Exquisite variety: computer as mirror to community

Abstract An approach is developed to building information systems whose purpose is to express (rather than regulate) the life of a community group. The story of a community group, as understood and told by its members, is taken as the basis for building a computer system which reflects the life of the community. Development of the system is seen as an open-ended process of discovery, collaboration and experiential learning. Engagement with the technology is understood as a ‘tactical’ practice on the part of the users. A fieldwork exercise conducted along these lines with one community group, in which the group used hypermedia technology to make a shared story, is described. Aspects of process and form in story making on a computer, in this project and more generally, are discussed.