Sociol C167

Barriers to Internet use

(Ali) lack of local information literacy language barriers (english is unofficial language) lack of cultural diversity of content (biased towards developed countries)

Interactivity

(Baym) - interactivity that can be separated into three forms social, technical, and textual. Social interactivity is the ability of a medium to enable social interaction between groups or individuals. Technical interactivity is a medium's capability of letting human users manipulate the machine via its interface. While textual interactivity is the creative and interpretive interaction between users and texts. All of these forms allow individuals to remain close regardless of location.

Absent presence

(Baym) -Individuals are in a floating world in which we engage with non-present partners despite the presence of flesh and blood people in our physical location. -may be physically present in one space, yet mentally and emotionally engaged elsewhere -(IE in class we may all be in lecture but certain individuals are on their phone entering another floating world and our out of context) -the separation of presence from communication offers us more control over our social worlds, we can avoid interactions, by talking into a mobile phone or letting calls go to voicemail

Replicability

(Baym) -Synchronous forms like IM and Skype require programs that the user may not have to acquire past information. While asynchronous can be easily saved, replicated and redistributed to others. As Baym, notes they can also be archived for research. It is important to note, that online messages and web sites may seem solid however they may be there one day and gone the next. It can be the individual's choice to record conversations and make it disturbed for all.

Reach

(Baym) Media also vary in the size of an audience that can attain or support or reach. Baym notes that one single key strokes can be sent to thousands of people. Face to face communication is inherently limited to those who can fit in the same space. Even when amplified physical space and human sensory constraints limit how many can see or hear a message as it is delivered. Messages can reach audiences both local and global. The gatekeeping function of mass media is challenged as individuals use digital media to spread messages much farther and more widely than was ever historically possible.

Temporal structure

(Baym) Temporal Structure can be divided into two forms of communication: synchronous and asynchronous. Synchronous communication is found face to face conversations, pfhone calls, and instant messages which occur in real time. Asynchronous communication media, such as email and voicemail have time delays between messages. The beauty of synchronous media is that they allow for the very rapid transmission of messages, even across distance. Asynchronous communication allows very large groups to sustain interaction, as seen in the social network sites and online groups like fan forums, support groups, and hobbyist communities

Social Cues

(Baym) The personal connections people form and maintain through digital media derive from the sparse social cues that are available to provide further information. Rich media provides a full range of cues while leaner media provide fewer. In reality, social cues are mixed with contextual, visual, and auditory. Although digital media provides fewer social cues, ex) on the phone you ask where are you? Without the availability of social cues as in lean media there is so little information that the identities of those with whom we communicate renders people anonymous. In lean media, people have more ability to expand, manipulate, and distort their identities they present to others.

Google is making us stupid

(Carr) -Idea that we have stopped memorizing important information and common knowledge since we consequently check google for answers instead of knowing. -Replaces books and encyclopedia

Strength of Tie

(Granovetter) - the strength of a tie is a combination of the amount of time, the emotional intensity, the intimacy ( mutual confiding), and the reciprocal services which characterize the tie.

Bridge

(Granovetter) -a tie that provides the only path between two points. All bridges are weak ties, but not all weak ties are bridges.

Strength of weak ties

(Granovetter) -weak ties are more likely to provide access to unique info and resources than strong ties. (ex: info on new job opportunities, resources, etc).

Netville

(Hampton)

Social capital

(Hampton) -The sum of the resources, actual or virtual, that accrue to an individual or a group by virtue of possessing a durable network of more or less institutionalized relationships of mutual acquaintance and recognition -Variables that affect social capital strength: -network size -volume of capital attained by each actor -density -network position and strength -->SNS could harm or help

Public Realm

(Hampton) -Urban Spaces that minimize the segregation of people -Favors the unfamiliar, few barriers to entry, exposures across ethnic, social boundaries -Opportunity for new, diverse ties for social capital -minimize segregation, provides opportunity for new tie formation, exposure

Co-located

(Hampton) -device can interrupt the co-located, turn a "with" into a "single"

Co-present

(Hampton) -mobile devices foster copresence as they are often used for social services -can create feeling (illusion) of safety

Contextual / Neighborhood Effect

(Hampton) -reduces the overall likelihood for sociability as a result of the presence of a dominant proportion of people disengaged from co-located interaction -observed only in really dense locations

Privatism

(Hampton) -the attitude of being uncommitted to or avoiding involvement in anything beyond one's immediate interests. -supports cohesion within tightly knit personal networks

Kin-keepers

(Hampton) The idea that social media platforms target Women as "kin-keepers" (children, cute family).

Neighboring

(Hampton) less neighboring? Inaccessibility Decrease in institutions to allow for contact Time schedules more complex Internet has replaced interaction

Four elements of globalization

(Held/Lecture) -Extensity, Intensity, Velocity, Impact

Singles vs. Withs

(Humphreys) -Two types of individuals in public space -Singles are much more vulnerable to contact, judged more harshly, so they try to look occupied to legitimize presence and shield from intrusion -Withs are socially vulnerable when partner crosstalks or is left alone

Caller Hegemony

(Humphreys) -occurs when receivers give an incoming mobile phone caller higher priority than individuals in the immediate vicinity

Dual Front Stage

(Humphreys) -strain on the rules of courtesy -occurs during a mobile phone call in a public setting, when you placed in an interaction in the public sphere and your attention is demanded from a mobile caller -need to 'stage manage' and decide which is more important

Technopanics

(Marwick) -moral panics about contemporary technology. -key points: Focuses on new media forms, pathologizes young people's use of said new media, and cultural anxiety manifests itself in an attempt to modify or regulate behavior

Social Isolation

(Miller, Lynn, Matthew) -refers to a complete or near-complete lack of contact with people and society for members of a social species. -It is not the same as loneliness rooted in temporary lack of contact with other humans. -All types of social isolation can lead to staying home for days or weeks at a time; having no communication with anyone including family or even the most peripheral of acquaintances or friends; and willfully avoiding any contact with other humans when those opportunities do arise. -Even when socially isolated people do go out into public and attempt social interactions, the social interactions that succeed — if any — are brief and at least somewhat superficial.

Causes of Digital Divide

(Pick Sarkar) Digital Divide - the gap in access and usage of information and communication technology

ICT

(Pick Sarkar) Information and Communication Technology

Digital divide

(Pick Sarkar) -the gap in access and usage of information and communication technology -some people believes it hides the real problem of poverty -"we should focus on basic needs, not technological luxuries -new technology = digital divide -freedom to develop (education, e-commerce)

Fear of missing out

(Przybylski) -refers to a pervasive apprehension that others might be having rewarding experience from which one is absent and be characterized by the desire to stay continually connected with what others are doing

Bowling alone

(Putnam) -America's declining social capital -less civic engagement

Social Media

(Rheingold) - social through engaged groups of individuals - pervasive as it exists everywhere on the internet, and can often be mobile -constantly in flux - a form of tools that are used to create and interact in virtual communities and online networks

WELL

(Rheingold) -"Whole Earth Lectronic Link", one of oldest virtual communities, considered birthplace of online networking -gather up and discuss topics virtually -Rheingold states the community is so close, it is difficult to not recognize each other if seen -"digital water hole" for programmers, freelance writers, editors, librarians, etc.

YMMV

(Rheingold) -"Your Mileage may vary" -a reference to social media: people vary in their purposes and experiences with using the internet - could be used to relax, or even become socially embedded with it -main point: everyone uses the internet differently

Virtual Community

(Rheingold) -1+ networks that allow individuals to communicate with one another regardless of geographical location and can create connections across time and space. -allows someone to communicate regardless of limitations that may be at hand

Third places

(Rheingold) -Replacing traditional communities and geographic communities with being on the Internet. -dilemmas: cant communicate facial expressions, body languages, ton of voice -misunderstandings can arise easily -could be environment where one can remove one another or discussion of topic from visibility

Relationship between technology and culture

(Sarkar)

SNS

(Sarkar) -Social Networking Sites -Web based services that allow individual to: -Construct a public / semi-public profile within a bounded system -Articulate a list of other users with whom they share a connection -View and traverse their list of connection and those made by others within the system

Rich get richer

(Tufekci) -"rich get richer" model predicts that who are highly sociable and have existing social support will get more social benefits from using the Internet. -Highly sociable people would reach out to others on the Internet and use the Internet especially for communication. -If so, these groups would gain more social involvement and well-being from using the Internet than those who are introverted or have poor network relations.

Seek and ye shall find

(Tufekci) -There is an ongoing debate, not just among academics but in popular culture, about whether social media can expand people's social networks, and whether online friends can be "real" friends. People who believe it's possible to create online friendships would be more likely to create them, and they conclude that online sociality is real.

Social Compensation

(Tufekci) -social compensation model predicts that those who are introverted or otherwise have difficulty in maintaining offline social networks might benefit disproportionately from Internet sociality.

Virtual communities as 'real' communities

(Wellman)

Hybridization

-Both aspects of homogenization and heterogeneity. -Not random but patterned. -An example is the institutionalization of economic and social norms

Homogenization vs. heterogeneity

-Homogenization means the world is becoming more and more alike (cultural influences, economic integration, social network connections) -Heterogeneity which means homophily means that although there is some increased exposure, the majority of increase in intensity happens between similar cultures (cosmopolitanism, West vs. Rest)

Hyperpersonal Space

-a computer mediated communication space focused more on conversation and less on appearance. --Ultimately, hyperpersonal spaces are freer of social judgments for the communicating parties involved.

Technological determinism

-a reductionist theory that presumes that a society's technology drives the development of its social structure and cultural values. -The term is believed to have been coined by Thorstein Veblen.

Dunbar's Number

-amount of friends one can actually maintain is ~150 -(i.e. largest friends in facebook network is from high school) -48% friended of total network -10% of facebook friends we've met once or complete strangers

Homophily

-the tendency of individuals to associate and bond with similar others. -It can limit the information people receive and in turn influence attitude formation

Latent Ties

-ties that are technically possible but not yet activated. --they can be activated through the introduction of a new medium of communication

Key assumptions of social network analysis

1) structural relations are more important than attributes (age, race, gender, values, etc) for understanding observed behaviors. 2) networks, not groups 3) context matters

Storage

Baym Media differ in the extent to which their messages endure. Storage is a questionable idea unless one makes an audio or video recording of telephone and face to face conversation, they can be gone as soon as they are said. Human memory for conversation is very poor. Synchronous forms like IM and Skype require programs that the user may not have to acquire past information. While asynchronous can be easily saved, replicated and redistributed to others. As Baym notes, they can also be archived for research. It is important to note that online messages and web sites may seem solid, however they may be there one day and gone the next. It is up to the individual to store information in hard drives that may become too full one day.

Utopian discourse

Is natural social development, improvement to daily life, positive transformation of reality. Social media allows you to have supportive networks. If you are studying abroad it allows you to connect very easily to home (shrinking of time and space). You can connect to individuals who are different from you, thus increasing network diversity. This utopian discourse allows you to connect to people who are similar to you. Social media website allows for higher usage of political engagement

Goldilocks Principle

The Goldilocks principle states that something must fall within certain margins, as opposed to reaching extremes. -the type and detail of communication necessary in a system to maximize effectiveness while minimizing redundancy and excessive scope on the "too much" side and avoiding incomplete or inaccurate communication on the "too little" side

Fear of new technology

We hear more about the dangers of technology causing people to be more scared of technology. Also, on the news they find it more interesting to say bad things about technology. Lastly, an example would be that People feared the car would prevent social interaction

Bonding social capital

associated with strong ties

Bridging social capital

associated with weak ties

Node

people, organizations, countries

Alone Together

technology is threatening to dominate our lives and make us less human. under the illusion of allowing us to communicate better, is actually isolating us from the real human interactions in a cyber reality that is poor imitation of the real world. (Turkle)

Dystopian discourse

the fear of losing control, dependency, and inability to stop change. It is shallow communication, social isolation, privatism, laziness

Strong Ties

the minority of all active network ties, but the majority of active supportive ties

Domestication of technology

we are afraid of technology but then it becomes apart of our everyday lives. For example, the phone, telegraph, car, writing, radio, etc.