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Global Village or CyberBalkans: Modeling and Measuring the Integration of Electronic Communities

Marshall W. Van Alstyne
Boston University - Department of Management Information Systems; MIT - Center for E-Business

Erik Brynjolfsson
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Sloan School of Management; National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)



Management Science, Forthcoming

Abstract:     
Information technology can link geographically separated people and help them locate interesting or useful resources. These attributes have the potential to bridge gaps and unite communities. Paradoxically, they also have the potential to fragment interaction and divide groups. Advances in technology can make it easier for people to spend more time on special interests and to screen out unwanted contact. Geographic boundaries can thus be supplanted by boundaries on other dimensions. This paper formally defines a precise set of measures of information integration and develops a model of individual knowledge profiles and community affiliation. These factors suggest specific conditions under which improved access, search, and screening can either integrate or fragment interaction on various dimensions. As IT capabilities continue to improve, preferences - not geography or technology - become the key determinants of community boundaries.

Keywords: Globalization, Information Economy, Information Flows, Computerization of Society, Organizational Structure, Economic Impacts, Balkanization, Social Networks

Accepted Paper Series

Date posted: July 27, 2005 ; Last revised: October 28, 2008

Suggested Citation

Van Alstyne, Marshall W. and Brynjolfsson, Erik, Global Village or CyberBalkans: Modeling and Measuring the Integration of Electronic Communities. Management Science, Forthcoming. Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=756445


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Contact Information

Marshall W. Van Alstyne (Contact Author)
Boston University - Department of Management Information Systems ( email )
595 Commonwealth Avenue
Boston, MA 02215
United States
617-358-3571 (Phone)
MIT - Center for E-Business ( email )
77 Massachusetts Avenue
50 Memorial Drive
Cambridge, MA 02139-4307
United States
617-253-0768 (Phone)
Erik Brynjolfsson
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - Sloan School of Management ( email )
E53-313
Cambridge, MA 02142
United States
617-253-4319 (Phone)
HOME PAGE: http://digital.mit.edu/erik
National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) ( email )
1050 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, MA 02138
United States
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