Social Media, Communities, & Networks Conference 2026: Semester 1 & SP1

Comments

5 responses to “Mate Ma’a Tonga on Facebook – Anthony Donaldson”

1. 

   23100404

   01/05/2026

   Hi Anthony!
   Thank you for sharing your presentation. Your case study was visually engaging and clearly connected to the concepts and theories of ‘fan culture’ within the given timeframe.

   I don’t find myself watching rugby all that often and hav had actually never heard of Mate Ma’a Tonga, so I thoroughly enjoyed learning this topic. I loved learning about the MMT fan practices and how they communicate with one another.

   As per the requirements of assignment 3.1, here are my questions for you:

   What are your thoughts on how fandom communities develop as they become bigger and more intricate? Based on Bruns’ (2023) concept of a network of publics, might a larger scale result in fragmentation, sub-groups, or potential exclusion within the fandom? And how do the creative (or social and technological) affordances of Facebook play into this—for instance, by enabling long bilingual posts and cultural expression? Could these affordances create divides between international fans, such as those living in the diaspora across Australia, New Zealand and the United States, and local Tongan supporters? Does this challenge the idea that fandom communities are often inclusive and equal (Chin, 2018).

   Zhang (2016) separates “fandom communities” (long-term, close-knit groups with shared identity) from “fandom publics” (more temporary, large groups that form around moments or topics). Building on this, you’ve described the MMT as a community of interest—do you think that sense of community is sustained during the off-season? Is there still a high-level of engagement when games aren’t being played? If there is, how do platform affordances support that continuity and level of support? If not, how does this community shift or change?

   I found your comparison of what Facebook enables MMT fans to do versus Twitter particularly interesting. I also focused on Twitter for my case study so I’m curious—are there any social, technological, or creative affordances on Twitter that you think actually might better support the growth MMT community, compared to Facebook? For example, Ross’s (2023) study mentioned the use of Twitter ‘keywords’ & retweets which help circulate content and conversations. Do you think there are any affordance limitations to Facebook?

   You discussed how the MMT community on Facebook transcends geographical barriers, which aligns with danah boyd’s ideas about networked publics (Boyd, 2011; Boyd & Ellison, 2007). Do these networked connections on Facebook affect which voices or perspectives within the MMT community become most visible or influential?

   I’ve given you 4 questions to consider, so feel free to answer them all or choose your favourite 3. Looking forward to talking with you in our conference in a few weeks! Good luck with your preparation! ☺️

   Reply
2. 

   23100404

   01/05/2026

   Apologies it seems to have grouped all of my questions together:

   Here are them seperately:

   What are your thoughts on how fandom communities develop as they become bigger and more intricate? Based on Bruns’ (2023) concept of a network of publics, might a larger scale result in fragmentation, sub-groups, or potential exclusion within the fandom? And how do the creative (or social and technological) affordances of Facebook play into this—for instance, by enabling long bilingual posts and cultural expression? Could these affordances create divides between international fans, such as those living in the diaspora across Australia, New Zealand and the United States, and local Tongan supporters? Does this challenge the idea that fandom communities are often inclusive and equal (Chin, 2018).

   Reply
3. 

   23100404

   01/05/2026

   2. Zhang (2016) separates “fandom communities” (long-term, close-knit groups with shared identity) from “fandom publics” (more temporary, large groups that form around moments or topics). Building on this, you’ve described the MMT as a community of interest—do you think that sense of community is sustained during the off-season? Is there still a high-level of engagement when games aren’t being played? If there is, how do platform affordances support that continuity and level of support? If not, how does this community shift or change?

   Reply
4. 

   23100404

   01/05/2026

   3. I found your comparison of what Facebook enables MMT fans to do versus Twitter particularly interesting. I also focused on Twitter for my case study so I’m curious—are there any social, technological, or creative affordances on Twitter that you think actually might better support the growth MMT community, compared to Facebook? For example, Ross’s (2023) study mentioned the use of Twitter ‘keywords’ & retweets which help circulate content and conversations. Do you think there are any affordance limitations to Facebook?

   Reply
5. 

   23100404

   01/05/2026

   4. You discussed how the MMT community on Facebook transcends geographical barriers, which aligns with danah boyd’s ideas about networked publics (Boyd, 2011; Boyd & Ellison, 2007). Do these networked connections on Facebook affect which voices or perspectives within the MMT community become most visible or influential?

   I’ve given you 4 questions to consider, so feel free to answer them all or choose your favourite 3. Looking forward to talking with you in our conference in a few weeks! Good luck with your preparation.

   Reply