Twenty-five or so people, ranging from secondary school students to pensioners with a whole spectrum of people in between, spent a couple of hours sitting at tables of four to six people exploring this question...with tea and cake!
The conversation was hugely enjoyable, having space to think and explore ideas with people we didn't know - the 'rule' was that we should not sit with people we knew.
As to the question, community emerged as somewhat double-edged. Being with people you trust is of course a positive experience, but those same people can together become exclusive and so community gains a sinister power to exclude.
A similar double edge comes with social media, having the ability to drawn together and inform positively, it also has power to deliver bullying and the same risk of exclusivity as a physical community.
There was of course much more, but I hope I have captured the essence.
