Social phenomena in virtual communities

Ferdinand Tönnies wrote about “Gemeinschaft” and “Gesellschaft” more than 125 years ago and things can hardly get any older than that in the context of the Internet. But the terms are most often translated as “community” and “society” which hardly seem irrelevant to the study of virtual communities. In my talk, I will argue that they are not just interesting but possibly a key to understanding social phenomena in online games and virtual communities. We nowadays know that being an exemplary member of a small, tight high-comment group (e.g. a “power-guild”) in a massively multiplayer online game can stand in conflict with competing allegiances to off-line institutions such as school, work and marriage. I will explain why by connecting the “power of the guild” to community and Gemeinschaft.