ABSTRACT
This chapter considers the role that networking may play in the spread of social transformation and cultural change. In particular, we will look at the ways that digital networking has the potential to speed up social innovation and the ways too that resistance to social change can be marshalled through online fora. This chapter considers moral identity and idealism, and some of the challenges that they may offer at a personal level in terms of working with marginalised or disadvantaged communities. It examines the role of networking in creating a sense of community and in solving wicked problems. It examines social innovation as a driver of social change, recognising that change can differently impact on different groups in the community. This kind of change can be viewed as ‘social innovation’, where the process of change works to create value for the community at large. Networking is an essential way in which new ideas, activities and technologies can be developed, and this is as true of social change as business or economic development.
