The Context Issue
As introduced in previous sections, the architecture of SNS does not allow sensing
the community in the same way an offline world does, due in particular to the
absence of a clear definition of the situation , as a way for users to act individually
and as a community. In fact, in both scenarios (online and offline), only when the
condition of a clear situation is satisfied can adequate behaviors be made possible.
With adequate behavior, we mean behavior that takes into account all different
aspects that (can) influence behavior in a certain context . In the online world, a lot
of self-representative information is not put into context and this influences the
performance of adequate behaviors, also regarding privacy concerns.
According to Hewitt and Shulman ( 2010 ): “A definition of the situation is an
organization of perception in which people assemble objects, meanings, and others,
and act toward them in a coherent, organized way. A definition of the situation, in other words, organizes meanings in such a way that people can act individually and
jointly”. A clear definition of the situation/context is exactly what is absent on SNS.
There are many aspects an individual has to take into account, if it wants to perform
adequate behaviors. In an offline world more or less clear barriers between contexts
exist. Most of the time we know who is present in a situation, what conduct we
ought to expect from others, what role we should perform, and where the situation
is located. When mass self-communication enters the picture, this more or less clear
context disappears (AA.VV SPION 2011 ).