The Evolution of Local Communities in the 21st Century

Community is defined as a group of people living together in the same place and having particular characteristics in common. There’s a feeling of fellowship with others, sharing common attitudes, interests and goals.  But the idea of community is changing — shifting from  Main Street to social media, almost a virtual reality based on reality.  

A socially cohesive society refers to the bonds that brings the community together. It’s based on conditions such as employment, income, health, education, and housing which collectively facilitate good relations between and within communities. On a societal level Prof. Christian Albrekt Larsen defines social cohesion as, “the belief, that citizens share a moral community.” This moral community allows citizens to trust each other.  The perceived trustworthiness of the community is strongly influenced by the level of social inequality.  This is exacerbated by how the poor, the middle class, and the wealthy are represented by mass media.

How has your community changed over the years? Is it all for the better?Join co-hosts Siobhan Kierans and Tom O’Connell when they discuss how communities have evolved since the beginning of the 21st century. Their guests include Irish-American immigrant David O’Sullivan, co-host of Malarkey; Tammey Skinaway, resident leader of Little Earth of the United Tribes community in the Phillips Neighborhood; and community development consultant Brett Buckner.