Digital Community Chest

This blog contains content and ideas relating to the subject MDA20009 Digital Communities

[stephencolbertly]

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (November 12, 2017)

[npr]

The social media world is heavily populated by trolls — you know, those people who write nasty, mean comments online. Sometimes it can be tempting to respond back, but what if there’s a better alternative? Like sending them a cake…. with their words written on it.

New York City baker Kat Thek does just that. She’s the founder of Troll Cakes, a bakery and detective agency.

The process is simple. First, customers go to the Troll Cakes site to submit the comment and address of the troll in question. Thek will then bake a cake, write the comment on it using frosting or fondant letters, wrap it up in festive confetti, and send it to the perpetrator.

“When you open it up, [the box] looks like 100 percent good news,” Thek laughs. “And then you see a screen grab of your comment, and it says, ‘Congratulations! Your Internet comment has been made into a Troll Cake.’ ”

This Baker Makes Internet Trolls Eat Their Words — Literally

Photos: Courtesy of Troll Cakes

[strangersmakedigitalcommunities]

A fun way to take on trolls

[strangersmakedigitalcommunities]

Week 11: Digital Communities and Trolls: understanding social media conflict

Social media companies occupy a rather niche area of regulation and oversight. Given the swift and meteoric rise of social media platforms many governments around the world have been playing catch up in terms of what and how to regulate the power of these widely used sites. Nowhere is that more pressing then when it comes to online hate and trolling. Trolling is the effect of someone on social media spreading the flames of discord and aggression by posting controversial or inflammatory comments. The tough thing with trolling is the sense of entitlement many people have when interacting with others online “That's just my opinion” or “Just sayin” are popular catch phrases for online trolls who wish to upset people but want to bear no responsibility for their actions. Unfortunately much like in the real world the victims of online harassment and trolling are already these marginalised, women of color and queer women, are more susceptible to online harassment and more likely to consider negative behavior to be harassment (Marwick & Caplan 2018).

What can be done? Under current legislation internet companies such as social media platforms have no legal requirements to remove any harassing content that users post. While most platforms do include language in their user agreements or terms of service that ban offensive or harassing behaviour the removal of these posts is at the discretion of the platform and many users have noted they are  slow to act in situations of hate speech and threats of violence. 

Messages of discrimination and hate online are often trickled down aspects of society at large. Before we can expect women, people of colour, the LGBTQI community and many other marginalised people to receive fair and equitable treatment online we need to work on fixing the inequitable treatment they receive offline.

Alice E. Marwick & Robyn Caplan (2018) Drinking male tears: language, the manosphere, and networked harassment, Feminist Media Studies, 18:4, 543-559, DOI: 10.1080/14680777.2018.1450568

[strangersmakedigitalcommunities]

Week 10: Gaming Communities, Social Gaming and Live Streaming

If we are to take the simplified version of what a game is: playing a game is the voluntary attempt to overcome unnecessary obstacles.”(Suits 1978, p.41)

Then it can be said that with the introduction of live streaming and social gaming in which gamers are now receiving economic benefit from gaming. Are these obstacles still unnecessary if someone can maintain an income from it? 

Does the recreational nature of gaming inherently change if you are no longer just playing to win the game. But now you are playing to maintain your audience, attain the prize money and possibly earn sponsorship for future gaming tournaments. The once carefree recreational attitude of gaming is now a business. And it's not a cottage industry either; the esports industry generated over $1billion in revenue in 2019. Is it time we hold esports stars and participants of gaming communities to a higher standard of conduct.

While video games may be a distraction to some communities and a source of power and pleasure to others, they can at times also be a source of violence, oppression, pain, and trauma (Gray & Leonard 2018).  Gamergate is a classic example of the dark side of gaming. A long and complex tale essentially gamergate refers to the online harassment of individuals in and surrounding the gaming industry often if not always female. The online gaming industry needs to clean up its act if it is to be taken seriously as a legitimate sporting practise. While forms of prejudice and misogyny exist in other sporting codes nowhere is the vitriol so overt and pointed as in online gaming. 

Given that brands and companies are putting their name behind esports competitions and stars perhaps the industry needs to look at how they interact with each other online and what are the characteristics of their online communities that need changing .

REFERENCES:

Anon 2020, Esports: The next billion dollar industry | Lexology, viewed 26 May, 2020, <https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=d452955d-26e1-4574-bf62-3988f6c8ab9d>.

Anon 2020, Gamergate controversy, viewed 26 May, 2020, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamergate_controversy>.

Gray, K & Leonard, D 2018, Woke gaming, University of Washington Press, Seattle.

[strangersmakedigitalcommunities]

Week 9: Political engagement and activism

The rise of social media and online activism has often been a two edged sword. While many agree that a more connected society can actively engage voters and activists to form together on key issues it also played part in the rise of click- activism or slacktivism. Resulting in a lot of online noise and discourse but little real world action. 

Slacktivism is used to describe an individual who will gladly like, post or share content related to causes but is less or sometimes completely unlikely to translate that action into meaningful participation offline. Think of ‘the bloke down at the pub’ who will complain loudly and to anyone who will listen about how “Canberra is full of crooks and nothing is run properly” yet who on election day is mysteriously absent from a polling station. Is the rise of online political engagement having any effect at all? Many think not.

However recent studies and discussions have made strides in actually disproving this theory. In fact many have come to see the value in online activism as it often impacts a wide range of activities deemed important for political citizenship , such as news consumption, discursive engagement, and community formation  (Dennis 2019). So it appears that someone clicking like on an issue they care about is perhaps just the stepping stone for their future involvement.

Furthermore “On Sustainable Tools for Precarious Times” makes a case for including a wider variety of art based messaging as well as real world protests in addition to online activism as the way to initiate greater change. 

In order to enact the greatest amount of change it appears that while online activism is instrumental in getting people together and educated it is but one factor in what needs to be viewed as a more holistic method in political engagement. 

It starts with a click but perhaps grows into a lot more. 

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, Cham

Dennis J. (2019) #stopslacktivism: Why Clicks, Likes, and Shares Matter. In: Beyond Slacktivism. Interest Groups, Advocacy and Democracy Series. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham

[strangersmakedigitalcommunities]

Week 8: Digital Health Campaigns: Body modification and Cosmetic Surgery on Visual Social Media

If you google Bella Hadid the supermodel, the 2nd suggested search term that google presents is ‘Bella Hadid before’ and it links you to the image page showing comparison shots of her before and after cosmetic surgery.  This is pretty telling and indicates the amount of interest in young people both getting cosmetic surgery and being influenced by the cosmetic surgery of influencers. 

Over recent years there has been a shift in attitudes towards cosmetic surgery. Cosmetic surgery once being traditionally viewed as a tool for older women to maintain their youth in a culture that continues its fascination with youth. However now the more recent changes in attitudes towards plastic surgery include not just de aging but enhancing and people are getting enhancement surgery younger and younger.

Is visual social media the driving force behind this?

There is a saying I often remind myself when browsing social media, and that is, don't compare someones ‘Best of album’ to your everyday song. Basically the curated images we see online, especially on instagram are not real. The app itself has filters built into it to edit and enhance images. Friends and influencers alike are taking dozens of shots to get the one they like the most to post, nothing is spontaneous and everything is curated. Which by itself doesn’t seem so harmful but there are unintended consequences. Especially when you begin to compare a regular instagram user to one that has successfully parlayed their profile on the app into paid work. They have essentially become a prosumer, both product to sell and continued consumer.

Instagram and various other forms of visual social media have been successful at spreading messaging of public health and awareness campaigns  ( think Movember or the ice bucket challenge) but the unintended consequences of realms of public influence can be harmful. The current omni presence of social media influences can have harmful effects on young people.

While there are both successful male and female influencers, it will come as no shock that the expectations of female influencers are vastly different. The hyper sexualisation of women and girls is nowhere else displayed so prominently then on instagram. Along with the myriad of body expectations instagram has given birth to what journalist Jia Tolentino refers to in the the New Yorker as ‘The Instagram Face’ basically it is the vaguely ethnic but predominantly caucasian face that (achieved through plastic surgery) consists of high cheekbones, small nose, full lips and catlike eyes. Each element taken from the genetic makeup of different ethnic mixes. 

It's a vicious cycle, the more people who wish to look like this the more they will engage in plastic surgery. As this is an aspirational type of beauty those who achieve it will be praised for it and in turn become more visible, influencing others that this form of body modification is a worthy pursuit. 

Ritzer, G., & Jurgenson, N. 2010, Production, consumption, prosumption: The nature of capitalism in the age of the digital ‘prosumer’. Journal of Consumer Culture, 10, pp.13– 36.

Tolentino, J 2020, The Age of Instagram Face, viewed 15 May, 2020, <https://www.newyorker.com/culture/decade-in-review/the-age-of-instagram-face>.

[strangersmakedigitalcommunities]

Slow Fashion and the Film Industry

This Summer over the 2020 Awards season Joaquin Phoenix wore the same Stella McCartney tuxedo to every awards ceremony he attended. While many who read Stella McCartney's instagram post lauding him a hero for recycling, may have rolled their eyes at the Hollywood elitism of it all. Both Phoenix and McCartney are making a point about the fashion industry and how even at the top, the luxury brands and big names are contributing to huge amounts of waste and a system that is unsustainable. And they are not alone star Jane Fonda has pledged to buy no new clothes for its impact on the environment.

Looks and designs that are given the platform of awards season are often inspirations (or just blatantly ripped off) by other designers and then in turn replicated by chain stores and fast fashion outlets like H&M, Zara, Topshop etc. 

[brilliantly explained by this scene from The Devil Wears Prada]

This constant flow of new designs and the race to produce garments for the masses creates an industry where clothes are cheap and easily replaceable.

For awards season especially there is an entire industry created and revolving around red carpet fashion. From the designers and stylists that create and curate the looks to the fashion commentary undertaken by bloggers, journalists, tv programs and online news magazines. It is a multi million dollar industry that supports numerous jobs. Yet as with many other areas of the fashion industry there has been a growing online discourse around fashion and its impact on the environment. 

The recent trend towards slow fashion goes hand in hand with the recent trend towards environmentalism in the face of growing climate concerns. In a recent survey Pew research conducted more than 50% of respondents stated that climate change was the biggest international threat to their wellbeing

[strangersmakedigitalcommunities]

Digital Citizenship

The idea of digital Citizenship broadly outlines the way a citizen can take part in society online. In ‘Digital Citizenship: The internet, Society and Participation’ a criteria for an online society is outlined in includes; Economic opportunity, Democratic participation and inclusion in form of communication. 

Questions about digital citizenship could not come at a more pressing time. As Covid-19 is forcing a lot of people to work from home and students across all school levels into remote learning. This is however showing a class divide that was previously either ignored or not outlined and that is a digital divide. This divide is showing that not all students have the same access to hardware and technology severely affecting the remote learning of those from a lower socio-economic background.

Yet the digital divide isn't the only barrier to participation of a society online. Many social media platforms have in recent years changed their algorithms.

These changes often move from showing content in chronological order to showing content they think you will like based on data points they have collected from you. This however some have remarked is removing the previous democratisation of platforms, as now not every post or user has equal opportunity to be seen or heard. And as this article from Forbes  points out you are more likely to see news and current affairs posts that are suited to your way of thinking or cultural bias. 

While we do live in an ever increasing connected and online version of society I do not believe we can truly be digital citizens unless that right is afforded to everyone, the digital divide makes that prospect uncertain. And although there is a constant and deafening political discourse being played out online the way in which most social media platforms are currently operating does not guarantee equal access to all sides of the political sphere. We are more and more likely to live in an echo chamber online.  Until these inequalities are eradicated we cannot truly be digital citizens unless every citizen can take part.

[strangersmakedigitalcommunities]

How Tumblr functions as a digital community.

Social media as a public sphere? 

Habermas (2015) defines a political sphere as a place where “private people come together as a public”. Essentially to share ideas and enact political change. 

While Tumblr itself is a platform for connecting people the political discourse is less organised around traditional political parties or factions. That is not to say that Tumblr does not have  (or used to have) great political engagement. 

And indeed tumblr has always been a platform where people have come together. An article appearing in the NY Times 2014 highlights the then growing political discourse taking place on tumblr and the growing visibility of the Black Lives Matter Movement. 

Philip Howard from the Digital Activism Research Project at the University of Washington says 

“Tumblr is kind of like a gateway drug for activism, Once you connect to other people who feel strongly about race or crime or gay marriage, you stay engaged on that one issue area.” 

Tumblr is the community in which new political movements are first spoken of and take flight, the same NY Times article explains that unlike facebook or twitter where you connect with people you know, tumblr is based around connecting with themes and interests. Meaning that users can connect with essentially anyone and can use their relative anonymity to explore ideas and communities they may not be encouraged to do in their own physical community.

While attention can and should be paid to the success of tumblr in connecting people from all over the world it must be analysed within the current context of tumblr as a platform. 

At its heyday tumblr had over 100 million posts per day, during its peak in 2013 it was sold by creator David Karp for $1.1 Billion. Since then active daily users have been falling away, a move in late 2018 saw the site ban adult content. This was viewed as the final nail in the coffin for a lot of users. While many users came to the site for memes, art, political discourse or a varied number of interests.  A huge part of the digital community that was tumblr was made up of LGBT communities and other people with marginalized gender and sexual identities who found support and like minded individuals to connect to. The ban on adult content included wiping away the many communities that were created and nurtured on the site. It is due to this and numerous other factors that tumblr last sold for $3 million USD, a loss of $1.07 Billion. Perhaps this loss in value and engagement indicates that digital communities are important to a platform and further proves Habermas’ assertion that a public sphere cannot exist with institutional influence.

Habermas, J., 2015. The Structural Transformation Of The Public Sphere. Hoboken: Wiley.