Virtual Communities

Online communities or Virtual Communities of Practice (VCoPs) allow people to come together and discuss topics they would otherwise not be able to. Previous research has shown that these VCoPs allow individuals to grow and gain knowledge that crosses languages and borders (Gray 2004). The idea of communities forming on the internet is not a new one, yet it remains a controversial topic of discussion (Strangelove 2020, p.103). The social media platform most commonly associated with VCoPs is YouTube (p.136). According to Michael Newman (2008), this is because, since the beginning of the platform, it takes cooperation between audience and creator to make the medium

‘work’ (Newman 2008). This is to say that VCoPs are a crucial part of the function and understanding of YouTube. Moreover, not only are VCoPs integral to YouTube, but the platform also can stimulate their formation (White 2011). Strangelove argues that internet communities are “interconnected and heterogeneous”, which is in contrast to real-life communities that are “bounded and isolated” within themselves (Strangelove 2020, p.104). This is to say that members of an internet community are also part of

31 other interacting cultures and societies. Strangelove states that one of the ways to define a community is by shared interests, such as fan communities who share an interest in a celebrity or television show. Strangelove claims that, on YouTube, it is not so much about a group of people who look for each other within their shared interests, but more about people going down the same route:

Yet there is more to online communities than interest, as Steven G. Jones points out. Online communities not only are ‘composed of people who are necessarily connected, even by interest, but are rather groupings of people headed in the same direction, for a time. (p.105)

Furthermore, Strangelove claims that YouTube encourages space for multiple communities because people ‘identify with it’ and develop relationships with other communities. These communities subsequently enter into debates to support and protect their interests from others who disagree. Strangelove argues: “To a certain extent, then, where there is disagreement and debate, there we find community. If we want to know what types of community YouTube has enabled, one of our best sources will be the internal debates and controversies that are found among YouTube’s members.” (p.105). In other words, YouTube allows for multiple communities because there is always going to be a community that opposes and argues against the views or interests of another group.

Moving on, Nancy White (2011) provides an interesting insight on VCoPs on YouTube, by stating that they often encourage damaging behaviours in young teens, most commonly of which being self-harming. White states:

Of [Stephen Lewis’] adolescent patients, he says that about one-third seem turned off by the videos and another third seem comforted by them, encouraged to start or continue cutting. The other third is neutral about the videos. […]

"These kids (who harm themselves) talk about feeling alone and empty," says [Clair] Crooks. "Suddenly, here's a group that understands me and has the same problem. (White 2011)

32 This is to say, one-third of adolescents are motivated to begin or carry on with self-harming because they find comfort within a community that posts videos where they do the same. In other words, people can still be subject to peer pressure or be encouraged to perform bad actions in VCoPs. This argument disproves the reality of morally pure techno-utopian social media platforms and shows that VCoPs are also expected to encourage bad, hateful, or damaging behaviours (Gustafsson and Weinryb 2020;

Oravec 2020). However, White acknowledges the importance for teenagers to have a place where they can vent and talk about their issues to others. White believes that it has a significant impact on adolescents when they know that they are not the only ones with struggles.

Lee Raine et al. (2017) claim that the views and opinions of individual members of communities have become more significant on social media: “The individual’s voice has a much higher perceived value than it has in the past. As a result, there are more people who will complain online in an attempt to get attention, sympathy, or retribution”

(Raine et al. 2017). Raine et al. continue to argue that, due to increased accessibility to social media for a larger group of people than ever before, the chances of bad behaviour climb, too. In short, everyone has been given a voice and freedom of expression on social media platforms. VCoPs allow individuals to connect with others who share the same values and clash with communities who disagree with their values.

In this section, Strangelove has shown that virtual communities are interconnected and very much present on YouTube, which not only makes room for multiple groups but also plays a part in creating them. Subsequently, YouTube needs these VCoPs to be able to work, since it exists because of collaboration between audience and YouTuber. Moreover, it has also become apparent that where there is one community, there will also be another one that disagrees or opposes the values of the group. This is because people feel the need to defend their communities as a result of caring and identifying with them. Moving on, White argues that VCoPs are instigators of self-harming behaviours in teenagers, who find comfort and motivation in communities who post YouTube videos showing and discussing their damaging behaviour. On the one hand, these VCoPs are enablers of damaging behaviour, and on the other hand, they provide a space to discuss and express emotions. Raine et al.

33 claim that the individual’s voice has become more valuable on social media. According to them, people will protest online to attract attention or retribution. They state that the accessibility of social media has led to an increase in bad behaviour due to more opportunities.

This section contributes another perspective that I will use in the main analysis.

This perspective explores the growth in significance of individualized opinions, and the ways that VCoPs are welcomed and nurtured on YouTube. However, VCoPs may also be a bad influence on individuals, leading them to act harmful to themselves or others.

The comments that I analyze in the main analysis will thus be examined for signs of personal opinion, community influences, and segmentation of discourses between groups. The beauty community on YouTube largely consists of various fan bases belonging to the YouTubers, which is why it is important to take the workings VCoPs into consideration as this considerably affects the ways they communicate in the relationship between audience and creator.