Digital Communities

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[lucamignuoli2000]

This video demonstrates how players on online video games are able to troll others. The player actually does not use any hurtful words or phrases towards the people that he is trolling, although is creating ‘humorous’ content at the other players’ expense.

Reference:

VanossGaming, Black Ops 2: C4 Glitch Trolling - Suicide Troll on Drone (Montage and Tutorial / Funny Moments), 9 December, viewed 28 May 2020, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qigh4g4Epy0> 

[lucamignuoli2000]

Digital Communities and Trolls: understanding social media conflict

The rapid rise in the significance of digital citizenship and Platformization has resulted in online trolls to become prevalence within current society. Online trolling refers to the means of verbal aggression, such as teasing, threats, mockery and personal attacks to another user or group of users on the internet (Kuriata, Kasatkina-Kubyshkina 2017, p. 219). It has become popular among social media to troll other users, as well as post content of trolling on particular platforms, such as on Video Games or direct messaging.

On an online format “bullies and trolls are frequently collapsed into the same category” (McCosker 2016, p. 3), however this is not the case. Both bullies and trolls do attempt to dehumanise and degrade other users online, however, cyber bullying would be defined as “sending or posting harmful or cruel text or images” (McCosker 2016, p. 3) using any digital communication as a means to do so.

Typically, women are one of the primary targets of online trolls. This is because when women are harassed online, the troll usually focuses on their gender by stating “sexist speech, pornographic imagery, and rape threats” (Marwick, Caplan 2018, p. 545). Within a video game environment, women are typically looked down upon and are trolled because of their gender. Despite there being a reporting system in majority of games, online trolling is extremely difficult to stop which is very concerning for the wellbeing for women in such a toxic environment. 

There is social media governance which attempts to stop such behaviour online. This is achieved through regulations and terms and conditions from particular institutions or public sectors such as Universities. Furthermore, social media platforms also have terms and conditions which attempt to deter any user from online trolling which may result in the ban of the user from the platform. This is demonstrated on Instagram and Facebook where other users can report any behaviour they believe is inappropriate.

However, this social media governance is not enough to stop online trolling. This is because trolls usually use fake accounts to spread hate across the internet so that their personal identity does not get discovered. This is a significant issue surrounding digital citizenship and there must be particular regulations and punishments for those who troll on the internet.

References:

Kuriata, Y, Kasatkina-Kubyshkina, O 2017, ‘Speech behaviour of an internet troll in online communication’, Vìsnik Unìversitetu ìm. A. Nobelâ: Serìâ Fìlologìčnì Nauki, vol. 13, no. 1, pp. 219-222

Marwick, AE, Caplan, R 2018, ‘Drinking male tears: language, the manospehere, and networked harassment’, Feminist Media Studies, vol. 18, no. 4, pp. 543-559

McCosker, A 2016, Negotiating digital citizenship: Cyber Safety as three layers of control, 1stedn, Rowman & Littlefield International London, EBSCOhost

[lucamignuoli2000]

This GIF would represent the typical stereotype of a gamer, being a male teenager. 

Reference:

‘Video Games gamer GIF’ [GIF], in Giphy.com 2020, Video Games gamer GIF, Giphy.com, viewed 20 May 2020, <https://giphy.com/gifs/videogames-y0NFayaBeiWEU>

[lucamignuoli2000]

Gaming communities, social gaming and live streaming

Video games have enabled users to become part of a community where “players regularly encounter people from outside their own social worlds” (Taylor 2018, p. 11) and are thus able to make connections and relationships with people all over the world. However, this was not always the case, this was introduced when social games were released for gamers to enjoy on their mobile devices or gaming systems. Social games refer to games that are “created to play on portable devices, and they are integrated in social networking platforms to facilitate the user’s interactions” (Chen, Leung 2016, p. 1155). These social games include Farmville and Candy Crush, as they allow players to interact with others within the game, by sending them in-game gifts or bonuses etc.

Furthermore, as a result of the significant development of video games, live streaming has become extremely popular in the past 5 years with gamers viewing other gamers playing video games either professionally or for casual fun. Popular games that are live streamed are games such as Fortnite and Call of Duty, although, there is a plethora of games that are streamed in order to cater to different gaming audiences.

However, video game culture has created stereotypes for the gaming community, being that gamers are typically teenage males, although, “the stereotype of the gamer as a glazed, incoherent teenage boy is wrong” (Shaw 2010, p. 407). This is because it has been recorded in the United States that in 2019, 46% of gamers are female (Gough 2019), as well as the fact that the average age of a gamer is actually 18-35 (Gough 2019).

Therefore, the increase in popularity of video games has improved the online communication between players and has resulted in communities to be created. Social gaming on portable devices has also allowed for easy access for players to not only enjoy a game but communicate with others as well. However, stereotypes have been created as a result of the gaming industry being popularised.

References:

Chen, C, Leung, L, 2016, ‘Are you addicted to Candy Crush Saga? An exploratory study linking psychological factors to mobile game addiction’, Telematics and Informatics, vol. 33, no. 3, pp. 1155-1166

Gough, C, 2019, Age breakdown of video game players in the United States 2019, Statstica, viewed 20 May 2020, <https://www.statista.com/statistics/189582/age-of-us-video-game-players-since-2010/>

Gough, C, 2019, Distribution of computer and video games in the United States from 2006 to 2019, by gender, Statistica, viewed 20 May 2020, <https://www.statista.com/statistics/232383/gender-split-of-us-computer-and-video-gamers/>

Shaw, A, 2010, ‘What is video game culture? Cultural studies and Game studies’, Games and Culture, vol. 5, no. 4, pp. 403-424

Taylor, TL, 2018, ‘Broadcasting ourselves’, in Watch Me Play: Twitch and the Rise of Game Live Streaming, Princeton University Press, JSTOR books Complimentary Collection

[lucamignuoli2000]

Digital activism and campaigning

There is a significant “relationship between social media and social protest” (York 2014, p. 5) where activists can share their beliefs both offline and online and therefore share their ideas to a wider audience. Moreover, “young people [are] the vanguard (White, Alvarez, Zaiontz 2019, p. 36) of activism. This is because tech savvy teenagers and young adults can voice their opinions and beliefs on social media and thus raise awareness of issues within society.

However, “user-driven digital culture can oftentimes reduce the messages of activism to the mediums” (Alvarez, Lauzon, Zainotz 2019, p. 13). Therefore, the ongoing circulation of content on social media platforms is limiting the messages of activism as a result of online trolls undermining the power of influence on social media platforms and forces other users and consumers to ask the question if the content they are consuming is ‘fake’. Furthermore, the recent trend of ‘fake news’ on social media has also negatively affected activism on online platforms as it has resulted in consumers questioning everything they see on social media.

Sousveillance refers to “watching from below, a form of inverse surveillance in which people monitor the surveillors” (Fernback 2013, p. 11), which is seen in protests such as the ‘I can’t breathe’ and ‘Black lives matter’ campaigns where the population critiques and observes the actions of the government and those of higher power. Moreover, as a result of activism on social media platforms, it has become easier for users to do sousveillance.

Consequently, social media platforms have become a place where activists can voice their opinions and thus create online campaigns that can gain followers/subscribers that would increase the popularity and meaning of the message that is attempted to be communicated. However, the ongoing production of content is limiting the effect that these messages can have on users of social media as a result of ‘fake news’ and online trolls.

References:

Alvarez, N, Lauzon, C, Zaiontz, K, 2019, 'On Sustainable Tools for Precarious Times: An Introduction'. In: Alvarez N., Lauzon C., Zaiontz K. (eds) Sustainable Tools for Precarious Times. Contemporary Performance InterActions. Palgrave Macmillan

Fernback, J, 2013, ‘Sousveillance: Communities of resistance to the surveillance environment’, Telematics and Informatics, vol. 30, no. 1, pp. 11-21

White, M, Alvarez, N, Zaiontz, K, 2019, 'Protest After Occupy: Rethinking the Repertoires of Left Activism'. In: Alvarez N., Lauzon C., Zaiontz K. (eds) Sustainable Tools for Precarious Times. Contemporary Performance InterActions. Palgrave Macmillan

York, J, 2014, ‘Social Media & Social Activism’, Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, vol. 15, no. 1, pp. 3-5

[lucamignuoli2000]

Public Health campaigns and social media influence

Whether it be celebrities or politicians, anyone is able to “use social media… as a platform to educate” others or promote themselves online to significant audiences around the world using their social media influences (Dorfman, Vaca, Mahmood, Fine, Schierle 2018, p. 336). However, through product placement brand deals that are endorsed by celebrities/microcelebrities, templates are created that represent ‘attractive’ women and/or men to advertise the product.

As a result of these particular templates of content that is promoted on Instagram, pornification and aesthetic labour are normalised in Western culture. This is demonstrated by the idea that “forms of self-pornification” (Lasén, García 2015, p. 716) begin to appear with others attempting to mimic it with the help of photoshop and other editing software. It has therefore become normalised to represent sexualised content on social media platforms as a result of this. The Kardashians and Jenners come to mind when we think of a pornification template, as they usually represent themselves as sexualised beings on social media to either self-promote their identity or promote a product.

Consequently, those users on social media who consume such content are being reinforced with the ideal that this is the ‘normal’ way to look which promotes a body image that is essentially unachievable. This results in younger people on social media to become easy influenced by these celebrities/microcelebrities, as well as enable them to make harsh comparisons between their real-life bodies and who they look up to on these social media platforms.

However, there are also positive health campaigns on social media, such as the Ice Bucket challenge that went viral in 2014 in order to raise money for Motor Neurone Disease (MND) that was available for anyone to participate. Furthermore, there was also ‘Stop the Rise of STIs’ which was a public sexual health campaign in Queensland that aims for people to go to their local GP and get tested for STIs in order to promote safe sex.

Therefore, social media can contribute to the sexualisation of content and the promotion of ‘unachievable’ bodies, as well as positive public health campaigns that attempt to raise awareness of issues within society. 

References:

Brisbane North PHN, 2020, Stop the Rise of STIs, Brisbane North PHN, viewed 6thMay 2020, <https://www.brisbanenorthphn.org.au/page/news-and-events/latest-news/stop-the-rise-of-stis/>

Dorfman, RG, Vaca, EE, Mahmood, E, Fine, NA, Schierle, CF, 2018, ‘Plastic Surgery related hashtag utilization on Instagram: Implications for educating in marketing’, Aesthetical surgery journal, vol. 17, no. 1, pp. 332-338]

Lasén, A, García, A, 2015, ‘… but I haven’t got a body to show: Self pornification and male mixed feelings in digitally mediated seduction practises’, Sexualities,vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 714-730

MND New South Wales, 2020, Ice Bucket Challenge, MND New South Wales, viewed 6thMay 2020, <https://www.mndnsw.asn.au/get-involved/fundraise/132-ice-bucket-challenge.html>

[lucamignuoli2000]

Slow Fashion

Slow fashion was “developed in response to the fast fashion system of production and consumption” (Hall 2017) and it thus aims to slow down the pace at which fast fashion is created and attempts to “produce a maximum of four fashion lines annually, [while] focus[ing] on quality rather than quantity” (Lai, Henninger, Alevizou 2017, p. 82). Furthermore, Slow Fashion aims to create sustainable clothing while not taking advantage of those less fortunate socio-economically in countries such as China, Bangladesh and Cambodia.

However, with the constant purchasing of clothing items online or in-store from consumers, large companies such as Nike and Adidas must keep up with the demand through the process of fast fashion. Therefore, it is clearly demonstrated through the production of clothing of large companies that “fashion today has become synonymous with fast fashion” (Hall 2017) and makes society question if the process is ethically immoral. Consequently, “sustainable fashion … [is] currently lacking at an international fashion business perspective.” (Henninger, Ryding, Alevizou, Goworek 2017, p. 4)

As a result of this, the rise of slow fashion has increased with the popularisation of social media, where users are actively voicing their opinions regarding social or political issues. An example of this is the extent of Instagram accounts that support slow fashion and attempt to raise awareness of its existence and its positive affect on society. This is demonstrated by the Instagram accounts ‘Jessica Stein’, ‘Kristen Leo’ and ‘Venetia La Manna’ who actively attempt to not only raise awareness of the issue, but also attempt others to do the same and make changes in their lives that will positively affect the environment and the lives of those having to work in sweat shops in developing countries.

This form of activism illustrates the positives that come out of the rise of social media platforms, such as Instagram and Twitter.

References:

Hall, J, 2018, ‘Digital Kimono: Fast Fashion, Slow Fashion?’, Fashion Theory, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 283-307

Henninger, CE, Alevizou, PJ, Goworek, H, Ryding, D, 2017, Sustainability in fashion a cradle to upcycle approach, 1stedn, Cham: Springer International Publishing: Imprint: Palgrave Macmillan, Springer Link Books

[lucamignuoli2000]

This GIF represents Donald Trump voicing his political views through social media platforms, particularly Twitter in this case

[lucamignuoli2000]

Digital Citizenship

Digital citizenship refers to a person who has skills to effectively use digital technologies in a way that contributes to society, such as the way in which someone can communicate with others through social media platforms. There are “three aspects of digital citizenship… [being] economic opportunity, civic engagement and political participation” (Mossberger, Tolbert, McNeal 2008). With many people worldwide having access to the internet and constantly engaging with content, there are many digital citizens in our current society. This can result in further engagement in the political election process as digital citizens can post their opinions and thoughts online to influence others, as well as engage with content that may influence them, such as advertisements or articles. This is demonstrated by the popular Twitter tag #auspol, which enables anyone to tweet at the hashtag to deliver particular rumours or commentary regarding the Federal government or possible candidates in Australia (Bogle 2016). Furthermore, politicians are able to communicate with their supporters online through tweets and social media engagement. A politician well-known for his political presence online is Donald Trump, who was mentioned in a previous blog. This is because his campaign is “largely formed by his widely circulated tweets, which were often quoted and debated in the mainstream media” (Enli 2017, p. 56).

This leads to the term, Platformization, which refers to the“extension of social media platforms into the rest of the web and their drive to make external web data platform ready” (Helmond 2015, p. 1). This is demonstrated by tweets and hashtags being referenced on other platforms of media, such as television and radio. This is further illustrated by the fact that Facebook created a Facebook Development platform, which gives “third-party developers access to Facebook users’ profiles, friends, photos, and events to extend the Facebook experience into external applications” (Helmond 2015, p. 1). However, this can offer negative implications within society, as it may result in the breach of privacy of consumers, as well cyber bullying in social institutions or on online platforms. This is demonstrated by YouTube being charged because of failing to protect their community from “targeted harassment” (Duffy, Poell, Nieborg 2019, p. 1) online. Therefore, being a digital citizen has many benefits in not only consuming content, but also allows opportunities to voice your opinions on a global scale.

References:

Bogle, A, 2016, #auspol: The Twitter hashtag Australia can’t live without, Mashable Australia, viewed 27 April 2020, <https://mashable.com/2016/03/21/twitter-australia-auspol/#4tvfXtsZUEqV>

Duffy, BE, Poell, T, Nieborg, DB, 2019, ‘Platform Practices in the Cultural Industries: Creativity, Labor, and Citizenship’, Social Media + Society, vol. 5, no. 4, pp. 1-8

Enli, G, 2017, ‘Twitter as arena for the authentic outsider: exploring the social media campaigns of Trump and Clinton in the 2016 US presidential election’, European Journal of Communication, vol. 32, no. 1, pp. 50-61

Helmond, A, 2015, ‘The Platformization of the web: Making web data platform ready’, Social Media + Society, vol. 1, no. 2, pp. 1-11

Mossberger, K, Tolbert, CJ, Mcneal, RS, 2008, ‘Digital citizenship: The internet, society, and participation’, Journal of Access Services, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 432-434

[kyleoleary11]

How does Tumblr function as a digital community?

Digital communities are one of the main forms in how society connects with one another in this day and age, and people often find themselves in those virtual communities that have content that relates to them like on Facebook groups or Instagram and Tumblr pages. The main role of Tumblr is to serve as a platform where millions of people can share their own personal content in the form of blogs, memes, GIFs and quotes like any other social media platform but it is seen as more of an alternative and more popular for the youth where Allison McCracken states “for many youth, Tumblr has become an alternative, tuition-free classroom” (152, 2017) due to its ability to distribute political awareness and be a powerful source of “youth media literacy”.

Subcultures are formed on social media where the youth can express themselves in the virtual communities in their own way where there is no judgement from their parents and they have more of an opportunity perhaps to grow by using their own voice in social spaces with their friends or random people about issues or concepts that they’re passionate about and want to engage in conversation with. A prime example is the LGBTQ teenage community, having this online pace to be connected to one another and being able to have a stronger support network has been “vital” to them according to McCracken (153, 2017).

Through the use of blogging and tagging formats on Tumblr, it allows subcultures “to not only form but also thrive” (Oakley, 2016) as they can easily be connected by just using hashtags that relates to the issue they’re blogging about or the group of people that would relate to a specific meme. Tumblr offers people in these groups the crucial space to be able to express “social critique” (McCracken, 161, 2017) in a way that it can resonate with others and be seen mostly by people who are interested and engaged with the relevant topics.

References

McCracken, A. 2017, Tumblr Youth Subcultures and Media Engagement, Cinema Journal, vol. 57, pp. 151-161

Oakley, A, Disturbing Hegemonic Discourse: Nonbinary Gender and Sexual Orientation Labelling on Tumblr, vol. 2, August 17 2016, viewed 13 April 2020

[lucamignuoli2000]

Hey Kyle, 

This blog is fantastic because of the way you have identified how Tumblr functions as a digital community. You have demonstrated how Tumblr works and how people are able to communicate and create groups on the platform. You have also identified how Tumblr enables the creation of subcultures and for them to thrive on a digital format. 

You might want to mention the idea that these subcultures may also turn into “niche communities” (Kruse, Norris, Flinchum 2018, p. 65) and how they are able to represent their values and opinions on this platform with others who share the same commonalities. 

References:

Kruse, LM, Norris, DR, Flinchum, JR, 2018, ‘Social Media as a Public sphere? Politics on Social Media’, The Sociological Quarterly, vol. 38, no. 1, pp. 65

[digital1communities]

how does Tumblr function as a digital community

There are many different ways to use a social blog platform. Some sign up on Tumblr to connect with others, highlight their works of art, or document their adventures widely. The platform is open to a variety of environments and discussions, opportunities and flexibility are endless.

Finding Friends                                     

Ordinarily, when a person first signs up a web-based social networking site, he knows somebody who is already using it. In any case, with Tumblr, there is no compelling reason to know anybody on the site before beginning. Actually, a few people join since they don’t know anybody on the stage; in this manner, they feel more confident to post without being afraid of associates perusing along.

On tumblr users are able to follow anyone who hasn’t block you, therefore it is easy to find friends with shared interest. 

Interacting with Friends

Not all users go to the site to ignite kinships. Truth be told, some join the site in light of the fact that their friends as of now have accounts. The Tumblr Dashboard makes it simple to share various sorts of substances and communicate with small groups of friends. Especially with the current situation in the world people should get used to online platforms to interact with people, in order to control this global pandemic.

Travel Blogging

Not all blogs needs an open monologue regarding your individual life or interests. Many people who travels, such as students, make travel blogs to records their journeys in text and photos.

If you are a traveller this platform will be very useful to record your memories and share adventures with your friends back in home. Tumblr also hosts proficient travelers who capture stunning photographs such as Exquisite Planet and Traveling Colors. And also using the travel and location tags people can easily scope out for interesting places and good eats before you travel.

Business Blog

Building a brand presence on social media is very significant since consumer interaction is vital.While Tumblr isn’t the most suitable place to market products, it can support deals and create compatibility with potential customers. And also if a user thinks a particular product is so cool that person will reblog it so others can see it. This method is mostly grabbed by Adidas, J.Crew and Target to gain customers attention.

References

Anon 2020, TechCrunch is now a part of Verizon Media, viewed 13 April, 2020, <https://techcrunch.com/2013/02/18/tumblr-is-not-what-you-think/>.

Erickson, C 2020, The Beginner’s Guide to Tumblr, viewed 13 April, 2020, <https://mashable.com/2012/06/03/the-beginners-guide-to-tumblr/>.

Roncero-Menendez, S 2020, The 7 Best Uses for Tumblr, viewed 13 April, 2020, <https://mashable.com/2013/12/09/tumblr-uses/>.

[lucamignuoli2000]

Hey Hasintha, 

This blog is awesome, you have highlighted the ways in which people communicate online and the way people use Tumblr as a digital community, such as interacting with friends, posting images and texts, as well as building brands on social media! 

[lucamignuoli2000]

How does Tumblr function as a Digital Community?

Social media’s primary benefit for users around the world is that it “alter[s] the nature of our connections, creations, and interactions” (Van Dijck 2013, p. 18) with others who we would know personally or not at all.  Social media platforms have created a safe space for “niche communities to form” (Kruse, Norris, Flinchum 2018, p. 65) and to express their ideas, opinions and values without judgement. Tumblr allows for groups of people to create online communities that are based around significant ideas or values in which they all share and thus makes it easy to block those who you do not want to associate/communicate with.

Furthermore, the idea that “social identity among members is an essential condition for considering a social group to be a community (Mousavi, Roper, Keeling 2017, p. 377) is relevant in this case, as Tumblr also enables users to create their own profiles and create an online identity and represent their opinions on a worldwide platform.

Tumblr has multiple features that many other social media platforms obtain in order to appeal to those audiences who “use social media to share personal experiences” (Keller 2019, p. 4). This is demonstrated by the idea that, similar to popular social media platforms such as YouTube, Facebook and Instagram, Tumblr allows anyone to post or comment on someone else’s blog. This is because it is built around seven post types, being text, photo, quote, link, chat, audio and video, which allows users to easily share different forms of media on the same platform. Consequently, Tumblr makes it possible for people to “foster a new sense of community and a new level of awareness” (Cross 2011, p. 7) in regard to serious subjects, such as social issues and politics, or even fun-loving things such as memes and gaming. An example of this is that there is a wide range of very small to very large sized political comments made regarding particular politicians, such as Donald Trump, either praising him or memes being made about him. Moreover, less serious subjects such as the game series ‘Call of Duty’ is quite popular on Tumblr with memes being made, as well as short videos of gameplay, with thousands of people commenting on these posts and showing support for others. Therefore, Tumblr allows users to join groups and blogs that would personally identify with them and make them feel part of a real community on a digital format.

References:

Cross, M, 2011,Bloggerati, Twitterati: how blogs and twitter are transforming popular culture, 1stedn, ABC-CLIO, Ebook Central (ProQuest)

Keller, J, 2019, ‘”Oh, She’s a Tumblr Feminist”: Exploring the platform Vernacular of girls social media feminists’, Social Media + Society, vol. 5, no. 1, pp. 4

Kruse, LM, Norris, DR, Flinchum, JR, 2018, ‘Social Media as a Public sphere? Politics on Social Media’, The Sociological Quarterly, vol. 38, no. 1, pp. 65

Mousavi, S, Roper, S, Keeling, KA, 2017, ‘Interpreting social identity in online brand communities: Considering posters and lurkers’, Psychology and Marketing, vol. 13, no. 1, pp. 377

Van Dijck, J, 2013, The culture of connectivity: a critical history of social media, 1stedn, Oxford University Press, Ebook Central (ProQuest)