What are the questions you think are most interesting in the digital age? What are the most interesting online environments? WHY?
In the fall of 2005, my research topic centered around a series of questions that might help explain what I fiind most interesting in the digital age. It is also the same topic that we had as discussion in the MOO on 6/10. When examining communities such as Craiglist, Facebook, and MySpace, I targeted college-aged students and noted the ways they established their ethos online. How is it that they feel so comfortable sharing personal experiences, vulnerabilities, images that most over 40 wouldn't share, and share it all to anyone in their community. I began to explore the norms of these electronic communities.
I find these communities interesting because they are communities by choice. Rather than communities established for a specific purpose, they exist due to personal connections. This person knows this person who also knows this person...the thread grows and commonalities are shared.
Why did I choose this topic? It's unlike any other community that I have experienced, so I experienced it as I wrote about it. I only selected Facebook due to time. Those in the community actively participate daily if not hourly updating information, inviting others to parties. My son and I took a trip several weeks ago, and he couldn't wait to get back and upload pictures onto his Facebook account. My daughter's friend sent out an invitation to her surprise party via Facebook, blocking the honoree from seeing the surprise. Eighteen people came.
I do think writers, researchers, media are using the word "community" too broadly. However, these true communities are here to stay.
Debra
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6 comments:
I wonder how free people are...I feel there's a lot of social pressure to be part of facebook, myspace, etc. I wonder, too, about the proliferation of "reality TV"....I think it's all connected. What do you think?
The pressure seems to be for those that want information about friends or if the social networking community is the connector to their friends. More clearly stated, if a student has friends, and the friends inform each other of "happenings" through facebook, there is pressure to use facebook.
Regarding "reality TV" I hadn't thought about a connection. I enjoy facebook (although I check it maybe once a week) and yet I don't enjoy or watch "reality TV."
Good thoughts about online communities. I agree with you that these communities have found their place in our society. There is probably some pressure to be a part of these groups and to me it seems that there is a link between the open content of online communities and reality TV. This is all dependent upon the user though because you see of wide range of content, presentation, and application.
Have you read the book, Bowling Alone? The book has a sociology perspective and chronicals through the decades the new technologies and how they affected society. Example, air conditioning brought people indoors; radio required imagination - tv brought visuals but eliminated much of use of imagination, and finally the loneliness of people who use the computer. We are connected with others electronically and yet we are alone.
Debra
What's next, then, after folks are connected online yet lonely?
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