digitalcommunitieswithem

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Week 10:  Among Us and social gaming

References

InnerSloth 2020, ‘Among Us logo banner’ [image] in Downer, A 2020, 'Among Us' Creators Cancel 'Among Us 2' After Original Explodes In Popularity, Know Your Meme News, 24 September, viewed 4 October 2020, <https://news.knowyourmeme.com/news/among-us-creators-cancel-among-us-2-after-original-explodes-in-popularity>.

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Week 9: StuffThatWorks and supporting those with chronic illnesses online

When I was 17 years old, I started experiencing dizzy spells during my dancing classes. As a student in the elite competitive stream at my studio, as well as a Year 12 VCE student in high school, this was inconvenient, frustrating and somewhat scary. I went to the doctor, was told it could be low blood pressure or an iron deficiency, and was sent on my way with supplements and the advice to drink more water. This didn’t help.

After graduating high school, I broke my leg in an acrobatics class at the studio. This resulted in corrective surgery and a six-month recovery period, where I lost my athletic conditioning and had to learn how to use my ankle again. The dizzy spells got worse, along with fatigue and muscle pain, and it was all chalked up to my recovery. My leg recovered, but my other symptoms didn’t get any better.

In the next few years, I became an elite competitive cheerleader at uni, suffered constant physical injuries, started suffering from anxiety and panic attacks at training and competitions, had a second surgery on my ankle, and got progressively sicker with no answer for what was wrong with me. I was constantly told it was ‘all in my head’, and that it was physical symptoms of anxiety. 

This all culminated in an emergency admission to hospital after collapsing at work at Walt Disney World whilst living abroad in the United States, where yet again, they told me there was nothing in my tests that were wrong. 

I continued on dealing with constant symptoms through uni, work and day-to-day life; symptoms that got progressively worse. I tried exercise, dieting, naturopathy, psychology, chiropractic, physiotherapy, acupuncture, supplements - anything I thought might help, but nothing did. 

I finally found a doctor in March 2020, at age 26, who gave me a diagnosis: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, or Myalgic Encephalomyelitis. It was a condition I had expected to hear, but was relieved and frustrated to confirm all at once. No one wants to know they’re actually chronically ill, but they also want confirmation that their symptoms are legitimate. 

Since that diagnosis, I’ve still struggled, but I’ve found relief and management through a range of treatments. It’s not perfect, but it helps.

Then one day, I got a targeted ad on Instagram Stories, suggesting I try an online platform for chronic illness suffers that worked based on crowdsourcing information from other sufferers. In comes StuffThatWorks:

StuffThatWorks is a newly launched platform that utilises crowdsourcing to provide users with information and data on chronic illnesses and effective treatments (StuffThatWorks 2020). Founded by Israeli entrepreneur Yael Elish, mathematician Ron Held and data scientist Yossi Synett, it uses organised and analysed survey data from users to provide insights to its community (StuffThatWorks 2020). 

Whilst the platform gained $9m in seed investment funding in July 2020, it began building from May 2018 (Start-Up Nation Finder 2021) through word of mouth on social media platforms such as Facebook Groups (Lunden 2020) as well as building their own Facebook and Instagram followings. StuffThatWorks could be viewed as a disruptive innovation, as it is filling the gap in the market for a centralised location for patient-led evidence and reports on chronic illnesses. 

Crowdsourcing is generally used to provide answers or solutions to problems that face large groups within society, and StuffThatWorks are aiming to do just that. As a member of the Myalgic Encephalomyelitis / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome community on StuffThatWorks, I have access to an increasing amount of AI-analysed and organised data on my condition and answers to treatments that have worked or not worked for others like myself. It’s a pretty fantastic way to utilise crowdsourcing, social media and digital communities to provide answers to a problem and relief to those in need. 

References

Her Campus 2021, Tired Princess and the Frog GIF [image], Giphy, viewed 4 October 2021, <https://giphy.com/gifs/tired-cartoon-princess-and-the-frog-W0Tg8pls9xMuQ>.

Lunden, I 2020, StuffThatWorks nabs $9M for crowdsourced insights on health conditions, TechCrunch, 23 July, viewed 4 October 2021, <https://techcrunch.com/2020/07/23/stuffthatworks-nabs-9m-for-crowdsourced-insights-on-health-conditions/>.

Start-Up Nation Finder 2021, StuffThatWorks, Start-Up Nation Central, viewed 4 October 2021, <https://finder.startupnationcentral.org/company_page/stuffthatworks>.

StuffThatWorks 2020, About StuffThatWorks, StuffThatWorks, viewed 4 October 2021, <https://www.stuffthatworks.health/about>.

StuffThatWorks 2020, ‘status so far and how it works statistics’ [image] in Home, StuffThatWorks, viewed 4 October 2021, <https://www.stuffthatworks.health/>.

u/StanicEnemY 2021, ‘chronic illness patient meme’ [image] in r/ChronicPain, Reddit, 3 March, viewed 4 October 2021, <https://www.reddit.com/r/ChronicPain/comments/lw6ubc/after_13x_different_mri/>.

[digitalcommunitieswithem]

Week 8:  Facebook’s Safety Check and crowdsourcing in times of crisis

Facebook’s Safety Check feature (also known as Facebook Crisis Response), was introduced on the Facebook mobile app in October 2014 (Gleit et al 2014) to allow users to notify loved ones of their safety during a disaster or crisis. This feature, a form of social media crowdsourcing due to it’s ability to allowing masses of online users to contribute to needed information or services (Merriam-Webster 2021), provides real-time updates for family, friends and emergency services when this information is critical. 

I myself have come across the use of Facebook Safety Check in a number of events, and in different capacities. After living and working abroad in Orlando, FL in 2015, the Pulse Nightclub Shooting in 2016 was a stressful and scary moment in which I desperately wanted to know my friends were okay. Having worked for the Walt Disney Company at Walt Disney World, a significant number of my friends are members of the LGBTQIA+ community and could have easily been present at Pulse when the shooting occurred. I vividly remember reports coming through on social media and scrambling to text and call friends to confirm their safety, and the confirmation often came via notification on Facebook that they’d been ‘marked as safe’ before I could get a direct response. Throughout the events of this crisis, the Safety Check feature became a place where people throughout Florida (and those around the world) could access real-time news about those they love (Metz 2017).

My Facebook cover photo following the shooting, celebrating the city I call my second home and all the beautiful friends I made there

My own Facebook update showing my appreciation for the Safety Check feature in the wake of the Pulse Massacre 

My second experience with the Facebook Safety Check feature was during Hurricane Irma in September 2017. I was in Orlando once again, visiting for the first time since living there two years earlier, and was due to travel to Miami for the weekend to see a friend and celebrate her engagement. We started receiving news and social media reports of a category 5 hurricane developing, with its path predicted to hit right over Miami that coming weekend. Due to how quickly everything moved (airports closing, travel plans changed, people evacuating or preparing to bunker down), few people at home other than my immediate family and close friends knew if I was safe. After following my social media posts at Walt Disney World, many people messaged me to know if I was okay, and I struggled to keep up. In came Facebook Safety Check: I was able to mark myself as safe (having evacuated via Tampa Airport on the Friday and safely landing in Los Angeles before Irma hit), and therefore notify anyone concerned for me that I was safe and sound. 

Facebook’s Crisis Response page for Hurricane Irma, demonstrating my use of the ‘marked as safe’ feature

There have been other moments in my life where Safety Check notifications have popped up in my Facebook feed, including the 2019/2020 summer bushfires in Australia. Safety Check has become a critical resource during disasters and crises, allowing individuals as well as emergency services access to the answers they need in real time (Metz 2017). In 2017, Facebook announced that it would provide this data to aid organisations such as UNICEF, The International Red Cross, and The World Food Program, to provide assistance with locating those who are in need of help (Tsukayama 2017).

See below for more information on how Safety Check:

This crowdsourced information allows these organisations to be targeted, streamlined and impactful in their work during times of crisis, simply due to a large group of individuals hitting a button on social media. If that’s not a great way to use crowdsourcing, I don’t know what is!

References Facebook 2021, ‘Crisis Response banner’ [image] in Crisis Response, viewed 4 October 2021, <https://www.facebook.com/crisisresponse/>.

Gleit, N, Zeng, S & Cottle, P 2014, ‘Facebook Safety Check mobile app example’ [image], in Introducing Safety Check, Facebook, October 15, viewed 4 October 2021, <https://about.fb.com/news/2014/10/introducing-safety-check/>.

Gleit, N, Zeng, S & Cottle, P 2014, Introducing Safety Check, Facebook, October 15, viewed 4 October 2021, <https://about.fb.com/news/2014/10/introducing-safety-check/>.

Merrim-Webster 2021, Crowdsourcing, Merriam-Webster Dictionary, viewed 4 October 2021, <https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crowdsourcing>.

Metz, C 2017, How Facebook wants to save the world, Wired, 4 February, viewed 4 October 2021, <https://www.wired.co.uk/article/the-inside-story-of-how-facebook-is-transforming-disaster-response>.

[digitalcommunitieswithem]

Week 7: Trolling and Social Media Conflict

[digitalcommunitieswithem]

Week 6: Activism and Protest

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Week 5: The power of AOC and social media for politicians

If you don’t know who Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is (have you been living under a proverbial rock?), let me give you a rundown. Known also by her initials AOC (how very millennial, and I LOVE it), Representative Ocasio-Cortez is an American Democratic congresswoman and political activist. Hailing from the Bronx in New York and proud of her history as a waitress and bartender before entering politics, she is known for her progressive views and tireless work in racial, social and economic equality (United States Federal Government 2021). She is the youngest woman in history to be sworn into the United States Congress (Seitz-Wald 2019) and a millennial icon on social media.

AOC boasts 12.7 million followers on Twitter and 8.7 million on Instagram, as is time and time again involved in news or posts that go viral. For example, within six hours of United States news network C-SPAN tweeting a video and quote of her House floor speech criticising Representative Ted Yoho’s treatment of her on Capitol Hill, C-SPAN’s tweet became their most retweeted post ever (Cillizza 2020) and to this date has 80.2k retweets and 255.5k likes. 

Just this week, AOC attended the Costume Institute Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute in New York City (colloquially known as The Met Gala), and caused a stir online with the political statement made by her outfit. Wearing a dress by Black female designer Aurora James of Brother Vellies that spelt out “Tax the Rich” in large red letters across her back, Ocasio-Cortez made the most of the virality of the Met Gala’s digital presence (espeically given this year’s event was sponsored by social media platform Instagram) (Cartter 2021). The dress went viral on social media, and successfully created conversation around one of AOC’s major political policies: “In a modern, moral & wealthy society, no American should be too poor to live” (Ocasio-Cortez 2021).

The fact that AOC is a recognisable moniker world-wide for a 31-year old American politician speaks in and of itself. Ocasio-Cortez’s personality, passion and spirit are demonstrated so effectively through her social media and her ability to engage with her followers that I myself, a 27-year old Australian, feel like I can relate to and connect with her. Her influence transcends political boundaries and national identities, and comes down to her core beliefs: everyone should be equal and no-one should live in poverty or injustice. That is relatable for all young people who want to live in a better, more sustainable and more just world. 

References

Applewhite, J S 2019, ‘Rep.-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a freshman Democrat representing New York's 14th Congressional District, takes a selfie with Rep. Ann McLane Kuster, D-N.H., right, and Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., on the first day of the 116th Congress on Jan. 3, 2019.’ [image] in  Seitz-Wald, A 2019, Democrats 'like' it: The secret to Ocasio-Cortez's social media success, 20 January, viewed 15 September 2021, <https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/democrats-it-secret-ocasio-cortez-s-social-media-success-n960561>.

Cartter, E 2021, ‘AOC's “Tax the Rich” Dress Was Precision-Engineered Met Gala Messaging’, GQ Style, GQ, 14 September, viewed 15 September 2021, <https://www.gq.com/story/aoc-met-gala-dress>.

Cillizza, C 2020, ‘The absolutely remarkable social media power of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’, The Point with Chris Cillizza, CNN Politics, 24 July, viewed 15 September 2021, <https://edition.cnn.com/2020/07/24/politics/aoc-ted-yoho-cspan/index.html>.

Ocasio-Cortez, A 2021, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: Bio, Twitter, viewed 15 September 2021, <https://www.twitter.com/aoc>.

Seitz-Wald, A 2019, Democrats 'like' it: The secret to Ocasio-Cortez's social media success, 20 January, viewed 15 September 2021, <https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/democrats-it-secret-ocasio-cortez-s-social-media-success-n960561>.

Tamara, R 2021, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on the steps of the Met Gala [image], in Cartter, E 2021, ‘AOC's “Tax the Rich” Dress Was Precision-Engineered Met Gala Messaging’, GQ Style, GQ, 14 September, viewed 15 September 2021, <https://www.gq.com/story/aoc-met-gala-dress>.

United States Federal Government 2021, About: Biography, Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, viewed 15 September 2021, <https://ocasio-cortez.house.gov/about/biography>.

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Week 2: How are our social experiences bound up with social media platforms and their affordances, and how we make use of them?

Week 2

References

Transparent 2021, Who Here Is On Social Season 3 GIF [image], GIPHY, viewed 15 September 2021, <https://giphy.com/gifs/transparent-season-3-amazon-video-original-l2SpRK14D6cvy6Uxi>.

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Week 1: Is Tumblr a blog or a social networking site?

Given I have chosen Tumblr as my blogging platform for this unit, I thought it fitting to adapt this week’s prompt, “Is WordPress a blog or a social networking site?” to Tumblr instead.

Tumblr is a platform I myself have used since my high school days, likely jumping on and creating my first blog not long after MySpace lost it’s shine. As a millennial who went to high school in the 2010s, I was part of a large community of teens finding their feet on social media and social networking sites for the first time as we grew up (unlike today’s Generation Z who are more engaged with social media from a much younger age). 

Tumblr was a place I made friends (some who became real-life friends I’m still in contact with in my late-twenties), explored my interests and was able to be myself in ways I didn’t feel comfortable in everyday life at the time. As a passionate member of a number of television and pop culture fandoms, the Tumblr community was a safe and enjoyable space to exist. As discussed in Swinburne Online’s Key Concepts for social media and social networks (Flemming 2021), sociality and online identity were key elements of my presence in the Tumblr space, and allowed me to develop aspects of my self-identity and my personal growth online. 

Tumblr themselves describe the site as a place where “your interests connect you with your people” (Tumblr 2021). Founded in New York in February 2007  and now headquartered in San Francisco, the site hosts 533,2 million blogs and sees 11 million posts per day across 18 different languages. Osman (2019) described the site as ‘part microblog, part social network’, and suggests it is a crucial marketing platform for businesses to reach a highly engaged millennial audience and publish a variety of different media content in once place. 

Microblogging is a apt way to describe Tumblr, given it’s flexibility in posting options. Users can utilise it for text posts and blogs (such as this post), but also use it to share image sets, fan art and digital art, videos, GIFs and memes. The social networking side of the site is demonstrated in it’s “built-in audience that self-segments into interest-based communities” (Stringfellow 2013), and the follow, comment, reblog, hashtag and search functions all existing within one user dashboard differs from other blogging platforms whilst likening to social networking sites such as Facebook and LinkedIn. 

Tumblr is a unique and often underrated platform that allows individuals to connect and network within a range of sub-communities across geographical and societal boarders, and still has, in my opinion, a worthwhile space in the digital world. 

References

Iliya, B 2019, Tumblr on phone display [image], Shutterstock, 17 June, viewed 15 September 2021, <https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/tula-russia-17-06-2019-tumblr-1457600930>.

Flemming, E 2021, ‘1.3 Social media – The working definitions that connect us’, MDA20009 Digital Communities, Learning materials via Canvas, Swinburne Online, 4 July, viewed 15 September 2021. 

Osman, M 2019, Social Network or Microblog? Why You Should Use Tumblr for Business, WordPress, December 3, viewed 15 September 2021, <https://wordpress.com/go/digital-marketing/social-network-or-microblog-why-you-should-use-tumblr-for-business/>.

Silicon Valley 2021, Season 3 Hbo GIF [image], GIPHY, viewed 15 September 2021, <https://giphy.com/gifs/siliconvalleyhbo-3o7qDHsfqqsgrbP78Y>.

Stringfellow, A 2013, ‘The Great Tumblr Debate: Blogging Platform or Social Network?’, American Express Business Class: Branding, American Express, December 28, viewed 15 September 2021, <https://www.americanexpress.com/en-us/business/trends-and-insights/articles/the-great-tumblr-debate-blogging-platform-or-social-network/>.

Sulastri Sulastri 2020, Tumblr iPhone Screen with Keyboard Mouse on a Bamboo Table [image], Shutterstock, 15 October, viewed 15 September 2021, <https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/barcelona-spain-october-15-2020-tumblr-1834305736>.

Tumblr 2021, About, Tumblr, viewed 15 September 2021, <https://www.tumblr.com/about>.