record

Thesis Info

LABS ID
00124
Thesis Title
Virtual Community Interfaces
Author
Felipe Cesar Londoño L.
2nd Author
3rd Author
Degree
Ph. D. Multimedia Engineering
Year
2005
Number of Pages
618
University
Universidad Politécnica de Cataluña
Thesis Supervisor
Josep María Monguet F.
Supervisor e-mail
jm.monguet AT upc.es
Other Supervisor(s)
Language(s) of Thesis
Spanish
Department / Discipline
Multimedia Engineering
Copyright Ownership
ISBN: 958-8231-39-6
Languages Familiar to Author
Spanish-English
URL where full thesis can be found
www.tdx.cesca.es/TDX-0124103-082628/
Keywords
interfaces, digital design, community
Abstract: 200-500 words
The research “Virtual Community Interfaces” has the double aim to explore two new concepts that emerge from the network connections: interfaces as a place of communication between two or more people connected by means of Internet and virtual communities as a virtual space where these people relationships become effective. The research is developed from two points of view: the theoretical point, which aims to explore all the data related to the new interface concept and the experimental one, which is integrated in two virtual communities: the Network and the Informatics Schools and the Citizens. The research also proposes action strategies to consolidate these communities in the network. From the scientific and technological perspective, this study goes deep into the set of basic instruments of the new digital means as a way of knowing the state of the art, the development, the problems and the possible potentialities of the media. The scientific theories that affect and determine the media and the most relevant technical devices for an optimal function of interactive systems were detected by means of this deepening. The analysis includes a study about the technological and scientific recovery that is carried out nowadays, starting from the principle that every new medium recovers something from a previous phase and a part of something that has already been in use becomes obsolete. Finally, the possible modifications or changes that emerge when these systems are taken beyond their limits are presented By means of this project, the applicability of interface theoretical aspects in the practice is proposed, based on the implantation of the principles related to the interactive systems in specific communities. This becomes part of a process to make people aware of the necessity to recognize in the new technologies sources of knowledge appropriation and tools that permit to reinforce and support the particular and local identities of each social group. Therefore, it is stated that the democratic access to information and education is an interesting challenge to foster the cultures as a necessary conception to configure the integration strategic projects, which can turn the different communities into a model of cultural consolidation, integrating for this purpose the different participants in the diverse circumstances that affect social processes. This democratic new technology access can break the isolation, the marginality and the lack of each other’s knowledge. This project is a systematic analysis of interface evolution, which gathers a variety of theories that have been proposed about this topic from the different fields of knowledge. Based on this analysis, real communities in Latin-America and the periphery contexts are close by means of this project. It provides learning models of new technologies which will become the tools for the construction of information exchange and knowledge management communities. It also proposes to turn Internet into knowledge support that allows preserving, transmitting and transcending the cultures of Latin-American social groups.