Online communities were created for several reasons and though some see them as potentially bad, many see them as great. The idea of an online community is a comunity that exists online where members enable its existence through taking part in membership ritual. Online communities can take the form of information systems where people can post any information they want. Online comunities as explained by a loon named Rheingold can be good because there are groups of people who otherwise wouldn't get any kind of social interaction if it wasn't for the online community. Rheingold states that he works from home and without his friends online he could potentially go days without human interaction. This is a very valid point that some people can be disabled as our last reading touched on, and cannot, or do not, want to go out into the world because it is to hard on them physically or even mentally. The point is that some people don't feel the need to have face to face relationships. The problem with the online comunity that is new is the fact that when Rheingold 1st started his internet community it was before the "internet" as we know it today. The basic way it worked was someone used multiple phone lines in order to connect everyone that would call into them together. I was probably about 10-12 when I joined my first online community. The difference between then and now is, you could only connect to people that lived in your area back then, now you can connect with people all over the world. Where as in the early days you could easily just say meet me at _____ now that person can be on the other side of the world. Also in the beginning of the online community days the internet, though I know it's hard to believe, was more just tech junkies who were not looking to steal credit card numbers or claim they have a prince for an uncle that needs 10000$ for a 500% return... Scams were not the way they are today and meeting a complete stranger was not quite as risky as it is today... The internet as well as it's communities have REALLY changed since I had my 80/88... Yes I know you don't know what that is... maybe google it? :)
Hahaha actually I tried and I couldn't find anything on it...is that computer really that old? Makes me feel old... am I old?? Am I talking?? Did they hear me??
I know Im crazy...
Thanks for reading...
-Whizzle Izzle...
On the 80/88, here ya go: http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=70277
ReplyDeleteBut I'll do you one better--my first PC at home was an IBM PC JR in 1983--but we also had TRS-80s in school before that, with cassettes drives for storage even!
However, more to the point, I think that although our technology has evolved considerably from the earliest online communities, the general social purposes/uses are still the same. We are social creatures, and we want to connect with others. Sometimes, as you say, people cannot leave their houses. Other times, it may be because the interest you have is obscure, and not shared by people in your immediate social circle. A lot of fan communities formed online b/c people were looking for others like them, but there weren't any in their local environments. If you recall, many people in the IRL documentary mentioned that.
I like the point you made on how members form group to communicate through the social network. Also, how the mutiple lines create a pattern of social networking. Meaning, anytime there is communication between a group of people social network communication is active.
ReplyDeleteyour post made me sad thinking about how people have this way of really corrupting the intended purposes of technology. (example: cars-intented to be helpful...we've made them faster seemingly more efficient...costing us lives ect...) As in your post...the internet was once meant for one thing has now turned on us in us in a variety of ways.
ReplyDeleteWhen you stated, "Multiple lines," you made me think of 3 way calls. If's funny how technology changes and I am not even that old! But I remember using 3 way so me and my friends can talk to each other we were something like a community.
ReplyDeleteI remember reading in the Usenet groups how the downfall of the internet was about to happen if they let commercial interests connect to the net. Back then you connected via dialup modem (ahhh, doesn't the sound of a 9600 baud modem negotiating speeds and compression bring back fond memories?) I thought about all the wonderful things that could happen but it didn't dawn on me all the bad things that were possible. But, like you, I was one of the tech junkies dreaming of all the possibilities...
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