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Theory, Culture & Society
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Toward a Network Sociality

Andreas Wittel

This article explores some current transformations of the social. It argues for a shift from a model of sociality based on community towards a network sociality. This shift is particularly visible in urban spaces and in the cultural industries. However, it seems to become paradigmatic more widely of the information society. The article is to be read as a cultural hypothesis. In the first part I introduce some examples that document the rise of a network sociality. Most of these examples are drawn from a two-year ethnographic study of London's new media. The second part consists of a critique of some theoretical accounts of contemporary transformations of sociality. The third part is an attempt to outline the concept of network sociality. It is a form of sociality that is ephemeral but intense, it is informational and technological, it combines work and play, it is disembedded and generic, and it emerges in the context of individualization.

Key Words: late capitalism • networking • new media • relationships • social capital • urban spaces

Theory, Culture & Society, Vol. 18, No. 6, 51-76 (2001)
DOI: 10.1177/026327601018006003
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