Assessing peer innovation: three case studies of how peer communities contribute to socio-technical change
This paper examines three cases of peer communities to assess how they contribute to socio-technical change. The case studies are based on interviews with community members. TIS features will be used as an analytical perspective. We argue that the contribution goes far beyond the mere provision and deepening of technological knowledge. Peer communities fulfil a variety of system functions and show great variation in their functional profiles, from strongly technology-oriented, rather anonymous networks to very broad-based communities that also influence political discourse, public acceptance and the social embeddedness of technologies. The transformative potential of this mode of innovation should be recognised and politically supported.
