Dec 17, 2022
seen from China
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seen from United States
Just been going through all my liked posts and getting slightly frustrated that I couldn’t like them again. Some of these things are too beautiful! They deserve a million likes!
Digital Communities - Weeks 1-3 An exploration.
Hello my fellow castaways!
So I’m doing a Communications/Public Relations degree through Swinburne University online. My current subject is Digital Communities and one assessable aspect of that course is a blog. My blog. This blog. I’m a blogger now.
The journey began with getting my head around some of the terminology commonly used in our digital world. Sure you hear terms like ‘Social Media’ and ‘Social Network’ and even attempt to use them like you know what you’re talking about. Before attempting to define these terms, it was a very useful exercise for me to consider my own digital citizenship. How and why do I use social media/networks? The ‘how’ was easy as my digital footprint was like a child’s size 2. Facebook (FB) was the extent of my foray into the socially-networked world (and here I’m more of a consumer than producer) and as far as social media use – YouTube clips of dogs riding skateboards. Now let me say that I have since created a blog, this blog, created a Twitter account and began tweeting my little heart out and now know that basically the difference between social media and social networks is; the former is more about followship and the latter about friendship/connection. Well there’s more to it than that but not enough room here.
The ‘why’ was a more difficult to answer. Forced to evaluate my choice to dwell in a digital world, I came to a stunning conclusion. I need validation. I need to know that others know I’m here and that I matter. That’s really it. When I send my post/tweet in a bottle out into the digital ocean, all I hope for is that someone somewhere will read it and respond, hence saving me from my fear on being alone or unknown. Oh there’s nothing more comforting than a being notified that you have a ‘like’ or a :) or a little heart. It’s all about the notification (via email, text, phone beeping or arrival of a carrier pigeon) that someone has acknowledged my existence. Why else do I check FB or Twitter 15 times a day?? Does this make me desperate?
This feeds into the human condition of our need to feel that we belong. Whether in the virtual or the physical world, we crave connection and belonging via community. But what is community? Introduced to the work of Ferdinand Tönnies in week 2, I struggled to reconcile my personal ideas of what community meant to me with the reformation of community in a virtual sense. It comes back to how I personally use social media/networks. I choose not to replace my physical community with a virtual one. I choose to let my sociality be augmented by the use of and inclusion in social networks.
This brings me back to my recent uptake of Twitter. Being encouraged in week 3 to evaluate the affordances of two social media/network platforms, I was again confronted with the question of why I use Twitter. In comparing the affordances of FB and Twitter I have come to realise this. Each platform facilitates connection with others (private or public) and each is perfect for narcissists and stalkers. Let me explain. Since beginning to tweet I am consumed by these recurring questions: Why won’t people follow me? Why don’t people react to my tweets? Why don’t people think what I have to say is worthy of retweeting or a heart? Why don’t I have more followers?? As I mentioned above, what I really crave is connection and FB or Twitter or Instagram or any other virtual community will never replace the connection and community I have found and will continue to find in the real world. I choose to think of these platforms as tools I can keep in my social toolbox, to use when the time and context is right.
So my fellow castaways, keep exploring and keep searching for connection wherever it may be found. Make the most of these digital communities and the connection they afford.
Shawn
I get a lot more likes on Instagram. Trying to figure out how to get more notes on here.
More people need to like my Instgrams.
http://instagram.com/eleids
Dovahkiin Commentary
TO SOVNGARDE! So this may be one of the last Skyrim Commentaries unless I think of something funny to say. Well I'm off to kill Alduin, so yeah. I MIGHT be doing live stream commentary on my other account: aimforthehay.tumblr.com so check it out!
