Social proximity in the network society: Online and offline boundaries in a business community

Abstract

The introduction of wireless internet and the smartphone has made a lot of new communication channels available to many people (e.g., Skype, Whatsapp, Google Chat, Twitter, and Facebook). Communication technologies offer many opportunities for staying connected. In addition, these technologies constitute an equally important instrument for regulating, organizing and terminating social connections. What role do communication technologies have in the creation of social proximity within a small business? To answer this question, the present article conducted qualitative research on a group of young tech-savvy people who are working together in a small company called SETUP. The goal of this fieldwork was to acquire in-depth insights into the way such individuals relate to newly offered opportunities to structure their online and offline social environment. Each person in this group struggles in his or her own way with defining social boundaries between "self" and "other"; between "colleagues" and "friends"; and between "us" and "them." Communication technologies are additional tools for ensuring that new ways are found for establishing such privacy boundaries, both online and offline.