In recent years more and more people start to use some popular websites like yahoo chat rooms, frienster, twitter, facebook, MSN to communicate with each other. And what exactly is virtual community? According to Gattiker, Perlusz, Bohmann and Sorensen defin, a virtual community have four features: first is the styles of imagining the community is based on people’s interests such as jobs or hobbies; second is the blurring of identity, which is based on communicating with friends who never met before face-to-face; third is the interaction is based on the information that shared but not on ones appearances. (Gattiker, Perlusz, Bohmann and Sorensen, 2001, p.168) Virtual communities are like grassroot, it has start with a entire different purpose, but civilians has used it in other ways and develop the internet into a whole new space. It had grew bigger and bigger and eventually out of controls, create a space where people will no longer constrained by things in reality, but they can try and discuss in virtual reality. In another words, it empowered civilians. (Rheingold, Howard, 2001, p.274-279)
A virtual community allow user to develop intimacy, social networks, understanding, and interaction amongst its member, thereby making it a community of members who could share similar values, submit to similar norms, and allow trust to develop. In the virtual community, idle talk is context-setting. (Rheingold, 2000, p.49) People could learn what kind of person you are and whether you are trusted or mistrusted in the idle talk.
Virtual communities like career-related, job-related, consumer-related and hobble-related communities. They served different kind of purposes in the virtual communities. (Gattiker, Perlusz, Bohmann and Sorensen, 2001, p.168) In career-related virtual communities, it can helps people to gain credibility in a particular professional field and the job-related virtual communities provide useful information to help with the career issues. The consumer one is to provide credible and trust-worthy information regarding to the services and products, like restaurants, cosmetics, cars or electronic appliances. And last but not least is the hobby-related virtual communities, it serve needs for entertainment and social interaction. This is also the simplest way for internet users to find out groups that they are interested in and join.
“[R]ole of technology plays in reshaping social relations.”(Delanty, 2003, p. 167). Through advance technology, people all around the world are inter-connected and sharing same information, like what McLuhan described as Global Village, the world has been contracted into a village because of the electric technology.
For example, a group of interest group meets at online space regularly, they form a kind of virtual community base on interest, yet people in the world could be connected as the relationship between them is closer. The virtual community brings them closer to each other. Rheingold in his work The Virtual Community even said that travelling becomes something quite easy and interesting. As he meet many people from everywhere on the virtual space, he learn more about different cultures. He learns them before he got to that place, so when he arrived, there could be someone whom he never meet had a chance to meet him, he will easily get used to the local culture.
The example of LambdaMOO may demonstrate the idea of a virtual community, where people from around the world, regardless of class and age and status, gathering to build their imaginary mansion. In the case of the Bungle Affair, a player called Mr. Bungle forced other players to go things against their will in the virtual world, causing them to experience a trauma in the reality.
In such case the emotional and social trust is lost in this event within the community. The experience was not only regarded as an online incident, users who got involved experienced it outside the online space, also in real life. From this we can see that virtual communities are affecting user’s real life experiences. The virtual reality will emerged into the real life as user use more and more of this kind of computer-related mode of communication.
C U on Thursday~! (common languages on virtual space?)
Apple
Thank you very much for your presentation,Apple, Kristel and Carman!! What a nice and interesting presentation!
ReplyDeleteI am very impressed about the example of Miku you guys mentioned.For me,the Miku case is so strange, when I watched the the video you guys provided about the virtual character-Miku's concert,honestly, I feel a little bit scared, I am scared by the audiences' reaction, I really cannot understand how can they screamed for a virtual character, the auidences are completely crazy for Miku! I can totally understand the power of virtual world, but not a power like that! I cannot believe people fell in love with a vitrual 'person', I just don't understand why the power and the influence of a virtual character is larger than a actual person.....
Even this case is very new for me and it totally shown the affect of online community,I still feel sad about it, I feel sad because our lives is totally driven by the power of online community!!
some people think the cyber space should be a free space where they can say anything. But sometimes it actually bring bad feeling to the one who got inferior status on the web.
ReplyDeleteMany web service like youtube has their own regulations. They need users to agree on that terms before using their service. But sometimes these laws cant really protect the rights of the users when their are bullying by the others.
And the government is hard to put their hand on these issues, since people has their freedom of speech on the web. only when internet users take part in illegal activities like stealing credit card information, the cops could take action on it.
I agree with Mildred that our life really driven by the online communities. Many of us spend tons of hours on the web for entertainment, learning things and go shopping. We must be sensitive to the changes on the virtual world in order not to be the victims on the web
Eric
Virtual community is a must for nowadays people. We cannot separate form this kind of virtual world as we rely on it very much. For example, we can go online shopping, research information, chat with friends, etc. Actually all these things are done in the real world, why we choose to do in the virtual world? I think it is due to the convenience. We do not need to go out and just sit in front of the computer, almost all the daily life can be done in the virtual world successfully.
ReplyDeleteHowever, the virtual world not only brings us the convenience, but also the negative things, like online bullying. Since in the virtual world do not have any real laws to protect the netizen, so some netizen can hurt the other unscrupulously. Therefore, although I think the virtual community can help us a lot in daily life, we still need to be aware of the harmful effect.
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ReplyDeleteI didn't know about the case of Miku before. I think it is quite interesting, especially the video of her concert. But, I think the people who are fans of her are quite crazy. They are willing to consume the products of a created character. When I saw the video how the fans enjoy themselves in the concert. I felt it was very strange as Miku is not a real person in our daily life. Her voice and actions are being designed and calculated by a group of people. If the fans notify who are controlling Miku. Will they feel disappointed or being cheated? (if the fans agree Miku is pretty, but they found that the designer is a ugly guy, what will they think?)
ReplyDeleteAnd I agree what Mandy mentioned that we cannot separate form the virtual community nowadays. For example, I check my Facebook everyday when I woke up. But, I think what we will regulated our actions in the Internet. Maybe we can use the fake identity in the virtual community. However, we know that people or police can check who we are by using the IP. Therefore, I think we are regulated our online behaviors.
It is an interesting presentation for me. I like the example Miku because this case is strange for me. But I don’t know why the virtual character-Miku's concert is popular and so many people screamed to her. Honestly, I don’t like her and I won’t pay money to watch the virtual character singing and dancing. I hate this feeling because of the “no reaction” of the virtual singer. Actually, I understand the power of virtual world through this example. It is because the virtual characters or communities are influencing our real world. We cannot separate form the virtual community nowadays. That is the power of online community. But I hope I will not fall in love with a virtual person in the future, HAHA
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