different elements
in the presentation, between presentation
and behaviour
Friends act as cognitive authorities (Wilson,
1983)
To sum up
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Qualitative and quantitative aspects of
information
Evaluation criteria: the authority of the
source, the accurateness and truthfulness of
information
Activities in the community
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Testing different functions
LunarStorm-routine (part of a wider Internetroutine
Interactive and non-interactive behaviour
(e.g. Burnett’s (2000) typology)
Information oriented/not information oriented
Non-interactive behaviours
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Keeping track of people
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Checking on people
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Information: what they formulate about
themselves, their registered behaviour, the
social structure
Relevant information (Barry & Schamber,
1998)
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Easily accessible
Up-to-date
A form that is understandable and palpable
It varies
It can be verified
It comes from a source that is reliable
Interactive behaviour
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Very demanding
Implied aim to develop relations
Communicating with friends (c.f. Enochsson,
2005, Thulin, 2004)
List of friends – an auxiliary structure
Guestbook the most important application
Standard message structure:
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Hi, I’m okay, how r u? Hugs
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Sustains contact
Ritual with the aim of uniting people (Carey,
1989)
Develops trust (Iacono and Weisband, 1997)
In conclusion
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Tool for developing information literacy
Tool for getting to know oneself
Tool for developing trust in a relationship
Tool for developing social capital
Dimensions of Social Capital (Nahapiet &
Ghoshal, 1998)
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Structural dimension
Relational dimension
Cognitive dimension
The creation of a knowledge base
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Information about people’s everyday lives,
how to be, how to describe your way of
being, your position in a social network
Varied, different perspectives, reliable
Embedded in a social structure and
accessible to those who are a part of that
structure
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Thank you!
E-mail: [email protected]
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