Types Of Communities with definition activities and characteristics

There are many kinds of communities and we can be part of several at the same time, seeking to enrich our lives either professionally or personally. Various types of communities are an important source of social connection that allow us to reinforce values ​​such as trust, empathy, inclusion and mutual care, which is part of any healthy and dynamic society. It is unlikely as a member of a society, to stop interacting and collaborating in groups. Below is a brief description and characteristics of the most common types of community and to which we have surely belonged.

Rural communities

Rural communities are those that are geographically located in the countryside or large areas of undeveloped land, far from cities and with little population density. The rural lifestyle is associated with tranquility and open spaces, free from the hustle and bustle of the crowds of urban life.

To mention what its main characteristics are, the inhabitants of rural areas usually own several acres of land, so the houses are far from each other and apartments and condominiums are not common, as well as other types of multi-family housing. Agriculture is the most common activity carried out in the rural community.

Example

The county of Sutherland in the north of Scotland is an example of a rural community, where there is only one person for every two square kilometers (0.8 square miles), one of the basic characteristics of the rural community.

In the United States, for example; rural areas occupy about 98 percent of the country, but are home to only 25 percent of the population. By contrast in Ethiopia, a less developed country where agricultural jobs are much more common, 87 percent of people live in rural areas.

urban communities

Urban communities are synonymous with cities, which are often densely populated centers of commerce and fast-paced lifestyles. They typically lack large open spaces, green areas, and land is scarce and expensive, so homes and condos sit close together. According to the description and characteristics of the types of community, the urban includes towns, cities and suburbs.

In the urban area multiple properties; single-family houses as well as multi-story apartment buildings are built close to each other; and in some cases with great differences in terms of luxury and image, in others in commercial areas surrounded by businesses, which is the main urban economic activity, which is a physical characteristic of my community.

Example

Urban areas are called metropolitan areas or big blocks, as in the case of Greater New York or Greater London. And when two or more metropolitan areas grow to merge, they are known as megacities. In the United States, for example, the urban area of ​​Boston, Massachusetts extended as far south as Washington, DC, creating the megalopolis of BosWash, or the Northeast Corridor.

biological communities

The biological community deals with a diverse group of species that interact in the same space. The structure of a biological community is determined by the number of species, the number of species per category, and the interaction between them throughout the food chain, giving community meaning to this science.

They are components of the biological community in a first link, the so-called producers, that is, the photosynthetic plants that convert the sun’s energy into nutrients for other organisms; these plants are eaten by herbivores and herbivores are eaten by carnivores which are eaten by higher carnivores. The food chain closes when the last group dies and is attacked by various bacteria and fungi, which break down dead organic matter and thus release essential nutrients into the environment.

Example

A forest of trees and weedy plants, inhabited by animals and rooted in soil containing bacteria and fungi constitutes what is meant by biological community.

scientific communities

Scientific communities are made up of scientists working in a particular field of science and within particular institutions; that promote interdisciplinary and inter-institutional activities for the interaction of knowledge and the scope of important achievements.

In addition to the traditional publication of research projects, discussions in conferences are characteristic of the scientific community; face-to-face seminars or through social networks or blog posts; and the organization of workshops, allow the exchange, debate and dissemination of ideas.

Example

Scientific societies can be of a general nature, as in the case of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, or specific to a specific field, such as the Modern Language Association, or specific to a specific area of ​​study, such as the Royal Entomological Society. . Three clear examples of this community and its characteristics.

Virtual communities

Virtual communities are made up of groups of people who may or may not meet in person, to exchange words and proposals through digital networks, which facilitate a wide variety of online human social activities. The term virtual community first found its way into writing in 1986 with artists Kit Galloway and Sherrie Rabinowitz’s Electronic Coffee project, which connected five Los Angeles food outlets and an art museum via a live video link. .

Today people meet, play, talk, socialize, do business and organize collective actions through the use of instant messages; videos and blogs; social networking services; photo and media sharing communities; online games; and virtual worlds.

Example

Virtual worlds are the most interactive format of virtual community or virtual reality community images, as participants are connected to live in avatar form in a computer-based world. Users create their character according to their preferences in clothing and home decoration and direct the life of their avatar as well as their relationships with other avatars in the three-dimensional world. There is no goal for the participants, it only offers subscribers the opportunity to create a fantasy life in the virtual realm.

educational communities

School communities are made up of individuals, groups, companies, and institutions that are dedicated to teaching, whether in public or private schools, institutions, organizations, and organized neighborhoods. In general, the term encompasses school administrators, teachers, and staff members who work in a school; to students attending school; to their parents and families; and extensively to local residents and city officials.

Said community is formed in order to work actively in favor of school culture, collective investment, strengthening relationships between teachers and students and institutions, promoting inclusion, social contribution, research, changes in my community for children and the promotion of talents to the labor market, as well as a wide list of topics.

Example

Texas Alliance Schools emerged in 1991 focused on restructuring relationships among the community, parents, teachers, administrators, students, business leaders, and public officials. State test scores at 144 Alliance schools were compared with non-Alliance schools; in 2000 and found that pass rates improved by more than double the state rate for math, reading, writing, and general. Economically disadvantaged students saw even better results.

religious communities

Religious communities are groups of people with common religious beliefs, habits and practices, and ideologies. The term is frequently used as a synonym for orders, residential religious groups, congregations, churches, synagogues, missions, it does not refer only to the spaces where religious ritual is carried out or organizational entities of religious life. Three main meanings should be considered:

• Religious communities such as religious orders or societies which are generally based on a long history of monastic life; who share a common life based on public votes. Especially common within Roman Catholicism, Episcopalianism, and Anglicanism.
• Intentional religious communities, called religious communes, settler groups, or religious cohousing, are groups of people with similar attitudes, goals, viewpoints, and worldviews.
• The denominations, congregations, churches, parishes, synagogues or missions, groups to which I belong for catechist children, identified as communities and contemplate the diversity of religious organizations without privileging any form of organization.

Example

The New Religious Movements that have developed since the 19th century are an example that reflect characteristics and changes in my community, these groups often recruit members more aggressively than older religious movements. These movements support the so-called Millennialism, which is the belief that the world will soon change drastically due to imminent salvation or spiritual change. Some millennial groups have resulted in cult formation.

utopian communities

Utopian communities are those with ideal social traits, therefore they are desired communities; However, the main timbre of the definition of utopian characteristics is that they are not real communities, they have not existed. The word utopia was invented by Thomas More in Greek and means ‘no place’. Groups of people have tried to create utopias in the past but have all failed to date. The following advantages are characteristic of a utopian community:

• The government ensures the safety and well-being of all people in a peaceful manner and is controlled by its members, or society does not require government institutions.
• All members of society are treated equally with respect and dignity while respecting the individuality of each member, which is an exemplary social community.
• All members of society live without fear of internal threats, such as crime, or external threats, such as war.
• All members of society are financially secure, allowing them to do the work and life they want to do.
• The economic system provides for everyone in an ecologically sustainable way.
• Society encourages and supports the search for knowledge and innovation.

Example

The ideal of the utopian was propelled after the eighteenth century, in search of the economic utopia that developed commercialism and capitalism, which was later integrated into the ideas of socialism. Some of the work of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels was directed at the illusion of a self-sufficient utopian economy.

voluntary communities

Also called service or volunteer communities, these are groups of people who carry out unpaid activities, in which someone gives their time to help an organization or person with whom they are not related, causing a positive impact on society. . Community volunteering is helping people so that they can help themselves, part of the concept of community in social work.

There are many forms of contribution or action by a community of volunteers, for example building classrooms, helping with environmental awareness projects, how is my community where I live, teaching and coaching sports, there are always needs that can be met if you feel like it. Help others and have an open and proactive mentality.

Example

Local food banks carry out permanent food collections to send them to economically disadvantaged people and those in a special situation due to illness, old age or disability. For example, the Delaware Food Bank provides a food drive organizing kit, a list of the most wanted foods, which are given to people interested in giving their contribution. In many cities around the world, these types of voluntary help communities work and almost always close to where my community is located.

brand communities

Brand communities arise from relationships between customers or consumers of a product, they are groups of people who identify with a brand and develop relationships among themselves around their appreciation or liking for it.

A description of the community is that it is made up of clients who invest in a brand beyond what is sold, that is, the investment is not only monetary, but also time and interest and no matter how they are formed, the purpose of these connections is to build relationships and increase brand loyalty.

Example

The Sony company’s Playstation community celebrated a fruitful job by creating an online space for gamers to connect, where users share common interests related to the game. The network meets the needs for feedback, promotion and support. This community and different community types are connected to Playstation’s linked social media channels, on YouTube and Twitter, and users can also experience both brand and user generated content.

With this list we could see that politics, science and even fantasy can be a reason for the meeting of interests and the formation of different types of communities, which are nothing more than the voluntary and desired meeting of people who share something in common. common. The human habit of forming a tribe is not a novelty, the need for interaction or growth, or the shared passion for a subject has been enough of an excuse to promote the invention of kinds of communities throughout history throughout the planet.