Sociology computer use is organized around the ideas of communication and control. Ordinary asynchronous communication between individuals, mediated by computers, is increasing in importance. As networks become more widespread and reliable, we begm to see sharing of resources—both data and computer access. Simulations, expert systems, and artificial intelligence can be used to gain control over data and theory. Finite state machines are used with simple rules to model complex behavior m social situations. New possibilities are emerging for collaboration between sociologists and computer scientists. Keywords: commumcations, E-mail, network, simulation, finite state machine, knowledge representation.
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