He added that for this reason, while MIT is planning to provide virtual classrooms for its students, the students will also be required to come to the campus once in a while-to return to the cave, the real community. Those psychologically inclined might suggest that this one-sided approach reflects an unconscious aim to reassure us that the new Frankenstein we have created will not outsmart us and dominate our real communities. As the recent brouhaha over Deep Blue's chess victory over Gary Kasparov indicates, the computer is still viewed with apprehension by some. We should investigate what real communities can do that virtual communities cannot do, and vise versa. Even with current technical limitations, online communities have several advantages.
Communities can evolve across national borders and time zones.
They can encompass individuals who are home-bound because of illness, age, or handicap. They are safer-a major consideration in many cities. Online discussion groups can accommodate many more individuals than off-line meeting rooms can accommodate. And online communities have much stronger memories than off-line communities in matters ranging from the resolutions passed many town meetings ago to names of the founders of the community. Amitai Etzioni is director of The George Washington University Institute for Communitarian Policy Studies.