Titre du document / Document title

Virtual communities: A new social structure?Les communautés virtuelles : une nouvelle structure sociale ?

Auteur(s) / Author(s)

GRANIT Edna ; NATHAN Liron ;

Résumé / Abstract

The information and communication revolutions, as well as other changes in modern society, have introduced patterns of communication and social processes that had never existed before. While these changes affect society on the local, national and global levels, their consequences are difficult to predict. One of the interesting and important results of the rapid change is a new kind of social organization - the virtual community. We explain what a virtual community is, analyze the social processes that have lead to its creation, and describe the technological means that have made it possible (mainly the Internet). We also review the types of virtual communities on the Internet (professional communities, self-help communities, communities for people sharing a mutual interest or hobby, social communities, geographical communities). We then offer parameters for distinguishing among them (the degree of the community's openness, the degree of authenticity of members' identities, the degree of empowerment offered at the individual and group levels, the degree of community cohesiveness). Finally, we discuss the possible influences of Israel's virtual communities on the social and demographic development of the country's urban core, situated in and around the city of Tel Aviv

Revue / Journal Title

Megamwt   ISSN 0025-8679 

Source / Source

2000, vol. 40, n^o2, pp. 298-315, pp. x-xi [20 page(s) (article)] (17 ref.)

Langue / Language

Hebreu

Editeur / Publisher

Henrietta Szold Institute, Jerusalem, ISRAEL  (1949) (Revue)

Mots-clés anglais / English Keywords

Israel ; Tel-Aviv ; Social structure ; Participation ; Cohesion ; Social impact ; Virtual community ;

Mots-clés français / French Keywords

Israël ; Tel-Aviv ; Structure sociale ; Participation ; Cohésion ; Impact social ; Internet ; Nouvelles technologies de l'information et de la communication ; Communauté virtuelle ;

Localisation / Location

INIST-CNRS, Cote INIST : 24057, 35400009823932.0070