The internet has changed the way people communicate, providing new possibilities for communication. It has enabled an increased connectivity between people by overcoming geographic and social barriers. Communication now occurs through Internet forums such as, email, chat rooms, graphical worlds, discussion groups, and blogs. Now, we can meet someone without seeing their face, knowing their age or gender; people from all over the world can meet in the one place to discuss a topic of interest twenty-four hours, seven day a week. That is by using the virtual communities. The virtual communities is the social aggregations that emerge from the Net when enough people carry on those public discussions (using the Internet) long enough, with sufficient human feeling, to form webs of personal relationships in cyberspace. The mediated communication foundation of virtual communities can be seen to be impacting how communication occurs. Factors of change include: the Internets facilitation of interactivity, immediacy, availability, access and collaboration; the digitalization of technologies; and the convergence of businesses and technologies. With these areas changing, communication is revolutionizing into two-way symmetrical communication never possible before. Although it was been said that the real communities are better, but the uses of virtual communities are now important to the public relations industry, because they provide opportunities that will augment public relation communication efforts. As new communication technologies facilitate the postmodern public sphere, public relation practitioners must be proactive towards the up-take and use of these technologies. Such activities can be seen in progress on a small scale, but not to its full potential. Without understanding the principles of how individuals use the internet and how the internet is affecting the structure of communication, use of the internet will be in vain.
For more information: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/summary/277/5324/295
By: Yasmeen Syahiera bt Raman (2009829978)
