Internet: Knowledge and Community

Is an internet community more active than a community that is not on the internet? Does the easy access to the internet make a community more effective and active?

Vinh Tran


=Responses=
I'm not sure an "internet community" is a more active community, as I am not aware of a community that exists solely on the internet, therefore I have difficulty classifying a community as solely internet.  As an example, the largest social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace facilitate communication and community connection, and although the majority of correspondence between members is done digitally there still is personal interaction among some community members.  That being said, I do believe the internet has increased access to members of various communities and lowered the "cost" of interaction and communication, thereby facilitating a "more active" community.  

I would like explore further this idea of whether a community can exist solely in cyberspace, maybe some already do, if so I would be interested in some examples and clarification of what constitutes an internet community.

~Gene House

=Merilyn's Response=

With games such as World of Warcraft, virtual communities are created solely on the internet.  People create their own avatars and characteristics that they want to portray to other users, and only share as much information as they choose to. Thus making this a more comfortable environment for most people to socialize and communicate, while combining it with their interest of video games.  Most people would issolate themselves from reality and consider online communities as their only means of security to communicate with others without having that face to face interaction.

=Internet Activism=
Since communities that are organized mostly around online interactions tend to be more focused on specific interest groups, these communities seem to have a higher degree of mobilization in regards to standard social activism roles.  From my recollection of the Obama campaign, the community of organizers and activists that sprang up across the internet to get out the vote played a significant role in the campaign success.  Communities that are not very highly reliant on the internet for communication are usually only active over small geographic regions (exceptions being large religious denominations and similar communities).  In its current state the internet seems best suited for communities that '''need''' to communicate over long distances and/or at rapid speed.  However portable internet enabled devices seem to be blurring the lines and bringing the connectivity and instant nature of the net into our daily lives and local communities.