COMMUNITY: From neighborhood to Network.

The article discusses the proliferation of computer-supported social networks. Computer-supported social networks have brought a fundamental change in the nexus of human interaction. They eliminate the spatial constraint that has acted on the formation of communities throughout most of human history. Online relationships may not be as satisfying as face-to-face relationships but they are playing an increasingly important role in people's lives. Yet, the proliferation of computer-supported social networks has afforded changes in the ways that people use community: Community is becoming defined socially and not spatially. Operating as social networks has transformed community. Most community ties are now specialized, with different network members supplying emotional support, information, material aid, social identity, and a sense of belonging. Only a few ties are with neighbors, the rest are with friends, relatives, and work colleagues. The ease of computer-supported communication with a large number of people facilitates ties that cut across group boundaries. Social circles tend to be sparsely knit, with limited control over participants' behavior and limited commitment to their well-being. Instead of isolated and tightly bounded groups, social circles are partial, permeable, and transitory, linked by cross-cutting ties. Maneuvering through networks provides opportunity, contingency, and uncertainty, with ties between different social circles being resources in themselves.