Information on the thesis

The thesis is devoted to the definition of the specificity of formation and ways to
implement the social potential of the Internet community. The research paper describes
sociological approaches to the analysis of the evolution of societies. Preconditions for the
formation of the Internet community as a voluntary association, mediating by technical
component have been demonstrated. The thesis specifies three main research strategies
of Internet communities – phenomenological, the network approach and the theory of
capital.
Internet  community  is  considered  as  a  certain  way  of  organization  of  the  social
structure. It is based upon networked individualism (a phenomenon which manifests itself
in the process of personality’s socialization using the Internet and motivating individual
search  for  necessary  information,  experience  exchange  and  acceptance  of  important
decisions), whose members come into a virtual interaction on the basis of individual or
collective needs, the realization of which does not always correspond to the objectives of
the functioning of the community. It is different from other societies with specific form of
monitoring and control, based on a specific technological platform. It  has  been  offered
to  separate  two  types  of  Internet  communities  based  on  the
satisfaction of needs:  those that form collective capacity of the social community and
individual capacity of participants of the community.
The  thesis  specifies the term  «social capacity» as the abilities of social actor in
general, which do not depend on their usage in government relations, material or non-
material production. Social capacity is not aimed at development of norms or rules, but at
satisfaction  of  specific  individual  or  collective  needs.  Social  capacity  as  a  structural
feature of the network, acts as a kind of an indicator of efficiency and functionality of the
Internet communities. Accumulation, implementation and reproduction of social capacity
in Internet communities depend on the network configuration of relations between actors,
their objectives, level of mutual trust, self-organizational features, self-behavior strategies,
informational and communicational skills etc.
The paper highlights specific indicators of social capacity of the Internet community,
which  include  needs,  expectations,  familiarity,  knowledge,  values,  competencies  etc.
Formation of social capacity of Internet communities includes implementation of several
consecutive  stages,  namely:  1)  participation  of  members  to  form  social  capacity  of
Internet communities; 2) assessment of needs in formation of capacity and resources; 3)
assessment of possible outcomes of social capacity formation; 4) activities to increase
permanent  social  capacity;  5)  formation  evaluation  of  social  capacity  of  Internet
communities.
Empirical  studies  of  social  capacity  formation  of  Internet  communities  on  the
regional  level  (mainly  Transcarpathian  region)  have  revealed  a  number  of  behavioral
trends and limiting factors that are divided into three groups: technological (technical),
personal and social character.
The empirical data and their analysis allow defining the following prerequisites in
implementing  social  capacity  of  the  Internet  community:  a  new  temporality,  wide
stratification  and  differentiation  that  contribute  to  the  formation  and  organization  of
communication  structures  in  communities.  Prerequisites  for  social  capacity
implementation gain special value when they form Internet communities of educational
(online courses, distance conferences), economic (online shops), health (communities to
advise  on  rare  diseases),  professional  orientation  (communities  to  discuss  highly
specialized problems).
Key words: community, Internet community, Internet, social capacity, social capital,
social resources.