DigiCon
Finding belonging in the space of self-proclaimed geeks
In the past (and sometimes still today) the word “Geek” has been used to describe someone who is viewed as boring, unfashionable and generally “uncool” in today’s society. However, over time the slang term has been claimed as a term of pride as self-reference. A self-proclaimed Geek is an enthusiast who passionately “engages in one or more things, to an extreme level”. The term should not be confused with the term “Nerd” — however it is. In order for someone to be a geek, they don’t have to be the brightest or most intellectual in the room — they just have to be really into…the thing they’re into. With that being said — there is so much that the “World of Geek” offers, and there is so much to know.
Our team was given the question “How can technology create spaces of belonging or alienation?” We were tasked to find a community, and explore this topic of question. Initially we looked into the Comic Con community, having found that they are doing online events due to the Covid-19 Pandemic. It sparked our interest because a few members of our team are avid comic book fans (one being a self-proclaimed Geek). Our biggest inspiration was what one team member mentioned during our research; “I’ve never actually been to a Comic Con, because I’ve always been worried I’d be judged because I’m not one to show up in cosplay and goes to the extreme with how I show my fandom”.
This notion of alienation in a space created for the purpose of belonging put us on a train to the bigger picture of the interests that most geeks share. We realised that Comic con is really a product of these interests. These interests being; Comic books, Anime/Manga, Board Games, Film and Animation, Cosplay (costume play) and Fan Art. Comic Con is only one of the conventions that celebrates some of these interests, and it has been a large growing convention which has spread to countries around the world. There are other conventions around the world which celebrate these interests, however people may not be inclined to go because they are afraid their knowledge is not on the level of others.
And so, the DigiCon app concept was born. DigiCon is an interactive newsfeed app built to entertain, connect and inform the self-proclaimed geek. It is designed to help those with budding interests learn more and to keep those with experience interested and learning. No only so but it also helps anyone with anxieties about not knowing anyone at conventions make friends with similar interest.
Upon sign-up, users choose their favourite interests — they can choose all if they would just like to learn. Once they’ve chosen, their feed will show news and updates on all the things related to their interests. On this feed, users can’t post any of their own things, however they are able to interact via comments. Under their profile, users can choose to show which posts they’ve been interacting with or keep it private.
The more interactive and connective part if DigiCon lies in the quizzes. Based on the different interests, users are able to form groups and join in on weekly/bi-weekly offline quizzes. These quizzes will be put up and groups must complete them before they expire. The groups with the highest points accumulated at the end of each month will take part in a live quiz event and will eligible to win a prize.
These aspects of DigiCon make it easier for people with these interests to find each other and support each other through their shared interests. While there is a points system, it is created to drive people towards a camaraderie, rather than an alienation within this world of interests. In order to make sure that the points system does not work against itself in our cause for belonging, the app does not allow users to see each team’s points, however they will see the final live quiz and are welcome to watch the teams participating in them.
DigiCon is built to bridge the gap of alienation within communities that are passionate about and geared towards self-expression. It is built to equip users with knowledge for confidence, and friends with like-minded interests who become a support system. Should it be built, our team truly believes it would change the way people see the “Geek World”, and possibly grow a better and stronger sense of belonging within the community.
The idea of a single platform accommodating/housing multiple points of interest on mobile devices within the digital and visual entertainment space, is convenient and innovative.
The initial choice selection within sign up, is clear and decisive and great in terms of the categories catered for, with the trailing pop-up of selected topics of interest being precise and captivating.
The News and interactive quiz options all work towards an improved knowledge base and exposure on the topic selection of interest. — Damian Smith (outside source)
Meet The Team
I enjoyed learning more about this community of people, and working with my team towards finding a way for them to better understand each other. We all worked quite equally on everything and had great synergy. I was mostly involved in research and process work. — Nxalati Baloyi
Working on this project was very eye opening to me as I never dove deep into the whole comic world that is Comic Con and Rage Expos. I really enjoyed the team work aspect of this project as everyone brought their part and the work was distributed evenly. I was involved in designing our product mock-ups. — James Boshoff
As a group, we created a concept for an online platform that will help geeks acquire the knowledge that they seek and then put that knowledge to the test. I did not have a main focus when contributing to the group as we all put in equal effort and focused on the main goal which was creating a space of belonging. As I have attended a Comic Con Africa before, this brought in a different insight to the team project that helped us reach our solution. — Shaylene Clark
I designed the logo and the digital product’s video. I also carried out the interview for our DigiCon review. — Aidan den Hoed
