Receiving Support From People We've Never Met

"They [critics] worry that people will get so engulfed in a simulacrum virtual reality, that they will lose contact with 'real life.'"

What's the difference between an online community and a real life community? Obviously, one is through a computer screen while the other is people physically engaging with each other, but does that make either one 'less' of a community? How often are you with people who sit by you and browse Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram? How often do you start up conversations with others about videos that thousands of people shared on your timeline? Although the internet may lack physical interaction, does that make it any less of a community?

With our day and age, many consider their online selves to be an accurate portrayal of who they actually are. I remember I was talking with my friend recently (one who doesn't own an account to any social media sites) about how upset I was that another friend who had unfollowed me on Instagram. She just looked me in the eyes and said, "That's not even real life. You guys still hang out all the time, why does it matter?" That struck me hard. Why does our follower count, our amount of likes, or our number of retweets directly correlate with our happiness? What is it that makes the online community so appealing?


"Even when online groups are not designed to be supportive, they often are."

This is something we all have seen. From humorous things...



...to more serious topics...



...support is all around. "Net members are distinctive in providing information, support, companionship, and a sense of belonging to persons they hardly know offline or who are total strangers." To those unfamiliar, the first is a screenshot of a silly Facebook page that got rather large. The page got well over one million likes, but the baby was named Dylan. Regardless of the outcome of the situation, the support shown by random strangers show how supportive people can be about things that interest them.

The second photo is Christian Bale visiting a victim of the Batman movie theater shooting. After the incident occurred, social media blew up with the idea that Christian Bale should offer his support all those involved. There were multiple Facebook pages and hashtags floating around, until eventually, someone with power got ahold of the attention the idea was receiving and made it a reality. Without social media and the large reaction, who knows if the idea would have come along for the Batman actor to pay a visit to the injured victims.

"Repayment of support and social resources might be as exchanges of the same kind of aid, reciprocating in another way, or helping out a mutual friend in the network."

Recently, Skype released an advertisement that really touches on the emotional side. It uses the story of two girls, both of them only having one arm, and how they were able to connect with each other via Skype. Though they lived far away, they shared a similarity that brought them closer together.

Because of social resources, these girls were able to rely on each other and become close friends. They were both experiencing the same challenges and could help each other through their struggles until they could one day meet.

All of this just goes to show that although we be the "generation of technology" and "the ones who interact through a screen," that's not necessarily a bad thing.