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[eredinosaur]

Week 12: Crowdsourcing in times of crisis

Alright everyone, so for today’s topic. We will be talking about crowdsourcing. What is crowdsourcing you may ask? Crowdsourcing is the act of obtaining information, work-related and opinionated from a huge crowd of individuals through the internet, social media and mobile applications.

Crowdsourcing has become a valuable tool for everyone to utilize regardless of which time zones they appear to be in the world, especially with the speed of modern technology we hold today. A prime example of crowdsourcing can be found in times of crisis can date back to the ongoing war in Ukraine. According to (Bergengruen, 2022 ), Ukraine’s Digital ministry formed a chatbot and labeled it as “e-Enemy”, as one of the few digital tools the Ukrainian government has established to crowdsource and garner evidence documenting alleged war crimes occurring in the nation. Since the creation of their personalized tool, has given Ukrainian officials the advantage to capture and catalogue behaviours enacted by Russian forces. Despite facing the challenges in their homeland, Ukrainians have resorted to utilizing known apps formed by the government as an additional source which give the citizens to record specific damages inflicted upon their homes and use facial recognition software to identify soldiers from the Russian military as evidence to peddle them accountable for the role they have played in the war.

In the earthquake that occurred in Türkiye in 2023, through the use of community engagement data was collected from local citizens who lived in locations that were affected by the earthquake. Data was collected by the use of a Google form created to gather information pertaining to tiers of crisis from collapsed buildings, people trapped from the rubble and individuals with specific needs. Later on, the accumulated data was distributed across all social media sites reaching renowned figures, influencers and popular organizations to accomplish the use of their tool and attain results (Alhaffar, Joury, Eriksson, 2023 ).

In conclusion, crowdsourcing is more than just obtaining information from the internet and engaging in withdrawing specific information. It’s about relying collectively as a community to distribute critical and credible sources of data that could ultimately help people in times of crisis to ease their situations.

References:

Alhaffar, M. B. A., Joury, E., & Eriksson, A. (2023). Community engagement and crowdsourcing for effective disaster response and rescue operations during the earthquake in Syria. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 98, 104096. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2023.104096

Bergengruen, V. (2022, April 18). How Ukraine Is Crowdsourcing Digital Evidence of War Crimes. Time; Time. https://time.com/6166781/ukraine-crowdsourcing-war-crimes/

#MDA20009 #DigitalCommunities #Crowdsourcing

[eredinosaur]

‌Week 11: Digital Citizenship and conflict: Social Media Governance 

Okay, So here we are back again with a different yet slightly serious topic. Today we will be reflecting and ruminating deeply about being watched all the time. I’m joking, or am I? Alright in all seriousness, for what I am about to talk about is a similar tone to what I have opened this essay with. Once again, we will be delving deep into the subject of Digital Citizenship and conflict, particularly; Social Media Governance and how it affects the Digital framework. In particular, it will analyze how governance structures influence the way individuals engage with information online, specifically during periods of crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic. In today's hyperconnected world, where digital interactions form an essential part of everyday life, citizens are increasingly conscious of the fact that their online behaviours are constantly monitored and shaped. Sometimes for the public good, and sometimes with unintended consequences.

What is Social Media Governance? The term refers to the process and policies the government has implemented that enables social media posting and interacting activities for marketing teams in any social media organization ( Haimovitch, 2024 ). To put it simply, it is a set of protocols where companies with social media significant presence must follow and adhere to. 

During the COVID-19 pandemic, this was a crisis where world governments across the globe were held to a high degree of spreading information through social media and implemented regulatory policies everywhere in a physical manner. During the crisis, there was also a time where a widespread amount of misinformation was amplified by the uses of social media. One of the earliest challenges was widespread fear surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine, which quickly became a public health issue. Users across the net began to establish theories regarding the effectiveness of the vaccine based on their hypothesis rather than utilizing evidence backed by scientists. Twitter became one of the most influential social media platforms at the time despite being known for being a channel that allows users to voice out their feelings. Netizens exercised their rights on the platform regarding the spread of the disease and how governments must act accordingly along with the disperse of claims which are considered to be accurate, inaccurate and partially accurate ( Caceres, M. M. F. 2022).

And back in May 21, 2020, an online campaign was launched known as the #ShareTheMicNow where renowned individuals bestow their personal social media accounts to medical professionals to upload data valid for credibility. Later in March 2020, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) responded to the situation by publishing an article depicting a careful ten step guidelines for users to read as a method to re-evaluate and assess the credibility and effective can information contain ( Caceres, M. M. F. 2022).

Overall, after 5 years of adjusting to the modern world post-pandemic, information can still be manipulated in any times of crisis let alone in just about mundane moments. This shows that without strong governance from the governmental frameworks and digitally literate citizens, misinformation can continue to thrive even beyond moments of global crisis.

References:

Caceres, M. M. F. (2022). The impact of misinformation on the COVID-19 pandemic. AIMS Public Health, 9(2), 262–277. https://doi.org/10.3934/publichealth.2022018

Haimovitch, Z. (2024, May 12). Oktopost. Oktopost. https://www.oktopost.com/blog/social-media-governance-plans/

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#MDA20009 #DigitalCommunities

[eredinosaur]

WEEK 10 | Gaming Communities, Social Gaming and Live Streaming

Alright so, here we go again. For today’s topic we will be talking about Gaming Communities, Social Gaming and Live Streaming. As the world progresses, so does the entertainment gaming industry. Gaming has become a sensational part of our daily lives. It serves the purpose of exploring new worlds, stories, creativity and the engineering of a new world through gamers who wish to see themselves in the regard of a fictional character and their narrative in video games. This slow buildup of gaming has established communities socializing with one another, making new connections and discovering various individuals across the internet sharing their love of gaming. But what makes relationships through gaming successful? Let’s dive deep into it.

A recent study conducted in Japan by (Ni, Dong, Ueichi, 2023), indicated how online games create social capital, support, and a sense of community. The study links a bridge between how regular interaction, collaboration, and team play to community cohesion and create positive social outcomes. Their research depicted how communication in-game wise has become a critical factor of players interacting with one another. By engaging in the virtual gaming space with strangers creates the potential for players to expose themselves to various people coming from certain socioeconomic and cultural upbringings which leads to networking a social capital. As they receive less interaction depending on who they communicate with in the real world pertaining to their social lives, it harbours non-original or common experiences which can be hard to develop bridging social capital amongst themselves. 

‌ Aside from the occurrence of bridging social capitals, multiplayer online games have been shown to emulate positive effects amongst individual gamers, gaming organizations even for the entirety of society. An additional study has depicted how multiplayer online gaming enables robust social interaction and communication among players, Multiplayer gaming has become a critical aspect of what makes gaming so successful in the community as it fosters a sense of belonging for players globally ( Wu, Chang, 2025). Moreover, another feature to highlight that can be seen within the benefits the gaming community fosters on a renowned-scale are charitable activities. Gaming brands have also been known to engage in activities for charity, In 2019, (RiotGames) announced in their website they are establishing the Riot Games Social Impact Fund enhancing their efforts for a collective impact on a global level. The structure exemplifies how gaming companies can leverage their global communities to support their systematic change. The initiative has raised over $63.3 million and more than 450 charity groups in 28 different regions have benefited from the funds, demonstrating the broad reach of gamer-led philanthropy. 

In the case of live streaming particularly through video gaming, it has risen to prominence with streaming becoming a regular-based interaction in our daily lives. A research study conducted by ( El Afi, Ouiddad, 2021), showed that spectators have found themselves engaging through live streaming influenced by their cognitive, personal, social, affective and hedonic drivers. They have argued how viewers often stream live gameplays as a form of stress and tension relief and absorb information pertaining to the game and consume new tactics about the game. Despite live streaming becoming a core activity of interaction in the media, the hedonic nature of live streaming particularly through twitch indicates having fun as its core drive for spectators. Researchers have also iterated how users are intensely motivated through the association of engaging in live streaming, information seeking, social interaction, sense of community, meeting new people, seeking out a lack of external support in real life, Users desire engagement with the site, the streamer, and other users for hedonistic and social support reasons, they contend themselves in. 

In conclusion, Gaming communities have become such a core aspect in today’s world as they harbour various individuals with unique perspectives of gaming and are widely dispersed through different mediums of media as a form of social interaction that fosters immense success for everyone who participated in the narrative of gaming. 

References

El Afi, F., & Ouiddad, S. (2021). The Rise of Video-Game Live Streaming: Motivations and Forms of Viewer Engagement. HCI International 2021 - Posters, 1421, 156–163. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-78645-8_20

Ni, S., Dong, R., & Ueichi, H. (2023). The influence of online multiplayer games on social capital and interdependent well-being in Japan. Entertainment Computing, 47, 100587. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.entcom.2023.100587

Social Impact Fund. (n.d.). Riot Games. https://www.riotgames.com/en/who-we-are/social-impact/social-impact-fund

Wu, C., & Chang, C.-H. (2025). How multiplayer online games can yield positive effects on individual gamers, gaming companies, and society as a whole. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-025-04690-6

[eredinosaur]

WEEK 9 | Digital Citizenship and Software literacy : Instagram Filters

Salutations everyone! So for today’s topic, we’ll be dissecting the topic revolving around Instagram Filters. Similar to the last conversation we talked about body modification, only this time we will uncover the aspects of how instagram filters alone affect beauty standards and our perception of beauty in the speed of the modern world. 

In a recent study conducted by (Wang 2024, p. 202), a group of young females roughly aged between 18-23 in the UK and China invest in an adequate amount of time scrolling through Instagram, 50% have found themselves often use filters when uploading images on Instagram yet a rough percentage of 5% refuses to use something of a similar aspect. The other 26% have claimed to constantly resort to using filters, despite the other 9% rare use and sometimes from the 10%. According to these findings by Wang, the research came to a conclusion regarding how women found in the UK and China have developed the tendency to use Instagram filters on every occasion to post content. Additionally, about 48% have responded with an answer of dissatisfaction about their body images upon not using filters to enhance the image. A number of 45% claimed the uses of filters have influenced their perspective of their physical outlook which gave them the shift to look at themselves better in the digital era. And a little number of 6% iterated their appearance has been influenced to a certain degree (Wang 2024, p. 203).

In a recent article by (Lo Destro, 2024), Instagram filters have established an Idealized Appearance Norms, this standard creates a flawless version of oneself with flawless skin, symmetrical features, and enhanced facial structure. These standards alone contribute back to the internalization of narrow and frequent spotlight of Eurocentric beauty standards. The exposure of these beauty standards alone can lead to a frame of being completely dissatisfied with one’s body which harbors negative effects of one’s mental health of exhibiting low self-esteem, lack of body appreciation and potential symptoms correlated to body dysmorphia. 

The overall conclusion of users being exposed to these factors indicates the recurring need of social validation through likes, comments and replies from other user’s followers prior to a post via the use of beauty filters through Instagram.

References:

Lo Destro, C. (2024). Unraveling the impact of self-esteem on the utilization of Instagram filters: the mediating role of fear of negative evaluation. Frontiers in Psychology, 15. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1302662

Wang, S. (n.d.). The Influence of Instagram Filters on Body Image Dissatisfaction among UK and Chinese Female Aged 18-23 Years: A Quantitative Study. https://doi.org/10.25236/icfmhss.2024.030

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#MDA20009 #DigitalCommunities #InstagramFilters

[eredinosaur]

Week 8 | Digital Citizenship and Health Education: Body Modification on Visual Social Media

Hello everyone!! So we are back with another topic of the day. Today we will be talking about Body Modification Visual Social Media. This particular topic consists of a range of subjects from cosmetics surgery, public health campaigns, micro celebrity culture, aesthetic labour, pornification, female and male aesthetics, body dysmorphic disorder and identity dissonance.  Following the recent rise of TikTok and establishing the regulation of influencer culture, Many influencers have taken the route of spreading body positivity catered toward their target audience as a hopeful message. Yet in some cases, it can be deemed to a certain degree where body beauty standards from an influencer are modified to an extent where it seems impossible for everyone to either achieve or be unrealistic.

According to (Lang, 2023), the reporter talked about how The Kardashians, known for their renowned persona from reality-tv presence and influence of beauty culture across the internet has reached a point where the famous sisters are unable to achieve beauty standards set by them. The article discussed a recent episode from their latest series with Hulu, The Kardashians, consisting of a scene where Kylie Jenner spoke up about how she regretted doing the procedure of breast augmentation from a young age. Jenner also expressed her acknowledgement of the influence she holds on social media and realizing upon the exposure of many girls at a young age editing their bodies on the internet (Logan, 2023). 

In a recent study conducted by ( Ozimek, Lainas, Bierhoff, Rohmann, 2023 ), users are more likely to post their face on social media rather than their full body pictures, Faces are more likely to be salient depicting images of oneself. Therefore, photo editing behaviour can produce a major effect on the dissatisfaction of the user’s face rather than their bodies. As most users are investing in photo editing of their appearance, it also risks the condition of self-objectification by the temptation of expecting outsider users to react to their edited photos posted on social media. 

In conclusion, Body modification fueling one’s social media content in a visual perspective creates issues leading to self-doubt and lack of confidence in one’s body image. Let alone the pressures of the current digital era can create immense obstacles for anyone to navigate in their body positivity journey. 

References:

Lang, C. (2023, July 28). Not even the Kardashians can keep up with their unrealistic beauty standards. TIME. https://time.com/6298911/kardashians-kylie-jenner-boob-job-beauty-standards/

Logan, E. (2023, July 20). Everything Kylie Jenner actually said about beauty standards on the Kardashians. Glamour. https://www.glamour.com/story/everything-kylie-jenner-actually-said-about-beauty-standards-on-the-kardashians

Ozimek, P., Lainas, S., Bierhoff, H.-W., & Rohmann, E. (2023). How photo editing in social media shapes self-perceived attractiveness and self-esteem via self-objectification and physical appearance comparisons. BMC Psychology, 11(1), Article 99. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-023-01143-0

#DigitalCommunities #MDA20009 #BodyModification

[eredinosaur]

WEEK 7 | Social media and the slow fashion movement

Okay, so here we are, konichiwa friends and fellow readers. We are back with another topic for today’s blog. The subject of today we will be delving into is…..SLOW FASHION. That is right, we will be uncovering specific details about what is slow fashion, the movement behind it and social media’s role in displaying the slow fashion movement in its domain. Anyone here heard of slow fashion? Sounds straightforward, because it is. So what is slow fashion?

Slow fashion is a movement to promote and establish a sustainable surroundings and speak on issues that inflict social harm within the environment. The pinnacle advocacy of slow fashion hinders in highlighting the harms of how overproduction of clothing can lead to a detrimental space of overconsumption.

Although with the world ushering into the digital era comes with the expense of needing the requirement of people to promote ongoing trends and current issues. In the case of the slow fashion movement, social media plays a pivotal role in educating and informing the public about why the movement is critical, particularly by the hands of influencers. Influencers are prominent figures in the media industry where they create daily content through the use of their social media platforms. According to (Ge, 2024), Influencer marketing has become a direct channel of communication in social media. “SMIs impact the minds of consumers, especially young fashion consumers, they look for the latest trends and they tend to be less willing to consider environmental aspects when making decisions” (Ge 2024, p. 121). The subject around sustainability has garnered clout of interest and educational purposes among young consumers, specifically Gen-Z. 

Gen-Z have become the primary target audience leaning towards slow fashion resorting to being influenced on social media. Influencers have become a popular figure for Gen-z’s to turn to for media consumption. 70% of Gen-z will have either known one or two influencers on platforms particularly on Instagram or Youtube. Despite turning to Quality over quantity, Gen-z have also been focused on finding long-term value in vintage clothing as a way to save up money, refusing to be easily influenced to purchase new fashion items from renowned brands and develop their personal identity through classics from the past.

To end another post on a good note, Social media putting the spotlight on the slow fashion movement has created the benefit of why consumers should resort to practicing slow fashion rather than allow them to be quick to assume the temporary surge of purchasing clothing items for their brief form of satisfaction. Yet it provides long-term benefits in all aspects for their fashion.

References:

Ge, J. (2024). Influencers Marketing and Its Impacts on Sustainable Fashion Consumption among Generation Z. Journal of Soft Computing and Decision Analytics, 2(1), 118–143. https://doi.org/10.31181/jscda21202438

Marquis, C. (2021, May 14). What Does Slow Fashion “Actually” Mean? Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/christophermarquis/2021/05/14/what-does-slow-fashion-actually-mean/

#MDA20009 #Slowfashion #DigitalCommunities #SocialMedia

[eredinosaur]

WEEK 6 | Digital Citizenship, Hashtag Publics, Political Engagement and Activism

Okay so here we are, for today’s topic we will be uncovering the contents of Digital Citizenship, Hashtag Publics, political Engagement and Activism. Have y’all ever heard of the term Digital Citizenship? It may seem like a fancy wording for having rights to the media but the denotation behind the word simply refers to the responsible and ethical use of technology by individuals when engaging in digital environments. Digital Citizenship includes rights, access, identity and behaviour in digital spaces, shaped by education, access to technology, and sociopolitical structures.

Another key aspect that can be found correlating to the playground of digital citizenship you tend to encounter on social media is the Hashtag Publics right? Every moment you scroll through your feed, you're always wondering why do users of the net put hashtags onto their posts? The purpose of hashtags is to serve awareness regarding a cause or a discourse circulating online pertaining to the public. For instance, back in 2018 the #MeToo movement was at the height of their activism; it became globalized across the world and the internet whereas everyone became highly aware of the social movement. According to ( Jaeger, 2021 ), by stumbling upon specific Hashtag-based communities on Twitter, Tiktok, and Instagram give netizens a chance to formulate collective identities around certain causes. If you literally were to set your eyes on critical hashtags such as #StopAsianHate #BLM, these hashtags literally provide you a space of resonating with the political movement in the first place.

Now onto Political Engagement and activism, In the current era we are living in, the technology surrounding our environment completely reshapes the way everyone access political information, engage with political figures and organize collective actions for a good cause. This part is a bit sensitive so please read this section at your discretion.

An example I can provide here, is the ongoing war occurring in Gaza. Despite the ongoing conflict occurring for a long period of time, during those moments it actually provided Palestinians and their supporters to bypass orthodox media gatekeepers. In a additional manner, this action allows for real-time sharing of firsthand accounts, images, and videos deriving from the conflict zone stemming from their social media platforms. This democratization of information has shifted the narrative, offering a more nuanced perspective of the situation in Gaza. In another aspect that have utilized Digital Citizenship is calling onto political figures in the media to remind them of their duties.

To conclude this post on a decent note, Digital Citizenship plays a critical role in reminding everyone on social media or attaining any ownership of technology to exercise their rights and duty in the media.

‌References:

Jæger, B. (2021). Digital Citizenship – A Review of the Academic Literature. Online-First, 14(1-2021), 1–XXI. https://doi.org/10.3224/dms.v14i1.09

Ashkar, A. (2024, October 25). Social Media’s Key Role in Palestinian Activism for Gaza. Modern Diplomacy. https://moderndiplomacy.eu/2024/10/25/social-medias-key-role-in-palestinian-activism-for-gaza/

Tynes, N. (2021). How digital activism is putting the spotlight on Palestine. The New Arab. https://www.newarab.com/analysis/how-digital-activism-putting-spotlight-palestine #MDA20009 #DigitalCitizenship #Politicalengagement

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[eredinosaur]

Week 5 | Digital Community and fandoms

Hello everyone, My name is Asad. For today’s post we will be talking about anime! Yes yes. One of pop culture’s most influential animation styles incorporated in today’s digital atmosphere. To keep things simple, Anime is a style of animation originating from Japan, the elements of this distinct design can range from having backgrounds being intricate, magical, individualistic, emotional and sometimes otherworldly. In today’s culture, Anime has become a renowned global sensation in the mainstream media that various consumers of the media in specific communities and fandoms have commonly mistaken it as a genre.

Why is anime so famous within digital communities and fandoms you may ask? 

Inside digital communities, is a place where individuals from various backgrounds and professions are sharing common interests and goals on the behest of endorsing or supporting an important cause. They exchange information and shared content amongst one another to ensure the community is well-informed and up to date pertaining to the collective cause they extend their rapport towards.

As for fandoms, it’s a subculture of digital communities, the literal definition translates to where a community is gathered in the enjoyment of supporting various entities deriving from pop culture. Ranging from Tv-Shows, Video games, Movies, franchises, Musicians, K-pop and even popular books. How does Anime play a fundamental role in fandoms and social media you may wonder? In an era where digital media can easily relay new mediums across the net. Social media serves itself as a spark for culture; across almost various platforms consisting of Instagram, Twitter, TikTok even display a feature of anime among their interface.

With Anime being the highlighted subject amongst the primary topic of this blog, here’s a breakdown of how anime impacts both the fandom and digital community. Fans who regularly watch their favourite anime tend to find themselves part of the fandom system. Some of them perceive anime as escapism from daily struggles and a form of cultural education. It’s no surprise fans have gravitated to valuing anime for its cultural depth, offering insights into japanese history and philosophical, and society issues which leads to developing critical skills of intrapersonal depth of their identity learned from Anime. Another key aspect of fandom to consider is their identity and community building. When people are often asked about anime, they often assume its pure consumption. However, it goes beyond to establishing discussions about the series they watch, merchandise collection they own with pride and even physical events to celebrate upcoming and past premiers of anime and giving fans the opportunity to cosplay their favorite characters. These attributes dictate a sense of belonging and identity to those who are passionate about anime in the fandom particularly on social media. Why are fandoms important in Anime? To put it in simple terms, the fans are either the cause of an artists’ success or the fall of it.

To end this post, Fandoms and Digital communities both serve an important purpose and provide vital perspectives to the functions of pop culture.

References:

Omoloso, A. I., Oba Abdulkadir La'aro, Rasaq Adisa, & Ahmad, Z. (2024, April 16). EXPLORING THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON ANIME FANDOM: A STUDY AMONG UNIVERSITY OF ILORIN UNDERGRADUATES. ResearchGate; unknown. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/379837870_EXPLORING_THE_IMPACT_OF_SOCIAL_MEDIA_ON_ANIME_FANDOM_A_STUDY_AMONG_UNIVERSITY_OF_ILORIN_UNDERGRADUATES

Team, N. F. I. (2022, June 15). What is Anime? Everything You Need To Know. NFI. https://www.nfi.edu/what-is-anime/ #MDA20009 #DigitalCommunities #Anime #fandom