Knowing the difference between society and community, especially in urban India, is essential. These are terms that are instrumental in shaping the socio-cultural fabric across major cities such as Mumbai, where vast populations work, stay, and interact with each other. Here is a closer look at these terms and what they stand for.
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Society & Community- Key Aspects Explained
Society is a structured and big group of individuals who share common laws, institutions, cultures, etc. A community, on the other hand, is a more localised and smaller group of people within this society, where they have a stronger sense of belonging and direct engagement with each other, depending on shared interests, geography, etc. The difference between society and community in urban cities like Mumbai, for example, would be the fact that the former is the whole city with a diverse and vast population, while the latter would be individual localities or neighbourhoods.
A community can also be a housing or residential society within the aegis of the broader city (society in this case), where residents share common values and have shared passions/interests as well. This is how the concept of community has diversified to accommodate people of different backgrounds in the same building, housing society, and neighbourhood.
Major Points of Difference
The big difference between society and community can be explained in this way:
| Society | Community |
| More abstract and broad in nature, covering a bigger population | More localised and smaller |
| Less personal and less frequent engagement/interactions | Closer and more frequent interactions among members |
| Lower shared identity and belonging | A higher sense of belonging or shared identity |
| This is the whole city of Mumbai with people from various socio-cultural and economic backgrounds, ethnicities, religions, etc. | It is any particular area in Mumbai where residents have common interests, a community feeling, and a close social network |
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Other Key Things Worth Noting
There are several factors that go into the formation of communities in cities like Mumbai and other urban areas throughout India. These include religion, caste or creed, socio-economic standing, language, and so on. They often lead to cultural and social gaps with the larger society or city as a whole. That is where bridging the gap between the two is a necessity for better future living. There are several new-age concepts, like smart cities and other technologies, that are coming into play nowadays for this purpose.
Societies are steadily embracing smart technology for better management of urban zones, while communities are also using the same innovations for building more connected and stronger local neighbourhoods. This could well be the future of urban lifestyles in India, with both these structures supporting each other while harmoniously coexisting. Big cities can promote and encourage better management of resources while also enabling personal connections among people in communities. Smart technologies like sustainable infrastructure, data-based management of resources, and new-age communication platforms are filling up several gaps and also ensuring higher inclusivity and bonding among individuals in society.