Living the life Online

I have a confession. As my previous blog may have indicated, I am hopelessly and totally addicted to Myspace. Same goes for Facebook, and I don't feel my time online is complete unless I'm signed in to MSN web messenger as well. I can spend hours aimlessly trawling through the many avenues of procrastination that all networks offer - viewing photos, finding new 'friends', updating my profile, blogging, creating conent, participating in forums and checking out applications (specific to facebook) such as Owned!, and U-Arcade. These sites would have to be the biggest hindrances to my online productivity today. I’m not sure how happy it makes me to admit this, but I find them wildly addictive, to borrow a line from Bachelor Girl, "They're like chocolate cake, like cigarettes, I know they're bad for me, but I just can't leave ‘em alone" (1988).

So, why is it that I and many others are so attracted to being part of a wider, virtual community? What are the inherent attributes that online social networks embody?

“The virtual community refers to a social collective, or community, that forms in the online, electronic world of computer communications known as cyberspace” (Pavlik 1996, p.311). They generally consist of people who share goals and interests, and choose to communicate electronically. (Dennis et. al. in Ridings and Gefen. 2004) Whilst traditional cultures mainly depended upon interpersonal communication (Barr 2000, p.20), virtual communities benefit from the elimination of geographical boundaries, allowing likeminded individuals to consistently connect, the world over.

These forms of communication have emerged from the existence of Web 2.0. or as Leadbeater has coined, the “Social Web”. (2007) Such technology, tools, software and business models have allowed consumers to connect, contribute and collaborate more than was ever possible before. They have also enabled new forms of social organization. Aside from connecting like minded consumers, such convergent technology has made video, music, picture and text publishing tools much more readily available, also resulting in the creation of large scale collaborations to create extensive, strong, and reliable products ranging from massively multiplayer games (eg. World of Warcraft), to compendiums of knowledge like Wikipedia. (Leadbeater, 2007).

According to Ridings and Gefen (2004), reasons for joining an online community included seeking friendship, information and literature exchange, social support networks, and finally, for recreational purposes.

Whilst such easily-accessible connections have become hugely popular, “Estimates of virtual community membership have exceeded 25 million” (Gross in Ridings and Gefen, 2004), privacy is also a concern that motivates much academic research and writing. Many individuals have access to your details once they are posted online, and although this can be scary, dangerous and sinister, it does have an upside for some industries. The most notable of which, is the advertising industry – virtual communities that focus upon shared interests allow advertisers to better target their key consumers for a particular product. Take for example MOG, a social network for music lovers; advertisers looking to promote a music related product would be speaking to a very captive audience if they were to advertise on site catering to such a specific interest. (Holahan, 2007). Niche virtual communities are emerging more and more, which means big advertising dollars, raising and important question on the behalf of academic Charles Leadbeater; Are such sites just a recipe for growing social conformity? (2007)

References:

Barr, T. (2000) Newmedia.com.au: the changing face of Australia’s media and communications, N.S.W.: Allen & Unwin.

Busses and Trains by Bachelor Girl. http://www.imeem.com/angelykdragon/music/G7jtTd-f/bachelor_girl_buses_and_trains/ (accessed April 29, 2008)

Gefen, G. & Ridings, K. 2004. Virtual Community Attraction: Why People Hang Out Online Journal of Computer Mediated Communication. 10 (1):00-00 http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/action/showFullText?submitFullText=Full+Text+HTML&doi=10.1111%2Fj.1083-6101.2004.tb00229.x&cookieSet=1 (accessed May 7, 2008)

Leadbeater, C. 2007 Social Software for Social Change. http://www.charlesleadbeater.net/cms/xstandard/social_software.pdf (accessed May 3, 2007)

Pavlik, J. V. (1996) New Media Technology: Cultural and Commercial Perspectives, USA: Allyn & Bacon.