Virtual and In-Person Communities

I’m not one of those people that’s going to tell you that all virtual communities are better than in-person communities. Both of them are unique in their own right and both have their own benefits. Of course with an eLearning specialist, you’re probably going to get all of the upsides of a virtual community. However, the first thing I want to touch on is why the difference between in-person and virtual is real and important to recognize.

People Need People
No matter how much you don’t want to admit it. Even if you are the world’s biggest introvert. Even if you have had one friend your entire life … you need people. It may be one person or maybe you need to be surrounded, but there is a distinct human desire to be with one another.

This is why we have to be aware of the fact that virtual communities deprive us of being close to one another. This isn’t necessarily detrimental, just think about it this way: You and your best friend have known each other since middle school. Stuck together through thick and thin but life caught up so now you two can’t catch up. It’s been years! Finally, you are able to get to see your friend in the flesh. As soon as you get close to that person, what is that feeling that you get that can’t be felt online or over the phone? We can actually feel one another without realizing it: our bodies produce energy that many people can perceive.

Virtual Communities are Nothing New
Since the first forum-type website left its creator’s hands, virtual communities sprang to life. From similar interests, similar hates, loved shows, or truly anything in the world, a community exists for it. Some communities started this year, while others are evergreen communities that have existed for over a decade.
Another way to look at this is the YouTube craze and how some of the first YouTube millionaires occurred. They created a community online by increasing their interaction with fans. From there, a fanbase grew and a virtual community sprang up around that YouTuber. (Fun Fact: YouTube actually started out as a dating website, but they pivoted when members displayed main interest in the use of sharing silly videos.)

Another virtual community example is one that consists of online gamers. These communities used to be more centralized to in-person groups but as the power of the internet has grown, so have the many different online communities for gamers. In fact, the gaming community has grown so much that people can make a living off of streaming their game time.

The ultimate decision for any community comes down to this: What are all of you passionate about, and how will you support each other?