As we discuss participation in virtual communities, it is important to recognize that similar to the physical world, individuals are often members of many different groups. People are often members of a number of different social networks, each based on different types of relationships and perhaps different communication media.
People participate in different groups to fulfill various needs and goals.
The online world is no exception to this factioning. It may be helpful to imagine the online world as you do the real world, as they are similarly structured. The online landscape is a tapestry of virtual cities, towns, and villages. The author of the previous quote hypothesizes that it may be human nature to gather and interact in small groups. The concept of a global community comes from the fact that the Internet is like a vast, global interstate highway system, but forgets that, even though we have the ability to travel from one city to another, we still have the human need to carve out one small place to call home.