The Ultranet as a Future Social Network: an Actor-Network Analysis

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Tatnall, Arthur, Dakich, Eva and Davey, Bill (2011) The Ultranet as a Future Social Network: an Actor-Network Analysis. In: 24th Bled eConference: eFuture: Creating Solutions for the Individual, Organisations and Society: Proceedings. University of Maribor, Bled, Slovenia, pp. 348-360.

Abstract

Community development is seen as an increasingly important role for government and the potential of Web 2.0 tools to aid in community development seems obvious. An experimental technology relating to e-government is being introduced by the State Government of Victoria, Australia. This involves a closed social network called the Ultranet which is intended to support communities of parents, teachers and students in State schools. As the Ultranet has only recently come into operation, this paper cannot present an analysis of its operation, only a theoretical investigation of its possibilities. In the paper the Ultranet is seen as an innovation, and handled accordingly. An Actor- Network approach is proposed as a potential analytical lens for researching the Ultranet, its application and its social impact. The paper also proposed use of actornetwork theory to identify how the Ultranet might be shaped by future use, and how it could be used to identify problematisations of this new network and the actors that it seeks to involve and hence to identify potential translations of the innovation. Analysis of these potential translations allows the creation of a theoretical framework that permits a sensible review of the introduction of the Ultranet. The framework allows for the possible production of communities of practice amongst teachers, a „door‟ for parental involvement as opposed to the „windows‟ currently common in education, with an ideal that involves a Web 2.0 supported community where all parties (students, teachers, resources provided by the Departments of Education, parents and the local community) contribute. The paper suggests that perhaps this is the future of safe, secure social networking for schools.

Additional Information

Conference held: June 12 - 15, 2011 in Bled, Slovenia

Item type Book Section
URI https://vuir.vu.edu.au/id/eprint/9567
Official URL https://domino.fov.uni-mb.si/proceedings
ISBN 9789612322472
Subjects Historical > Faculty/School/Research Centre/Department > School of Management and Information Systems
Historical > FOR Classification > 0806 Information Systems
Historical > SEO Classification > 970108 Expanding Knowledge in the Information and Computing Sciences
Keywords ResPubID23404, Web 2.0 technologies, social interactions, Internet security, eLearning 2.0, eEducation, schools, Victoria, Department of Education, actor-network theory, online learning management systems, online communities, digital, social networks, social networking
Citations in Scopus 5 - View on Scopus
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