Oh, do we have a special episode for you How Do You Like it So Far? fans! This week, Colin and Henry discuss communities and their presence in digital and physical spaces and use old How Do You Like it So Far? episodes as talking points! We made our very own podcast clip show! Henry and Colin were intrigued over conversation opened up by Howard Rheingold an Patricia G. Lange on virtual communities. Through this springboard, they relate their own personal accounts of fandom and digital spaces that translate to the physical world. They dive deep into the potential for people to band together through virtual communities and the instant connections formed through the digital realm. They discuss communities through online dating, fandom and even reality TV! They talk about how online spaces created a participatory culture and a sense of optimism of uniting people. Even though there would be a transition in creating ethical and community norms for virtual communities, many early web founders had humanitarian ideals at the core. Many companies and corporations on the other hand, cease to think about collective interest when they try to “create” communities online. They acknowledge that there is a dark side and absence of community in virtual spaces, such as through mob violence in India and vitriolic language surrounding Elizabeth Warren during her Presidential campaign. Listen in as Colin and Henry discuss online and offline communities through the vast collection of How Do You Like it So Far? episodes and the need to keep exploring these areas of gathering in the future. Check out our notes section for links to the episodes mentioned in this podcast!
Here are some of the references from this episode, for those who want to dig a little deeper:
Episodes mentioned in this podcast (also available are episode notes for more detail):
Episode 18: Diane Winston on Religion and the entertainment media
Episode 21: Roshan Joshi from All India Bakchod
Episode 22: Benjamen Walker and Wu Ming
Episode 24 War of the Worlds, Hoaxes and Conspiracies with Nick Cull
Episode 28 Taking Risks: Comedy as a Tool For Social Action
Episode 38: Social Media Entertainment: The New Intersection of Hollywood and Silicon Valley
Episode 45: “Radicalized” with Cory Doctorow
Episode 48: Digital Diversity with Craig Watkins, Mimi Ito, and Katie Salen
Episode 50: From Memes to Movements with An Xiao Mina
Episode 56: Exploring Virtual Communities with Howard Rheingold and Patricia G. Lange
Peabody Awards – Henry on the committee, Henry’s perspective on the awards
Twin Peaks and its Fandom
Digital literacy to bridge the computer gap
Passive Old Media and Interactive New Media
Optimism and hope of the digital world
Fred Turner – From Counterculture to Cyberculture
Dark side and absence of community in virtual spaces
Truther Movement – QAnon and Pizzagate
Howard Rheingold’s book and and crap detection
Digital media literacy to fluency – An Xiao Mina
Howard Rheingold’s work on smart mobs
Arab Spring Uprising – Radicalized from downloading American music (Michael Jackson music videos)
March for Our Lives
Connected action can take the form of the mob violence – like in India
Corporate entities want to create communities around a brand
Influencers are building on communities that are willing to incorporate them
Cory Doctorow → Monopolist structure of Facebook
Debates around portability of social media content
European efforts to introduce change in tech companies
Employees pushing for change
Increased fragmentation and mobility
Facebook brings together people through comments sections
Reality TV provides gossip for communities
Share your thoughts via Twitter with Henry and Colin and also through email at annlab@usc.edu!
