The Internet and Social Work: The Next Generation

Abstract

This article explores the next generation of Internet technologies that are relevant to the field of social work and related disciplines. It describes Web 2.0 technologies such as blogs, social networking sites, tags, folksonomy, and wiki mechanisms; it introduces readers to the virtual world, Second Life; and it provides a glossary of useful terms. These new phenomena increase the capacity for practitioners to obtain and share information by enhancing traditional ways of communicating. It discusses how the Internet is changing the means by which individuals form social relationships and acquire and utilize knowledge. This article also raises essential issues that are emerging from this medium, and it stresses the importance for practitioners to understand this new medium and to participate in online communities.