Different Communities and Their Assumptions

Different Communities and Their Assumptions

A community is a group of people sharing common characteristics and living together. Similarly, it is also a group of people that are committed to each other and showing unconditional love. Community brings people with different cultural diversities together through friendship. There are two types of communities which includes; online community and ground community. An online community is whereby people come together through the internet, interact freely and feel at home with each other. It is made up of imaginary friends who do not know each other personally. In an online community, individuals chat through social media, emails and online chat rooms. On the other hand, a ground community is whereby people know each other and can occasionally meet physically to catch up on life matters concerning them. A ground community is made up of individuals know each other well and communicate face to face. The ground community tends to abide by Catherine’s assumption more compared to the online community. This is because, in a ground community, people know each other at a personal level. Also, people follow the community principles since in case one fails, he or she can be traced and be held accountable. Unlike the online community, the assumptions are there but since no one can be held responsible in case of breach, community members do not take assumptions seriously. Therefore, a ground community is stronger. A ground community limits the friends one can have. Just like Mengestu, he keeps moving from one place to another. Mengestu has fewer friends because he shifts to new places and also some of the friends that he has made also changes community (123).

Online communities alleviate the need for ground communities because of the rapidly evolving technologies. Technology is the biggest factor in the online community set up. Times have changed, and the online community is becoming more dominant. An online community is also less demanding since it saves on time. It is easy to organize a meeting online and have several people attending compared to meeting personally. People do not have to travel from place to place in order to meet. There are also introvert people who can only socialize with friends online, but they do not have physical friends. Ascharya is an introvert who does not have friends. When bored and feeling lonely, he logs on Facebook or Twitter and chats with his several online friends (131). Even though social media gives one easy friendship, it does not make one feel less lonely. Ascharya has friends online but still feels lonely because there is no one to talk to face to face. Ground communities are in trouble due to the emerging technologies. People have embraced the new technology to create platforms for online communities. In an online community, people bond easily since it is human nature to open up freely for a stranger. One can share their problems online without being judged by others. Despite the fact that technology makes it easy to socialize, it gives an illusion of companionship (134) Mengestu moved to Kensington and walked all the streets but was still not able to make friends in the neighborhood. This clearly shows that the ground community is slowly eradicating since people are not concerned with knowing their neighbors. Instead, individuals prefer to look for friendship online.

Like a person’s identity, our communities also change. Therefore, no single community gives us everything we need all the time. Communities change, and principles are put in place to govern a certain community. Different communities have a different set of principles. When an individual move from one community to another, he or she has to change in order to adapt to the new community. There is no community that satisfies all need at a time. Therefore, when one is a member of a certain community, he or she has to accept all the challenges that come with the community. A community is just like a person whose identity can change depending on the environment and members culture.

 The greatest form of community one can have is family. Family always stick by one's side no matter the situation. When lonely one can always call or chat with the family online (134). A family does not leave you alone in needy moments and they truly celebrate your success. Different communities affect one’s daily life differently. A family gives an individual moral support and is always available in case of anything. Family affects one’s sense of self by making one have a family orientation. It helps is appreciating family values and looking up to having a family in the future. A person also learns that family is the most important thing.

Within a community, there are always some assumptions that are put in place in order to keep the members together. There is an assumption that the beliefs of a local community can change. The individuals that were born in that community are the ones to make that change. The assumption is true because it is only the residents by birth that knows what takes place in the community and the changes that can be made to enhance development. Another assumption according to Catherine is that the level of a community’s prosperity is equal to the residents wants. This means that the more the residents are willing to build their community through hard work, the more it develops. Another assumption is that eating together tightens the bond between community members. According to American culture, eating together at dinner helps the family bond. During dinner, all family members gather together to take their meal. In the early times, Americans could not dine together due to lack enough tables and chairs (168). Other family members could stand during meals due to a few chairs or they would wait till others are done so that they can use the seats. Griffin notes the changing behavior of family during the dinning time in the colonial era and the 21st century (168). From the 19th century onwards, the dining space became bigger and could accommodate every family member. This clearly shows that it is in the American culture to value family. A family should always eat together as a sign of love and care.

Cultural assumptions are held by people who strongly believe in their culture and traditions. There are individuals who appreciate the culture and would do everything within their power to make sure that the cultural values do not fade away. They do this by making stereotypes on cultures so that people follow these cultures. The assumptions serve the purpose of bringing people living within a community together. Assumptions also bring equality among residents and make them live together peacefully. Assumptions are not harmful but helpful because they bring people to the same level of thinking and hence they co-exist in harmony. In addition, assumptions help governs a community by acting as rules that the residents have to follow. Both online and ground communities adhere to the assumption by creating a platform where all members of the community interact and help each other in case of any difficulty.

Another assumption is that a community gives its members a sense of stability. The members have a set of traditions and behaviors that they follow. These traditions include religious practices and national holidays that the members of the community celebrate. Standard of behaviors is what is considered normal by the community residents. These behaviors include the mode of greetings whereby members can use a handshake. Also, behaviors can include dressing code whereby only a certain type of dressing is accepted. The traditions help the community bond and stay together. In the ancient ages, the traditions helped in bringing uniformity within a community. None the less, traditions still hold uniformity in the current age. For example, Christians celebrate Christmas and Muslims also have their holidays which they celebrate. Weddings and funerals also portray how communities practice traditions. The limitation of this community stability assumption is that no one notices how it affects the health of the community. In addition, the effort of a community to maintain uniformity affects an individual. An individual is affected since he or she has to sacrifice on the personal desires in order to satisfy the community.

There is also an assumption that a community serves its members needs by fulling their desires and supporting them to lead a better life. When members suffer, the community will come to offer help. For instance, when a building catches fire, the fire department will come and put it off. When someone is sick, he or she is taken to the communal hospital for treatment. Also, when an individual is depressed, there is a psychiatrist who will offer therapy for that particular person. When a person gets help, the whole community benefits. This is because a member who is in good health condition is also able to help others.

The last assumption is that a community accepts its members the way they are. It provides members with an environment where they can share their ideas and interests without being judged. Members are accepted without changing their life perspectives. The purpose of this assumption is to serve individuals and make them have a sense of belonging. The limitation to the assumption is that one can always move from one community to another that is of his or her interest. By changing communities, one loses the possibility of having a sustained relationship with others.

To conclude, an online community is dominant over the ground community. This is because most people are busy and do not have time to have physical friends. If an individual gets free time, he or she prefers to go online and chat with friends. Both the communities have disadvantages and advantages over each other. Since people have different preferences, one can always choose to be involved in either ground or online community. The introverts can meet new people online and interact to kill boredom. Similarly, the extrovert can also meet new people in streets or even schools and make friendship. There are also assumptions and principles within the communities which help bring equalities among residents.

Works Cited

Dinaw Mengestu, “Home at Last.’’ Remix: Reading & Composing Culture, by Catherine G.

Kat Ascharya, “What Facebook Is Doing to Your Brain is Kind of Shocking.” Remix: Reading & Composing Culture, by Catherine G.

Latterell, third ed., Bedford/St. Martin's, 2017, pp. 123-128.

Latterell, third ed., Bedford/St. Martin's, 2017, pp. 131-137.

Latterell, Catherine G. Remix: Reading & Composing Culture. Third ed., Bedford/St. Martin's, 2017, pp. 168-170.

Mackensie Griffin, “No Place for Discontent”: A History of the Family Dinner in America.” Remix: Reading & Composing Culture.