Community can be a group of people that live near eachother, or come together for a common purpose or have a common bond. It could also be a diverse group of people with a mode of communication, shared set of values and a common goal. It can be a physically and emotionally safe environment where a group of people, preferable of the same socioeconomic status. It can also be a large group of people who interact with eachother while working towards a common goal; those needs satisfying the individuals and the community. (My classmates came up with these definitions.)
The ideal type of community, according to Habermas is the public sphere, which is a social sphere constituted by rational-critical discourse that enables the formation of public opinion through which official decision making can be held democratically accountable.
Although this website is not an ideal community, I believe it is a community comprised of me, my friends, the subjects of my articles and pictures, guest columnists, and all the rest of my devoted fans!! I have met many people just because they read my website and decided to contact me. Hopefully there is a little for everyone on my website and we can stand together to uphold the practice of randomness!!
Technologies of the Self:
Technologies of the self are comprised of inner substance, degree and kind of commitment, personal routines or disciplines, and goal of personal transformation.
Inner substance may be discerned by the way people speak of themselves using modern or romantic messages. It combines the language of personal "progress" with the vocabulary of deep inward feelings or dispositions. It can be described in terms of strength and skill or creativity and genius.
Degree and kind of commitment shows how invested you are. There are four devices to show commitment and they are posting of facts, appropriate middle distance, flames and purchase,use and discussion.
Personal routines or disciplines are a request for information about the rules of play. It involves techie talk and talks about things as univerals.
The goal of personal transformation is different depending on what you are focusing on.
I feel like my website is a technology of me for several reasons. I show my inner substance when I share my rants and raves and things people wouldn't know about me unless I self-disclosed with them. I show my degree and kind of commitment to my website by posting facts about myself or others several times a week. I put in a lot of time to make sure that my website is a true reflection of myself. I also try to include others in my website so it will be more well-rounded. The goal of my personal transformation is to make my website the best it can be, learn new skills about making a website,and entertaining others while being able to reflect on my thoughts.
The Relationship between identity and community online
Communities online are often centered around people who present a certain identity on the internet. The internet is a way for people to be whoever they want to be, even if it is not authentic, and have people believe them, validate them, and listen to their views. I think some communities are comprised of many false identities and the internet is the only place that a community of this kind could stay alive. In reality, if you have members of a community who are being dishonest, they can lose priveledges in that community, or even be rejected from the community. An example of a community that is often inauthentic would be chat rooms. Many sex offenders have been arrested for posing as someone else on a chat room to lure a young girl into meeting them, for them to be able to satiate thier addiction. It is often hard to detect these people on the internet, and some are never caught because people believe the identity that these criminals have created. Off of the internet, an example would be someone who is illiterate posing to be part of the literate community. There will be some instance where their illiteracy will be found out (like if they hold the paper upside down) and they will lose the priveledges that the literate have and they will not be accepted by them.