The word community is often associated with groups of people living within the same geographic location, sharing in their beliefs, culture, religion, and interests. A physical community, people who interact by seeing each other, co-existing in the same physical space. I grew up in South Burlington, Vermont, a very close-knit and supportive community, because of this I felt as though I knew what a community was in every sense of the word. However, Nancy Baym discusses how the digital age has brought forth a new form of communities, one that I never thought could exist: online communities.
Online communities can be arranged through space, shared practice, shared resources, shared identities, and interpersonal relationships. As a Vermonter, growing up I have witnessed my mom making friendships with others in our neighborhood through being active on Front Porch Forum, a local neighborhood forum for members of our community to discuss concerns or events coming up- which creates an online community based on space. The hashtag creates discussion forums based on the same topic, and practice of using a hashtag- creating online communities based on shared practice. A rise in crowd-sourcing and gaining funding for projects or those in need through sites such as Kickstarter have created online communities based on shared resources. Bloggers create online communities based on shared identities. And perhaps the most surprising- or not surprising because of all of the commercials we see for these types of services- communities are formed based on interpersonal relationships on online dating sites.
While we may never have considered it possible, the digital age has brought forth new ways of relating to others, which in turn has created new networks, new communities, and thus forged new relationships. As people find homes within these communities, bonds are made between members based on these commonalities, and the community becomes more authentic- even if it is occurring online.
I think you bring up an interesting point about how the idea of community had evolved. I think I would be really interested to see where new communities will emerge as the "digital age" becomes what we think of as "old school". Soon we will be seeing new ways to create and foster communities.
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