Survey Says...

This semester I feel very blessed to have a schedule full of classes that I thoroughly enjoy:

· PCM 300-Advanced Professional Writing
· PCM 320-Advanced Media Studies
· PCM 364-Digital Photography
· CIT 200-Foundations of Computing and Information Technology
· MGT 221-Managing in Organizations

As you can imagine, the "advanced" nature of these courses leads to quite the full load during WEC. By the time my final afternoon class rolls around, I'm usually on the border of fatigue and exhaustion. However, last Sunday's class discussion was so charged with passionate energy that it was difficult for many of us to contain ourselves long enough to let any of the other 20 students get a word in edgewise.

The textbook posed an interesting question. Is a virtual community a "genuine" community? Some people voted no on the grounds that communicating online doesn't allow people to engage all of their senses. Others argued that not being able to smell or touch a person doesn't stop us from having a relationship with said person. A few people took a more "scientific" approach, by first defining the meaning of "community" according to the dictionary and then justifying their opinion based on their findings. My response was a combination of the latter two options. After reading that a community can be classified as "a group of people who share similar backgrounds and interests", I argued that a social network like Facebook or Myspace can indeed be placed in such a category.

For me personally, these networks have not only helped me keep in contact with former co-workers and friends, but they have also allowed me the chance to reconnect with former classmates from high school and friends from childhood. These people may have moved away or just went m.i.a. for a few years, but now we can pick up our chats on a daily basis right where we left off and immediately the years begin to melt away. Since my friends don't live on my block, like on Desperate Housewives, when I want to make plans for the weekend, I can post a bulletin on Myspace or a status update on Facebook advertising the fact that I am free and could use some company. Response time can range anywhere between 1 minute to a few hours, but usually by bar time, I've got a pretty good idea of who's available and a few places we can go.

Now some people would argue that these communities aren't "genuine" because they take the place of "face-to-face" communication, which can lead to misunderstandings because there is no body language/facial expressions available to check against the semantics. However, I would argue that people are more apt to give their "genuine" response when communicating in writing. Of course there's the slight chance for miscommunication, but perhaps people should be a little less sensitive and give the sender the benefit of the doubt to avoid needless confrontation.

However, I want to know what you think. Yes, you. What is your opinion of social networks? Do you believe they are "genuine" communities? Do you feel held captive in your houses because of their existence? Do you feel Myspace and Facebook keep you from having flesh and blood relationships with your neighbors? Do you even want to know your neighbors? I want to know what you think and feel on the subject. Please feel free to use personal stories to give examples.

I will end my blog with this story which I also shared in class. About a week ago I noticed one of former co-workers had a negative status update. "I'm not sure I can deal with this anymore," it read. Her mood was "aggravated". In my head I wished her a happy day and went about my business. However, for the next couple of days, I noticed her updates becoming hysterical and her moods growing darker. I tentatively sent her a quick message on Myspace offering a shoulder to cry on and an ear to listen if she needed one. The next morning I received a message back from her. She thanked me profusely in big bold letters for caring and informed me that I was the ONLY person to bother to ask if she was OK. I thought this was odd because she works with a few mutual friends of ours, but I was glad to help in any way. After this message, I noticed that her mood seemed to be improving and her updates became less hostile and more hopeful. Now, I don't say this to give myself a pat on the back for being a good friend. My attitude is this: If it weren't for these virtual communities, I wouldn't have even known my friend was in trouble. This medium allowed me to reach out to her and pull her back from whatever black hole she was sinking into. If that's not the kind of service a community should provide, then I don't know what is.