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Towards an Interdisciplinary Socio-Technical Definition of Virtual Communities

Towards an Interdisciplinary Socio-Technical Definition of Virtual Communities

Umar Ruhi
Copyright: © 2018 |Pages: 18
ISBN13: 9781522522553|ISBN10: 1522522557|EISBN13: 9781522522560
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-5225-2255-3.ch371
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MLA

Ruhi, Umar. "Towards an Interdisciplinary Socio-Technical Definition of Virtual Communities." Encyclopedia of Information Science and Technology, Fourth Edition, edited by Mehdi Khosrow-Pour, D.B.A., IGI Global, 2018, pp. 4278-4295. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-2255-3.ch371

APA

Ruhi, U. (2018). Towards an Interdisciplinary Socio-Technical Definition of Virtual Communities. In M. Khosrow-Pour, D.B.A. (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Information Science and Technology, Fourth Edition (pp. 4278-4295). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-2255-3.ch371

Chicago

Ruhi, Umar. "Towards an Interdisciplinary Socio-Technical Definition of Virtual Communities." In Encyclopedia of Information Science and Technology, Fourth Edition, edited by Mehdi Khosrow-Pour, D.B.A., 4278-4295. Hershey, PA: IGI Global, 2018. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-2255-3.ch371

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Abstract

The objective of this chapter is to offer a holistic perspective of virtual communities (VCs) by outlining their underlying concepts and fundamental properties. Firstly, the chapter offers a brief synopsis of research fields that form the basis of socio-technical research on VCs. Key issues and theoretical orientations from four research streams are discussed, namely: sociological/psychological; technological; business/management; and economic perspectives. Following this review, the chapter provides a summary of four interdisciplinary literature domains that have significantly contributed to the body of knowledge on VCs. These include: computer mediated communication; community informatics; knowledge management; and internet marketing. Definitions from seminal research studies in these domains are subsequently synthesized to propose an interdisciplinary socio-technical definition of VCs. The proposed definition offers a nascent ascriptive characterization of VCs along five dimensions of participants, purpose, platforms, protocols and persona – together constituting the 5 Ps of VCs.

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