[-empyre-] Social space of the net

[Christina McPhee <christina112@earthlink.net>]

Dear list, I would like to initiate a new thread with this quote, found
online tonight on net-time, from Jeanette Hofmann, a German social research
theorist and academic.



> JH: ......There are not that many
> people in social sciences who look at the Internet as an evolving social
> space. In Germany and perhaps in Europe in general the Internet is
> predominantly seen as a mere tool that people have to master in order to
> use it effectively. I thus see my classes as an ongoing attempt to
> refute such reifications. In my view, the net is still a very dynamic
> place with its technical and social norms being subject to constant
> transformation and reinterpretation. So, one of the things I try to
> teach my students is that even the mere use of Internet services has
> repercussions on its further development. Think of Anthony Giddens
> concept of "structuration" where structures and agency mutually
> constitute themselves. I guess my main point is that I want my students
> to understand that their behaviour actively shapes (network) structures
> instead of passively using them.


cm

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