Joining two separate communities and being an active participant in one while lurking in the other was very interesting. I first joined two adoption related groups, one on Facebook and one on Reddit. I quickly became overwhelmed in both of these groups because of the controversial topics brought up. I actively participated in the Facebook group and shared my ideas and thoughts with total strangers. Still, there was a sense of community among that group. People mostly supported each other and had great advice to give. However, there were times when things got out of hand in that group. If anyone disagreed with someone else's opinion, things got pretty heated and admins had to disable comments. I didn't experience the same thing in the Reddit group. There was a lower sense of community in that group because people hid behind their handles and didn't really get to know one another. I found myself really wanting to comment on certain topics but I was just there to lurk. Eventually, both groups became pretty overwhelming and I couldn't wait to get out.
With permission, I left both of these groups and switched to something much less stressful - dogs. I again joined one Facebook and one Reddit community. I found it much easier to actively participate in the Facebook group because I was always interested in the topics and loved sharing pictures of my dogs. Again, there was a better sense of camaraderie in this group because people addressed others by name and seemed to get to know each other and their dogs. The topics were lighthearted and there were fun contests posted such as the cover photo contest where people submitted photos of their dogs and voted on the next cover photo for the group. The Reddit group served more as an information sharing platform where users asked for advice or shared their two cents about a dog-related topic. I am planning on remaining a member of both of these groups but I'd like to participate in the Reddit group instead of remain a lurker. I'm interested to see if a greater sense of community will form after participating more or if it is the platform that prevents a sense of community from forming.
For fun, here is a snapshot of the cover photo from the Facebook dog group. I posted this picture of my three dogs from 4th of July and won the cover photo contest!
Leah, I love that you made the connection between anonymous profiles and the sense of community! This was something I left on the cutting room floor of my paper, but it was the hardest aspect to part with.
ReplyDeleteSo you mention there was less of a community feeling in Reddit. Would you say that the anonymous group was more or less friendly overall in your first batch of communities? When there were disagreements in the Reddit community, did you feel the attacks (if there were attacks) were more or less aggressive than the Facebook community?
I am glad you were able to switch communities to such a lighthearted topic!
Hey Kendyl,
DeleteI think the Reddit group in my first batch of communities was less friendly overall than the Facebook group. People seemed to have no fear of sharing what they were really feeling behind a handle. There was also a large community of adoptees who seemed to feel offended by every little thing posted by adoptive parents on the Reddit community. This lead to people lashing out at people who were honestly just looking for some advice. Even though the drama I experienced was on the Facebook group, the members of that community were much more friendly with each other overall.
It is interesting to hear your comparison between the two groups. It is disappointing that they got so heated. It is an unfortunate experience online sometimes.
ReplyDeleteI participated in a teachers Reddit group and lurked on a Twitter hashtag. I experienced a lot more community on the Reddit group but it was kind of distant community. Everyone was interacting but not on a personal level.