ABSTRACT
The revolution of information technology, multimedia and internet has facilitated the rapid emergence of online interactions of dispersed groups and communities having shared interests. These online groups with different compositions exhibit a wide range of characteristics and functionally serve a variety of purposes, from small groups engaged in focused discussions of specific topics, to complex created worlds with hundreds of simultaneous participants, to millions of users linked by an interest in markets or exchange networks for goods and information. These new media collectives might be mobilised to further particular political agendas or to bring together dispersed members of familial or ethnic groups. The new sociometrics having the ability for groups and individuals to interact at great distances raises interesting insights for those investigating the construction of identity across territory, new forms of social interactions, and collective mobilisation or otherwise. No doubt, the new web-technology has created a new arena for group and individual self-representation, changing the power dynamics of representation for traditionally marginalised groups, especially in developing and underdeveloped nations.
