Virtual Communities are an Illusion
Discussions of the social effects of computer-mediated communication (CMC) and virtual community often focus on whether they pull people apart or bring them together. John Perry Barlow describes his point of view on this matter in a very enlightening article, Is There a There in Cyberspace?. Barlow first describes his skepticism about virtual communities and finishes the article with a life altering tragedy. Amy Bruckman, who is responsible for the article, Finding Ones Own in Cyberspace explains the importance of discovering a virtual community that best suits your needs. I feel that virtual communities and CMCs bring people together but also pull them apart more then together.
In Barlows article, he describes how cyberspace has created its own community, or virtual community if you will, by bringing people together with common interests and experiences. Like the community in contemporary America, virtual communities had a place where peoples hearts remained even if they physically moved around the country. The virtual community also provides a feeling of comfort from this large support group-like place where tragedies one may encounter, are experienced throughout and are solved by all. When Barlow experienced the sudden death of his wife, he had this to say about his virtual community, Those strangers, who had no arms to put around my shoulders, no eyes to weep with mine, nevertheless saw me through. As neighbors do. This is the idea of a coming together, from a virtual community standpoint. One thing that Barlow points out about virtual communities is that they lack prana (the Hindu term for breath and spirit). He says, Prana is, to my mind, the literally vital element in the holy and unseen ecology of relationship...It is at the heart of the fundamental and profound difference between information and experience. This is what brings human relationships together. The body language, sex, tone of voice, smells, facial expressions, etc. are the things that make life, life! These missing ingredients still lack in virtual communities to this day. According to Bruckmans article, she explains how to find a virtual community that best suits ones needs. Some of the things she suggests for a virtual community can be easily correlated to finding a neighborhood where one would like to reside. The main determining factor she points out is self selection. As individuals, we know what we want/dont want, like/dislike, so the decision is up to us to decide where we want to go.
...s may never agree on a conclusive degree to which both nature and nurture play roles in human development, but over the years, more improved studies have shown that both are crucial aspects. With all the knowledge we are gaining from these studies, it would be quite limiting to believe that a criminal and his actions are the sole result of heredity. Even in people who do not commit crimes, genes themselves are affected by the prenatal environment. Undoubtedly, the fetus experiences changes in environment, forcing possible changes in heredity and reactionary response. We are likely to never find the answer to how much or how little either, nature or nurture, impacts our lives, but at least we can agree that they both do, in fact, have major roles. Our development is not the culmination of heredity alone, but of a tangled web of experiences and genetics entwined.
Janice B. Stockigt, Jan Dismas Zelenka, 1679 – 1745: A Bohemian Musician at the Court of Dresden (Oxford, 2000)
The theories and explanations for battered women's behavior started in the late 1970's as a result of the oppression of women. Feminist movements in the late 1970's caused great social uproar among legal and political...
Heinrich Schütz’s musical talents have been unveiled at a young age, and developed into an extensive musical career. Arbor (1990, par.2) states (Arbor 1990) that, “At the age of four his musical talent attracted the attention of Landgrave Moritz of Hessen-Kassel, who persuaded Schütz’s parents to send him to his court for further education in music and art.” After carrying on as a choirboy, he moved on to study law at the University of Madbury before his studies with Giovanni Gabrieli in Venice from 1609 to 1613. Two years later, after his brief duty as an organist at Kassel, he moved to Dresden to work as a composer at the electoral court of Saxony. There, his duty was to provide music for court ceremonies that were major, and supervise the choirboys’ musical education. Walker (1992, 1253) states that, “Everyone knew Schütz was a respected teacher whose students included such important musicians such as Christopher Bernhard, Matthias W...
...that many have replaced some of the time that would otherwise be spent in face-to-face conversations with virtual conversations. These conversations online are much less personal than face-to face interactions contribution to weaker social ties. In addition, the ease of social networking and the ability to be “elsewhere” at any point in time has weakened personal interactions as many become distracted with such conveniences even while in face-to face in interactions with others. Overall, the result has been less face-to face interactions and weaker interactions all contributing to weaker social ties and ultimately one cause of the increasing social isolation observed especially among children and teenagers.
BACKGROUND: In March of 2011, the unrest in Syria was just beginning, with protests g...
Nature versus nurture is one of the oldest and most studied debates in the history of psychology. This debate is about an individual’s genetic influences as opposed to the environmental influences on physical characteristics and intelligence (Rathus 197). Some think that genes determine an individual’s development and others think that it comes from how one was raised. My development was influenced by nature and nurture equally because I would not be myself if I did not get my ambition from my mother and my manners from my upbringing.
The nature vs. nurture controversy is an age old question in the scientific and psychological world with both camps having evidence to support their theories. The controversy lies in which is more influential in the development of human beings. While there is no definitive answer for this, it is interesting to look at each of them separately.
Walgreens (1995-2008). Facts and Comparisons® eAnswers, Warfarin Sodium, Searched: Coumadin: Retrieved January 28, 2010, from http://www.online.factsanscomprisons.MonoDisp.aspx?monoID=fandc-hcp12192&quick=...
Are there really such things as “online communities?” Can you form friendships with the people you come across in an online community? There are many claims that there are such things as online communities. That is true if you classify a community as “a group of people having common interests” (Dictionary.com) but having a common interest did not play a significant role in the forum I worked with. Online communities can be overrated and not meet the standards for which they are intended if the people participating do not follow the proposed rules and are not there for the correct reasons. In fact, when I was in the Teen Chat room no one talked about fashion, which is the topic of the site. In the discussion forum, some of the posts were off of the subject. Some online communities may appropriately be classified as a “community”, but the teen forum that I participated in was not a virtual community. Online communities are not physical places, instead they are a state of mind; a place which exists only in the mind of the participant.
Various electronics are frequently used to go on pointless websites, such as Twitter and Facebook, which ruin society’s social abilities. More and more people use social media on the internet as a communication source. This does not apply merely to kids and teens, but adults as well. Using these sorts of websites as a way of communicating causes many individuals’ social skills to decrease. A plethora of children and teens would rather stay inside and interact with their friends through the internet than go hang out with them. Before technology people were not afraid to go up to a random person and talk to them. Now many friendships form through the internet and these friendships are not genuine. When these “friends” meet in person, they find nothing to talk about. For example, I remember after watching Perks of being a Wallflower, a movie taking place in the early nineties, my friends and I discussed how all the characters communicated in person and during hanging out they played games and talked. Now...
The traditional way of socializing limits our ability to meet other people around the world. Virtual interactions offers a more possible means to communicate in today's society. Furthermore, the growth of the video game community such as in the genre of MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games) allows for a high level medium that enable individuals to create small factions and perform social interactions. According to Bishop, "The existence of such communities is often brought about by people who share similar goals, beliefs or values, with such commonality forming the basis of an agreement to form and sustain a virtual existence" (1). Having shared similar goals...
Hordila - Vatamanescu, E., & Pana, A. (2010). The Application of the Communication Accommodation Theory to Virtual Communities: A Preliminary Research on the Online Identities. International Journal Of Interdisciplinary Social Sciences, 5(4), 279-290.
Communicating via the Internet is no substitute for actual human interaction. But online communities do enable meaningful communication among people separated by distance and time. Many people in today’s society look to online communities for comfort. They visit it daily, and spend many hours talking to people they have never met in person. I have no interest in going back to my community. I didn’t feel the warm, fuzzy feeling of people chatting online. Some people can be rude and annoying, and that is something I just don’t want to deal with if I don’t have to. I enjoyed posting my thoughts on certain subjects on the message boards, but I didn’t enjoy reading some rude responses just because I didn’t agree with the person’s view.
Multiple identities have been increased by the creation of cyberspace communications according to "Cyberspace and Identity" by Sherry Turkle. Turkle uses four main points to establish this argument. Her first point is that online identity is a textual construction. Secondly she states that online identity is a consequence-free moratorium. Turkle's third point is online identity expands real identity. Finally, her last point states that online identity illustrates a cultural concept of multiplicity. I disagree with many aspects of her argument and I have found flaws in her argument. Technology is an area that does not stand still and consequently outpaced Turkle's argument.