Boundaries are important because they form part of a person or group identity. They help to define an individual, protect them physically and emotionally, support them socially through relationships formation and economically through resources access. The boundaries are strictly regulated to ensure that only the relevant people gain access to them, as well as to secure beneficial engagements and ensure cohesion. Despite there being numerous types of boundaries among individuals, groups, cultures, and countries, they are all based on the interpersonal connections that involve the relationship and connection between one person and the other. Every individual walks around in a protective shield that any else has to be granted access to connect with the person. People also adjust their restrictions to conform to their new situation. Online boundaries are set on the basis of privacy, interactions, networking and territorial controls, and are cross-border, more flexible, and easily controlled by the user which on the basis of buy pre-written articles.
Types of Online Boundaries
The Internet affects different factors of human interaction, and thus, it influences the formation and maintenance of online boundaries. The boundaries are determined by disclosure, relationships, interactions, network, and territorial restrictions. The online boundaries have a territorial characteristic in that the usage can be confined to a specific geographical region. The categorization involves the use of places, objects or connotations to signify ownership or affiliation. The strategy is used in consumer products to make them appeal to target a particular consumer segment. Social networks also strive to give users a personalized experience through the provision of localized services. The strategy allows them to attract people with the same characteristics or needs. The territorial boundaries can be observed in Facebook Groups or the News Feed that features regional content. Therefore, the usage is strictly for people from the specific region.
The Internet also allows for the formation of ideological and cultural boundaries. The strategy is possible through the ability to converge people with the same ideas. The users generate and experience common cultural practices. The approach is evidenced by (Xiao and Stanyer when exploring the formation of the Punk community in China. The group made of lovers of the punk music and passionate of freedom and good governance have organized online communities including the Punk forum created in 2006, and the Punk is Not Dead 2009 group both on Baidu. The communities converge in online chat rooms and discussion forums to share their ideas of the trend. The groups mainly composed of young people in their 20s were open to join, and had moderators that could sanction and ban unruly members. The opportunity presented by technology helps to break the physical barriers and helps the members to further their movement, values, and beliefs. Amazingly, there were observed differences in practice between the two groups shaped primarily by which group one followed. The Punk group was mainly focused on socializing and familiarizing with each other, while the Punk is Not Dead members mostly shared the genre’s music resources and philosophies. The latter was also formed when some members felt that the former failed to achieve its intended function. Therefore, the Internet can converge people on the basis of their ideas and principles.
The Internet enables the formation of online disclosure boundaries to protect private information. Resulting from the rising concerns that third parties could access critical information about an individual from their profiles and use it maliciously, providers introduced privacy settings. The users could use them to determine who accesses what from their pages. Some sites like Facebook goes further to allow an interested individual to directly request for access from the person they want to know more about. Therefore, the user is given the direct ability to control their privacy. However, there are still concerns about the violation of confidentiality mainly at the high levels of the company and governments. They are accused of using advanced tools to mine data about users and use it to influence them.
Differences with Physical Boundaries
The types of online boundaries correspond to their physical counterparts, the only difference being that former are not restricted by space. They all involve the interaction between people and the control mechanisms utilized to determine who to relate with. Another difference is that while both experience conflicts, the online boundaries experience them in a higher frequency. The e-disagreements mainly result from differing opinions about issues, may be due to the diversity of the individuals involves. It involves the collision of views and ideas. As a result, there are also reported numerous cases of lawlessness including online threats, use of abusive language, trolling, spam, “flame wars,” unwanted sexual advances, lover spats, harassment, and harassment. The conflicts result from some rogue factions seeking to dominate and insult the integrity and autonomy of others.
Online Freedom
The Internet is an information hub and a massive network that allows people to access and exchange knowledge from anywhere around the world. The medium liberalized information from the tight control of specific players like governments and the media. In the current Web 2.0 dominated environment, everyone can create content and share it with others. The system creates networks of social interaction and collaboration between individuals and groups. The formations are tightly controlled and regulated to uphold the cohesion and integrity of the group. It ensures that those paired have common interests and principles, which helps to minimize disagreements and conflicts.
The Internet has revolutionized networking by allowing people to non-restrictively interact. Therefore, it has redefined and stretched boundaries by making them cross-border. One of the critical characteristics of the online activity is the practice of hyperfriending which involves the creation of multiple connections within a short period with people in the same network. However, most of the connection is only virtual and not in real life. Among most social media users, only less than 25% of the ‘friends’ are physically connected, which could reflect true friendships. Nevertheless, people extensively share information and develop communities of influence. Such groups centered on issues or a social site like Instagram and Facebook mark new boundaries that traverse geographical categorization.
Another character that identifies the online boundaries is the ability to determine who to connect with, which forms parts of the relationship and interactional boundaries. The sites present the opportunity to interlink such as through friend request on Facebook and follow on Instagram and Twitter, and also allow the other user to accept or decline. If a friend or e-community member violates the agreement after acceptance, the aggrieved party can unfriend, block, or disable comments to bar such individuals from accessing the social network to spread hate. Therefore, the ability to control the circle of friends is with the users.
Online Interaction Trends
The Internet and mainly social networks have transformed the way people relate and interact with each other. Statistics have shown that Americans spend an average of 25% of their time online, mainly social networking. They use the time to identify people with common interests and digitally approach them. Thus, the Internet determines who we network with. The interaction is regulated by specific and strict guidelines that help the users to decide who they befriend and admit into their circles. The close control also allows the user to adjust their requirements promptly as well as to join and leave groups if they represent or do not reflect their identity.
The social sites support groups/communities with administrators and regulations. The groups could be open for all, or they could be closed so that membership is pre-approved. They could also involve entire social networks like Facebook, which forms the largest and most diverse community in the world with more than 2 billion subscribers, to specific groups in the site formed around issues or people like celebrities and leaders. In both cases, the group is maintained by special interests such as common topics or activities, and there is active enforcement of order. As there is punishment and retribution in real society, so is also in the virtual groups where offenders are suspended or removed from the network. The capacity allows users to determine who they want to be friends with and connect.
Humans are social beings and thrive by relating and interacting with other people. However, to counter the risks they elect barriers to guide their privacy and integrity, their networks, interactions, and territory. The Internet affects all the boundaries through its capacity to bring people together and control the way that they interact. Social media sites, in particular, have buttons to request or decline friendship, and also have privacy settings to control who including friends, acquaintances, or the public can access information about the user. The restrictions ensure connection to only like-minded and genuine people, and to keep malicious people off. However, there are still widespread conflicts due to weaker regulations and greater diversity. Therefore, more control is necessary to help secure the individual and support their well-being.
