Virtual connections: Community bonding on the Net

Abstract

In the mid-1990s, Howard Rheingold and Sherry Turkle reported on the social interactions of people in chat rooms and on newsgroups. While chat rooms and newsgroups continue to play a role in computer-mediated communication, the Web has assumed a prominent place in forging relationships among people with common interests. A series of community-based Web exhibits focusing on ethnic groups in Tucson, Arizona, and the U.S. Southwest, serves as a case study in how the Web is building electronic communities and renewing social capital.