ABSTRACT
Philosophers as far back as Aristotle have realized that individuals who do not partake of society or belong to groups are simply not human. Indeed, groups are a fact of human life. Each of us is born into a family within a social and cultural setting. At school, we study as part of a class. At work, we form work groups. We voluntarily join groups of one sort or another, such as sports teams, social clubs, unions, and political parties, based on shared occupations, beliefs, and interests. Groups impact our lives in both obvious and subtle ways by influencing how we behave, how we think of ourselves, and how others think of us, while connecting us to larger social aggregates. Several decades ago, Mills (1967) estimated that an average individual belonged to five or six groups at any given time. With the opportunities provided by Internet technology to join and leave virtual communities, the number is surely much larger now.
