SOC356Y1 Chapter : Reading Notes
Document Summary
Online communities (blanchard: testing a model of sense of virtual community) Abstract: a distinguishing feature of virtual communities their sense of community, feelings of membership, identity, in uence, and attachment with each other. the virtual group members did not report feeling that they in uenced or were in uenced by others. they will similarly lead to sovc in virtual communities. Therefore, this model proposes that norms mediate the relationships between identity and social exchange with sovc. Conclusion: members of virtual communities experience a sense of virtual community which comes from the exchange of support within the community, the identity of other members and themselves, and interacting with others outside of the virtual community. Additionally, exchanging support and creating identity help create norms of behavior in the group which in turn increase sovc: virtual communities can provide a pro-social environment in which individuals and groups bene t from their interactions.
