Assessing social network sites as international platforms

Abstract: In this article I assess the challenges and opportunities of using online social network services as international platforms for development and for networking global civil society. A human rights framework and information ethics approach are used to identify principles as they are transposed to the internet, to evaluate dominant trends in social network sites (SNSs) and to theorise how human rights might be embedded into the technical design of new and existing online social networks. The central research question is 'how can SNSs affirm and uphold a "people centered, inclusive and development-oriented information society" (WSIS 2005)?' Ideal values and outcomes of a public service social network include interoperability, privacy, transparency, autonomy, participatory design, cultural and linguistic diversity, support for oral cultures and non-technical populations, open access and the commons. Affordances and functions of existing SNSs include sociability, sharing, interaction, homophily, social capital and power, and network effects. Examining tensions between values and affordances, public and private interests, can help guide the design and implementation of SNSs for international networking and development.