Sociologie de l'Internet

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The main entity in this text is the “Sociology of the Internet[1].” In simple terms, this refers to the study of how the development and usage of the internet has influenced societal structures and human behavior. This field of study considers how the internet impacts various aspects of society, from economic inequality and political participation to social interactions and cultural diversity. It also looks at the implications of internet-related technological advancements, such as the Internet of Things. The Sociology of the Internet is concerned with both the positive and negative effects of the internet, such as the creation of virtual communities and the potential for increased social isolation. This area of study is vital in today’s internet-dependent world, as it helps us understand the broader implications of our online activities.

Définitions des termes
1. Internet ( Internet ) L'internet est un système mondial de réseaux informatiques interconnectés qui utilisent des protocoles de communication normalisés, principalement le TCP/IP, pour relier des appareils dans le monde entier. Issu du terme "internetted" utilisé en 1849, le terme "Internet" a ensuite été utilisé par le ministère américain de la guerre en 1945. Son développement a commencé avec des informaticiens qui ont créé des systèmes de partage de temps dans les années 1960 et a progressé avec la création d'ARPANET en 1969. L'internet est autogéré, sans autorité centrale, et ses principaux espaces de noms sont administrés par l'Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). Il a considérablement transformé les moyens de communication traditionnels et s'est développé de manière exponentielle au fil des ans, le nombre d'internautes augmentant de 20% à 50% par an. En 2019, plus de la moitié de la population mondiale utilisait l'internet. La suite de protocoles internet, qui comprend le protocole TCP/IP et quatre couches conceptuelles, guide les paquets internet jusqu'à leur destination. Des services essentiels comme le courrier électronique et la téléphonie par internet fonctionnent sur l'internet. Le World Wide Web, une collection mondiale de documents interconnectés, est un élément clé de l'internet.

Les sociology of the Internet (or the social psychology of the internet) involves the application of sociological or social psychological theory and method to the Internet as a source of information and communication. The overlapping field of digital sociology focuses on understanding the use of médias numériques as part of everyday life, and how these various technologies contribute to patterns of human behavior, social relationships, and concepts of the self. Sociologists are concerned with the social implications of the technology; new les réseaux sociaux, communautés virtuelles and ways of interaction that have arisen, as well as issues related to cyber crime.

Anti-internet censorship protest in Frankfurt, Germany.
Anti-internet censure protest à Frankfurt, Germany

The Internet—the newest in a series of major information breakthroughs—is of interest for sociologists in various ways: as a tool for research, for example, in using en ligne questionnaires instead of paper ones, as a discussion platform, and as a research topic. The sociology of the Internet in the stricter sense concerns the analysis of online communities (e.g. as found in newsgroups), communautés virtuelles et virtual worlds, organizational change catalyzed through new media such as the Internet, and social change at-large in the transformation from industriel à informational society (or to information society). Online communities can be studied statistically through network analysis and at the same time interpreted qualitatively, such as through virtual ethnography. Social change can be studied through statistical demographics or through the interpretation of changing messages and symbols in online études des médias.

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