Americans have been forming communities for centuries. From the time the first community of pilgrims in the colonial America to the political rallies held last year to show support for a certain presidential candidate, Americans and other nationalities from around the world form communities by a common shared interest. These communities that were once formed by regular in-person meetings can now be formed and organized using the various available web technologies and mobile phones. While Americans thrive in communities, they also pride themselves as striving on individualism at the same time. They fend for themselves in the workplace environment and idolize people who are portrayed as independent. The controversy we face is the question how can a person thrive in communities while they also strive to become more independent? With the creation of the web and the various technologies found on the internet, the definition and organization of communities has taken a turn, while it is becoming easier to connect to a large range of people.
There are many arguments that can be made that the internet is destroying the community life. One aspect that needs to be apparent in all communities is social capital. Social capital is how willing your friends or other members of your communities are to do something for you. According to Robert Putnam in his book, Bowling Alone, "Individuals in groups with more social capital are better off on a large number of metrics, from health to happiness to earning potential, than those in groups with less social capital" (Shirky, 2008). Putnam also observed that "participation in group activities, [which is] the vehicle for creating and sustaining social capital, was on the decline in the United States. . . . One cause of the decline in social capital was the simple increase in the difficulties of people getting together" (Shirky, 2008). What Putnam is trying to say here is that when communities are formed online, there is a less degree of social capital, which is a necessary factor in organizing and maintaining successful communities.
On the other hand, some even claim that network technologies, such as social networks, along with websites, blogs, and texting, are creating more opportunities for community and collective action in our lives. For example, take the former way of sharing important information before social technologies. "... Even the seemingly minor difficulties of clipping and mailing a newspaper article were significant enough to greatly limit the frequency of that kind of forwarding. The cumulative effects of those difficulties were even stronger - to clip an article and share it with a group, you would have to copy it first, adding a step and thus reducing the attractiveness of sending it in the first place. . . .The recipient of a mailed clipping can't both forward it and keep it without reincurring all the difficulties of the original sender" (Shirky, 148). Now, you can read about an event on the internet and forward the links to your entire address book, and they in return can forward that to all their contacts and so on. Sharing information can now be done with the click of a button, which would make sharing information and forming communities easier. Sharing information and communicating with other individuals has become a lot easier because of the advancements of web technology and communication methods.
I believe that technology is helping us become more connected to others around the world, but placing a burden on community life at the same time. Sure, the web allows us to reach more individuals from around the globe who share common interests with us, but how is that forming a community? Call me old-fashioned, but I still think of communities as people with a common interest who regularly meet in person to develop more of a relationship and discuss certain topics - similar to the concept of 'ice cream socials.' Web technologies can be of assistance when communicating instantaneously, but when people are part of 'online communities,' how can you develop more of a relationship when you have not encountered the individual on the other side of the conversation? When you are involved in a common interest group online, how do you know who the person on the other side is? The other person may be trying to somehow trap you or pretend they are someone they are not. I have found from my personal experiences with relationships that web technology and modern forms of communication have made communicating with friends easier. I still maintain relationships online that otherwise not be able to succeed. On the other hand, the relationships I currently have with friends, family, and other members of my 'communities,' does not have as much social capital as my relationships did before the advancment of communicating online. Overall, I think web technologies help us to become more connected to a wide range of individuals, but it inhibits our opportunities to create social capital within the communities in which we belong to.
Bibliography
Shirky, C. (2008). Here Comes Everybody. London: The Penguin Press.
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