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Community is a recurring topic in research touching on digital cultures. Yet this notion is not specifically linked to computer-mediated communication. Differences between society and community must be stressed, especially in reference to the works of Tönnies, who describes the former as an instrumental rationality-oriented process and the latter as a self-sufficient experience. Several authors addressing online interactions have highlighted, sometimes in almost mystical terms, the strength of digital togetherness. In this paper, virtual community is embedded in a social and historical context of deep transformations of real-life social cohesion.