The Perks of being a Web User: seeking connection and community online
Back in the day, when my Internet access was still dial-up, I had to wear a uniform every day, and watching the OC was the highlight of my week, I had a Blogspot account. I must have been about 12, and yet I thought it was vital that I write and publish the details of my daily life in a public place — but not to people I know. God forbid people I knew went near any of the fascinating (?) gossip about my life. Nah, I was looking for something else, a different audience, who would listen to my stories and understand them properly. For my younger self, this search for online community was most likely driven by some teenage angst and a healthy splash of self-involvement, but it was also demonstrative of what has become a larger trend — individuals from around the world using the Internet to seek out and create spaces in which to belong and connect. The Internet has become the basis of a variety of communities, ranging from broad to incredibly niche, giving anyone with access to a laptop and hard drive the opportunity to find their people. But what is driving this need to seek virtual communities, and what are people looking for that they can’t find in traditional networks?
Defining an online community
If I ask you to imagine a heavy Internet user, I’m willing to bet that the image you come up with won’t be pretty. For me, my mind jumps to images of fedoras, overindulging in energy drinks and Doritos, and a predisposition to white knighting.
But let’s be real. It’s 2016, and every single one of us spends a good portion of time online. For many people, online is also a space where they can seek out company that really gets them.
The definition of ‘online community’ all depends on where you draw the line — it could be considered as broad as an entire platform, like Tumblr or Reddit, or as specific as a particular sub-forum or special interest group. A working definition of online communities is “networks of people who share social interaction, social ties, and a common space on a specific consumption activity or related group of activities”. If we consider them through this definition, online communities include Facebook, Twitter, and probably almost every other website you visit on the daily.
Communities based on common experience of diabetes, autism, domestic violence, first and second-generation immigration, fandom, parenting, queer identity, and gaming were just some of the many subsections of the Internet that are easily accessed online. Through the broader anonymity associated with most online community sites (aside from Facebook and its kin), people are able to “recast identity in terms of multiple windows and parallel lives” — that is, to decide what groups to affiliate themselves with and what way they want to represent their personal identity. Online identity can be wholly separate from one’s physical context and self, or can be highly similar. In many cases, this depends on why people are looking to connect online.
Why online?
Online communities exist for heaps of reasons. Sure, you might wanna have a chat with other DIY builders about what screw to use, and have found a place for that — but also, you might be a young queer kid growing up and wanting to find support and people who understand what you’re going through. Sometimes it’s easier to be perfectly honest with people you have never and will never meet, and online communities often provide a perfect platform for this kind of anonymous confessional platform.
A common bonding element of community is a common interest, whether that be an activity, a location, or perhaps most commonly, a media form or product. This is “interest-driven” web use, and is in contrast to the model used by Facebook or Google, which provides a platform for facilitating real-life friendships and relationships. In the words of moot, the founder of anonymous image board 4chan (real name Christopher Poole), “Individuals are multifaceted. Identity is prismatic, and communities like 4Chan exist as a holdover from the interest-driven web”.
4Chan, along with Reddit and Tumblr, does not require a link to a ‘real’ identity, and therefore allows individuals to play with identity formation through common interests — an activity psychologists argue is valuable for “the development of a sense of who one is, who one can be, and how one fits into different contexts”. 4Chan differs from Reddit and Tumblr in that it does not require a username at all to post. However, some users still choose to use ‘tripcodes’ — basically usernames — in order to ensure their posts are clearly linked back to their account. This identification functionality is even more important on Tumblr and Reddit, where account names are linked to all of a user’s posts and allow a narrative of identity to develop. To me, it really stands out that across the web, even within the fustercluck that is 4Chan, people are creating online identities.
On Tumblr, common interest groups normally manifest themselves as fandoms. Fandoms are interested (read: high-key obsessed) with specific television shows, movies, or fictional universes. If you’ve ever seen a weird webcomic or edited gifset about something like Supernatural, Harry Potter, or a variety of Youtubers I’m not hip enough to know about, that would likely have stemmed from Tumblr’s highly active fandom community.
Fanfiction — the writing of new stories using existing characters and worlds — is also a common element of many fandoms, popular both on Tumblr and other online communities, including Archive of Our Own and Fanfiction.net. Research suggests that engaging in the creation and sharing of fiction within a pre-existing, supportive community, helps writers to feel happier and better adjusted — especially young, queer writers, who may still be struggling with identity formation in the ‘real world’ of parents, friends and school, but who are free to experiment with sexual and gender identities and seek out other queer or questioning youth online. Research also shows that participating in online communities can decrease feelings of depression and loneliness, and improve psychological well-being. At the end of the day, even if now that I’m a boring adult I can’t profess to understand the obsessions driving these kids, it’s not a bad thing if young people — especially vulnerable people — are able to connect with a community where they feel that they belong.
It’s not just the kids doing it, though. All sorts of groups engage in identity play online — whether it’s just seeking parenting advice with a candor you might not use in front of the parents at school (https://www.reddit.com/r/daddit/, https://www.reddit.com/r/Mommit/), talking about your fur babies (https://www.reddit.com/r/pugs, https://www.reddit.com/r/pets), or just talking about Wes Anderson (http://www.reddit.com/r/wesanderson), there’s a place for you online, even if your interest is something people wouldn’t normally associate with your “real-life” identity. There are also countless Facebook groups being used in this way (Girls Advice anyone?) which can also be understood as a manifestation of the search for community online, as individuals reach out to share humor, help one another, and bond over common experiences. Online communities are growing not only because they are accessible — to many people, they’re also incredibly valuable.
So what?
You know what? Maybe I was onto something with my awful blog in 2006. Seeking community online can make people feel accepted, give them space to seek advice and help, allow for the pursuit of interests, and contribute to feelings of belonging and security. Furthermore, it provides valuable space to play with identity, and perhaps present another face to the world. Like anything, it’s not free of problematic aspects — check out the scary fandoms devoted to anorexia and the Columbine school shooting if you need any proof of that. At the end of the day, though, the rise of online communities shows that they’re meeting a need felt by many. They are both a product of and a conduit for connectedness, allowing people to feel they belong, seek support, and indulge their interests — and if you ask me, that’s definitely a positive thing.
Originally published at The Isthmus.
