By exploring the experiences of community activists and organizations working with information and communication technology (ICT) to build communities, this book offers a grounded and informed study of the role ICT plays in people's lives. The author emphasizes the importance of networks built around trust, shared spaces and local knowledge bases in the formation of significant relationships in contemporary Western societies and in doing so, questions many of the assumptions which inform the rhetorics of the information age.

Autorentext

KAREN F. VANS is a Lecturer in the Department of Sociology, Social Policy and Social Work Studies, University of Liverpool, UK. Her research has addressed the following areas: city spaces; crime; community; and cyberspace. Her recent publications include Zero Tolerance or Community Tolerance; Managing Crime in High Crime Areas (co-author with S.Walklate), and A Tale of Two Cities; Global Change, Local Feeling and Everyday Life in the North of England (co-authored with I.Taylor & P.Fraser).

Zusammenfassung
How does the introduction of a community network, a community computing facility, the internet of e-mail affect the way that communities work? Technology has often been used in the search for solutions to social problems. It is often put at the centre of change and social reactions to technology are measured, evaluated and assessed. But technology on its own does not have the power to change anything.By exploring the experiences of community activists and organizations working with information and communication technology (ICT) to build communities, this book offers a grounded and informed study of the place which ICT plays in people's lives. The author emphasises the importance of networks built around trust, shared spaces and local knowledge bases in the formation of significant relationships in contemporary Western societies and in doing so, questions many of the assumptions which inform the rhetorics of the information age.

Inhalt

Globalisation, Technology and Community The Social Impact of Information and Communication Technologies From the Global to the Local: Building Community Spaces on the Internet Engaging With the Information Age - Questioning the Notion of a 'Digital Underclass' Exploring the Digital Divide Bridging the Digital Divide - What Works? Against the Flow... Bibliography