JIT_V1_N4_A1 Udo Richard Averweg Marcus Leaning Journal on Information Technology 2277-5250 1 4 1 12 Community, Social Media, Virtual Community, Virtual Identity In this article we examine the concepts of community, virtual community and virtual identity and consider if they have any continued relevancy as analytic terms in relation to social media. Firstly, we trace the origins of the term ‘community’ and contextualize its interpretation arguing that the term has political overtones. We then consider the notion of ‘virtual communities’ and suggest a working definition for this term. Thereafter we consider virtual identities. Finally, we contend that while the categories are deeply rooted in a particular understanding of communication, community and identity they do offer some very useful terms of analysis for social media. September - November 2012 Copyright © 2012 i-manager publications. All rights reserved. i-manager Publications http://www.imanagerpublications.com/Article.aspx?ArticleId=2012