With the internet becoming more functional everyday, people all over the world are finding new uses for this incredible medium in their daily lives. Several years ago if you told someone you blogged them on MySpace you probably would have gotten some strange glances. Now these terms, and many more like them, are becoming a routine part of our vocabulary. Only decades ago you would have invoked some stupendous looks just by uttering the terms “chat room,” instant message” or “web blog.” Today these familiar terms have one thing in common. They all relate to virtual communities made possible by the internet.

In this essay, we will explore the reality of virtual communities. You will see why I strongly believe that there is nothing inherently “fake” about this relatively new medium and why a virtual society deserves equal appreciation when compared to communities outside of the internet. I will also share my views on why some virtual communities can improve our way of life and how we do business far beyond what any “real world” medium can do.

In order to understand virtual communities we must first understand what makes a community of any sort. According to one dictionary definition, a community can be viewed as “a social, religious, occupational, or other group sharing common characteristics or interests and perceived or perceiving itself as distinct in some respect from the larger society within which it exists” (Dictionary.com). Of course this is just one definition of a word that can have much ambiguity. In the context with which we are dealing, I believe this is the closest definition we will encounter. As for the definition of virtual, I mean the online world or simply the internet.

Long before the advent of the internet, it was difficult to grasp the concept of a virtual world. All society knew were the communities they lived in or visited.  A community was seen as something that was geographically located, such as neighborhoods, towns, schools and places of business. Over time there were changes to this definition. As travel got easier, communities got larger. Also, with better forms of long distance communication, people discovered that even if they weren’t geographically located in the same spot as someone else with similar interests, they could still converse with ease.

The internet took this form of communication to a global scale. For the first time in history, millions of people could connect, share, explore, and interact with each other regardless of whether they’re in Texas or Tokyo, Atlanta or Arizona. If you think about it, one thing every human being has in common is that we all reside on the same planet. So in effect, what the internet did was simply open a door that was already there. Let it be called “The Community of Earth Dwellers.” We just didn’t have a form of communication available to access that door prior to the internet revolution. But this is still just the tip of the iceberg and I can’t wait to see what else technology has in store for us.

Ok, now that we’re on the same page about the grand visions of virtual communities, let’s analyze some examples. There are many different reasons to belong to a virtual community. Maybe you have an illness and want to discuss it with people who are affected by it too. Maybe you’re a huge Steelers fan, but you moved to Florida and want to talk with some of your fellow fans back in Pittsburg. Maybe you want to share your poetry with poetry lovers from every country on earth. These are just a few of a seemingly endless array of reasons for participating in a virtual community. Also, your level of participation can vary. Usually when people first find a new virtual community, (an online message board in this case) they don’t immediately jump right into the conversation. It appears that most people just watch what is being said for a little while before interjecting their own opinions. These people are known in the virtual world as “lurkers.” First you have to familiarize yourself with the group and its parts before you can start interacting; that’s just common sense.

After getting out of the “lurking” stage, you begin to make judgments on the group and its contents. If these judgments are positive, or if you deem it applicable, this is where the interaction really begins. As you become more familiar with every stroke of the keyboard and click of the mouse, it is easy to forget that you probably haven’t met any of these people in the “real world” and maybe you never will. Does this take away from your experience? No! That’s like saying that driving a car takes away from the experience of walking everywhere. You can get the same thing done both ways. The car simply gives you more options, speed and convenience.

On this same note we must remember what makes human beings so different from all other forms of life; it is our ability to interact, communicate and form connections with each other. No matter how you look at it, all progress from the discovery of fire onward was made possible by team work, even if it was in the smallest way imaginable. This interaction is the heart of a community. It’s the fire of the conversation that keeps the heart beating. No wonder the why the words “communicate” and “community” sound so alike! So what is wrong with taking this idea and using an electronic means to put it into action?

In some cases, the online medium can be a great benefit. For example, look at the online auction community known as eBay. The idea of an auction is to have as many people as possible bid on an item, thus driving the selling price as high as possible. Before eBay and the Internet, auctions were only as large as the number of seats in an auction house. Therefore the number of bids (and maximum price to be paid) was always limited to that scale. What eBay did was figuratively knock down the walls of the auction house and allow millions of people to view and bid on the items. Many folks believe eBay has created a near-perfect sales platform, where supply meets demand at the exact price the market will pay. The kicker is that thanks to the internet, this happens on a global level with ease. The point is that with huge virtual communities such as eBay, we can actually buy and sell from one another with far more ease and at more realistic prices than ever before.

To illustrate another benefit of virtual communities, let’s explore one of the groups I belong to: www.MuscleAndFitness.com. This huge site is devoted to men and women who love to workout, eat right and stay healthy. The message boards are my favorite part of the site. I routinely visit to find new workouts, healthy eating tips and more. How could anyone ever get all this information from one source? It is only possible to have a wealth of knowledge about a subject as intricate as fitness when you combine the collective thoughts of hundreds or thousands of enthusiasts.  Do we all have to be looking at each other in the same room? No, it is quite possible for the same amount of interaction to occur online.

We all know that the internet is one of the fastest growing technologies in the history of computing. What does this mean for virtual communities? Well I believe we will see an unimaginable increase in the way we interact online. Words on a message board will be a thing of the past. Soon we will be so immersed by the advances of technology that there will be no argument on whether online communities can be considered real or not. With the incorporation of more audio and even 3D video, content will simply look and feel so real that it won’t be questioned. Maybe this will take some of the anonymity away from the online world and make those who are used to the classic ideas of community more likely to give it a try.

We live in a great age of convenience and things will continue to improve. Who would have imagined a day where you can think of any subject on earth, search for it, and find a wealth of information from multiple sources all in a few minutes time? If you still haven’t found what you’re looking for, just join into the conversations in one of the virtual communities related to the subject.

Expanding on that note, who would think there would be an age where families can stay connected all over the world, with audio, video and text? A family is one of the simplest forms of a community. Who said that leaving home to move into the world meant that you had to give up your place in this community? You shouldn’t have to. For it is partially with the foundation of our families that we become who we are; both our individual identities and our collective views are shaped by these interactions. Virtual or not, this interaction can continue and in my opinion, it will help us more than it will hurt us.

In closing, I hope this essay has enlightened you to further explore virtual communities and determine whether or not you agree with my points. The fact remains that no matter how different our opinions may be, virtual communities are here to stay. How much they are shaping our world is obvious, but how much they shape your world is ultimately up to you. Choose wisely.

Works Cited

“Community.” Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Random House, Inc. 08 Feb. 2007. <Dictionary.com http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/community>.