Difference Between Society and Community

Introduction

A community is made up of people who live together, but in society, many people reside in one area. These are only a few examples of the contrasts between a community and society. Even after this, we are aware that these two terms share a number of characteristics, which causes us to frequently misunderstand them. Because the distinctions between the terms are so slight, comprehension is made more challenging.

It is an obvious and frequently heard statement that human beings are social animals. We always crave to fulfill our basic needs, for which we are dependent on others. But a community, as it is known, is an interdependent system. They are an externally organized group. Also, community and society don't have their aspects static. Both community and society provide a holistic platform for people to exchange their ideas, experiences, and thoughts. It helps to develop society. So there are a lot of such distinctions, which we are going to discuss in the article.

Society vs Community

Our world is full of different kinds of people, and they possess different beliefs.

People are also different by their community, nationality, etc. Various disputes are caused in the world because of the different beliefs of different societies. Apart from this, various other beliefs dominate. We know that people with the same beliefs always live together and share views on different topics.

Well, we should understand the contrasting points between these two. In our world, the same type of people who have common interests come forward and create their society. A community can be defined as people coming together and following a structure in a society that is social.

Difference between society and community in tabular form

Parameters of comparison	Society	Community
Meaning	A society is defined as when a group of people who share the same cultural values, opinions, society, etc. come together and form one.	Whereas a "community" is said to be a group of people who live in a particular social structure.
Heterogeneous vs. homogeneous	Society exists as a heterogeneous place where there is diversity among its members.	A community is said to be a homogenous place, and there is little or no diversity among the members
Existence	Society exists as a physical place.	A community can be said to exist as a virtual place.
Interactions	In society, interaction and communication play an important role. Social relationships in society are built through interaction and communication.	Communication in the community is involuntary. So it doesn't necessarily require interactions.
Prevails in	Society is a bit broader and exists in both human beings and animals.	It is a bit narrow in comparison with society and exists only among humans.
Diversity	As observed, there are diverse and very common interests present in society, which makes it different from a community.	There is a particularity, or we can say that specific interests prevail in a community.
Geographical area	Society is not confined to any particular geographical territory or area by its nature	A community is confined to a particular territory or geographical area.
Sentiment	Society doesn't exist in the presence of sentiments.	In the community, there are strong sentiments.
Scope	Society is wide in scope because it involves various small communities.	The community, in comparison to society, is small.
Interest	People in society generally do not have common goals, interests, perceptions, or opinions.	People in a community have common goals, interests, perceptions, and opinions that are in the people.

What is a society?

When a large number of people gather and come together in any particular region and live in harmony and in a social way, then it is called a society. When people live in a common society, various changes around them help them stay in touch. Just like a community, a society also exchanges information, as is done in a community.

Along with other characteristics, society creates a diverse and ethnic place where people from different communities and backgrounds live together. A society never stresses harmonization. An individual in society has the liberty to do whatever they want.

Society has the characteristics of a formal association of a large number of people having similar interests. People in society are connected through long-lasting and persistent relationships. They also share the same geographical territory. People have their norms and values, but a society consists of like-minded people.

They are joined with one another by a strong relationship, or they have similar virtual territories amongst them. It depicts the condition of social relationships between individuals who possess different cultures. It includes like-minded individuals who possess their values and norms.

Basic characteristics of a society

The various characteristics that will help to understand the concept of society are.

• Dependent on one another: Those who are part of a society depend on one another. They are dependent on the free flow of daily necessities. The members of a society are plumbers, carpenters, sweepers, cobblers, etc. They all perform their tasks, and one person cannot facilitate a society on its own.
• Abstract: It explains that social relationships among people can only be felt by the members, i.e., that they are intangible and individuals can only feel them but not touch them. So society is an association of people.
• Groups of groups: This is an important characteristic that people in society have: that they come together to form a group. These groups together form a society. A society entails families, villages, neighbors, political parties, etc.
• Distinctions: Along with the various similarities, there exist some sort of pre-existing differences among the individuals of society in aspects of their interests, ability, talent, intelligence, etc. This is the reason we get to see advocates, lawyers, etc., working.
• Cooperation and the Division of Labour: Various elements are necessary for the growth of civilization and culture in a society. The division in society depends on the interests of an individual, their ability, age, and efficiency in performing various tasks.

Similarities -

The members of society encompass different ideas and values, but they also share some similarities in their work, ideals, needs, etc. This helps to develop coordination among the members and helps them live peacefully. Without likeness, the existence of society is not possible.

What is a community?

A community involves a comprehensive way of life. It is a system where members of various groups come together to live in an area so that they can share the essential conditions of life. The word "community" is derived from the Latin word "communitas," and it has a specific meaning that is to share in common, also in public spirit. That is why a community is defined as a group of persons who live together in the same place or have specific characteristics in common. In simple terms, a social group known as a" community" is created grounded on the common features and characteristics among the members having analogous interests. Hence, there does not live any different diversity. The common characteristics then include estate, age, language, family, profession, etc. So unity is a core element that exists in a community.

It is a network of people arranged to achieve the goal of helping one another. Individuals in a community develop social ties with one another. That's why the personal identity of an individual becomes an identity of the community.

The community also consists of one unique element called a "virtual community." The formation of any virtual community is done through online interaction. It may sound unique and surprising at the same time, but such societies also exist in the world. The members of such societies usually share information among themselves to fulfill a particular aim.

Basic characteristics of a community

Various characteristics of a community which will help to understand the concept of community are

• Sentiment: In a community, community sentiments are present in people's minds. Instead of "I," they feel "we." This is because when people live in an area for a long time, it is obvious that sentiments get developed among the members. So community members possess strong feelings toward their community.
• The neutrality of community: community is not deliberately existing. It is formed naturally. It is neither out of the scope of any government act nor does it work according to an individual's wish. So it originated spontaneously in the world.
• Longevity: A community is said to be an everlasting group of people in a particular geographical area. It is not a temporary group but one that is permanent.
• Likeness: It is evident that community members have a lot of things in common. They live together and have a similar lifestyle and common ends. Moreover, they share similar traditions, languages, cultures, and sometimes ideologies too.
• Size of a community: There is no specific size for a community. Also, it has no specific size. A society could be big or small in size. As per this, a village can have a small community, whereas a city may have a large community in itself.
• no legal status: As per this a community is not an existing unit and doesn't have legal status. Therefore, it doesn't exist in the eye of the law and does not possess any rights or duties there.

Difference between society and community (in points)

Differences in society and community exists.

• A society is more into the organization of people by its nature, whereas a community has common sentiments. Without this, a community cannot exist in the world.
• A society is not limited to a particular locality or geographical boundary. On the other hand, a community is associated with a locality.
• People are aware of social life, lifestyles, and the various purposes of life in a society. They are interested out of sentiment. Conversely, people are less or are not aware of the purpose of life and lifestyle in a community. They also lack sentiments.
• The meaning of "society" is explained as when a large group of individuals with similar values, society, opinions, etc. come together and form a society. A community is also a group of people, but who live within a particular social structure.
• A community is a concrete structure because it exists in a physical state and can be realized, but a society can only be realized because it exists only in the minds of the people.
• There is diversity in the society members. So it is a homogeneous place, which is truly different from a community, A community consists no diversity among its members and is homogeneous.
• The scope of a society is also wider, and it is because it includes a lot of various small communities working under it. The community, when compared with a society, it comes out small
• Society encompasses a range of diverse opinions, objectives, passions and viewpoints held by its members. But within communities emerges a unique phenomenon where people join forces with shared aspirations and outlooks. The prevalence of similar interests among these individuals bears testament to this ideal.
• Interactions amongst the individuals of a society are a core element, as they specify the connection between a large network of individuals. The interactions among the individuals of a community occur non-voluntarily because they share common sentiments.

Conclusion

In conclusion, society and community are two of the more significant components of the world, which is why they are referred to as connected components. There are many similarities between society and community, which frequently confounds the thoughts of people considering such differences. The topics needed to comprehend the distinction between community and society have all been covered in this article. such as the connection between society and community, the similarity of their ideas, beliefs, aims, goals, and daily activities, among other things. This article includes all such crucial information.

It begins with an brief description to society and community, how it is  different in terms of tabular differences, and then  to a more detailed introduction to society and community. More factors, such as homogeneity, geographical area which they generally cover, and others, can be used to differentiate society and community, and this is covered in the article as well. In easy terms, we hope helped you to comprehend the difference between society and community.