The Fabrication of Networked Socialities

2009 ◽  
pp. 207-223 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paolo Landri
Keyword(s):  
Social Studies ◽  
Virtual Communities ◽  
Social Network Sites ◽  
Information Age ◽  
Social Studies Of Science ◽  
The Social ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Theoretical Frame ◽  
Virtual Communities Of Practice ◽  
Social Logics

This chapter is dedicated to analyse the fabrication of networked socialities, that is to address the complex interweaving of technologies of information and communication and the manifold instantiations of sociality. Networked socialities are digital formations being produced out of the intertwining of social logics outside and inside digital spaces and society. Such contribution is organized as follows: first, it will present the theoretical frame necessary to grasp the fabrication of sociologies in our information age, drawing on some concepts elaborated by the social studies of science and technology, together with the studies of the global digital worlds. Then, it will highlight the analytical fruitfulness of this perspective by describing some digital formations, such as social network sites, virtual communities of practice, and electronic markets. Finally, it will discuss the effects and the implications of such fabrication as a re-configuration of social, the emerging post-social relationships as well as the increasing fragility of knowledge societies.

Virtual Communities of Practice as a Support for Knowledge Sharing in Social Networks

2012 ◽  
pp. 374-387
Author(s):  
Yóris Linhares de Souza ◽  
Fernanda Farinelli ◽  
George Leal Jamil ◽  
Maria Celeste Reis Lobo de Vasconcelos ◽  
Gutenberg Marques Dias
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Communities Of Practice ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Virtual Communities ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Professional Relationship ◽  
The Social ◽  
Fast Pace ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Virtual Communities Of Practice

Knowledge as a result of people’s interaction is an essential factor for organizations facing actual business complexity. Social networks, whose creation and usage have been facilitated from the development of information and communication technologies, improved the conditions for interactive and collaborative answers at a very fast pace. In this sense, virtual communities of practice appear as an important way to share knowledge among groups of people joined by common interests, such as the search for solutions for problems, development of competences, professional relationship upgrades, growth of productivity, and general working quality. However, some barriers have emerged to the social network members, such as lack of trust, real incentives, and time to dedicate in order to contribute in these communities. In this chapter, aiming to evaluate such scenarios, a multiple case study methodology was conducted, starting from a literature review of main concepts, giving support for a final assessment of cases to provide better understanding and identification of the main benefits and barriers for the participation and collaboration in these new platforms. As a result of the present study, these reflections could lead to a better comprehension of the application of the social networks structured over virtual communities of practice in the business environment.

Virtual Communities of Practice as a Support for Knowledge Sharing in Social Networks

2014 ◽  
pp. 350-363
Author(s):  
Yóris Linhares de Souza ◽  
Fernanda Farinelli ◽  
George Leal Jamil ◽  
Maria Celeste Reis Lobo de Vasconcelos ◽  
Gutenberg Marques Dias
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Communities Of Practice ◽  
Information And Communication Technologies ◽  
Virtual Communities ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Professional Relationship ◽  
The Social ◽  
Fast Pace ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Virtual Communities Of Practice

Knowledge as a result of people's interaction is an essential factor for organizations facing actual business complexity. Social networks, whose creation and usage have been facilitated from the development of information and communication technologies, improved the conditions for interactive and collaborative answers at a very fast pace. In this sense, virtual communities of practice appear as an important way to share knowledge among groups of people joined by common interests, such as the search for solutions for problems, development of competences, professional relationship upgrades, growth of productivity, and general working quality. However, some barriers have emerged to the social network members, such as lack of trust, real incentives, and time to dedicate in order to contribute in these communities. In this chapter, aiming to evaluate such scenarios, a multiple case study methodology was conducted, starting from a literature review of main concepts, giving support for a final assessment of cases to provide better understanding and identification of the main benefits and barriers for the participation and collaboration in these new platforms. As a result of the present study, these reflections could lead to a better comprehension of the application of the social networks structured over virtual communities of practice in the business environment.

Encouraging Participation in Virtual Communities of Practice within the United States Air Force

2011 ◽  
pp. 179-192 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nick Bowersox
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Communities Of Practice ◽  
Air Force ◽  
United States Air Force ◽  
Virtual Communities ◽  
The United States ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Theoretical Frameworks ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Virtual Communities Of Practice

With the growth of information and communication technology (ICT) such as the internet, email, and video conferencing, the United States Air Force has become more efficient and productive in conducting its daily business. However, not only do computer technologies increase daily productivity rates among the employees; they also increase the Air Force’s capability to digest larger amounts of information while supporting an end goal of being able to share that information across the entire organization. Perhaps one of the most popular methods by which to share such large amounts of organizational information is through informal learning environments such as communities of practice. The Air Force has no doubt embraced the concept of communities of practice. However, as popular as these “communities” are among many employees, there is still a majority of Air Force employees who choose not to use them. The purpose of this chapter is to provide practical ways in which the United States Air Force can increase participation in Virtual Communities of Practice (VCoPs) among its workforce, as well as providing theoretical frameworks upon which further research can be conducted. Finally, this chapter will propose a set of testable propositions that may serve as the basis for future research.

The 'Social Experience Factory' and the Fabrics of Collaboration in Virtual Communities of Practice

2010 ◽  
pp. 101-124
Author(s):  
Demosthenes Akoumianakis
Keyword(s):  
Communities Of Practice ◽  
Virtual Communities ◽  
Virtual Community ◽  
Social Experience ◽  
Tourism Sector ◽  
The Social ◽  
Technical Details ◽  
Virtual Communities Of Practice ◽  
Automated Software ◽  
Product Assembly

This chapter proposes and discusses the “social” experience factory (SEF). The SEF provides a general model and architecture supporting information-based product assembly by cross-organization communities of practice using interactive toolkits and practice-specific technologies. In terms of engineering ground, the SEF builds on two prevalent research tracks, namely experience-based and reuse-oriented proposals for the management of virtual assets and automated software assembly as conceived and facilitated by recent advances on software factories. Our account of the SEF focuses on functions facilitating electronic squads (i.e., cross-organization virtual community management) and workflows (i.e., practice management) which collectively define the scope of collaboration using the SEF. Further technical details on operational aspects of the SEF as deployed in the tourism sector to facilitate vacation package assembly are presented in Chapter XXI in this volume.

scholarly journals The Sociological Debate of the Life Sciences Research: from Molecular Biology to Human Genome Sequencing

2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 53
Author(s):  
Renan Goncalves Leonel Da Silva ◽  
Maria Conceicao Da Costa
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Biology ◽  
Social Studies ◽  
Information And Communication Technology ◽  
Communication Technology ◽  
Life Sciences ◽  
Social Studies Of Science ◽  
Information And Communication ◽  
Human Genome Sequencing ◽  
History Of ◽  
Post War

This paper presents some sociological debates involved in the new field of life sciences at the end of 20th century. From a bibliographic review concerning history of science and Social Studies of Science, it will be presented some particular sociological issues of the research on molecular biology and its historical evolution – the formation of speeches and legitimization; institutional arrangements and alliances in post-war period. We will focuses on the emerging systems of information and communication technology, ICTs. and how it transformed the biomedical research. The goal is to show briefly how molecular biology was built, from the post-war period to the end of the 90’s, and what was the main proceedings of interdisciplinary associations and technoscientific interactions in the life sciences agenda.

scholarly journals Langdon Winner’s Intellectual Trajectory and Political Engagement: A Latin-American Perspective from Ecuador

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 104-108
Author(s):  
María Belén Albornoz
Keyword(s):  
Latin America ◽  
Social Studies ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Political Engagement ◽  
Social Dimensions ◽  
Social Studies Of Science ◽  
American Perspective ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Us ◽  
Virtual Conference

In the 2020 Prague Virtual Conference of the Society for Social Studies of Science (4S), Langdon Winner was awarded the society’s John D. Bernal Prize jointly with Sharon Traweek. The Bernal Prize is awarded annually to individuals who have made distinguished contributions to the field of STS. Prize recipients include founders of the field of STS, along with outstanding scholars who have devoted their careers to the understanding of the social dimensions of science and technology. This response to Winner’s Bernal lecture considers his legacy beyond the US. The author traces Winner’s influence in Ecuador and Latin America more generally through a tracing back of Winner's politea which draws on Plato’s technē as a model for understanding inherently political artifacts.

scholarly journals A “Middle Voice” from the South

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 81-87
Author(s):  
Jorge Núñez ◽  
Maka Suarez
Keyword(s):  
Social Studies ◽  
Science And Technology ◽  
Epistemic Authority ◽  
Social Dimensions ◽  
The South ◽  
Middle Voice ◽  
Social Studies Of Science ◽  
The Social ◽  
Virtual Conference

In the 2020 Prague Virtual Conference of the Society for Social Studies of Science (4S), Sharon Traweek was awarded the society’s John D. Bernal Prize jointly with Langdon Winner. The Bernal Prize is awarded annually to individuals who have made distinguished contributions to the field of STS. Prize recipients include founders of the field of STS, along with outstanding scholars who have devoted their careers to the understanding of the social dimensions of science and technology. This is a reflection on Traweek’s work on epistemic authority in relation to Kaleidos—Center for Interdisciplinary Ethnography in Ecuador.

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