The traditional definition of community has changed as 58 per cent of people agree that the days of sharing a cuppa over the garden fence is gradually being replaced by a new sense of online community spirit, a recent survey from LG has revealed.

The research shows that there is a clear shift from how local communities were developed in the past as we are no longer bound by a postcode which the traditional approach to society suggested. It seems that these new, more flexible communities which don’t require you to travel to meet are thriving through the use of social networking and forming new online communities.

John Barton, sales and marketing director LG Mobile UK & Ireland on some of the conclusions of the research:

“Being part of a community is important in maintaining emotional wellbeing, and having a supportive group of friends and family around you helps give you those life’s good moments – and this research clearly supports this.  People are still looking for a ‘group’ to belong to and talk with, but the perception of a community has changed as people look beyond their local street to find new relationships.”

“People are forming online communities, fitting with their demanding lifestyle and busy schedule – and the advent of social networking on mobile phones has made this even more popular and accessible.”

In conjunction with this research, LG have brought together all of their social networking optimised devices under a new name: the LG InTouch Series. The LG InTouch Series allows users to access all communication methods which makes connecting to a community and expanding your social life a cinch. These include favourite social networking sites such as Facebook or MySpace, emails both personal and business, or SMS and IM.

Handsets in the InTouch Series include the LG InTouch KS360, LG InTouch Lite GW300, LG InTouch Plus GW520 and the much anticipated LG InTouch Max GW620 which will become available early in 2010 with further details to be announced.