Telecommunication networks as social space: implications for research and policy and an exemplar

Abstract

We can only understand the scope, nature and underlying driving forces of the major changes now occuring in telecommunications networks if we grasp the linkages between the technical design of the relevant technologies, the corporate and government policy decisions shaping telecommunications products and services and the changing perceptions and behaviours of network users. In this article we attempt to grasp these linkages by developing a socio-spatial understanding of telecommunications networks. We extend and adapt the theorizing of Giddens, Goffman and others on the dynamics of social interaction in physical settings to electronic settings. This is done by delineating a series of socio-spatial concepts — `space', `environment', `proximate space', `virtual space', `public space', `private space'. We suggest these concepts, when integrated with `institutional' and `strategic conduct' analysis, provide a framework for guiding research on these linkages. The introduction of `call management services', particularly Calling Line Identification, in the United States is discussed as an exemplar of the utility of the framework. We conclude by discussing some of the policy implications of the proposed concepts.