A virtual community

After observing Facebook over the past few weeks, I have noticed different patterns of language used throughout this social network. Most of the language used is informal and subjective. I have noticed many users often share to their profile “what’s on their mind” to express how they are feeling towards a certain issue or problem they are experiencing. This is promoted by Facebook as this social network has provided a status bar where you can write whatever is on your mind at the time. And when I say whatever I mean absolutely WHATEVER. This has built a community where people feel safe enough to express their utmost deepest thoughts or opinions. In this week’s lecture Kuttainen mentioned that narrative or language has a way of orienting a person (Kuttainen, 2016) so in this case the use of informal language has made people feel comfortable enough to engage in conversations on this network, as if they were sitting down at home conversing over coffee. 

 

Image: Communicating through Facebook narratives. Retreived from

http://howtocode.pk/search-engine-optimization/how-to-get-more-likes-on-facebook-fan-page-free

This social network has formed into its own community where people use specific words and language that you wouldn’t use elsewhere. For example, like, hashtag, share, post, profile, comment, newsfeed, friend request, notifications, emojis, inbox, messenger, status, activity log etc. These naming of different links and actions are all contributing to what makes Facebook a sense of place or space in which we identify these words as something that belongs to this community. “Naming is power-the creative power to name something into being, to render the invisible visible, to impart a certain character to things” (Tuan, 1991. pp. 688) so by naming certain elements within this social network is giving us the perception that this is a “real” sense of place that has meaning and worthiness.

References:  


Kuttainen, V. (2016). BA1002: Our space: Networks, narrative and the making of place, week 5 notes [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from https://learnjcu.jcu.edu.au/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?course_id=_76323_1&content_id=_2422311_1

Tuan, Y. (1991). Language and the making of place: A narrative-descriptive approach. Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 81(4), 684-696. Retrieved from http:/www.jstor.org/stable/2563430


Image credit: Harshali Malhotra (october 27, 2015) retrieved from http://howtocode.pk/search-engine-optimization/how-to-get-more-likes-on-facebook-fan-page-free