Compaso

Abstract: As many of today’s social scientists (such as Beck, Giddens, Howard, Vlăsceanu etc) have remarked, the modern age has brought with itself a great series of fast-paced changes in the average man’s lifestyle. Nothing is safe or can be taken for granted anymore. Families disintegrate, traditions become obsolete and professional re-qualifications are necessary every few years just to keep up with the younger, tougher competition on the labor market. Forced to constantly changed ones place of residence, ones entourage, work and habits leads to a feeling of loneliness, of not really being a part of modern society and its communities, of being left out to fend for yourself. Luckily, modernity has also brought with itself a never seen before technological boom which instantly permitted not only the improvement of ones biological life, but also provided society with the opportunity to bridge the gap between people. One of the most significant of these innovations is the Internet, a non-geographical space that people, in just a few short years, have colonized and made their own, projected their identities into and created solid and durable communities that, which were less subjected to being torn apart by distance and time. This paper’s object is to show how and why being part of an online community is a great way for one to get a stronger feeling of social integration and be part of a somewhat more fair, less prejudiced world.

Keywords: Online communities, internet, new media, communication