Personal networking function of the Internet

Abstract

The aim of the paper is to understand the role of Internet in creating new forms of sociability in the modern society. In the first part the history of social studies of Internet is reviewed, and the conclusion put forward that the anti-social role of the Internet cannot be proved. In the theoretical part of the paper the author presents his idea of two basic roles of Internet as interpersonal interaction tool: transmissional and procreative. These two Internet functions are very important means for reproducing a new form of sociability known as networked individualism.Ovaj tekst predstavlja pokusaj da se dokuci uloga Interneta u kreiranju novih obrazaca drustvenosti u savremenom drustvu. U prvom delu rada nudi se osvrt na dosadasnja proucavanja drustvenih aspekata Interneta, sa osnovnim zakljuckom da nema dokaza u prilog uobicajenoj tezi o drustveno negativnim posledicama upotrebe Interneta. U teorijskom delu rada pokusava se dokazati da Internet kao sredstvo za posredovanje medjuljudske interakcije ima dve osnovne funkcije: transmisionu i prokreativnu. Kljucno je to da ove dve funkcije Interneta igraju vaznu ulogu u reprodukovanju novog obrasca drustvenosti, koji se naziva umrezeni individualizam.