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9 - Reflexive Modernization and the Emergence of Wired Self-Help

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 November 2009

By
Roger Burrows  and
Sarah Nettleton
Edited by
K. Ann Renninger  and
Wesley Shumar
Roger Burrows
Affiliation:
University of York Centre for Housing Policy Heslington, York YO10 5DD United Kingdom rjb7@york.ac.uk
Sarah Nettleton
Affiliation:
University of York Department of Social Policy and Social Work Heslington, York YO10 5DD United Kingdom sjn2@york.ac.uk
K. Ann Renninger
Affiliation:
Swarthmore College, Pennsylvania
Wesley Shumar
Affiliation:
Drexel University, Philadelphia
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Summary

In post traditional contexts, we have no choice but to choose how to be and how to act … choice has become obligatory.

– Giddens, 1994a, pp. 75–6

The computer mediated sharing of common interests, experiences, thoughts, and fellowship combined with an ability to access health and welfare information and/or challenge professional monopolies of expertise is becoming ubiquitous. This is especially true in the United States (Denzin, 1998; Ferguson, 1996) but is also increasing on a globalscale (Burrows et al., 2000). At the time of writing, the bulk of Internet traffic relating to online self-help, and social support occurs within the almost 20,000 different Usenet news groups. Also important are the 100,000 or so publicly accessible discussion lists. However, given the recent trend for different forms of computer-mediated communication (CMC) to coalesce with Web pages to form more integrated systems of information and online support (offering perhaps Web-based information services alongside integrated provision to join mailing lists, discussion groups, and/or to engage in real-time chat), the virtual geography of wired self-help and social support is in a state of some flux. This chapter asks what sociologists are to make of the emergence of these wired forms of self-help and social support?

We begin with an illustration of the sort of “virtual community care” and support with which we are concerned.

Type
Chapter
Information
Building Virtual Communities
Learning and Change in Cyberspace
 , pp. 249 - 268
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2002

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