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Benefits of Social Gaming

Social gaming is an incredibly popular hobby. It was reported by Pew Internet that 97% of teens in the United States play video games (Lenhart et al., 2008, cited by Kowet, 2014).

With the advancement of technology, gone are the days of a game like pong, where you had a simple controller comprised of one button a joystick,

Source: The Guardian

click here to learn about the success of Pong.

Now games are much more than playing alone in your house and competing only against yourself and the computer, but with games now integrating internet connection and online games, a deeper community has formed around gaming, “creating a distinctive environment characterised by social play (Kowet, 2014).

As explained by Kowet (2014), while both traditional games and online games are intended as a form of entertainment, the difference between traditional video games and online ones is that they are “designed to encourage and facilitate interaction among co-players (Chen et al., 2009, cited by Kowet, 2014).

Not only this, but games are accessed on most devices with an internet connection, ranging from a mobile phone to a Nintendo switch, to an iPad or laptop. I remember the first ever console my family got was a PlayStation2, and we frequently played Scooby doo, Crash Bandicoot and Sing Star. Then a few years later we got a Nintendo Wii where my brothers and I would play games like Mario Kart for hours, and this was also our first ever experience playing online, as we could connect with strangers all around the world and race against them.

Source: Wired

Above is a screenshot from Mario kart game play.

But what does this have to do with forming digital communities you may ask?

Bowman explains that video games tend to have a reputation for being isolating, however there are a few social benefits that “contribute to wellbeing” (Bowman, 2022). This research suggests that online gaming can be great for socialising and “provide a sense of community among players” (Bowman, 2022). The data collected for this report was over the Covid-19 pandemic, so it is very interesting to see that users stated that maintaining social connections was one of their motivations for gaming, and Lewis et. al “found feelings of loneliness deceased as players visited each other’s in-game properties” (Bowman, 2022)

Linked here is a video by the ABC, discussing some of the positive effects video games can have on children with autism.

I think it is no surprise that video games can help teach children social skills, as each gaming platform has its own conventions or social contracts. I know for myself I find playing games mostly relaxing because I can switch off my brain, and I feel that more research is needed to explore the benefits of social gaming.

Reference:

Kowert, R, Domahidi, E, Festl, R, Quandt, T 2014, ‘Social gaming, lonely life? The impact of digital game play on adolescents’ social circles’, Computers in Human Behavior, vol. 36, pp. 385-390

Bowman N D, Rieger, D, Lin, J 2022, ‘Social video gaming and well-being’, Current Opinion in Psychology vol. 45 pp 385-390.

#social gaming #mario kart #socialisation #well-being

Public health campaigns and communities

Social media is one of the greatest tools we have today, particularly for public health campaigns and the ability to build communities for those who may be affected by health issues. According to Moorhead et. al, “social media brings new dimensions to health care…” (Moorhead et.al 2013). Due to the ‘connected’ nature of online platforms, Moorhead et. al explains how patients, doctors and the public are able to communicate with one another about health issues, which can oftentimes result in “improving health outcome” (Moorhead et. al 2013). The public sphere is defined by Haberman as “mediated political communication” (Habermans, 2006 cited by Bruns & Highfield, 2016), but in the current virtual world, “social media has significantly increased the rate of change within the public sphere” (Bruns & Highfield 2016, pp. 56–73), and therefore the rise of the ‘online health publics’.

#mental heath awareness #online community #mental health awareness #socialmedia #public sphere

Crowdsourcing in times of crisis

Crowdsourcing can be an invaluable tool as has been displayed during crises such as the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster, the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, or even the Colorado Springs wildfires in 2013 (Riccardi, 2016). All of these incidents have shown how crowdsourcing “can be used in support of disaster recovery operations”(Riccardi, 2016), as during these events, members of the public had access to technology such as smartphones or computers where they could report incidents and also communicate with each other and the authorities. The definition that Riccardi used in his article focuses on how digital platforms have “harnessed the power of individuals” (Riccardi, 2016), and how being digitally connected means that ordinary people can band together and support one another (Riccardi, 2016). Similarly, the Merriam Webster dictionary defines crowdsourcing as:

“the practice of obtaining needed services, ideas, or content by soliciting contributions from a large group of people and especially from the online community rather than from traditional employees or suppliers' (Merriam Webster Online 2014).

In the image above is a photograph of the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster. Source: Jennifer Straka

While there are “over 40 different definitions of…”(Riccardi, 2016) crowdsourcing, this blog post will be discussing initiatives that tackled Covid-19.

Image source: FDA

Covid-19 is obviously not a natural disaster however, after experiencing the effects of the virus over the last two years, the same theory of people banding together to show support and creating online platforms to assist with these events can be applied also. As described by Silvia Vermicelli, “ we have witnessed an impressive number of initiatives” (Vermicelli, 2020). Similar to the socially generated maps on the platform ‘Ushahidi’, a platform called ‘COVID Near You’ was developed by Harvard Medical School Researchers and Boston’s Children's Hospital. It allows users to track specific exposure sites. This was developed very early on in the pandemic before government agencies were implementing similar applications, such as here in Australia, where the Victorian government had an interactive map to visualise which areas had the highest number of infections. Since Covid restrictions have been mostly removed in Victoria these web-based tools have been taken off the coronavirus.vic.gov.au website, but I have included images from the ABC news of what these used to look like.

Another similar tool; that was created was the “5 km from home tool”, which was a result of the covid restrictions that required the members of the public to not venture further than 5km, which later increased to greater distances, from their place of residence. This tool was made by ‘OpenStreetMap’, which included map data licensed by GeospaceAustralia, and also allowed users to add their own knowledge so that residents could easily determine how far they were allowed to travel. Click the link below to have a look at this web application that was embedded in an article by the ABC.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-05-27/whats-within-5km-radius-of-your-home-covid19-interative-map/100170392?utm_source=abc_news_web&utm_medium=content_shared&utm_campaign=abc_news_web&utm_content=link

Overall, similar techniques that are used during natural disasters were applied to managing the Covid-19 outbreak, such as online applications that relied on individuals to report specific locations such as exposure sites, or determining precise maps in order for tools such as “5km from home” tools so that the new covid rules were easier to follow. These kinds of initiatives showcase how technology “harnessed the power of individuals” (Riccardi, 2016), and that people from all over the world, and have a dynamic and diverse skill sets “can work together to solve a complex problem” (Riccardi, 2016).

Reference:

OpenStreetMap 2021, Copyright and Licence, OpenStreetMap, viewed 18 May 2022, <https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright>.

Riccardi, M 2016, ‘The power of crowdsourcing in disaster response operations’, International journal of disaster risk reduction, no. 20 vol.1, pp. 123-128.

Vermicelli, S 2020 ‘How can crowdsourcing help tackle the COVID-19 pandemic? An explorative overview of innovative collaborative practices’, R&D management vol. 51, no. 2 pp. 183-194.

#crowdsourcing #covid-19 #crisis #technology

Trolling and social media conflict

When you think of the term trolling what comes to mind?

For me, I imagine internet memes with images or videos that are making fun of someone or something, such as this video making fun of the moment when Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the 2022 Oscars. Thanks to the internet, these digital artefacts can live forever in some iteration, and due to being digital are quickly and easily shared, edited and re-posted continuously. Below is an example of this kind of trolling; however, the more serious end of the spectrum of online culture is trolling and provocation. These include forms of harassment, stalking and the term ‘swatting’.

A more formal definition of trolling is when someone says something nasty, hateful or offensive in order to provoke online conflict. A level of ‘light’ trolling is usually seen as fun, or somewhat of a big joke, there are many instances where it is simply taken too far, and can have negative effects.

#trolling #swatting #h3podcast #meme

Activism and protest- Extremist vegans

In recent years, there has been a large rise in extremist online vegan activism. To be clear, there is absolutely nothing wrong with choosing to be vegan; however, the rhetoric and actions of these particular extremist groups is alarming, “there are many different ways that people can express their support for animals” (Thomas, 2019) however, online platforms have given these groups the ability to mobilise and execute these attacks on small businesses. These groups also are able to build and sustain online communities with those who share similar beliefs, which can fuel the continuation of these actions. Social media platforms such as Facebook allow users to share their alternative and marginal views, but this can make their following appear more powerful as “animal activists have increasingly adopted… direct action protest tactics” (Williams, 2021), whereas in the past they were strictly limited to traditional media outlets, which would not give them enough exposure. These platforms have very few barriers to entry, users only have to adhere to the community guidelines or terms of service on the apps, and otherwise are free to publish and further distribute their content.

I think that these groups are detrimental to the vegan movement as they tend to alienate anyone who is less extreme than themselves, and generally gives “vegans” a bad reputation, which is why it is so commonly used as an insult. The rise of online activism has resulted in not online anonymous verbal attacks, but also has created an environment where people take extreme actions in public to record it and post online.

#veganprotest #extreme #radical vegan #kfc #gippygoatcafe

Politics and Civic Cultures- Twitter and the US 2016 Presidential Election

The growth of social media has changed the way in which politicians campaign in the lead up to elections. The most notable campaign in recent times was the 2016 United States presidential election, where Donald Trump notoriously harnessed Twitter to gain a large following both online, and in a political sense. But before this took off, it's important to reflect on the Obama campaign in 2008, as this was at the time, the largest online campaign and “mobilisation of resources” (Coburn, 2011).

Obama’s website ‘Barakobama.com’ was easy to read, and was also personalised to the individual visitor, which helped to “make them feel a part of the campaign” (Coburn, 2011). By sending what Coburg describes as personalised news and notifications, the party was able to create interactions with the public that ultimately aided in “making the line between social movement and politics blurry.” (Coburn, 2011).

#2016 presidential election #twitter #donald trump #barak obama

Why do we share our travel experiences?

How are our social experiences bound up with social media platforms and their affordances, and how do we make use of them?

Our social experiences are often tied up with the way we use social media platforms and their affordances. When discussing affordances of social media, this refers to the functions and uses that social media has that allow social interactions to take place, such as posting user generated content, commenting on and reacting to each other's posts, private messaging and so on.

An example of this is the way that travelling is shared on social media and the influence this has. The popularity of ‘travel influencers’ has been on the rise for years, with their “engaging and relevant content” (Ulrike, 2018). As Oliveria et.al explains, “the amount of travel information is growing at a dizzying rate” (Oliveria, Araujo & Tam, 2020). Influencer marketing typically works well for brands as the influencers have “”power to affect decisions of others because of their (real or perceived) authority, knowledge, position or relationship”” (Businessdictionary.com, 2017, cited by Ulrike, 2018). This is important, as when we are deciding on a travel destination, usually decisions are “more affected by the opinions of our trusted friends channelled through social media” (Oliveria, Araujo & Tam, 2020).

Another driver to share our travel experiences also stems from a want to educate and inform others, such as giving “advice to avoid using bad products and services” (Oliveria, Araujo & Tam, 2020). This helps to build a sense of community within the travelling content posted on social media, “another motivation is to maintain social contacts and friendships” (Oliveria, Araujo & Tam, 2020). According to Ma and Chan, “creation of strong relationships and cohesive groups is an innate characteristic of humans” (Ma and Chan, 2014, cited by Oliveria, Araujo & Tam, 2020). The affordances of social media platforms allow these social interactions to take place.

While many people participate in these online exchanges, the number of ‘lurkers’ continues to rise also (Oliveria, Araujo & Tam, 2020). ‘Lurkers’ are those who do not actively participate in the social exchange, rather they view it from a distance without sharing it. According to Mousavi, Roper and Keeling, lurkers make up the majority of those on social media. This can be because even though they are not actively participating in the experience, “people often identify socially with groups even when they have no contact with specific members of that group” (Ahearne, Bhattacharya, & Gruen, 2005; Turner, 1982, cited by Mousavi, Roper & Keeling, 2017), therefore it is reasonable that lurkers feel a sense of belonging, as they continue to add value to the online brand communities (Mousavi, Roper & Keeling, 2017), of course the online brand communities in this case being the travel accounts on social media platforms.

Overall, the online ecosystem across social media platforms, and their affordances plays a large role in the social experiences we have online.

I included a photo from my trip to Singapore back in 2018, if you get the chance, I definitely recommend going there!

Reference:

Marianna, S, Ulrike, G, Christou, E, Advances in Social Media for Travel, Tourism and Hospitality: New Perspectives, Practice and Cases, 1st edn, Routledge, London.

Mousavi, S, Roper, S & Keeling, KA 2017, ‘Interpreting Social Identity in Online Brand Communities: Considering Posters and Lurkers’, Psychology & marketing, vol. 34, no. 4, pp. 376–393.

Oliveira, T, Araujo, B & Tam, C 2020, 1982 ‘Why do people share their travel experiences on social media?’, Tourism management, vol. 78, p. 104041–.

#travel #social media #social experiences #travelling on social media #travel content

Is WordPress a blog or a social network site?

WordPress is a platform that allows users to create their own blogs and websites, and also to comment and interact with each other's blogs, and is “the most popular content management system” (Cabot, 2018). According to Dewing, social media is a large variety of online platforms that "allow users to participate in online exchanges, contribute user-based content, or join online communities" (Dewing, 2012). Interestingly, he separates ‘blogs’ from ‘social network sites’, stating that “a blog is an online journal in which pages are usually displayed in reverse chronological order”, whereas he refers to social networking sites as specifically for individuals to create a public or semi public profile within a bounded system” (Dewing, 2012). Dewing goes on to explain that social networking sites also allow users to “articulate a list of other users with whom they share a connection” (Dewing, 2012), which is a function not really associated with WordPress. In contrast, Zhou et. al describe blogs as “popular yet distinct social media” (Zhou et. al, 2019).

Social media platforms such as Instagram and FaceBook are primarily used by individuals to make a profile about themselves that is meant to be a representation of themselves. Regardless of if these accounts are public, semi public or private, they generally are made to be an extension of oneself, or a highlight reel of their life, and used for interpersonal communication. When discussing Habermas’s public sphere theory in relation to social media accounts, Kruse, Norris and Flinchumb explain that in their research, “respondents do not engage in communicative action typical of the public sphere because they avoid their own political discourse online” (Kruse, Norris & Flinchum, 2017).

In contrast, a blog is a place that can be far more anonymous, and does not need to fit within social media platform guidelines and rules. As stated by Kruse et. al, Habermas “defines the public sphere as a place where “people come together as a public” (Habermas, 1989, cited by (Kruse, Norris & Flinchum, 2017). Zhou et. al explains that blog users typically “focus on keeping up with the trends, opinions or public events'' (Son et al., 2019 cited by Zhou et. al, 2017), whereas social network site users ``focus on keeping up with their offline acquaintances by sharing texts, photos, videos or music” (Arteaga Sánchez et al., 2014, Ifinedo, 2016, cited by Zhou et. al, 2017.)

While the functions and use of Wordpress and social network sites may overlap, Wordpress is a blog.

Reference:

Cabot, J 2018, ‘WordPress: A Content Management System to Democratize Publishing’, IEEE software, vol. 35, no. 3, IEEE, pp. 89–92.

Dewing, M, 2012 Social Affairs Division Parliamentary Information and Research Service, Social Media: An Introduction, Library of Parliament Canada.

Kruse, L, Norris, D & Flinchum, J 2018, ‘Social Media as a Public Sphere? Politics on Social Media’, Sociological quarterly, vol. 59, no. 1, pp. 62–84.

Zhou, M, Cai, X, Liu, Q & Fan, W 2019, ‘Examining continuance use on social network and micro-blogging sites: Different roles of self-image and peer influence’, International journal of information management, vol. 47, pp. 215–232.

#social networks #blogging #wordpress #socialmedia

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