Anna Croon: On personal communities in cyberspace

The development of social interaction predominantly mediated by computers and telcommunication networks, provides the opportunity to study individuals and groups in the development and explorations of new social terrains and how virutal communities form and mature. Using the concept of personal communitiy the purpose of this seminar is to give an illustration of how individuals can expand, maintain and develop social relationships through cyberspace.

Per-Olof Ågren: Why are people citizens in virtual communities?

The overall purpose of the project "Virtual Communities " is to study the emergence and development of virtual communities in cyberspace. As a participant in this project I have been concerned with the question why people will become citizens or participants of virtual communities. What kind of value do they experience in such participation? In this seminar I would like to discuss this question and my so far hypothetical answer to this question: The social capital that is created in virtual communities is hard to find outside these virtual communities. Social capital - the concept is developed by James Coleman - is a resource that exists the relation between people in social structures, and this resource can appear in different forms. I believe it is worth an inquiry of the social capital experienced by citizens in the very special social structures of virtual communities.

Välkommna!
Kenneth Nilsson