Virtual communities, virtual lives, and other virtual platforms are said to fulfill human needs. People have always sought the company of other human beings and congregate together for mutual causes or needs which had to do with their real lives, with their survival. Survival is not only about living in the wild and battling against the elements. Urban life has also created a need for humans to work together towards maintaining their mutual urban environment, hence we have organised waste management, water supply etc. People live in physical communities that enable the creation of mechanisms that sustain life and support their social needs as well as survival needs. However, physical communities are restricted to the people living in a specific locality. The virtual opens up the opportunity to go beyond and explore interactions with people which we would have probably never met in real life. This is not only exciting it also has the potential to enrich our lives, but this is also the turning point that differentiates virtual from real life. The key difference between the two is the purpose and motivation driving each life format.
Real life communities congregate around issues that are of mutual interest to the individuals comprising them, but they are also issues that require collaboration in order to support both the individuals and the system sustaining them.
Virtual environments on the other hand are not in the business of sustaining physical needs, and therefore can concentrate on issues which do not necessarily require the resources of a whole community, in other words, virtual spaces can indulge in catering for the needs of individuals.
Catering for mutual interests seems to be the interest of both real and virtual communities; however, the purpose, necessity, and motivation for fulfilling these interests are different. The virtual can afford to be primarily individual centred, catering for the interests and needs of individuals, rather than supporting a mutual system that supports each other. The virtual rarely creates interdependent relations. The real world communities are about making sure that interdependent relations are supported so that they will fulfil the needs of its members and at the same time maintain its stability as a social system that is in place so that it can provide support and resources.
The difference between the two raises questions of loyalty, and commitment to others, and about social responsibility.
Living in the virtual may have an impact on how we relate to real life situations and personal relationships, perceptions of collegiality, commitment, and interdependency.
These in turn will have an impact on our perceptions of belonging.
In summary the fact that more people today are spending considerable parts of their life in virtual worlds raises questions about the structure of our real- life social systems, and their sustainability. If life in the virtual alters our perceptions of what is needed in order to sustain real life, how will we cope?
Will life in the virtual hinder our ability to cope with the interdependencies of sustaining life in the physical? Will life in the virtual hinder our ability to sustain long-lasting personal relationships?
