Community: what's this?

IMKE CSC 2006Kaido Kikkas

Community?

as defined by a community (Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community): a collection of living things sharing a common environment. Not necessarily humans!

Environment: physical virtual (more and more common)

...

Examples of (human) communities: a number of people living at the same place (sharing

the physical environment) a number of people doing the same thing (may be

physical or virtual) a number of people having a common feature (may be

physical or virtual)

Etymology

One explanation: Latin – com/cum 'with', -munis- 'linked exchange' - -

tatus 'small, local' Another:

Latin - com/cum 'with', munus 'gift, present' – a group (e.g. friends) exchanging gifts!

For comparison: German terms Gemeinschaft 'community' vs Gesellschaft 'society'

(as outlined by Ferdinand Tönnies 1887). Communities as building blocks of society

Communities throughout the ages

the Flintstones pursuing a dinosaur the Roman Forum Middle Ages: a village, a guild Modern Age: a firm, a trade union the postmodernism: the cult of the Individual the information age: return of the communities

(best seen in but not limited to IT sector)

Three authors to read

Robert Theobald social entrepreneurship post-scarcity economy mindquake

Charles Handy return of the guilds

Pekka Himanen hacker ethic the 'Linus' Law' of motivation

Weakening of traditional communities

losing the roots the mishmash of worldviews a man is the ... of the fellow man the triumph of individualism consumer mentality

... and the birth of new ones

new technologies lots of choice timeless time increasingly unmet need for communication educational aspirations, lifelong learning lots of free time needs for 'something real' sometimes also direct altruism

Various factors

Various factors size lifespan coverage (local, international, global) mono- or multicultural official or unofficial cooperation vs competition physical, virtual or both

Different things

adolescents showing off at rate.ee hardcore hackers working on Linux kernel travellers sharing their memories at Flickr.com teachers and lecturers using IVA at TLU Dwarves, Elves and Orcs in various RPGs ....

Yet common grounds

belonging certain models of communication network of relation (not hierarchy) support mechanisms

Concluding words

the role of community (in its various forms) is increasing

technical progress needs a 'social counterweight' many things are the new old ones