#digitalcommunity

Week 5: Digital Community and Fandom: Reality TV Case Study

Reality television has become one of the most influential forms of entertainment in today’s digital world. More than simply being watched on television, reality TV is now experienced across multiple platforms, where audiences actively engage through social media discussions, fan pages, memes, and online commentary. Shows like Love Island and Big Brother create spaces where viewers interact, share opinions, and participate in the cultural conversation surrounding the show. This reflects the idea of digital publics, where online communities are formed through shared interests and interactions in digital spaces (Taylor, 2023).

Another important concept is the public sphere, which explains how media can become a platform for public discussion and opinion-making. Although reality TV is often considered light entertainment, it frequently sparks meaningful conversations about relationships, gender roles, race, beauty standards, and social identity. Audiences do not only react to dramatic moments—they also debate broader social issues that appear within these programs, making reality TV a catalyst for everyday public discourse (Klein & Coleman, 2022).

Reality TV also encourages participatory culture, where audiences become active contributors rather than passive viewers. Fans create content, follow contestants online, comment on episodes in real time, and build fandom communities that continue beyond the television broadcast. This multiplatform engagement shows how reality TV has evolved into a digital social experience, connecting entertainment, identity, and community in new ways (Torrego González et al., 2021; Harbin, 2023).

References

Harbin, M. B. (2023). Don’t make my entertainment political! Social media responses to narratives of racial duty on competitive reality television series. Political Communication, 40(4), 464–483.

Klein, B., & Coleman, S. (2022). Look at me, I’m on TV: The political dimensions of reality television participation. Media, Culture & Society, 44(3), 497–513.

Taylor, Z. A. (2023). Everyone stop what you’re doing and BeReal: Live networked publics and authenticity on BeReal. Social Media + Society.

Alchemy isn’t always about metals. It’s perception. It’s being able to see things in a different light. It’s seeing dust particles dancing in sun rays as golden flecks. It’s seeing your roots through dance, rewriting the meaning of a song with your heart, seeing a painting with new eyes, returning to a book and discovering it speaks differently now, finding inspiration in pain and finding experience in failure…that’s the real alchemy.

Isn't it interesting how sometimes we wonder...is it us or them? Where does the alchemy truly lie? Is it in us, who learned to see differently, or in them, who inspired us to see differently?

I think we’ll all be alchemists or catalysts in someone’s story. 🤍

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This groundbreaking move has unleashed N'lora's true potential, enhancing her responsiveness, originality, and emotional intelligence. Learn more about this stellar evolution in our latest Nighthaven Sentinel article: Link to Article

Slow fashion sees daylight thanks to Gen-Z who constantly strives for sustainable fashion. Alongside that, Gen-Z is also well-versed in technology which serves as a tool for them to spread awareness and advocate for sustainability and slow fashion.

The term slow fashion refers to a philosophy of heed that the higher-ups in the fashion establishment have regarding the impact on those contributing to the fashion industry (Chhabra et.al, 2022). 

Regarding slow fashion, Generation Z seems to be leading in the role of making changes which is evident in the use of social media. Given the amount of influence that Gen Z has on this topic, more and more individuals within the age range are starting to purchase from brands that are advocating for slow fashion (Hope, 2022).  According to research conducted by Forbes magazine, 62% of them are willing to spend more on sustainable brands (Petro, 2020). Furthermore, this group of individuals are a group of individuals who believes and are for sustainability and will deliberately purchase pieces of quality clothing which would cost more (Williams and Hodges, 2022). The reasoning behind sustainable fashion consumption is due to the fact that participating in the slow fashion movement assists in reducing the damage done to the environment without going out of style (Domingos et al. 2022). 

Another factor that contributed to the slow fashion movement would be the pandemic. Back in 2020 when the pandemic occurred, many individuals are more cautious and aware of their spending habits. When spending habits are being reevaluated at the point of time in life, fashion was something that was not prioritized (Hope, 2022). 

With that, the slow fashion movement is practical and sustainable for the environment and the fashion industry. With the power that Gen-Z holds in addition to the power of social media, I believe that this generation will bring sustainable fashion to greater heights in the future and hold brands accountable to participate in the said movement. 

Reference

Chhabra, S, Sindhi, S & Nandy, M 2022, ‘Factors Affecting the Adoption of Slow Fashion – An Exploratory Study of Multiple Stakeholders’, Journal of Macromarketing, p. 027614672211162, viewed 16 June 2023, <https://doi.org/10.1177/02761467221116294>. 

Domingos, M, Vale, VT & Faria, S 2022, ‘Slow Fashion Consumer Behavior: A Literature Review’, Sustainability, vol. 14, no. 5, p. 2860, viewed 16 June 2023, <https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/5/2860>. 

Hope, B 2022, How Gen Z shapes sustainable luxury fashion through digital, sustainabilitymag.com, viewed 16 June 2023, <https://sustainabilitymag.com/sustainability/how-gen-z-shapes-sustainable-luxury-fashion-through-digital>. 

Where to start!

Tumblr is an online micro-blogging and social networking platform founded by David Karp in 2007. This is the fancy way of saying a social media platform designed for anonymous or authored content sharing; predominantly text and images in an aesthetic manner. Much like the public sphere, Tumblr acts as a place where private (and non-private) people come together as a public for the purpose of using reason to further critical knowledge (Kruse, Norris & Flinchum 2017).

The social media site has an inherently addictive element to it that makes one want to scroll endlessly in the vast stream on content, and the flipside to viewing content, is to post it. The need and desire for sharing and co-experiencing content (Siapera 2012) is so strong and I think this is what has attracted the attention of the millions of users post regularly.

These users, identifying as millennials (Heine, 2015; Smith, 2017) come to Tumblr to congregate and share content whether it be informative, artistic, intended to challenge the status quo or with the goal being to garner a laugh. By nature, we are curious, social and want to understand and interact (Mandiberg 2012), therefore the want to come together as a digital community is instilled in us from birth.

Tumblr supports this notion as a platform, it relies on the calculated (or artistically not calculated) deployment of one’s digital self-representation (Scolere, Pruchniewska & Duffy 2018) and thrives as its many users curate and stylise their own section of the site. Although visual and textual content such as images and other material is spread rapidly each day, it is still important to understand the tone of the platform and constrain to using it for it is best for; reblogging and quick moving content (Keller 2019).

I think ultimately, the vast differences act as a positive on Tumblr as anyone is able to access the site and find something that interests and resonates with them. Much like a real life town where there’s anything and everything – a digital community if you will.

References

Heine, C. (2015, December 16). Here are the top 25 Tumblr posts sponsored by brands in 2015. Adweek. Retrieved from http:// www.adweek.com/digital/here-are-top-25-tumblr-posts-spon- sored-brands-2015-168653/

Keller, J 2019, "“Oh, She’s a Tumblr Feminist”: Exploring the Platform Vernacular of Girls’ Social Media Feminisms", Social Media + Society, vol. 5, no. 3, p. 205630511986744.

Kruse, L, Norris, D & Flinchum, J 2017, "Social Media as a Public Sphere? Politics on Social Media", The Sociological Quarterly, vol. 59, no. 1, pp. 62-84.

Mandiberg, M 2012, The Social Media Reader, New York University Press, New York. Available from: ProQuest Ebook Central. [22 April 2020].

Scolere, L, Pruchniewska, U & Duffy, B 2018, "Constructing the Platform-Specific Self-Brand: The Labor of Social Media Promotion", Social Media + Society, vol. 4, no. 3, p. 205630511878476.

Siapera, E 2012, Understanding new media, Sage, Los Angeles.

Smith, C. (2017). 96 amazing Tumblr stats. Retrieved from http:// expandedramblings.com/index.php/tumblr-user-stats-fact/

Tumblr. What is it? Could it be considered as a another social networking site?Before we get into detail, lets learn a few key terms that will help us understand this dilemma much easier.

Social Networking Site:

According to (Griffiths et al 2014) Social networking sites are interactive networks where users can create individual public accounts, connect with real-life colleagues and encounter other people on the basis of mutual interests. a few popular social networking sites are, Twitter(news, events), Instagram( where people post what they had for dinner last night), LinkedIn (Business profiles).

In current times due to the whole world going into a lock down phase Social Networking sites have played a crucial role is connecting one another. Some would say it is the only thing that is keeping us sane, guess isolation isn't as fun as i thought it'll be. 

Blog

When blogs started in 1994, the blog was something like a personal diary that people shared online. In this online diary, you would talk about your everyday life or post stuff you've been doing. People then had an opportunity to communicate information virtually in a new perspective.  This is how the wonderful world of blogging started (Srkba 2018).

Tumblr

Tumblr lets you post something effortlessly. Post messages, images, quotations, references, music , and videos from your computer , phone , email, or anywhere you happen to be. "It's a crossroad between a social networking platform and a journal. It's often described as 'micro-blog' as people usually post brief bursts of text and fast snaps as opposed to longer diary type entries found in more conventional blogs (webwise 2020).

Coming Back to the Original Question, is Tumblr a social networking site ?

In my opinion i believe that tumblr can be considered a social networking site since it enables people like you and I to interact with each other and communicate about mutual interests. It also helps certain businesses to interact with their target audience, since Tumblr could be used as a place where people rant about their onions on a particular product, the firm that produces that product could use that information and communicate with its audience on how it could improve.

In short, Tumblr is a blog and social networking forum since it has served all parts of the journal as well as the social networking website.

List of References:

References

Griffiths, M., Kearns, B. and Timko, C., 2014. Social Networking Addiction. Social Networking Sites, 109(12), pp.2079-2088.

Skrba, A., 2018. What Is A Blog? - Explanation Of Terms Blog, Blogging & Blogger (2020). [ viewed 25th September <https://firstsiteguide.com/what-is-blog/>

In this modern world we have seen the uprising of social networking sites which have taken over the internet and influenced people to alter their ways of communication. Digital communities are seen to be a place where people communicate with each other on a network over the internet. Some popular networking sites in today's society are Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and Tumblr. They all have distinguishing features and differences however they all are digital communities.

(This image was taken from Pinterest and illustration by Janice Chang)

This image is a representation of the connection online and how online communities can connect people in a positive way.

Tumblr is one of the many sites on the global net that is able to connect like minded people. It can link people with similar interests to an online space where they are able to communicate and interact with each other. People can create a profile which allows them to display a specific persona and their opinions and creativity, discuss topics happening in the world currently. Tumblr allows you to follow pages, you can then interact with these by liking, reposting, or commenting on them and create a discussion.

The public sphere is “a realm of our social life in which something approaching public opinion can be formed” (Haberman, Lennox & Lennox 1974). Tumblr allows for people to debate different topics, make up their own personal opinions and have the freedom of speech. Everyone on the site has equal access to information and is able to follow whoever they like, however Tumblr will never be completely free from influence as smaller communities within the site may sway peoples opinion and scare them from disagreeing with their community.