Are virtual worlds a second-rate form of community?

Gordon Grahams’ statement that an online virtual community ‘is a second-rate form of community.’

I think that his statement is rather old-fashioned. Technology is a big part of our culture, perhaps I have different views as I have grown up with the rapid speed of technology developing.

“‘Community’ has become a vogue word on almost every lip, a word now used, or abused, to the point of meaninglessness.” When reading Graham’s writing I feel his passion for a community. I thought it was interesting when he said there are so many ‘communities’ nowadays you can basically belong to as many different communities as you choose. Such as; the gay community, the scientific community, the business community, the local community ECT. He then notes “But if so, this only shows that communal membership means nothing.” I don’t agree with what he is saying here, why should we be categorized into one certain community, why can we not express ourselves in a range of communities.

I always think of the internet as a way to express and research ideas and places that we wouldn’t otherwise be able to. Graham notes “Internet does free us still further from the encumbrances of the societies to which we belong.” It seems as if Graham believes the internet will pull you away from real life people and that you will almost abandon them. I do think this is true.

Graham goes on to say that words and typing cannot fully get the whole message of your feelings across to the other participants. Our body language such as gestures, shrugs and the inarticulate forms of communication make up a large part of how we understand each other. I highly agree with this, and it is much easier to understand people around you when you can hear their tone of voice ECT so that the message is understood clearly and correctly.

The differences between genders online; “There’s no perfume, no sweat. Nothing soft, nothing hard. We are stripped of everything but our words. And if you take everything away from us but our words, what are the differences between men and women?” (Horn, p. 81) I thought this quote had a very valid point. Graham also agreed strongly with this point and used it to back up his thoughts on communicating within communities online. He says the internet can represents a ‘gender-blind’ form of exchange which would not ever be possible in real face to face contact. Along with gender, race is also not visable over the internet. Again this allows us to express ourselves in a way we might not be able to in daily life; I see this as a good point.

In conclusion, looking at Grahams text and his opinions on virtual communities I have to disagree that they are a second-rate form of community. He puts too much emphasis on what a ‘community’ entails and he basically says even if they do entail what he says it should, it will still be second rate. After all my research I have decided does it really matter? If a group of people share the same interest why can’t they call themselves a community, I think it gives a feeling of togetherness and what is so wrong about that? I can understand where Graham is coming from as nobody wants our communities to decline but I think he is being too picky over what he classes as a community. Virtual communities benefit large numbers of people albeit because they are unhappy with real lives, bored or simply want to explore somewhere new and exciting. I see Grahams point as valid but as it was from such a long time ago I would wonder what his views are of the internet and virtual communities today. I think people should feel free to explore what they want and whether this is by joining an interest group or virtual community I think the majority of outcomes are positive.