As this shows, the term community conjures up many different meanings but the most common one refers to it as a group of people with a shared goal (Ridings & Gefen, 2006). Other members then provide comments and moderation, as well as their own photos of bread stapled to trees. The premise of BST is simple - community members take photos of bread they have stapled to trees and share the photos online through the link aggregation site Reddit. Although often discounted as being based on weak ties, many of these groups, such as the subreddit BST, create a strong sense of community, belonging and social identity. Virtual and physical communities are more alike than they first appear, due to the types of networks employed and developed by participants (Cantoni & Danowski, 2015).
BREAD STAPLED TO TREES OFFLINE
Online, or virtual, communities allow for specialised discussions to form around often obscure topics between participants who would not likely meet in the offline world due to geographical constraints or varied social structures. Online communities are sometimes viewed as less significant or ‘real’ than physical communities but these two forms of communities are quite similar in many ways (Langner & Seidel, 2014). However, it should also be acknowledged that virtual communities are not necessarily seen as a replacement for physical communities.
The benefits for individuals within this type of community are numerous, including peer support and a sense of belonging. Although focused around an absurd topic, the subreddit Bread Stapled to Trees (BST) is an example of a strong virtual community and displays many characteristics of a traditional offline community including weak ties and strong social identity. This paper investigates the shift of communities from a physical to an online environment (covering both web 1.0 and web 2.0) and argues that virtual and traditional communities are more alike than they first appear, due to the types of networks employed and developed by participants. Heather Westphal on Why we play online games and how it effects our communication with others online and offlineĬonference streams Conference streams Conference Presenter BiographiesĪuthor note: Kim Cousins is PhD student and tutor at Curtin University.Nikhil Dookun on Social media – The Root of Pedophilia in the 21st century? by Nikhil D.Joanne Liew on Celebrities Online Self-Disclosure of Information Reinforces the Parasocial Relationship.Anoorah Bhackaurally on Activism on social media as a public sphere.Tiffany Kennedy on The Community Behind a Game (Overwatch).Activism on social media as a public sphere.
Are Muslim Women challenging stereotypes on online communities?.Social media – The Root of Pedophilia in the 21st century? by Nikhil D.Are Online Communities/Networks In Particular Instagram Creating An Unattainable Perception Of An Ideal Identity? By Jake Brown.Search for papers Search for: Recent Posts
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