数字时代的历史事实建构——以电子族谱编撰为例

近年在网络世界出现的帮助用查考及编撰族谱的网页，是探讨数码时代在万维网上衍生的历史叙述的建构过程，以及其有可能产生的社会和心理后果的一个例证。电子族谱在内容上虽然可以沿用既有的手钞和印刷族谱的素材，然而，电子族谱所衍生的编撰传统绝对不能视作手钞和印刷族谱的延续。相反，电子时代的族谱编撰和字时代的族谱编撰，分别见证着两种不同的社会事实建构的过程。进入数码时代，族谱的编撰很有可能从一个传统的、集体的、乡村社会的配套仪式，变成是个人的、存在于城市和网络空间的孤立的仪式。

The Social Construction of Reality in the Age of Information Technology: the compilation of electronic genealogies on the world wide web

Focusing on a world wide web (WWW)station which provides aids for compiling genealogies and searching family data, this paper attempts to explore the process of the creation of social facts and historical narratives on the WWW,as well as its social and psychological consequences.It suggests that electronic genealogie s compiled on the WWW should not be regarded as a continuation of traditional ge nealogies,and that the appearance of the two types of literature witnesses two d ifferent processes of social construction of reality.Whereas the traditional way of genealogy compi lation is part of the community ceremonials of a rural society,th e compilation of electronic genealogies is to a large extent an individual endeavour made in an urban setting.