Constructing Social Systems through Computer-Mediated Communication

The question whether computer-mediated communication can support the formation of
genuine social systems is addressed in this paper. Our hypothesis, that technology creates
new forms of social systems beyond real-life milieus, includes the idea that the
technology itself may influence how social binding emerges within on-line environments.
In real-life communities, a precondition for social coherence is the existence of social
conventions. By observing interaction in virtual environments, we found the use of a
range of social conventions. These results were analyzed to determine how the use and
emergence of conventions might be influenced by the technology. One factor contributing
to the coherence of on-line social systems, but not the only one, appears to be the degree
of social presence mediated by the technology. We suggest that social systems can
emerge by computer-mediated communication and are shaped by the media of the
specific environment.