Virtual community: Difference between revisions

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="autogenerated1998"/> "Community without propinquity", coined by urban planner [[Melvin Webber]] in 1963 and "community liberated", analyzed by [[Barry Wellman]] in 1979 began the modern era of thinking about non-local community.<ref>{{cite book|last=Webber|first=Melvin|year=1963|chapter=Order in Diversity: Community without Propinquity|pppages=23–54|title=Cities and Space: The Future Use of Urban Land|editor=J. Lowdon Wingo|location=Baltimore|publisher=Johns Hopkins Press}} {{cite journal|last=Wellman|first=Barry|title=The Community Question: The Intimate Networks of East Yorkers|journal=American Journal of Sociology|volume=84|issue=5|date=March 1979|pppages=1201–31|jstor=2778222}}</ref> As well, [[Benedict Anderson]]'s ''[[Imagined Communities]]'' in 1983, described how different technologies, such as national newspapers, contributed to the development of national and regional consciousness among early nation-states.<ref>{{cite book|last=Anderson|first=Benedict|date=1991|title=Imagined Communities: Reflections on the Origin and Spread of Nationalism|location=London|publisher=Verso}}</ref> Some authors that built their theories on Anderson's imagined communities have been critical of the concept, claiming that all communities are based on communication and that virtual/real dichotomy is disintegrating, making use of the word "virtual" problematic or even obsolete.<ref>{{cite book|last=Prodnik|first=Jernej|chapter=Post-Fordist Communities and Cyberspace|editor=H. Breslow|editor2= A. Mousoutzanis|title=Cybercultures: Mediations of Community, Culture, Politics|year=2012|publisher=Rodopi|location=Amsterdam, New York|pages=75–100|url=https://www.scribd.com/doc/111293835/Prodnik-Jernej-Post-Fordist-Communities-and-Cyberspace-A-Critical-Approach|access-date=17 September 2017|archive-date=5 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305174341/https://www.scribd.com/doc/111293835/Prodnik-Jernej-Post-Fordist-Communities-and-Cyberspace-A-Critical-Approach|url-status=live}}</ref>

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 |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 webjournal |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|journal=CHI|pppages=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|page= 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|pppages=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.

[[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 journal|last1=Quan-Hasse |first1=A. |last2= Young |first2=A. L. |year=2010 |title= Uses and Gratifications of Social Media: A Comparison of Facebook and Instant Messaging|journal=Bulletin of Science, Technology & Society|volume= 30|issue=5|pppages=350–361|doi=10.1177/0270467610380009}}</ref> On several of these sites you may be able to video chat, with several people at once, making the connections feel more like you are together. On Facebook, for example, one can upload photos and videos, chat, make friends, reconnect with old ones, and join groups or causes.<ref>{{cite conference|last=Waisanen |first=D.|year=2010|title= Facebook, Diasporic-Virtual Publics, and Networked Argumentation|publisher=Conference Proceedings – National Communication Association/American Forensic Association|conference=Alta Conference on Argumentation|pppages=550–557 }}</ref>

* {{cite conference|author=Kosorukoff, A. |author2=Goldberg, D. E.|date=2002|title=Genetic algorithm as a form of organization|conference =Proceedings of Genetic and Evolutionary Computation Conference, GECCO-2002|pppages=965–972}}

* {{cite journal|url=http://www.jmis-web.org/articles/v21_n4_p101/index.html|title=Design, Implementation and Evaluation of Trust-supporting Components in Virtual Communities for Patients|author=Leimeister, J. M.|author2=Ebner, W.|author3=Krcmar, H.|year=2005|journal=Journal of Management Information Systems (JMIS)|volume=21|issue=4|pppages=101–136|access-date=23 August 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110623070807/http://www.jmis-web.org/articles/v21_n4_p101/index.html|archive-date=23 June 2011|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}

* {{cite journal|title=Exploring Success Factors of Virtual Communities: The Perspectives of Members and Operators |author=Leimeister, J. M.|author2=Sidiras, P.|author3=Krcmar, H.|year=2006 |journal=Journal of Organizational Computing & Electronic Commerce (JoCEC) |volume=16|issue=3&4|pppages=277–298 }}

* {{cite webjournal |url=http://inderscience.metapress.com/link.asp?id=j2888h3537761355 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130103202659/http://inderscience.metapress.com/link.asp?id=j2888h3537761355 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2013-01-03 |author=Rosenkranz, C.|author2= Feddersen, C.|date=2010|title=Managing viable virtual communities: an exploratory case study and explanatory model |volume=6|number=1|page=5–14 |journal=International Journal of Web Based Communities |doi=10.1504/IJWBC.2010.030014}}

* {{cite book|author=Barry Wellman|chapter=An Electronic Group is Virtually a Social Network|pppages=179–205|title=Culture of the Internet|editor=Sara Kiesler|location=Mahwah, NJ|publisher=Lawrence Erlbaum|date=1997}} Translated into German as {{cite book|url=https://web.archive.org/web/19981203140803/http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/%7Ewellman/|chapter=Die elektronische Gruppe als soziales Netzwerk|pppages=134–67|title=Virtuelle Gruppen|editor= Udo Thiedeke|location=Wiesbaden|publisher=Westdeutscher Verlag|date=2000|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19981203140803/http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/%7Ewellman/ |archive-date=3 December 1998 }}

* {{cite book|author=Trier, M.|date=2007|title=Virtual Knowledge Communities – IT-supported Visualization and Analysis|location=Saarbrücken, Germany|publisher=[[VDM Publishing|VDM Verlag Dr. Müller]]|isbn=978-3-8364-1540-28}}