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Re: Internet History/Stages, was Internet in Everyday Life (Frank Thomas)
by Maria Bakardjieva 26 Nov '02

26 Nov '02

I really liked the approach Frank Thomas suggested. I think Janet Abbate's "Inventing the Internet" provides an Internet history written along the lines of Hughes' work. I have drawn from it and other sources for my lectures. You can find my (rough) summarization of the developments, using an ANT model, at http://www.ucalgary.ca/~bakardji/Internet/ANT.html . Please let me know if you have any comments or suggestions. Maria Faculty of Communication and Culture University of Calgary > Message: 5 > Date: Tue, 26 Nov 2002 10:17:19 +0100 > From: Frank Thomas <frank.thomasftr(a)free.fr> > Organization: FTR > To: air-l(a)aoir.org > Subject: Re: [Air-l] Internet History/Stages, was Internet in Everyday Life > Reply-To: air-l(a)aoir.org > > David and all other folks, > > I think we glue to closely to the facts if we conceive Internet=20 > development in the short development steps you propose. We should look=20 > at other communication systems, how they emerged (or better said: were=20 > develeped) and then draw conclusions. Also, the way you propose to=20 > conceive the Internet is a rationalisation of what happened seen from=20 > today. But this excludes the social generation, the corporate and=20 > individual struggles, strategies, coalitions etc. that shaped today's=20 > outcome. So, a look into neighbouring disciplines with a more long-term = > > view would be a help. Look how Large technical systems developed, for=20 > instance. > > Look into Hughes, Networks of power. A large technical systems, Hughes=20 > writes, shows several development phases: invention, development,=20 > innovation, transfer (into new countries), growth. Hughes' seminal book=20 > gives you an idea of the development phases of electric power network in = > > Great Britain, Germany and the U.S. from the beginning into the 1930s.=20 > There are other studies about the telegraph, the telephone, the=20 > railroads, gas networks, videotext, etc. The theory was conceived with=20 > industrial society as a background but has been transferred to more=20 > recent technologies, such as videotext or the telephone. > .................................................

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Research Assistance Appreciated/Transgender and Internet
by K.S.O-Riordan＠sussex.ac.uk 26 Nov '02

26 Nov '02

_Transgender Activism/Organisation and Global Media_ I'm currently involved in research into the use of global media - especially the Internet - by transgender activists and individuals. Any pointers to sources that would lengthen my bibliography would be most welcome. Please reply off list if you have any advice on this and I will send the completed bibliography to the list. Many thanks Kate O'Riordan Lecturer in Continuing Education (Media Studies) Centre for Continuing Education Educational Development Building University of Sussex Falmer Brighton BN1 9RG Tel: 01273 877774 Email: k.s.o-riordan(a)sussex.ac.uk Web: http://www.sussex.ac.uk/Users/qlff7

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telling the truth in chat
by Ulla Bunz 25 Nov '02

25 Nov '02

I can't remember whether this was already posted in response to a student post a short time ago (so, sorry if I tell old news), but I just stumbled over this reference when doing a lit research and thought it might be helpful. Ulla Computers in Human Behavior Volume 18, Issue 4, July 2002, Pages 343-352 Liar, liar! An examination of how open, supportive and honest people are in chat rooms Monica T. Whitty, ---------------------------------------------------- Ulla Bunz Assistant Professor Department of Communication Rutgers University 4 Huntington Street New Brunswick, NJ 08901 Email: bunz(a)scils.rutgers.edu ----------------------------------------------------

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Internet in Everyday Life
by Barry Wellman 24 Nov '02

24 Nov '02

Folks, I am proud of the book that Caroline Haythornthwaite and I have co-edited about how the Internet affects everyday life. Here are some details, OTO. Barry ___________________________________________________________________ Barry Wellman Professor of Sociology NetLab Director wellman(a)chass.utoronto.ca http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/~wellman Centre for Urban & Community Studies University of Toronto 455 Spadina Avenue Toronto Canada M5S 2G8 fax:+1-416-978-7162 ___________________________________________________________________ _The Internet in Everyday Life_ Barry Wellman and Caroline Haythornthwaite, eds. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing. November 2002. 588 pages. ISBN: 0-631-23508-6 Price: USD $27.95; Euros 20.36; CdnD $44.03; BritPounds £17.95 From the back cover: The _Internet in Everyday Life_ brings together pioneering studies that systematically investigate how being online fits into everyday lives. Until now, the Internet has been treated and discussed as detached from daily life, occupying some separate sphere of social endeavor. This collection of original articles from leading scholars in North America, Asia, and Europe moves discussion of the Internet closer to home, showing how the Internet does not exist "out there" but is instead an integral part of daily work and home life. Contributors show who is on the Internet and what they are doing there. They debate whether the Internet adds to or detracts from the well being of individuals, communities, and societies. They demonstrate how the Internet affects friendship, social capital, social support, civic involvement, school, work, and shopping. They reveal the extent to which the Internet is supporting new forms of human relationships, and describe what gets dropped and strained when Internet hours are added to already full schedules. The book goes beyond speculation to provide solid findings. Surveys, interviews, and field observations inform analyses of behavior on and with the Internet. Taken as a whole, this body of evidence should raise the level of debate about the impact of the Internet and raises serious questions about the popular myth that Internet use increases social alienation. Excerpts from the Editors' Introduction, Barry Wellman and Caroline Haythornthwaite: _The Internet in Everyday Life_ is about the second age of the Internet as it descends from the firmament and becomes embedded in everyday life. The first age of the Internet was a bright light shining above everyday concerns. In the euphoria, many analysts lost their perspective. The rapid contraction of the dot.com economy has brought down to earth the once-euphoric belief in the infinite possibility of Internet life. It is not as if the Internet disappeared. Instead, the light that dazzled overhead has become embedded in everyday things. A reality check is now underway about where the Internet fits into the ways in which people behave offline as well as online. We are moving from a world of Internet wizards to a world of ordinary people routinely using the Internet as an embedded part of their lives. It has become clear that the Internet is a very important thing, but not a special thing. In fact, it is being used more - by more people, in more countries, in more ways. This book is a harbinger of a new way of thinking about the Internet: not as a special system but as routinely incorporated into everyday life.... The studies presented here begin the tasks of broadening our focus from the Internet to the social worlds in which it is embroiled. The research in this book focuses on the relationship between the Internet and interpersonal relationships. It speaks to issues about the social consequences of adding the Internet to our daily lives. It explores how the Internet affects social and communal behaviors. The studies address key questions about the impact of the Internet on friendships, civic involvement, and time spent with others. Who is online and who is coming online (and not coming)? How much time do they spend online? How does the Internet affect relationships within households, and with family, friends, voluntary organizations, schoolmates, and workmates? The research presented suggests that the Internet has accentuated a change towards a networked society: a turn toward living in networks rather than in groups. The personalization, portability, ubiquitous connectivity, and imminent wireless mobility of the Internet all facilitate networked individualism as the basis of community. Excerpts from Manuel Castells' Preface: This book is precious. It provides us with reliable, scholarly research on the hows and whats of the Internet as it relates to people's lives. The Internet is rapidly becoming part of the fabric of our lives, not only in the advanced societies but in the core acitivites and dominant social groups in most of the world.... [These are] academic researchers setting the record straight, engaging into the exploration of a new society, our society, the network society.... [They describe] electronic networks that simultaneously coordinate decision-making and decentralize production and distribution throughout the planet.... [This is] a global movement enacted by and with the Internet.... The emerging pattern is one of self-directed networking, both in terms of social relationships and in terms of social projects. The Internet is not just a tool; it is an essential medium for the network society to unfold its logic.... It is by investigating along the lines suggested in this volume that we will be able to assess its contour and its implications. The network is the message, and the Internet is the messenger. Excerpts from Howard Rheingold's Foreword: Social scientists have pulled ahead of anecdotal evidence and armchair theorizing to provide significant answers to some of society's most important questions about social behavior via online media.... Good information is now available, but it's still drowned out by the noise. The next step is getting that news out. The current volume provides useful answers. Most importantly, it frames the right kinds of questions about the ways in which the se of Internet-enabled media affect everyday lives. Each chapter in this volume should stimulate others to ask even more specific questions, as all good research should. Now that the authors of this volume ... have established a solid foundation of systematic observation and theory about the ways the Internet influences everyday life, perhaps we won't have to rely on data-free philosophizing to make policy decisions as citizens and societies. >From Brian D. Loader, Journal Editor, Information, Communication & Society: The editors are to be congratulated for pulling together a collection of excellent articles that will make a valuable contribution to empirically grounding discussions about the effects of the Internet on our everyday life experiences. [Back cover] TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword - The Virtual Community in the Real World, by Howard Rheingold Series Editor's Preface: The Internet and the Network Society, by Manuel Castells Part I - Moving the Internet out of Cyberspace The Internet in Everyday Life: An Introduction, by Caroline Haythornthwaite and Barry Wellman Part II - The Place of the Internet in Everyday Life 1. Days and Nights on the Internet, by Philip E. N. Howard, Lee Rainie, and Steve Jones 2. The Global Villagers: Comparing Internet Users and Uses Around the World, by Wenhong Chen, Jeffrey Boase, and Barry Wellman 3. Syntopia: Access, Civic Involvement, and Social Interaction on the Net, James E. Katz and Ronald E. Rice 4. Digital Living: The Impact (or Otherwise) of the Internet on Everyday British Life, Ben Anderson and Karina Tracey 5. The Changing Digital Divide in Germany, Gert G. Wagner, Rainer Pischner, and John P. Haisken-DeNew 6. Doing Social Science Research Online, Alan Neustadtl, John P. Robinson, and Meyer Kestnbaum Part III - Finding Time for the Internet 7. Internet Use, Interpersonal Relations, and Sociability: A Time Diary Study, by Norman H. Nie, D. Sunshine Hillygus, and Lutz Erbring 8. The Internet and Other Uses of Time, by John P. Robinson, Meyer Kestnbaum, Alan Neustadtl, and Anthony S. Alvarez 9. Everyday Communication Patters of Heavy and Light Email Users, Janell I. Copher, Alaina G. Kanfer, and Mary Bea Walker Part IV - The Internet in the Community 10. Capitalizing on the Net: Social Contact, Civic Engagement, and Sense of Community, by Anabel Quan-Haase and Barry Wellman, with James C. Witte and Keith N. Hampton 11. The Impact of Community Computer Networks on Social Capital and Community Involvement in Blacksburg, Andrea L. Kavanaugh and Scott J. Patterson 12. The Not So Global Village of Netville, Keith N. Hampton and Barry Wellman 13. Email, Gender, and Personal Relationships, Bonka Boneva and Robert Kraut 14. Belonging in Geographic, Ethnic and Internet Spaces, Sorin Matei and Sandra J. Ball-Rokeach Part V - The Internet at School, Work, and Home 15. Bringing the Internet Home: Adult Distance Learners and Their Internet, Home, and Work Worlds, by Caroline Haythornthwaite and Michelle M. Kazmer 16. Where Home is the Office: The New Form of Flexible Work, by Janet W. Salaff 17. Kerala Connections: Will the Internet Affect Science in Developing Areas? Theresa Davidson, R. Sooryamoorthy, and Wesley Shrum 18. Social Support for Japanese Mothers Online and Offline, by Kakuko Miyata 19. Experience and Trust in Online Shopping, by Robert J. Lunn and Michael W. Suman

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hecht_j@netvision.net.il
by Jacob Hecht 23 Nov '02

23 Nov '02

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research methodology - justification internet and lying
by SocAdmin 22 Nov '02

22 Nov '02

Hi there, I have just joined this list so please do forgive any etiquette problems I have with regards to how it's written etc. I am a sociology student in my honours year. The reason I have joined is because my thesis research is being carried out online and I am in need of advice with regards to the methodological justification. In essence I am carrying out online discussions in a chat room environment. The room has been set up by myself and only people taking part in the discussion are present. The problem I am being faced with is that of the internet and 'lying'. It is suggested by those with more knowledge than I that the methodology is rubbish as I cannot possibly tell if those taking part are lying, due to lack of body language. I contested this by pointing out that people can lie in face to face discussion also and it may be difficult to pick up on. Also it is my opinion that people in a familiar environment (ie at their own pc) may in actual fact be more at ease and this will therefore lead to a more honest response. Of course as a lowly honours student my opinion is worthless, so it is this that I need help with. Does anyone have any solid research I can justify this methodology with? I already have a few good links courtesy of the sociopranos board, but any further assistance would be great! Thanks for your time. Any help is greatly appreciated. Angela --------------------------- Sociopranos - Society Redefined www.sociopranos.com All new members welcome!

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Faculty opening in LIS
by Caroline Haythornthwaite 22 Nov '02

22 Nov '02

UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN Graduate School of Library and Information Science Faculty Positions The Graduate School of Library and Information Science (GSLIS) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign seeks outstanding full-time faculty to join our unique, top-ranked program. Preference will be given to applicants with strong research and teaching credentials in (1) organization of information (knowledge representation, cataloging/classification, indexing/abstracting, etc.), or (2) technical aspects of information retrieval and digital libraries. The School will consider exceptionally strong applicants working in other areas of library and information science or related disciplines. The GSLIS faculty is highly interdisciplinary, with backgrounds in library science, information science, communications, computer science, education, history of science, philosophy, and sociology, and we have been the number one ranked School of Library and Information Science for many years. The faculty pursue a wide variety of research projects in areas such as distributed knowledge, library history, information and telecommunications policy, inquiry-based education, biodiversity informatics, youth services, children's literature, music information retrieval, digital libraries, document standards, electronic books and e-publishing, computer-supported collaborative work and collaborative learning, museum informatics, community networks, internet studies, and more. GSLIS research funding is approximately $3 million per year and growing. Faculty and students are also involved in many interdisciplinary research initiatives across the campus, and are affiliated with units such as the Department of Computer Science, Illinois Natural History Survey, the Beckman Institute, Institute for Communications Research, Computational Science and Engineering Program, and National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA). The School offers Master's, Certificate of Advanced Study (CAS), and Doctoral programs, as well as an innovative undergraduate minor in Information Technology Studies and a new LIS K-12 Media Specialist Certification Program. The School's unique LEEP online education option for the Master's and CAS degrees incorporates a variety of technologies and focuses on ways to involve remote students in all aspects of professional education. New faculty will have the opportunity to teach in all these programs. The School hosts several units that support teaching, research and service. Our new Information Systems Research Laboratory (ISRL) provides a state-of-the-art environment supporting research for all GSLIS faculty. The Library Research Center supports faculty research and fosters a strong working relationship with the professional communities. The Center for Children's Books produces a premier review journal and has an expanding program for librarians and teachers. Information Researchers is a professional information service offering custom research. Prairienet, a widely-known community computing network, originated in the School. Visiting and/or tenure track appointments made under this announcement will be effective August 21, 2003. Visiting appointments may become tenure track appointments at a future date. To ensure full consideration, applications must be received by January 27, 2003. Rank is open and salary is commensurate with experience. A Ph.D. degree or equivalent is required, though we will consider candidates who are close to completion of the doctoral degree. Information about GSLIS, its programs, and its environment can be found on the internet at Nominations, letters of application (including a current resume and three letters of reference), or requests for further information should be sent to: Professor Linda C. Smith c/o Dorlene Clark, Assistant to the Dean Graduate School of Library and Information Science University of Illinois 501 East Daniel Street Champaign, Illinois 61820-6211 phone: (217) 333-3281; fax: (217) 244-3302; email: The University of Illinois is an AA-EOE. ---------------------------------------------------------------- Caroline Haythornthwaite (haythorn(a)uiuc.edu) Associate Professor, and Interim Associate Dean Graduate School of Library and Information Science University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 501 East Daniel St., Champaign, IL, 61820 phone: 217-244-7453 fax: 217-244-3302 www.lis.uiuc.edu/~haythorn

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Fwd: Two faculty openings in digital media at Hunter
by Steve Jones 22 Nov '02

22 Nov '02

>Delivered-To: sjones(a)tigger.cc.uic.edu >To: apolli(a)hunter.cuny.edu >Subject: Two faculty openings in digital media at Hunter >Date: Fri, 22 Nov 2002 08:39:52 -0500 (EST) >From: Andrea Polli <apolli(a)hunter.cuny.edu> >X-Originating-IP: 209.246.91.92 > > >Please pass on the information, apologies for cross postings: > >Hunter College of the City University of New York >Department of Film and Media Studies > >Anticipated Opening: Assistant Professor in Web Design and Internet >Publication. Full Time. Tenure track > >Hunter College's Department of Film and Media Studies, which combines >social and cultural analysis with creative practice using a variety of media, >seeks applications for a tenure-track assistant/associate professor of >media studies, specializing in interactive media/web design with >emphasis on one or more of the following areas: information architecture; >online news publication; user interface design; digital imaging; >developing online communities. The position calls for the ability to teach >courses involving the creative use of software for web publication and >design, database management, image manipulation and animation, >scripting, and multi-media applications. The position also requires >participation in the development and administration of the departments >various degree programs. Experience with curriculum development is >desirable. > >Qualifications: Significant experience as a web publisher/editor, >researcher, and/or designer in the area of digital media; MFA or >equivalent professional experience; and teaching experience. >Administrative experience in an academic or professional setting is >desirable. > >Rank and Salary Rate: Assistant Professor $35,031 $61,111 > >-- > >Anticipated Opening: Assistant Professor for Digital Video and Film >Production. >Full time, Tenure track > >Hunter Colleges Department of Film and Media Studies, which >traditionally unifies socially informed media analysis with innovative >creative practice, is seeking applicants for an Assistant Professor >position in digital video and film production. This appointment requires >teaching video and film production courses and all aspects of digital post- >production, on both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Candidate >must be familiar with alternative forms of narrative and documentary >aesthetics and production techniques. Applicants must have substantial, >original and critically recognized creative work in this area. A practical >understanding of the interface between film, video and digital technology >is essential. The position also requires participation in the development >and administration of the departments various degree programs. >Experience with curriculum development is desirable. Candidates are >also expected to cultivate connections with creative and professional >communities. > >Qualifications: M.F.A. degree or its creative equivalency and teaching >experience at the college level is required. > >Rank and Salary Rate: Assistant Professor $35,031 $61,111 > >Send letter of application for specific position with teaching philosophy, >Curriculum Vitae and list of three references to: > >Professor James Roman, Chair >Department of Film & Media Studies >Hunter College CUNY >695 Park Avenue >New York, NY 10021 > >Hunter College is an equal opportunity employer, women and minorities >are encouraged to apply.

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Re: weak ties, great good place, & cyberspace
by Caroline Haythornthwaite 21 Nov '02

21 Nov '02

A late response to your request for references on weak ties and cyberspace ... there are a few 'classic' studies of weak ties and email by Feldman, and Constant, Kiesler & Sproull (see references below). Some of the communities of practice literature also addresses weak tie usefulness via CMC (e.g., see Teigland). May I also recommend my own most recent paper in The Information Society on how media can support and connect people with different tiers of tie strength. The paper in New Media and Society also addresses the usefulness of non-strong ties in connectivity among groups of online users. For more on the way "people adopt and adapt to the Internet to maintain their personal communities" see the collected papers in The Internet in Everyday Life, or earlier versions of half the book's contents in the American Behavioral Scientist (which could be available online through your university's subscriptions). /Caroline Caroline Haythornthwaite (haythorn(a)uiuc.edu) Graduate School of Library and Information Science University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Refs: Haythornthwaite, C. (2002). Strong, weak and latent ties and the impact of new media. The Information Society, 18(5), 385-401. Haythornthwaite, C. (2000). Online personal networks: Size, composition and media use among distance learners. New Media and Society, 2(2), 195-226. Feldman, M. (1987). Electronic mail and weak ties in organizations. Office: Technology and People, 3, 83-101. Constant, D., Kiesler, S.B., & Sproull, L.S. (1996). The kindness of strangers: The usefulness of electronic weak ties for technical advice. Organization Science, 7(2), 119-135. Pickering, J.M. & King, J.L. (1995). Hardwiring weak ties: Interorganizational computer-mediated communication, occupational communities, and organizational change. Organization Science, 6(4), 479-486. Sarbaugh-Thompson, Marjorie & Feldman, Martha (1998). Electronic Mail and Organizational Communication: Does Saying "Hi" Really Matter? Organization Science, 9 (6), 685-698. Teigland, R. (2000). Communities of practice at an Internet firm: Netovation vs. on-time performance. In E.L. Lesser, M.A. Fontaine & J.A. Slusher (Eds.). Knowledge and Communities. Boston, MA: Butterworth Heinemann. Haythornthwaite, C. & Wellman, B. (Eds.) (2001). The Internet in Everyday Life. Special issue of the American Behavioral Scientist, 45(3), whole issue. Wellman, B. & Haythornthwaite, C. (Eds.) (2002). The Internet in Everyday Life. Oxford, UK: Blackwells Publishers. > > -- __--__-- >Message: 3 >From: "mito akiyoshi" <sgz01570(a)nifty.ne.jp> >To: <air-l(a)aoir.org> >Date: Mon, 11 Nov 2002 17:51:44 -0600 >Organization: The University of Chicago >Subject: [Air-l] weak ties, great good place, & cyberspace >Reply-To: air-l(a)aoir.org > >Hi everyone, > >Does somebody know of publications that apply the notions of weak ties >(Granovetter) and/or third place (Oldenburg) to understand ephemeral yet >meaningful ties created in and around cyberspace? I began using these concepts >to make sense of forms of sociality observed in communities (both "virtual" >and offline) I am studying. I read a few papers that make reference to these >concepts, But I do not know anything really good. Other than suggestions for >readings, I appreciate your thoughts on this matter as well. > >Whoami> I am a doctoral student of sociology. I am working on a dissertation >about uses of the Internet in Japan, I am particularly interested in the ways >in which everyday people adopt and adapt to the Internet to maintain their >personal communities. > >Thank you in advance, > >Mito Akiyoshi >Department of Sociology >The University of Chicago

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Re: archived sites
by Alexandra Samuel 21 Nov '02

21 Nov '02

Sadly, the wayback machine (at archive.org) is quite selective in what it archives, and doesn't include any of the site I require. In general it seems to be more useful for preserving a taste of a site than for archiving the entire thing. I've been looking for other similar sites but I think it's unique. Thanks for the suggestion. -- Alexandra Samuel samuel(a)fas.harvard.edu http://www.alexandrasamuel.com > ----- Original Message -----=20 > From: Brenda Danet=20 > To: air-l(a)aoir.org=20 > Sent: Wednesday, November 20, 2002 11:32 AM > Subject: [Air-l] Re: archived sites (for Alexandra Samuel) > > > Sites no longer on the Web may be archived at > > http://www.archive.org/. An excellent service, though I'm not sure how = > it would handle an archive of listserv postings, or how easy or = > difficult it would be to make a copy. Have you tried it? > > Brenda Danet=20 >

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