How the Internet Creates Communities of Interest, Helping to Forge Global Village - Literature review Example

Thе intеrnеt сrеаtеs соmmunitiеs оf intеrеst, hеlрing tо fоrgе а glоbаl villаgе Insert Name of the Student Insert Name of the Instructor Insert Name of the Course Insert Code of the Course Insert Submission Date Introduction Human beings by nature are social beings and they tend to form communities based on shared common identity. Traditionally, communities were place-based referred to as neighbourhoods but with advent of the internet, communities are no longer bound by geographical boundaries. The affiliations of sports, religion, and professional networks form the communities of interest with the internet providing the necessary backbone to forge a global village. The internet fills the gap that place-based communities create by providing a social platform where individuals can air their views without the need for a geographical representative such as Member of Parliament (Davies, 2005). Individuals with a common interest can form groups on social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter and be able to receive local, regional, national, and global content in minutes. Platforms such as You Tube enable millions of global users to share video content freely. According to Hart, Greenfield and Haji (2008) it is not the individual content that makes it exciting but the collection of videos that create a sense of community worldwide. According to a population survey by Horrigan and Rainie, 84% of the internet consumers have contacted an online group at least once. Of the number, four fifths are in regular communication with at least one group (Dasgupta, 2006). The prevalence of online communities of interest is because of the lack of authenticity of membership. Individuals who feel marginalised such as gay and lesbians find solace in such communities without necessary having to expose their real identity. The liberal transfer of information creates strength among individuals and it enables such groups to come out of their cocoons when they see other individuals across the globe doing the same. This paper explores the various communities of interest such as fundraising, trade, environmental advocacy, democratisation, and tourism. It also shows how they are helping forge a global village. Fundraising For a fundraising to be successful, there must be creation of a healthy sense of community among the volunteers, donors, and the funding agency. The internet has enabled this by bringing together individuals who share a common interest from diverse backgrounds (Jamieson, 2013). Due to the open nature of the internet, individuals are now able to learn of the plight of communities in countries beyond their geographical boundaries. It enables individuals to embrace social responsibility globally. It provides cost effective means to donate funds for a worthy cause and enables quick interactions and discussions between recipient and donors via online forums. According to Goldsmith (2013), the internet makes it easier to reach out to the global majority through the ability to share hyperlinks between various websites and social media. In 2005, Adrian and Kieran two Canadians learnt of Ugandan children who walked and slept outside during the night to avoid the ravages of civil war. They consequently walked 12.5 kilometres every evening after work and slept outside city hall and back home in the morning for work. The media publicised their actions and in 2006 30,000 people in 82 cities from 15 different countries staged demonstrations urging for peace in Northern Uganda. They managed to raise more than $50,000 in the online campaign (Hart, Greenfield, & Haji, 2008). Trade According to Delta and Matsuura (2008), organisations are realising that they should not only provide secure and convenient communities but also information and entertainment to their users. They are therefore providing customer support before and after the purchase process. They are providing platforms on their websites where buyers are able to interact with other consumers through a network. Companies such as FedEx have established a logistical support network where the company is able to interact with buyers worldwide, establish the customer expectations, and forge community relations that extend beyond the purchasing. Most consumers are reluctant to purchase online products based on the seller’s marketing because they believe no seller will talk ill of his product. However through the communities formed thereof, consumers are able to enquire from fellow customers about the product’s authenticity. A consumer in South America can thus be able to buy a product from China with confidence. Internet auction sites such as eBay have managed to rally likeminded buyers and sellers globally where consumers are able to review products and rank them as per their satisfaction. In 2005, eBay had 181 million registered users and had sales of more than $44 billion (Chua, 2007). The registered users form a community that not only shares product information but also detects fraudulent activities. The members aggregate fraudulent claims and engage in dispute resolution. They are able to report suspicious activities and warn each other before alerting the concerned authorities. The communities of interest in trade are not limited to consumers only but also B2B interactions. Organisations are able to share online data among retailers, manufacturers, and distributors in these intranets. The data sharing via the intranets is able to provide retailers with product-ordering information, facilitate shipping among product distributors and customer demand information to manufacturers (Matsuura & delta, 2008). This has lowered trade costs and helped bring up developing countries as companies from developed nations seek cheaper labour from developing countries. Environmental Advocacy According to Beierle (2000), the internet has become a meeting place where activists are able to find likeminded people to support their advocacy causes. The internet unlike traditional media services such as radio provides a decentralised network that is able to synchronise the interactivity of communities of interest. Environmental NGO’s have taken advantage of the internet to mobilise the participation of such communities globally. Four basic principles enable participation: Communication, effective argument, public mobilisation, and coalition building. To reach decision makers and legislators in the past, activists used faxes, telephone calls, and letters but now through the internet they can be able to file petitions fast by asking communities of interest to like their pages as a show of signatory support. In addition, environmental groups were required to register their members physically but due to the internet liberation, recruitment and mobilisation has become very easy. The internet provides interested individuals with a wide array of information and analytical tools to analyse environmental problems. The network of communities is able to build the strength and necessary support required to further their cause. To mobilise the communities, the activists post links to popular websites to attract users with a similar quest. Action Network a web portal provides activists with a platform to reach over 19 regional and national organisation and 500,000 activists. The concerned activists only have to reply to one email and then the network sends out as many e-mails as possible to likeminded groups (Stein, 2013). They even offer training to activists on how to mobilise people via the internet. Besides mobilisation, the internet enables strategic coalition formations. The WTO 1999 Seattle protests for example, garnered coalition support from unlikely sources such as the United Methodist Church, Steelworkers Union, Teamster Labour Union, and Friends of the Earth environmental group. They were able to abolish Multilateral Agreement on Investment (MAI) with support from 70 countries involving over 600 groups (Beierle, 2000). Democratisation Majority of the developing countries governments have marginalised their citizens in the past through oppression of the freedom of speech. Political power was a preserve of the elite few. The citizens could not express their discontent about their government as the state controlled media outlets and would not dare print state-sensitive information. The internet has however changed that. Individuals regardless of their gender, class, or race can exercise their democratic right to air their political views without fear of state persecution. In addition, people are able to find likeminded individuals on the internet and form communities regardless of the country of origin. Individuals are able to share and compare notes on the actions that they are taking politically in their member countries seamlessly (Barnejee, 2007). Though some governments may try to suppress the political freedom that comes with the internet, it is difficult to close all internet platforms. Furthermore, individuals are now tech-savvy and are able to come up with dynamic software that surpasses government interventions. The Arab spring in early 2011 is an example of such democracy where social media mobilised communities of interest to topple the Egyptian and Tunisian governments. A protester burned himself alive in Tunisia and sparked off a fierce outrage on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter. The news spread fast across the globe and the public ousted the president then. Egypt followed on this about two weeks later with demonstrations lasting over two weeks at Tahrir Square. According to a study by Remington (2012), 52% and 16% of the respondents interviewed used Facebook and Twitter respectively to communicate about the protests. They shared photos and stories with likeminded individuals across the nation and mobilised protestors countrywide. The news spread further across the world and the uprising caught on in Syria. In Syria where the state has limited media freedom, the internet is the platform used to spread news of what is happening to the outside world. Tourism According to Schwartz in Bidgoli (2004), the internet is a personal, mass, and interactive medium that makes it easier to market destination markets. Studies show that new tourism consumers are using the internet to access information about a destination via the internet prior to making travel decisions. By sharing their stories, they are able to break the geographical constraints of boundaries. Muniz & O’Guinn in Bidgoli (2004) posit that story telling via the internet is an important tool in creating and maintaining communities of interest. Travel blogs have increased over the last decade as individuals with a common interest to travel exchange their experiences. Tourist catalogues are hence losing their function in an internet dependent society. Story telling via videos and documentaries on the other hand is able to convey emotions and expressions that are difficult to capture in writing form and the internet provides this platform. Through formation of communities, consumers are ignoring the advertising posed by marketers and relying more on interactions with likeminded individuals (Bidgoli, 2004). Tourism oriented communities of interest have generated interest in travelling to otherwise remote destinations such as Marshall Islands, North East of Australia. Would-be-travellers can find information about their desired travel destinations, travel requirements such as visa, on-time updates about the weather and so on. The fluidity of information facilitated by the internet has therefore demystified travel destinations and made the world a global village. Conclusion Though the internet may be criticised for breaking the social ties that face-to-face communication enhanced in the past, it has created a new sense of community amongst individuals. Geography no longer provides limitations for individuals to express themselves, as they are now able find likeminded individuals online with whom they can share experiences in real time and across the globe. The communities of interests enable individuals to access varied information before they purchase products online or travel. Activists can now mobilise individuals to effect global environmental changes from the comfort of their homes and raise their grievances to oppose political suppression. References Barnejee, I. (2007). The Internet and Governance in Asia: A Critical Reader. Nanyang Link: AMIC. Beierle, T. (2000). Internet Communities Linking the World. Pennsylvania: DIANE Publishing. Bidgoli, H. (2004). The internet encyclopaedia, Volume 3. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons. Chua, C. E. H. (2007). The role of online trading communities in managing internet auction fraud. MIS Quartely, 31(4): 759-781. Dasgupta, S. (2006). Encyclopedia of Virtual Communities and Technologies. Hershey: Idea Group Inc. Davies, W. (2005). Modernising with purpose: A manifesto for a digital Britain. London: Institute for Public Policy Research. Delta, G.B., & Matsuura, J.H. (2008). Law of the Internet, Volume 2. New York: Aspen Publishers Online. Goldsmith, M. (2013). Global communications and communities of choice. Retrieved June 11, 2013, from http://www.marshallgoldsmithlibrary.com/docs/books/Gbl_Communication.pdf. Hart, T., Greenfield, J. M., & Haji, S. D. (2008). People to people fundraising: Social networking and web 2.0 for charities. New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons. Jamieson, D. (2013). Building relationships in the networked age: Some implications of the internet for nonprofit organizations. The Philanthropist, 15(2): 23-32. Remington, A. (2012). Social media and the decision to participate in political protest: Observations from Tahrir Square. Journalist’s Resource. Retrieved June 11, 2013, from http://journalistsresource.org/studies/society/studies/government/international/social-media-protest-egypt-tahrir-square/. Stein, M. (2013). Advocacy Tips. Retrieved June 11, 2013, from http://www.igc.org/html/advocacy.html. Read More

It enables individuals to embrace social responsibility globally. It provides cost effective means to donate funds for a worthy cause and enables quick interactions and discussions between recipient and donors via online forums. According to Goldsmith (2013), the internet makes it easier to reach out to the global majority through the ability to share hyperlinks between various websites and social media. In 2005, Adrian and Kieran two Canadians learnt of Ugandan children who walked and slept outside during the night to avoid the ravages of civil war.

They consequently walked 12.5 kilometres every evening after work and slept outside city hall and back home in the morning for work. The media publicised their actions and in 2006 30,000 people in 82 cities from 15 different countries staged demonstrations urging for peace in Northern Uganda. They managed to raise more than $50,000 in the online campaign (Hart, Greenfield, & Haji, 2008). Trade According to Delta and Matsuura (2008), organisations are realising that they should not only provide secure and convenient communities but also information and entertainment to their users.

They are therefore providing customer support before and after the purchase process. They are providing platforms on their websites where buyers are able to interact with other consumers through a network. Companies such as FedEx have established a logistical support network where the company is able to interact with buyers worldwide, establish the customer expectations, and forge community relations that extend beyond the purchasing. Most consumers are reluctant to purchase online products based on the seller’s marketing because they believe no seller will talk ill of his product.

However through the communities formed thereof, consumers are able to enquire from fellow customers about the product’s authenticity. A consumer in South America can thus be able to buy a product from China with confidence. Internet auction sites such as eBay have managed to rally likeminded buyers and sellers globally where consumers are able to review products and rank them as per their satisfaction. In 2005, eBay had 181 million registered users and had sales of more than $44 billion (Chua, 2007).

The registered users form a community that not only shares product information but also detects fraudulent activities. The members aggregate fraudulent claims and engage in dispute resolution. They are able to report suspicious activities and warn each other before alerting the concerned authorities. The communities of interest in trade are not limited to consumers only but also B2B interactions. Organisations are able to share online data among retailers, manufacturers, and distributors in these intranets.

The data sharing via the intranets is able to provide retailers with product-ordering information, facilitate shipping among product distributors and customer demand information to manufacturers (Matsuura & delta, 2008). This has lowered trade costs and helped bring up developing countries as companies from developed nations seek cheaper labour from developing countries. Environmental Advocacy According to Beierle (2000), the internet has become a meeting place where activists are able to find likeminded people to support their advocacy causes.

The internet unlike traditional media services such as radio provides a decentralised network that is able to synchronise the interactivity of communities of interest. Environmental NGO’s have taken advantage of the internet to mobilise the participation of such communities globally. Four basic principles enable participation: Communication, effective argument, public mobilisation, and coalition building. To reach decision makers and legislators in the past, activists used faxes, telephone calls, and letters but now through the internet they can be able to file petitions fast by asking communities of interest to like their pages as a show of signatory support.

In addition, environmental groups were required to register their members physically but due to the internet liberation, recruitment and mobilisation has become very easy.

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