_____________________[PRO] computer networks as social networks

"Computer networks are inherently social networks, linking people, oranizaitions and knowledge. They are social institutions that should not be studied in isolation but as integrated into everyday life. The proliferation of computer networks has facilitated a deemphasis on group solidarities at work and in the community and afforded a turn to networked societies that loosely bounded and sparesely knit. The Internet increases people's social capital, increasing contact with friends and relatives who live nearby and far away. New tools must be developed to help people navigate and find knowledge in complex, fragmented, networked socieities" - Computer Networks as Social Networks.