Distance as asset? Knowledge collaboration in hybrid virtual communities

Abstract

This article takes issue with the reification of proximity in the current debates about the geographies of knowledge production. It aims at developing a more differentiated view on the spatialities of learning by focussing on knowledge practices in which neither physical nor relational proximity are available. More specifically, the article explores on the basis of a ‘netnographic approach’ interactive knowledge collaboration in nine ‘hybrid virtual communities’ that reflect a broad spectrum of organizational set-ups from firm hosted over firm related to independent communities. Our empirical analysis reveals that hybrid virtual communities even in the absence of physical or relational proximity are able to produce economically useful knowledge; that despite the low importance of proximity the physical and material conditions play a crucial role for knowledge collaboration in hybrid virtual communities; and that hybrid virtual communities afford unique technical opportunities and social dynamics that foster learning processes unattainable in face-to-face contexts.