The Lengthy and Often Heated Debate

THE LENGTHY AND OFTEN HEATED DEBATE
David Ben Webs as Pegs page 254-255
This article started off by asking some questions around the meaning and status of community in today’s world. There are two arguments the first is communities and what they are if they are in decline and why. The second argument is about technology and what is the good or bad impact on social relations and communities. Ben talked about the demise of old-style communities and if there really was demise or did we have a preconceived notion of what a physical community was in the past. There is a belief that communities are in a decline is this because of technology or because they have changed over time due to the “bowling alone” position. It is mentioned that real life communities were created because of accidents of geography as virtual communities are created as an elective and selective choice.
According to Rheingold virtual communities enhance and sometimes replace real life communities. Other commentators believe that virtual communities are shallow and lack durability and longevity because they are too easy to join and upkeep. Ben is in disagreement with this one because he believes there is extensive work in building and sustaining a virtual community. He believes that the real life communities we used to refer to no longer exist if they ever did, our communities are now enhanced and sustained by phone calls, travel, and mail.

I have lived in a time when we did not have the internet. Computers were only owned by government agencies or schools, Phones were attached to the walls of your kitchen and so community was a place you physically lived. There were no virtual communities. With that said I have noticed over time that as technology has increased lives have increased in the amount of activities families participate. Communities have expanded and stretched. It used to be your community was your neighborhood and the school you attended. That too has changed as lives got busier communities changed. Now we add a mobile and virtual technology to our lives and we are more able to keep in touch and create new communities. I do not think that there is demise to our communities instead we are more able to keep in touch with people we care about because of technology. We are also able to enter into a virtual community that might better suit us if we choose.