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[callumfar]

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Welcome to the final post! We made it! Week 10’s readings were on online harassment, and the university-aged generation that have been labelled “snowflakes”.

In recent years, there has been a discourse that has arisen, accusing young people, specifically university students, of being over-sensitive and soft generation, with the term “snowflake” used to mock these people. It has become such a common response, that it has been picked up by mainstream media, with right-wing journalists using it to describe people offended by instances such as comedy (Haslop et al., 2021).

However, Haslop (2021) argues that this younger generation is far more tolerant with online abuse, as the study delves into how female and transgendered people are impacted by social media harassment. Online harassment is often perceived to be the ‘norm’ by students, with 21.94% of students saying they have experienced online harassment (Haslop et al., 2021). In relation to online harassment women receive, it is noted that some women were surprised that unsolicited sexually explicit images, such as ‘dick pics’, were a form of sexual harassment, demonstrating how online abuse has become the norm for the younger generation. Furthermore, the study found 54.2% of transgender students were subject to online harassment on social media (Haslop et al. 2021).

This high level of online harassment towards females and transgendered people has caused many to “disengage from online platforms” or by “limiting their online participation” (Vitis & Gilmour, 2017, pg. 338).

For me, it’s pretty staggering data. The fact my generation has accepted being insulted and degraded on social media as normal demonstrates that we are not “snowflakes”. Maybe we’ve just unfortunately grown tolerant to this sort of behaviour and thus why it doesn’t affect us as much as older generations.

But as society’s standards and inclusivity has progressed, the younger generation are more likely to call out bigotry online. So, if that makes us snowflakes, then so be it.

REFERENCES:

Haslop, C., O’Rourke, F., & Southern, R. (2021). #NoSnowflakes: The toleration of harassment and an emergent gender-related digital divide, in a UK student online culture. Convergence, 27(5), 1418–1438.

Laura Vitis and Fairleigh Gilmour (2017) 'Dick pics on blast: A woman’s resistance to online sexual harassment using humour, art and Instagram', Crime, Media, Culture. 13(3):335-355. 

[callumfar]

Hand-in-hand: Games & Live Streaming

Alright so I don’t really game. I play sport games and that’s about it. Yes, NBA2K make you pay $100 every year for the same exact game, yes, I still buy it. That’s just what I like.

But what I will say is the gaming community, and every subcommunity that is under that broad umbrella term, is a lot bigger than people realise. This week’s required reading explores Melbourne’s game scene, in which there is an entire week dedicated to gamers, called Melbourne International Games Week (MIGW).

The fact that the video game landscape is so broad and large is what makes it so appealing to many people in modern society. The video game field does not have a universal cultural, economic or political value, but rather a vast range of intentions (Keogh, 2021).

This varied set of values in the one industry goes hand in hand with the rise of live streaming, and specifically gaming live streams. Live streaming platforms such as Twitch, which “began as a platform to support digital gaming”, has developed significantly to “accommodate people who want to create a range of content” (Taylor, 2018, pg. 9). As the gaming landscape has such a vast range of values, streamers have the ability to stream games from AAA level, down to niche indie games, yet still hold a large audience. As streaming has increased in popularity, the viewer has become more entertained by the personality of the streamer than the actual game itself.

A recent example is IShowSpeed, a hyperactive streamer who has gone through phases of doing in real life challenges on stream, to playing various video games such as Fortnite and FIFA.

Even with these changes in content, IShowSpeed is still growing at a significantly fast rate, currently attaining 16.6 million YouTube subscribers (Social Blade, 2023). Although his content may be completely random and out of place at first glance, it demonstrates the range of cultures and values that encompass the gaming and live streaming community, and how popularity can still be achieved without remaining within one niche.

That’s week 9! Thanks for reading.

REFERENCES:

Taylor, TL 2018, ‘Broadcasting ourselves’ (chapter 1), in Watch Me Play: Twitch and the Rise of Game Live Streaming, Princeton University Press, pp.1-23

Keogh, B 2020, ‘The Melbourne Indie Game Scenes’, Independent Videogames, pp. 209–222.

Social Blade 2023, IShowSpeed’s YouTube Stats, viewed 11 May, 2023, <https://socialblade.com/youtube/c/i_show_speed>.

[callumfar]

Platform governance and algorithmic invisibility

With social media, we now live in an “attention economy” (Drenten et al., 2019).  An attention economy which comes scarcely and valuably, and when you have it, grab it with both hands. An attention economy which has led to the rise of “influencer commerce” – prosumers promoting products for a pay check (pls appreciate that cool alliteration :p). Basically, when you have attention and popularity on social media, both influencers and companies try to make the most of it because in reality, it’s not within their control.

You might have heard of a shadow ban before. Your favourite content creator might have protested about it in a post they uploaded, and you weren’t sure why. Shadow bans are informal punishments algorithmically given to content creators on social media platforms such as TikTok and YouTube. This is a form of platform governance.

Platform governance is a blend of manual human decision and artificial intelligence automation that determine the popularity or low viewership of content posted on social media (Duffy & Meisner, 2022).

However, the inconsistency of governance has left many creators confused, overworked and insecure (Duffy & Meisner, 2022), as they struggle to identify what content provides high viewership, and how to stay there when that is achieved.

With social media popularity, the ability to market and finance the channel comes with it. Drenten et al. (2019) explores how influencers sexualise their content as a means to remain relevant and not become invisible through the algorithm and platform governance. He states that conforming to “heteronormative prescriptions of attractiveness and femininity is fundamental in gaining attention [on social media] (Drenten et al., 2019, pg. 42). Drenten et. al (2019) uses the example of “sexualised shoutout pages” on Instagram, that repost and tag sexualised labour influencers, reflecting “attention currency within the Instagram platform”, as these multitude of shoutout pages enhance the popularity of Instagram influencers who conform to the heteronormative attractiveness conventions mentioned just before.

Influencers participate in this “sexualised labour” as it allows them to become more mainstream, which means they are more likely to avoid “punitive systems while reaping the rewards of platforms’ visibility” (Duffy & Meisner, 2022).

It is apparent female influencers feel the need to overtly sexualise themselves to remain relevant in a constantly dynamic algorithm, as the inconsistent platform governance promotes the risk of falling invisible. In order to reduce the risk of punitive measures from the algorithm, such as shadow bans, there has been a rise in sexualised content on social media, in order to consistently cash in on the current attention economy.

REFERENCES:

Drenten, J, Gurrieri, L & Tyler, M 2019, ‘Sexualized labour in Digital Culture: Instagram influencers, porn chic and the monetization of attention’, Gender, Work & Organization, vol. 27, no. 1, pp. 41–66.

Duffy, BE & Meisner, C 2022, ‘Platform governance at the margins: Social media creators’ experiences with algorithmic (in)visibility’, Media, Culture & Society, vol. 45, no. 2, pp. 285–304.

[callumfar]

Digital citizenship and software literacy – filters

This weeks readings looked at face filters on social media, and the impact its had on society, plus the responsibility we have as digital citizens when using face filters.

The required reading by Jessica Barker looked at how the connection of face filters with cosmetic and feminine ideals, and the rise of a “celebrity-led, self-image saturated culture” has created problematic traits in filters, specifically Snapchat’s Lenses feature (Barker, 2022).

Snapchat introduced the Lenses feature in 2015 as a fun and new way of self-expression. How light-hearted! Only thing is, it isn’t that light-hearted when you delve into the implications some Lenses features have had.

Snapchat took buzzwords from beauty advertisements to create their “pretty” filter. They noted words and make-up techniques such as “contouring”, “adding glow”, and “evening skin tone”, just to name a few.

Inspired by the Kim Kardashian contouring style make-up of the 2010s, Snapchat would too slim the cheeks and nose in their filters to conform to the beauty standards that Kim Kardashian popularised. Furthermore, beauty brands such as L’Oréal, Urban Decay and Benefit all created sponsored filters that would contour the face when utilising their filter.

This then led to the creation of a filter that removes all blemishes. Perfect right? Well maybe, if you choose to ignore all the problems that comes along with it.

These prettifying and contouring filters have contributed to the unattainable and high maintenance beauty standards in society today. It creates a complex issue of promoting confidence, yet also igniting insecurities (Barker, 2020). More issues occur when these contouring effects are not just added to pretty filters, but to ones that have no makeup context, such as animal filters. Users don’t expect animal filters to change their face other than the accessories, yet “they make pretty drastic changes” (Barker, 2020).

These filters can also cause body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) “an obsessive-compulsive fixation on perceived appearance defects” (Barker 2020, pg. 216). A form of BDD called Snapchat Dysmorphia is a similar disorder, where at its most extreme, individuals will seek plastic surgery for Snapchat filter-inspired aesthetics.

Coy-Dibley’s reading (2016) provides an introductory look at digitized dysmorphia. She believes that digital editing has lead to a dysmorphic view of how women’s body standards are in society, and that as digital citizens we should demonstrate more responsibility when using face filters, such as indicating that a selfie is filtered and not a depiction of reality.

I tend to agree. The Snapchat Lenses feature has promoted an unattainable beauty standard that is too high maintenance to be realistic. If you use a filter, let people know! You'll gain a lot of respect from that.

REFERENCES:

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

Coy-Dibley, 2016, “‘Digitized dysmorphia’ of the female body: The re/disfigurement of the image,” Palgrave Communications, vol. 2, no. 1.

[callumfar]

WHY YOU SHOULD BECOME A SLOW FASHION ENTHUSIAST!

Hello to my 0 followers, I am back for some more Digital Communities Tumblr recaps! Apologies for the break, it’s been a busy time.

Today I’ll be recapping the slow fashion movement and a couple of readings that delve into what its all about.

Did you know that the fashion industry is one of the most polluting industries on Earth? It requires “enormous amounts of raw materials, creates considerable amounts of pollution, leaves a significant carbon footprint and generates alarming levels of waste” (Brewer, 2019, pg. 2).

Fast fashion contributes significantly towards this waste and pollution, as it incorporates mass-made quantities of products with extremely cheap, unsustainable, and unethical labour.

However, there is an alternative! SLOW FASHION!

Slow fashion can be defined as adopting more sustainable production and more durable products, emphasising quality in order to reach this (Domingos et. al, 2022). In simpler terms, slow fashion aims to produce garments that are higher quality and more durable, allowing for more ethical production practices to take place.

There are four guiding principles for fashion partners to adhere to if they are aiming to be qualified as a sustainable company.

Items must be child labour free across the supply chain.

This means child labour cannot be used in any part of the process of producing garments.

2. Materials utilised within the production process should be less harmful to the environment, recycled, upcycled and/or more durable.

3. The production process must be ethical and socially responsible, paying workers fair wages and help create jobs in the country of origin by producing locally.

This means that workers should be paid fairly and given open employment opportunities. Additionally, the production process must not cause and excessive waste and pollution, is what “ethical and social responsibility” refers to basically (because that stuff is bad)

4. The allowance of negotiation and fair prices and wages that fosters the creation of sustainable fashion.

Basically, a fair working environment will create a sustainable and ethical process for a longer period of time.

So pleaseeeeeeee become a slow fashion enthusiast. Little did I know how much waste and pollution fast fashion caused, and how unethically the workers were treated. But by buying more durable products, buying second hand clothes or giving your own clothes a second life, we can reduce the impacts that the fashion industry has.

REFERENCES:

Mark K. Brewer, ‘Slow Fashion in a Fast Fashion World: Promoting Sustainability and Responsibility’, Laws 2019, 8(4), 24

Domingos, M, Vale, VT & Faria, S 2022, ‘Slow fashion consumer behavior: A literature review’, Sustainability, vol. 14, no. 5, p. 2860.

[callumfar]

#DigitalCitizenship #HashtagPublicsCreateSocialChange

Digital citizenship refers to “the ability to participate in society online” (Mossberger et. al, 2008). This week’s readings explain how social media platforms allow us to participate in society online more frequently than ever, especially through hashtags publics.

Social media has become increasingly the most popular platform for people to unite and press for social and political change in modern society.  Movements such as #BlackLivesMatter (#BLM) and #ShoutYourAbortion, have been spurred on and amassed more supporters through social media’s ability to reach billions of people across the globe using hashtags.

The ability to amplify messages for social and political change is why Kim & Lee (2022) believes hashtag activism is such a useful tool on social media. They refer to the movement #ShoutYourAbortion, which aimed to destigmatise the narrative about abortions, as well as creating a safe platform for women to share their experiences with abortion and similar topics. Social media has allowed for people to increasingly participate in controversial discourse. In turn, by having more people voice their opinions, negative stigmas can be reduced and previously taboo agendas such as abortions can be normalised, promoting positive change in society.

Another example of increased digital citizenship creating positive societal change is the Black Lives Matter movement of 2020. Choi & Cristol (2021) describes Black Lives Matter as a way of mobilising and personalising politics. By “self-actualising” the issue, citizens of America (and very soon after, people of other countries), began to cry out for social change through protests and riots in their cities. The riots occurred as the #BlackLivesMatter hashtag allowed everyone with access to social media to see for themselves how George Floyd was wrongly killed whilst under police custody. The Black Lives Matter movement demonstrated that digital citizenship on social media and the use of hashtag publics can completely amplify social issues, and lead to collective action that causes political and social change.

#ShoutYourAbortion and #BlackLivesMatter both were social media hashtags that encouraged users to engage in digital citizenship and participate in society online, causing action that resulted in social and political change. That's pretty kewl if you ask me ;)

REFERENCES:

Moonsun Choi & Dean Cristol (2021) ' Download 'Digital citizenship with intersectionality lens: Towards participatory democracy driven digital citizenship education',  Theory Into Practice, 60:4, 361-370, DOI: 10.1080/00405841.2021.1987094

Kim, Y., & Lee, S. (2022). #ShoutYourAbortion on Instagram: Exploring the Visual Representation of Hashtag Movement and the Public’s Responses. SAGE Open, 12(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440221093327

Mossberger, K, Tolbert, CJ & McNeal, RS 2008, Digital citizenship the internet, society, and participation, MIT Press, Cambridge, MA.

[callumfar]

The interrelationship of Reality TV and social media

Reality TV is a genre of television that is designed to elicit conversation, especially about the natural, unscripted actions of humans (Deller, 2019). And boy, does it do exactly that.

Although it is considered the most hated genre of television, it still attracts a large viewership and high ratings. Due to the genre’s ability to get mouths moving, people will still tune in, even if they are just going to hatefully do so. I can’t help myself from watching Married At First Sight these days, even though most of the personalities infuriate me.

A chunk of this comes down to the fact reality TV has a strong relationship with social media. Social media provides people with the ability to connect with each other from all around the country, live and concurrent with the reality tv show’s airing. This enables viewers to conversate about the programs moments as it happens, creating a feeling of “liveness” (Deller, 2019). Liveness is a tool the media uses to emphasise its ability to unite humanity. It is an important part of reality tv, as individuals can relate to others’ opinions that are posted on social media.

Deller (2019) highlights social media’s impact by referring to how live-tweeting on Twitter increases audience engagement. Thousands of tweets can be posted within a single episode of a show, involving a variety of reactions and opinions. Users who see these reactions may feel more inclined to engage with the show, as the live-tweeting can create excitement to watch the episode.

Furthermore, Stewart (2020) expresses that social media interaction with reality tv creates a sense of community, with hashtags allowing users to reach an audience “that extends far beyond (but is still inclusive of) one’s existing followees”. He uses the example of the X Factor NZ, where #XFactorNZ was used by viewers on Twitter to converse about the show as it was airing. The high levels of social media interaction is a key component of what lead to the success of the show, as well as improving TV3’s channel ratings (Stewart, 2020).

So it goes to show, without the ability to live tweet or create communities through hashtags, reality tv would be NOTHING.

(Not really, I just hate reality tv).

But it is true that social media’s connection to reality tv is a large part of its success, as these communities born through platforms such as Twitter, create high levels of engagement for reality programs and a space for viewers to interact with and relate to.

REFERENCES:

Deller, Ruth A, (2019) Extract:  'Chapter Six: Reality Television in an Age of Social Media' in Reality Television: The TV Phenomenon That Changed the World (Emerald Publishing). 

Stewart, Mark (2020) ‘Live Tweeting, Reality TV and the Nation’   23(3) International journal of cultural studies 352.

IMAGE REFERENCE:

Hole, A 2019, “Conference tweeting - some tips and tricks,” Educational Enhancement, viewed 27 March, 2023, <https://blogs.sussex.ac.uk/tel/2019/05/14/conference-tweeting-some-tips-and-tricks/>

[callumfar]

How Tumblr’s NSFW ban has affected online feminists movements

“I might put it on Tumblr because I feel very anonymous... It feels safer.” That’s the answer from 14-year-old girl Dara, when asked which social media she would post on when expressing her experiences with sexism (Kessler, 2019). Rather than likely being “attacked” on Twitter and Facebook for posting their beliefs, teenage girls have turned to Tumblr. With the ability to become part of welcoming subcommunities, teenagers have used Tumblr to start positive feminist trends, with hashtags such as #bodypositive. Being exposed to such content without receiving backlash can be beneficial for body image and diversifying beauty culture (Reif, 2022).

However, well-meaning feminist trends and communities were effectively destroyed when Tumblr implemented new policy that outlawed Not Safe For Work (NSFW) posts from the site. This meant posts deemed sexually explicit were taken down. In turn, safe spaces such as #bodypositive were negated as posts of women displaying their body, even with clothing, were removed due to the new guidelines. Statistics demonstrate the detrimental impact of the NSFW ban, with #bodypositive receiving 5,428 less posts in 2020 than before the NSFW ban in 2017, indicating Tumblr’s decline in the feminist community (Reif, 2022).

Tumblr was a safe, anonymous space for teenage girls and aspiring feminists to post what they like without feeling the threat of being personally attacked by family or friends before the NSFW ban in 2018. However, subcommunities that thrived in Tumblr’s blogging format and easy anonymity struggled to continue communicating when their posts began being removed. The movements had to spread to other platforms such as TikTok and Instagram, which did not offer the great escape Tumblr did for these young women. Get your act together Tumblr! Maybe I’ll boycott you too. (Well, I can’t yet until this assignment is finished, but you get the idea).

REFERENCES:

Anne Reif, Insa Miller & Monika Taddicken (2022) “Love the Skin You‘re In”: An Analysis of Women’s Self-Presentation and User Reactions to Selfies Using the Tumblr Hashtag #bodypositive, Mass Communication and Society, DOI: 10.1080/15205436.2022.2138442

Jessalynn Keller, “Oh, She’s a Tumblr Feminist”: Exploring the Platform Vernacular of Girls’ Social Media Feminisms, Social Media + Society Volume: 5 issue: 3, 2019.