Networking Serendipitous Social Encounters in Urban Neighbourhoods

Foth, Marcus (2009) Networking Serendipitous Social Encounters in Urban Neighbourhoods. In: Eyob, Ephrem, (ed) Social implications of Data Mining and Information Privacy: Interdisciplinary Frameworks and Solutions. IGI Global, Hershey, PA, pp. 71-87.

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Abstract

In urban residential environments in Australia and other developed countries, Internet access is on the verge of becoming a ubiquitous utility like water or electricity. From an urban informatics perspective, this chapter discusses emerging qualities of social formations of urban residents that are based on networked individualism and the potential of internet-based systems to support them. It proposes that appropriate opportunities and instruments are needed to encourage and support local interaction in urban neighbourhoods. The paper challenges the view that a mere re-appropriation of applications used to support dispersed online communities is adequate to meet the place and proximity-based design requirements that community networks in urban neighbourhoods pose. It argues that the key factors influencing the successful design and uptake of interactive systems to support social networks in urban neighbourhoods include the swarming social behaviour of urban dwellers, the dynamics of their existing communicative ecology, and the serendipitous, voluntary and place-based nature of interaction between residents on the basis of choice, like-mindedness, mutual interest and support needs. Drawing on an analysis of these factors, the conceptual design framework of an ‘urban tribe incubator’ is presented.

ID Code:	12929
Item Type:	Book Chapter
Additional Information :	Posted with the permission of the copyright owner for your personal use only. No further distribution is permitted without permission of the copyright owner.
Keywords :	community networks, community informatics, networked individualism, social networks, urban neighbourhoods
ISBN:	9781605661964
Subjects:	Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification > LANGUAGES COMMUNICATION AND CULTURE (200000) > COMMUNICATION AND MEDIA STUDIES (200100) > Communication and Media Studies not elsewhere classified (200199) Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification > STUDIES IN HUMAN SOCIETY (160000) > SOCIOLOGY (160800) > Urban Sociology and Community Studies (160810) Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification > INFORMATION AND COMPUTING SCIENCES (080000) > INFORMATION SYSTEMS (080600) > Computer-Human Interaction (080602) Australian and New Zealand Standard Research Classification > STUDIES IN HUMAN SOCIETY (160000) > HUMAN GEOGRAPHY (160400) > Urban and Regional Studies (excl. Planning) (160404)
Divisions:	QUT Faculties and Divisions > Faculty of Creative Industries Institutes > Institute for Creative Industries and Innovation
Copyright Owner :	Copyright 2009 IGI Global
Copyright Statement :	This chapter appears in Social implications of Data Mining and Information Privacy: Interdisciplinary Frameworks and Solutions edited by Ephrem Eyob. Copyright 2009, IGI Global, www.igi-pub.com. Posted by permission of the publisher.
Deposited On:	07 Mar 2008
Last Modified:	26 Jun 2009 01:44

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