‘Clicks’ within Communities

Original photo by Bill Grollz published under CC BY NC (http://www.flickr.com/photos/xxfrogger/3711662240/)

[Just to be clear, the use of the word 'click' instead of 'clique' is intentional in this piece.]

I have recently undergone a sea change: from the big smoke to a small-ish coastal town on the southern NSW coastline. The population is around 2000 and could easily be considered a “community” given the usual definitions of a small group of individuals. My lifestyle change provides an opportunity for ‘real-world’ research, or maybe little ‘r’ research, to coincide with my online community studies. Do the same theories that constitute an online community ring true for an offline community? Much scholarly literature suggest similarities between the on and offline environments (Bonniface 2006; Hebdige 1979; Papadakis 2003; Tönnies 1963) and as such I see an opportunity to test theses theories in my own day-to-day adventures.

Unlike my online worlds, I have moved to this space with no recommendations, no allies, no friends, and basically no idea on how to ‘live’ within this new world. I was starting completely green. The first few months were primarily an observation period to learn the language and how people act within this space. Some of my observations:

• The language is very relaxed and sincere between people
• There are clear age groups – 15-21, 22 – 28, 30 – 40, 41 and over
• Economic groups are obvious – the locals who have inhabited the space for generations and the rich Sydney folk who have recently moved here
• Most of the women wear exercise outfits, everywhere
• Most of the guy look like surfers
• Young families are very prominent
• You do say hello when you pass someone in the street
• You don’t have loud parties without inviting your neighbours

These characteristics are small parts of what can be bundled into the term “local”. Often the first question a local asks is: “You local?” A positive response is almost like being accepted into a secret conversation that follows. Your geography seems to be the first fork in the flowchart – if you tick yes to the first question then proceed to: “in Austi?”. Yes again. Continue…

A small talk conversation seems to build social capital between myself and other ‘locals’. Even though I don’t fit into any of the above categories perfectly, I seem to fit the definition of a “local”. Interestingly enough, and depending on the success of my first contact, the next interaction with the same person can be surprisingly different. If the first encounter was positive, the next seems to develop from that. If not, the next meeting could be uncomfortable for all with awkward interlocking gazes and half acknowledging waves. So what is the difference between the first interaction and the subsequent meetings?

I suggest the level of “localness” is dependant upon the positive satisfaction of emergent community characteristics. I often hear the term “clicky” in regards to locals: “I don’t really talk to them because they are clicky”. A clicky group has a very high level of entry with specific requirements or characteristics. For example, a clicky group may be a certain profession, or of a certain economic success, or have a particular sporting inclination. If the individuals share this common interest, they are welcomed in with open arms to share their knowledge and I guess entertain the existing members. However, these inner cliques are still part of a greater community of participants.

So as I stood waiting for the train this morning, watching the local un-stripped police officer inspect last night’s crime seen (someone tagged a wall – OMG) while locals stood around saying “yeah they’re idiots”, I was reminded of what being local means. I too have found my ‘click’ within my new environment in some musicians and dancers that also made the sea-change transition from Sydney. And although we are all nice people, we too are I guess “clicky”. We all belong to the local Austi community for various reasons, yet we hold a tighter bond in a smaller group because we share specific ideals that other Austi locals don’t. I would argue this phenomenon exists within online communities but is often identified as “super-users” or as more vocal members. Perhaps there are other groups within online communities masquerading as super-users that take all the light (squeaky wheels) when the more important conversations are happening within a more quite room. This observation is useful to bring back to the online environment.