Aya Ahmed_ Virtual world Vs. Real Community

Online community Vs. Real community

                 Oprah once said that “the only difference between an audience and a community is how you face the chairs.” For the last four years of my life I believed that I have built an online community on my Blackberry messenger, my face book account, and my "Sims world 3". I believed that I was opened to the whole world, and I could communicate with different people.
However the virtual world has certain advantages over the real world. Virtual world allows us to carry out many times more activities within the online space than it could ever be possible to achieve in the real world. Furthermore, the virtual world make socializing more efficient,
so it reduces the time and attention needed to develop and maintain our relationships. This enabled people to carry out multiple tasks in the same time. The virtual world changes the nature of communication, bringing people around the world closer together. For instance, you can be chatting with a friend on your blackberry messenger and at the same time chat with another on your SIM world, or check your twitter account.  Another point, Virtual world allows us to project ourselves beyond our physical location. For example the second life game allows you to travel from one place to another within seconds. Moreover, your avatar can buy new house, cars, and clothes, get a new job, a sexy wife/husband, and whatever you want. However, I believe that virtual world promotes idealism instead of realism. Virtual world is attracting and addictive.
 a video by Shane Hipps on the virtual worlds society and the future of learning:

My own experience:


I created a second life account myself, and I was drown to this" representation of life ", which is so appealing even more than my own real life. My avatar" Lola" had an amazing body, with the perfect hair,
 perfect lover, and perfect house.

 I was addicted to visit my account every second. I was fascinated by the idea of "deleting difficulty". My second life account gave me the chance to delete people I hate, and even kick, or slap a person that I did not like. However, now I deeply believe that online, and these social networks are just a connection - not a community. Even if people can appear to be more uncomplicated and honest online and at times more life-giving than many of our offline relationships, but they are not the same. Some may want to call this "community." Fair enough. I just don't call it "community." That is not intended to dismiss or put down any one's experience online.