Title: Schema blending and stable structure in online social systems

Authors: Nick V. Flor, Seana Coulson, Paul P. Maglio

Addresses: Anderson Schools of Management, UNM, 1 University of New Mexico, 053090, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA. ' Cognitive Science Department, UCSD, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093–0515, USA. ' IBM Almaden Research Center, 650 Harry Road, San Jose, CA 95120, USA

Abstract: Autonomous online social systems can emerge from the interaction between the stable social practices of soliciting and eavesdropping when they are performed online. These practices are distributed manifestations of the stable mental operation of conceptual blending. The technology mediating the communication in the practices must be polymorphic, noisy and open.

Keywords: superorganisation; autonomous business; online communities; distributed cognition; emergent communities; web based communities; online social systems; conceptual blending; internet; socio-technical systems.

DOI: 10.1504/IJWBC.2006.010306

International Journal of Web Based Communities, 2006 Vol.2 No.2, pp.143 - 159

Published online: 13 Jul 2006 *

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