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New Media & Society
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Distributed communities and nodal subjects

Phillip H. Gochenour

Totalmass Inc., USA, phil_gochenour{at}earthlink.net

Drawing upon cognitive science and systems theory, this article examines a number of issues commonly undertaken in theorizing ‘online communities.’ The thesis is that current approaches to online community that focus on specific online ‘places,’ such as LamdaMOO, may overlook the actual practices engaged in by current internet users, which focus on ad-hoc interactions with a distributed community. Systems theory, as developed by Vilem Flusser, Humberto Maturana and Francisco Varela, is used to examine the relationship between communication and community. Through this examination a definition of community as a distributed communications systems, in which individuals function as nodes in the overall system, is developed. The conclusion considers the significance of this definition for the evaluation of the internet as a tool for political action and self-realization.

Key Words: Flusser • Maturana • nodal subject • online distributed community • systems theory • Turkle • Varela

New Media & Society, Vol. 8, No. 1, 33-51 (2006)
DOI: 10.1177/1461444806059867
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