Creative Networks, in the Rearview Mirror of Eastern European History

Creative Networks, in the Rearview Mirror of Eastern European HistoryCreative Networks explores the dawn of the Internet culture in the age of network society from the perspective of Eastern Europe. From a theoretical angle the networks are introduced and interpreted as complex socio technical systems. The author analyzes the development of these networked self organized formations starting off with virtual communities of creative networks, which emerged during the early phase of the Internet, up to the phenomena of

Creative Networks explores the dawn of the Internet culture in the age of network society from the perspective of Eastern Europe. From a theoretical angle the networks are introduced and interpreted as complex socio-technical systems. The author analyzes the development of these networked self-organized formations starting off with Ôvirtual communitiesÕ of Ôcreative networksÕ, which emerged during the early phase of the Internet, up to the phenomena of todayÕs online Ôsocial networksÕ. Along with the translocal case studies of Nettime, Syndicate, Faces and Xchange networks (as well as with the other important facets of the 1990s network culture in Europe), the author studies also local community networking case of alternative and digital culture that evolved around E-Lab in the 1990s in Latvia. By focusing primarily on the network culture of 1990s, this study reflects those changes in the social structure of todayÕs society that are occurring under the process of socio-technical transformation.