Role of communites in the Cyberage

The past few years can be called the digital decade due to the overwhelming changes the Internet has brought about in our lives. From being a humble office tool the computer has graduated to a vital neccessity in most households. Naturally the number of hours spent by us online has affected our social lives. We no longer have the time to meet and chat with our neighbours and friends. But the smart netizens have found a way around this problem.

Earlier a community could be defined as a group of people sharing common interests, values, problems, normally living in the same area and coming together to support each other in times of crisis. This definition still holds good except that the internet has made time and space irrelevant. Community websites have sprung up where people can meet in cyberspace and continue to do the same things they would in times of more physical contact. One of the primary roles of a community used to be community service.

Community service is the work a person does for the benefit or upliftment of his/her local community. This service is voluntary in nature and can include a wide range of activities from cleaning the neighbourhood, planting trees, organising health camps, church related services, cultural activities etc. Now the internet is being used to bring together people who are interested in such humanitarian or environmental activities. A community Service Website is set up usually catering to a particular niche. People are informed about this with the help of banner ads, newsletters and other marketing tools. Once the community Service Website is up and running the members ensure its popularity by communicating on chats, forums, blogs. It has been observed that existing communities come together on websites to discuss and help in times of natural calamities like the tsunami in 2004. The obvious advantage of these new communities is their global reach. In the new age, community service need no longer be restricted to your local neighbourhood.