Relational approach- mathematics with emotions

In my class soci245 08, teaching lecture 10lecture-10-08.ppt about relational approach, did a class experiment. Asked people to talk about their interests and find out abut each other’s interests so as to identify networks.

The trigger for grouping was – a fake horoscope and each person having to relate to relevant issue in the horoscope and place it on a piece of paper so that all could see, and congregate around. This was used as a kind of ice breaker to get a less formal atmosphere.

Two groups were formed. One group tried to list their areas of interest and focused on the task of listing (5 members) finished their interaction in a short while

The other group engaged in a conversation and even asked for extra time (this was a group of 3 people)

First group – came up with very generic groups

Second group also came up with generic groups but their interactions told the story of building relations on the sheer notion of more interactions

In a way this proved the point of relational approach though being based on mathematics – which sheer numbers can actually result in meaningful relations because the more people interact the more meaningful their relation is- so relations are about frequency. But this frequency is about increasing familiarity knowing more about each other – contributing to the dimensionality of the personalities involved – they are more than just a cardboard front, hence contributing to the complexity of the relations.

 

Revisiting the notion of time in a synchronous communication

Have been pondering about the notion of time in online
context in relation to gauging progress. In off line learning we measure
progress in terms of time elapsing from one point to another, however in a
synchronous online contexts this gauge is not relevant

Am thinking of
employing Bourdieu’s notion of habit and
field and the altering roles of an actor as a gauge of progress. This will not
mean that the measure will take into consideration the whole of the person,
only their evolving roles- and the evolving role could be the gauge of
progress, but the aren’t we in doing that measuring the person, and if so can
we disregard the personality behind the role ?
will have to go back to Bourdieu and maybe find some answers

 

 

 

 

 

 

Global Online Communities

Questions of the Digital Divide, of language ( English ) supremacy, democracy, social capital, locality, physical contact, how do all these issues fair in Cyber space
An interesting link is the Cybercapital

 

Thoughts About Community

A community like “The Well” would be an interesting space for research. I wonder if anyone attempted this.

Reading Dick Warren’s book “purpose driven life” I realised that his reference to the bible in relation to ‘community’ building could contribute to my quest for answers about how to identify, or create a community.

In my thesis I dedicated a section for definitions about community.

An online community is detached from the physical, so is it viable to address or attempt to define or understand a virtual community using physical community perceptions?

 

Talking is making community?

There seem to be a notion that whenever people talk they are aleardy forming an online community. Is that really so? is a community such a simple entity to create?
what is an online community? how does it evovle? what makes it tick. This topic has been tackled by many but i fear that we need a new way of tackling the issue all together because the results so far are not so convincing.
In this blog I intend to explore this notion and more specifically methodologies that would enable this exploration.