Conceptualizing the locality today in the global context means to be able to consider a level of denationalisation of the actor (of a locality) participating in a networked situation with actors from other localities. This thesis introduces a new conceptualization of the locality participating in a transnational network. The network, CEARENAD, involved six localities (Brazil, Chili, Costa-Rica, Senegal, Mauritius and Canada) who co-constructed contents for five years. This research is about presenting not a "mode d'emploi" about whether this particular network was successful or not. What truly motivated me, during and about this research, was to reflect on my observations of this network to build a new conceptualisation about the intertwinments of a locality and another space. This is what this thesis is about. "La sedimentation du passage" renders a rigorous description of the numerous processes which bring the locality to the front line. / This study shows the description (Latour: 1987, 1999) of the participative actions of the actors involved in the network. The sedimentation of the passage reveals the repercussions of the mediations between the localities. This theorization activates, in other ways, the denationalization of actors, and, adds to the cultural construct of the network as well as to the possibilities of the Politic (Sassen: 2006). / This is an example of a networked knowledge production while, at the same time, and this may be of most importance, it is also an example of how today's reading of the locality deepens the necessity of participative actions in the mediations and mediatizations (Darbellay: 2006) of materialities in the contemporary globalization. The sedimentation of the passage allows one to read what circulation(s) are actually chosen to be materialized in and for the locality.

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This thesis examines the construction of social spaces in the interstices of the Internet by members of dispersed national societies. Red de Argentinos is explored as an example one of such spaces. Red emerged as an email based solidarity network of the Argentine diaspora and is now a community attached to multiple locales, for which cyberspace has a central articulatory role. These locales include the homeland but, as well, the variety of places in which individuals identifying themselves as Argentinian may be found. This project analyzes some of the factors that allow these types of virtual communities to develop. Special attention is placed on the elements that ensure bonds between members. Self-organization, solidarity, and positioning in relation to the Argentine social reality are seen here as factors that foster the development of a sense of citizenship that is constructed from below in this particular online social space. The need to include the Internet practices of diasporas as part of emerging online cultures in Latin America is finally suggested as an avenue for future exploration.

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These results have implications for VC organizers as well as VC researchers. For researchers, the interpersonal relationship perspective of VC participation not only offers a comprehensive theoretical framework but also opens a new perspective for future research. / This dissertation contributes to virtual community research by proposing and empirically validating an exploratory theoretical framework from the interpersonal relationship perspective using two interpersonal behavior theories---the Triandis interpersonal behavior model and FIRO (Fundamental Interpersonal Relationship Orientation) to explain two types of VC participation---BOI (Behavior to Obtain Information) and BGI (Behavior to Give Information). Data was collected in three representative Chinese VCs. Data analysis results showed that the two interpersonal relationship theories are effective in explaining VC participation. Specifically, 53% of the variance of BOI and 41% of the variance of BGI are explained by the Triandis model. VC participation habit is found to have the largest positive effect on BOI and BGI. BOI also has a positive effect on BGI. The conclusion from the FIRO theory is that the three dimensions of FIRO---inclusion, control, and affection---constructed in two directions, wanted and expressed, significantly influence VC participation. Wanted and expressed inclusion have positive effects on both BOI and BGI; expressed control has a positive effect on BGI, and wanted control has a positive effect on both BOI and BGI; and expressed affection has a positive effect on BGI, and wanted affection has a positive effect on both BOI and BGI. / Virtual communities (VCs) have emerged as one of the most popular Internet services during the last decade and have been effective tools in knowledge management, customer relationship management, and other business related functions. The growth of VCs is crucial to VC operation, which mainly depends on the members and their participation. Only after the aggregation of a critical mass of members can VCs accumulate invaluable information and diversity to generate revenue for the VC organizers. Thus, understanding of VC participation is of importance to VC organizers. Although VC participation has been explored from diverse perspectives, few studies can offer a comprehensive theoretical framework to explain why people participate in VCs. / Li Honglei. / "September 2006." / Adviser: Siu King Vincent Lai. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 68-08, Section: A, page: 3482. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2006. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 155-169). / Electronic reproduction. Hong Kong : Chinese University of Hong Kong, [2012] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. [Ann Arbor, MI] : ProQuest Information and Learning, [200-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, MI : ProQuest dissertations and theses, [201-] System requirements: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Available via World Wide Web. / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / School code: 1307.

The growth of computer-mediated communication (CMC) has generated great interest among researchers. Although perspectives vary, the anonymity inherent in textual communication and the reduction of social markers are often described as the characteristics that distinguish CMC from other forms of communication. These arguments have resulted in unprecedented optimism regarding the potential of this technology to eliminate social inequalities and increase access to institutional power. While critics have provided substantial evidence to the contrary, especially in regards to gender inequalities, CMC continues to be promoted and accepted. / Critical responses on the issue of gender have concentrated on behavioral issues. As exemplified by the work of Herring, these issues include, among others, the use of adversarial rhetorical strategies, topical control, representation in electronic communities, and the phenomenon known as "flaming". / Surprisingly, no effort has been made to address the role of gender in the cognitive aspects of CMC or directly question the claims advanced by supporters of this technology in relation to the anonymity of electronic texts. With the exception of Herring's peripheral remarks on this issue and limited work on the problem of gender judgements by Savicki and his colleagues, research is non-existent. / Given the importance of this area for the information professions, this research explores the role of gender in the cognitive processes associated with identification and impression formation. More specifically, this research addresses two concerns. The first is whether CMC users can identify the gender of those they have never met face-to-face by relying exclusively on the detection of gender cues. The second centers on the role of gender in the evaluation of electronic communicators. / Against the perspectives outlined in the feminist critique of technology, this research's theoretical framework is derived from the work of Hymes as well as literature from cognate fields. Thus, Hymes' theoretical model on the concept of communicative competence, which allows competent speakers to pass judgement on the appropriateness of linguistic events, is central to the investigation. / The results provide convincing evidence regarding the implications of gender in the cognitive dimension of CMC. Data from 133 research participants (91 females and 42 males) associated with the study of librarianship or its professional practice suggest that CMC simply recreates existing gender asymmetries. Women are less likely to remain anonymous, more likely to be described stereotypically, and more likely to be evaluated negatively.

This thesis has a three-fold goal: (1) it aims to contribute to studies which analyze the gender dimension in social shaping studies of technology; (2) in its emphasis on the Internet and the new information infrastructure it is a complement to the literature in communication studies on the gendering of communication technologies; and (3) it adds to emergent theories of virtual communities by positing how gendered practices and gender-related activities have influenced the emergence of social policy mores in the evolving information infrastructure. / In emphasizing the social factors that shape technological change the thesis departs from dominant approaches towards technology that typically study the "affects" or "impact" of technology on society. This thesis similarly responds to the gender-perspective gap that exists in sociotechnical studies, and enlarges the scope of gender studies through its consideration of emergent information and communication technologies, notably the Internet. How the social mores of virtual communities have been influenced and affected by and through a consideration of gender and gendered practices on the Internet forms a core component of the thesis, based upon case studies. / As this thesis argues, new information and communication technologies must be considered in relation to other communication technologies, as well as in relation to the social context in which they are designed, developed and used, including the often unarticulated social assumptions of various groups, and the unanticipated consequences of the new information infrastructure. In this sense, social scientists are now at a key turning point in their explorations of new information and communication technologies. / This thesis should be of significance to communication scholars interested in the history and theory of gender and communication technologies; social historians of technology, and feminist scholars, with an interest in a gendered perspective on new communication technologies; and public policy officials interested in how different groups of individuals will interact with, influence, and be affected by new communication and information technologies.

The study outlines general trends evident in Computer-Mediated Communication (CMC), participants’ perceptions and the promotion of CMC across the curriculum in a South African Secondary School. This case study focuses on the Global Teenager Project (GTP), which started as a bi-national pilot project in April 1999 between secondary schools in South Africa and the Netherlands. The study sets out to investigate how well the GTP can be incorporated into the existing school curriculum through the teacherresearcher’s direct involvement in facilitating the project at a school where she is a fulltime teacher. The main purpose of the study is to review existing literature to establish how collaborative learning could be achieved through a CMC environment between teenagers from various countries based on the research done at an international level and link the practice at this school to the existing international trends. It was found that the GTP has great potential in enhancing collaborative learning within various learning areas at Nathaniel Nyaluza Secondary School (NNSS). Despite the usefulness of the GTP and the overwhelming enthusiasm learners displayed, its success at NNSS depended on the motivation of teachers and how easily the activities of the GTP could be incorporated within day-to-day teachers’ activities. / Hodgkinson, Cheryl

This study aims to investigate the possible influence of Western culture on second-year Chinese students at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) in 2007 by focusing on their Internet usage. Roland Robertson’s theory of glocalization is employed as the theoretical framework in this study. The research design is qualitative in nature. Individual semi-structured interviews are the method of collecting research data while a thematic analysis is the means of analysing and interpreting the research data. The sample comprises twelve second-year Chinese students who are studying at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) in 2007 and have access to the Internet. This study has found that Western culture has exerted multi-faceted influences on the Chinese students through their Internet usage, and that they always negotiate such influences by selecting, adapting and appropriating what is useful in Western culture in an eclectic manner.