Community = Proximity or Affinity or Both

What makes a community? Is it a close proximity of individuals? Is it the shared affinity for a niche topic? Or is it both?

In my experience, community can be based on both proximity and affinity, individually. And community can be based on both proximity and affinity together. But is there a difference in community strength one way or another?

What Are You Talking About?

I watched Tiffany Shlain speak today on the interconnectedness of humanity, at Louisville’s Idea Festival, and it stirred up some thoughts that I put together a couple months ago. During a strategy discussion meeting for a certain project at work, I stated that communities either form by proximity or by affinity or both. Here’s what I mean by that:

proximity If I am physically close to you and we have general characteristics and likes in common, then it may be pleasurable for me to be social with you.

affinity If I like a certain niche topic and I have certain specialized knowledge around it, then it may be pleasurable for me to find other people with the same or similar affinity and knowledge to the niche topic, and be social with them.

both If I am physically close to you and you like a certain niche topic that I also like, then it may be pleasurable for me to be social with you.

Which Is Best?

Is any one of these types of communities better than the other? I’d really like to understand your point of view on the subject. Please let me know in the comments below.