Social Media & Participatory Culture
As defined in this research report by Jenkins et. al (2009), participatory culture is defined by five distinct characteristics:
1. Relatively low barriers to artistic expression and civic engagement
2.Strong support for creating and sharing one’s creations with others
3.Some type of informal mentorship whereby what is known by the most experienced is passed along to novices
4.Members believe that their contributions matter
5.Members feel some degree of social connection with one another (at the least they care what other people think about what they have created)
Participatory culture is the means by which people choose to express themselves through different online platforms to share thoughts, ideas, or information. Different forms of participatory culture include affiliations with online communities, expression through content creation, collaborative problem-solving with peers, and circulations by shaping the flow of media. Generally, all the ways that we are engaging with and communicating through social media is a contribution to participatory culture.
As mentioned in Hinton & Hjorth (2013), one form of participation I mostly utilize is through the sharing of user generated content (UGC).I am often motivated to participate in online communities to feel a sense of connection to people I can relate with. For example, I am part of the Facebook group known as Subtle Asian Traits. While I am not an active member of this group (as in I do not actively post), I often find a sense of comfort and connection from the stories and content that other group members post about the Asian American experience. I also often share such posts with my friends as well.
In this particular time, during COVID-19, I have found myself participating in more online activism. Particularly during the start of the pandemic and through out the social justice movement up until now with the #stopasianhate movement, I have used my social media accounts to share information about these different issues. But I have also noticed some of the downsides of online activism as well, particularly how it can appear to be outwardly active but internally passive.