Omar Abuyabor
Rebecca Allen has worked across the fields of media education, arts management and community development for over a decade. Her work has predominantly been with Indigenous Australian young people in the development of Kimberley-based film and photography projects. Bec is currently studying her Master of Internet Communications from the remote town of Kununurra, the home of the Miriuwung and Gajerrong people. Her paper presents some of the challenges that Indigenous Australians face when using social networking sites as well as the innovative digital practice that comes as a result.
Robert Andrews
Amaya Angel-Townley is a thinker, communicator and innovator. She is in her final year of Anthropology and Sociology and is interested in how young people interact with new media technologies and online social networks. Her paper discusses how influential the Instagram community is in shaping young women’s expectations about beauty and what it means to be happy and successful.
Harinshimen Arumugam
Mary Stacy Megan Balthazar is in her final year of a Bachelor of mass communication course, majoring in web media and journalism. She has strong interest in how identity can be forged by the Web 2.0. Stacy’s paper will explore the affinity space, which is created through participatory culture and creating a better impact than formal learning and thus forging an identity.
Anoorah Bibi Humeirah Banu Bhackaurally is a full-time BA Mass Communication student majoring in web media and journalism. She is a strong and open-minded girl. Her paper focuses on the destruction on self identities which can caused by social networks.
Manishta Bisasur is a full-time BA Mass Communication student majoring in Web Media and Marketing. She is an extrovert and is very friendly, living in the west coast of Mauritius. She focusses on social media, which is helpful in everybody’s life, and argues that there is much information that is being transmitted through diverse platforms, especially where immediacy occurs.
Hannah Bluett is a 2nd year Mass Communications student at Curtin University. She is majoring in Web Media and Public Relations. She has a strong interest in the field of identity online and how exposure to social media from a young age can impact this. Her paper will be submitted into the ‘Identity in Communities and Networks’ stream and will explore the generational differences between identity formation in online networks and communities.
Thomas Brennan is a full-time university student studying a Bachelor of Arts degree. He is in his second year studying Internet Communications and first year studying Digital Design. Tom’s interests range from outside on the sports field, to inside playing video games with his friends. His love for games has brought about his interest in the evolution of identity and portrayal of gamers. His paper investigates the inclusivity of the modern gaming community as well as enabling the reinventing of online identity through streaming platforms.
Emma Brown is a part-time postgraduate student with an interest in the world of social media and its prominence in business marketing today. A self-confessed online shopaholic, most of her purchases come from something she’s seen while scrolling Instagram. Her paper is on how Instagram has provided a platform for social influencers to create a false sense of wants and needs among young adult women.
Jake Brown
Megan Carter is completing her third and final year of BA Mass Communication majoring in Marketing, and Web Media at Curtin University. Megan is an active member of various social networking sites and has joined a few communities along the way including Facebook group Clothes for Rent Perth – the focus of her paper. The trusting behaviour of the members of this community sparked Megan’s interest, as such her paper explores trust as an element of social capital, arguing the necessity of such for online fashion communities to flourish.
Ratima Chandrema is a postgraduate student at Curtin University, doing a master’s degree in Internet communication. She has a bachelor’s degree in ICT from Mahidol University, Thailand. She is always interested in Technologies. As she acknowledges more and more people are suffering from depression recently in this digital age, she wonders if technology could be a factor causing the suffering. Her paper will examine the link between Instagram usage and depression.
Ally Chua is in her final year studying a Bachelor of Mass Communications, majoring in web media and Screen production. She is interested in music and watching creative media productions because they entertain her and help her to de-stress. She always streams music, watch music videos on YouTube, and she likes to read people’s comments on those media productions. Her paper will explore what makes people interested in watching media productions on Web 2.0 platforms like YouTube, contributing to the media content, coming back for the contents and staying in the “space”.
Jarrod Costello is in his final semester of Mass Communications, majoring in Marketing and Web Media at Curtin University. With the hopes to work in the field of digital marketing, Jarrod has a keen side interest in politics. Due to this keen interest, Jarrod’s paper presents insight into how Social Networking Sites (SNS) foster political communities, and how these political communities participate in civic society through online and offline means.
Kim Cousins is a PhD student at Curtin University, where her research focuses on the ways new media is responsible for shaping world views. Her paper explores the strength of community on Reddit.
Shannon Devenney
Sasha Dion
Sean Dove is a full-time BA Mass Communications student majoring in Web Media and Corporate Screen Production. Currently in his third year, first semester, he also works at the National Broadcasting Corporation as a tv presenter/journalist. His paper focuses on how Online educational games and their communities positively affect students and youngsters.
Sandra Endresz is a casual library assistant and full-time online student completing the Bachelor of Arts (Librarianship and Corporate Information Management) at Curtin University. She is interested in the benefits of anonymity and pseudonymity on social media. Her paper explores the topic of identity in communities and social networks, specifically, how pseudonyms are used by social media users to control what is revealed about their identity (and to whom), for political dissent, to explore identity, and for freedom of expression.
Brigitte Farnell
Tannavee Goinden is a full-time BA mass communication student majoring in web media and screen production. She is an open-minded girl living in Mauritius. She is also a feminist who supports and encourages every woman to stand up for themselves. Her paper focuses on identity and social communities. Her topic question is “Are Muslim women challenging stereotypes on online communities?” It is a controversial topic, but she was able to defend and perceive the audience.
Jamie Griffiths is a third-year student at Curtin University, studying a double degree of marketing and internet communications, who switched careers to pursue his interest in online communities. He is a web media addict and online gamer who has a particular interest in the shift of game systems from offline to online and the ways in which identity/personae are represented within these spaces. His paper is about identity and anonymity with regards to online role-play tabletop gaming.
Teresa Gumina is a part-time Internet Communications postgraduate student at Curtin University with a BA (Communication & Cultural Studies) in Professional Writing. With a professional and personal interest in all things web and social media-related, Teresa’s paper looks at the various location-based affordances of Web 2.0 social networking platforms and how they have helped to create a physical spatial substitute and in doing so, have supported the formation of group identities and practices of online communities.
Anna Halipilias is a postgraduate student from Curtin University, completing a master’s degree in media and communication. Her research background is predominantly in transmedia storytelling, film studies and cultural enquiry. She also has a passion for affective media and how identity is shaped by culture. Her paper is about the online identity of Facebook daters, and how the fluidity of online identity benefits users rather than the dating communities they join.
Marie Zelia Hardy is a person who is interested about the new way of communication since the emergence of the Web 2.0. She is in her 2nd year of a BA in Mass Com at Curtin Mauritius. Her paper discusses how with the apparition of social media platforms, a kind of “voyeuristic culture” has been normalized in society. She will also talk about the narcissistic attitudes of social media users.
Claudia Holmes
Diksha Jugun is currently studying for a BA in mass communication, majoring in web media and journalism. She is keen to know about the role of activism on social media. Her paper will mainly focus on how media platforms act like a public sphere when it comes to activism.
Danielle Kettlewell is a full time Internet Communications student in her last year of study at Curtin University. She has a fascination for social media and how the evolution of marketing is not only moving online, but focusing on the social capital dominators of the social media realm – Social Media Influencers (SMI). Her paper will discuss how business are capitalising on SMIs’ following to increase their marketing authenticity and reach to create and mutually beneficial economic relationship.
Elina Eng Na Law is currently studying in a Bachelor of Mass Communication course, majoring in Web Media and Photography. She loves taking photos, especially fashion portraits, food photography and product photography. In her conference paper, she has chosen social networks to be her stream as we use them everyday and it is easier to relate and apply the topic in her paper. She focused her topic on Privacy and Censorship in Chinese Web Communities as she finds it interesting that everything we do in the world today is exposed to the public and we no longer have privacy to what we do.
Joanne Liew is in her final year at Curtin University, majoring in TV production and Web Media. She is always interested in both music and photography and follows many celebrities on social media in order to get the latest news. Parasocial relationship is what she found on social media. She wonders why skimming through celebrities’ profiles would make fans feel as if they are truly “knowing” the celebrity. Her paper will examine the parasocial relationship between the celebrities and fans; also looking at how communities are formed by social media forms.
Jovana Maletic is in her third year of Mass Communication and is streaming in both Marketing and Web Media. She is hoping to be able to work in the ever-growing world of Internet Marketing once she graduates. Her paper explores the changes in online technologies that have helped facilitate growing online communities and their subsequent effects on online dating. In her paper, she explores how weak ties and online communities have helped encourage the formation of relationships online and how they have empowered people in isolated communities.
James Manson is a third year Mass Communications student, studying again after a ten-year career as a chef. Streaming in photography and internet studies, his work often deals with identity, culture, society and relationships between people and the world we live in. Pursuing a career revolving around the shift from passive tools to fully embracing automation with a focus on security, James’ pathway is not a conservative one, yet typifies the zeitgeist and colours many people experience.
Briana Marino is a full-time Internet Communications student, currently in her second last year of study. She has a strong interest in games, and how they influence the world around us. Briana took the opportunity to write a paper about one of her favourite games, Fortnite, and to explore the cross-platform communities that surround it.
Madison Matta is studying in a Bachelor in mass communications course, majoring in web communications and public relations. She is interested in the way people interact online. Her paper will explore online gaming communities.
Ciara McNally is a student at Curtin University in Perth, Western Australia. Her paper introduces us to the benefits of online participation through communities and Web 2.0. This paper explores published articles that have researched the effects of senior citizens participating on Web 2.0 and joining online communities. The paper acknowledges technological barriers and obstacles senior citizens come up against when trying to adopt new technologies while also highlighting the health benefits associated with joining communities online. The paper discusses how online communities and the utilisation of Web 2.0 platforms may be beneficial to the overall health and well-being of adults.
Kevissen Paramasiven Moorghen is a 2nd year mass communication student majoring in web media and journalism. He is eager to know more about the behavioural impacts of social media and the youth. His paper will mainly focus on the types of pressure being put on teens to fit in the virtual community.
Isabel Morton is in her final year at Curtin University studying Mass Communication, majoring in Web Media and Marketing. She has a strong interest in the ways in which different types of people partake in social media. Isabel is particularly intrigued by how people choose to portray themselves through images on Instagram. Isabel’s paper will argue that identity on Instagram does not necessarily reflect reality; she will also discuss the effect that deception can have an audiences.
Alexander Natale is in his second year at Curtin University and is studying a double degree, majoring in Internet Communications and Accounting. His paper is placed in the stream of Social Networks, and focuses on how social online communities and subsequent identities within that community can form a cohesive group identity. This paper uses examples of real communities and analyses the bonds between links through the use of concepts such as Social Capital, Networked Individualism, and Deception online.
Mohesh Nuckchhed is studying a bachelor in mass communications, majoring in web communications and journalism. He is interested in discovering new things and likes meeting new people. His paper will focus on how Facebook is ruining people’s real identity as this is becoming a major issue in our society. Recently, the owner of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, had to answer questions concerning Facebook privacy.
Charis Oakley is a full-time university student completing her third year in a Bachelor of Mass Communications, majoring in Marketing and Web Media. She is an avid social media user and is interested in social networking. Her paper explores how online media platforms allow for interactions to differ from traditional face-to-face encounters , which can allow for deceptive communication to occur online. This might, in turn, result in the presence of a misconstrued and phony identities on these social media platforms.
Beatrice Ong is a student at Curtin University doing a double degree in Internet Communications and Finance. She has a huge interest in beauty, specifically cosmetics, and participates in the online community. Her paper delves into the world of online beauty influencers and explores their identities presented across different platforms.
Gabrielle Synn Shiuan Pan is a full-time student studying Internet Communications. She enjoys watching videos on YouTube for entertainment. Her paper will explore friendships online among young people and how they establish and maintaining existing through social network platforms.
Julian Partridge is a Communications Professional currently studying a Master of Internet Communications. Julian has always been fascinated by the behaviour of people on social media platforms and why many are willing to share so much personal information. His paper examines the online habit of “oversharing” and its relationship with building social networks and online communities.
Catherine Paull is a writer, reader, and amateur football player. She is currently studying Mass Communications at Curtin University, and is in the third year of her degree. She is interested in consumption and manipulation of media in the everyday lives of ordinary people, and what this will mean in the future as technology changes. Her paper focuses on social activism and how social media has changed the way activists develop and share their message.
Cheyenne Posawen
Daniel Powell
Carmen Reilly works full-time in digital marketing while studying postgraduate Internet Communications at Curtin University. With her interests spanning power, race and culture, Carmen took the paper as an opportunity to cast a critical eye on how scholars have applied theories of digital networks and online participation to cases of Indigenous Australian activism, hoping to refocus debate on how power operates through and within on- and off-line networks.
Sara Renall is a part-time Internet Communications student at Curtin University, further building her career in online media and marketing. Her paper discusses the way Facebook shares user data with businesses utilising the platform and examines the recent Cambridge Analytica scandal.
Zachary Riordan is an amateur drone pilot, obsessed gamer, and Internet Communications major. His works often focus on gaming and the social impacts of game play. His paper analyses the formation of online communities that are created by games, their “worlds”, and the activities that surround them. This includes the game as a “third place”, content creation on social media, and modding. He also studies marketing and is fascinated by how consumers and companies interact to create mutual benefits. This is explored is his paper through the interactions of industry and community members on social media platforms.
Nicola Roque is in her final year studying a Bachelor of Arts (Mass Communication) majoring in marketing and web media at Curtin University. Nicola holds a strong interest in social media and the impact of this incredibly useful social tool in business marketing. She often uses social media sites such as Instagram to keep up with current social events and to help locate and evaluate products when online shopping. Her paper debates the effect of the social capital held by famous Instagram influencers and how this power affects the ties held by involved audience members.
Georgia Scarffe
Rachel Scholes is in her third and final year of Mass Communication, focusing on Marketing and Web Media. The internet and how it has influenced our daily lives has always interested her, and therefore, it makes sense that her paper would investigate this. Her topic is based around online dating and how dating has changed due to web 2.0. In particular, her paper focuses on how web 2.0 has encouraged older adults to go online to find relationships.
Malvika Sellamuthu is a full-time Marketing and Communications student. She is an open-minded and friendly person in her twenties. Living on an island, namely Mauritius, has encouraged her to dream big and let her creativity speak for herself. Am avid reader since her childhood, she is also passionate about writing. Online gaming has been a hobby for years. Malvika found it beyond fascinating how gaming communities brought individuals closer despite the physical distance and how people created and maintained their identity online, which was often an extension of them. Her paper focuses on online communities in the gaming spheres and the digital self.
Keshav Shreedam
Shaquille Stirling is an online content creator and internet studies major in his third year at Curtin University. He is interested in how young adults leverage social media to create value. His paper investigates how Facebook, Snapchat and Tumblr afford its users value though their features that encourage community formation.
Bibi Aziiza Hanaa Sumun is a full-time mass communications student, currently in her third year, first semester. She has a strong interest in women in politics in her country and analyses how social networks contribute to encourage these female politicians in Mauritius. Hanaa took the opportunity to analyse how these mauritian female politicians act on social media, and how they use social media to get the attention and the support of the public.
Kelsey Tang is a final year Mass Communications student at Curtin University, majoring in web media and graphic design. She is interested in the challenges faced by minority groups in Australia and the impact that social media has on these groups. She explores this issue in her paper, which discusses the potential benefits of virtual communities on Facebook for Indigenous Australian youth.
Rachael Theunissen is in her final year studying Mass Communications with a double major in Marketing and Web Media at Curtin University. Rachael has a strong interest in digital marketing, advertising and media. Rachael understands that social networking in the past decade has revolutionised the world we live in. Her conference paper highlights the most recent findings on the positive aspects of social networking and how social networking has generated a positive impact on equal opportunities and social justice in Western culture.
Marco Tizzone is a full-time Mass Communications student currently in his final year of study at Curtin University. He has a strong interest in the “world” of “esports”, more commonly known as competitive video gaming. His paper will delve into the competitive First-Person Shooter (FPS) community, analysing the types of communication that occurs within the “third place” as well as the emergence of the “esports” phenomenon in mainstream society.
Bradley Ronald Vincent swims and studies. He also likes to keep things short and sweet. Topic globalization is making online gaming more popular than sports.
Tikvah Jesse Vismer is a second year student in Mass Communication. With an interest in photography and other linked creative things, Tikvah took the conference paper as an opportunity to explore a creative’s identity in creative online communities, more specifically a photographer’s creative identity on Instagram, and whether or not social media has weakened the idea of a creative’s identity.
Jack Walton is a final year Mass Communication (Web Media and Graphic Communication) student at Curtin University. With an interest in the activity of young millennials and human rights, Jack’s paper looks at how our personal identities are virtually managed through social media networks. His paper backs up the point that online social media platforms and communities can lead to a world of where these managed identities cannot always be accurately represented in the physical world. This can lead to a sense of failure and in some cases severe depression.
Shannon Wells is in her final year at Curtin University where she is studying Mass Communications, majoring in Web Media and Journalism. She is an active member of different social media websites and follows a wide range of social media influencers. Because of this, she is exposed to word-of-mouth advertising as she scrolls through her Instagram newsfeed or watches Snapchat stories. This motivated her to write a conference paper on how word-of-mouth advertising is used by social media influencers and she questions whether it is more effective than traditional advertising.
Heather Westphal is a third-year student at Curtin University studying in Mass Communications, mainly focussing on marketing, web media, gaming and online communities. Her paper will be discussing online communities within a gaming context, focussing on the creation of synthetic worlds utilizing examples from traditional games and massively multiplayer online role-playing games or MMORPG’s.
Rachel Winship is a full-time student in her final year of mass communications, focusing on Web Media and PR. She has recently been interested in finding out what the current-day situation is of some of the first blogging social networking sites. And so, she decided to write within the Identity, Communities and Networks stream about presenting anonymous selves online. Why the urge?