[iDC] Passion + Play = Participation

[Kimberly De Vries]

Hello All,

I'm launching the next discussion with some excerpts of the paper I
presented last June at the New Network Theory conference.  That
conference was organized around the idea that we needed to re-think
our assumptions about online communities.  Indeed, the call for
participation questioned whether communities really existed anymore,
and whether they ever had.  In particular, Manuel Castells' claim that
strong and still-ongoing communities like Nettime were atypical seemed
taken for granted by many participants.

My own experience and observations suggest however, that the model
that Castells descriibes as atypical, in which online and offline
interaction work in tandem, may indeed contribute to the survival of
an online community (De Vries) and that it may not be so atypical.
Further, characteristics of the offline community that has spawned the
online version also may determine how well a virtual community
weathers growing membership, increased visibility and other pressures.
 This however is difficult to determine when we look at one community
at a time, or in isolation.

	We may learn more about how these networks function if we look at
several that share at least some characteristics and perhaps some
members as well.  In this study, I am looked at three groups, each
sharing some traits and members, and each having existed for at least
five years.  I chose these communities for several reasons; those I've
just mentioned, but also because I have spent some time as a
participant in all three and am intimately connected with one,
Sequential Tart, for  which I have been writing since early 2001.   As
I've carried out this research, which is still evolving, one of the
most interesting revelations has been how the origin of these
communities from the comic book industry and fan-base seems to have
contributed to their success, suggesting that community members' prior
experience of live communities may shape their behavior in and
expectations of online communities.  --This is really no surprise, but
perhaps some kinds of live communities, because of their original
structure, have made the transition online more easily.

I'll just say a little about one of the communities to illustrate how
this transfer of expectations might work.

The comic book community is characterized by a fan-base that is
popularly believed to be  passionate about their subject, obsessed
with esoterica, and socially inept.  --Much like academics, in fact.
;-)

Of these three generalizations, I'd say only the first really applies
to all comic book fans.  As people in love with a medium that seems
always about to disappear, these fans share the fervent desire for
comics to become sufficiently popular that they are safe from
extinction.  Sequential Tart emerged from that desire, but in
particular from the desire to create a space in the discourse in which
women could really enjoy comic books.

	Sequential Tart started in 1998 as a response to the American comic
book industry's disregard for women readers and creators, and at the
same time, their stereotypical representations of women characters.
At the time, the Tarts represented a marginal group within the already
marginal subculture of comic book fans.  Sequential Tart attracts
writers and readers because it presents an alternative to paper and
webzines that are both corporate and sexist (not to mention racist and
homophobic).  These people stay around because Tart is friendly,
supportive and flexible and because we all believe firmly that the
most important things we do are get more people interested in comic
books and draw attention to the creators and titles we think deserve
it.

	Further, just as now happens on social networking sites, many people
join the community around Tart because they are trying to find others
who share their interests and the Tarts, by virtue of their existence
offer hope of this.  Many comic book fan communities are characterized
by sexist, homophobic, and often racist behavior, and are plagued by
flamewars between people (usually men) bent on proving themselves the
most expert on some topic.  Further, Tart offers hope (mainly to men)
that there are women who like comics and understand the importance of
collectible action figures.  Members of the comic book sub-culture
often experience being marginalized and mocked in the American
main-stream culture and thus are hungry for community.  Once finding
one, they tend to be intensely loyal.  This aspect of interest can
easily be observed at any large comic book convention in the US.  For
example, at the San Diego ComicCon, the Tart staff usually turns out
in force, has a special dinner, attends other events together, and may
gather in the evening to swap whatever cool comics were acquired that
day.  Many bulletin board posters also arrange to meet up with us and
by now these events have sometimes taken on the feeling of a family
reunion.

Though fans used to be seen as atypical because they were so passive,
and then were labeled atypical because they were so active, I think
that in fact everyone is part of a some fan community.  It might be
comic books, it might be scrap-booking, environmentalism, porn, Apple
computers, international adoption,  net.art; everyone has some passion
to which they devote a time and energy.   I would argue that
successful communities survive and grow because they tap into some
shared passion (or obsession) among members, often building on
existing offline communal structures.  Further, because the shared
interest and prior offline community may vary so much between groups,
there may be few useful claims to be made across the board about
participation.

I guess that's a start!

Best,

Kim De Vries

---the whole paper is available online in the New Network Theory
Reader: http://www.networkcultures.org/_uploads/27.pdf  My paper
starts on p146.

-- 
http://else-if-then.blogspot.com