Abstract This paper examines one of the most powerful ways in which groups have harnessed the promise of technology, the redefinition and creation of new ?cyber communities.? It uses as an example Staying Connected, a network that provides single, teenage mothers with public exchange messages, private e-mail, and chat rooms. It then looks at the main barrier to reaping the benefits of this rapidly changing technology and how, in the United States alone, for example, many people from disadvantaged communities do not have access to computers and information technology. The last part suggests steps that could be taken to avert this inequity, including federal funding in schools and corporate sponsorship.
From the Paper "Like traditional communities, computer mediated communities are often comprised of individuals with shared interests. In their 6-month study of 42 single teenage mothers with young infants, Philip J. Dunham et al (1998) found that participants who had access to Staying Connected, a network that provided members with public exchange messages, private e-mail and chatrooms, reported feeling less isolation and parenting stress. Additionally, the study concluded that the teen mothers were able to develop ?close personal relationships and a sense of community "in this novel social environment" (Dunham et al)."
