Network Nation
For the concept, see our entry on: Network Nations
- Book: The Network Nation: Human Communication via Computer. by Starr Roxanne Hiltz and Murray Turoff, , 1978
URL =
"one of the earliest comprehensive studies of computer-mediated communication (CMC)"
Discussion
Sterlin Lujan explains its significance:
"The Network Nation: Human Communication via Computer by Starr Roxanne Hiltz and Murray Turoff. Published in 1978 and revised in 1993, it remains one of the earliest comprehensive studies of computer-mediated communication (CMC).
The authors viewed CMC, including conferencing systems, groupware, and virtual classrooms, as more than just technical tools; they saw them as a new social infrastructure. By enabling communication unconstrained by geography or time, computer networks dissolved barriers of distance, hierarchy, and access. Digital group communication flattened organisational hierarchies. The authors noted these systems were 'shrinking time and distance barriers among people, and between people and information, to near zero.'
In their speculative scenarios, they envisioned 'superconnectivity': societies where time and distance barriers were nearly nonexistent, allowing for new forms of association. In such a world, people could maintain relationships, conduct business, and participate in governance regardless of location. This vision anticipated both the promise and challenges of our current networked reality."
"The Network Nation was prophetic. Decades before blockchain or social media, it demonstrated that virtual communities could be real communities with their own norms, politics, and governance structures. The book foreshadowed how computer networks could evolve into parallel societies, maintaining their own governance structures and communities with distinct identities."
See Also
Source
- "Story of the Network" - Nomos Tech Blog
- Book: The Network Nation: Human Communication via Computer by Starr Roxanne Hiltz and Murray Turoff, 1978 (revised 1993)