Sociology Question - Internet communities

[dark_kitsune]

Hey everyone - I'm taking Soc101 this semester and my mid term paper is to be on a sociological theory and I need to pick a real world situation to use it on. I've decided on the Symbolic Interactionist theory (people help to create their social world. there are many ways people present themselves to others in everyday life so as to appear in the best possible light.)
So I've decided to do my paper on internet chatrooms and forums and how they have become the dominant social force for many people. If you don't mind, it would be great if you could answer the following question - and add any personal opinions, thoughts on the subject.
My multi-part question is: As a member of an internet community, do you feel like you're a part of the community? Do you feel like you have a better social standing online as opposed to "real life"? Has your involvement in an internet community lessened your involvement in "real life" social groups such as clubs or group functions?
Thanks for any time you could give me on this. If you don't want your answers viewed by everyone, then a PM to me would be fine. I will be quoting many of these answers on my paper - if you don't want your user name included with your response, please let me know.

[Ethanol]

My multi-part question is: As a member of an internet community, do you feel like you're a part of the community? Do you feel like you have a better social standing online as opposed to "real life"? Has your involvement in an internet community lessened your involvement in "real life" social groups such as clubs or group functions?


Yes, I do feel like I am part of a community, the communities differ from place to place, but I definitly feel like I belond.

Yes, I think I do have a better social standing here. I am either known well in certain rooms / forums, or am an admin/mod of that place. In real life, I'm just a college student going to one of the best schools. lol

Actually...it used to. WHen I was younger, I would be like "Oh..I can't go..I have to be home at this time for a raid in some game or something like that' However, now with my prioties straightened, I don't do that anymore.

Hope that helps.

[hawkmun]

My multi-part question is: As a member of an internet community, do you feel like you're a part of the community? Do you feel like you have a better social standing online as opposed to "real life"? Has your involvement in an internet community lessened your involvement in "real life" social groups such as clubs or group functions?

I don't feel much of a community atmosphere in forums as much as in online games. I've played both Final Fantasy XI online and World of Warcraft. In those games I find it's very easy to become part of a community and people begin to recognize you very easily.
I think that it's possible I have more standing in Final Fantasy, but I have a good job, and a boyfriend in real life that are far more important to me and therefore outweigh what I have in game.
I think it's becuase of everyone's desire to belong that we fall into these things so easily. In real life people judge you by the way you look and the way you talk, even what they see you doing. In an online community, people only have what you tell them to judge you by.
For example, I'm a member here, therefore I must love Bleach, which means I probably like all kinds of anime. This means I could just as easily be a math wiz as I could be some rebellious goth chick. The annonimity(SP?) allows us to be more open with others, and because of that, more candid.

[K.Ogawa]

[QUOTE=dark_kitsune]My multi-part question is: As a member of an internet community, do you feel like you're a part of the community? Do you feel like you have a better social standing online as opposed to "real life"? Has your involvement in an internet community lessened your involvement in "real life" social groups such as clubs or group functions?
QUOTE]

Yes, I feel like I am part of a community... in fact, it is.

Eh, I think it's the same as in real life. People ignore me, some people notice me and talk to me. It's all the same. But, I enjoy myself online and don't take things seriously as I would in real life.

No, internet activities haven't lessened my involvement in real life. I've involved enough as it is (as a soldier), so I see this as a getaway... in a way.




Good luck on your project, or whatever it is...

[_Ink]

Yes, I do feel like a member of the greater internet community as I myself have made my presence here well known. I also contribute more to the community as normal members do.

For me, I have a status in a sense, I also moderated forums and communities and hence I like to think I have a certain community status, although of course, it is insignificant.

People who know me will know me, and people who don't I am willing to meet. Here is one thing, it greatly varies from people to people, if people revolve their life on the community they learn how to interact according to the community rules and regulations, however, they will begin to detach from the interactions of real life, keeping a healthy balance is most needed. Also, this may depend on your personality.

However, I am also by no means a person who does not interact with the realworld as some may be, I have a job, however, it is served online and hence there is no need for me to move. Hence, I can be online all the time.

as for interaction wise, I live with 4 other people who are friends of mine, having regular social outings and many a times indulge in sports.
However, I am not a fan of big parties of people and I prefer to be alone most of the time as that proves to be efficient for me.

Such as when I do go to college and uni, I refuse to walk together with others as they do not match my pace. I find that annoying, studying with others are also not my thing, only when I go for the outside party and social parties I do decide to keep company, simply because we are doing nothing serious and sitting around.

On average, i go out 2 times a week for social gatherings, I go to university, spends lots of time doing work and also interaction with friends. On my internet side, people will know me accordingly.

All in all, having a real life and internet life is my balance.

[Kaori-chan]

My multi-part question is: As a member of an internet community, do you feel like you're a part of the community? Do you feel like you have a better social standing online as opposed to "real life"? Has your involvement in an internet community lessened your involvement in "real life" social groups such as clubs or group functions?


I absolutely feel like I'm part of a community - because that's how I see these forums, as communities. And our fellow members are just as much neighbors as the people living next door. In some ways, they are even more so, in my experience.

As far as whether I feel I have a higher social standing here than in the real world, I'd have to say probably. It's like Bastaldo said. I'm staff or admin on other forums, a privilege I've earned over time with experience and such. In real life, I'm just a quiet girl going to community college and trying to make it from one semester to the next.

Has my internet life lessened my involvment with the outside world? Not really. In fact, I'd have to say the opposite. I had no life before I got internet, but now I've been able to talk to and hang out with so many people that I would have either never met or would have lost touch with otherwise.

I hope that helps! I'm taking sociology this semester too... I still need to do my project. >___> Anyways, I hope your paper goes great! Ganbatte! ^_^

[Sandal Hat]

My multi-part question is: As a member of an internet community, do you feel like you're a part of the community? Do you feel like you have a better social standing online as opposed to "real life"? Has your involvement in an internet community lessened your involvement in "real life" social groups such as clubs or group functions?

1st Question: Yes, this is a community after all :)

2nd Question: No

3rd Question: No, I play sports such as Track, Cross Country, and Wrestling. My FBall coach wants me to play next year.

[Byakuya7]

1st question: Yes, anyone can be part of the community as long as they sign up technically..

2nd question: Not really

3rd question: I play soccer and go to parties so no it hasnt affected my involvement in social groups.

[Z_Blitz]

Part A: Yes I do feel that I belong to this community even though we may all live in diiferent areas of the world and all.

Part B: No.

Part C: Well... My activity on the internet has always been high so that didn't change much. But I still go out with my friends, practice sports and enjoy life just as I should :).

I hope this helps even though it wasn't very elaborative.

[skyde534]

My multi-part question is: As a member of an internet community, do you feel like you're a part of the community? Do you feel like you have a better social standing online as opposed to "real life"? Has your involvement in an internet community lessened your involvement in "real life" social groups such as clubs or group functions?

Sure, I feel part of the community, to a certain extent. We all have a common interest here.

I don't spend very much time on internet communities, so I don't have a better social standing than in my real life.

It has probably lessened my involvement just a little bit, but I still participate in some clubs and courses. More likely because joining them means making a commitment and participating every week or however so often. Online, I don't have to commit to anything and can go on whenever I feel like it.

[Nyao]

#1. I've been a member of several different communities, but in only one or two did I truly feel as if I belonged. For the rest, I could fall off the face of the earth and I doubt anyone would notice. of course, this is probably wholly my fault for not being a chatty person and making myself known.

#2. I certainly have more contacts online. I'm kind of cursed as far as friends go irl...I'm the type of person who tend to have only one really close friend at a time, and when those decide to ditch me (happens ALOT), I'm screwed...-_-

#3. Seeing as i currently have no social life irl at the moment...no. But if I DID, I wouldn't let the internet get in the way of my real life fun or commitments.

[Sarteck]

As a member of an internet community, do you feel like you're a part of the community? Do you feel like you have a better social standing online as opposed to "real life"? Has your involvement in an internet community lessened your involvement in "real life" social groups such as clubs or group functions?

Since the early nineties, I've been a member of literally hundreds of communities on the Internet, from mailing lists to BBSes, IRC channels to webchat rooms, so on and so forth. In the ones I've stayed at for any length of time, I feel I've become a very valued member of that community. As is the way with the rapidly evolving Internet, however, many once-huge Internet empires fall quite suddenly, and new groups must be found, or Interest is lost much more freely. Thus, I sometimes dissapear from those communities I once called "home."

Comparing my online life to my "real" life kind of makes me laugh. I've had a rather unique background, travelling as much as I did, so it was hard to gain standing in any community of people, and ultimately pointless as well, since we would (at the VERY most) be there one weekend out of a year. Therefore I can easily say that my social standing online, be it negative or positive, is definately "better" than that of my "real" life, and I've really no wish to change that.

As to your last question... I think that for me, it is quite the contrary. Due to the Internet, which contains a wealth of (factual and misleading) information, I have been interested much more in things that go on in real life. In fact, I went so far as to (the last time I was hitch-hiking) visiting everyone from my first major webchat community that lived in Seattle, and actually got a bunch of them together for pizza (which was quite awkward, and is a story in and of itself). Furthermore, because of my talent at programming, I've been involved with other non-Internet communities by means OF the Internet. Who else can say that they've programmed something for a Turner-owned website (I programmed the QuickFAQ at the [adult swim] website for the forums, a feature they had on there for over a year until it became obsolete with the upgrade of the site). To sum it up, the Internet has promoted the idea of being a part of things to me, rather than the opposite. :3

[The_Supervisor]

My multi-part question is: As a member of an internet community, do you feel like you're a part of the community? Do you feel like you have a better social standing online as opposed to "real life"? Has your involvement in an internet community lessened your involvement in "real life" social groups such as clubs or group functions?
(1) I do. Why? Because for now I am still not being neclected by anyone and I just spend my time her talking about all kinds of stuff with everyone and everyone talks about it with me, so we got some interaction going on here.
(2) I'm not sure if I can compare the reality with the forum here, cuz over here I can do stuff I wouldn't do in reality, but besides that I believe my social standing here and in reality is about equal.
(3) No, because this is the only community I am a member of, so until I join some group in reality I'll have no use for my experiences here.

Hope that helped ya

[Naeko]

Yes,I feel I'm a part of this community,and others too.

Yes,I'm just a usual woman in real life,but I was a Prince in an online Vampire RPG :)

Yes,coz of some reasons I can't live a whole life in the real world,but I'm free on the net

[WizKid77]

My multi-part question is: As a member of an internet community, do you feel like you're a part of the community? Do you feel like you have a better social standing online as opposed to "real life"? Has your involvement in an internet community lessened your involvement in "real life" social groups such as clubs or group functions?

Hmm... ok. Yeah I feel like I'm part of a community. Even when I was a regular in this chatroom, I definitely think I was part of a community. Hell I still have close friends I know from that chatroom. One of them is a really close person to me and she has helped me out a lot in the past. I think my social standing may be the same online and offline, I'm not too sure on that one. My involvement online hasn't affected my involvement in real life at all. I'm kind of an insomniac so I'm ususally online when all my friends here are asleep. But yeah I've gain many friends from being around online from different sources on the net. Like chatrooms, forums, and even games.

[dark_kitsune]

Thank you to everyone who responded. I'm gearing up to write my paper today, all your responses will be a real help to me.

Doomo arigato gozaimasu!