United Kingdom

Networking in the United Kingdom: A History

The desire for social acceptance and sociality is, and has always been, an important part of the British culture. The first site of social networking in the UK may be traced to alehouses, which were established by Anglo-Saxons as public houses (commonly known as pubs) where local residents could gather, gossiping or discussing community affairs and issues of the day.

Whereas the public house provided a site open to all for social networking, peerage and the British system of titles and honors created an exclusive social network, offering an extended list of privileges to its members. Peerage is a system of titles in the UK that represents the upper ranks of British nobility and is part of the British honors system. In the British system, the sovereign is considered as the “fount of honor” and is the only authority that can bestow titles of nobility upon individuals. Everyone aside from the sovereign and the peers was referred to as commoners.

Among the various British titles, one of the oldest is that of baron, which dates back to feudal and perhaps [Page 899]Anglo-Saxon times. After William of Normandy conquered England, he divided the country into manors and assigned these manors to wealthy and influential individuals, church officials, and selected representatives of commoners, either as reward or as compensation for their pledge of loyalty. Thus, the owners of manors became known as barons. The kings summoned their barons to Royal Councils, with the greater barons who held several manors summoned individually. The body of greater barons evolved into the House of Lords, and since the succession to the crown was hereditary, membership in the House of Lords also became hereditary.

Today, the peerage system is a vestige of the old system in which the Parliament advises the monarch in the selection process; however, such titles are given in recognition of meritorious achievements rather than a system of privileges. Furthermore, not all peers have the right to sit in the House of Lords.

There have been numerous other social and professional networks throughout the history of the UK. For instance, the formation of the Royal Society of London for the Improvement of Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, in 1660 provided a professional social network for the scientific and research community to meet on a weekly basis and to discuss science, exchange information, and run experiments. The Royal Society has its roots in the “invisible college” of natural philosophers who began meeting in the mid-1640s and is considered the oldest professional social network in existence. Initially, the society was mainly dedicated to the presentation of scientific experiments. The society's motto, nullius in verba (Latin for “take nobody's word”), underscores the fellows' determination to investigate and establish facts via scientific experiments. Today, the Royal Society has various functions and activities ranging from supporting modern sciences to financing and supporting hundreds of research fellowships, projects, and grants.

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