This article is about virtual communities, and how they are the same as ‘real’ communities. Although the medium in which they communicate differs as they use words on screen to exchange pleasantries, argue, engage in intellectual discourse, share emotional support etc, leaving there bodies behind to do just about everything people do in real life. You can use virtual communities to find a date, sell a lawnmower, publish a novel, conduct a meeting – so here we are able to see how similar virtual communities are to so called ‘real’ communities; all that has changed is the medium in which people are forming the communities and the presence of the physical body is left behind.
To me, Howard is expressing his beliefs that virtual communities are no less real than traditional or other kinds of community and that their distinctive nature consists in their ability to make communication the essential feature of belonging. He even quotes by saying “my virtual communities also inhabit my real life”. This is important as it shows how the binaries of ‘real’ and ‘virtual’ life are further distorted, and that what happens online in the ‘virtual’ can also effect an individuals everyday life as well.
Not only is this article illustrating the importance of virtual communities and the significant role it plays in people’s sense of belonging, but the article is also trying to be self-aware, as it points out that large organisations with big money and big power are more than likely to find a way to control access to virtual communities; as big money and big power have always found ways to control new communications media when they emerged in the past. He emphasises that if we do not develop such a vision for ourselves, the future will be shaped for us by large commercial and political power-holders. This is something important to fight for because of the potential influence on many people’s beliefs and perceptions; the future of the Net is connected to the future of community, democracy, education, science and intellectual life. When put into this perspective, we can see how important and what a vital role the Net plays in our lives, which is all the more reason why we cant let the big money and big powers control it for their own gain.
Questions:1) How would you define community?
2) Does anyone belong to a virtual community – if so, does it affect your ‘real’ life in any way?
3) Is belonging to a virtual community lesser than belonging to a real one in any way?
4) In what ways would the Internet change if ‘big powers and big money’ controlled it, and in what ways would this change of ownership and control affect virtual communities?
I find that the online community informs the 'real life' community. A lot of the time, they can be inseparable from each other. The amount of information that we gather from online communities about the communities that we exist in is immense. This information then informs the communities we exist in in real life. A simple example might be getting a facebook invite to a party, dinner, gathering, etc and then you meet up in real life with the community that you engage in.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all well done on your presentation, it was very interesting :)
ReplyDeleteIn response to one of your questions "Is belonging to a virtual community lesser than belonging to a real one in any way?"
I believe that online communities such as facebook, allow people to communicate, organise events for real life, post pictures and tag friends in them, and organise things to do offline, such as going out for coffee with a friends, organising a night out. Social networking sites allow people to talk to friends and communities they may be apart of all over the world. Forums and blogs also offer people from different backgrounds, ages, race and gender to come together and interact towards a common interest (shopping, 4wheeldriving, political issues ). I don't think that belonging to a virtual community is lesser than a real one, because they both offer similar yet different things, depending on the individual.