Technology in the Community

“Relationships, Community, and Identity in the New Virtual Society” and “R U Friends 4 Real?”

Arnold Brown and Amy Novotney

By

Selena Pierluissi

February 9th 2015

Relationships, Community, and Identity in the New Virtual Society

The article titled Relationships, Community, and Identity in the New Virtual Society, written by Arnold Brown main topic is social media on relationships, community, and identity in the future. It drives home the point on how people spend more of their social lives online and the fact that it is indeed reshaping them. Brown explains what the new virtual world will consist of. He believes that “the temporal and spatial “here-and-now” limitations that formerly characterized social interactions such as dating and family get-togethers have broken down (Brown)”.It is no longer just a wild thought that relationships ad households are already changing immensely and will continue to change has time goes on. Relationships are becoming more and more virtual. And for many young people these virtual relationships are not looked down upon. Unlike years ago when virtual relationships were considered as abnormal and unsettling. But nowadays they are considers just as meaningful as in person or face-to-face relationships. Relationships created and maintained in Cyberspace is a lot less demanding and ultimately easier. Brown also brings about a great point on how social ties re becoming both stronger and weaker at the same time. He describes how sociologist agree and that there are two kinds of social ties: “strong ties of family members and those with shared values, beliefs, and identities; and weak ties to acquaintances and other people with shallower connections (Brown)”. I personally believe that the Cyberculture and virtual world presents a false façade of what is real because you are able to “make and remake your identity at will (Brown)”. People want to customize their lives. You are able to fine tune your identity and who you wish to be...