Linguistic Aspects of Informal Learning in Corporate Online Social Networks

Online Social Networks

In the past, the Internet was mainly used for one way communication (i.e., presentation of information), whereas nowadays it is a place of dialogue and interaction, with the user acting not only as the reader, but also as the author (Jung, 2010), and not only as the receiver, but also as the co-creator, or even the prosumer (Ritzer, 2010b), who produces and consumes simultaneously. This change in the position of individuals acting online is related to the possibility of many people interacting at the same time (Servon, 2002), simultaneously as passive recipients and active creators of online content. The possibility of active participation in the information superhighway has shifted many formerly face-to-face social activities into cyberspace and has catalyzed the proliferation of new social networks.