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of online communities
Forget the geek thing. They are very mainstream.
By Marty Beard
Think of what people do during typical internet sessions, and the first things that come to mind might be researching, surfing, emailing, shopping and the like.
Notably absent from that picture is participation in online groups and communities, customarily regarded as the province of the geeky and the disaffected.
But the reality is that participating in online groups is mainstream to the extreme.
Fully 84 percent of internet users, or 90 million people, have used the internet to contact or get information from an online group, according to a survey by the Pew Internet and American Life Project.
The report also asserts that, far from being an isolating, fringe activity, the internet helps people connect with groups and become involved in their communities.
"We find in general that the internet serves a connective function for people," says John Horrigan, a senior researcher with the Pew project.
"It supplements and expands social networks and relationships."
Online groups cover a wide swath of American life, from the frivolous to the profound. They range from the online arms of church and neighborhood associations to discussion groups on topics ranging from recipes to technology to policy to religion.
Many people use groups to keep in touch with, say, their old college cliques online. And the internet being the internet, many groups deal with sex and romance. There are even fringe online support groups devoted to, of all things, promoting anorexia.
But by and large, online groups are mainstream and are typically hosted within major online networks such as AOL or Yahoo, or by small local ISPs. There are pages online where people can post photos, calendars, messages and invitations.
As internet use percolates through society, observers have cautioned that people would withdraw from their communities. But the Pew report found that online groups get people more involved in their communities, particularly young, savvy web users.
"I would say that the online world is a substitute entrée into community involvement for young people," Horrigan says. "Young people definitely are more likely to join a group after having made initial contact through the internet."
Thirty-seven percent of internet users say that taking part in online groups has helped them meet people from different generations, and 27 percent say that online groups have helped them meet people from varying economic and ethnic backgrounds. Half say that online groups have helped them meet people they never would have met otherwise.
Additionally, half of all internet users say that they have met people in their online group face-to-face, while about two-thirds of people between 18-24 have done so.
Among internet users, the average person has contacted four different online groups at one time or another. Seventy-nine percent can point to at least one group with which they stay in regular contact. Nearly half report that the web has helped them find groups that shared their interests.
Fifty-six percent say they didn’t sign up for a given online group until after they started communicating with it. And 40 percent say the web has helped them deepen their involvement with groups they already belong to.
Half log on to professional and hobby groups; 31 percent have gone online for a fan group of a particular sports team, and 29 percent have contacted fan groups of a TV show or popular entertainer.
Twenty-nine percent of people say they have gone online for the purpose of contacting a local group or association. Overall, 9 percent of internet users say that the internet has helped them get involved with people, issues and events in their own communities.
Sixty-seven percent say that the internet helps them get involved with issues or events outside of their own community.
For its report, the Pew Internet and American Life Project conducted phone surveys of 3,002 adults, 1,697 of whom were internet users, in January and February.
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How People Engage with their Online Groups |
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| Methods | All internet users | Internet users who use the web to keep in touch with local groups |
| Belonged to group before communicating with it online |
42 |
80 |
| Exchange email with group/group members |
60 |
38 |
| Email online group several times a week |
43 |
33 |
| Say that communicating with groups has allowed them to meet people they otherwise wouldn’t have met |
50 |
35 |
| Say that their group has a web site |
73 |
40 |
| Find group’s web site useful |
50 |
40 |
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Source: Pew Internet & American Life
Project |
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Types of Online Groups People Belong To |
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| Group type | % of internet users who have contacted the group |
| Trade association or professional group |
50 |
| A group for people who share a hobby or interest |
50 |
| A fan group of a particular sports team |
31 |
| A fan group of a TV show or entertainer |
29 |
| A group of people who share your lifestyle |
28 |
| A group of people who share your beliefs |
24 |
| A political group |
22 |
| A religious organization |
21 |
| A sports team or league in which you participate |
20 |
| Ethnic or cultural group |
15 |
| Labor union |
6 |
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Source: Pew Internet & American Life
Project |
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November 2, 2001 © 2001 Media Life
-Marty Beard is a staff writer for Media Life.
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