So, one of our discussion topics this week relates to communities versus networks. Instinctively, I felt that communities are bonded through some type of shared belief or long-standing bond whereas networks are much looser and come together through shared interests. In the offline world, a comparison might be made between one's membership in a religious organization versus a connection made with others through work or other social endeavors (like a PTA) that could be more aptly characterized as a network. 

Likewise, in the world of social media, perhaps belonging to a closed group based on past affiliation or friendship such as a FaceBook group for high school and college friends which, due to presumed close and/or longstanding relationships could be a community. Conversely, an example of an online network could be a professional listserv. From my own experience, during my Master's program at FSU, it was recommended that I join the PUBYAC listserv (Public Young Adult and Children Librarians) which is a collective of librarians who, as the name implies, primarily work with children and young adults. This would constitute a network in that it is a loosely affiliated group of individuals who are interconnected via their occupation. 

Comments

  1. crs6414blog21May 14, 2021 at 12:43 PM

    Thank you for your post about communities versus networks. I appreciate your thought about the bond being tighter in a community. This made me think about a past experience. I previously worked on projects in the area of community health. One definition for community health is - the intersection of healthcare, economics and social interaction. When I think about a network, in a healthcare lens, I think about a connection of resources, those may be providers, facilities, or other resources. So I agree with you that there is a bond between the components that may or may not be there in a network.

    In an education setting, I thought about the idea of establishing a community of practice through the introductions at the beginning of a course. I can see how those introductions would support and build a network but we are already connected through our work in the class. So perhaps it is the personal component that makes us feel more of a community.

    Thanks for sharing your ideas! - CRS

    ReplyDelete
  2. VanessaMay 14, 2021 at 4:04 PM

    It sounds like you have a pretty good handle on the distinction. You might also think of networks as the group of connections radiating out from an individual, which may include communities.

    ReplyDelete

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