Exploring Digital Communities

Online harassment has slowly increased over time as social media has continued to develop. As individuals have gained more agency and control over social media, this has allowed users to freely contribute to posts on numerous platforms. Active audiences are more engaged in the content presented on social media and have the chance to share their opinion through likes, shares, and comments. However, this gain of agency has encouraged more freedom of speech and in turn more online harassment. While this weeks lecture discussed the online harassment of women, I will also be examining how the evolution of social media and audience agency has lead to this abusive online behaviour.

To begin with, what is classified as online harassment? Several behaviours can classify as online harassment, but, some include “Doxing, revenge porn, social shaming, and intimidation” (Marwick & Caplan, 2018, p.544). These are more specifically utilised in online harassment towards women and are seen targeted at women in public occupations. A study performed by George Veletsianos, Shandell Houlden, Jaigris Hodson, and Chandell Gosse on Woman scholars' experiences with online harassment and abuse, found that they were more than twice as likely to "experience severe forms of abuse" (Veletsianos, Houlden, Hodson & Gosse, 2018, p.4691). As female scholars are encouraged to participate online, the issue of harassment and abuse becomes a much bigger issue which has damaging effects to their personal and professional life. Overall, this harassment heavily focuses on gender and often incorporates gaslighting to reflect a sense of power.

This increase in online harassment specifically towards woman is mostly due to the increase in audience agency. Now individuals can interact and communicate, while also controlling what they publish online. However, government regulation on social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter should be further improved to ensure online abuse is kept to a minimum. While this is a difficult task to accomplish, it will ultimately help to reframe from exposing vulnerable audiences to this kind of behaviour. On the other hand, this brings into question individuals freedom of speech online, as well as how much of their content is being controlled by wider societies.

References:

Veletsianos, G., Houlden, S., Hodson, J., & Gosse, C. (2018). Women scholars’ experiences with online harassment and abuse: Self-protection, resistance, acceptance, and self-blame. New Media & Society, 20(12), 4689-4708. doi: 10.1177/146144481878132

In a society where trends are constantly changing, the fashion industry attempts to keep up with the ever-evolving developments. Fast fashion is something I had very little knowledge about a few years ago. Most of the time, I shopped where the clothes were considered ‘trendy’ of the time, but I didn’t realise that these brands were part of the problem. After reading this weeks article about Fast fashion, I decided to look in my closet. I was shocked to realise that I didn’t have one item of clothing from a slow fashion brand. I did have several pieces purchased from second-hand stores, but I decided to make a more conscious effort to shop from sustainable brands.

While fast fashion brands are described as “mass-produced, cheap... and often associated with a ‘throw away’ attitude” (Lai, Henniger & Alevizou, 2021, p.82), slow fashion brands must reflect four main elements. To be considered sustainable development, they must include environmental, social, and economic factors. These refer to being free of child labour, utilising materials that are less harmful to the environment, or using recycled items. On paper, this seems great, however, the real issue comes within the actual clothing item itself. Most often, consumers are “seemingly unwilling” (Lai, Henniger & Alevizou, 2021, p.85) to pay for the high price tags which result in sacrificing their choice of clothing items.

Social media also has a significant impact on the Fashion industry alone. Micro-celebrities are seen sharing their most recent purchases in their ‘clothing hauls’, attempting to encourage their followers to support these brands. However, these brands are usually contributing to fast fashion. Social media is helpful, as it creates more “opportunities for dialogue between the public and brands“ (Chen, 2021, p.2) and allows customers to express their interest through comments, likes and shares. Brand communities are formed within “90% of the worlds leading brands” (Chen, 2021,p.1), creating stronger relationships with their followers. Due to these several communities constructed on social media, the constant representation from Fast Fashion brands is incredibly overwhelming. From micro-celebrities to the brands themselves, it is difficult to pull away from the unsustainable brands and move towards sustainable ones.

References:

Chen, Y. (2021). A Social Media Mining and Ensemble Learning Model: Application to Luxury and Fast Fashion Brands. Information, 12(4), 149. doi: 10.3390/info12040149

I am going to be completely honest, I have very limited experience with social gaming and the gaming culture in general. So this weeks blog post may be a little shorter than normal. Gaming is something I was never very interested in, however, I have recently started to jump into a few video games but have not yet discovered the social aspect of all the games. While it is argued that online video games construct an extremely social and collective environment, this is quite the opposite experience to what I have had. This is probably because I am very average in my skills and am pretty much too embarrassed to jump online and being my social gaming journey. However, after this weeks class, I can see how online gaming can be a very social and collaborative activity.

Forming online communities through gaming software such as Discord and Steam allows for users to enhance their “access to difficult challenges and valuable resources” (Hsiao & Chiou, 2012, p.75). This collaborative process increases the enjoyment of the gaming experience as it results in players being able to move forward through the game. This is an element that online game service provides are highly encouraged to incorporate into their games. These include "team-play tasks, personal incentives, and novel adventures" (Hsiao & Chiou, 2012, p.82) which improve the gaming experience as a whole.  While there are stereotypes established around the typical 'loner gamer', through the construction of team tasks incorporated into online gaming, players can develop "social relationships in the virtual world" (Hsiao & Chiou, 2012, p.75).

Another aspect of online gaming which has grown exponentially in the last few years is the concept of Live Streaming. This concept of sharing your live gaming experience, allows individuals and teams to "build their audience, brand, and incomes" (Taylor, 2018, p.4). These micro-celebrities maintain online social communities where individuals can source "together resources across sites to manage and enhance their online experience".

After this weeks lecture and readings, my perspective on Online Gaming has completely changed. The social experiences gained through these communities allow users to form relationships as well as enhance their gaming experience.

References:

Taylor, T. (2018). Broadcasting Ourselves. In T. Taylor, Watch Me Play. Princeton University Press.

When it comes to navigating the world of Instagram, I have always tried to stay away from users who never present their true selves. Often I have come across posts from celebrities or even friends of mine, who have edited their photos. Whether it be adding filters or editing their own body using photoshop, I have always been aware of how these images negatively affect my self-esteem. In this weeks blog post, I will be discussing the digitisation of the female body and how editing has affected the way woman perceive their bodies.

Over time, the female body has become a "battlefield of diverging concepts, regulations, values and modifications" (Coy-Dibley, 2015, p. 2), which has forever urged women to change their bodies. Social media presented a space for individuals to document, share, and highlight themselves in a positive light, however, this is no longer the case for many users. As the desired physical attributes of women continue to change over time, there is a persistent pressure for females to alter their bodies to present the societal trends of that time. Having said that, there is ultimately no real way for women to continuously change their bodies to fit the feminine aesthetics of the time. Trends are forever changing. This ongoing alteration of what is considered 'beautiful' leads individuals to edit their digitalised self to present to the world to conform to the physical ideals of a woman at that given time.

One of the biggest effects Social Media alone has on individuals is Body Image. As described by Petya Eckler and Yusuf Kalyango Jr, "body image encompasses the thoughts, feelings and behaviours about one's physical shape, size, and appearance" (2017, p.140). When women are drawn to use filters and or editing apps to adjust their bodies, it is often "tempered with complex feelings towards their natural beauty" (Barker, 2020, p. 212). This presents how pressure by social media can often lead to users performing high edits on their body. This brings me to question, is it the pressure from social media and others that lead women to make these changes through edits? Or, is it for themselves alone to choose the way they present themselves and their body online for a sense of relief?

I believe that the biggest influence for women who feel the need to edit their pictures is through social pressure. Females are encouraged by mass media including film, television, and magazines to fit the standard of what is considered 'beautiful', although, there is another pressure from seeing the mass audience who do edit their photos for social media, encouraging them to replicate their choices. This social pressure combined with the many people who follow through with editing procedures ultimately causes a never-ending circle, unable to escape this stress to reflect these unrealistic standards.

Within social media today, there is a fight to promote body positivity which collides with the large audience who encourage the editing of their photos and body modification. While body positivity is an up and coming trend that will continue to defy the social expectations of unreachable body aesthetics, there are still several influences that promote women who change and alter their bodies for social media. Eckler and Kalyango Jr highlight the detrimental effects of body image including "low self-esteem, depressive symptoms, eating disorders, and obesity" (2017, p.140), these will continue to affect many individuals around the globe due to the damaging pressure of social media.

References:

Coy-Dibley, I. (2016). “Digitized Dysmorphia” of the female body: the re/disfigurement of the image. Palgrave Communications, 2(1). doi: 10.1057/palcomms.2016.40

Barker, J. (2020). Making-up on mobile: The pretty filters and ugly implications of Snapchat. Fashion, Style & Popular Culture, 7(2), 207-221. doi: 10.1386/fspc_00015_1

While this weeks required reading was heavily focused on Plastic Surgery promotion on Instagram, I would instead like to turn the discussion to the effects Body Modification has on audiences. This is something I personally noticed sneak into the tropes of Instagram within the last few years. Suddenly, the Platform turned from an innocent place to share moments from your life to a site for individuals to brand themselves. With the overwhelming body modification now presented on Instagram, there is new pressure on individuals to meet these standards within their own pictures to be socially accepted.

To begin with, let us discuss the promotion of Plastic Surgery on Instagram. More often than not, posts presented to be highlighting the positive elements of body modification are created and shared by non-certified Plastic Surgeons. They are instead distributed by individuals whose intent was for "self-promotional over educational purposes" (Dorfman, 2017, p.336). This often leads to the misconception that body modification is a simple process that ultimately presents glamorous results, instead of educating others on both the positive and negative effects which plastic surgery has on one's body. Dorfman urges licensed professionals to "educate patients about the risks of surgery and dangers of having plastic surgery performed by those with improper training" (Dorfman, 2017, p.336).

Due to the constant representation of micro-celebrities presenting their modified bodies on social media, social pressure is placed on audiences to also depict these physical qualities and present them as 'natural', when they simply are not. Between the constant editing of women's physical and virtual bodies, the ideal version of their appearance has "skewed what is considered a 'standard' body" (Coy-Dibley, 2016, p.2). The issue that comes into play is when individuals lie about their modified bodies, which can lead to individuals becoming determined to reflect these unrealistic and unattainable qualities. Acknowledging that women have had their bodies modified can help to remove the social pressure and expectation that women should present these specific feminine aesthetics without any modifications.

Although there is a lot of negativity around female body modification, I also believe it is completely up to the individual to choose whether or not they alter parts of their body. I do believe however that micro-celebrities specifically should be transparent about their modifications, to allow followers to understand that they have had adjustments to look the way they do. This will allow individuals to notice that these representations of women are not completely natural and allow for females to gain a sense of body positivity.

References:

Dorfman, R., Vaca, E., Mahmood, E., Fine, N., & Schierle, C. (2017). Plastic Surgery-Related Hashtag Utilization on Instagram: Implications for Education and Marketing. Aesthetic Surgery Journal, 38(3), 332-338.

Within the last few years, I have personally witnessed a development in the online discussions around politics. This is a topic I am personally still navigating myself as I try to find my voice to contribute to political conversations. Often occurring on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, the concept of digital citizenship has encouraged younger demographics to find their voice and contribute to much larger political discussions. Over time, the development of social media has allowed individuals to participate in their own way to contribute and engage with social, economic, political, and or other discussions. Through the actions of liking, sharing, commenting and creating, users are given more opportunity than ever to partake in political engagement.

Defined by the Office of the eSafety Commissioner, NSW Department of Education, a Digital Citizen is a "person with the skills and knowledge to effectively use digital technologies in a positive way to participate in society, communicate with others, and create and consume digital content". With the US 2016 election, politicians were required to maintain flexibility in their performance to be able to move from "formal to the informal" and "professionalised to the personalised" (Enli, 2017, p.52). This new wave of political engagement has broadened the discussions to different age demographics allowing younger audiences to find a sense of individuality within social media, while also maintaining the original forms of political information through newspapers and television to reach the older audiences. This highlights the importance of politicians 'performance flexibility' for them to engage effectively with all voters from different age groups and ultimately allow for all individuals to engage in political discussions.

Another element that has greatly contributed to online political discussions is the concept of platformisation. Transitioning from an individual social media account to a larger platform with an engaged audience, platformisation provides grounds for well-known individuals to promote and encourage their viewers to participate in such discussions. This is an exciting and progressive technique that encourage users to "engage in politics in individualised, ad hoc ways, rather than as committed members of formal groups" (Vermon, 2017, p. 3).

While digital citizenship has opened up political discussions to new limits, there are also concerns regarding data harvesting. The 2016 US Election sparked mass debate regarding the privacy of users personal data and uncovered how platforms such as Facebook were able to use individuals personal data to persuade their votes. 'The Great Hack' is a Netflix documentary that highlights the acts of Facebook and Cambridge Analytica during the 2016 US Election. This new form of political engagement demonstrates how "power continues to shift in a constantly evolving ecosystem" (Nieborg & Poell, 2018, p. 4289) and "power and dependency are multilayered" (Duffy, Poell, Nieborg, 2019, p.5).

References:

Vromen, A. Digital Citizenship and Political Engagement (pp. 1-7).

Duffy, B., Poell, T., & Nieborg, D. (2019). Platform Practices in the Cultural Industries: Creativity, Labor, and Citizenship. Social Media + Society, 5(4), 1-8.

Enli, G. (2017). Twitter as arena for the authentic outsider: exploring the social media campaigns of Trump and Clinton in the 2016 US presidential election. European Journal Of Communication, 32(1), 50-61.

To be completely honest, I really dislike Reality TV. The clearly scripted scenes combined with the over-exaggerated acting from the contestants simply draws me away from wishing to engage with it. However, the discussions that occur as a result of these television shows are simply quite fascinating. Apart from a few quick glances observing commitment ceremonies, house evictions, and even house auctions, I have little knowledge regarding the rules and mechanics of how these shows run. One thing I am very aware of though is their popularity. In this blog post, I want to explore the popularity of Reality TV shows in correlation to how they influence discussions amongst digital communities and what exactly is conversed about.

Over time, the relationship between Reality TV shows and their audience has grown dramatically. Traditionally speaking, the engagement of audiences in Reality TV shows is taken from "attention and investment" (Hill, 2017, p.2), but now with the inclusion of social media, the relationship between the contestants and the viewers is as close as ever. Although I personally find it ironic how the shows are categorised as "reality shows', I do understand how they are the closest form of entertainment to an everyday persons life. This mutuality of 'reality’ between the contestants and viewers, allows them to develop this connection and understanding as they can relate to situations within their daily lives. This connection grows stronger as there must be a "coherent brand persona" (Arcy, 2018, p.487) as the stars move from television to social media. As reality television stars are branded based on their behaviours and values they pursue in real life, the characters that audiences attach to through the television screen are the same individuals they connect with outside of the show, creating a stronger relationship than any other personalities within the industry.

Considering these television shows are supposed to depict a version of reality, the discussions formed within public spheres revolve around morals, behaviours and values. Debating the actions seen on television draws a fine line to when "personal becomes political" (Graham, 2011, p.27), as audiences tap into their personal experiences. Reality TV shows encourage great discussion within public spheres and allow for debate regarding more personal issues, due to this connection of reality.

Finally, these ongoing discussions within digital communities are not only beneficial for individuals, but they also benefit the show alone. Sparking online discussions reflect the shows growing popularity which can ultimately contribute to a shows run time.

References:

Hill, A. (2017). Reality TV Engagement: Producer and Audience Relations for Reality Talent Shows. Media Industries Journal, 4(1).

Arcy, J. (2018). The digital money shot: Twitter wars,The Real Housewives, and transmedia storytelling. Celebrity Studies, 9(4), 487-502.

For my first blog post, I would like to dive into the vernacular of Tumblr as a platform, and specifically what makes it a digital community. With the constant development of new and improved services, I believe it is important to understand the details of each platform to safely and confidently navigate social media as a whole.

Now, what actually makes Tumblr a digital Community? Before I get ahead of myself, let me explain what a digital community actually is. Also referred to as a 'micro public', digital communities are smaller forms that "co-exist, intersecting, and overlapping" (Bruns & Highfield, 2016, p. 98) in multiple formats across social media platforms. These communities are treated as smaller systems due to there being a larger social community know as the public sphere. While it is questioned whether or not the public sphere exists within the world of social media at all, digital communities are active and present within numerous social media platforms.

Within social media platforms such as Tumblr, there must be digital affordances that create the foundation for this system of communication. The main affordance on Tumblr is hash-tagging, which allows users to search for anything they are interested in and which described by Amanda Brennan can result in "going down the rabbit hole" (McCracken & Brennan, 2020, p. 39). This one search can ultimately result in a deep dive into the depths of a particular topic, uncovering numerous blogging networks, allowing individuals to find their voice and start their own conversations.

To have an effective digital community, you must also have individuals who are willing to communicate, use their voice, and share their stories. Where social media platforms such as Tumblr are more appealing to individuals to contribute to these discussions, is the affordance of anonymity. Unlike platforms such as Facebook, Tumblr allows for individuals to "experiment with marginalised identities" (Keller, 2019, p. 5) to connect with others based on their mutual interests. Therefore, it is easy to conclude that this affordance of anonymity is a large factor in encouraging individuals to form and contribute to digital communities on Tumblr.

To sum up, I believe Tumblr functions as a digital community mostly due to its focus on hash-tagging. Utilising this tool to encourage networking, individuals can connect with others on mutual interests, forming small communities which allow for discussions to occur.

References:

Jessalynn, K. (2019). "Oh, She's a Tumblr Feminist": Exploring the Platform Vernacular of Girls' Social Media Feminisms. Social Media + Society.

Allison McCracken, Chapter 3 'Going Down the Rabbit Hole: An Interview with Amanda Brennan, Head of Content Insights and Social, Tumblr' in a Tumblr Book: platform and cultures eds Alison McCracken, Alexander Cho, Louisa Stein, and Indira Hoch (University of Michigan Press: (2020).