When first looking at this assignment I thought of several virtual communities in which I felt I am/was a member. There is Skype, MSN Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, Facebook, and Myspace, to name a few. However, after our class discussion I had to rethink this. Sure I am part of all these communities. However, I only have friends on these that I know from other places. I started MSN to communicate with my family that lived far away. I had friends that wanted to communicate during times when we weren’t together so I started using Yahoo Messenger. When distant relatives suggested that I add Skype to my list of communication devices I happily obliged. Now, where it is seemingly easy to gain internet access and set up an account on any one of these networks/channels, I personally don’t add people to any of my chosen communities that I don’t already know from elsewhere. Sure I’m one out of millions of people that use these programs, but without my permission (or hacking) they don’t have access to my small community or me. I guess you could say that I’m a bit apprehensive when it comes to putting my information on the internet. When performing a Google search of my name, I came up with a few websites listing my academic achievements … now if that isn’t creepy I don’t know what is! So I guess I’ve never been inclined to meeting new people via the internet, or talking to people I don’t know online.
I know plenty of people that play role playing games (RPGs) online and can get really into it and express how these people from who knows where are their only “real” friends … I often hear things like “they understand me like no one else.” Perhaps this is true for them, but anonymous or not I don’t feel like I need to open up to complete strangers. I also know of people who have “fallen in love” over the internet in different types of communities. Some turned out well, others turned out similar to Sandy’s story. Do I think it’s wrong? … No, but I also don’t think it’s for everyone, myself included. Now don’t get me wrong, I think that the communities we can form/or keep going in the face of adversities and great distances are great! I have gotten to keep up with family and friends that I seldom see.
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The first time I googled myself there were a bunch of hits, mostly they were not me. I decided to scroll down the page and found a comment that a friend of mine posted on a recipe blog years ago, sure enough there was my name, and it was this me that it was about.
ReplyDeleteAfter being active on the WSUTC campus for a few years and having online spaces like Facebook, Myspace and Twitter, now when I google myself there is a lot more me out there. At first I thought is was weird, but I realized it means that I'm connected in more online ways than I was previously.
I have a friend who is a huge fan of those vampire movies and she met a group of like minded gals online and then met them in person. I asked her about it. She said that since they spent time online creating a bond and sharing their everyday stuff that when they actually met they did not have to go through the getting to know you stage, because they already felt like they knew each other. I put something in my blog post about it, it's called ambient intimacy.
Lastly, I'm not familiar with 'Sandy's story', maybe add a link next time.
What exactly makes the tools you've described (specifically Skype and messenger clients) virtual communities rather than simply an extension of the physical world? The platforms and clients you've named, what makes them communities at all? Where does the distinction come into play?
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ReplyDeleteSheila-
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip. Sorry about the ambiguity of "Sandy's Story" ...
The basic idea of Sandy's story was that she built a romantic relationship with a male online only to find out that the guy she was "seeing" was also building romantic relationships with other females at the same time. (CR - Virtual Togetherness, pg 250)
Next time I will try to remember to reference where it came from.