Social objects are objects that gain meaning through processes of reification (e.g. ritual). Studies of this phenomenon have its origins in classical

cognitive sociology Cognitive sociology is a sociological sub-discipline devoted to the study of the "conditions under which meaning is constituted through processes of reification." It does this by focusing on "the series of interpersonal processes that set up the c ...

, the historical traditions of the

sociology of knowledge The sociology of knowledge is the study of the relationship between human thought and the social context within which it arises, and the effects that prevailing ideas have on societies. It is not a specialized area of sociology. Instead, it dea ...

and

phenomenology Phenomenology may refer to: Art * Phenomenology (architecture), based on the experience of building materials and their sensory properties Philosophy * Phenomenology (philosophy), a branch of philosophy which studies subjective experiences and a ...

. A prominent work in this regard is

The Rules of the Sociological Method ''The Rules of Sociological Method'' (french: Les Règles de la méthode sociologique) is a book by Émile Durkheim, first published in 1895. It is recognized as being the direct result of Durkheim's own project of establishing sociology as a p ...

, in which Emile Durkheim suggested the dictum, "The first and most basic rule is ''to consider social facts as things.''" This has led researchers to investigate the social and cultural contingencies of how "objects" cognitively ''become objects.'' Actor-network theory has developed this concept as the object around which

social networks A social network is a social structure made up of a set of social actors (such as individuals or organizations), sets of dyadic ties, and other social interactions between actors. The social network perspective provides a set of methods for an ...

form. This version was applied to social media networks by

Jyri Engeström Jaiku was a social networking, micro-blogging and lifestreaming service comparable to Twitter, founded a month before the latter. Jaiku was founded in February 2006 by Jyri Engeström and Petteri Koponen from Finland and launched in July of that y ...

in 2005 as part of the explanation of why some social media networks succeed and some fail. Engeström maintained that "Social network theory fails to recognise such real-world dynamics because its notion of sociality is limited to just people." Instead, he proposed what he called "object centered sociality," citing the work of the sociologist

Karin Knorr-Cetina Karin Knorr Cetina (also Karin Knorr-Cetina) (born 19 July 1944 in Graz, Austria) is an Austrian sociologist well known for her work on epistemology and social constructionism, summarized in the books ''The Manufacture of Knowledge: An Essay o ...

. For example, Engeström maintained that much of the success of the popular photo-sharing site

Flickr Flickr ( ; ) is an American image hosting and video hosting service, as well as an online community, founded in Canada and headquartered in the United States. It was created by Ludicorp in 2004 and was a popular way for amateur and professional ...

was because photographs serve as social objects around which conversations of social networks form. The concept was popularized by Hugh MacLeod, cartoonist and social observer in 2007.

References

Bibliography

*Engeström, Jyri
Social Objects: What Beach balls and Potatoes Can Teach Us about Social Networks
Posted May 3, 2008. {{DEFAULTSORT:Social objects Communication theory Community building Complex systems theory Network theory Organizational theory Self-organization

See also

References

Bibliography