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I've always felt that calling online forums "communities" was wishful thinking on the part of forum participants looking for a sense of belonging. Hacker News a

I've always felt that calling online forums "communities" was wishful thinking on the part of forum participants looking for a sense of belonging. Hacker News and nerdfighters, to use examples you posted, never felt like communities to me, just people coming together to talk about things they all liked, organizing around hobbies and interests. A group of friends does not make a community. I think physical proximity is an absolute requirement for a community. Students in college inevitably form communities. They come together to help each other. Online forums like reddit more often drive people apart than join people together.

pjc50 11y ago
> physical proximity is an absolute requirement for a community Quite possibly, but what happens when you move? Labour mobility is an inescapable part of the modern world, as is the desire for young people to move to the "big city". This is particularly bad for inter-generationality. Perhaps that will improve once the long term diversity acceptance values shift has completed.