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What is the correct translation for the term 「網絡化」 as it appears in the following paragraph?

朋輩關係網絡化

青少年與朋輩的關係日趨網絡化。手機即時通訊程式、網上社交平台等成為時下青少年朋輩間流行的溝通工具，更是結識新朋友的主要途徑。

I tried to find a correct translation for the term, but failed, and could only come up with the following translation for the paragraph:

Peer relationships move online

The relationship between teenagers and their peers is becoming more and more online. Mobile instant messaging programs and online social networking platforms have become popular communication tools among teenagers and peers, and are also the main ways to meet new friends.

Does anyone have a better suggestion for the term 「網絡化」? Thank you.

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  • As a joke, I Googled "onlinification"...surprisingly I got 2,000 hits. ... The “onlinification” of face-to-face lectures is terrible... – dROOOze Nov 7 '20 at 9:36
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    maybe “internetize” (verb), “internetization” (noun)? theconversation.com/… – 水巷孑蠻 Nov 7 '20 at 9:47
  • I may say "The relationship [builtup] between teenagers and their peers is more and more [conducted] online". It is not a direct translation but gets the message across. – r13 Apr 8 at 21:20
  • @水巷孑蠻 厉害啊，找半天 internetlize 没找到，却有个internetize…… – Zhang Apr 9 at 4:08
  • Probably better to ask this on the English language SE – Curiosity May 10 at 21:08
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I think you can happily use 'networking' or 'networked'.

Leave 'onlinification' to google. (Reminds me of californication)

朋輩關係網絡化
peer relationship networked
The networking of peer relationships

... 阿拉伯之春的网络化特性。
... the networked nature of the Arab Spring

我们正在变成一个网络化个体的社会，
we are becoming a society of networked individuals, ...

随着世界越来越走向数字化，网络化，
As the world moves more and more towards being digital, networked, ...

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  • Thank you for your reply. But how can I translate the sentence 「青少年與朋輩的關係日趨網絡化」? – Jamie Nov 7 '20 at 12:52
  • It seems like that 網絡化 in this sense means showing more and more features of a network (say, becoming more interconnected), rather than moving online? – Tipping Octopus Nov 7 '20 at 23:56
  • “networking” is a completely wrong translation. In English, "networking" means social relationship, similar to 人际关系 in Chinese, completely irrelevant to the internet. – Victor Nov 8 '20 at 13:04
  • In English, 'networking' may have the meaning you suggest, but that meaning has no monopoly. – Pedroski Nov 9 '20 at 4:53
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In this context, I think the phrase "网络化" means "The Internet matters more than before for teenagers to build and develop their relationships with friends."

Maybe I would use "cyberized" while "cyberize" is not a formal vocabulary. YourDictionary.com

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The English term "networking" normally means "human relationship" or "human connection", irrelevant to the computer network, but the Chinese term 网络 only means computer network.

To avoid confusions or misunderstandings, we should completely avoid the root word "network" plus a suffix as the translation of 网络化. Use something else instead.

I suggest translating 网络化 to “internetization”, “onlinification”, “cyberization”, etc.

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