La vraie communauté peut-elle exister dans un cadre virtuel ? (document en anglais)

Can real community exist in a virtual setting ?

A community, as its basic definition is: “group of people united by ties of interest, common habits, opinions or common characteristics”. Obviously, we all know that this definition includes virtual communities. However, the unique web link can only be a support for real communities.

First, we can say that a real community will need implication. However, everyone can join a community on internet, there is no criteria, or social pressure to do a task for the community. Therefore, responsibility and implication is much less present on internet.

Moreover, communities need strong enough links between participants to allow its survival. And as far as we know, strong ties can’t be created by online relationship. These needs to become real or it will end by lassitude, by lack of human contact.

Secondly, nevertheless, real community tends to create a website. This one will be mainly used for publicity for gathering the most people that they can to their cause. Like this, we can assert that it will be a support in order to help the community to grow. Of course they will have some adherents on internet that won’t be serious, but it can also attract people that will be active also in the real life.

To conclude, we can say that the notions of responsibility and effectiveness are too weak on virtual communities. They can only be a support in order to reunite more people, in real communities, by taking advantage of the fact that nowadays, everyone is on internet.

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