Virtual communities

In my paper, I decided to observe the online community called IMVU. I saturated myself into this virtual community because I found it to be one of the most unusual communities and unlike anything I have or would do. Throughout this study, I decided to use both a naturalistic and participation observation method. I went to various realistic chat rooms where I listened in on conversations as well as tried to communicate with willing individuals. Through these conversations, I came to the realization of the human desire to manage and create unrealistically simplistic relationships. People used their time and energy to edit and modify their own avatar image; one that was make shifted from only pieces of who they truly were. This online virtual reality gave people…

For example, Brewtopia a beer brewing company “created an online community in which members voted upon every last detail of the beer, from alcohol content to the packaging. The beer was then brewed according to the customer specifications.” The members were compensated with “viral equity” and given dividends based on how well the beer sold. The members were motivated to help develop the best quality beer. The unique customer feedback driven beer created demand before it was even released.…

Ghosting a computer means cloning its content to another environment—giving the appearance that the same computer is available at another location. In other words, ghosting means the computer is not present at other locations but its contents are available to be viewed at different locations. “Human ghosting” is a term being coined by this author to convey the concept similar to computer ghosting; it means people are not physically present, but they are present through the use of the internet…

life in my virtual community, he writes about the varying degrees of communities and whether or not a virtual community is in fact a real one, “When a group of people remain in communication with one another for extended periods of time, the question of whether it is a community arises. Virtual communities might be real communities, they might be pseudo- communities, or they might be something entirely new in the realm of social contracts,” (178). With the age of the internet, the idea of a…

around by research of many webmaster and researchers is that users will interact in an environment where they feel that what they are discussing will be considered important. For example if there is a community of people who are generally 30+ years old and the main topic of discussion going around is the latest “Harry Potter” book the users will be not interested in keeping up with the community because they are least interested the topics which are being discussed. So to facilitate a successful…

2015 there were approximately 3 billion active internet users and 2 billion active social media accounts. The social media websites through which these accounts operate are defined as “member based internet communities which that allow users to post profile information, such as a username or photograph, and to communicate with others in innovative ways such as sending public or private online messages, or sharing photos online” (Pempek, Yermolayeva & Calvert, 2009 p.277). Few could deny the…

Do you ever just get on a social network and post about how you are doing or where you are at and what you are doing that day? Many of us are guilty of this, but very few to none think about any of the consequences. Whatever the reason may be for one to have a social network, my research shows we need to pay closer attention to what we post; we have no control over who can really see our profiles. Everyone needs to understand the good and the bad consequences of having social networks. Weigh out…

How do smartphones affect our sociability? “Among real-life friends and acquaintances, topics that are traditionally taboo, including politics and religion, are suddenly visible online in the places people visit, the photos they share and the opinions they endorse” says Wall Street Journal author Keith Hampton. People post new information all the time on social media sites that can be accessed by smartphones, whether it’s to share their experiences or attract attention from the public.…

I feel that social media have played a role on my personality in a few different ways. I feel that social media has made me more expressive. This has many negatives and positive that comes with this. A positive is that I am able to show my expressions even if it’s not in person. A negative is that I think I am shyer because of social media. It has also affected my knowledge because everyday we are constantly learning more and more without even realizing it. Social media has impacted my…

PostSecret Community is able to go online and view other people’s secrets. While I argue that this community does not have a finite amount of community members, there is clear evidence of its great following. The evidence of its follow is shown…