Virtual community

A virtual community (VC), or "online community," is a collection of people who gather together online to engage in shared interests. Different platforms in cyberspace allow people to form such communities. Online gaming sites, chat rooms, and social media platforms are all examples of VCs that allow people to actively engage with one another. VCs are a digital outgrowth of humanity's interest in forming relationships, even in virtual settings. Such communities enable people to express themselves without the constraints of national boundaries or distance.

VCs have created new forms of communication that may provide great benefit to their members. They may offer an emotional support system for people experiencing the same life stresses, such as having a child with a serious illness, or they may be used to indulge in shared hobbies, sports teams, or political leanings. The rise of VCs has had some negative repercussions, though. The same anonymity that gives such communities some of their appeal enables people to act differently than they might in real social settings. Online bullying, deliberate attacks—or "trolling"—of other users, and the theft of personal data have all been unintentional outcomes resulting from the growth of VCs. In addition, some sociologists have expressed concern that online communities lack some of the same positive social benefits of real-life interactions.

Background

The term virtual community was coined by media scholar Howard Rheingold in 1993 for the first edition of his book The Virtual Community: Homesteading on the Electronic Frontier. Rheingold used the term to describe his participation in a variety of early Internet communities and, in particular, his active membership in a dial-up online forum called the WELL (Whole Earth 'Lectronic Link), which he joined in 1985. Based on these experiences, Rheingold explored the possible interaction between technology and human relationships, which he foresaw as having potentially revolutionary social, commercial, and political implications for human society.

VCs have expanded exponentially since Rheingold's initial assessment. Many websites are structured to facilitate and encourage their interactive capabilities. News articles typically have comments sections. Many online games are built around virtual universes. Social networks such as Instagram and Facebook have interactive qualities that allow users to blur the line between their real and digital lives. However, VCs generally require an increased level of interaction and commitment to meet many of the same conventions typically associated with the sociological definitions of a physical community. Some of these qualities include intimate relationships among members, communal values or beliefs, cultural affinities, organized interactions, and a sense of connection. All of these aspects may be available within an online community. Even a shared territory, which is often meant to refer to a geographical space, can be formed within a specific virtual domain of the Internet despite the often broad physical distance among members.

Site administrators can help encourage a sense of community within an Internet domain in several ways. The construction of the site is a key component. As with real-world communities, however, the sense of affiliation that defines a community must occur naturally. To that end, several factors can assist in the creation of a VC. Among these are the inclusion of online profiles that allow instant messaging and the ability to send emails. These can help foster the types of heightened interpersonal communications that establish a sense of community identity. Such tools can also lead to the establishment of real-world interactions. Site designers and administrators must make sure that the central site is user friendly and that its members trust both the people maintaining the site and the other members. Anonymity is not necessarily a requirement of VCs, but participants often regard it as an alluring feature of online communications. Regardless of the potential appeal of a site, a VC requires active participation from members to remain viable.

Overview

VCs can serve many functions. In perhaps their simplest form, they serve as a form of communication among people with similar interests. Since their inception, their potential purposes have expanded beyond their initial social nature to include useful medical, economic, professional, and political applications.

From a medical standpoint, VCs can provide a support network for people experiencing the same medical issue. This may extend to personal experiences with certain medications or possible treatments or offers of sympathy in times of sadness or stress. VCs can link people who share a rare medical condition so that they may form connections with others experiencing the same difficulties or prejudices. VCs give people who have psychological or physical issues that may limit their mobility or their ability to interact in traditional social arenas the opportunity to engage in healthy personal relationships without having to leave their homes.

Establishing and maintaining a thriving VC on a commercial website has been shown to increase consumers' reception to buying a company's products. For instance, the promotion of commercial reviews (called virtual product experiences, or VPEs) from a pool of volunteers stimulates greater consumer brand confidence and an increased receptiveness toward the goods offered for sale. Similarly, professional communities, called communities of practice (CoP), allow people in specific professions to gather and trade information. Political forums are used to organize protests, gather volunteers, and try to bring about change in the real world.

Sociologists have expressed concerns about the ability of VCs to fill the same social roles as real-world interactions. For instance, people who form overly strong attachments to VCs run the risk of negatively affecting their ability to understand and maintain normal human interactions in the real world. Similarly, while the anonymity offered by VCs can be attractive, it may lead to breakdowns in normal social communication. In real-world situations, people who act poorly or antagonistically face social repercussions as a result of their behavior. That sort of response has less impact in a VC. While a member who acts inappropriately may be banned or shunned, the cover of anonymity often allows him or her to reenter the community under a different Internet address or username. Similarly, comments sections that are poorly monitored may turn into antagonistic arenas with little threat of punishment.

Bibliography

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