Networks and social networks (Wellman, 2001)

[Description]
Wellman asserts that computer networks are facilitating connections between people and groups in ways that illustrate the "inherently social" nature of the technology.

Wellman discusses two ways in which the social nature of networking technology impacts the way people use computer technologies. First, he looks at community networks both online and off. Wellman delineates several forms of the debate as to whether the internet has enriched or damaged the notion of community. I plan to try to remember these four forms on p. 2032, as I think they're excellent descriptions of pitfalls to avoid when thinking about how the internet changes human behavior.

Wellman also devotes a section of his discussion to how networked technologies impact knowledge discovery and sharing. Some standard CSCW challenges are discussed: awareness, discovery, social loafing, and trust are all significant barriers to knowledge sharing on- and offline. Wellman cites a need to "prioritize communication" in the networked environment (p. 2034), in other words, research how people react to the wealth of information networked resources provide them. What is most important? How can Wellman's "inherently social" technologies anticipate users' priorities and lead to more effective knowledge discovery and sharing?

[Critique]
I liked Wellman's insistence that researchers think about computer networks as social institutions in and of themselves. It helps us break away from the notion that these networks are isolated, one-way modes of interaction. Rather, they are integrated heavily into our lives and thus demand us to think of computer networks as social institutions.

The distinction between "netware" and "groupware" was lost on me. Perhaps this is because I have a fairly good idea of what groupware is, but Wellman's semantic disctinction didn't provide me with any broader conception of "groupware."