Etzioni and Etzioni define a community as a “web of affect-laden relationships that encompasses a group of individuals – relationships that crisscross and reinforce one another, rather than simply a chain of one-on-one relationships…bonding…requires a measure of commitment to a set of shared values, mores, meanings and a shared historical identity – in short, a culture” (Haythornthwaite 128-29). In other words, people need to have a close knit bond or association and have common beliefs and views or understandings; they are bonds with people that we feel are similar to us. The community that I have recently become very much involved with is my sorority, Delta Delta Delta.
Tridelta has many social network qualities, both online and offline. One of the ways that every Tridelt in the nation can stay connected is through the national website, http://www.deltadeltadelta.org/. There are links to other Tridelta chapters, member alumni, philanthropy, news, events, and much more. However, a way for the Cornell chapter to stay connected is not only through the link on the national website, but through one of our Facebook groups (I would post the link but it is a private group); in this group, members are updated about upcoming social events, philanthropy events from both our sorority and other Greek life on campus, news, and much more. We can also respond to events by giving feedback and informing other sisters of other personal events that are important to us, such as a dance performance, club, or philanthropy event not related to the sorority.
Members of my sorority also stay connected through other methods of computer mediated communication, most notably Facebook (not specific group mentioned above), such as writing on walls, posting pictures, and sending messages, and instant messaging. While I know every current member of my sorority, there are definitely strong ties and weak ties within the house. Pictures usually get posted by the same people and I usually write on the same Facebook walls. However, there are certain people that I come into contact with more frequently than others in more types of media. This is known as media multiplexity; “the stronger the tie, the more media used” (Haythornthwaite 128). Although I may see them in person, I still talk to them through instant messaging, text messaging, Facebook, and sometimes even email. I maintain many relations with these particular girls both socially and emotionally. The girls that I have weak ties with are not as weak as described by Haythornthwaite because I see them weekly, but the relational multiplexity is weaker because of we do not engage as much as the girls I have stronger ties with.
While Tridelts stay connected through computer mediated communication, there is also a large offline synergy. Tonnies defines community as “a collective based on strong interpersonal ties, face-to-face interaction, a shared focus and common purpose, language and identity, all largely associated with an ideal of the pastoral village” (Haythornthwaite 122). While most of our interactions take place offline such as in meetings, class, and social events, CMC has a large effect on the way Delta Delta Delta operates. The Tridelta community is not based solely offline or online; we are able to receive information not only through the many Facebook groups, but through emails, the national website, instant messaging and many other forms of media, both lean and rich.
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I like the way that you adjusted the idea of multiplexity because as we are college students, we do interact with our ties, both weak and strong, a lot. You were good at separating the difference between seeing and interacting weekly, vs the person who you contact by phone, email, IM and other mediums multiple times per week, even per day. It is interesting that a lot of these studies are done on college students who interact more often with their ties than almost all other social demographics.
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