The New Digital Era

Hi, my name is Josh. I'm studying Bachelor of Media and Communications, majoring in Cinema & Sceen Studies at Swinburne University. The content I share, distrubute and post is part of a project for MDA2009 Digital Communities.

[the-new-digital-era]

Social Media Conflict, the cyber war.

‘Cyber-safety’: what are we actually talking about? Let’s get this straight, ‘digital citizenship’ is not all roses, amongst it are thorns. The silent naysayers come from long and far in the form of trolls, keyboard warriors and cyber bullies, often with the focus of targeting and harassing the vulnerable. Online harassment is a study that most want to talk about but don't have the courage to speak up, as they fear themselves will fall victim to abuse.

To understand what ‘online harassment’ actually is, it needs to be described as the “deception and manipulation for Lulz, often in jest and for the tacit fun of community members” (Donath 1999; Bergstrom, 2011). Although this definition might seem comical, it is imperative that people that are participating in ‘digital citizenship’ understand the serious implications of cyber bullying. The indecent act of virtual abuse currently costing Australians “3.7 billion annually in terms of medical bills and loss of income” (Milne, E, 2020). To expand on this, there is actually no current legal remedies in place to protect Australians from using the internet. Thus, the importance of social media governance must be discussed.

Community is built on social media through the network of common interests and active participation. Therefore, it should be mandatory that the safety of individuals online must be the immediate focus for those controlling the internet both on a macro and micro level. As we have seen all too often, the “big data” systems that monitor and command our every move are largely at fault for this breach. Companies such as Facebook and Instagram loosely govern the way individuals interact with each other online. Microsoft researcher Danah Boyd explained that teenagers describe the term “drama” in the online space as “…performative, interpersonal conflict that takes place in front of an active, engaged audience, often on social media” (Fuller, G, et al, 2014). 

What this means is that not everything you post online is private, a lot of the content we interact with, share and distribute is public. This is where the responsibility of the government, corporations, moderators and yourself have to understand the importance of acting as a good digital citizen. 

As you can see in the image above, it just a small number of the comments that may be made to users online. Sadly, this common occurrence is mostly intended as “goals of embarrassment, anger, and disruption often ‘merely for amusement” (Dahlberg 2001). However, sometimes these motives are far larger than trying to agitate another individual, it can also be very serious with the intention to physically harm or manipulate.

So how can we stop this? Or at least how can we minimise the chances of this occurring? The Australian Government has since introduced a webpage that raises awareness and helps promote advocacy around the issue of online harassment. The ‘esaftey’ page prides itself on helping Australians have “safer, more positive experiences online” (eSafety Commissioner, 2020). The website itself features a number of different links that teach you how to “stay safe online”, which I think is extremely important in preventing cyber bullying.

Another great way for raising awareness about these issues is going down the platform route, or the social media approach. The “R U OK?” foundation is a perfect example of an online institution that’s vision is to prevent suicide and self harm. The company ensures that their mission is to “inspire and empower everyone to meaningfully connect” which resonates with the idea of feeling isolated when being harassed online.

R U OK? Foundation YouTube video:

References:

Esther Milne, 2020, Week 11: Gaming Communities and Trolls, MDA20009 Digital Communities, Canvas Modules Week 11, Swinburne University of Technology, 27 May 2020, viewed 30 May 2020. 

Fuller, G, et al, ‘Trolls and the negative space of the internet; Troll Theory?’, The Fibreculture Journal, no.22. 

Fuller , G, et, al, ‘Cyber-safety’: what are we actually talking about?, The Conversation, accessed 31 May 2020.

eSafety Commissioner, 2020, Helping Australians to have safer, more positive experiences online, eSafety Commissioner Australian Government, accessed 31 May 2020, https://www.esafety.gov.au/. 

R U OK?, 2020, A conversation could change a life, accessed 31 May 2020,  https://www.ruok.org.au

[the-new-digital-era]

Gaming communities, Social gaming and Live Streaming

“What is gaming? More importantly, what is gaming to you?

Interchangeably, we use the word “game” as a playful double entendre. It is more notably the “voluntary attempt to overcome unnecessary obstacles” (Suits 1978, p.41) but it can also be a demonstration of a virtual simulation that brings people together through common interest. Taking a closer look into the study of ‘video games’ we can understand the importance of social interaction and the part it plays in forming ‘digital communities’. 

Throughout history, games have been immensely focused around participation and are inherently social. The popular arcade games that you’d find in bars and pubs such as PacMan and Space Invaders feature a ‘high-score’ system that encourages competition and a level of skill. This form of participatory culture resembles an underlying notion for communicative and social interaction. Similarly, we see a compounding effect happening in the rise of ‘video games’ as they dominate the online market and build on networking. In today’s society, hundreds of thousands of ‘gamers’ flood the ever expanding community of fandom.

Primarily focusing on the game development of the highly popular sandbox Minecraft we can begin to understand the immense social culture and digital citizenship. The video game prides itself on its creative skeleton that it always changing the way people interact. Minecraft has been considered the best selling video game of all time and has sold over 200 million copies across a number of different platforms. 

Furthering my research on the impact Minecraft has on community building and being a responsible digital citizen. A project conducted in October 2013 by the School of Library and Information Studies, Texas Woman’s University, Denton, Texas, USA, researched the ways students interacted with each other in the virtual world with the intention of practising good digital citizenship skills. The study took place over six months with careful observation of the way in which the children interacted with the 3D world. After the conclusion of the research, the findings found the students “exemplified learning as prosumers in digital culture” (Hill, 2015), supporting the general condition of video games practising active participation as it demands constant cognitive skills.

This brings me to the development of MinecraftEDU which is an education version of Minecraft, effectively it is a “modification” or the original game. Taylor describes this process in her Week 10 guess lecture as “objects of fan enthusiasm”, which helps reinforce the idea that it is the collaborative work of users that sparks knowledge communities. In the embedded video below, the PBS Idea Channel quotes that kids respond because its a “creative, collaborative, entertaining environment where they are in control”. This helps support the idea that “video games” are predicated on skill, knowledge and expertise and demand constant participation to channel inclusivity and community building.

Exploring the concept of ‘knowledge communities’, Minecraft has since spawned a ginormous fan culture that continues to dominate the internet. With “126 million people playing the game monthly” (Warren, 2020), it is without a doubt one of the most talked about video games in the last century, with YouTube statistics released in 2019 showing Minecraft bringing in a “whopping 100.2 billion views” (Alexander, 2019). This emphasises the expansion ‘gaming platforms’ have on promoting fan culture as they act as ‘social hubs’ for ‘knowledge communities. Gillespie explains the benefit of YouTube as “an open-armed, egalitarian facilitation of expression, not an elitist gatekeeper with normative and technical restrictions” (Gillespie 2010, p.352). Furthermore, building upon the idea of inclusivity and community.

References:

Esther Milne, 2020, Week 10: Gaming Communities, Social Gaming and Live Streaming, MDA20009 Digital Communities, Canvas Modules Week 10, Swinburne University of Technology, 18 May 2020, viewed 30 May 2020.

Gillespie, T. (2010). The politics of ‘platforms.’ New Media & Society, 12(3), 347–364. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444809342738.

Hill, V. (2015). Digital citizenship through game design in minecraft. New Library World, 116(7), 369-382. doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.lib.swin.edu.au/10.1108/NLW-09-2014-0112

Julia Alexander, 2019, The Verge, Minecraft is still the biggest game on YouTube by tens of billions of views, accessed May 31 2020, https://www.theverge.com/2019/12/5/20996849/minecraft-youtube-rewind-fortnite-grand-theft-auto-roblox-biggest-games-views.

PBS Idea Channel, Is Minecraft the Ultimate Educational Tool? | Idea Channel | PBS Digital Studios, accessed May 31 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RI0BN5AWOe8. 

Tom Warren, 2020, The Verge, Minecraft still incredibly popular as sales top 200 million and 126 million play monthly, accessed 30 May 2020, https://www.theverge.com/2020/5/18/21262045/minecraft-sales-monthly-players-statistics-youtube. 

[archivedeathdrive]

Protesters gathered on May 26, 2020 in Minneapolis to demand justice for George Floyd, an African American man killed by a white police officer who knelt on his neck after shoving him to the ground. Footage of the incident showed Floyd pleading ‘I can’t breathe’ and ‘Don’t kill me.’

foto: Kerem Yucel

[the-new-digital-era]

Digital Activism, a political tool for mass distribution? Or a feeding ground for government intervention?

Since the emergence of ‘digital comms’ in political engagement and activism, the widespread distribution of campaigning and issues for change has grown exponentially. No longer do those who feel submissive about the governments actions, have not a say but are now at the front line of making a stand. The use of mobile devices and social media has lead to the rapid distribution of awareness and an increased number of participation in the act towards change.

Assistant professor Brooke Foucault Welles argues the introduction of ‘counter publics’ within ‘digital activism’, which resemble groups of people from subordinate social groups that don’t fit within the ‘public sphere’. Importantly, these digital citizens “advance alternate narratives” (Foucault Welles, 2019) that contribute to a larger discussion around the stories that matter. We see this sense of community online through the use of ‘hashtag publics’ which correlate information and make it easily accessible for action to be taken.

There’s no doubt you would have come across these familiar hashtags during your research online, #BlackLivesMatter and the #Metoo movement. It’s important to understand that a large proportion of these digital campaigns have been as a result of the network behind these ‘counter publics’. These online platforms have provided an environment where stories can be told with shared values of trust and a sense of normality. It helps promote empathy with the discussions that are being held and acts as a pivot for action.

A more recent example of this rise in ‘counter publics’ is the unfortunate event of death of George Floyd, who was murdered at the hands of an inconsiderate and sinister force, the police. Too often then not we hear about the tragic deaths caused by police brutality, and their over use of power. The #icantbreathe hashtag has been circulating the internet in the last 24 hours as people from all walks of life attempt to raise awareness and demand action. In times of crisis like this, digital comms also becomes a playground for influencers and public figures to reach a wider spread audience about the issue.

LeBron James is just one of the large names that has taken part in challenging the conventions of the government and asking for people to participate in ‘digital activism’. 

LeBron James Instagram:

As you can see in the image above, James presents a split photo with the police officer that murdered George Floyd on the left and NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick who famously kneeled during the American anthem to protest against racial indifference on the right. This particular act of digital campaigning resonates with those who are suffering injustice and helps build a shared voice.

Furthermore, James follows up with an included caption that says “Do you understand NOW!!??!!??” and the hashtag #StayWoke. Both of these statements reinforce the message of continuing to stay aware and act in times of issues around discrimination.

This brings me to the question of whether this form of ‘digital activism’ can be used as government intervention o or even manipulation. Expanding on Kaepernick’s influence in the black lives matter campaign, the large sporting company Nike was at front end of controversy surrounding this matter. 

After releasing the “Dream Crazy” advertisement which featured Kaepernick and the slogan “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything. Just do it.” the protests began to follow. It even got the attention of the U.S. president Donald Trump who responded to the social activism as “I think it’s a terrible message and a message that shouldn’t be sent. There’s no reason for it.”. This highlights the government’s ignorance and authoritarian approach to dismissing real claims about societal injustice. However, as we have seen with other online movements, ‘digital activism’ is able to go “beyond the event horizon of immediate political inter-ventions” (Alvarez, Lauzon, Zaiontz, 2019) and help take effect the issue to a larger scale. 

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. 

Foucault Welles PhD, B. (Academic). (2019).  Researching online activism using social network analysis [Streaming video]. Retrieved from SAGE Research Methods.

LeBron James, LeBron James Instagram Profile, accessed 28 May 2020, https://www.instagram.com/p/CAq3fpCgyve/. 

The Guardian, Nike releases full ad featuring Colin Kaepernick, accessed 28 May 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=38&v=-grjIUWKoBA&feature=emb_logo.

[thecoolestshitever]

The pornification of mainstream media is numbing our boys and men to the true value of Women.

The MissRepresentation.org Team (via thecoolestshitever)

I wanted to share this quote, as it supports my argument about the objectification of women. The distance between what’s considered realistic and natural, to that of superficial and fake is increasingly getting closer. The misinterpreted understanding of the identity of women in today’s society is slowly becoming constrained to the ideas of what females think is “sexy” and “attractive” due to the influence of these aesthetic templates. This growing demand for females to have more define curves, larger breasts and thinner waists are the very improbable ideologies that are undermining the values of today’s women.

[the-new-digital-era]

Digital Health and Social Media

How important is visibility on social media to you?

It’s the controversial issue each and everyone of us question everyday. The rise of the influencers and fall of the so called “reality” in the modern world. We no longer see us as ‘digital citizens’ that mindlessly consume media passively without intention. Instead we have sprouted into the “prosumer” a shared social loop that helps shape and control brands by the choices that we make. 

Our presence on social media is now a battle with our internal self, it has “become synonymous with acquiring status and perceived influence with an attentive audience” (Mavroudis, 2020). Marwick coins the term “self branding” as a ‘ubiquitous self presentation strategy that is a by-proudct of microcelebirty culture’ (Marwick, 2015). To put this simple, identity is now essentially a branded good. Every time we express ourselves online, we are changing the way we and others interact with media.

Visibility Labour and Aesthetic Templates

A growing concern around the use of self-branding is the idea that we as digital citizens are creating “unrealistic” and “unhealthy” ideologies about body image and mental health. The introduction of ‘aesthetic templates’ embodies the idea that people make certain choices and decisions around how their body should be represented online. In the case of females, the promotion of body work and sexualised poses has been a sole focus for many influencers to gain and attract popularity. The demand for ‘aesthetic labour’ in the online world has seen the workplace change dramatically as they have pushed to create a tone “by embodying attributes that will resonate with customers” (Dean, 2005; Witz, Warhurst & Nickson, 2003). 

Kim Kardashians Instagram:

As you can see in the image above, the presentation of Kim highlights the superficial work done to idealise the aesthetic templates used. Furthermore this brings me to the process known as “pornification” which has been described as the “conformance to heteronormative notions of attractiveness” (Duffy, 2017; Drenten & Gurrieri, 2019). A strategy used in advertising to promote the idea of sexiness and objectification, which essentially is the idea that females are using their bodies as commodities. An interesting comment by an Instagram user in the screenshot featured above supports this concept has he describes the photo as “elemental” and as the work as an “inexplicable delicacy of the gods”. This type of infatuation is the direct response advertises and brands alike want for their customers when consuming their product. 

Public Health Campaigns 

A commonly known practice for raising awareness and creating publicity around an issue is the formation of ‘public health campaigns’ Despite there being the potential for misleading information, these movements can help advocate change. Take for example the ‘Stay At Home For Us’ motion, which was established by nurses and doctors worldwide in a desperate plea for people to confine to their homes during the coronavirus outbreak. The power of social media had a global influence as people around the world understood the severity of the virus and how much their actions affected the health system. 

‘Stay At Home For Us’ Movement

Healthcare workers from all walks of life took to social media to praise the efforts of people staying indoors. Campaigns like this help to raise a significant amount of awareness and typically illicit an efficient response to change. In collaboration with ‘public health campaigns’, typically the association with influencers and celebrities help to spread the recognition of the issue and resonate with a more passive audience. Below you will find a screenshot from a largely popular Instagram, which has recently been popularised due to his brave quotes that feature on a piece of cardboard. ‘Dudewithsign’ partnered with the WHO organisation to further promote this awareness for the ‘Stay At Home For Us’ movement. It is clear that the power of social media is a driving force for promoting change and understanding of an issue.

Dude With Sign Instagram:

References:

Dean, D 2005, Recruiting a self: Women performers and aesthetic labour. Work, Employment & Society, 19( 4), pp.761– 774.

Drenten, J.,Gurrieri, L.,Tyler, M 2019, Sexualized labour in digital culture: Instagram influencers, porn chic and the monetization of attention In: Gender, Work and Organization, Gender, Work and Organization, pp. 1 – 26

Dudewithsign, Dudewithsign Instagram Profile, accessed 26 May 2020, https://www.instagram.com/p/B9zrivnlqIU/. 

Duffy, BE 2017, (Not) getting paid to do what you love: Gender, social media and aspirational work, New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.

Kim Kardashian, Kim Kardashian’s Instagram Profile: accessed 26 May 2020, https://www.instagram.com/p/BxQJXT1nGsj/?hl=en. 

Mavroudis, 2020, ‘Public Health Campaigns and Social Media Influence’, 

Marwick, AE 2015, ‘Instafame: Luxury Selfies in the Attention Economy’, Public Culture, vol. 27, no. 1, pp. 138-160.

Witz, A., Warhurst, C., & Nickson, D 2003, The labour of aesthetics and the aesthetics of organization. Organization, 10(1), pp. 33– 54.

[the-new-digital-era]

The Slow Fashion Movement, a fad or the future…

There’s a high chance you’ve heard the term “slow fashion” but haven’t been educated on what it really means and how important it really is. Interchangeably, the expression correlates to the sustainable production of garments within the fashion industry that ‘bring a better quality of life, while minimising the use of natural resources, toxic materials and emissions of waste and pollutants over the life cycle, so as not to jeopardise the needs of future generations’ (IISD, 2015). To understand the concept of ‘slow fashion’ as a whole we must understand that this is not a new movement, in fact throughout the 1990s to 2000s we saw unfair working conditions as a result for the demand of ‘cheap’ and ‘trendy’ new clothing. Kristen Leo, a converted ‘slow fashion’ activist and an ex model for Zara has used the power of social media and her digital citizenship to raise awareness against these barbaric companies that continue to demonstrate unethical measures in producing clothing. INDITEX, the company founded by Amancio Ortega and classified as the “richest criminal in the world” (Leo, 2017) has been front stage of the ongoing controversy surrounding ‘fast-fashion’ and its economical and environmental impact on society.

In 2011, it was found that INDITEX had been overworking their employees at a sweatshop in Soa Paulo by pressuring them to work up to 19 hours a day without being allowed to leave the factory. In a following statement, INDITEX issued that “it could not be held responsible for ‘unauthorised outsourcing’, this is in direct violation of the idea of operating a company under ethical business practices. 

Slow Fashion is still a term that most of society hasn’t grasped the concept of, to put it simply its the intention that from the start to finish of the production process, ‘sustainability’ is put first. This means that ‘no child labour’ is used, that materials are used in a less harming way to the environment, that ethical working conditions are in place and that long standing relationships are formed for future generations. 

An inspiring fashion company that is changing the landscape of ‘sustainable fashion’ and eco friendly practices is ‘KITX’ by Kit Willow, one of Australia’s leading fashion designers. Founded in 2014, the organisation prides itself in the conscious decision making of practicing sustainable choices, right down to the actual supplier itself. KITX ensures that their customers are educated and informed about where and how their materials are sourced and in fact what they are doing to help the environment.

In collaboration with ‘Carbon Natural’ , for every 3rd person that signs up to their database, KITX will plant a tree. They call this their ‘REGENERATION’ promise, as a way of giving back to nature in return for using raw materials. Furthermore, under their ‘TRANSPARENCY’ statement they commit to only working with sewing and finishing contractors who are “committed to quality and human decency within their operations.

KITX’ Promise:

References:

Zhen Lai, Claudia E. Henninger and Panayiota J. Alevizou ‘An Exploration of Consumers’ Perceptions Towards Sustainable Fashion – A Qualitative Study in the UK’, in Sustainability in Fashion A Cradle to Upcycle Approach, edited by Henninger, C.E., Alevizou, P., Goworek, H., Ryding, D. (Palgrave: 2017), accessed 20 May 2020.

IISD (International Institute for Sustainable Development). (2015). Definitions & concepts. IISD [online], retrieved from: http://www.iisd.org/susprod/principles.htm, accessed 21 May 2020.

Kristen Leo, The Richest Criminal In The World, accessed 20 May 2020,   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRgyY9KNfZg.

KITX, accessed 20 May 2020, https://kitx.com.au.

[go-jules-posts-blog]

What is your online reputation?

It’s important to remember our online reputation isn’t removed from our offline reputation. In fact, its just an extension so we need to decide what type of people we want to be, how we want to make the people around us feel and also the type of values that we want to live by. That’s going to be directly reflected through the way we interact with others online.

[the-new-digital-era]

As an extension of ‘Digital Citizenship’ I believe it is more important than ever to recognise you're “online reputation”. It’s our responsibility as individuals, students and citizens to use social media in an appropriate and knowledgable manner. The quote above, highlights the duty of care we as students of media need to take into account when communicating and sharing details about ourselves. Importantly to note it states that it is “just an extension” of our offline  reputation, and that it can affect not only ourselves but the people around us.

Expanding on this concept of having an “online reputation” the idea of ‘catfishing’ has become largely influenced by the lack of confidence people have in expressing themselves. It’s a problem people are having to deal more recently than not, as people feely largely uncomfortable with showing who they actually are online. A study done by the ABC in 2018 found that 41% of the 27 people surveyed confessed to “loneliness” as a reason for their cat-fishing, as well as number of people dissatisfied with their physical appearance. 

Although the act itself is not ‘malicious’, it “seems to provide an outlet for the expression of many different desires and urges” (Vanman, 2018). This quote in particular, highlights how as a ‘digital citizen’ we must practice and demonstrate appropriate digital communication, as to slow and eliminate the spread of conflict from misrepresentation online.

References:

Vanman, E, 2018, Why catfish trick people online: it’s not always malicious, ABC, accessed 21 May 2020,  https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-07-26/why-catfish-trick-people-online/10035624

[the-new-digital-era]

What is Digital Citizenship and how does it change the way we interact as a society?

‘ To put it simply, how do we as ‘citizens’ use technology as a means of participating and engaging with one another in a political stance to bring about change for the betterment of society? The answer to this is fairly straight forward, we use ‘platforms’ to aggregate a collective understanding on a position and use the power of activism to prompt change. 

Mossberger coins the term ‘digital citizenship’ as having the ability to ‘facilitate the membership and participation of individuals within society’ - (Mossberger et al. 2008: 1), which effectively means that the practices and behaviours of people are recognised and action is taken. Despite its universal meaning, ‘digital citizenship’ can only be present if the three following aspects of participation are met, ‘economic opportunity, democratic participation and inclusion in prevailing forms of communication’. 

We as users of the online world, rely on social media companies to provide us with platforms that give us a space or more commonly known as a ‘public sphere’ to share and facilitate expressions free of government intervention. A recent example of how ‘digital citizenship’ has changed the way society interacts with one another is the process of political engagement with social media networks. As of recently, the idea of authenticity in politics has been seen as a counter trend for individuals to feel like the political parties are more approachable. This brings me back to my initial question, which was how has it changed us as a society, and its clear that way we discuss and respond to the way we are governed through the constant engagement with digital technology.

A key indicator in how ‘digital citizenship’ has shaped us as a society, is the emerging use of ‘hashtag publics’. These small yet powerful expressions act as ‘linguistic markers’ that collect and expose ‘loosely related content’ and broadcast it under a single entity. The importance of these hashtags is that it helps amplify an issue, by collating information, evidence and experiences. A commonly used hashtag you may come have across online is #auspol the shorted version of Australian Politics which typically gets around on average 9,000 tweets a day (Bogle, A, 2016). The   use of this helps spark political conversations under a unified and collaborative umbrella, where Australians can engage in debate and impose their digital citizenship. Daniel Andrews, Victoria’s current state premiere has used the power of social media to express and connect with individuals during the COVID-19 crisis. Platforms such as Twitter and Instagram have enabled the politician to address issues regarding restrictions and social distancing measures, they have provided an informal means of connecting to his state in a more approachable manner.

Daniel Andrews’ using Twitter:

Daniel Andrews’ using Twitter: 

References:

Bogle, A, 2016, #auspol: The Twitter hashtag Australia can’t live without, Mashable Australia, accessed 20 April 2020, https://mashable.com/2016/03/21/twitter-australia-auspol/#4tvfXtsZUEqV.

Dan Andrews MP, Dan Andrews Twitter Profile, accessed 20 April 2020, https://twitter.com/DanielAndrewsMP?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor.

Scott Wright (2008) Digital Citizenship: The Internet, Society, and Participation, by Karen Mossberger, Caroline J. Tolbert, and Ramona S. McNeal, Journal of Information Technology & Politics, 5:2, 262-264

[lucydimaggio]

[the-new-digital-era]

Lucy explains the current situation in a great graphic featured above. Everybody is looking at their ‘screens’ more than ever during this time of crisis. It’s important we don’t lose track of what’s good for our mental health, and the influence of screens 24/7 can be damaging to us if not managed properly!

[the-new-digital-era]

How does Tumblr function as a Digital Community?

The idea of a virtual landscape where content creators and creative individuals could come together to share, post and collaborate was the fundamental basis for establishing the digital platform that is now more commonly known as Tumblr. Founded in 2007 by David Karp, this ‘microblogging’ online community was used for people to publish “short-form” blogs, from which users could comment, repost and like.

Tumblr functions as a way of creators voicing their feelings and opinions. It uses the features of audio, video and text to construct a digital portfolio for the user. Similarly like YouTube and Twitter, it aggregates the topics and interests you interact with most and uses this to stylise a ‘dashboard’ that is personal to the user. 

Kruse, Norris and Flinchum demonstrates the way social media has an impact on the digital community by prompting that it “may revitalise the public sphere” (2018, p.63) and he cites “to challenge discourses, share alternative perspectives and publish their own opinions” (Loader and Mercea 2011:760). Furthermore, supporting the idea that Tumblr acts as an online space that is free from government intervention and is at liberty to express and voice reason.

In another study, Tumblr and many other social media platforms have been seen at the forefront for ‘self branding’ and ‘self-promotion’ for influencers and media companies . A set of interviews conducted by Scolere, Prunchniewska and Duffy found that these ‘creative professionals’ used the new media age to “promote themselves, their businesses, and their creative products.” (2018, p.4) with the intention of being across multiple media platforms as it is the “expectation that you have to be everywhere” (2018, p.4). Furthermore, this study found that individuals use media sites like ‘Tumblr’ to express themselves, their skills and even their businesses. Tumblr can be perceived as being a ‘digital community’ as it uses the collective nature of like-minded individuals to share, and communicate with one another. 

References:

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

Leah Scolere, Urszula Pruchniewska and Brooke Erin Duffy, “Constructing the Platform-Specific Self-Brand: The Labor of Social Media Promotion”, Social Media + Society July-September 2018: 1–11.