How do online communities organise themselves?
"Decisions are made by those who show up." But in an increasingly simulated online world where divisions between the virtual and the physical are slowly being broken down, communities are organising themselves through a network of email, instant messaging, comment posting and blogging, creating a world where there are no boundaries. What Terry Flew argues is that we have reached, or will reach, a point in our lives where the two cannot be easily separated, and that the online world will slowly become embedded in our offline lives.
In an online environment, positions of power are given to those who contribute the most and the best, those that are an active participant in their online fields and communities, regardless of race, colour, creed or location. Conversely, the same can not be said for the real world. Offline communities are generally confined within the boundaries of a physical area, depending on location for association.
What Flew points to as the future is a virtual world where barriers are broken down, and an imperfect meritocracy where those who have the best ideas and those that actually actively contribute to their virtual society will hold the keys to power.
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