The Social Affordances of the Internet for Networked Individualism

Abstract

We review the evidence from a number of surveys in which our NetLab has been involved about the extent to which the Internet is transforming or enhancing community. The studies show that the Internet is used for connectivity locally as well as globally, although the nature of its use varies in different countries. Internet use is adding on to other forms of communication, rather than replacing them. Internet use is reinforcing the pre‐existing turn to societies in the developed world that are organized around networked individualism rather than group or local solidarities. The result has important implications for civic involvement.

Tourism communities and social ties: the role of online and offline tourist social networks in building social capital and sustainable practice

“…While there has been a shift to conceptualising community in terms of individualised networks rather than groups (Frith, 2012;Wellman et al, 2003), others have questioned whether the network concept is too restrictive to understand contemporary sociality (Sheller, 2004;Wittel, 2001). Wellman's (2001, p. 227) description of network societies hints at this as he describes how "boundaries are permeable, interactions are with diverse others, connections switch between multiple networks, and hierarchies can be flatter and recursive".…”

“…We explore how neighbourhood arises in new ways (Kempen & Wissink, 2014) in tourism. Drawing on studies which explore whether technology has weakened, reinforced or supplemented forms of local connection (Fortunati, Taipale, & de Luca, 2013;Hampton, Lee, & Her, 2013;Ohnmacht, 2009;Sheller, 2004), we argue that the rise in networked individualism (Wellman et al, 2003) has reinforced the importance of place for personal networks (Frith, 2012;Hampton 2016;Wellman et al, 2003). We explore how mobile connectivity might enhance forms of community in a tourism setting through maintaining social ties both near and at a distance, and bridging to individuals outside our social sphere, an area that has received little attention in research (Wilken, 2010).…”

“…In this paper, we return to Krippendorf's (1987) view that tourism should also seek to improve the tourist experience to develop the "conscious traveller" from which there arise opportunities for more responsible tourism. We focus on the changing nature of community which affects society (Wellman et al, 2003) and, as our means of developing and maintaining social capital evolves, this has implications for social support, collective action and social cohesion (Hampton, 2016). This may enhance opportunities for sustainable tourism or give rise to less sustainable tourism practice.…”

Lift-share using mobile apps in tourism: The role of trust, sense of community and existing lift-share practices

“…Social capital is derived from belonging to communities, though new forms of virtual community have evolved (Wellman et al, 2003) with implications for access to forms of support (Hampton, 2016). Belonging to a community is not always positive for all and can lead to restricted access to certain resources (Julien, 2014).…”

Networked Learning, Stepping Beyond the Net Generation and Digital Natives

“…Building on work by Wellman (see Wellman, et al, 2003), Castells has used the term 'networked individualism' to describe the form of sociality in such societies. Networked individualism relates to the way social relations are realized in interaction between on-line and off-line social networks and to a move from physical communities to personalized or privatized virtual networks.…”