The Network Community

The Network Community 

Barry Wellman

The Network Community explores different kinds of communities in different places and examines the differences between strong ties and weak ties.  Strong ties are seen to be ties one has with his or her family, close friends, and relatives.  Weak ties are the ties people have with neighbors, acquaintances, and colleagues.  What kinds of relationships fall under which categories changes depending upon the society, community, or group being examined.  The point though is that because of economic reasons (globalization, corporatization, securitization) ties are becoming weaker across the board.  The question is whether or not the weak ties which the internet encourages are helpful for us.  

My conclusion is that they are good only when used as a supplementary means of connection.  When they become the primary means out of laziness or expediency, or just because it is a trendy thing to do then it becomes problematic, especially in the context of an ever tightening economic environment.  To bring the technologies and their use back into perspective they need to become their own bubble.  Once they get overhyped or overused, people will revert to normal human to human relationships.  I believe this rebalancing has already begun to occur.