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The purpose of the paper is to outline the concept of the general peer in detail and to show its relation to the relevant social theories by Niklas Luhmann and Jürgen Habermas. It also aims at illustrating the concept with concrete examples from the academic system and the arts/mass media.

This paper introduces the concept of the “general peer” as an alternative to the concept of the “public sphere.” It situates the concept in the context of the concept of “profilicity” indicating a profile-based mode of identity.

The paper suggests that the concept of the general peer describes actually existing forms of the public better than the concept of the public sphere. It relates the general peer to second-order observation and functional differentiation prevalent in contemporary society.

The paper suggests that the concept of the general peer denotes a significant element of the constitution of profile-based identity (profilicity) in contemporary society.

The concepts of the general peer and profilicity may be used to conduct empirical research on the constitution of identity and the curation of profiles in various social contexts.

The paper can help understanding how to develop and assess profiles and their impact in contemporary social contexts.

The two concepts general peer and profilicity are theoretical innovations.

Since the prevalence of virtual worlds in society has grown exponentially in recent years and virtual worlds have demonstrated an incredible power to engage participants in ways in which traditional education has not, virtual worlds provide us an excellent opportunity to create engaging, collaborative, and academically challenging learning situations. Also, given the new media literacy of many of younger students, we in higher education are in many ways meeting them where they already are …or should be. By integrating virtual worlds into instruction, the Virtual Education Research Group (VERG) at Middlesex Community College in Massachusetts provides students with these collaborative experiences. Through a sustained community of practice and experimentation with a variety of virtual world platforms including ActiveWorlds, World of Warcraft, Warhammer, City of Heroes Architect, Forbidden City, and Second Life, some general principles and specific learning activities emerge for instructors integrating virtual worlds into the classroom. The basic concepts of connecting with technical and administrative support, choosing a world with thematic connections to your subject, creating scheduled opportunities to play and learn together, and committing to providing a strong online presence have been expanded upon to create a flexible model that can be applied across disciplines. Through the work of VERG at Middlesex Community College, virtual worlds are now used in a variety of instructional disciplines, ranging from humanities to psychology to business. Several case studies illustrating unique and effective practices are provided.

This paper aims to contribute to the sociological literature on moral communication and disciplinary apparatuses in a functionally differentiated society. It combines Luhmannian and Foucauldian theories to further the understanding of social system complexity.

The paper draws on the work of Niklas Luhmann, Michel Foucault and others to explore resonance capability, disciplinary apparatuses and the complexity–sustainability trade-off. The argument is illustrated with a discussion of the late-nineteenth- to early-twentieth-century anti-child labor movement.

The paper argues that organizations are better equipped than function systems to draw moral distinctions. Given the amorality of the function systems and the increasing secularization of modern society, a great deal of moral communication now occurs in non-religious organizations. These social systems increase their complexity in response to new problems, but the increased system complexity may become unsustainable.

The paper contributes to the growing sociological literature that compares and sometimes attempts to synthesize the theories of Luhmann and Foucault. It also contributes to the literature on organizational theory.

The paper brings together the work of Luhmann, Foucault, Valentinov and others to advance the understanding of organizations and moral communication in a functionally differentiated society. It uses Google Books Ngrams, among other resources, to support the argument.