Miah Foster Weekly Recaps! @miahfoster - Tumblr Blog

Week 10; Social Media Governance & Online Harassment.

For the final week we examined the need for controls and restrictions online that are in place in response to attempting to restrict online hate speech, harassment and explicit content from the wider audience.

Bromell (2022) states that whilst the internet is a state of the art service that provides great abilities to communicate, share information, expand trading opportunities and works wonders for democracy, it equally involves an evil side to the use. Providing the opportunity for bullying, abuse and the spread of misinformation which in turn can generate hostility and violence to occur offline (p. 1).

In recent years younger generations have been labelled by a term coined by older generations who grew up with little to no social media; ‘snowflakes’. Haslop et. al (2021), explains the phrase snowflake generation is used to mock younger individuals who are deemed overly sensitive to hate speech and harassment that these older generations have become accustomed to in their youth (p. 1419). They describe this online harassment as any malicious behaviour or speech online. This violent communication is motivated by hostility or prejudice generally against a specific individual or community who share certain interests or traits (p. 1420).

Marwick et. al, (2018, p. 545) suggests that this behaviour is often orchestrated and the frequency of the abuse online has accustomed young people (in particular young women) to this behaviour seeing it as silly name calling and hitting back with an insulting dismissal of boys will be boys.

There is a broad and diverse list of reasons for better content moderation online. Issues that promote violating human rights and threatening anyone's right to feel safe. However research shows the actions of harassment that promote the “digital divide” (Haslop et. al 2021, p. 1421) are most prevalent with females and LGBTQ+ communities experiencing the highest rates of targeted malicious content. In an attempt to combat this never ending overflow of hateful or violent speech and images that are swimming around social media and the internet each day. A response from the EU recently was the adoption of the Digital Services Act (DSA).

Brown (2022) reports that “It introduces important measures to increase transparency by requiring platforms to explain to users how they moderate content, how automated tools are used, and how many content moderators they use for each official EU language”.

The European Parliament has adopted the Digital Services Act (DSA), landmark regulation that sets rules for internet platforms across the Eu

Whilst regulations are struggling to maintain efficiency in an ever-advancing technological climate, the need is there as the wider public rejects this hateful online content, with the producers often slipping under the umbrella of ‘free speech’.

The 2019 terrorist attack on the Christchurch Mosque was allowed to go undetected online when the attacker live-streamed the event. Bromell investigated the issue in his research and explained that the response to this new age of digital terrorism was the development of a new independent body. Supported by numerous countries throughout Europe and Oceania. Bromell (p.10) concludes that the main objectives of these newer bodies include:

“Prevent—equip digital platforms and civil society groups with awareness, knowledge, and tools, including technology, to develop sustainable programmes in their core business operations to disrupt terrorist and violent extremist activity online;

Respond—develop tools and capacity, including through regular multistakeholder exercises, for platforms to cooperate with one another and with other stakeholders to mitigate the impact of a terrorist or violent extremist attack; and

Learn—empower researchers to study terrorism and counter-terrorism, including creating and evaluating best practices for multi-stakeholder co-operation and preventing abuse of digital platforms.”

The Guardian reported that Facebook was forced to reevaluate its moderation protocols after the video was found to be live-streamed through their site. Reporter Julia Wong communicated that the platform CEO issued statements saying the company would “reverse its previous policy and ban content that supports white nationalism and white separatism,”

Wong elaborated that “the company had previously made a distinction between white supremacy, which it banned, and white nationalism, which it allowed, despite an expert consensus that any such distinction is merely rhetorical.”

After two weeks of criticism, Sheryl Sandberg published a letter saying the company is exploring live stream video restrictions

In a separately impactful issue, Rugby Australia fired Wallabies player Israel Folau, in 2019, after he posted hate speech towards people of the LGBTQ+ community. His defence surrounded his ability to exercise religious free speech online and fought the ending of his rugby contract stating that these feelings and posts were a reflection of his religious values and went as far as to detest this in court. The company dismissed these claims with the proof that he had broken his code of conduct. This sparked an uproar in Australia calling for greater regulation of this type of aggressive content. A 2019 BBC article on the case suggested that the case had called for amendments to future contracts to eliminate the risk of this issue recurring.

Israel Folau's case against Rugby Australia may set a precedent for national employment law.

References:

British Broadcasting Corporation, 2019, ‘Israel Folau: Sacked player sues Rugby Australia over anti-gay row’, British Broadcasting Corporation, 1 August, viewed 8 May 2023, <https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-49187646>

Bromell, D, 2022, ‘Regulating free speech in a digital age : hate, harm and the limits of censorship’, Springer, Cham, Switzerland.

Brown, D, 2022, ‘EU Parliament Adopts Landmark Regulation of Internet Platforms’, Human Rights Watch, 7 July, Viewed 9 May 2023, <https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/07/07/eu-parliament-adopts-landmark-regulation-internet-platforms>

Haslop, C, O’Rourke, F, Southern, R, 2021, ‘#NoSnowflakes: The toleration of harassment and an emergent gender-related digital divide, in a UK student online culture’,

Convergence, Vol.27, p.1418-1438.

Marwick, A, Caplan, R, 2018, ‘Drinking male tears: language, the manosphere, and networked harassment’, Feminist media studies, Vol.18 (4), p.543-559.

Wong, J, 2019, ‘Facebook finally responds to New Zealand on Christchurch attack’, The Guardian, 30 March, viewed 9 May 2023, <https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/mar/29/facebook-new-zealand-christchurch-attack-response>

#mda20009 #snowflakes #online bullying #Qantas #rugby union #content moderation

Week 9; Gaming Communities and Live Streaming. (Case study on female marginalisation and sexualisation)

Society has recently come a long way from the original arcade machines that sparked the digital gaming age. This week we investigate the climate of online gaming communities and the good and bad cultures that these games have developed.

Keogh (2021) discusses these communities as cultural “scenes” and specifically highlights the local geographical identity that connects these scenes and forms a gaming community (p.210). He states that this term unites gamers and that its importance is reflected as the “commercialisation, aesthetics, identity, community, and ideologies all intersect in local game development fields and are manifested through the organic emergence of dynamic scenes.” (p. 210).

Scenes bring social benefits to their citizens and have seen expansions into esports generating new-age creative outlets for digital citizens. However, there is a large amount of various marginalisation and segregation that exist within both local and globalised industry scenes.

The most major issue is the stereotypical and overtly consuming masculinity of online gaming culture. Erin Mclean's article on the perpetuation of gaming and gender stereotypes addresses that the misconception and “framing” of the culture of gaming within the media is often blamed for overexposing communities to isolation, violence, and obesity. These ingredients have led to a fixation that gamers have a central audience of males. Mclean detests this with evidence indicating 68% of Australians are online gamers and interact with these scenes in some way shape or form, however, what is overlooked in this situation is the diversity of the community profile with specific regard to the actual engagement of female gamers, “The average age of an Australian gamer, for example, is 33 and nearly half are female” (Mclean 2016, p. 18). She highlights that whilst there is toxic masculinity that exists in these communities females have had their marginalisation perpetuated by the broader media coverage and blanket descriptions of games assuming that females are not as involved as they are (p. 24)

In more recent developments in gaming, social media, and technology, the rise of streaming platforms has become a pivotal feature in modern online gaming and retrospectively is responsible for developing most gaming communities today. Twitch is a broadcasting platform that is specifically appealing to online gamers in its unique ability to live-stream your gaming screen and share it with any community or group of your choice. From intimate friends and family groups to large global communities that act as a following and fandoms to celebrities and gamers (Taylor, 2018, p. 9).

Taylor's article describes the function of the streaming service, stating that “across the platform, participants are creating new entertainment products that mix together gameplay, [humor], commentary, and real-time interaction with fans and audiences.”

Twitch has allowed for better socialisation and broadened the skills and recognition of online influencers bringing light to focus on creative skillset over aesthetic attractiveness that is seen with most social media influencers.

After more than 70 allegations surfaced on Twitter this weekend, gaming companies and streamers responded with action. Some say it’s the beg

The New York Times addresses the 2020 uproar of female games as they came forth to expose the sexist and harassing culture of online gaming. The number of accusations involving men in power at high-profile gaming companies was so elaborate that Twitch was forced to readdress their codes of conduct and look into greater legal measures that would help abolish these acts of toxic masculinity and sexual harassment

“Streamers began calling for a “Twitch blackout,” in which users would refrain from using the platform on Wednesday to pressure the company to address racism and sexual misconduct,” Lorenz and Browning report.

Attributing to this there is a noticeable sexualisation or a complete absence of female AI characters in games. A 2007 study by Burgess et al. found “that the most common portrayal of women was their absence"(p. 427). At the time they drew on a sample study that indicated 30% of these games neglected the presence of any female characters, making an entirely male character-dominated game. This research contributes in favour of Mclean's argument and continues the narrative and inaccurate representation of females involved in online gaming, despite making up over half of the gaming community’s population.

This issue has since been addressed offering female character visibility but progressing in a negative light as today these characters often appear in an oversexualised light. Biao Li et. al, expose this toxic culture as marketing teams are using sex appeal to draw gamers in. “In video game advertisements, advertisers would sexually objectify women in such a way that the visuals highlight sexually suggestive actions and behaviours to upsell the products and further attract the consumers” (2022, p. 2).

It is a disappointing issue that appears to run deep into the gaming scene despite the lobbying to change laws and regulations within the games. Remaining at the forefront of online gaming despite the gaming scene's unique ability to create and uniting digital communities.

References:

Biao, P, Bill, L, 2022, ‘Parental Controls Off in Google Play Store: Sexualisation of Female Characters in Video Game Advertisements’, Higher Education and Oriental Studies, Vol 2(4): 1 – 22.

Burgess, M & Stermer, S & Burgess, S, 2007, ‘Sex, Lies, and Video Games: The Portrayal of Male and Female Characters on Video Game Covers’, Sex roles, Vol.57, p.419-433.

Keogh, B 2021, 'The Melbourne indie game scenes: value regimes in localised game development' (Chapter 13), P Ruffino (eds), Independent Videogames: Cultures, Networks, Techniques and Politics, Routledge, pp.209-222.

Lorenz, T, Browning, K, 2022, ‘Dozens of Women in Gaming Speak Out About Sexism and Harassment’, The New York Times, 23 June, viewed 5 May 2023, <https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/23/style/women-gaming-streaming-harassment-sexism-twitch.html>

Mclean, E, 2016, ‘Girls, Guys and Games: How News Media Perpetuate Stereotypes of Male and Female Gamers’, Press Play, Vol.3, p.17-45.

Taylor, TL 2018, ‘Broadcasting ourselves’ (chapter 1), in Watch Me Play: Twitch and the Rise of Game Live Streaming, Princeton University Press, pp.1-23.

#mda20009 #twitch #videogames #livestream #feminism #femalegamer

Week 8; Augmented Reality filters!

Filters have taken social media application by storm in recent years after Snapchat released their first set of AR filters in 2015 (Baker 2020, p. 207).

This development in technology has had a vast variety of impacts on digital citizens with implications of unrealistic beauty standards, biometric observation and digital identity to be considered when addressing their role online.

Baker (2020) touches on the problematic issues of these beautification filters and highlights that there is a continuation of sexualisation involved in the advancements of the filters, similar to the subject that was touched on last week in ‘Body Modification’ (p.209).

The more you edit your image, the greater the harm.

In this article [linked above], Dr Wells discusses the Dove Self Esteem Project as their research shows the majority of their research found that “80 percent of girls have downloaded a filter or used an app to change how they look in photos by age 13,” (2020 study). She explains the detrimental connections that users experience are apparent as they are commonly tied to having low self-esteem and body dysmorphia. Making the young starting age of this issue overtly concerning as it sets a precedent of body dissatisfaction at an age where most boys and girls have not even hit puberty yet.

In more recent years these filters are seeing a favour shift towards beautification as opposed to the goofy nature of original Snapchat lenses. As the filters are well received in popularity by digital citizens other applications and companies such as Instagram and TikTok have advanced the technological phenomenon. The beauty industry has impacted this shift with filters focusing on the ‘ideal’ physical image. Baker exposes that this has led to social media brands partnering with cosmetic companies (p. 211). Creating this financial relationship has impacted the wider society, with an expectation to remain consistently airbrushed and perfectly contoured as we appear online. Accompanied by overexposure to celebrities who airbrush their paparazzi images (p. 212), these sponsors and brands who use the filter partnerships aim to emphasise fun and creative product showcased. However, due to the age and mentality of most users, these intentions are not received and rather attributed to vulnerable and poor mental well-being and self-image (p. 212).

Join us to help young people overcome anxiety and understand media influence on body image, improving their body confidence and self-esteem

Click the link above to explore what this great project is all about!

Have you ever used a filter to improve your physical appearance?

yes

Voting ended onMay 13, 2023

Additionally, scholars such as Rettberg (2017), explore the repercussions of filters in a society so addicted to “selfies” that we could become blinded to the potential biometric surveillance and automated recognition of facial algorithms (p. 89-90).

Khalid's 2020 article identifies the trend in dissatisfaction with CCTV biometric recognition. With the main concern for the ethics of this surrounding identification during protests. Khalid explores makeup that works to defy biometric recognition seeing individuals attempt to stray regain elements of anonymity that have been entirely lost within the mass use of AR filters. Rettberg concludes Dazzle makeup is “specifically designed not to make humans appear more beautiful to each other but to fool surveillance cameras trying to identify human faces in a crowd,” (2017, p. 90)

CV Dazzle makeup's creator said it won’t trick today’s sophisticated facial recognition algorithms. Experts said there are other steps prote

References:

Barker, Jessica. (2020). 'Making-up on mobile: The pretty filters and ugly implications of Snapchat'. Fashion, Style & Popular Culture. 7. 207-221.

Khalid, A, 2020, ‘‘Dazzle’ makeup won’t trick facial recognition. Here’s what experts say will’, Digital Trends, 5 June, viewed 30 1 May 2023, <https://www.digitaltrends.com/news/cv-dazzle-makeup-facial-recognition-protests/>

Rettberg J.W. (2017) 'Biometric Citizens: Adapting Our Selfies to Machine Vision', Kuntsman A. (eds) Selfie Citizenship. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham.

Well, T, 2023, ‘The Hidden Danger of Online Beauty Filters’, Psychology Today, 23 March, viewed 2 April 2023, <https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/blog/the-clarity/202303/can-beauty-filters-damage-your-self-esteem>

#mda20009 #instagram #no makeup #self esteem #dazzle makeup

Week 7! Body Modification on Visual Social Media

This was the week of Dr Jonathan Mavroudis' lecture as we explored the effects on digital citizens and the detrimental impacts body modification has on health education.

Imperatori et al. (2022) clarifies that, with the influence of technology and the media, there is a connection between negative internet engagement, eating disorders, body dysmorphia and an unsafe health education online. it is equally important to investigate and expose the ‘underlying mechanisms’ behind this trend in young adults (p.1131). Being the core demographic of social media users, teenagers and young adults are at the greatest risk of being subject to body dysmorphia issues due to the level of body modification exposure they interact with online.

Body modification involves the voluntary use of cosmetic procedures and additions, weight loss regimes and the use of online editing techniques to reimagine one’s physical appearance in an image or video ( Lane, 2016, p. 2).

Many of us suspect that the beautiful, often highly-edited images of people we see on social media make us feel worse about our own bodies.

The rise in the viral term “fitspiration” has taken social media by storm with Camacho-Miñano et. al, discussing that the circulation of the ‘perfect body’ images are disguised through health and fitness micro celebrities as being motivation and educational (p. 1). Participants in this study discussed key motivations that are derived from ‘before and after’ images ultimately indicating the physical transformation they have exhibited. Participants identified that these types of content has led them to associate the idea that to look ‘aesthetically good’ is to feel good (p. 659). This can become detrimental towards mental health by perpetuating the idea of unnatural body modification seen within social media celebrities. As Kelly Oakes’ article elaborates that this exposure can provoke us to make unhealthy comparisons with ourselves who might not fit the aesthetic modification seen online.

After a decade of Kardashian-pushed BBLs and full-figured physiques, celebrities are now openly discussing and displaying rapid weight loss,

Publications within the industry like Glamour Magazine are noticing a shift away from big buts, previously seen trending with the rise of Kardashian BBLs, and embracing toned curves to a ‘heroine/skinny-chic’ trend, similar to early 2000s beauty aesthesis. Partnered with unhealthy fitspo there Nast (2022) identifies there is a misconception that young women are undergoing that to be healthy and appealing you must be small and slim.

Additionally, this week's readings discussed the sexualisation of men and women as a way of growing followers and visibility online. Oakes discusses this (article linked above!), stating that whilst body positive images uploaded specifically by women aim to combat body modification and aesthetic bodies there is an underlying impact of objectification of women as a lot of the posts and comments focus on looks tying beauty to physical appearance.

Additionally, Drenten et al. (2018, p. 41) alludes to porn-chic online behaviour and online appearance is becoming mainstream across social media. They claim that sexualised labour is aesthetic labour and is often seen used to promote products and appeal to the aesthetics of the ideal body type. Arguing that to place such a commercial value on body work specifically for online workers as they “often engage in the ongoing production and maintenance of their embodied selves through work that both endures beyond the working day” (p.44), favours the physical appearance of these Instagram model, microcelebrity, brand ambassadors, that rely on building greater visibility on their platforms, over the emotional health of their own. Ignoring emotional wellbeing detrimentally perpetuates the narrative of customer comparison making it purely physical.

In a world of normalised filters, cosmetic surgery and beauty tweaks, “beauty overstimulation” is now a thing. But what’s it doing to our br

Felicity Martin's article is a great read! She draws on the writings of Harvard scientist Nancy Etcoff who highlight that we as digital citizens look for familiarity within each face and an overstimulation of ideal faces- who are greatly subject to apps, like facetune, that modify bodies and facial features. But the most concerning note by Martin is that Ai is even recognising 'the most beautiful face' "like a machine’s imagining of a ‘00s-era Victoria’s Secret model", meaning this expectation of beauty is so embedded in our society and continues to motivate users to undergo body modification.

References:

Camacho-Miñano, M, MacIsaac, S, Rich, E (2019) ‘Postfeminist biopedagogies of Instagram: young women learning about bodies, health and fitness’, Sport, education and society, Vol.24, p.651-664.

Lane, D (2016), 'Understanding body modification: A process-based framework' Sociology Compass Volume 10, Issue 9.

Drenten, J, Gurrieri, L, Tyler, M (2018), ‘Sexualized labour in digital culture: Instagram influencers, porn chic and the monetization of attention’, Gender, Work and Organization, Vol.27 (1), p.41-66.

Imperatori, C, Panno, A, Carbone, G, Corazza, O, Taddei, I, Bernabei, L, Massullo, C, Prevete, E, Tarsitani, L, Pasquini, M, Farina, B, Biondi, M, Bersani, F (2022), ‘The association between social media addiction and eating disturbances is mediated by muscle dysmorphia-related symptoms: a cross-sectional study in a sample of young adults’, Eating and weight disorders, Vol.27 (3), p.1131-1140.

Martin, F, (2022), “We weren’t meant to see this many beautiful faces”, The Face, 5 July, viewed 21 April 2023, <https://theface.com/beauty/we-werent-meant-to-see-this-many-beautiful-faces-over-stimulation-beauty-standards-body-positivity-filters-make-up-surgery-tiktok-bella-hadid-kardashians-gen-z-millenials-wome>

Oakes, K (2019), ‘The complicated truth about social media and body image’, British Broadcasting Corporation, 12 March, viewed 23 April 2023, <https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20190311-how-social-media-affects-body-image>.

Sinay, D, (2022), ‘For the Last Time: Body Types Are Not Trends’, Glamour Magazine, 15 November, Viewed 24 April 2023, <https://www.glamour.com/story/body-type-trend>.

#mda20009 #body disphoria #fitspo #kardashians #body modification

Week Six; The Slow Fashion Movement.

This week's module explored the influence of online fashion and the roles digital communities and influencers play in assisting the slow fashion movement.

Slow fashion involves adopting slowing down unsustainable fashion engagement and supporting companies that use eco-friendly and sustainable production and manufacture. Changing your personal fashion values when shopping online, and investing in more sustainable practices and durable apparel that is irrelevant to the season or current trends is part of being a good digital citizen. (Domingos, M, et. al, 2022)

The World Bank (2018) outlines some of the detrimental impacts of fast fashion.

The fashion industry uses 93 billion cubic meters of water.

20 % of wastewater worldwide comes from fabric dyeing and treatment.

Finally the fashion industry is responsible for 10% of annual global carbon emissions

Companies such as Zara and Shein are contributing to fast fashion and often use greenwashing techniques showcasing long and complex reports on their websites showcasing plans for sustainable business models acting as a surface level band-aid to entice undereducated customers.

Does SHEIN’s Extended Producer Responsibility Fund to the Or Foundation lead to systemic change for the fashion industry?

Companies like Shein uses directory pages online to showcase their plans and aims to become a more sustainable business model

This article by Earth.org exposes their greenwashing techniques.

"Shein has also stated they intend to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2030. However, in order to align with the Paris Agreement to keep global temperature under 1.5C, fashion industries are required to reduce their global carbon emissions by 45% by 2030"

Moonsun Choi & Dean Cristol discuss the unidimensional approach to digital citizenship explaining that being a digital citizen means using technology in a positive way (2021, p. 362). As a responsible and ethical digital citizen, online engagement with slow fashion is imperative to continue sustainable fashion practices online.

The growing desire for unique pieces influences the prices online shoppers are willing to pay with Domingos, M, et. al. (2022) stating “exclusivity is related to any human being’s need to be perceived as different from others, enhance self-esteem and social image, mark a position, and consequently to avoid mass consumption (p.9).

This has developed popular online applications such as Depop that stray from the confines of a particular set of brands and acts as a digital thrift store. This benefits multiple aspects of the slow fashion movement, specifically eliminating mass consumption and the reuse and upcycling of preloved apparel.

Supporting Depop influencers who educate and advocate for timeless fashion over trending seasonal pieces is apart of becoming a sustainable and ethical digital citizen.

As technology makes secondhand clothes more accessible, more shoppers in the UK are going green

Georgina Quach's article outlines the rise of applications as sustainable fashion transitions online adapting to appeal to digital communities.

Depop based its strategy on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, but unlike other sustainability reports, Depop’s report is brief and pointed. There are more than 26 million buyers and sellers who use the site with more than 90% of users being Gen Z, indicating it is successfully targeting the correct demographic: social media generations. Roshitsh, 2021.

References:

Choi, M & Cristol, D, (2021) ‘Digital citizenship with intersectionality lens: Towards participatory democracy driven digital citizenship education’, Theory Into Practice, Vol 60:4, 361-370.

Domingos, M, Vera Teixeira Vale, and Faria, S. (2022). ‘Slow Fashion Consumer Behavior: A Literature Review’ Sustainability 14, no. 5: 2860.

Earth.org, 2023, 'A critical lens on shein's extended producer responsibility fund fast fashion greenwashing', Earth.Org, 6 April, viewed 7 April 2023, <https://www.earthday.org/a-critical-lens-on-sheins-extended-producer-responsibility-fund-fast-fashion-greenwashing/>

Roshitsh, K, 2021, ‘Depop Plans to Cut Ties With Conventional Fashion’, WWD [Women's Wear Daily], p.15.

Quach, G, 2021, 'Reselling, repairing and 'swishing': the rise of sustainable fashion apps', The Guardian, 30 January, viewed 7 April 2023, <https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2021/jan/29/reselling-repairing-and-swishing-the-rise-of-sustainable-fashion-apps>

#mda20009 #digital citizenship #depop #shein #slowfashion #upcycling

Week 5; Digital Citizenship

Week 5 surrounded a discussion on what it means to be a digital citizen and the online interactions with political participation and discussions.

Social media and the digital communities that exist online can have powerful impacts on society and its politics. Choi, et. al (2021, p.366-367) notes that engaging in digital citizenship has promoted better democratic practices and political web-based activity establishes social circles that deliver information to those who may not otherwise be educated enough to access it. Furthermore the article highlights that engaging as a digital citizen helps individuals compare and collaborate with the exchanging and arguing of political discourse, events and ideas.

The rise in digital citizenship has led to an increase in political activism. Vromen, A (2017) argues the use of media platforms has reshaped the way citizens participate in politics. Media assets like hashtags, reblogs, retweets and GIFs are becoming increasingly influential in shaping public opinion and political discourse (p. 4).

The number of immigrant voters is on the rise – and research shows that for young immigrants, social media is where they are primarily wadin

Wilf, et. al, supports this argument and showcases the impact that media can have on disadvantaged individuals. By engaging with digital citizenship these immigrants have engaged with online political activism leading to a successful increase in eligible voters participating in western democratic societies like America particularly in the 2020 presidential campaign.

"Many young immigrants use social media to follow news in their local communities, as well as in their countries of origin. They also use it to organise protests and encourage others to vote" (Wilf, Castro, Quiles, 2022).

The article drew on the author's research papers which highlighted the significance of twitter advocating awareness for organisations such as 'United We Dream'. The organisation aims to connect US immigrant youths and spread awareness through online platforms. Trends found in their sample research shows that 18-23 year old voters engaged with politics almost entirely online.

Choi, et. al (2021) attributes digital citizenship to bettering intersectionality, with social media's ability to bring together marginalised and oppressed voices, that share commonalities of showcasing diversity and advocating for equality, to educate groups on ‘participatory democracy’ (p.363-364).

References:

Choi, M & Cristol, D, (2021) ‘Digital citizenship with intersectionality lens: Towards participatory democracy driven digital citizenship education’, Theory Into Practice, 60:4, 361-370.

Vromen, A, 2017, Digital Citizenship and Political Engagement The Challenge from Online Campaigning and Advocacy Organisations, Palgrave Macmillan UK, London.

Wilf, S, Maker Castro, E,Quiles, T, 2022, ‘Young immigrants are looking to social media to engage in politics and elections – even if they are not eligible to vote’, The Conversation, 11 October, viewed, 29 March 2023, <https://theconversation.com/young-immigrants-are-looking-to-social-media-to-engage-in-politics-and-elections-even-if-they-are-not-eligible-to-vote-190315>

#MDA20009 #auspol #unitedwedream

Week 4; Digital Community and Fandom

This week we dove into the world of reality television and the role that social media plays in the modern climate of digital fandom communities.

The Round Table discussion in McCracken et. al (2020), explores the various communities that can be found on Tumblr, including fandoms for well-known media properties and communities dedicated to social justice and action. The scholars go through Tumblr's distinctive features as a platform, such as its focus on visually appealing content and usage of tags to speed up content discovery and community building (p. 78). The article highlights that Tumblr’s unique circulation of GIF media is well established and an important feature for reaching a wider audience and therefore generating greater fandoms (p. 2). These fandoms that exist on social media have become increasingly important to the producers and contestants of reality television shows.

Deller, R (2019) argues, social media has altered how viewers interact with reality TV by introducing new opportunities for discussion among fans about their favourite programmes. This is particularly evident within the reality TV show Love Island. The contestants on the show as well as the audience coincides with the impact of modern social media creating requirements and expectations from both parties when engaging with the programme.

The contestants who are selected to become contestants on recent seasons are required to have an engaging online social media presence with a strong number of followings prior to entering the cast. When comparing this to original seasons this requirement was not as valued indicating the rise of social media in society over time. L'Hoiry, X (2019, p. 2) notes that the show “has pushed the boundaries of audience participation by exploiting the connective potential of social media”. Love Island producers use online apps and platforms like Tumblr, Tik Tok and Instagram to interact with the fanbase posting polls, images and video content from the show to better engage with their audiences as well as develop hashtagged fan bases that expand audience numbers. Additionally a social media manager is assigned to each contestant's Instagram to continue a visible presence whilst they have no access to their socials whilst on the show. This strategic use of social media has made it possible for viewers to communicate with their favourite reality TV stars, with producers aiming to encourage a sense of connection to the characters viewed on television. L'Hoiry attributes the motivation behind this to an attempt to usher a “symbiotic relationship” between the real time televised episodes and viewer media consumption across multiple platforms (p. 4).

Similarly, the onus of social media impacts also generates expectations from the successful contestants on the show. Particularly within the British cast of Love Island, it has become a trend for past contestants to grow online following and subsequently with this micro influencer status receive brand deals from fashion, entertainment and health and fitness companies. This trend plays a large role in motivating new contestants to apply for the show each year.

References:

Deller, Ruth A, 2019, ‘Reality Television in an Age of Social Media', Reality Television, The TV Phenomenon That Changed the World, Emerald Publishing Limited.

L'Hoiry, X, 2019, 'Love Island, social media, and surveillance : new pathways of challenging realism in reality TV'. Frontiers in Sociology, p. 1-13, 4. 59.

McCracken, A, Cho, A, Stein, L & Hoch, N H, 2020, A Tumblr Book: platform and cultures, University of Michigan Press, Ann Arbor.

#love island #MDA20009 #fandom

Week 3: Tumblr Case study

Taking a lens to the once infamous platform 'Tumblr' enables us to look at the power of digital communities, with the rise of public spheres and online groups originating uniquely through accessing Tumblr's unique features.

The Kruse et. al article, discusses the term of a 'public sphere', stating that they're key role is to provide protected and equal access with "the absence of institutional influence, particularly regarding the economy" (2018, p. 63).

Tumblr has had a unique impact on feminism and members of the LGBTQ+ community.

This was well discussed throughout Byron, P, et, al. (2019, p. 2239–2259). The study discovered that Tumblr offered young people a secure and encouraging environment where they could explore their gender and sexual identities and interact with others who have gone through similar things. Participants explained the platform resonated with them, providing them with the opportunity to share their stories with others and receive validation and support within the group. Whilst the study helped to lessen these individuals feeling isolated, certain drawbacks of Tumblr were noted with unfavourable comments requiring control of one's online persona. Overall, the study emphasises the value of online environments for young people who are discovering their identities and looking for support from those who have had similar experiences.

They found themselves, and each other, online.

In this article, Schneier (2022) explores a great example of a digital community that was formed in the height of Tumblr's fame. The group reminisces on the powerful ability of the platform to unite strangers through their shared love of fashion. Disregarding gender, sexuality or race and bringing together an inviting public sphere of individuals with a shared interest.

Within the required reading this week, Reif et. al , suggests “hashtags make it easy for users to connect with other like-minded people.” (2022, p.5). Public spheres online, often originate through the use of hashtags drawing in other users when they search for the topical interests of the particular digital community. The article goes onto discuss the effects of empowering women's group such as #bodypositive and #feminism, allowing women to connect online, share useful and engaging content and impact fourth wave feminism with growing trends in both challenging outdated notions of physical beauty and advocating for equal rights for all genders. However, despite the powerful ability of social media platforms such as Tumblr, and connecting public spheres across the globe, groups and users have noted there are always drawbacks to online communities. Reif et. al, indicates there are strong arguments for an underrepresentation of diversity showcased within the hashtagged content. They proceed to reference Cohen et. al, 2019, applying the study to Tumblr. Cohen explains the use of #bodypositive should form a ‘diverse feminist space’ encouraging women to appreciate their own beauty. Tumblr users feel there is an unhealthy amount of predominantly white women showcased in the hashtag, causing negative effects on the diverse audience it is reaching as they are unable to see themselves reflected in this online media (Reif et. al (2022, p.7)).

The results of the study commended Tumblr's unique features that encouraged individuals to not become restricted to posting self love positivity in just one hashtags but multiple inclusive and specific tags directed at people of colour and queer people. Reif established this indicated the platform's ability to promote ‘collective solidarity’ (p.17). Juxtaposing the amount of realism in the images and usage of filters and editing apps to Instagram, Tumblr seems to prevail. And finally Tumblr and the features of reblogging projected the self love content further and was a valuable asset in growing these communities making use of the uncensored platform to reclaim body positivity.

This was well discussed throughout Byron, P, et, al. (2019, p. 2239–2259) The study discovered that Tumblr offered young people a secure and encouraging environment where they could explore their gender and sexual identities and interact with others who have gone through similar things. Participants explained the platform resonated with them, providing them with the opportunity to share their stories with others and receive validation and support within the group. Whilst the study helped to lessen these individuals feeling isolated, certain drawbacks of Tumblr were noted with unfavourable comments requiring control of one's online persona. Overall, the study emphasises the value of online environments for young people who are discovering their identities and looking for support from those who have had similar experiences.

References:

Anne Reif, Insa Miller & Monika Taddicken (2022) ‘“Love the Skin You‘re In”: An Analysis of Women’s Self-Presentation and User Reactions to Selfies Using the Tumblr Hashtag #bodypositive, Mass Communication and Society, p.1-24.

Byron, P., Brady Robards, B. Hanckel, S. Vivienne and B. Churchill, 2019, “"Hey, I'm having these experiences": Tumblr use and young people's queer (dis)connections.”, International Journal of Communication 13, 2239–2259.

Cohen, R., Irwin, L., Newton-John, T., & Slater, A. (2019). ‘#bodypositivity: A content analysis of body positive accounts on Instagram’. Body Image, 29, 47–57.

Kruse, LM Norris, DR & Flinchum, JR, 2018, 'Social media as a public sphere? Politics on social media', The Sociological Quarterly, 59:1, 62-84.

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