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Podcast for the Digital Literacies and 21st Century Skills course at Adelphi University's Educational Technology program.
Emily
Hey there, my name is Emily.
Ryan
And I'm Ryan. And we're here today to talk about the online world of virtual communities.
Emily
So before we dive in, let's just make sure we're all on the same page about what actually a virtual community is, right?
Ryan
Perfect. Yeah. So virtual communities can be found on almost any website where interactions between users can take place. From the obvious social networks like Facebook, Reddit, Instagram, and Twitter—we've all used those—to the less obvious networks, such as Yelp, eBay, Amazon, and Wikipedia. We have to remember that those are social networks too. Not to mention any other heavily followed blogging platforms with comment sections, those...
Emily
Comment sections. Ma and Hater describe virtual communities as, uh, communities of practice in their TNF Online article *Online Community Development Through Online Interaction.* The one about K-Pop Stan Twitter. I never got into K-Pop myself, but I know the Stan is strong.
Ryan
Absolutely. I agree with you. Yeah, I hear about it all the time. I see it in all the merchandise stores. And, Emily, just to dive in a little bit here, I researched what "Stan" actually means. It’s a slang term that refers to an extremely devoted or enthusiastic fan of a celebrity or a music group. And, believe it or not, it originated from Eminem's 2000 song, "Stan."
Emily
Oh, please.
Ryan
Yep, not to age myself, but I was in high school—a sophomore—when that song came out, and I was very much a fan of both Eminem and his song "Stan."
Emily
Oh yeah, I love that. I mean, I hate how much I love one song. But yeah, so, they describe virtual communities where people can connect across barriers and unite over a common goal or domain. We can see this in communities like K-Pop or other fandoms, health and wellness communities, identity communities, career and hobby communities, sales and shopping. I’m sure there are others I’m not even thinking of right now.
Ryan
Tons, absolutely. Yeah, all of these communities are centered around whatever the common topic is but are built and run by the interactions and communication that happen. In the paper *Rethinking Sociocultural Notions of Learning* by Un Luso—and I'm definitely pronouncing that wrong—it says the core qualities of a social network that are relevant are flexibility, scalability, and survivability. Social media is designed to be a common ground for interaction.
In the nature of interaction and social participation on some social media, bits are defined as the building blocks of the digital domain—that’s actually quoted directly from the paper. So yeah, we can connect anytime, anywhere, to almost any information or to anyone. That’s so great, but it can also be a double-edged sword.
Emily
Yeah, yeah. So over the past few weeks, we’ve each been working on these virtual community projects. We picked a platform, we’re exploring a specific community, and we’re trying to see how that community runs. We’ve been exploring how these communities support connected learning and development—like, how are these communities we’re exploring helping people develop their interests or connect in meaningful ways?
So, which one did you check out?
Ryan
Sure. This took me a little while to pinpoint, but I ended up exploring a subreddit called r/SquaredCircle. It’s a professional wrestling community on Reddit. I’m a bit of a wrestling nerd, so it was right up my alley. The community includes fans of all different wrestling companies, from the mainstream like WWE and the rival AEW to independent wrestling. It’s made up of people from all walks of life, all different countries. Over 954,000 subscribers with really vocal, sometimes polarizing views on the wrestling world.
The reason I chose to dive into it at this point in time is that WWE just held a controversial wrestling event in Saudi Arabia. In the early years of WWE events in Saudi Arabia, women wrestlers were not allowed to participate. But in the event yesterday, women were allowed, though they had to be covered from neck to hands to ankles. It’s very different from what we see in America at WWE or other wrestling shows. The fans on the subreddit were really supportive of the women wrestlers, which is great to see, especially since the majority of Square Circle subscribers are male. As a father of a rambunctious six-and-a-half-year-old who likes pro wrestling and says she wants to be a professional wrestler—or a doctor or a dance teacher, depending on the day—it’s been great to see the positive support for women wrestlers.
Emily
I love that! When I was younger, my sister really liked wrestling, so I got into it a bit because she did. But I was afraid to talk to her and her friends about it—I thought I’d seem like a poser or something. I feel like if I’d known about communities like this back then, I wouldn’t have felt as nervous. It’s really cool that people who maybe wouldn’t have gotten into wrestling otherwise can feel welcomed.
Ryan
Absolutely. I haven’t seen it on r/SquaredCircle, but I’ve seen posts on other subreddits where someone asks the community to fill them in before going to a wrestling party with their partner. People will jump in with all the info—who to root for, who’s the “bad guy,” who’s a cheater. It’s great! For the most part, I see a lot of positivity. Online communities can be toxic, but there are so many that are welcoming and supportive.
Emily
How do you even cheat in wrestling? Isn’t it all scripted?
Ryan
Oh, don’t get me started! That’s part of the fun. You have to “believe in the kayfabe,” as they call it, where you buy into the storylines even though you know it’s scripted. It’s a soap opera with wrestling tights and muscles. So, it's been interesting. I appreciate your connection to wrestling as well, Emily.
Emily
Yeah, and nice little segue here. Another community that I'm trying to get into now that, you know, maybe a few years ago I would've felt judged for is, um, I checked out the Instagram nutrition, health, and wellness community. I chose this community because I've been trying to think more about my health and the things I'm eating. Not that I like really ate garbage, but I'd be like, "Okay, well, I don't eat too much candy, I make sure to eat vegetables," and so on. But now, with all we’re learning about our bodies and how different foods can really affect us, I’m curious to learn more.
I’m not great at just sitting and reading a book or scientific article—I’m much more motivated in a support system. So that’s why I chose the Instagram nutrition support system. And it has been such an uplifting experience, just seeing how all these nutritionists and wellness coaches are so welcoming to everyone and acknowledge that we’re human beings. They talk about food not as a chore, but as something we should enjoy. You know, like how people don’t just have sex for procreation—it’s also something to enjoy. Or how people don’t just exercise because it’s good for them; some people actually enjoy it!
Ryan
Absolutely.
Emily
One thing I thought was really fun was this one nutritionist I follow who has kids, and with Halloween just passing, she was talking about how to handle your kids wanting to eat all this candy. How do you help them balance it without giving them a negative relationship with food? It was so helpful, and she even provided resources on how to talk to kids about food and how to find doctors if you need help understanding what’s happening to your body. And even though organic food can be more expensive, there are a lot of tips on how to make healthier choices within any budget.
Ryan
That’s great. I really appreciate that. When I think of Instagram, I think of fitness influencers, you know, people who look like they’re just lifting weights all the time. But you’re pointing out that there’s this whole world of supportive health resources there. It makes me realize I could be using Instagram for way more than just pop culture and art.
Emily
Same here! This is really my first time using Instagram for more than just seeing what my old high school friends are up to or posting my own photos every once in a while. I was skeptical and kind of cynical about it, but there are a lot of amazing resources that I didn’t even know existed.
And that’s a nice transition into our next topic. I haven’t always had the best experience with social media. I blamed a lot of things going on in my life on social media, even though maybe that wasn’t the issue. But now I’m trying to be a bit more open-minded. Do you have a more positive personal experience with social media or any virtual communities you’re a part of?
Ryan
Yeah, actually. I was off social media for a couple of years, but about a year ago, I started drawing on my daughter’s snack bags. At first, I was just doing it for her, drawing her name and some hearts, that kind of thing. But eventually, I started posting them on Instagram last September, and I was blown away by the support I got.
Through this, I found other "snack bag dads" who draw on their kids’ lunch bags, and there’s this whole little community of people who do the same thing. Some are better than me, some are still learning, but we all support each other, and it’s been really motivating. So yeah, social media has actually been a positive experience for me there.
Emily
That's awesome. I gotta say, before taking this class, I didn’t think much about social media in a positive light. But it’s making me realize that there’s a lot of potential for good. When I was in college, Tumblr was huge, and I was really active in the lesbian community there. I learned a lot about queer culture and queer history that I might not have found out about otherwise, and I made this group of friends who I talked to all the time. It got me through a lot of tough times, and they were a real support system for me.
But then, when I started spending less time on Tumblr, I noticed I was feeling kind of down. I realized I’d been relying on that constant positive feedback from posting pictures and getting compliments. And that’s when I started to feel like maybe social media wasn’t good for me—I didn’t want my self-esteem to be tied to strangers' comments.
Ryan
That makes sense.
Emily
Right? And that feeling stuck with me for a long time, but the *Lorenzen Boyd* interview we read for class helped me see things differently. It made me realize that maybe the issues I was having were my own self-esteem issues, and social media just brought them to the surface. It wasn’t necessarily the root cause. For some kids, virtual communities are a saving grace; they find support and community there that they might not have in real life.
The *Pew Research* study we read also surprised me—how kids who socialize constantly online are still socializing in person just as much. It makes me wonder, like, how does that work time-wise? But I think there’s something to be said for how virtual communities can support real-life connections too.
Ryan
Absolutely. My brother-in-law is a big meme guy, and he’s always sending me memes. It gives us something to talk about when we’re in person, so it can be a great way to stay connected. I think online interactions can range from people who are almost exclusively online to those who just use it as a tool, not a crutch. It really depends on how you use it.
Emily
Yeah, I think virtual communities are amazing in that they connect people from all over the world who maybe wouldn’t know that this community exists. I used to be a lot more worried about social media’s impact on my students, but now I feel more encouraged to help them make smarter decisions online. I want to teach them how to find positive communities and use them in healthy ways.
Ryan
That’s perfect. Would you say this class, diving into so many aspects of digital literacy and social media, has helped you gain a new understanding?
Emily
I’d say so, yeah. It’s helped me see more of the positive possibilities for these platforms. Like, there’s so much potential for connection and creativity here. I just hope more people will use it for good than for harm.
Ryan
Absolutely. I’m a bit of an optimist, so I get frustrated with social media sometimes, but I also think there’s a lot of potential for it to evolve and improve. Future generations might make it even better.
Emily
Yeah, I hope so too. That’s all I’ve got for today.
Ryan
I believe that’s our podcast! Emily, thanks for joining me today. You provided so much insight.
Emily
Thank you! I think we make a good team.
Ryan
Yes, we do. Alright, thanks everyone for listening. Bye-bye!