2: Do you think group memberships are important to
communication in cyberspace and why?
Group memberships are very important when concerning
communication via the cyberspace environment, even when considering the lack of
physically present cues and senses such as touch, smell and physical presence.
Groups in cyberspace can lead to discussions of topics, huge online support
aimed for specific groups, such as ‘cancerchat.cancerresearchuk.org/’, and
communication between people for educational purposes, such as Moodle; all of
which are extremely useful and are positive uses of the cyberspace environment
and group activities. Another factor of groups such as Moodle are important as
resources that are posted on Moodle for students would not be available unless
students are a part of the Moodle group, therefore illustrating further the
necessity of group membership in cyberspace.
Ultimately, group memberships bring people together that
share interests, experiences or hobbies, thus initiating an immediate
discussion point and support within a group if needed. Because of this ability,
group support is much more available through cyberspace than when face to face,
and it is much easier to become part of a chosen group to discuss and share
what is necessary for that chosen group. Group memberships in Cyberspace allows
for people to understand exactly what someone is going through because of the
immediate similarities between group members, again allowing support mechanisms
for those that need it. Another advantage of being involved in an online group
is that people generally feel it is easier to talk online as they have time to
think about what they want to say as well as being immune from immediate face
to face responses. Also, anonymity increases the ability to communicate with
others about a given subject topic, as people can say whatever they like without
having to face up to the responses that may be formed, which is quite
dissimilar to real-world group membership. Although group memberships are
incredibly important to communication online, this accessibility can also
attract negative group discussions, for example paedophiles or other criminals
who may want to discuss how they became involved in this interest and share how
they go about supplying themselves with their needs. The ability to be
completely anonymous in cyberspace increases the dangerousness and severity of
having access to these group discussions, thus highlighting the negative side
of the importance of group memberships. Nonetheless, in this case group
memberships are important to the people that are criminals and want to discuss
it with others, whether negatively or positively utilised.