Social media and the re-evaluation of the terms ‘community’, ‘virtual community’ and ‘virtual identity’ as concepts of analysis

Vol.1 No.4

Year: 2012

 
Issue: Sep-Nov

Title : Social media and the re-evaluation of the terms ‘community’, ‘virtual community’ and ‘virtual identity’ as concepts of analysis 

  

Author Name : Udo Richard Averweg, Marcus Leaning

   

Synopsis :

In this article we examine the concepts of community, virtual community and virtual identity and consider if they have any continued relevancy as analytic terms in relation to social media. Firstly, we trace the origins of the term ‘community’ and contextualize its interpretation arguing that the term has political overtones. We then consider the notion of ‘virtual communities’ and suggest a working definition for this term. Thereafter we consider virtual identities. Finally, we contend that while the categories are deeply rooted in a particular understanding of communication, community and identity they do offer some very useful terms of analysis for social media.