The influence of internet communities on communication-social processes – my PhD dissertation

The influence of internet communities on communication-social processes in the networked environment.

Abstract

The structure and dynamics of online communities reveal, expand and transform the possibilities for social and business networking, by implementing the new technological solutions. Internet communities represent different web applications and social networking sites that in addition to social and media context, aim at the most important communication performance: the interaction. In this dissertation, the technological and organizational structure of the internet communities were explored, in addition to the description of communication processes, their structure and communication conventions. The aim is to present a typology of the internet communities in Serbia, by the content analysis, online surveys and semi-structured interviews as methods for the empirical research. The focus of this work is to explore the representation and use of the internet and web services, as well as the emergence of the internet communities and exploration of communication opportunities that new digital technologies provide in everyday communication and the academic community. In addition to a better understanding of global communication and participation of organizational systems and individuals from Serbia in a given process, this study aims to show the importance and inevitability of new digital communication technologies in everyday communication, in modern education and in science. By deploying theories of digital communications and sociology of web, as well as the empirical evidence – in the thesis attention will be paid to the possibilities of application of internet technologies in the area of higher education. Through the categories of new sociability and networked community, the processes of collaboration and interaction are explored, and communication possibilities in the internet communities in Serbia are tested.  New phenomena that emerge in the communication and collaboration practices in an advanced intelligent system, such is a higher education community, will be analysed and presented.

Keywords:

Internet communities, social networks, communication processes, digital inequalities, usage of internet in higher education, digital divide

 

Last week, I defended my doctorate, a five year old research in the form of dissertation on the Armistice Day (ironic coincidence or not) 11.11.2015. It included a dissertation talk, a defense at the Faculty of
Technical Sciences (University of Novi Sad), five committee members (co-mentor tuned in from the Oxford Internet Institute). I am immensely thankful for the most amazing committee that anyone can ask for. I shared my findings with the department committee, and then they shared their comments and suggestions. It’s been unbelievable, excited, adventurous, and life-changing five years of my life with all the things I done and learned and the amazing people I had a chance to work with! During previous five years I had the opportunity to do some sustained thinking, develop methodology that is best for thesis, travel for the research, travel to give presentations and lectures at the world wide conferences, to publish in peer reviewed publications, to participate in projects, collaborate with others, to get advice and directions from my academic advisors, and to alter my thinking and life wisdom to the next level. I am so glad I’ve done this, it’s been excited and joyous journey. I’ll upload the dissertation here (Serbian and English version) after I check out with the faculty the copyright licences, I believe it is under the Creative Commons.

Now, I am about to move on to a next phase in my life 🙂

Comments

  1. Bogdan Trifunovic says:

    Congrats! и Честитам!

  2. Danica says:

    Hvala, Bogdane! Thanks!

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