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Friday Jan 27, 2006
The Internet is Social Glue
The BBC has a story on a new report which looks into the power of the internet to bring people together, especially in a times of crisis. Contrary to what many predicted - that the internet would stop people from communicating and diminish "real" relationships - it has in fact created many new, borderless commuities. People are meeting people they would never had the chance to do in the 'old-world'.
"(The) co-author of the report... identifies what he terms as the rise of networked individualism - where users of modern technology are less tied to local groups and increasingly part of more geographically scattered networks. "This creates a new basis for community. Rather than relying on a single community for social support, individuals often actively seek out a variety of appropriate people and resources for different situations," he said"
The opportunities this provides, in areas such as support and advice are apparent to us at YouthNet. The discussion boards on TheSite.org have members from all over the UK - and world; location is no barrier.
Interesting bit of nerdiness: on the site Frappr, 50 or so users of the discussion boards have "pinned" their locations on to a version of Google Maps. You can get a feel for where many of them come from by taking a look.
Posted by Dom Waghorn ( 1:38 PM ) Link to this post Comments[0]