New information communication technologies and the development of a children's ‘community of interest’.

This paper is concerned with the potential of new Information Communication Technologies as a means of furthering a children’s ‘community of interest’. A ‘community of interest’ is taken from Raymond Williams’ concept of people forming communities not around place but around specific ‘interests’. I wish in this paper to explore the forms and tensions of a children’s ‘community of interest’ that might be facilitated around ICTs in general and the Internet in particular. The paper draws on community development literature around the potentials and use of ICTs as a means of developing communities. The paper highlights these potentials but also investigates the obstacles that a children’s online ‘community of interest’ may confront. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]