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Discourse Communities: The Basics

A discourse community is a sociological concept, where people who share similar sets of discourses come together. This means, to some extent, these people view the world in a similar manner. To be more exact, these people indulge in communication, either in written or spoken manner, on topics which are of common interest to them.

To understand this more clearly, let us take an example. People who are fans of the series 'Lord of the Rings' would form a discourse community. They have a common topic of discussion, and a person who has never read the books would not be able to understand much of their conversations. For better understanding, you can take a look at discourse community essay examples. These essay examples of discourse will help you understand the concept better. 

Discourse communities have certain rules and regulations and participants are expected to follow them. While some communities are casual, some are formal, and need official memberships, like a library. 

Benefits of Discourse Communities

Discourse communities are a good place to develop social skills for a student. Education seeks to make a child ready for the adult world, and one of the ways to ensure that is working on their social skills. Children are highly individualistic, but when they go to their school, and further, to a college or a university, they are gradually learning to work with others. 

These educational institutions bring the children into the society, and try to teach them how to be a good part of the society. So, after a child has graduated, and availed their degree, not only are they intellectually ready to start a career, but also socially developed to do the same.

One of the biggest impact of discourse communities is the fact that they can greatly help a child to develop their communication skills. Communication is not a two-dimensional topic, which students can learn with a lesson or two. It is a skill that gradually develops over time. In the 21st century, communication is the key to everything. Good communicative skills can get you anywhere. 

But Exactly How Beneficial Is All This On The Ground Level? 

Sadly, students are usually kept too busy which renders them unable to be an active part of a discourse community. Research has shown that sociologists generally agree that only 10% people within a discourse community would be active at a given time. And very rarely would you find students in that 10%.

This is because students have to deal with reading their course material, writing their assignments, taking their exam, participating in co-curricular activities, and whatnot. The faculty of the educational institution plays an important role in encouraging or discouraging students about discourse communities. Sometimes, students are heavily discouraged from speaking their minds, which hampers them in the long run. 

But thanks to modern tech, discourse communities are erupting online, and students are taking an active interest. Social media apps like Instagram and Reddit have greatly contributed to formation of discourse communities where majority participants are students. For example, a fanclub for a particular young adult writer, is nothing but a discourse community.

Conclusion

To present a summary of all that has been stated above, it would be the best to say that discourse communities are a part of society, and people are a part of these communities. Discourse communities are mostly based on the personal interests of a person, so they are naturally interested in the happenings of these communities. As a student, it is important that you try to be an active part of these communities, because it helps you in improving your communication skills, which will only result in benefits for your future.