REASONS TO WHY PEOPLE JOIN VIRTUAL CULTURE

Definition of Virtual Community.

Virtual communities have been characterized as people with shared interests or goals for which electronic communication is a primary form of interaction, as groups of people who meet regularly to discuss a subject of interest to all members. Traditionally, the word community is likened to a geographic area such as a neighborhood, in this case the “virtual” part of the term “virtual community” indicates without a physical place as a home

The term “virtual” itself means that the primary interaction is electronic or enabled by technology.

This type of computer-mediated communication allows people to locate and talk to others with similar interests, thereby forming and sustaining virtual communities and creating “social aggregations that emerge from the Net when enough people carry on those public discussions long enough, with sufficient human feeling, to form webs of personal relationships in cyberspace.

 The following are the reasons to why people join in a virtual community

Motivations to Join a Group

Social psychology has revealed different motivations for individuals to join regular, non groups. Humans have a need to belong and be affiliated with others, because groups provide individuals with a source of information and help in achieving goals give rewards.

                                          

Social Support Exchange

Another reason why people join a virtual community is the social support that the community can provide. Social support is the degree to which a person's basic social needs are gratified through interaction with others Social support may also be linked with individual motivation to join groups because of the sense of belonging and affiliation it entails and the way it addresses the need for self-identity offers a more specific definition of social support: “a flow of emotional concern, instrumental aid, information, and/or appraisal (information relevant

Friendship

The research reviewed above shows that information exchange and social support are among the central reasons why people join and then choose to remain in a virtual community. But are these the only reasons? Some research on virtual communities and research dealing with why people use the Internet, in general, suggest that there are possibly other reasons.

Much as people have been found to join face-to-face groups to belong and be with others another possible reason why people join virtual communities is to seek friendship

Recreation

Another reason people participate in virtual communities is the recreation they provide. The use of the Internet in general has been touted in both the popular press and scholarly research as a relatively new form of recreation similar to that of watching TV Arguably; the entertainment value of the Internet applies to virtual communities as well. A good example of this are adventure, a type of virtual community in which users play games with other community members. Virtual community participants have been found to believe that the communities are fun and enjoyable proposes that the primary motivation for individuals in is an interest in recreational role-playing and game playing.

BY

ALLY AMINA. BAPRM 42526