Personal Networking Function of the Internet

The aim of the paper is to understand the role of Internet in creating new forms of sociability in the modern society. In the first part the history of social studies of Internet is reviewed, and the conclusion put forward that the anti-social role of the Internet cannot be proved. In the theoretical part of the paper the author presents his idea of two basic roles of Internet as interpersonal interaction tool: transmissional and procreative. These two Internet functions are very important means for reproducing a new form of sociability known as networked individualism.