The definition of community is not an easy matter, as there emerge community groups who define this term in different way. Thus, the sphere of application of this word can influence the concept of community. Still, the similarity lies in the fact that all social groups are aimed at organizing an effective collaborative work. As society is constantly developing, there is an urgent necessity to provide innovative approaches for effective work in team so that a virtual community is the advanced step for fostering productivity of the cooperation. To pursue the merits and the shortcomings of different types of communities, it is necessary to consider various definitions of this term, and the differences between usual and online communities.
For primary comprehension of the term “community”, you may consult Random House College Dictionary that presents this notion as “a social group of any size whose member reside in a specific locality, share government, and often have a common cultural and historical heritage” (Stein 272). This explanation is more appropriate for defining geographically preconditioned communities and, therefore, it can be associated with specific professional and learning groups. Another definition presents an unconventional perception of this term that associates community with identity and mutual agreement. Barney states “identity and community are organically related” (156) so that it may directly refer to the identity of interests and characters exalted to the status of community. Relying on the above, it must be stated that community is purely a social phenomenon based on communication and further cooperation.
The presented definitions break the stereotypes that geographical factor is one of the major obstacles for creating communities. Nowadays, the era of computerization offers greater opportunities for virtual communication. So far, the term community involved such synonyms as ‘village’, ‘city’ and ‘town’ that all determined location. Now this word could be bravely associated with the Internet.
A virtual communication is a new stage in the improvement of community organization. According to Rheingold, online communities “are in part a response to the hunger for community that has followed the disintegration of traditional communities around the world” (362). Perhaps, this is the major shortcoming of this type of community. However, this can be regarded as the best way-out for those peoples who do not have the possibility to be engaged in real relationships.
The variation of online community is cyber-communities presented by different online organizations that are more efficient than usual communities are. For instance, such communities would be of great value for deaf and hard of hearing people for whom cyber-communication is the best solution (University of Washington n. pag.). Nowadays cyber-communities are great helpers enhancing the quality of learning and training and introducing the innovated education. Due to the fact that common interests and preferences are the basis of a successful communication, the creation of online identity groups has given rise to the establishment of virtual culture (Jones 102).
After a thorough analysis of the definitions, it should be stressed that all the concepts of the same notion correlate to different historical, political, and cultural background. Therefore, online community cannot be regarded as another dimension of reality but an advanced variation of it. Certainly, face-to-face communication within a community is a great advantage for humans, still the introduction of network communication technologies contributed to the community branching and cultural progress.
Works Cited
Barney, Darin David. The network society. UK: Polity, 2004.
Deaf and Hard of Hearing Cyber Community in STEM. University of Washington, 2010. Web.
Jones, Steve. Virtual culture: identity and communication in cybersociety. US: SAGE, 1997.
Rheingold, Howard. The virtual community: homesteading on the electronic frontier. US: MIT Press.
Stein, Jess. Random House college dictionary. US: Random House, 1975.