Community as commodity

Kreps, DGP ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5776-2888 and Pearson, E 2008, Community as commodity , in: IFIP WG 9.5 International Working Conference on Virtuality and Society: Massive Virtual Communities, 1-2 July 2008, Leuphana University, Luneburg, Germany.

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Abstract

Despite utopian claims that the internet generally and Social Networking Sites (SNS) (including multi-user virtual environments, or MUVE) in particular herald a challenge to the dominance of capitalist ideologies in technological societies, there is growing evidence that SNS and MUVE are actually part of a hegemonic transnational agenda of conservative venture capital which reinforces hierarchies of consumption. By appropriating these various virtual social networks (either as part of the development of the infrastructure or ‘after the fact’), these SNS in fact demonstrate the continued and thriving hegemony of capitalism in the wired world. Using the works of Gramsci and Gill to provide a critical grounding, this paper will examine some of the flagship SNS of Web 2.0 particularly Facebook and explore how, rather than challenging existing top-down hierarchies and structures, these social networks have in fact been appropriated by them.

Item Type:	Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)
Additional Information:	IFIP (International Federation for Information Processing)
Themes:	Subjects / Themes > Z Bibliography. Library Science. Information Resources > Z665 Library Science. Information Science Subjects / Themes > J Political Science > JC Political theory Subjects / Themes > H Social Sciences > HM Sociology Subjects outside of the University Themes
Schools:	Schools > Salford Business School > Salford Business School Research Centre
Refereed:	Yes
Related URLs:	http://www.ifip95wg.org
Depositing User:	Dr DGP Kreps
Date Deposited:	16 Jan 2009 15:32
Last Modified:	16 Feb 2022 08:08
URI:	https://usir.salford.ac.uk/id/eprint/1665

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