Category: Uncategorized

Are Online Communities/Networks In Particular Instagram Creating An Unattainable Perception Of An Ideal Identity? By Jake Brown

Are Online Communities/Networks In Particular Instagram Creating An Unattainable Perception Of An Ideal Identity?

 

Scott Jake Brown.

Curtin University.

 

 

Abstract

 

Throughout this paper I will argue that the authenticity of youths online and offline identities are being strongly influenced by social media/social networking Instagram and Facebook will be used as examples. This paper will look at the influence social media/social networking has had and continues to have on an increasingly web-dependent society. There are a number of factors influencing this shift such as the accessibility to new methods engagement with others and interaction that might not have occurred prior to the development of online communities and social networking (Brown, 2011). This paper will use academically researched papers as well as social websites to establish some, pros and cons of social media/social networking to help develop a better understanding of identity in an online community.

 

 

 

 

Are Online Communities/Networks In Particular Instagram Creating An Unattainable Perception Of An Ideal Identity?

 

 

 

Introduction.

The studies that were researched for this paper discuss a vast amount of information regarding identity in youths and how they are portrayed in an online community. This paper will look into why social communities such as Instagram and Facebook remain so influential over online users and how/why they are able to contribute to the shaping of users identities. Are these social communities having such a strong impact because of the lack of direction in youths today or is it due to the strategic marketing of these sites and the influential impact they have on such a moldable society.

Some of the key topics that will be discussed throughout this paper will consist of information regarding what an online community is, how and why they are so popular and lastly why they hold so much power and influence over the shaping of online and sometimes offline identities.

 

“Online, users can claim to be whoever they wish. Like actors playing a role, they can deliberately choose to put forth identity cues or claims of self that can closely resemble or wildly differ from reality. With the rise of Web 2.0 and the growth of social networking sites, the virtual spaces for these portrayals of alternate identities seems near endless. But with these new sites and channels rise questions and disagreements over what constitutes public and private conversation and interaction, and the links between these manufactured and mediated identities” (Pearson, E. 2009)

 

Even though the quote above is long it gives good insight into why some people behave they way they do on social media, the comparison to actors playing roles and putting forward public and private roles relates so heavily to the paper and allows another perspective into why some individuals chose to behave the way they do.

 

 

Varying Interpretations of Identity

 

Online identities are created as to join and be part of an online community/network and are more often then not regulated, this plays a part in the authenticity of an individuals online identity as the pressures or fitting in to these online communities can play on insecurities its also worth nothing that we do have so many identities, both offline and online. What makes and Identity authentic?

 

Identity can be described as being more performance based, it is described in the article as having a front and back of stage referring to online and offline identities (Boyd and Heer, 2006). The reference to the “front stage” meaning having an online identity for others users to view and pass judgement on so often affected the truth and credibility behind the “front stage’ identity and opened the doors for users to elaborate and sometimes blur the lines between fact and fiction as to make themselves more appealing and fit into that particular online community. It is also suggested that the online identities of some users “ front stage” are manipulated because they know they are in the spotlight and they might enjoy creating a persona that they may not or cannot be in their “Back Stage” offline identity. This type of behaviour in online platforms is not uncommon and another article suggests that not only is online behaviour an act it has created such a false sense of self that students are struggling to determine their true identity and that in which they have developed to try and stay relevant in an online platform (Pearson, E. 2009).

 

The reference to “Back Stage” is a little less clear; the article refers to this being the more private side of an individual’s identity where they can be more intimate and relaxed as the “spotlight” is no longer on them (Boyd and Heer, 2006). This part of the article did not have as much supporting evidence, especially considering the rise in online dating communities and the establishment of relationships through those communities.

 

 

In another article targeted more towards teenagers it refers to a bedroom analogy (Hokinson, 2015) which discusses online platforms and compares them against personal spaces, in particular the bedroom. Something that stood out was the discussion of social media and web presences transferring over to mobile devices and referring to teenagers having to be “always on”(Hokinson, 2015). This article was referring to teenagers in particular always being able to connect with others who have access to these platforms and becoming an everyday activity. Throughout this article they suggested that not only was this creating some form of addiction at an early age it was also giving teenagers large doses of anxiety from always having to be switched on and keeping up with current posts.

 

This article gives good insight to several analogies regarding excessive use of social networks/platforms and the varying affects that may occur from over use.

“This article reflects on use of the teenage bedroom analogy as means to explore broader questions about the role of social network sites in young people’s lives and, in particular, the extent to which they provide environments sufficiently personal, secure and under control to enable productive forms of socialisation, performance and identity work”.(Hokinson, 2015).

Some of the contrasting arguments in this article described teenagers as having a lot more control over their social communication levels online and that it is actually quite similar to the interactive strategies a lot of teenagers use in an offline environments.(Mascheroni, Vincent and Jiminez, 2015).

The supporting evidence still does not clarify or justify a teenager knowingly creating a false or fabricated identity online in hopes of protecting their privacy, this may even contribute to the issue posed by teenagers becoming so engrossed in their online communities forgetting what is actually fact of fiction.

 

INSTAGRAM

 

The importance of understanding how social platforms operate is crucial to the appreciation and understanding of this paper the arguments and topics discussed throughout. To offer a more in depth understanding listed below will be some of the main contributing factors used to operate the social platform Instagram will be listed.

 

Instagram is essentially a photo-sharing site, infamous for youths to use for sharing photos of themselves and for foodies to share photographs of their dinners. These are just a few example of what the site is used for, not only is it an open slather for people to voice judgement but it is almost like a guilty pleasure for people to throw abuse and have abuse thrown at them.  While trends are nothing new and regardless of time and place they have been happening for centuries but nothing quite as public and self deprecating as publicising your private life to the world to only have them pass judgement. While it is hard to understand why youths are putting themselves through this torture its hard to understand any trends, past and present and why people succumb to them.

 

 

 

 

Discussion.

 

Due to the vast amount of information gathered and because of the diverse writers I chose to use there were some limitations and inconsistencies to the research gathered. Whilst yes their were some limiting factors I think the direction of the paper would not have gone the way it did if majority of the articles had not concentrated on similar topics.

 

 

Demographic Limitations.

 

The second article reviewed which was written by Mascheroni, Vincent and Jiminez, 2015) was based around teenagers that were based in 3 European countries Italy, United Kingdom and Spain. Whilst this is still very much scholarly and well researched material leaving the United States out of the picture as well as a lot of other extremely technologically advanced cultures/countries the information seemed to be lacking in a couple of areas. With the United States of American and China being 2 of the largest populations in the world the social networking patterns of these 2 countries play a massive part in the influence of other countries and even the development of a lot of these networks are created by these countries.

 

 

 

 

Conclusion and Future Studies.

 

The research conducted throughout this paper has covered both pros and cons of online identities and some of the precautions that should be taken when engaging in online activities on a daily basis. This paper has taken research from a broad spectrum and attempted to make sense of what identity boils down to and how the authenticity of online identities varies quite substantially not only depending on age but also consequence.

 

Future studies that could further benefit and educate on the topic of online identity and how transparent it should be in relation to each individual would be more studies conducted to all age demographics.

Having all articles written about young teens and adults in their early 20s narrows down a huge amount of the population that also struggle with online identity and trying to find that balance that reflect ones true self without giving too much away. It is important to remember that not only teenagers struggle with the pressures of online identity, with the world becoming more dependant on web for everything this is something that is affecting everyone and is most definitely something that should be looked at for all age brackets.

 

In conclusion the research gathered still leaves a lot of un answered questions but has most definitely narrowed down some tell tail signs of why young teenagers find escape in online identities as well as the fact that a lot of the time it is not necessarily false identities but sides of these young individuals that they do not feel comfortable expressing in a day to day life.

 

Whilst these online communities are creating a platform for this almost unattainable image of perfection they are also creating platforms for these individuals to escape and maybe discover different sides to their identity that they may not have had the opportunity to do so otherwise. There is no denying the importance of online communities/networks in current society however further research is needed to confidently say that they are the sole reason for the ideology of this unattainable identity.

 

 

 

 

References.

 

Boyd, D. (2007). Why Youth (Heart) Social Network Sites: The Role of Networked Publics in Teenage Social Life. In D. Buckingham (Ed.), MacArthur Foundation Series on Digital Learning Youth, Identity, and Digital Media Volume. Cambridge, MA.: MIT Press.
http://www.danah.org/papers/WhyYouthHeart.pdf

Donath, J. (1999). Identity and Deception in the Virtual Community. In P. Kollock, & M. A. Smith (Eds.), Communities in Cyberspace (pp. 29-59). New York: Routledge.
http://smg.media.mit.edu/people/Judith/Identity/IdentityDeception.html

Hodkinson, P. (2015). Bedrooms and beyond: Youth, identity and privacy on social network sites. New Media and Society. DOI: 10.1177/1461444815454

Mascheroni, G. Vincent, J. and Jiminez, E. (2015). “Girls are addicted to likes so they post semi-nakend selfies”: Peer mediation, normativity and the construction of identity online. Cyberpsychology: Journal of Psychosocial Research on Cyberspace, 9(1), DOI: 10.5817/CP2015-1-5

Pearson, E. (2009). All the World Wide Web’s a stage: The performance of identity in online social networks. First Monday. 14(3). http://firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/viewArticle/2162/2127

Turkle, S. (1997). Constructions and Reconstructions of Self in Virtual Reality. In S. Kiesler (Ed.), Culture of the Internet. Hilldale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
http://www.mit.edu/~sturkle/pdfsforstwebpage/ST_Construc%20and%20reconstruc%20of%20self.pdf

 

Turkle, S. (1997). Multiple Subjectivity and Virtual Community at the End of the Freudian Century. Sociological Inquiry, 67(1).
http://www.mit.edu/~sturkle/pdfsforstwebpage/ST_Multiple%20Subjectivity.pdf

Van Der Nagel, E. and Frith, J. (2015). Anonymity, pseudonymity, and the agency of online identity: Examining the social practices of r/Gonewild. First Monday, 20(3), Retrieved from http://www.ojphi.org/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/5615/4346

 

The reason behind why people play games and form communities in the online game MapleStory.

The Mass Multiplayer Online Game MapleStory Uses Rewards to Motivate Players to Collaborate and Form Communities. 

Abstract
The reason behind why people play games and form communities in the online game MapleStory. Positive rewards are used by the game designers to motivate desirable behaviour and negative stimulus are used to reduces undesirable behaviours. MapleStory uses positive reward systems to incentives collaboration and the formation of communities.

Keywords
Behaviour, online gaming, MapleStory, communities, collaboration, reward systems, motivation, rules, game designs, play, development, MMOG

The purpose of this essay is to explore why people play games and how the Mass Multiplayer Online Game (MMOG’s) MapleStory motivates desirable behaviours, such as collaboration and forming communities. In this paper, I argue that rewards are used motivate desirable behaviours  The following essay will begin by introducing why people engage in play. Then explore the essential motivational drivers behind collaboration and communities in MapleStory.

The reason behind why people engage play is due to the significance of free play for the human brain development according to Dr Panksepp and Dr David Van Nuys, who discovered the play circuit in mammals by examining neurobiological behaviours in rats, which strongly suggests the areas intralaminar nuclei and thalamus make up part of the play circuit. Their research begins by explaining how the human brain contains seven primary emotional processing systems, shared by mammals, which helps anticipate and respond to situations. [r/o] These shared areas are responsible for driving play, especially in children. Dr Panksepp and Dr David Van Nuys describe the importance of free play, as it is essential for the development of neural connections which have a critical role in regulating emotions planning and solving problems and helps to navigate complex social interactions. Panksepp findings suggest out of 1200 genes one-third were significantly changed by a half-hour of play (Panksepp, 1998). The significance of this is it proves play is not a social construction and the importance of play for the human development is an essential requirement. Without understanding the importance and its necessity of play to the human development, it is difficult to understand why so many people engage in games.

What constitutes a game is that it is governed by a set of rules. The Oxford dictionary defines games as “A form of competitive activity or sport played according to rules” (Oxford, n.d.). Thus the primary dividing point between play and games are rules. Once rules are applied to play, a game appears. For instance, a ball with actively engaging participants becomes a match of tennis, basketball etc. Hands can form the game of rock, paper and scissors.

Jesper Juul’s (2010) research paper “The game, the player, the world: Looking for a heart of gameness” explains how games provide a new context for action and meaning, and without a set of rules, participants could not win at chess or make checkmate, however within the rules, there are various options to play (Juul, 2010). In Roger Cailloise’s (2001,1961) paper “Man, Play and Games” noted that the process of play has a beginning middle and end. He suggests when one decides to play a game, it means they are prepared to play within the rules and be governed by them. He used the example of a boxing match to illustrate how it is a part of the restrictiveness which makes the game playable and the goal is not only winning but to enjoy the obstacles set up by the rules (Caillois, 2001,1961). Rules are the essential aspect which makes up a game. The rules provide a context which restricts all player similarly and rewards the players who play well within the rules. Due to the similarity each player experience throughout the game, rules provide a sense of common goal and interest this common interest fosters a sense of community. The Oxford dictionary defines Community as “The condition of sharing or having certain attitudes and interests in common”(Oxford, nd). 

Furthermore, Games and play both require voluntary participation, but games also require active acceptance of the rules. Liebe (2016) uses an illustration of a magical circle to explain games and suggests the space within the magic circle is where the game occurs and the formation of a magic circle is dependent on the players’ participation (Liebe, 2016). The ungoverned space outside the circle may be everything else outside of the game but within the game by engaging the player is voluntary making an agreement to play by the rules. For example, playing the mass multiplayer online game Maple Story automatically requires the player to actively accept the rules by the action of participating. This Therefore suggests the game cannot force the individual to participate in the game or play by its rules, but once the individual has engaged in playing, the rules will govern the player’s actions. 

By examining Maple Story’s rules the game indicates its complexity and sophistication. In simple games such as noughts and crosses the rules can be easily described however as Maple Story is an established MMOG, players are submerged in a highly regulated space where most users would not know or need to know all the rules. The players only need to follow the game and it will show the players the rules once it is necessary. It is difficult for players to do otherwise as the game does not allow for the player to do so (action rage is limited to the design of the game). Thus the game can be seen as a guide and the player as tourists learning what they can and cannot do as they progress through the game(Caillois, 2001,1961). The gamer only knows how to play within the rules because within rules are in a sense the only action rage. Whatever is possible within a game has already been predetermined before the game has begun. This restrictive and confined space leads the player where the game wants the player to progress to, allowing the game designer to pre-determine results, set up obstacles and manipulate/motivate behaviour. Behaviour such as building communities and collaboration is desirable to any MMOG as it is thought to keep players gaming for social factors, such as online friends and help the game build relationship ties between its players and strengthen the player’s relationship with the game (Brox, 2011).  

The method Maple Story uses to promote these desirable behaviours is through a reward system. The gammers are rewarded when performing tasks the game deems desirable. In Maple Story these reward systems are can be seen when gamers are rewarded more when gaming together than alone.  MapleStory is also designed to be played by collaborating this is shown in group quests, which are quests that rewards significantly more than personal quests (rewards in the game are in the form of experience, equipment, weapons, and other things with monetary value) Group quest can only be accessed after a group is forms. 

Characters in maple story have different abilities depending on their job occupation, the strength of these abilities depend on the level of the character. This is important because when in the midst of solving a complex problem; such as solving a maze and hunting monsters, different skills are required. It becomes compulsory to find other players with those skills to form a team with to accomplish group quests. Collaboration within MapleStory’ becomes compulsory at certain points of the game because the game is designed so no character has all of the skills required to solve certain problems. By having these communal restrictions, motivations and rewards for working collaboratively and forming communities, the players are more likely to act in a manner which allows them to achieve the most from the game. By gaming in a manner to maximise rewards and minimise the risks the player will move forward within the game faster. The game is carefully calibrated to keep players on the edge of exploration and requires gamers to use problem-solving skills. MapleStory puts enthuses on learning to cooperate with other gamers this is thought to be good for creating communal ties which bond the player to each other and even deeper into the game. The obstacles set up within the game are complex to solve and require multiplayer collaboration to solve.  Its the constant stimulus from different reward systems that encourage certain characteristics of player behaviour such as forming guilds. 

A clear indication of the game developers desire to see communities within the game flourish is the infrastructure of the guild systems. Guild’s are a design within MapleStory which allows for hundreds of people to belong to one single guild. Guild system within MapleStory is seen as small communities within the big maple community.. They are thought to provide a sense of belonging and status within the group. Facilitating communication tools are designed to enhance the efficiency and speed of communication, functions such as one to one chat, one to many are accessible within the guild. This allows gamers to easily post notifications and ask for help. Some of the benefits of belonging/joining a guild is newbies (new players) can receive consultation from more experienced players. They often receive equipment and training from experienced players. Maple Story is designed to allow experienced players to train inexperienced players and give them experience (experience is the essential requirement to level up within the game and can be collected when monsters are defeated). This design which allows the experienced player to train inexperienced player is a clear indication of the game developers desire to see gamers collaborating. 

By using Abraham Maslow’s “A Theory of Human Motivation” (1943) explains some of the motivations for the individual’s active participation in collaboration. The following is a brief outline of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. The first level and most basic is the physiological need for food, water and clothing. This is shown in MapleStory when newbies join communities such as guilds to receive benefits such as equipment, weapons and basic training. Maslow’s Second level safety needs such as a housing, savings. This is shown in the game as the game provides better monetary rewards for players when they accomplish group quests in comparison to individual quests. The third level affection needs such as family and friends are shown in MapleStory though online friendship/relationships, these are players who meet through the game and form a meaningful relationship. The fourth level self-esteem needs such as recognition and social status are shown through MapleStory when players commit a lot of time to achieve status in positions such as a Guild leader, a high-level player or use limited edition clothing/armour to express their status. The Fifth level self-actualisation needs such as goals and exploring interests. This level of need is shown in the game when players move from casual gaming to a competitive gaming state. Maslow theory suggests human behaviours is usually motivated by one or more of the following five levels of needs, by using Maslow’s Hierarchy of need with examples from Maples story, it shows how MapleStory motivates certain behaviours (Maslow, 1943).

Melis and Tomasello (2013) research paper “Chimpanzees’ (Pan troglodytes) strategic helping in a collaborative task” demonstrates how the correct motivation does not only drive humans to collaborate but also mammals. The author’s findings suggest animal cooperation is more motivational than cognitive. The research was conducted by giving Chimpanzee roles and tools which were not interchangeable by measuring the willingness to transfer a tool to see levels of collaboration to reach reward (food). Their findings demonstrated most subjects worked collaboratively and not only coordinated different roles but also understood which actions their partner needs to perform (Melis & Tomasello, 2013). In other words, Reward systems and motivations can incentivise great levels of participation. MapleStory was able to use the method of rewarding desirable behaviour with positivity stimulus and undesired behaviour with negative stimulus to craft an active collaborative environment which benefits the participants. Some of the negative stimulus used within MapleStory is when gamers attempt to tackle certain monsters without collaborating with other they die within the game. Death within the game has signification connotations, it reduces the players hard earned experience. This is a sign of the heavy hand the Maple Story game designer have regarding collaboration. This also shows how much they desire collaboration within the game. The traits Maple Story deems most desirable are thought to be collaboration, participation, communal efforts and daily active play. 

In conclusion, the free Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game MapleStory has created an alternative world with meaning, social connections, community, monetary value and social status.
Why people play is due to the biological necessity of play, games provide a governed space to play within. When individuals actively engage by playing the online game MapleStory they are surrendering to its rules and participating within the parameters of the game’s design. The design of MapleStory encourages collaboration and the formation of communities. This is shown by group quests and guild’s. MapleStory uses reward systems such as experience, monetary items, obstacles and constraints to guide players to behave accordingly. The game makes it difficult to achieve the ultimate goal (reaching a high level) without the use of collaboration and the formation of communities. Maslow’s (1943) Theory of Human Motivation explains some of the motivation for certain behaviours within MapleStory. The use of positive stimulus to reward and negative stimulus to discourage what MapleStory deems desirable or undesirable behaviour, motivates players to willingly embrace the desirable behaviour. MapleStory pays significant attention to the facilitating tools necessary for collaboration which is communication. Various forms of communication tools are accessible to its gamers. This allows Maple Story’s gamers to easily communicate with each other to form communities and find other gamers to collaborate with. MapleStory is designed to have various options of play, but its also designed when players choose to collaborate and form communities it provides them with best results and fastest route to the ultimate goal of the game which is reaching the highest level.

                        References 

Collaboration. (n.d.). Retrieved April 01, 2018, from http://www.dictionary.com/browse/ collaboration?s=t

Caillois, R. (2001/1961). Man, Play and Games, (translated by Meyer Barash). Urbana: University 

of Illinois Press 

Game | Definition of play in English by Oxford Dictionaries. (n.d.). Retrieved March 30, 2018, from https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/game

Juul, J. (2010). The Game, the Player, the World: Looking for a Heart of Gameness*. ^^The Game, 

the Player, the World: Looking for a Heart of Gameness*, 248-270. Retrieved March 25, 2018, from http://www.revistas.uneb.br/index.php/plurais/article/viewFile/880/624

Khambatti, M. S., Ryu, K. D., & Dasgupta, P. (2002). Efficient discovery of implicitly formed peer-to-peer communities. International Journal of Parallel and Distributed Systems and Networks, 5(4), 155-164.

Liebe, M. (2016). There is no magic circle: On the difference between computer games and tradi tional games. The Philosophy of Computer Games Conference Proceedings, 1-4. Retrieved March 20, 2018, from https://books.google.com.au/books?id=168vCw AAQBAJ&pg=PA2&lpg=PA2&dq=Tara Brabazon play up play around&source=bl&ots=EQ7- x8xrN7&sig=7Do5SlDHuwaPy95jXN9p b4N2IO8&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjQpbKO38zKAhVP02MKHXP2CZc Q6AEIKzAF#v=onepage&q&f=false.

Maslow, A. (1943). A Theory of Human Motivation. Psychological Review, 50(4), pp.370-396.

McIntyre, J., Palmer, D., & Franks, J. (2009). A Framework for Thinking about Collaboration within the Intelligence Community. Person Associates. Retrieved March 20, 2018, from http: www.pherson.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/09.-A-Framework-for-   Thinking-about-Collaboration-within-the-Intelligence-Community_FINAL.pdf

Melis, A. P., & Tomasello, M. (2013). Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) strategic helping in a collaborative task. Biology Letters, 9(2), 20130009-20130009. doi:10.1098/rsbl. 2013.0009

Nuys, D. V. (2013). The Emotional Foundation of Mind- Dr Jaak Panksepp. The Neuropsychotherapist, 90-104. doi:10.12744/tnpt(2)090-104

Panksepp, J., Knutson, B., & Pruitt, D. L. (1998). Toward a Neuroscience of Emotion. What Develops in Emotional Development?, 53-84. doi:10.1007/978-1-4899-1939-7_3

Play | Definition of play in English by Oxford Dictionaries. (n.d.). Retrieved March 30, 2018, from https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/play

Reeves, B. & Read, J.L. (2009). Total engagement: Using games and virtual worlds to change the way people work and businesses compete. Harvard Business Press: Boston.

Salen, K., & Zimmerman, E. (2004). Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals. Cambridge,
MA: MIT Press.

Williams, D. (2013). A Brief Social History of Game Play. A Brief Social History of Game Play. Re trieved March 20, 2018, from https://is.muni.cz/el/1421/podzim2013/IM082/um/ WilliamsSocHist.pdf .

The Youth of Today and Online Gaming

The Youth of Today and Online Gaming

Conference Paper.doc

Abstract

This paper aims to investigate the power online gaming holds in cross-platform online gaming communities, and argues that online educational games are positively and constructively aiding the development of the youth of today. This paper explores the theory of online gaming communities and their relationship to online educational gaming and the youth playing them. This paper shall argue how the youth of today take advantage of online gaming as a positive and constructive development tool and not only for entertainment purposes. Research has proven that games online assists youngsters to acquire experience and acquire knowledge amongst the online gaming community.

 

 

The Youth of Today and Online Gaming

 

The simplest manner of explaining the word “game” is a set of guidelines that players need to respect when participating in a game (Matt,2010). The guidelines also referred to as rules, differ from one game to another. Various types of games exist, such as board games, games played outdoors and most recent category of games, video games also known as console games which are either played on personal computers or other electronic console devices such as the Nintendo Wii or famously known PlayStation by Sony. This conference paper will argue that gamming online has a lot to give for the positive and constructive development of the youth of today. Parents and guardians are at long last beginning to realise about the positive effect that online gaming has on the life of their posterity.  Research proves that youngsters benefit from online gaming which in turn intensifies their knowledge and involvement amongst the gaming community online.  While many people believe that games online are a waste of time and that many youngsters are most probably drawn to play games online rather than studying, this perception is changing with people now seeing online gaming in a different light. Studying our youth and their involvement with an overall perspective, this conference paper will argue that educational games online, escapism and online games as a worldwide platform are assisting today’s youth to obtaining knowledge and skills in their daily lives.

 

Online educational game “Scrabble”

Educational Games Online

Educational games online are developed to enable a simpler learning process of acquiring knowledge. There is no obligation for the online educational games to be following a certain curriculum of a subject or theme, however it is imperative that the student or youngster is learning something substantial to be considered an online educational game. Journals and case studies shall be utilised to corroborate that educational games online are indeed aiding numerous individuals to obtain experience and for learning purposes. To begin with, an article written by Meilan Zhang supports my argument, her article is focused on “Determining the imbalanced importance in well-liked educational gaming online and its significance” (Zhang,2014). From Zhang’s point of view, notwithstanding the rising academia interest in games that are educational, studies on online gaming is atypical. With regards to online gaming that is educational, very little evidence has been lifted so far at what level extent it is popular with our younger generation (Eseryel, Ge, Ifenthaler & Law, 2011). The author of the article inquiries what sort of user is captivated by online educational gaming and if functioning wise it can be considered as a scholastic perspective in the world of academia. The research done by Meilan Zhang encompassed studies done on the internet, social and demographic factors and a nation-wide educational evaluation to analyse the connection between educational online game sites, social and demographic variables and scholarly results (Zhang,2014). The results of this analysis demonstrated that scholars which were less performing in their studies were keener on educational online gaming, which consequently helped these scholars in increasing their learning capabilities (Wideman et al., 2007). The feature which was found most valuable was one where students using online educational games through a platform could share and converse knowledge to each other, allowing constructive educational information to be shared in a fast and easy manner.

 

Secondly, a scholarly journal composed by Shawn Conrad, Jody Clarke-Midura and Eric Klopfer will be backing my argument. The Journal is basically composed about how multiplayers taking part in online gaming can exploit it as an informative means of learning while confronting new difficulties they might be facing in their studies. This journal plots a plan for the improvement of scholarly multiplayer online gaming considering the activity hypothesis, as a contrasting option to the present patterns in multiplayer gaming online and a method for enhancing joint efforts such as teamwork among scholars (Conrad, Clarke-Midura and Klopfer, 2014). With a specific end goal to analyse whether online educational games truly have a thought of different components with regards to educational play, they have broken up their research in four phases. To begin the first phase was to see the recurrence of playing educational online games every day. Secondly was to relate the empathy with the user and the online games they play. The third phase was to recognize which of the educational online games are the most played and the last stage was discovering psychosocial elements that may impact studying. In the wake of breaking down the diverse phases, they reached to the conclusion that the learning framework using online educational gaming is a way to deal with exceptionally complicated educational concerns, and has a remarkably constructive result towards the education system that our youth take part in today (Conrad, Clarke-Midura & Klopfer, 2014). Being able to access multiplayer educational games online, not only aids a scholar to learning more in depth but also have the opportunity to share knowledge with an online community of scholars.

 

The last scholarly article that will back my argument is by Aydogan Ozcan a professor at the University of California, who based the research for his article on using educational games online alongside online training for the aid in the diagnosis of malaria. “Visual microscopy for malaria identification is hardly an extensive procedure that needs expert medical staff to physically image plasma smear flanks in alternative. Controlled environments, such as an analytical examination is often restricted by the absence of medical professionals and incompetent guidance for the personnel” (Ozcan, 2014). The California Medical College chose to apply a online educational bio game by offering a biological program analysis utilising a collective database.  Secondly included, was the application of a system set up to train the medical staff to detect malaria using the online educational bio game. The medical college of California had difficulty had a concern when it came to training their medical practitioners tangibly.  Therefore, the application of a hands-free, non-physical manner using prep work to differentiate colonic illness is being completed though an online platform and all medical staff working on malaria cases have the capability to do diagnostic work on patients, and communicate with each other live to obtain more accurate results (Ozcan, 2014). Using all three journals we can conclude that research has proven the youth of today is without a doubt obtaining knowledge and experience in our community by utilising online educational games.

 

 

Escapism

 

This section shall argue that escapism through online gaming is aiding the constructive development of today’s youth. To begin with, what is escapism? The routine of eluding a dull or disagreeable life by taking part in activities such as reading or other that makes us think we are in far away place is known as Escapism (Leonard, Burke, Donnelly & Notaro, 2003). Numerous online gaming users these days participate in an online gaming stage just to have the sense of being cut from reality. A feeling which gives online gamers a sentiment that they can be expressively unrestricted. The first argument backed up by scholarly texts, will set points forward proving that the use of escapism can be used to liberate one’s thoughts instead of being categorised or viewed as being antisocial behaviour (Kardefelt-Winther, 2014).

 

A scholarly article titled “Digital Technology, Age, and Gaming” explains through a study done, how people whom have emotional or psychosomatic problem use online gaming at a great extent to handle their issues. Information for the study was gathered from questionnaires that was given to gamers that play League of Legends and it was found that a large number of gamers played the game as a form of escapism, to evade their high levels of anxiety and low self-confidence (Holmes, 2005). Be that as it may, the downside of escapism factors is that while it may optimistically help a person with high levels of anxiety and low self-confidence, the effect is only temporary as after playing a game the person is back to reality having to face the life problems that they were stressing about before escaping into the online gaming world (Holmes, 2005).

 

League of Legends, an online community popular game with today’s youth that indulge in escapism.

 

While there are many different forms of escapism, we shall investigate the impacts of how idealistic online gaming as a form of escapism is. People indulging in such form of game play escapism known as online gamer escapists are people who use online gaming to dodge their real life issues (Kaczmarek & Drążkowski, 2014). A study by university students examined the issues existing with online gaming as a form of escapism. Amid the principle issue there are authenticity convictions, duration of gaming, offline assistance and online collective assistance for offline issues. The enquiry demonstrates that a person with inspiration to indulge in escapism, tend to experience a more substantiated pleasure legitimacy with games and played for longer periods, which thus has a decent outcome in supporting benefits of online gaming however though diminishes the help needed for real life issues (Kaczmarek & Drążkowski, 2014).

 

 

Conclusion

 

Numerous individuals have their own distinctive perspective gaming over the internet. However, scholastic articles support the fact that online gaming is strongly aiding online gamers in completing mentally challenging tasks in their everyday life, whether it is for their studies or in their career. The online gaming community is consistently changing, and there are no firm and steady guidelines one can take after to guarantee that individuals play. Educational games online are helping scholars in their studies and escapism is encouraging the lonelier individuals to increase self-confidence while playing online games with online communities. Analysing the experiences of others with online gaming through scholarly journals, teaches us how to use online gaming at our advantage, weather it is for educational or for well-being purposes. While online gaming is relatively new, the future of online gaming helping individuals is without a doubt a bright one.

 

 

 

 

 

References:

 

Conrad, S., Clarke-Midura, J., & Klopfer, E. (2014). A Framework for Structuring Learning Assessment in a Massively Multiplayer Online Educational Game. International Journal Of Game-Based Learning, 4(1), 37-59. http://dx.doi.org/10.4018/ijgbl.2014010103

 

Eseryel, D., Ge, X., Ifenthaler, D., & Law, V. (2011). Dynamic Modeling as a Cognitive Regulation Scaffold for Developing Complex Problem-Solving Skills in an Educational Massively Multiplayer Online Game Environment. Journal Of Educational Computing Research, 45(3), 265-286. doi: 10.2190/ec.45.3.a

 

 

Holmes, N. (2005). Digital Technology, Age, and Gaming. Computer, 38(11), 108-107. http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/mc.2005.376

 

 

Leonard, S., Burke, D., Donnelly, C., & Notaro, A. (2003). Escapism. Books Ireland, (259), 155. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/20624020

 

Ozcan, A. (2014). Educational Games for Malaria Diagnosis. Science Translational Medicine, 6(233), 233ed9-233ed9. http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/scitranslmed.3009172

 

Kaczmarek, L., & Drążkowski, D. (2014). MMORPG Escapism Predicts Decreased Well-Being: Examination of Gaming Time, Game Realism Beliefs, and Online Social Support for Offline Problems. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, And Social Networking, 17(5), 298-302. http://dx.doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2013.0595

 

Kardefelt-Winther, D. (2014). The moderating role of psychosocial well-being on the relationship between escapism and excessive online gaming. Computers In Human Behavior, 38, 68-74. doi: 10.1016/j.chb.2014.05.020

 

 

Wideman, H., Owston, R., Brown, C., Kushniruk, A., Ho, F., & Pitts, K. (2007). Unpacking the potential of educational gaming: A new tool for gaming research. Simulation & Gaming, 38(1), 10-30. doi: 10.1177/1046878106297650

 

Zhang, M. (2014). Discovering the unequal interest in popular online educational games and its implications: A case study. British Journal Of Educational Technology, 47(2), 358-371. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/bjet.12236

 

 

 

In Our Control: Games and Online Communities

In Our Control: Online Games and Communities
Sebastian Powell
Abstract
This paper sets out to discuss how online games fit in to the community mix, and also how much of an important role the Internet plays in facilitating the majority of communities. All the Internet has done is provided a place for all of the communities to come together from all over the world, sharing common experiences, talking to each other and expanding the potential reach of the community tenfold. Through the analysis of several different online games and how they directly relate to formation of online communities.

Introduction
Ever since the arrival of the Internet one argument has filled the airspace over the years. Has our generation- the millennials forgotten how to communicate with each other because of this highly digitized world we have grown up in? Many academics and parents alike believe that our generation is worse off because of our so-called obsession with the Web. But I will in fact argue that online millennials have had a positive effect on many facets of the Internet, and have only strengthened ties of existing communities. The Internet acts as a facilitator for many online happenings, particularly online games and the plethora of communities and sub communities that arise in these games. The most important thing, in the existence of a community is communication (Koivisto, 2003), with this I argue that many games, even including some major AAA single-player games have avenues in which communities can flourish on the Internet. I will also put forward how certain game mechanics in specific games encourage communication between strangers and friends alike, creating the argument that if the most important thing about a community truly is communication, then online games have communities in spades.

How WoW built strong online communities
Think of a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) and it’s likely the first game that comes to mind is the famous — or infamous — World of Warcraft (WoW). With a player base of around 5.5 million in 2016 (Statista, 2016), it has created numerous communities and networks. Particularly I will be discussing what has made WoW such a popular MMORPG for so many years, and why it is so culturally entwined the gaming world. As Preece (cited in Koivisto, 2003) states, another key feature of a community is that it consists of likeminded people, interacting with each other while aiming to complete their own individual role. This is key in understanding why WoW is particularly popular and has maintained a strong community player base over many years. The mechanics of the game allows players inside the community to truly flourish with their own unique role that is assigned to them either naturally or assigned to them by the leader of the specific community.

Challenging stereotypes through casual gaming
Previously in academia talks it would be easy to dismiss online games as mere time wasting offering no real benefits to the various groups who play. However now due to the explosion of online gaming applications on their smart phone it is no longer relevant to stereotype gamers as old men who live in their Mum’s garage, because according to studies conducted in South Korea (Soo-Hyun, Hyun, Ji-Won, Jo-Eun, & Dai-Jin, 2017) thanks to the inclusion of the online games on the smart phone it is reported that 67.9% of the population aged 10 to 65 played online games of some description. In light of this, it is clear to see how individuals in a community environment such as WoW can really find a sense of belonging and achievement seldom seen in their life previously. So, while yes, it is true that “the dark side of excessive gaming is evident” (Soo-Hyun et al., 2015) it is undoubtedly clear that relationships not only form in these online communities but existing relationships between people can flourish and form into something truly meaningful for the individuals, which has been facilitated by online gaming platforms.

Communication within online games
When gaming online, communication can take place in a number of ways. These include chat systems, emotes as well as many more obscure ways to communicate. However, many people still play solo, yet the sense of community is omnipresent as certain aspects of the game heavily encourage player to player interaction, be it trading with another player, or activating certain emotes such as a wave or a dance. There is always communication going on between players even if it is non- verbal (Koivisto, 2003). So therefore, the game mechanisms always give players a chance to have some form of communication, and thus always facilitates the building of communities. A key concept in the idea of community is that of social capital. This refers to the idea of pre-existing weak social bonds in which some people involved feel inspired by others in the community (Trepte, Reinecke, & Juechems, 2012). This is highly relevant when discussing not only WoW but many other MMORPG’s also. The idea of games being able to both bridge and broaden social capital is influential and possibly telling as to why communities seem to flourish so well on platforms such as WoW. According to Trepte et al. (2012) bridging social capital refers to weaker existing relationships that enhance a members’ perspective, and is regardless of race, age or ethnicity. A younger person for example could be playing WoW and fall into one of these groups completely by accident, and thanks to the global village we live in, it could have members from all around the world, all with different backgrounds, beliefs and most importantly (for some) advanced levels of in game skill. All these elements that a young person could be exposed to benefits them in both the long and short term in terms of social skills and also enhancing their gaming ability.

The power of online games to be able to bring seemingly unrelated people around a common goal is truly powerful. It is also evident not only in MMORPG’s but in the single player game communities as well. Firstly, Koivisto (2003, p. 4) makes the emphatic statement that “limiting communication always hurts the community,” if this is indeed the case then what about the AAA single-player games that feature a huge player base? When the original Xbox was released side-by-side with a curious science fiction first person shooter (FPS) named Halo: Combat Evolved, no one could’ve truly predicted how well the two were going to be received, and with around 5 million copies sold to date it is clear to see how the game has become a cultural icon for many throughout their childhood and indeed into adulthood, also (Leeson, 2011). This game offered an immensely powerful and thoughtful single player campaign, as well as an ever-presently fun multiplayer department. In today’s gaming industry, it is a rarity for console players to find big budget games that satisfy both their story telling needs in the campaign, and their competitive needs in multiplayer. EA’s Star Wars Battlefront 2 and the plethora of criticism it faced upon release, particularly in terms of its half-finished single player campaign that the developers originally planned to finish later and add as downloadable content (DLC), is an example of this.

Communities surrounding online games
When gamers find a modern, high quality, single-player game, such as Wolfenstein: The New Order by Bethesda Studios (where players take control of an American soldier in an alternate reality narrative in which the Nazi’s have won World War 2 and are now culturally oppressive and technologically advanced), where do they go to satisfy their need to share their experience with other players? Social Networking Sites (SNS) such as Reddit, Facebook and IGN to name a few. The communities created on these platforms allow technically ‘offline players’ to go online and share screenshots, ask questions and share hints and tips. The point is, just because the game itself doesn’t necessarily offer avenues of communication, the Internet and its different features alone allow communities to form and flourish, with the game Wolfenstein: The New Order simply acting as the catalyst for the community to form.

Modding communities
Secondly, particular games allow players in their single player community to create their own content and share it for other people to play. This is particularly relevant in Sid Meiers’ Civilisation VI, in this particular case I will discuss the main PC version of the game, and not the iOS version offered on the Apple App Store. This game is launched through the facilitating platform named Steam. As the title alludes, in Civilisation VI players take the helm of a historic civilisation on a random map and build the civilisation up through the ages, facing other civilisations along the way either going to war with them or finding diplomatic peace. Assuming that because an online game takes on average 5-8 hours according to Reddit user Camomilk, we will say that to best experience a match is to play against the built-in A.I, which would then categorise this game as a preferably single-player game. Steam offers a “workshop” section in which players such as myself who desire fun modifications that would otherwise never be seen to be released by developers, can go and download modifications made by other players in the Civilisation community. One notable example is a mod that allows players to take control of the Third Reich as Adolf Hitler, while it sounds admittedly grim the realism and enjoyment that players find in these mods enhance the game to another level. This ultimately links back to my original point, just because the players are technically playing solo, they are still communicating with each other and encouraging the user created content even further. As Koivisto (2003) states there are many other ways that players can communicate with each other, such as in-game emotes, character proximity or even certain actions can communicate a message. Therefore, the act of playing on a map or a game type that another user has created directly forms avenues for communities to be created. User created content is by no means unique to Civilisation VI, in fact another game named Far Cry 5 by Ubisoft studios employs the idea of user-created content on a massive scale. In their Arcade mode which is where the players go to escape the single player and jump into competitive multiplayer. It is particularly unique in the way that every single map that is offered to play has been created on the map creator by other players in the community. And while it has its shortcomings such as some very average and wacky maps, in general the maps are good enough to play. Which means the community on the Far Cry 5’s arcade is completely self-sufficient; the players create the maps and game types; the players then play and either like or dislike the map. Through user-created content it is clear to see how it is not just the standard form of communication that forms communities, there are a plethora of ways that players can talk either in game or on the Web through facilitating platforms.

Conclusion
As opposed to viewing the Internet as something that hinders our ability to communicate with each other, it should be seen as a tool for all kinds of communities to expand their existing notions of what a community is. The Internet gives everyone the rudimentary ability to communicate with each other, it doesn’t take it away. One needs only to look at the amount of Reddit users to see that the Internet is a communication platform, so to say that today’s generation is worse off because of how digitized we have become is simply plain wrong. And nowhere is this more evident than in the world of online gaming, there are always ways to communicate with people from literal conversations to more ambiguous signs and emotes. It is clear to see how if anything, community ties are stronger than they’ve ever been.

Camomilk. (2016, December 5). How long do multiplayer games take? [Blog      comment]. Retrieved from https://forums.civfanatics.com/threads/how-long-do-multiplayer-games-take.606766/.

Koivisto, E. (2003). Supporting Communities in Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games by Game Design. Paper presented at the Digital Games Research Association Conference. http://www.digra.org/dl/db/05150.48442.pdf.

Leeson, D. M. (2011). Northrop frye and the story structure of the single-player shooter. English Studies in Canada, 37(2), 137-152. Retrieved from https://search-proquest-com.dbgw.lis.curtin.edu.au/docview/1024140325?accountid=10382

Soo-Hyun Paik, Cho, H., Ji-Won, C., Jo-Eun, J., & Dai-Jin, K. (2017). Gaming device usage patterns predict internet gaming disorder: Comparison across different gaming device usage patterns. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 14(12), 1512. http://dx.doi.org.dbgw.lis.curtin.edu.au/10.3390/ijerph14121512 Retrieved from https://search-proquest-com.dbgw.lis.curtin.edu.au/docview/1988593120?accountid=10382.

Trepte, S. Reinecke, L. and Juechems, K. (2012). The social side of gaming: How playing online computer games creates online and offline social support. Computers in Human Behaviour, 28. 832 – 839. DOI: 10.1016/jchb.2011.12.003.

 

The Community Behind a Game (Overwatch)

Abstract: Gaming communities often show a fair amount of information in regards to the game the community participates in. When looking at the game Overwatch it can be seen that the community goes beyond what film, television or comic book communities tend to show. With gaming being an experience that is different for each person, gaming communities tend to grow, and here I look at the Overwatch community and why the community shows how successful the game is. With championships being held all across the world, fan culture taking off in every direction and pop culture conventions becoming more and more filled with Overwatch fans, it is no wonder that the game is successful, and with the game being a competitive online multiplayer first-person shooter, the players are what make this game successful as it is built to be played in this way, rather than a story a player may experience, it is more of a team sport, and that sport cannot be played without a team.

 

Keywords: Overwatch, community, gaming, online gaming, competitive online game, first-person shooter, experience, pop culture, world cup

 

I argue that without a community, competitive online games would not be successful. Competitive online games that are played across the internet and require other online players in order to work, such as Overwatch, Dota, and League of Legends, need a community in order to work. Those who play these games and participate as part of a team online are a community of players, if these players did not exist, no one would be playing the game, therefore there would be no success. As I discuss the success of the game Overwatch, I am looking at the number of people who play the game, the number of downloads or purchases of the game, purchases in-game and purchases outside of the game (i.e. merchandise), as well as how players bring elements of this game offline with them, these elements show a form of success when it comes to competitive online games. Looking directly at Overwatch as my case study, I will be discussing this type of success and how it applies to this online game. Overwatch is a team-based online first-person shooter game which was released early 2016 by the company Blizzard Entertainment. Players are put into a team of six in order to verse another team, and the players chose who they play as from over 20 different characters who have their own unique style and ability. These characters are what draws players into a first-person shooter game such as this in a competitive online atmosphere. Most players will find a character they relate to or a style they quite enjoy which makes them want to play the game further and become invested in winning with that character. To further illustrate my argument I will be drawing on Frostling-Henningsson’s “First-Person shooter games as a way of connecting to people: “Brothers in blood”, Domahidi, Festl, and Quandt’s “To dwell among gamers: Investigating the relationship between social online game use and gaming-related friendships”, and Kim, Lee, Thomas and Dombrowski’s “Storytelling in new media: the case of alternate reality games, 2001-2009”. My argument will be located online, looking at the Overwatch game and within Australia. In order to argue that these communities are needed in the online gaming sphere, I will discuss three main subjects; these are namely the Overwatch World Cup, the fan community that comes with online games, and how gaming has evolved at pop culture conventions.

 

The Overwatch World Cup is a clear example of a community which creates a successful online game. The Overwatch World Cup was a massive online event played by thirty-two countries, including Australia. Each country hosted an event and champions from that country would verse each other to try and win the world cup, which included not only the title but also money. This event held thousands of people who watched these competitors in real life, filling up an entire arena with spectators, as players physically sat in an arena with their team, playing other teams across the world online, demonstrating how big the Overwatch community truly is. With so many people going to a physical event to support players representing their country, many could liken this to a sporting event. Many sporting games have a community surrounding them, dressing up in the colours of their favourite sports team in order to show their support, and cheering on that team in a sports arena. The Overwatch World Cup shows that this can also be applied to competitive online games, as only six people in the arena for this championship are competing, thousands of supporters surround them in Australian colours or in colours that support a character on of the players is competing as. This is a community of gamers who get to experience something from this game no matter how they are a part of it, from playing to supporting, “gaming is a feeling” (Frostling-Henningsson, 2009 p.559) and this community definitely shows that. Frostling-Henningsson (2009 p.559) further discusses how games such as this are so popular that due to the gaming being seen as “beyond both reading and watching a movie” as it is “something more complete” and The Overwatch World Cup showcases that many of this same idea. As gaming is viewed as a feeling, and an experience which many can share but not everyone will have the same experience, the Overwatch World Cup provides the audience with a completely different experience from playing at home. The players in this World Cup would be experiencing a game with top players from all around the world which would be unlikely to occur as they played online at home, and those who are physically sitting in the arena watching it happen, are experiencing something far different from a film or a book. When supporters watch their favourite team play, they are watching with hundreds and even thousands of other supporters of the same team, creating connections based off of an interest that they share, and it connects these people together very quickly, beyond an everyday basis of meeting. The Overwatch World Cup was one of the largest gaming championships to do this for an online community, bringing them into the real world together, creating that experience that supporters usually have at a football or soccer game. When looking at this, the community online is far larger than just one arena in Australia. Blizzard Entertainment set up an arena such as the one I described, for every country participating, and thousands of supporters bought tickets in order to sit in an arena, next to other supporters of their country watching this occur. Yet, there are so many people who support Overwatch that were not able to physically support their team for the World Cup, leading them to watch the championships online, much like how a football supporter who cannot make it to a game would watch their team on television. If this many people were not playing this game and were not actively showing support for Overwatch, there would be no reason to hold The Overwatch Championships, as no one would show up or play. Due to the support from players at home Blizzard Entertainment wanted to take this a step further with an official game that would rank the players all across the world, and showcase how successful the game really is, as all of the people who turned up to watch or tuned in online knew exactly what was occurring in this event. If there were no community, a game such as Overwatch would not have as much of an appeal.

 

The Overwatch World Cup shows how the Overwatch community together in unity, but as previously stated, not everyone can appear at an event such as this in order to show their support, so they support the game online within the fan community, showcasing their support for the game with their own creations. Even in everyday occurrences, the community that surrounds Overwatch promotes the game through their own fan art, writing, merchandising and fan culture. Recently, a new character was released as part of the Overwatch update for their game. The character Brigette was announced a early 2018 and fans of Overwatch celebrated by participating in fan culture that showcased the new character. The Overwatch community embraced what was new and started to make it their own. Many fans came up with their own storyline for Brigette, they created fan art that showcased the appearance given to her as well as created different looks or situations that she could possibly be a part of. Those who are frequent cosplayers (costume play) and are a part of the Overwatch community, started creating their own costumes for Brigette, showcasing how they support this community. No matter the age of the player or how long they have been a part of the Overwatch community, each player shows how they are a part of this community in different ways. They show their support by creating fan art of new characters, or writing fan fiction about the character they have played as since they first bought the game, others will critique what is new about the game, and compare what they originally liked about it as well as adding suggestions for the future through online forums, but each show a support of some kind, even just playing the game itself or purchasing items within the game shows support of the game. The build-up of this support creates a community and the way in which majority of people will see this community is from the outside, through the participation in fan culture that many of this community is a part of. Domahidi, Festl, and Quandt (2014, p.108)  state that “online gamers are thought to be particularly vulnerable to this offering social capital because they might focus on exclusively online friendships and thus might be affected by reduced psychosocial well-being” in their discussion about there perception of friendship and the online gaming world. As previously stated, community is mainly seen from the outside, when looking at a football game others can see the community surrounding that by the amount of people walking down the street wearing shirts that represent their favourite team, or perhaps they have a hat or other item of clothing that suggest they are in favour of this team. People in this community choose to represent it within their outward appearance. This is the same with Overwatch as some may buy official merchandise that represents their favourite character from this game, or just something that supports the Overwatch logo, however when it comes to games that have a big fan following, most of the items supporters purchase are from other fans in the community. Fans tend to support other fans within the gaming community that they are a part of, which can also be seen with films and books, where a fan has created a digital art print or a shirt of their own making, and other fans support them and that game, film or book by purchasing that item. In the Overwatch community this can be seen, even with a brand new character, fans will support each other in what they create in this community and the interests they have within the game, showing support that can also be taken into the physical world as they use fashion in order to make a statement about the community they are a part of. Domahidi, Festl, and Quandt (2014, p.108) go on to further discuss that “heavy users tend to have more friends, both online and offline” due to the participation within a community of gaming. Without this heavy participation within the game and some participation within the community outside of the game, these friendships would be different, which is why Domahidi, Festl, and Quandt (2014) specifically refer to “heavy users” in this discussion. These users tend to open up a discussion about the game, due to the achievements they have within the game they are playing, how they actively participate in forums outside of the game, and their participation in fan culture surrounding the game. In Overwatch, there are many players like this, which is shown in The Overwatch World Cup, in the online community and even at pop culture conventions, as they are a key part of the community that surrounds Overwatch.

 

The participation in fan culture is shown in multitudes online and in the physical world, which we can see through pop culture conventions such as Supanova and Madfest in Australia, which are not only home to film and television fanatics but the gaming community as well. These conventions show how big fan communities really are and as this progresses, conventions continue to cater towards this, especially with gaming communities continuing to grow, many conventions will find a way for gaming communities to be part of the event. In particular, Overwatch was one of the most cosplayed games at the Madfest convention this year in Perth, along with other games such as Final Fantasy. The participatory culture that surrounds gaming offline, appears to be taking over compared to films or comic books. Kim, Lee, Thomas and Dombrowski (2009 paragraph 4) discuss this further, stating that “these participatory mechanisms extend digital gaming to incorporate aspects of ‘Reality’ in the form of text messages, phone calls, instant messages and real-world meetings” looking at how communication outside of a game is informed by the gaming community. At pop culture conventions, people often meet up with others who are a part of the same community they are, no matter what age, gender or identity, the gaming, film or television community they are a part of brings them together at events such as this. Even at these conventions, there are stalls that sell shirts and merchandise for different games, and as a further step, there are artist stalls where artists create their own art surrounding a video game that they themselves particularly enjoy. Currently, Overwatch is the most popular game to have fan art physically available at the stalls as the community is so large they know that they will be able to find others that are interested in this game. Pop culture conventions are currently the epitome of community when it comes to the gaming community, as it frequently occurs more often than events such as The Overwatch World Cup, making pop culture conventions the go-to for a physical meeting with others from the same community.

 

Communities are the soul of competitive online first-person shooter games such as Overwatch, that relies on the people playing to be successful, rather than the storyline to be successful. Looking at Frostling-Henningsson’s, Domahidi, Festl, and Quandt’s, and Kim, Lee Thomas and Dombrowski’s work, as well as my own discussion on Overwatch it is evident that online games, specifically competitive online games, such as first-person shooters, need a community in order to be successful, without a community of players there would be no one playing the game or interacting with the game online and offline. The Overwatch World Cup one of the biggest gaming events where a community that crosses the whole world has come together, participatory actions in fan culture show that offline a community such as Overwatch is taken everywhere with the player, and pop culture conventions such as Madfest and Supanova in Australia, show how the participation in this community can be taken to the next level when there is an event that allows for it. I have demonstrated how there is a community that surrounds the game Overwatch, and that community shows the success of this game, without a community, there would be players, no one would participate in any of the fan culture surrounding Overwatch, and this game would not appear to be successful by those who view it.

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License.

Instagram and It’s Internal Communities

Abstract

This paper argues that there are several communities that are able to communicate and collaborate online, using the social media network, Instagram. These communities include fashion, beauty and fitness. The paper includes an article by Syrdal and Briggs (2018), describing how Instagram visual-based interface increases the engagement and communication on that particular platform. Also, throughout this paper Jeffree Star (an online makeup guru with millions of followers) is used as an example of influencer marketing and brand placement on Instagram. Liu & Suh, (2017) furthur explain how this is a different type of fame, and what these Instagram users are promoting automatically makes their opinions accountable, because of their followings. All mentioned communities are saturated in the Instagram space, although this makes it easier for those that are within these communities to communicate and collaborate with each other.

Keywords: communication, collaborate, Instagram

The online social network, amongst others such as Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and anymore – has grown rapidly over the eight years since it was launched. As stated by Bradley (p. 2, 2014), “A social networking site is defined as a trusted network, viral community, e-community, or online community where a group of people interact through newsletters, blogs, comments, telephone, e-mail and instant messages (cont.)”. The keyword here being community, is a perfect word to describe what kind of platform Instagram is, notably within certain niche’s or interest-groups such as fitness lovers, fashion lovers and beauty bloggers. With the use of online celebrities (or influencers as t they like to be called), product placement and brand awareness if another way that users collaborate and connect on the app. The algorithm that Instagram utilises throughout its app, allows users to use the app with ease and view content that they would like to see, with minimal ads. I argue that many communities such as the fitness, beauty and fashion; have been able to collaborate efficiently online, using the popular social network, Instagram. Firstly, I will give brief information on what Instagram is and what it’s impact on the social media world, then I will introduce the fashion industry, followed by the beauty and fitness industries, and what Instagram has done for them, and lastly the conclusion.

As mentioned earlier, Instagram is one of the most used social networking sites to date, because of its easy-to-use interface, the fact that it is very image based, and how it constantly promotes on-going interaction and engagement between users and businesses. According to Statista (2017), Instagram has reached 800 million monthly active users, compared to the internet’s most used site Facebook (with 2.2 billion monthly active users), Instagram is not running too far behind (“Facebook users worldwide 2017 | Statista”, 2018). The majority of its growth is dedicated to the evolution of the mobile experience (faster 4G networks available on mobile phones), and also the adoption of high-tech camera functionality embedded into mobile’s today (Bradley 2014). This has escalated the quality of content that users are able to post online, making it easier for users to portray themselves as ‘professional’ or talented “Instagrammers”.

Instagram has a very easy to use interface, starting with a feed that show’s the user photo’s from people are they are following. Originally, the order of these posts were dependent on the timing of when it was posted, now, Instagram sets an algorithm of what profile’s you are most interested in, and pushes their content posts to the top of the feed (support). Although this can benefit some, it also can make it harder for someone to get their post seen, especially if they don’t have much engagement on their post. To upload, users can either choose a photo or a video to upload, then the app allows them to edit with filters, cropping tools and lastly add tags (@usernames and #hashtags), and asks where the user wants the post to be uploaded – profiles can be synced to Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr accounts. This allows users to connect with not only their Instagram followers but those from their Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr accounts, which not only gains exposure for their post, but for Instagram as a network. Once a post is uploaded, other users have an option to double-tap causing them to like the photo, or to comment – both of these options create engagement and interaction between the user that has uploaded and the one connecting. Another type of ‘feed’ users can browse through is the ‘explore page’ – this page displays photos of trending posts, people you may know posts and suggested locations and users Instagram recommends you should follow. This is an easy way for users to get their profiles ‘out there’ and discovered – creating online communities and forming online friendships. With the use of hashtags, @usernames and profile syncing, users can easily connect with whoever they want, on whatever platform they want.

Instagram hugely involves users into a world of hashtags, where users feel a sense of belonging within their own interests, whether it be food, fashion, beauty, fitness etc. Some users not only create a personal account, but a second account that is dedicated to their obsessions, for example @MenWithStreetStyle. This account is followed by 2.9 millions users, but has no personal aspect to it, as the account just shares solely images of ‘men with street style’. Each image that is uploaded is then attached with a number of hashtags to get the photo out there. Such as #StreetStyle, #StreetFashion, #MenWithStyle, #Style, #StreetFashion. These hashtags not online grab the attention of other users, but encourage others within the ‘fashion community’ to follow and engage with this post, and better yet, create their own content using the mentioned hashtags. There are many fashion influencers/bloggers that have established themselves on Instagram, and are even sent clothes by big brands to increase the brand awareness for those clothing lines.

It has always been said that platforms that have more visual aspects to it usually succeed are used more frequently by users; and also create more engagement (Syrdal and Briggs 2018). Content, especially on Instagram is expected to be rich in nature and eye- catching, as the interface is a feed of just images (or short videos), there are no statuses like Facebook’s feature; it’s simply images and videos (Syrdal and Briggs 2018). Instagram works on a similar algorithm to Pinterest, where the quality and aesthetic of images is what determines how ‘good’ someones profile looks, and how likely they are to follow you (Syrdal and Briggs 2018). What makes up a users profile is their posts, displayed in small squares, which some like to organise so that posts match each other and makes the profile seem more organised and thought-out (making it more likely for someone to follow them). Instagram users enjoy scrolling through their feed viewing high-quality, eye-catching images/videos, this is why those aesthetically pleasing Instagram profiles, are the ones that have a high amount of followers. An example of this could be @JayAlvarrez who has been taking scenic and travel photos for many years and has curated 5.9 million followers on Instagram alone.

Research has shown that individuals use social media for two uses, the first it to find others with similar interests to them, thereby forming friendships/relationships. The other reason, is for users to “maintain already existing relationships” (Bradley 2014). In the context of Instagram, users are urged to ‘find each other’ through hashtags, the explore page and suggested users – listing other Instagram profiles with similar posts/ hashtags; creating engagement and connection.

Mentioned by Casaló, Flavián & Ibáñez-Sánchez (2017), Instagram is not only great at creating personal bondings, but between the a brand and the consumer, the SNS (social networking site) generates a high level of brand community and engagement. It leaves a platform open for consumers to comment/rave (and even discriminate against) a product; generating organic (or paid) exposure online.

Another community that continuously thrives to blossom on Instagram is the beauty community. Young teenage girls are the main users in this community, with beauty pages being created show their love for makeup, to pages dedicated to their favourite makeup artist. Instagram has made it easier for users and their followers to communicate, bringing a community closer. Similar to the fashion community certain hashtags are used on the SNS to categorise make up looks and encourage users to re-create those looks. These include #SmokeyEye, #NaturalLook, #JeffreeStar, #WingedLiner.

One of the major ‘beauty-gurus’ Jeffree Star has generated a following of 5.7 million users simply by sharing his love and skills for makeup on the SNS, sharing videos and images daily (“Jeffry Star (@jeffreestar)”, 2018). His posts attract just under 250,000 likes and around 1,000 comments alone, the majority of them being makeup-obsessed junkies showing their appreciation, asking questions, requesting videos and looks (“Jeffree Star (@jeffreestar)”, 2018). The success of Jeffree Star’s self-branding on Instagram has allowed him to launch his own cosmetics line named ‘Jeffree Star Cosmetics’.

Self-branding has recently became a used phrased to describe those that remake themselves as a “saleable commodity to attract attention and acquire cultural and monetary value through social media platforms” (Liu & Suh, 2017). Just like a normal business brand, one that is self-branded must attract engagement and exposure in order to sell themselves or the products they are creating. Seen as a different type of fame, self- branding promotes both business targeted self-presentation online and authenticity through the posts that are being put on Instagram (Liu & Suh, 2017). Meaning, presenting themselves online has to cater (and target) not only to the mainstream market, but to those that are potential customers. Brands then tend to utilise the exposure of these online celebrities and this is when product placement comes into play. For example, cosmetic brands such as Benefit or Urban Decay send out free products to these influencers (along with payments) to get a post on Instagram in return with certain tags and #hashtags to increase brand awareness and in-turn, influence their followers to buy the same product from that brand. This can close the gap between brands (makeup brands in this instance) and users (makeup users) where the brand has such a presence on social media that they almost become part of the community online too.

Another industry/community that is active on the Instagram platform is the fitness community. Those that are fitness obsessed have found a ‘home’ to where they can find food and training advice, and loads of information on how to stay or become healthy (Neal 2017). Online fitness fanatics are prone to posting progress photos to keep their followers interested and help them stay relevant. They almost become personal trainers without the qualification because of their success (online) (Neal 2017). A very successful and well-known example of this type of influencer would be Tammy Hembrow, with now 8.1 million followers, Tammy is an ambassador for a protein brand Women’s Best and models for big brands such as Good American (Khloe Kardashian’s denim brand). Tammy also creates her own fitness programs, as she is well known for her ‘bounce-back body’ after giving birth to two children, she has managed to keep a tight, fit body that her followers love.

There are many online communities that Instagram has helped stay connected whether it be a fandom or a fashion interest, accounts that are dedicated and/or even personal

accounts that post similar posts can share similarities and interests, creating online engagement and connection, making the world a smaller place (online). As Instagram is one of the fastest growing social networking sites with its monthly users number growing every year, users find it easier to interact and search for conversation within the Instagram app to be a part of or to create a community. Mentioned earlier the fashion community heavily relies on social media to keep up with trends and especially for users to see what celebrities (if not, influencers) are wearing with their #OOTD (outfit of the day) posts. Users such as @MenWithStreetStyle post inspiration for users (targeting males) on being fashionable. In the beauty community, mentioned earlier was user @JeffreeStar and how he creates conversation online because of his massive online following in the beauty community, and even creating his own line of cosmetics. Lastly, in the fitness industry many accounts are open conversations for trainers and gym-goers to connect with each other and share information such as diet tips and workout plans to assist and transform bodies all around the globe. Tammy Hembrow was mentioned as she has made herself very well-known in the fitness industry thanks to her great use of Instagram and posting body images online to show her progress from her baby body to post-baby body. With the use of hashtags, influencers and plenty of engaging content, Instagram can very much assist communities in collaborating efficiently online.

References

Bradley, P. (2014). Instagram: Why do we post?(Order No. 1588772). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (1689397064). Retrieved from https:// search-proquest-com.dbgw.lis.curtin.edu.au/docview/1689397064? accountid=10382

Casaló, L., Flavián, C., & Ibáñez-Sánchez, S. (2017). Understanding Consumer Interaction on Instagram: The Role of Satisfaction, Hedonism, and Content Characteristics. Cyberpsychology, Behavior, And Social Networking, 20(6), 369-375. http://dx.doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2016.0360

Dijkmans, C. Kerkhof, P. and Beukeboom, C. (2015). A stage to engage: Social media use and corporate reputation. Tourism Management 47. 58 – 67. http://dx.doi.org/ 10.1016/j.tourman2014.09.005

Facebook users worldwide 2017 | Statista. (2018). Statista. Retrieved 30 March 2018, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/264810/number-of-monthly-active- facebook-users-worldwide/

Jeffree Star (@jeffreestar) • Instagram photos and videos. (2018). Instagram.com. Retrieved 30 March 2018, from https://www.instagram.com/jeffreestar/

Instagram monthly active users 2017 | Statistic. (2018). Statista. Retrieved 30 March 2018, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/253577/number-of-monthly-active- instagram-users/

Liu, R., & Suh, A. (2017). Self-Branding on Social Media: An Analysis of Style Bloggers on Instagram. Procedia Computer Science, 124, 12-20. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/ j.procs.2017.12.124

Neal, M. (2017). Instagram influencers: The effects of sponsorship on follower engagement with fitness instagram celebrities (Order No. 10689330). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (2014469958). Retrieved from https://search-proquest-com.dbgw.lis.curtin.edu.au/docview/2014469958? accountid=10382

Syrdal, H. A., & Briggs, E. (2018). Engagement With Social Media
Content: A Qualitative Exploration. Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, 26(1), 4-22. http://dx.doi.org.dbgw.lis.curtin.edu.au/ 10.1080/10696679.2017.1389243 Retrieved from https://search-proquest- com.dbgw.lis.curtin.edu.au/docview/2014967691?accountid=10382

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Online Media Platforms and Social Networking allow for Deceptive Communication to Occur Online with Ease

 

Online Media Platforms and Social Networking allow for

Deceptive Communication to Occur Online with Ease

Abstract

This paper explores the connection between social networking platforms and the arise of deceptive communication in cyberspace as social media and technology become more interweaved into everyday routines.  The purpose of this paper is to assess how online platforms are changing the role and meaning of identity when evaluating online forums and whether social networking has encouraged deceptive communications upon individuals as new technologies have allowed for misleading and disingenuous interactions with ease. Through analyzing examples and various author studies, further clarity on this topic should be provided to understand if social platforms do indeed influence traditional communications and interactions and if in turn, have affected how identity and communities should be comprehended online.

 

Keywords: social networks, identity, online identity, community, social media, deceptive interactions, catfishing.

 

 

Online Media Platforms and Social Networking allow for

Deceptive Communication to Occur Online with Ease

 

Technology has had a profound effect on the way it has encouraged individuals to come together and communicate (Smith and Kollock, 1999). Online media platforms allow for interactions to differ from traditional face-to-face encounters, which can allow for deceptive communication to occur online, which can result in the presence of a misconstrued and phony identities being commonplace online. This has given way to the arise of catfishing and dishonest interactions in social networking platforms and within dating communities. These social networks have stripped away many of the core signals and concepts that make up the qualities of a conventional face-to-face encounter and therefore has made it easier for phonies to appear on social networks as someone they are not.  (Smith and Kollock, 1999) On these said online networks, communication is fast, inexpensive and reaches people at a world-wide level with platforms that allow for collaboration and interaction that has not yet been seen before this recent decade. (Smith and Kollock, 1999) This raises questions such as “How is the internet changing our basic concepts of identity, self-governance, and community?” (Smith and Kollock, 1999, p. 1). The powerful rise of social networking in accordance with the intensive reliance on technology this modern age has allowed, has encouraged individuals to take part in deceptive activities online, such as the introduction of ‘Catfishing’ on online platforms.

How the Rise of the Net has altered the meaning of Identity Online

The role of identity when evaluating social networks (and the communities that are created within these networks) is significant. When interacting within these social networks and communities, being aware of the persons who you are communicating and interacting with is vital. When communicating in the physical realm, individuals can be certain of whom they are connecting with, due to all the bodily cues that come with physical interaction. When evaluating virtual communication, it’s a very different premise (Donath, 1999). The online world allows people into a space which is abundant with interactive social platforms in which individuals are able to engage and meet with each other. “Instead of people talking to machines, networks are being used to connect people to people…These shifts make the creation of thousands of spaces to house conversations and exchanges between far-flung groups of people practical and convenient. Using network interaction media like email, chat and conferencing systems people have formed thousands of groups to discuss a range of topics, play games, entertain one another and even work on a range of complex collective projects” (Smith and Kollock, 1999, p.3) This has given rise to a completely new definition of identity when evaluating users of the internet, with parallel and multiple identities existing through innumerable platforms through virtual screens at a global scale (Turkle, 1997).

As Pearson (2009 n.p) outlines “Identity- as- performance is seen as part of the flow of social interaction as individuals construct identity performances fitting their milieu. With a heightened self–consciousness, online environments take this construction of performance to another level.” The internet’s technological advancement that has made way for an abundance of social networks, has indeed contributed to the sense of identity for individuals online. The introduction of these social networks is substantial, as the usage of these networks has webbed its way into countless individual’s everyday lives. Considering the limitless social network communities available to people, individuals can now express their identities through social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat. Through Blogs, Wikis or YouTube or even through dating communities like Tinder, eHarmony, and Bumble. There are endless opportunities for consumers of the net to latch their identities onto and “Real life can be just ‘one more window’” (Turkle, 1997, p. 74) These social spaces and platforms in which people are now engaging in and expressing these identities has given rise to the question, are the people we meet and interact with online, in this window, to be trusted?

The Net is Allowing for Deceptive Communication Online with Ease

The rise of the internet has also given rise to questions about the genuineness of the individuals we interact with online, as self-presentation of individuals is an aspect that can be controlled easily raising thought about the authenticity of others online.  “We begin with a consideration of identity, the basic building block of social interaction. All of our interactions, even those with strangers, are shaped by our sense of with whom we are interacting. In face-to-face and telephone interactions, there are a wealth of cues of varying reliability to indicate our identity and our intentions. Our clothes, voices, bodies, and gestures signal messages about status, power and group membership. We rely on our ability to recognize fellow group members in order to know who we can turn to and what we can expect.” (Smith and Kollock, 1991, p.8) With these distinctive physical cues stripped away, it leaves space for the imagination to replace what isn’t there. This means anyone on the internet can be anybody or anything they wish to be. The ease of self-presentation has never been so achievable for individuals and the will to create a persona for yourself is one that many find intriguing. “Critics worry that life on the net can never be a meaningful or complete because it will lead people away from the full range of in-person contact. Or, they worry that people will get so engulfed in the simulacrum virtual reality, they will lose contact with real life” (Wellman & Guilla, 1997). Not only is it of concern that meaning, and loss of contact is possible, But, what does self-presentation mean for individuals online? Are internet users under threat of ingeniousness and unsafe encounters? “O’Brien points out that there is a strain between those who view online interaction as an opportunity to ‘perform’ a variety of perhaps fabricated roles versus those who see cyberspace as a new communication medium between “real people” (Smith and Kollock, 1999, p.12). Moreover, how are we to define and decide who a real person is?

On differing social network platforms, the terms and conditions generally differ regarding whether the users of the site are able to communicate through an alternative identity than the one they were ‘legally assigned’ (Van Der Nagel & Frith, 2015). An example of this; is the controversial “real-name” anti-anonymity movement that Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg is leading. The user policies Facebook outlines specifically state that users are expected to identify as one person. With Zuckerberg stating, “having two identities for yourself is an example of a lack of integrity” (Van Der Nagel & Frith, 2015, n.p). However, this has caused some uproar from the drag queen community after Facebook commenced a mass deletion of personal pages from those who prefer to use stage names rather than legitimate names (Buhr, 2014).

Participants of the drag community believe they identify with their stage identities more so than their lawful one and are protesting for the right to express this online. (Buhr, 2014) An extract from their appeal is as follows; “We cannot emphasize enough that Facebook is a poor arbiter of what is or isn’t a real name. Performers with legitimate-appearing names get locked out of their accounts while people with account names like “Jane ICanBeBadAllByMyself Doe” go without scrutiny” (Buhr, 2015, n.p). However, on the flipside of this argument, some argue that the allowance of using multiple identities or illegitimate identities online can be extremely dangerous and can cause major turmoil for some participants of the online world, there have been known “catfishing” incidences that are becoming commonplace amongst Facebook as well as many other social networking sites. “The net is only one of many ways in which the same people may interact. It is not a separate reality. People bring to their online interactions such baggage as their gender, stage in the life-cycle, cultural milieu, socioeconomic status, and off-line connections with others” (Wellman & Guila, 1997, p.3) But what does this signify for our basic concepts of identity, self-presentation and community when people connecting on the social realm have imagined up their own separate reality, and these factors are not true to the person behind the screen.

 Deceiving Communication, Phoney Identities and Catfishing Incidence on Social Media and Dating Platforms

The use of modern technology has become a 21st-century cultural necessity to most individuals, most finding it hard to function without the usage of social media in their daily routines. That being said, there are also certain risks that may accompany the use of particular social networking sites. With online deception and catfishing becoming relatively normal to the online realm, users are at risk of experiencing threatening and misleading encounters online (Blazka, Smith & Smith, 2017). ‘Catfishing’ is a term that encompasses the action of an individual online, enacting on an incident of treachery and deceit by fictionalizing an entire being on the virtual realm (Kotteman, 2015). These predators assume the role of an alternative identity to deliberately trick people into a fictitious romantic or emotive relationship by stealing somebody else’s personal information and pictures or by fabricating a unique identity, and in online forums, this act is becoming progressively more mainstream (Kotteman, 2015). One of the first globally documented cases of Catfishing was recorded by known NFL football player Manti Te’o who was fooled into believing his cyber girlfriend, Lennay Kekua, had passed away from leukaemia, or had even existed (Blazka et al., 2017).

The investigators of the case state; “There was no Lennay Kekua. … She was not diagnosed with cancer, did not spend time in the hospital, did not engage in a lengthy battle with leukaemia. She never had a bone marrow transplant. She did not request he send white flowers to her funeral. Her favourite colour was not white. Her brother, Koa, did not inform Manti Te’o that she was dead. She did not exist. (Kotteman, 2015, p. 2).  She was merely a creation of someone’s imagination to intentionally deceive. After the relationship between Te’o and fictitious Lennay had been so deeply broadcasted by the media, the world was introduced to the phenomenon of Catfishing, and individuals felt disturbed and scared of the online realm they assumed they could trust (Kotteman, 2015). Catfishing is not only common on social networking sites such as Facebook but has also found its way into genuine dating platforms used by innocent customers whom are intentionally searching for a life partner. “With more than one-third of relationships being facilitated through Internet dating and with 45% of online daters citing social networking sites as the primary way in which they connect with potential mates, there are clear psychological and relational implications that make studying online interaction more important than ever” (Kadrich, 2016, p.9).

The conception of online dating has given humankind the chance to witness and observe the shifting traditional standards surrounding relationships online and understand the significant features of online behaviour, such as “impression formation and self-presentation strategies” (Van Der Nagel & Frith, 2015, p. 415). As online dating has considerably transformed from being a “marginal to mainstream social practice” (Van Der Nagel & Frith, 2015, p. 415) over the past decade with 17.5% of internet users claiming they have tried online dating (Kadrich,2016 ), it can be imagined how many individuals now contribute to the online dating world and what that could signify for the genuine partakers who are forced to engage with phonies, and how these misconstrued identities are becoming more common to ensnare a stranger. In some cases, Catfishing is used as a method to scam lonely and vulnerable romantics. Ian Doney was one of many victims of Catfishing, who at 51 years of age, trusted he had finally found love after finding a woman on a single persons website (Computer Act!ve, 2017). He was scammed out of thousands of dollars, sending his ‘love’, money to meet him abroad. She never showed up. He tried again to send her money and meet her, again, to no avail. Doney was eventually scammed into substantial debts and subsequently struggled to afford basic necessities or to even eat. He eventually spiraled into an immense depression and eventually paid the ultimate price by slitting his wrists and ending his life (Computer Act!ve, 2017).

This is just one example of the dire and extensive effects Catfishing and dishonest social networking can have on innocent victims, with researching showing “that roughly 20% of online dating service users use deceptive tactics” (Kadrich, 2016, p. 52) Even if the deception is something as minor as to enhance their appearance online to appear more desirable or lying about education, culture or class (Kadrich, 2016). It is evident that the technologically reliant world in which we live is increasingly becoming more deceptive on these social networking platforms used by individuals everyday, due to the ease and effortlessness it takes for individuals to conjure up a phony identity and ensnare a stranger.

Conclusions

To close, it is undeniably apparent that modern technology has had a powerful impact on the development and progression of social networks and the way in which individuals are now choosing to interact and communicate online with other fellow networkers. As the net provides a space for individuals that is substantially varying to that of a traditional face-to-face encounter due to the lack of bodily cues, it is proving to be a space that can allow for deceptive communication with ease. The existence of fraudulent and phoney identities is becoming more commonplace with cases of catfishing and deception occurring at a high rate on varying social platforms. This is due to the effortlessness it takes for these imitation artists to fictionalise an entire identity on these platforms that run with accessibility and convenience. It is ascertaining to be a space that is potentially threatening concepts of identity and community as we know it and revolutionising how we comprehend these concepts online.

 

References

Blazka, M., Smith, L.E., & Smith, K.D. (2017). Follow Me, What the Harm? Considerations of Catfishing and Utilizing Fake Online Personas on Social Media. Journal of Legal Aspects of Sport, 27, 32-90. Retrieved from http://heinonline.org.dbgw.lis.curtin.edu.au/HOL/Page?public=false&handle=hein.journals/jlas27&page=32&collection=journals#

Buhr, S. (2014). Facebook won’t budge on letting drag queens keep their names. TechCrunch  Retrieved from http://techcrunch.com/2014/09/18/facebook-wont-budge-on-letting-drag-queens-keep-their-names/.

Ellison, N., Heino, R., & Gibbs, J. (2006). Managing Impressions Online: Self-Presentation Processes in the Online Dating Environment. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 11(2), 415-441. doi:10.1111/j.1083-6101.2006.00020.x

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Kottemann, K. L. (2015). The Rhetoric of Deliberate Deception: What Catfishing Can TeachUs. Retrieved from https://search-proquest-com.dbgw.lis.curtin.edu.au/docview/1707929589?accountid=10382

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Facebook has created an online engagement approach that allows businesses intrusive access to consumers through data collection and user segmentation

Abstract
This paper examines social networking service, Facebook, and the way in which it provides businesses with intrusive access to potential consumers through paid advertising. It examines how Facebook collects data from a platform user and allows businesses to conduct paid marketing campaigns that use this information to target specific audiences. It looks at how effective this approach is in comparison to more traditional forms of consumer engagement and also discusses the issues associated with the collection of user data, of most relevance the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

Keywords: Social media networks, Facebook, online communities, consumer engagement, online marketing, user segmentation, Cambridge Analytica

 

Introduction
Online social networking platforms have created new ways for people to communicate with each other, ways which are now exceedingly popular (Arnaboldi, Conti, Passarella & Dunbar, 2017). Facebook is the most visited of these online networking platforms with more than 600 million users worldwide (Ramsaran-Fowdar & Fowdar, 2013).

Its use is habitual, with the majority of users logging on multiples times per day to post photos, videos and text updates for followers, receive similar updates from friends, and view entertainment sources and Facebook pages they follow. Social media platforms have become a ritualised part of users daily lives, often visited before getting out of bed in the morning and before falling asleep again at night time (Alhabash & Mengyan, 2017; boyd & Ellison, 2007). Building on this ingrained use of the platform within its user community, Facebook has created an online engagement approach that allows businesses intrusive access to consumers through data collection and user segmentation.

I begin this paper by discussing the way businesses are included on the social networking platform. Then I examine the consumer engagement opportunities Facebook offers business and how these compare to offline alternatives. Finally, I look at the risk associated with the collection of user-data to provide those consumer engagement opportunities, namely the recent Cambridge Analytica scandal.

For the purpose of this paper, online engagement is defined as the encouragement of consumers to interact with a business or organisation over the internet. Engagement with a business on Facebook is positively linked to business reputation and public perception (Djikmans, Kerkhof & Beukeboom, 2015).

Literature Review
While social media and online platforms are relatively new concepts, scholars have quickly begun to analyse the effects of these communication tools on users as well as the implications for business. Ramsaran-Fowdar and Fowdar (2013) see Facebook as marketing tool far superior to those based offline and this sentiment is echoed by Threatt (2009).  As mentioned in my introduction, both Alhabash and Mengyan (2017) and boyd and Ellison (2207) have discussed in their work the daily use of Facebook by its community and this is a major component in the success of consumer engagement through the platform. It is widely accepted among authors that social media platforms, particularly Facebook, are exceptional tools for business and credit this new era of transformative communication with the creation of niche markets that are able to be so effectively targeted (Ramsaran-Fowdar & Fowdar, 2013; Wellman & Guilia, 1997).

This area becomes all the more interesting with the recent Cambridge Analytica scandal and the effects this will have across social media platforms moving forward. This has been an investigation picked up by media outlets world-wide such as The Guardian, Sydney Morning Herald, New York Times and Washington Post, and examines the privacy of the information users share on Facebook and the security of this data when collected by the platform and third-party applications.

Through the work of these authors and the support of many others I argue my thesis; that Facebook has created an online engagement approach that allows businesses intrusive access to consumers through data collection and user segmentation.

Discussion
Conceived in February 2004, Facebook originally focused on creating personal relationship (Thompson, 2008). It wasn’t until November 2007 that the platform made a move into the provision of paid engagement opportunities for organisations (Threatt, 2009 & Bellis, 2018). As more of the worlds population join in the online social networking craze, communication using these platforms is now widely accepted and often one of the first places consumers will try and seek out information, on both people and businesses (Ramsaran-Fowdar & Fowdar, 2013). This has significantly altered the way businesses treat the online environment with niche roles created within many organisations to take advantage of the unprecedented access to platform users that Facebook provides. The following discussion outlines how Facebook allows a business to become part of a user’s online network through advertising that segments and targets specific audiences based on user data. I begin by looking at how businesses are included on the social networking platform.


Inclusion of businesses on Facebook
Facebook is hinged upon friendship and trust (Ramsaran-Fowdar & Fowdar, 2013) and the platform utilises this in the marketing options it provides businesses. The most basic form of business inclusion on Facebook is a Facebook Page that serves as a business’s main hub on the platform (refer Appendix B). The page allows consumers to find out more about a business without leaving the application, providing standard detail such as opening hours, website information and general business information quickly and easily. Much like the personal counterpart, a business page has a timeline and posts appear in followers Newsfeeds where they receive updates from the business and see upcoming events.

Posts from a business page are effective in a large part due to the way Facebook presents them on a user’s Newsfeed, almost identically to which it presents posts of a friend (refer Appendix A), the layouts match each other and the font, media display and sizing are all the same allowing a business to seamlessly integrate into a user’s networking experience. By presenting business posts in this way, Facebook allows organisations to become part of a user’s online community, placing them alongside posts that organically make it onto a personal Newsfeed.

A further element available to businesses on Facebook is the option to set up a Facebook group that can be linked back to the business page. This smaller network really plays into the community aspect of the online environment and can be focused on a particular topic and named accordingly. These groups are often used to create a network specific to an organisation that can provide support for consumers and build a trusting relationship with each member which can then be utilised to sell a product or service the business has available in the future (Ramsaran-Fowdar & Fowdar, 2013).

Facebook’s online environment also allows superior customer support opportunities for businesses and this can have a positive impact on how a consumer feels about an organisation and influence purchasing decisions. To further this, businesses now often engage well-known social media influencers associated with a target audience to post about an organisation to their own Facebook communities as a way to further build corporate reputation and positive brand associations through word-of-mouth (Dijkmans, Kerkhof & Beukeboom, 2015).

In addition to the above examples, Facebook allows pages to advertise directly to personal accounts. This is so effective because of the self-presentative nature of social media (Papacharissi, 2009) and the sense of belonging and social support that encourage this human need to fit in (Wellman & Guilia, 1997). Users are often on the platform multiple times each day further developing their online image and businesses are provided with access to these users through advertising that intrudes on the Facebook experience. These advertisements do not only feature on a user Newsfeed but can also appear in the complementary Facebook Messenger application (refer Appendix C), placed within the list of message conversations. Facebook pages can also instigate a Messenger bot that automatically opens with pre-programmed questions when a potential consumer visits their business page and a page can include applications that allow consumers to take actions i.e. book a table or purchase a product, directly through the platform without ever needing to leave (refer Appendix D), the Book Now button at the top of a restaurant business page allows users to make a lunch or dinner reservation in seconds. Further information on the data collection that enables these paid engagement techniques continues in the next section of this discussion.

Data collection and the paid consumer engagement opportunities Facebook provides
“Facebook data can be compared to a crystal ball to understand customers,” Ramsaran-Fowdar & Fowdar, 2013.

Facebook is a free online networking service and as with most free services it employs paid advertising as a source of revenue. To provide this service Facebook collects data from users of the online platform by monitoring the Facebook pages a user follows, the links a user clicks and interests of a user’s friends also active on the platform. This, in addition to the demographic information a user provides when signing up to Facebook, allows businesses an intrusive engagement opportunity with potential consumers, enabling them to directly engage with segmented and targeted audiences most relevant to organisational goals businesses (Acar & Polonsky, 2007; Papacharissi, 2009).

Facebook allows businesses to conduct paid advertising campaigns to personal users of the platform using this collected data, with options for audience segmentation based on their location, age, gender, the languages they speak, right down to their specific interests and other pages they ‘Like’. In just a few simple clicks for a business, Facebook compiles estimated reach numbers and suggested campaign budgets and timelines to meet selected segmentation criteria. This kind of targeting and the ease of which it is available is extremely high value to a business, able to serve an advertisement direct to consumer, who based on demographics and interests, is a most likely candidate to engage with the organisation. Because Facebook is an online platform, a consumer can respond to an advertisement immediately and a business can see conversion results just as quickly in the analytics reporting that Facebook provides.

More traditional, offline media does not provide this kind of segmentation as easily and cost-effectively as Facebook. An advertisement post on the platform can be created and delivered to a specific audience in a matter of minutes, with no booking deadline requirements or premium costs associated with newspaper articles or radio campaigns. Through these more sophisticated Facebook engagement tools businesses are able to connect with many more potential consumers with far more frequency than traditional marketing techniques such as phone calls, emails or face-to-face meetings (Donath & boyd, 2004).

While this is a big win for businesses, Facebook users themselves have very little control over what advertisements they see and the number of times an advertisement is presented to them and here in lies the intrusive nature of Facebook as an engagement tool. As mentioned earlier in this paper, Facebook use is habitual and the repeated displaying of advertisements on particular days and times targeting specific audience segments lets businesses into user’s daily lives as many times as they wish to pay for. The presentation of these advertisements, in the same format as a post from a friend or page post that has not been paid for (minus a small sponsored tag) enables businesses to insert themselves seamlessly onto a user’s account and this has proven to be an exceptionally effective marketing technique.

Facebook and data collection however have called into question the privacy measures and security systems the platform has in place, most recently through the Cambridge Analytica scandal – a privacy breach impacting an estimated 87 million Facebook users.


The Cambridge Analytica scandal
Facebook and its practice to collect data and allow third party online applications to collect this data also has come under heavy fire in recent weeks after it was revealed one such application, Kogan, allegedly breached its agreement with the online platform and released data it collected from Facebook users about themselves and their friends to Cambridge Analytica, a company known for its work in political campaigning. It is alleged this data was used to influence potential voters in the recent US election, a claim which has been denied by the company (Bloomberg, 2018). Extremely serious in nature, this breach has seen Facebook Founder, Mark Zuckerberg face a US Senate Hearing regarding the platforms data collection practices and security. At this hearing, Mr, Zuckerberg did hint that a paid subscription to a Facebook service that did not allow paid advertising may be implemented in the future (Brandom, 2018). This paid service would allow users an online space that only delivered the content a user wanted to engage with, removing the business advertising campaigns that intrude on a user’s current Facebook experience. As an initial result of the scandal, Facebook shares dropped almost 18% in the ten days after the story broke and the platform has removed a search capability allowing users to find others based on a phone number of email address (Bloomberg, 2018). Facebook has also promised to make it easier for users to adjust their privacy settings on the platform.


Limitations of These Studies
In my own experiences working as a Communications Officer deciding on where best to spend limited marketing funds I have often received comment from more traditional marketing sales teams around the legitimacy of the advertising reach and engagement results Facebook provides to businesses. Their concern being that Facebook provides its own data rather than sourcing evaluations from a third party. I would suggest more study could be done in this area around the advertising matrix of Facebook to quell these kinds of concerns. Being that Facebook controls this data and the privacy issues surrounding the releases of this, even more so in light of the recent Cambridge Analytica scandal, conducting such research is likely to be difficult.


Conclusion
Facebook has created an online engagement approach that allows businesses intrusive access to consumers through data collection and user segmentation, leaving its offline, tired counterparts in the dust as the social media phenomenon continues to spread. In today’s saturated online market, a business with no social media presence, particularly Facebook, can often be deemed as not credible and difficult to find information on. Facebook provides businesses both simple and more complex ways to engage with consumers and the combination of these tools far outweighs the value of more traditional, offline avenues of marketing like phone calls, print advertising and even face-to-face engagement techniques, saving a business time and money. It may be an effective way to build business reputation and increase sales but users are becoming increasingly aware of the intrusive role these advertisements are playing in their day-to-day use of the platform. Unable to choose how often they are exposed to advertisements and have little say in how often a particular advertisement is presented to them it is of little surprise that there has been support for Mr. Zuckerberg’s elusion to an ad-free version of the social media platform. It is now more important than ever that businesses are thoughtful in the way they utilise the engagement opportunities afforded by Facebook to businesses and have a social media strategy in place that takes into account potential user concern is imperative in order to ensure this online engagement technique, which is heavily utilised these days, remains successful. Further study on the effects these paid engagement opportunities have on users should be undertaken as they become more prevalent on this platform, with the principle of the results likely able to be transferred to other social media platforms as well.

 

 

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Appendices

Appendix A – Display of friend post and business page post in Newsfeed

Friend:                                                             Business page:

                        

Images sourced from personal Facebook Newsfeed on April 1, 2018.

Appendix B – Facebook business page example

Image sourced from www.facebook.com/ McDonaldsAU/?brand_redir=50245567013 on April 1, 2018.

Appendix C – Business advert in Facebook Messenger Application


Image sourced from personal Facebook account on April 1, 2018.

Appendix D – Book now button on business page

Image sourced from www.facebook.com/fioritadeli/ on April 1, 2018.

Creative Commons Licence
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.