Social Constructionism Essay

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Social Constructionism Shaw's (1995) theory of social constructionism states that "individual developmental cycles are enhanced by shared constructive activity in the social setting, and the social setting is also enhanced by the developmental activity of the individual." Shared constructive activity refers to the creation of “social constructions,” of which there are five types: 1) social relationships, 2) social events, 3) shared physical artifacts, 4) shared social goals and projects, and 5) shared cultural norms and traditions. Social constructionism is a useful framework for advancing the interests of a community. It is also relevant to the role that technology can play in supporting these interests. A tool that is consistent with this paradigm is one that supports the creation of the aforementioned social constructions, thus enhancing the developmental cycle of the individual and the community. In 1994, Shaw designed the Multi-User Sessions in Community (MUSIC) system to demonstrate how technology could be shaped around social constructionist principles. MUSIC is a community intranet that facilitates community communication and information exchange. It includes the following features: send/receive e-mail messages, community bulletin board, community announcements, community calendar of events, community chat room, and more. MUSIC was deployed in Dorchester, Massachusetts, and Newark, New Jersey, and proved to be particularly effective in supporting social relationships, social events, and shared social goals and projects. Shaw describes the social constructionist paradigm as part of a three-part synergy. The social setting presents a context of social relations and cultural materials which set the stage for sociocultural activities and processes through which developmental internalized and externalized constructs can be formed.
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