Virtual Communities

"Virtual communities are a natural response to the hunger for community that has followed the disintegration of traditional communities around the world" (Bell, 2001, p.98).
This quote resembles a case of 'which came first, the chicken or the egg', or a question of origin. Is it because the internet has become so commonplace and influential that our traditional communities have disintegrated? Or is it because traditional communities have fallen apart that we rely on the internet for a response to our need for community?

Thoughts?