The “Where” Online Community
The digital revolution has significantly changed how we perceive the world around us and the various social interaction elements. As a beneficiary of this revolution, I have managed to grow a huge online following as well as making new friends. The internet and social media platforms’ availability has changed our interactions and social communication making it easier for people to interact and exchange information (Headleand et al., 2020). These online social groups are referred to as online communities.
Face TheJury- Size, and Scope of The Online Community
Face TheJury is an online community focused on the members’ physical appearance and is often involved in the posting of pictures to receive ratings from other members of the online community. One reason why I find the above online community unique could be attributed to the nature of the interactions among its members. With approximately 163,584,547 active users, Face TheJury is quite a popular site that also boasts an anytime usage of 2,580 users at any time (FTJ, 2021). Analytically, I believe that the members of this online community are mainly driven by their need for public attention. However, some entrepreneurial members of the online community have put the platform to good use, utilizing it as a marketing opportunity for their body accessories.
Where is this online community most active?
I have realized that Face TheJury is a community that has the most active users in the key cities across the United States. Among the cities that have been identified to have the most active members include; New York, Philadelphia, Austin, Las Vegas, Miami, and San Diego. I came to the realization that members of this online community meet frequently in recreational places where they are mostly involved in socialization and team-building activities. Other community members have used this platform to advertise their businesses, thereby helping them meet on the ground level to exchange ideas and fashion concepts that they find relatable. However, the online community’s central aim, I still centered on body image, remains part of their most significant online community interaction aspect.
In 2021, Face the jury came up with a community development program expected to help the community members affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. This was an idea that the online community members considered essential to give back to society and part of the community’s social welfare program. The donations and contributions made are expected to help families across the United States affected by the pandemic. This gesture has significantly increased the popularity of the online community across the country (Kamalpour et al., 2020). This is therefore an online community that would encourage any individual interested in team-building activities to join.
Where is the online community least active?
Although Face TheJury is active on other social media platforms, their presence on these platforms is hardly detectable. Unlike other online communities that are more oriented towards social media influence, Face TheJury has managed to remain less active on general social media. To keep up with this online community’s activities, one is necessitated to sign up for membership as most of the group’s activities are discussed and applied on the community’s platform. The absence from the social media limelight has significantly helped members of this online community remain connected by their purpose of image sharing and body image discussions. While the online community’s sense may appear less significant, more people have continued to join the online community for socialization purposes.
References
Facethejury.us. 2021. FTJ. [online] Available at: <http://www.facethejury.us/> [Accessed 23 February 2021].
Headleand, C. J., Free, J., Farndale, S., & Hall, M. (2020, September). Virtual Community Support Officers: Community Policing in the Digital Space. In 2020 International Conference on Cyberworlds (CW) (pp. 121–124). IEEE.
Kamalpour, M., Watson, J., & Buys, L. (2020). How can online communities support resilience factors among older adults? International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, 36(14), 1342–1353.