LOCALITY IN THE GLOBAL NET The Internet as a space of citizen communication and local publicness

Abstract

The main outstanding features of Locality in the Global Net project were its local and grassroots orientation. The aim of the project was to explore the social meaning of new communications technology and information networks (and the Internet in particular) from the vantage-point of everyday practices, linking tecnology with people's everyday life and communication needs. The approach adopted may be described as participatory action research, which in practice meant carrying out research interventions in local communities.

The study was organised in three projects, two of which focused on the development of local citizen communication and one on the development of local journalism by means of modern web technology.

During the course of the project the Manse Square website has grown into an important arena of local interaction in the city of Tampere, providing a public meeting-place wor a wide range of different actors.