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{{short description|Social network of individuals who interact through specific social media}}
{{other uses}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=
{{Essay-like|article|date=March 2011}}
A '''virtual community''' is a [[social network|social work]] of individuals who connect through specific [[social media]], potentially crossing geographical and political boundaries in order to pursue mutual interests or goals. Some of the most pervasive virtual communities are [[online community|online communities]] operating under [[social networking service]]s.
[[Howard Rheingold]] discussed virtual communities in his book, ''[[The Virtual Community (book)|The Virtual Community]]'', published in 1993. The book's discussion ranges from Rheingold's adventures on [[The WELL]], [[computer-mediated communication]], social groups and information science. Technologies cited include [[Usenet]], [[Multi-user dungeon|MUD]]s (Multi-User Dungeon) and their derivatives [[MUSH]]es and [[MOO]]s, [[Internet Relay Chat]] (IRC), [[chat room]]s and [[electronic mailing list]]s. Rheingold also points out the potential benefits for personal psychological well-being, as well as for society at large, of belonging to a virtual community. At the same time, it showed that job engagement positively influences virtual communities of practice engagement.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Haas |first1=Aurore |last2=Abonneau |first2=David |last3=Borzillo |first3=Stefano |last4=Guillaume |first4=Louis-Pierre |date=2021-04-03 |title=Afraid of engagement? Towards an understanding of engagement in virtual communities of practice |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14778238.2020.1745704 |journal=Knowledge Management Research & Practice |language=en |volume=19 |issue=2 |pages=169–180 |doi=10.1080/14778238.2020.1745704 |s2cid=216178181 |issn=1477-8238 |access-date=13 August 2022 |archive-date=13 August 2022
Virtual communities all encourage interaction, sometimes focusing around a particular interest or just to communicate. Some virtual communities do both. Community members are allowed to interact over a shared passion through various means: [[Internet forum|message boards]], [[chat room]]s, [[social network]]ing World Wide Web sites, or virtual worlds.<ref>{{cite magazine|author=Hof, R. D.
==Introduction==
The traditional definition of a community is of geographically circumscribed entity (neighborhoods, villages, etc.).
One of the most influential part about virtual communities is the opportunity to communicate through several media platforms or networks. Now that virtual communities exists, this had leveraged out the things we once did prior to virtual communities, such as postal services, fax machines, and even speaking on the telephone. Early research into the existence of media-based communities was concerned with the nature of [[virtual reality|reality]], whether communities actually could exist through the media, which could place virtual community research into the social sciences definition of ontology. In the seventeenth century, scholars associated with the [[Royal Society]] of London formed a community through the exchange of letters.<ref name="
==Purpose==
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=== User experience testing to determine social codes ===
[[User experience]] is the ultimate goal for the program or software used by an internet community, because user experience will determine the software's success.<ref
User experience testing is utilized to reveal something about the personal experience of the human being using a product or system.<ref name="
User experience metrics are based on a reliability and repeatability, using a consistent set of measurements to result in comparable outcomes. User experience metrics are based on user retention, using a consistent set of measurements to collect data on user experience.
The widespread use of the Internet and virtual communities by millions of diverse users for socializing is a phenomenon that raises new issues for researchers and developers. The vast number and diversity of individuals participating in virtual communities worldwide makes it a challenge to test usability across platforms to ensure the best overall user experience. Some well-established measures applied to the usability framework for online communities are speed of learning, productivity, user satisfaction, how much people remember using the software, and how many errors they make.<ref name="Preece-2001">{{cite journal |last1=Preece |first1=Jenny |title=Socialility and Usability in Online Communities: Determining and Measuring Success |journal=Behaviour & Information Technology |date=2001 |volume=20 |issue=5 |pages=347–356 |doi=10.1080/01449290110084683 |s2cid=14120302
The human computer interactions that are measured during a usability experience test focus on the individuals rather than their social interactions in the online community. The success of online communities depend on the integration of usability and social semiotics. Usability testing metrics can be used to determine social codes by evaluating a user's habits when interacting with a program. Social codes are established and reinforced by the regular repetition of behavioral patterns.<ref name="
==Effects==
===On health===
Recent studies have looked into development of health related communities and their impact on those already suffering health issues.
Studies on health networks have mostly been conducted on groups which typically suffer the most from extreme forms of diseases, for example cancer patients, HIV patients, or patients with other life-threatening diseases.
▲Recent studies have looked into development of health related communities and their impact on those already suffering health issues. These forms of social networks allow for open conversation between individuals who are going through similar experiences, whether themselves or in their family.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Eysenbach |first=G |year=2008 |title= The Impact of the Internet on Cancer Outcomes. A Cancer Journal for Clinicians, 53(6), 356–371 |journal=CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians |volume=53 |issue=6 |pages=356–371 |doi=10.3322/canjclin.53.6.356 |pmid=15224975 |citeseerx=10.1.1.526.4309 |s2cid=10192148 }}</ref> Such sites have so grown in popularity that now many health care providers form groups for their patients by providing web areas where one may direct questions to doctors. These sites prove especially useful when related to rare medical conditions. People with rare or debilitating disorders may not be able to access support groups in their physical community, thus online communities act as primary means for such support. Online health communities can serve as supportive outlets as they facilitate connecting with others who truly understand the disease, as well as offer more practical support, such as receiving help in adjusting to life with the disease.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/2011/04/04/135106113/patients-with-rare-diseases-connect-online |title=Web Communities Help Patients With Rare Diseases |website=NPR.org |publisher=NPR |access-date=2012-07-10 |archive-date=18 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171018152136/http://www.npr.org/2011/04/04/135106113/patients-with-rare-diseases-connect-online |url-status=live }}</ref> Each patient on online health communities are on there for different reasons, as some may need quick answers to questions they have, or someone to talk to.Involvement in social communities of similar health interests has created a means for patients to develop a better understanding and behavior towards treatment and health practices.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Neal |first1=L. |last2=Lindgagarrd |first2=G. |last3=Oakley |first3=K. |last4=Hansen |first4=D. |last5=Kogan |first5=S. |last6=Leimeister |first6=J.M. |last7=Selker |first7=T. |year=2006 |title=Online Health Communities. CHI, 444–447 |url=http://www.uni-kassel.de/fb7/ibwl/leimeister/pub/JML_109.pdf |access-date=10 July 2012 |archive-date=12 July 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120712151749/http://www.uni-kassel.de/fb7/ibwl/leimeister/pub/JML_109.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Cocciolo |first1=A. |last2=Mineo |first2=C. |last3=Meier |first3=E. |title=Using Online Social Networks to Build Healthy Communities: A Design-based Research Investigation. 1–10 |url=http://www.thinkingprojects.org/bhc_paper.pdf |access-date=10 July 2012 |archive-date=15 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121015141134/http://www.thinkingprojects.org/bhc_paper.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> Some of these users could have very serious life-threatening issues which these personal contexts could become very helpful to these users, as the issues are very complex.<ref name="Huh 212–225">{{Cite journal |last1=Huh |first1=Jina |last2=Kwon |first2=Bum Chul |last3=Kim |first3=Sung-Hee |last4=Lee |first4=Sukwon |last5=Choo |first5=Jaegul |last6=Kim |first6=Jihoon |last7=Choi |first7=Min-Je |last8=Yi |first8=Ji Soo |date=2016-10-01 |title=Personas in online health communities |journal=Journal of Biomedical Informatics |language=en |volume=63 |pages=212–225 |doi=10.1016/j.jbi.2016.08.019 |pmid=27568913 |pmc=5268468 |issn=1532-0464 }}</ref> Patients increasingly use such outlets, as this is providing personalized and emotional support and information, that will help them and have a better experience.<ref name="Huh 212–225"/> The extent to which these practices have effects on health are still being studied.
▲Studies on health networks have mostly been conducted on groups which typically suffer the most from extreme forms of diseases, for example cancer patients, HIV patients, or patients with other life-threatening diseases. It is general knowledge that one participates in online communities to interact with society and develop relationships.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Cocciolo |first1=A. |last2=Mineo |first2=C. |last3=Meier |first3=E. |title=Using Online Social Networks to Build Healthy Communities: A Design-based Research Investigation. 1–10. |url=http://www.thinkingprojects.org/bhc_paper.pdf |access-date=10 July 2012 |archive-date=15 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121015141134/http://www.thinkingprojects.org/bhc_paper.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> Individuals who suffer from rare or severe illnesses are unable to meet physically because of distance or because it could be a risk to their health to leave a secure environment. Thus, they have turned to the internet.
Some studies have indicated that virtual communities can provide valuable benefits to their users. Online health-focused communities were shown to offer a unique form of emotional support that differed from event-based realities and informational support networks. Growing amounts of presented material show how online communities affect the health of their users. Apparently the creation of health communities has a positive impact on those who are ill or in need of medical information.<ref>{{cite book |title=Proceedings of the Fourth International Conference on Communities and Technologies |pages=31–40 |publisher=ACM |location=New York |year=2009 |doi=10.1145/1556460.1556466 |isbn=9781605587134 |series=C&T '09 |citeseerx=10.1.1.589.9656 |chapter=Supportive communication, sense of virtual community and health outcomes in online infertility groups |last1=Welbourne |first1=Jennifer L. |last2=Blanchard |first2=Anita L. |last3=Boughton |first3=Marla D. |s2cid=8243700 }}</ref>
===On civic participation===
It was found that young individuals are more bored with politics and history topics, and instead are more interested in celebrity dramas and topics. Young individuals claim that
Civic engagement through [[online volunteering]] has shown to have positive effects on personal satisfaction and development. Some 84 percent of online volunteers found that their online volunteering experience had contributed to their personal development and learning.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.unv.org/annual-report-2014/index.html |title=UNV Annual Report 2014, Innovation and Knowledge |access-date=28 June 2015 |archive-date=24 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150624015400/http://www.unv.org/annual-report-2014/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
===On communication===
In his book ''[[The Wealth of Networks]]'' from 2006, [[Yochai Benkler]] suggests that virtual communities would "come to represent a new form of human communal existence, providing new scope for building a shared experience of human interaction".<ref name="Benkler-2006">{{cite book|last=Benkler|first=Yochai|year=2006|title=The Wealth of Networks: How Social Production Transforms Markets and Freedom|url=http://www.benkler.org/Benkler_Wealth_Of_Networks_Chapter_10.pdf|access-date=26 November 2013|archive-date=10 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190910191017/http://www.benkler.org/Benkler_Wealth_Of_Networks_Chapter_10.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> Although Benkler's prediction has not become entirely true, clearly communications and social relations are extremely complex within a virtual community. The two main effects that can be seen according to Benkler are a "thickening of preexisting relations with friends, family and neighbours" and the beginnings of the "emergence of greater scope for limited-purpose, loose relationships".<ref name="Benkler-2006" /> Despite being acknowledged as "loose" relationships, Benkler argues that they remain meaningful.
Previous concerns about the effects of Internet use on community and family fell into two categories: 1) sustained, intimate human relations "are critical to well-functioning human beings as a matter of psychological need" and 2) people with "[[social capital]]" are better off than those who lack it. It leads to better results in terms of political participation.<ref name="Benkler-2006" /> However, Benkler argues that unless Internet connections actually displace direct, unmediated, human contact, there is no basis to think that using the Internet will lead to a decline in those nourishing connections we need psychologically, or in the useful connections we make socially. Benkler continues to suggest that the nature of an individual changes over time, based on social practices and expectations. There is a shift from individuals who depend upon locally embedded, unmediated and stable social relationships to networked individuals who are more dependent upon their own combination of strong and weak ties across boundaries and weave their own fluid relationships. Manuel Castells calls this the
=== On
In 1997, [[MCI Communications]] released the "Anthem" advertisement, heralding the internet as a utopia without age, race, or gender. [[Lisa Nakamura]] argues in chapter 16 of her 2002 book ''After/image of identity: Gender, Technology, and Identity Politics
Nakamura argues against this view, coining the term [[
In the 1998 book ''Communities in Cyberspace'', authors [[Mark A. Smith|Marc A. Smith]] and [[Peter Kollock]], perceives the interactions with strangers are based upon with whom we are speaking or interacting with.
==== Gender ====
The gaming community is extremely vast and accessible to a wide variety of people, However, there are negative effects on the relationships
==Types==
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Anyone can register to participate in an online message board. People can choose to participate in the virtual community, even if or when they choose not to contribute their thoughts and ideas. Unlike chat rooms, at least in practice, message boards can accommodate an almost infinite number of users.
Internet users' urges to talk to and reach out to strangers online is unlike those in real-life encounters where people are hesitant and often unwilling to step in to help strangers. Studies have shown that people are more likely to intervene when they are the only one in a situation. With Internet message boards, users at their computers are alone, which might contribute to their willingness to reach out. Another possible explanation is that people can withdraw from a situation much more easily online than off. They can simply click exit or log off, whereas they would have to find a physical exit and deal with the repercussions of trying to leave a situation in real life. The lack of status that is presented with an online identity also might encourage people, because, if one chooses to keep it private, there is no associated label of gender, age, ethnicity or lifestyle.<ref>{{cite book |last=Wellman |first=B. |year=1999 |title=
===Online chat rooms===
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{{Broader|Virtual world}}
[[File:Party in Hyrule, Second Life, picture 2.png|thumb|A party scene from ''[[Second Life]]'' set in [[Hyrule]]]]
[[Virtual world]]s are the most interactive of all virtual community forms. In this type of virtual community, people are connected by living as an [[avatar (computing)|avatar]] in a computer-based world. Users create their own avatar character (from choosing the avatar's outfits to designing the avatar's house) and control their character's life and interactions with other characters in the 3D virtual world. It is similar to a computer game
This type of virtual community allows for people to not only hold conversations with others in real time, but also to engage and interact with others. The avatars that users create are like humans. Users can choose to make avatars like themselves, or take on an entirely different personality than them. When characters interact with other characters, they can get to know one another through text-based talking and virtual experience (such as having avatars go on a date in the virtual world). A virtual community chat room may give real-time conversations, but people can only talk to one another. In a virtual world, characters can do activities together, just like friends could do in reality. Communities in virtual worlds are most similar to real-life communities because the characters are physically in the same place, even if the users who are operating the characters are not.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://hevra.haifa.ac.il/~soc/lecturers/talmud/files/547.htm |title=Virtuality and Its Discontents
Another use for virtual worlds has been in business communications. Benefits from virtual world technology such as photo realistic avatars and positional sound create an atmosphere for participants that provides a less fatiguing sense of presence. Enterprise controls that allow the meeting host to dictate the permissions of the attendees such as who can speak, or who can move about allow the host to control the meeting environment. [[Zoom (software)|Zoom]], is a popular platform that has grown over the [[COVID-19 pandemic]]. Where those who host meetings on this platform, can dictate who can or cannot speak, by muting or unmuting them, along with who is able to join. Several companies are creating business based virtual worlds including
===Social network services===
[[File:Ad-tech London 2010 (5).JPG|thumb|Facebook on the Ad-tech 2010]]
[[Social networking service]]s are the most prominent type of virtual community. They are either a website or software platform that focuses on creating and maintaining relationships. [[Facebook]], [[Twitter]], and [[Instagram]] are all virtual communities. With these sites, one often creates a profile or account, and adds friends or follow friends. This allows people to connect and look for support using the social networking service as a gathering place. These websites often allow for people to keep up to date with their friends and acquaintances' activities without making much of an effort.<ref>{{cite
===Specialized information communities===
Participatory culture plays a large role in online and virtual communities. In participatory culture, users feel that their contributions are important and that by contributing, they are forming meaningful connections with other users. The differences between being a producer of content on the website and being a consumer on the website become blurred and overlap. According to [[Henry Jenkins]], "Members believe their contributions matter and feel some degree of social connection with one another "(Jenkins, et al. 2005). The exchange and consumption of information requires a degree of "[[digital literacy]]", such that users are able to "archive, annotate, appropriate, transform and recirculate media content" (Jenkins). Specialized information communities centralizes a specific group of users who are all interested in the same topic. For example, TasteofHome.com, the website of the magazine ''[[Taste of Home]]'', is a specialized information community that focuses on baking and cooking. The users contribute consumer information relating to their hobby and additionally participate in further specialized groups and forums. Specialized Information Communities are a place where people with similar interests can discuss and share their experiences and interests.
==Howard Rheingold's study==
[[Howard Rheingold]]'s ''Virtual Community'' could be compared with [[Mark Granovetter]]'s ground-breaking "strength of weak ties" article published twenty years earlier in the ''[[American Journal of Sociology]]''. Rheingold translated, practiced and published Granovetter's conjectures about strong and weak ties in the online world. His comment on the first page even illustrates the social networks in the virtual society: "My seven year old daughter knows that her father congregates with a family of invisible friends who seem to gather in his computer. Sometimes he talks to them, even if nobody else can see them. And she knows that these invisible friends sometimes show up in the flesh, materializing from the next block or the other side of the world
Rheingold's definition contains the terms "social aggregation and personal relationships" (
==Advantages of Internet communities==
Internet communities offer the advantage of instant information exchange that is not possible in a real-life community. This interaction allows people to engage in many activities from their home, such as: shopping, paying bills, and searching for specific information. Users of online communities also have access to thousands of specific discussion groups where they can form specialized relationships and access information in such categories as: politics, technical assistance, social activities, health (see above) and recreational pleasures. Virtual communities provide an ideal medium for these types of relationships because information can easily be posted and response times can be very fast. Another benefit is that these types of communities can give users a feeling of membership and belonging. Users can give and receive support, and it is simple and cheap to use.<ref>{{cite
Economically, virtual communities can be commercially successful, making money through membership fees, subscriptions, usage fees, and advertising commission. Consumers generally feel very comfortable making transactions online provided that the seller has a good reputation throughout the community. Virtual communities also provide the advantage of [[disintermediation]] in commercial transactions, which eliminates vendors and connects buyers directly to suppliers. Disintermediation eliminates pricey mark-ups and allows for a more direct line of contact between the consumer and the manufacturer.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Rothaermel |first1=F.T. |last2= Sugiyama |first2=S. |year=2001 |title= Virtual internet communities and commercial success: individual and community-level theory grounded in the atypical case of timezone.com |journal=Journal of Management |volume=27 |issue=3 |pages=297–312 |doi=10.1177/014920630102700305|s2cid=220594818 }}</ref>
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While instant communication means fast access, it also means that information is posted without being reviewed for correctness. It is difficult to choose reliable sources because there is no editor who reviews each post and makes sure it is up to a certain degree of quality.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Smith |first1=M.A. |last2= Kollock |first2=P. |year=1999 |title= Communities in cyberspace|location= New York, New York |publisher=Routledge }}</ref>
In theory, online identities can be kept anonymous which enables people to use the virtual community for fantasy role playing as in the case of
There are also issues
There are
==See also==
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{{div col|colwidth=22em}}
* [[Battleboarding]]
* [[Clan (video games)]]
* [[Commons-based peer production]]
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* [[Cybersectarianism]]
* [[Dating search engine]]
* [[Altruism#Digital altruism|Digital
* [[Dunbar's number]]
* [[Global village]]
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* [[Online ethnography]]
* [[Online research community]]
* [[Virtual volunteering]]▼
* [[Personal network]]
* [[Professional network service]]
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* [[Virtual airline (hobby)]]
* [[Virtual community of practice]]
▲* [[Virtual volunteering]]
* [[Web of trust]]
{{div col end}}
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* {{Cite book | last1 = Anderson | first1 = Benedict R. O'G.|author-link1=Benedict Anderson | title = Imagined communities: reflections on the origin and spread of nationalism | year = 1983 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4mmoZFtCpuoC| publisher = Verso | location = London | isbn = 978-0-86091-546-1 | oclc = 239999655}}
* {{cite book|author=Barzilai, G.
* {{cite magazine|author=Else, Liz
* {{cite journal |title=Community Engineering for Innovations – The Ideas Competition as a method to nurture a Virtual Community for Innovations |author=Ebner, W.
* {{cite book|author=Farmer, F. R.
* {{cite
*
* {{cite book|author1=Hagel, J.
* {{cite journal | last1 = Jones | first1 = G. Ravid | author-link2 = Sheizaf Rafaeli | last2 = Rafaeli | first2 = S. | year = 2004 | title = Information Overload and the Message Dynamics of Online Interaction Spaces: A Theoretical Model and Empirical Exploration | journal = Information Systems Research | volume = 15 | issue = 2| pages = 194–210 | doi=10.1287/isre.1040.0023| citeseerx = 10.1.1.127.6976 | s2cid = 207227328 }}
* {{cite book|author=Kim, A.J.
* {{cite web |url=http://socialarchitect.typepad.com/musings/2004/01/emergent_purpos.html |title=Emergent Purpose
* {{cite book|author=Kollock, Peter
**The author has made available an
* {{cite conference|author=Kosorukoff, A.
* {{cite
* {{cite journal|title=Exploring Success Factors of Virtual Communities: The Perspectives of Members and Operators |author=Leimeister, J. M.
* {{cite
* {{cite magazine|author=Naone, Erica
* {{cite
* {{cite journal |doi=10.1007/s10676-008-9153-y|title=Pernicious virtual communities: Identity, polarisation and the Web 2.0|journal=Ethics and Information Technology|volume=10|pages=41–56|year=2008|last1=Parsell|first1=Mitch|s2cid=33207414}}
* {{cite book|author=Preece, J.
* {{cite
*
** The author has made available an [http://www.rheingold.com/vc/book/intro.html online copy]
* {{cite
*
*{{cite web|author=Smith, M.
* {{cite book|author=Sudweeks, F.
** Portions available online as: [http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol2/issue4/ Journal of Computer Mediated Communication, 2]
* {{cite web|url=http://www.vandercrabben.com/?p=30|title=Performed Intimacy in Virtual Worlds|author=Van der Crabben, Jan|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090531092715/http://www.vandercrabben.com/?p=30|archive-date=31 May 2009|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}
* {{cite book|author=Barry Wellman
* {{cite book|author=Trier, M.
* {{cite magazine|author=Urstadt, Bryant
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[[Category:Community websites| ]]
[[Category:Social software]]
[[Category:Internet]]
[[Category:Community]]
[[Category:Virtual communities| ]]
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