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Planning Theory Practice Essay The creation of a whole new type of community, the `virtual community’, has done much to highlight the potential for communities to form beyond the confines of geographic space (Rheingold, 1993). Technological utopians have found community in cyberspace. Largely anecdotal evidence emphasizes the ability of computer networks to connect people across time and space in strong supportive relationships, blindly extending beyond characteristics of ethnicity, religion or national origin. Guilty of Plagiarism  The creation of a new community, which is called a virtual community, has allowed people to live beyond geographic space. Cyberspace is where technological people have found a sense of community. Computers can connect people across time and space no matter what their characteristics (Hampton, 2002). Not Guilty of Plagiarism Keith Hampton (2002), has coined the term â€Å"virtual community† to refer to a place where people can form social groups â€Å"beyond the confines of geographic space† (p. 228). This â€Å"cyberspace† provides a chance for individuals of varying races and religions to meet and interact via computer. Many technologically savvy people now have a place to meet other without having to physically travel (Hampton, 2002). Not Guilty of Plagiarism. Computers have allowed for people to meet those of other nationalities and cultures worlds away from one another through the computer. The networking capabilities of computers allow for people to build social groups, or communities, in cyberspace rather than in person. An ocean or a mountain will no longer be able to keep these technologically savvy pioneers apart (Hampton, 2002).