The three ages of Internet studies: ten, five and zero years ago
New Media & Society, 6 (1):
123-129 (February 2004)Abstract
Earlier the Internet was seen as a bright light, shining above everyday concerns. It was a technological marvel, thought to be bringing a new enlightenment to transform the world. Communication dominated the Internet, by asynchronous email and discussion lists and by synchronous instant messaging and chat groups. The future is not in writing stand-alone applications for small groups. It is in understanding that computer networks support the kinds of social networks in which people usually live and often work. These social networks are not the densely-knit, isolated small groups. that groupware tries to support. They are sparsely-knit, far-reaching networks, in which people relate to shifting relationships and communities. Moreover, people don't just relate to each other online, they incorporate their computer-mediated communication into their full range of interaction, in-person, phone, fax, and even writings. With the development of the Internet, and with the increasing pervasiveness of communication between networked computers, we are in the middle of the most transforming technological event since the capture of fire.
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