Four days ago I went to the grocery store,  skyped with my family, watched some YouTube videos, had dinner with friends, and graduated in a stadium full of people.  With each of these events came a unique and different community with which I interacted, each with its unique individuals, ways of functioning, spoken and unspoken rules, ways of supporting members, and effect on me as an individual within the community.  Six very different communities in one single day.  

I've come to ponder the importance of community to our well-being as individuals and as a collective of individuals living in the same world, so as a good academician I researched it. According to a definition established by Mac Queen and her colleges (2001), communities are characterized by shared space, common interests, joint action, relationships, and diversity. Without communities we'd each be our own little islands, existing in the same ocean but living completely separate lives. We would have no direction, no purpose, no physical support, no emotional comfort.  There would be no shared experiences and the majority of the inanimate objects that we interact with on a daily basis would never have existed (they required development and building through community effort).  The world would not exist as we know it. Sounds pretty miserable to me.

Instead of being islands though, we're more like fish, interacting with each other in large groups most of the time but separating off on our own when we need to.  The cool thing is that despite the fact that we all exist in a world full of communities, the communities in which we exist and interact a daily basis look completely different than the ones that our grandparents were part of.  Yet, they still fit the definition of community.  

For instance, the fact that you're even reading this little essay means that you are a member of a community that never existed for your parents or grandparents.  Yet, I argue, the internet community provides a shared space, common interests, joint action, relationships, and diversity that are required for a community to exist.  The internet community (dare I say it?!) provides this in an even more sophisticated way by allowing us to learn about and gain access to people and experiences that we otherwise would never come in contact with.  Because of this immediate access to diversity, I believe that our generation will be a generation of change.

Recently I've begun exploring the wonderful, beautiful, diverse, world of Nerdfighteria.  I certainly would not categorize myself as a Nerdfighter (I respect Nerdfighters far to much to do that without paying my dues); however, what I have learned is that internet communities like Nerdfighteria act and function the same way as all other "physical" communities.  Nerdfighters share the space of the internet, they have similar interests in nerdy (and totally awesome) things, they work together to "decrease WorldSuck" and to always remember to "be awesome." They have deeply personal relationships with each other and provide emotional support better than most communities I know.  Nerdfighters are certainly one of the most diverse (and open) communities I have ever seen. Ultimately, they are one of the highest functioning communities out there!

Of course, Nerdfighteria is just one example of MANY "non-traditional" communities on the interwebs, but it is certainly a vivid one, and frankly, beautiful.  Someone go do a social science study on THAT!

So, in line with my mission to always encourage open minds, I challenge you to think about the communities you're a part of and remember that communities come in all forms, with many functions.  Just because a community doesn't look like your grandparent's community, doesn't mean it's not a "real" community.

Keep on thinking,

Josie