THE CO-EVOLUTION OF THE “SOCIAL” AND THE “TECHNOLOGY”: A NETNOGRAPHIC STUDY OF SOCIAL MOVEMENTS IN VIRTUAL WORLDS

2012 | International Conference on Information Systems | Citations: 0

Authors: McKenna, Brad; Gardner, Lesley A; Myers, Michael D

Abstract: Virtual worlds provide new forms of social interaction. They offer alternative s ... Expand

Abstract: Virtual worlds provide new forms of social interaction. They offer alternative spaces where social functions can be carried out in online three-dimensional virtual environments. One social phenomenon which has moved into the virtual world is the social movement, which are an important means of bringing out social, cultural and political changes through collective action. These social movements exist in an immersive technological ecosystem which is constantly evolving as designers release patches which change the way users “live” within these environments. Using a biography of artifacts approach, we explore not just the evolution of the technological artifact itself (the virtual world), but also its co-evolution with the social phenomena (a social movement). Using Netnography, a modified version of ethnography, and actornetwork theory, we explore a social movement in World of Warcraft, and observe how it evolves over time as changes to the virtual world are implemented. Collapse

Topics: virtual world online community website World of Warcraft enterprise resource planning

Methods: ethnography netnography design artifact

Theories: actor network theory co-evolution theory