In 1968, Licklider and Taylor conceived of virtual communities in the paper ‘The Computer as a Communication Device’. By 1993, Rheingold had popularised the notion of virtual communities and today for many in the developed world ‘online sociability is a fact of everyday life’ (Feenberg & Bakardjieva 2004:37,42).
Even by the late 1990s, computer-mediated communication (CMC), such as email, Internet Relay Chat (IRC), Usenet news groups and bulletin boards, was limited in ability and usability, as it relied heavily on text and required a variety of software for each application, together with specialised skills to operate it efficiently (Herring 2004:27).
Two important technological developments, witnessed during the last five years, have affected CMC: increased bandwidth and improved interoperability between CMC software and popular web browsers. In turn, new forms of communication spaces have emerged that more fully exploit the possibilities of multimedia, accompanied by increased usability and convenience (Herring 2004:29-30). In light of these technological developments and the increasingly important role that online interaction plays in everyday life, it is important to recapitulate an exploration of the relationship between online and offline community.
This paper explores and assesses the extent to which ‘real’ community can exist in a virtual setting. In doing so, the virtual community debate is considered, which is often characterised by strong utopian and dystopian views. Essentially, the former views virtual community as an enabler of opportunities for community, whilst the latter views it as detrimental to community (Wellman & Gulia 1999:167-168). There is consideration of the practices of community and virtual community and their relationship. This draws on the work of Rheingold, Preece, Wellman and Gulia, Baym, and Robins and Webster and is operationalised within a context of three distinct views of the ‘virtual’. Rheingold is representative of the view that the virtual is an extension of reality, whilst authors such as Stoll and Slouka conceptualise it as a substitute for reality and in contrast to these views, the virtual is considered as a process, as exemplified by Pierre Lévy’s oeuvre.
The research presented here is based on a focus group coupled with discourse analysis, which aims to illuminate an understanding of how individuals use and think about communication with digital technologies, with a central focus on meanings and interpretations of ‘virtual community’.
This paper is structured thus; first is a review of literature, second an outline of research methods, third, analysis and interpretation of data, fourth, a discussion of the research findings in relation to the key elements of the literature and finally, a conclusion.
Postingan
