Online communities are taking the world by storm and that certainly is not an exaggeration. Humans form and join online communities in cyberspace for the same reasons why they form cliques and join interest groups and clubs in reality. As stated by Cooley (1983), all normal humans have a natural affinity for community. One of the reasons being that humans have a strong need to feel accepted and be with people similar to them. People need to feel a sense of belonging in cyberspace as much as they do in reality. Because of that, “the online world of computer- mediated communication (CMC) is one of those new ways for humans to relate to one another, and it is growing rapidly” (Fernback & Thompson, 1995).
An online community consists of “a group of people that may or may not primarily or initially communicate or interact via the Internet” (Virtual Community, 2007). Online communities also focus and depend on “social interaction and exchange between users online. This emphasizes the reciprocity element of the unwritten social contract between community members” (Virtual Community, 2007). Some examples of online communities are blogs, forums, chatrooms, and online social networks like Friendster or My Space.
There are countless online communities in cyberspace which function very differently and possess their very own characteristics and mechanisms. These almost endless lists of virtual communities operate on different levels and we have to personally explore them to know what they really are about. According to Amy Jo Kim, despite the numerous numbers of virtual communities, there are essentially only two different types we see online, namely, the traditional structure online communities, and the more individual-centric, bottom-up sort of interaction (Virtual Community, 2007).
Traditional structured online communities consist of message boards and chat rooms, which usually involve the online population more often. Community members also rely on gift-giving and reciprocity to establish reputation as well as to keep the community going. More individual-centric forms of online community interactions on the other hand, consist of blogs, instant messaging and buddy lists, which place more emphasis on the individuals and not the public.
After discussing so much on what an online community is, I believe it is time to pass the verdict – Is Twitter an online community? That has been the question on our minds for the past week and countless speculations have been made. Here is my two cents worth. I feel that Twitter is indeed an online community. It possesses all the characteristics of online communities, be it traditionally structured or more individual-centric ones.
Twitter is a social network consisting of groups of people bound by a common trait (for us, it’s none other than our COM125 assignment) and people can get together to discuss about issues that interest them. What I have noticed too is that Twitter maybe classified as a social network but it is in fact somewhat like a private chatroom where only people identified as friends can join in the activities and discussions. In essence, Twitter is a combination of both traditional structured online communities and the individual-centric form of online communities. Besides just casual chatting and common interests among a particular twitter group, gifting also occurs. Sometimes our fellow classmates will respond to questions posted by another classmate or contribute by making suggestions or leaving comments. These are forms of gifting and of course, reciprocity is key too. Help from anyone in the group is expected to be offered in return when someone needs it.
Thus, as Van Vliet and Burgers (1987) argue that “communities contain the following elements: social interaction, a shared value system, and a shared symbol system”, I stand by my argument that Twitter is indeed an online community regardless of how different it may seem from conventional virtual communities.
References
Cooke, P. (1990). Back to the Future. London: Unwin-Hyman. Cooley, C. H. (1983). Social Organization: A Study of the Larger Mind. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Books.
Wellman, B. & Gulia, M. (1996). "Net Surfers Don't Ride Alone: Virtual Communities as Communities." Retrieved March 13, 2007 from http://www.acm.org/%7Eccp/references/wellman/wellman.html
Wikipedia (2007). Virtual Community. Retrieved March 15, 2007 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Online_communities
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