Virtual individuals, virtual groups. human dimensions of groupware and computer networking.

ORAVEC, J.A.

ISBN 10: 052145493X / ISBN 13: 9780521454933

Published by Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1996

About this Item

25 cm. original hardcover. 390 pp. bibliography. index. "Cambridge Series on Human-Computer Interaction". -(very) good. 920g.

Seller Inventory # 72407

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Virtual individuals, virtual groups. human dimensions of groupware and computer networking.
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
• Publication Date: 1996
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 052145493X
• ISBN 13: 9780521454933
• Binding: Hardcover
• Weight: 920 grams

About this title

Synopsis

Those who design, implement, and use computer network applications are deeply involved in the processes of social and cultural change, whether or not they choose to consider these processes. Issues such as "community" and "privacy," "dependence" and "individualism" are no longer simply the province of philosophers and social scientists; they are tightly interwoven in the design and use of network applications. Virtual Individuals, Virtual Groups explores the social dimensions of the powerful computing applications that are shaping our culture. It addresses design and theoretical issues relating to groupware and other applications of computer networks. It considers computer network applications in terms of the notions of "genre" and "narrative," in a framework that is broadly applicable to the development of a wide range of computing and communication systems, such as virtual reality and multimedia.

Book Description

As computer networking plays greater roles in our work and in our social lives, what will the groups we participate in be like? What means will we have to express ourselves, and to what extent will we be able to control how we are seen by others? This book explores the social dimensions of the powerful computing applications that are shaping our culture, in both design and use. It emphasizes the significance of new entities associated with individuals and groups, and outlines a theoretical and design perspective that offers developers tools for designing comprehensible and powerful applications.