The Development of Online Communities and Social Media’s Role

Online communities are everywhere, connecting individuals around the world. They have changed how individuals interact, taking in-person communication to a digital platform. They have made it easier for people with similar interests and passions to connect, collaborate and share ideas, fostering relationships. Online communities were introduced around the 1970s after the Advanced Research Projects Agency Network, ARPANET, became the Internet. Around this time, people were getting familiar with the Internet (Mandal, 2023).

The first online communities were often basic and mostly read-only pages. In 1973, Talkomatic was introduced, becoming “the first text-based group chat” (Mandal, 2023). This platform allowed for the exchange of messages between people. Although this platform only lasted until the mid-1980s, it created an environment for people to communicate virtually (Vasilyev, 2017). The first electronic mailing lists used for sending messages to groups of people was MSGGROUP, which launched in 1975 (Lake, 2009).

Shortly after, in 1978, the first public Bulletin Board System (BBS) went online. This was one of the first methods of ongoing communication to exist. Those using BBS could communicate with each other by posting on message boards (Racklin, 2018). Originally, “many BBSs were local affairs run by hobbyists, often limited to just one user at a time” (Lake, 2009). Although this platform allowed for information sharing, it did not build community relationships.

In the 1970s, commercial online services began. The first online service for consumers was the CompuServe Information Service, which launched in 1979. Providing “daily news, stock tickers, weather reports and encyclopedias,” its primary audience was professionals and executives (Gagne & Lake, 2009). In addition to information sharing, this platform allowed group chats that offered one-on-one messaging.

The online community movement began in February 1985 (Mandal, 2023). The first platform for an online community allowing for collaboration was The Whole Earth ‘Lectronic Link, The WELL. The WELL was created by Stewart Brand and Larry Brilliant. It is now the oldest virtual community still actively running (Talbert, 2016). At the time of its creation, members paid a monthly subscription to access the platform. The content was very simple at the time and contained no images or advertisements, just words on a page.

Shortly after The WELL’s creation, conversations evolved beyond its original intent. It became a revolutionary community for information sharing among members. The WELL started the movement that began to shape virtual communities, allowing users to meld “both social/personal and professional in a new, unique way” (Talbert, 2016). The WELL is responsible for shaping virtual communities as before its creation, “there weren’t online communities, so there weren’t any strategies for building community online” (Talbert, 2016).

In 1994, GeoCities, originally Beverly Hills Internet, began, allowing users to create web pages in different thematic neighborhoods (Connelly, 2009). Members were not only getting a web page, they were joining a community. GeoCities made users feel as though they had a home, entering a community with those of similar interests. Pages on this platform were “proto-blogs” as they were updated frequently (Connelly, 2009). The platform allowed members to share their ideas with people around the world; however, as other online platforms and blogging sites were introduced, GeoCities became a memory.

CompuServe, The WELL, GeoCities and more “introduced users to digital communication through email, bulletin board messaging, and real-time online chatting” (“The Evolution,” n.d.). They paved the way for social media networks to rise and change the digital world. Social media networks “are not the same thing as a community” (Leach et al., 2021). A community forms when members of a group are connected through shared interests. However, social media can bring like-minded individuals together to build relationships and build community. Social networks have evolved over the years and grown into a major aspect of our everyday lives. They have continued to shape this generation and the world we live in today.

The creation of social media dates back to 1997 when Andrew Weinreich launched SixDegrees.com (Racklin, 2018). This platform is considered to be the first social networking site. This platform allowed individuals to join, make their profile and add friends to their network. SixDegrees.com, as well as those that followed, inspired the social networking sites we see today.

In 2003, LinkedIn launched, providing a networking site for professionals (Racklin, 2018). LinkedIn has grown over the years, allowing members to connect with business-minded people and foster professional relationships. Members of this platform can join groups related to their career aspirations and industry. Those interested in law, medicine, politics and more can learn from professionals in the field and connect with others of the same interests. I have found this network to be successful in forming professional communities. I have been able to connect with people in my field and learn from their experiences. LinkedIn has been critical to the formation and growth of online communities in the business world.

Facebook launched in 2004 and has continued to grow into the platform we know today (“The Evolution,” n.d.). Facebook provides Facebook Groups, which may require the administrator to grant access, creating a niche and tight-knit community. Members can search for these groups based on their interests, allowing them to connect with similar people. Facebook Groups can exist for any topic or area of interest, and anyone can make one. Many social media platforms today have made it easy to build groups and pages for people to join and follow. After joining a group, members feel connected to people they may not have met previously. I am a member of many groups to stay connected and explore my interests. I have used Facebook Groups for both professional and personal use, joining communities that suit me.

In addition to LinkedIn and Facebook, Reddit, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok and more have made it possible for online communities to grow and foster relationships. Social media networks are “forms of electronic communication through which users create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages, and other content” (“The Evolution,” n.d.). As social media evolved, it has grown to provide open and closed networks, encouraging a variety of different communities to form. Open networks allow more opportunities to share and collaborate with a large community (Joy, 2021). Members of these communities can connect with a large community, reaching an expansive audience. Some open networks are Pinterest, Twitter, Reddit and TikTok. Closed networks are private and include member-only access, providing an exclusive environment (Joy, 2021). Facebook and LinkedIn can be closed networks based on user settings. I prefer closed networks for their exclusivity. I feel safe sharing my ideas with a smaller community of people with similar interests. However, I am a member of many open networks as they are beneficial as well. Open and closed networks are both useful in encouraging online community building.

Social media has propelled the advancement of communication technologies as they have “created faster, easier and more efficient means of communication” (Matisi, 2021). As social media continues to grow, the strength of online communities grows with it. Members of social platforms are meeting like-minded individuals and often share similar interests, which has created a sense of belonging.

Social media has helped members feel connected and safe, which has strengthened community networks (Matisi, 2021). Through social media, members have connected in multiple ways. Members can “learn from others’ expertise while sharing their own” (Leach et al., 2021). When involved with like-minded people, “members are motivated to continue to develop their own skills” (Leach et al., 2021). Finally, members within online communities are a resource for one another.

Online communities have been continuously evolving since the early days of the Internet. Every day, people are connecting with others online and building relationships. Social media has and will continue to play a pivotal role in online communities.

References

Connelly, P. (2009, August 13). The life and death of online communities. The American Prospect. https://prospect.org/culture/life-death-online-communities/

Gagne, K. & Lake, M. (2009, July 15). CompuServe, Prodigy et al.: What web 2.0 can learn from online 1.0. Computerworld. https://www.computerworld.com/article/2526547/compuserve--prodigy-et-al---what-web-2-0-can-learn-from-online-1-0.html

Joy, E. (2021, April 10). Episode 8 — Open vs closed community. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbUF47kilu8

Lake, M. (2009, July 15). Timeline: The evolution of online communities. Computerworld. https://www.computerworld.com/article/2526581/timeline--the-evolution-of-online-communities.html

Leach, A., Ferrière, C.-A., & Fountain, A. (2021, August 20). Social networks and online communities. Humans R Social Media Winter 2022 Open Textbook Edition. https://opentextbooks.library.arizona.edu/hrsmwinter2022/chapter/special-topics-from-networks-to-online-communities/

Mandal, K. (2023, January 18). Chapter 1: Online communities 1.0 — Revisiting the early stage. Grazitti. https://www.grazitti.com/blog/chapter-1-online-communities-1-0-revisiting-the-early-stage/

Matisi, B. (2021, April 27). How social media has had a positive influence on community and broadened communication across communities. Network Conference. https://networkconference.netstudies.org/2021/2021/04/27/how-social-media-has-had-a-positive-influence-on-community-and-broadened-communication-across-communities/

Racklin, C. (2018, October 2). A brief history of major social media platforms. Streambank Media. https://streambankmedia.com/a-brief-history-of-major-social-media-platforms/

Talbert, M. (2016, February 4). The WELL — Where online community began. Higher Logic. https://www.higherlogic.com/blog/the-well-where-online-community-began/

The evolution of social media: How did it begin, and where could it go next? (n.d.) Maryville University, https://online.maryville.edu/blog/evolution-social-media/

Vasilyev, R. (2017, August 8). Talkomatic: The first chat in computer history. L’onje. https://www.lonje.com/2017/08/08/talkomatic-the-first-chat-in-computer-history/