Driskell, Goodspeed and Kidder\u2019s pieces all discuss the effect of online communities on modern society. My expert question focused on Driskell\u2019s discussion of cyberspace and its influence on community. More specifically, my question addressed Driskell\u2019s \u201clost community thesis,\u201d which argues the necessity of identification with place for community (376). Driskell claims that relationships that operate only online lack an identification with place, and therefore lack the same, true intimacy that one experiences from face-to-face interactions. However, all three readings note that online communities are spaces that allow individuals with similar interests to connect with each other. This observation leads scholars to question whether or not these relationships can be considered real. I wanted to know what my classmates thought about authenticity in relation to these arguments. Does authenticity matter when determining if a community is real or not? Because members get to choose their online groups, can it be argued that these communities are actually more authentic? Is there something to be said about groups that are thrust upon us by history, family, or cultural experiences? Is authenticity necessary as a condition of community?<\/p>\n
A few classmates expressed their difficulty in seeing how an online community could be considered more authentic than a community one is linked to by history, family, or cultural experiences. While they agreed with the authors that the bonds and relationships that one forms in an online community are real, several people stated their belief that sharing interests does not necessarily create an authentic bond. However, other classmates said they think authenticity depends on what the online community is about. For example, if someone needed a support group that perhaps they are unable to find in person or within their home community, this outside support group could be considered authentic (Class Discussion, October 23rd<\/sup>). So, while on the whole it appeared that authenticity is necessary as a condition of community, this authenticity may or may not originate from history, family, or cultural experiences.<\/p>\n My expert question also asked the class to think about these readings in relation to Karyn Lacy\u2019s discussion of strategic assimilation and authentic blackness. Lacy argues, Driskell, Goodspeed and Kidder\u2019s pieces all discuss the effect of online communities on modern society. My expert question focused on Driskell\u2019s discussion of cyberspace and its influence on community. More specifically, my question addressed Driskell\u2019s \u201clost community thesis,\u201d which argues the necessity of identification with place for community (376). Driskell claims that relationships that operate […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":493,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-392","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-cities-and-society"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/sociology-2202-fall-2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/392","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/sociology-2202-fall-2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/sociology-2202-fall-2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/sociology-2202-fall-2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/493"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/sociology-2202-fall-2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=392"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/sociology-2202-fall-2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/392\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/sociology-2202-fall-2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=392"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/sociology-2202-fall-2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=392"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/courses.bowdoin.edu\/sociology-2202-fall-2017\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=392"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n\u201cthe construction of an authentic black racial identity is incomplete in the absence of meaningful interactions with other blacks\u201d (183). In this sense, it appears Lacy highly values history, family and cultural expectations in regards to authenticity, repeatedly stating that \u201cthey can\u2019t forget they are black\u201d (153) and therefore must maintain strong ties to the black community. Though the class did not really discuss this part of the question, I feel as though these two discussions can be brought together. I think Lacy would argue that in no way can an online community be considered authentic. Lacy would argue that one\u2019s upbringing and one\u2019s identification with place is too important in developing a sense of community that anything less should not be considered authentic. Sure, online communities are an extension-of-reach of the same desire to find and connect with people\u2014but no incorporation into another community can outweigh a \u201clocal place where one was born, raised, and died\u201d (Driskell, 376). I think Lacy would argue that the \u201cinherently intimate, holistic relationships\u201d (Driskell, 376) that are a result of meaningful interactions cannot and should not surrender to online relationships.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"