The Virtual Community
Howard Rheingold
Summary
The article focuses on Howard Rheingold’s personal experience of virtual communities particularly his use of WELL (Whole Earth ‘Lectronic Link), one of the first major online communities. He talks about how experiences and contacts made through the virtual world began to overlap and transfer into his ‘real’ life, what he refers to as ‘IRL’ (in real life). He describes how he has attended multiple WELL weddings, WELL births, WELL parties and even WELL funerals. Rheingold states that the technology that makes virtual communities possible has the potential to bring enormous leverage to ordinary citizens at relatively low cost, particularly in the intellectual, social, commercial and political realms. This social leverage that is created allows for the creation of emotional attachment when participating in virtual communities and also how it provides a forum to exchange in “pleasantries and argue[ments], engage intellectual discourse, conduct commerce, exchange knowledge, share emotional support, make plans, brainstorm, gossip, feud, fall in love, find friends, loose them, play games, flirt, create little high art and a lot of idle talk. ” (Rheingold, 2001 pp.274)
‘Real Grassroots, the kind that grow in the ground, are a self-similar branching structure, a network of networks. Each grass seed grows a branching set of roots, and then many more smaller roots grown off those; the roots of each grass plant interconnect physically with the roots of adjacent’ (Rheingold, 2001 p.278) I found this comparison of online networks and grass roots to still be very relevant in our use of virtual communities today as many connection are created as a result of a previous relationship.
Problems?
The article was written in 2001 and therefore is based around the very early versions of virtual communities. It was written before the creation of Myspace in August 2003 and also Facebook which launched in February 2004, both of which have changed how we use online communities, who uses them and also why people now engage in virtual communication. Modern online communities have also demanded increased availability and access to such online networks and also the demographic of people who participate. It is easy to find similarities between his experiences of online communities and those which we encounter today; the specifics have advanced however the fundamental ideas and practises are still used.
Questions
• Where do you see the future of Virtual Communities?
• How do you think they can be utilized to enhance different areas of our lives such as those suggested by Rheingold (social, intellectual, political and commercial)?
Personally, the idea of communities in a virtual context is a complex idea. For some, the virtual is an escape from the real and for others, it serves as a method to sustain their present realities due to changing patterns of sociability. The internet has created powerful expressions of communities allowing people to connect regardless of distance. This is one of many reasons why there are more people developing a private sphere in the virtual community sphere.
ReplyDeleteWe go back to the classic examples of Facebook, Myspace and Skype which have changed the fabric of internet communication worldwide. It has the potential to unite and reconnect people living in different countries possessing different views. Also, virtual communities are less being about place and more about a sense of belonging, facilitating the successful formation of online communities.
However, virtual communities can also foster negative habits. It can reinforce and validate deviant subcultures. Such individuals might be isolated and invisible in the physical sphere but the virutal sphere allows these cultures to develop an electronic meeting point. There is also the question of social isolation where the internet serves as the only form of social contact for some. An over reliance on this social outlet can lead to psychological problems such as addiction, seclusion and the neglect of real life responsibilities.
Ultimately, the future of virtual communities mainly depends on how people use online communication media and "netiquette" in order to maintain effective use of the internet. As Rheingold discussed in his chapter "If we do not have a firm idea of the kind of media environment we would like to see, the future will be shaped for us by large commercial and political powerholders"