The pandemic has brought about a major change in lifestyle over the last few years. Platforms such as Youtube and Twitch have gained massive popularity in viewership, with watching daily online content and live streams becoming a staple across almost every household. It has also formed multitudes of informal “online communities”, constituting groups of like-minded individuals or those with shared interests, engaging in activities/conversations together on an online platform. Over time, these communities develop further over shared identities from interests, content, and shared experiences. However, the rise in popularity of such internet platforms and communities brings increasing hours spent watching and engaging in streams. What was once a guilty pleasure and something to be concerned about has now turned into a day-to-day activity of online engagement with vastly anonymous co-viewers. So let’s demystify the functioning of online communities and take a peek into the benefits they truly offer.
As a regular viewer of Twitch and Youtube, my relationship with these platforms was intended solely for entertainment. However, watching my favourite online creators like Jacksepticeye, Astrobiscuit, and Good Mythical Morning to name a few, I, along with multitudes of others, was slowly being drawn into their respective communities such as “Biscuits”, “Mythical Beasts”, etc. that included members from across the globe. The fans also went as far as forming groups on other social media platforms such as Discord, Twitter, and Instagram to engage with the creators and each other further. Fans would vote on new video/stream ideas, make custom art and merch, organize meetups, and so on, making it a rather enjoyable experience to spend time engaging online. A study explains such engagement, finding that individuals are rather drawn toward the unique and specific content of a live stream, be it gameplay, music, art etc. It also revealed that users like interacting and participating in shared activities with the stream’s community, just for the “sheer pleasure of being together”.
These online communities have taken the internet by storm and are widely used to obtain new pieces of information, develop strong social connections, and serve as large support groups where people feel welcome and heard. An excellent example of such a community is the Astrobiscuit Discord Server. Here, beginner to professional astrophotographers are welcome to interact, share their images and work, buy/sell astrophotography gear, troubleshoot each other’s issues, and get together to image a specific target in the night sky. The reach of online communities does not end there though, with even costudying being thrown into the mix. Discord currently hosts one of the most extensive “Study Together” servers on an online platform, where individuals across the globe come together to, well, study together. They boost each other’s productivity by setting deadlines for the day, solving each other’s doubts, and even hosting Pomodoro sessions to maximise their output during a study session.
Interestingly, the benefits of an online community do not end quite there. Other than being a one-stop-shop for entertainment, a source for troubleshooting, making new friends, and having a good time, a recent study shows that online communities (especially those on Twitch) serve as a means of coping through the difficult periods of a viewer’s life. These viewers, who mostly reside between 18-34 years, are transitioning/have just transitioned from adolescence to adulthood, usually bringing a plethora of problems such as relationship issues, loss of a loved one, loss of a job and many more. One of the more constructive ways of dealing with such matters has surprisingly been to resort to online communities to confess and vent about problems through live stream chatboxes. The otherwise foreboding anonymity that deters most people serves as the crux as it accounts for greater self-disclosure in a bid to engage with others who relate to and share similar problems. These positives make online communities a relatively surprising coping strategy for the youth today.
All in all, online communities strive to help members in coping with their issues, be more productive in studies, or simply just share good experiences along the way. The diversified content on multiple platforms allows for numerous communities to co-exist and also provides an individual to choose and participate in a community of their choice. Discord, Youtube, Twitch, and other platforms have been the base, allowing such communities to form, growing daily in numbers that have only been amplified by the pandemic that took the world in its clasp the past few years. These groups are much less a gathering and more a fostering of a healthy community; allowing one to engage in the content they choose when they want to. It points to the bright future of online engagement across the globe. So, the next time you feel unsure about engaging online, know that there is an abundance of warm and welcoming online communities at your disposal fostering healthy online content for everyone across the globe.
Hreem Mahadeshwar
