Network Peacekeeping in the Construction of Virtual Social Capital

Abstract

In the life of modern man, and of society as a whole, the role of virtual interaction is growing, especially in social networks and virtual communities. In this regard, the problem of virtual social capital construction arises. The paper deals both with the classical concept of “social capital” and the possibility of transferring the phenomenon to network reality. The author considers the approaches of Russian and foreign authors to the legitimacy of this concept usage, as well as of the role of virtual communities as a means of virtual social capital realization. Moreover, the paper presents a novel concept of “network peacekeeping”, which is of extraordinary relevance in modern society of anomie and growing aggression in virtual communications. Network peacekeeping can be implemented using technology such as script implantation. A script is a tool that is implanted into an aggressively destructive network discussion characterized by such markers as: frustration, negativity, depreciation, depression, insults, hostility, threats, trolling, confrontation, chauvinism, discredit, rage, provocation, etc., expressed by the offensive and obscene vocabulary. Verbal aggression reveals the following psychological dominants of network communication: collective fears, resentment, aggression, ideological separatism, and intellectual terrorism. To suppress the aggression growth in the most intense online discussions, a specially developed script is implanted into them – a text with the group agreement potential. The author presents an experiment conducted in three online discussions using such a script. The management of network communications using script implants acts as network peacekeeping that strengthens virtual social capital.