Internet and Social Interaction

Paper Summary:

The paper addresses the effects of the Internet on the elements of community, identity and social contact. The paper uses a variety of studies and empirical data and applies utopian, dystopian and supplementary views to this examination. The paper concludes that the Internet can be perceived as positively influencing the dramatically changing nature of social interaction in contemporary society.

From the Paper:

"The Internet refers to a diverse collection of technologies that consists of programs such as the World Wide Web, E-mail, and Instant Messaging (Livingston 2005, p. 10). Unlike traditional media, such as television and newspapers, the Internet allows for synchronous communication, in which users are engaged in a two-way flow. In examining the effect of the Internet on social interaction the utopian, dystopian and supplementary views all offer different interpretations. Whilst the utopian view sees the Internet as positively transforming the method of interaction in society, the dystopian view argues that the Internet has in fact had negative effects on social interaction. Whilst the utopian and dystopian views both privilege the Internet by seeing it as drastically changing how people interact offline, the supplementary argument gives the Internet less of a central role in its effects on social interaction in contemporary society."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Baym, N 1998, 'The Emergence of On-Line Community', in S.G. Jones (ed.), Cybersociety 2.0: Revisiting Computer-Mediated Communication and Community, Sage Publications, California, pp. 35-68.
• Bortree, D 2005, 'Presentation of Self on the Web: an Ethnographic Study of Teenage Girls' Weblogs', Education, Communication & Information, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 25-39, viewed 1st September 2006, <http://www.metapress.com/(fpcoth450 vgfz445roqqut45)/app/home/contribution.asp?referrer=parent&backto=issue,3,8;journal,3,13;linkingpublicationresults,1:107512,1>.
• Briggs, A & Burke, P 2002, A Social History of the Media: From Gutenberg to the Internet, Polity Press, Cambridge.
• Haythornthwaite, C 2001, 'The Internet in Everyday Life', The American Behavioral Scientist, vol. 45, no. 3, pp. 363-382, viewed 1st September 2006, <http:// proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?did=84499891&sid=1&Fmt=4&clientId=20931&RQT=309&VName=PQD>.
• Katz, JE & Rice, RE 2002, 'Syntopia: Social Interaction on the Net', in B. Wellman & C Haythornthwaite (eds), The Internet in Everyday Life, Blackwell Publishing, Oxford, pp. 114-138.

More papers on Internet and Social Interaction:

• Persuasive Essay # 112839 : "Internet and Human Interaction"
• Analytical Essay # 115749 : "Internet and Personal Relationships"
• Analytical Essay # 132204 : "The Internet and a Sense of Community"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: