Week Four - Topic 1a: Online Community

What do you think of the notion that online community can be empowering/disempowering?

I think that online community can be both empowering and disempowering.
Online communities can help people get away from reality where they may be the ‘odd one out’, or not fit in. If they engage in an online community they will feel welcome, ‘normal’ and accepted. As discussed before, this can be very empowering and confidence boosting for an individual.
However, a community in reality is meant to be about accepting others, whatever their level of difference. When difficult times or situations arise, members of a community help each other out and are supportive, regardless of the individual. This is what a community is meant to be and makes it strong. Online communities don’t have this as they are mostly about being the same; anyone with differences is not welcome into their community. There are no obligations, dependence or stability in online communities, so can they be classed as real relationships? I don’t think that they can, as relationships are meant to be built on trust.
Both online and offline communities can be empowering or disempowering for different people. I think that although online communities tend to be about similar people coming together, this doesn’t make them any less of a community than ones in reality. After all, a community can be defined as ‘a group of people with common background or shared interests’. In this case, I don’t feel that trust or dependence is needed. The members don’t really know each other so being part of the community can just be an empowering thing for each individual in their own way.