We've spent a lot of time discussing
imaginary communities in this course (understandable given the name
of the course), but these communities exist equally online and in
the physical world (text-organized flash mobs, Facebook-organized
protests in Egypt). Although we touched lightly on a community that
exists almost entirely in
the digital sphere (Anonymous), and discussed the tension between
their online presence and their brief forays into the physical, “real
world”, I would lake to take the opportunity to discuss a different
online community with a
fundamentally different goal:
What
are the challenges involved in creating a community online that wants
to be left alone?
Unlike Anonymous, which is frequently sidelined but clamors for
attention, a significant and passionate group of like-minded
individuals known as “Bronies” have created for themselves an
alleged “safe space” to discuss their interests (primarily the children show, “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic”). This
space, intended to allow Bronies to engage in dialogue free from prying eyes, is unfortunately frequently invaded those who do not want
to let this group alone.
Primarily
using Anderson's understanding of the imagined nature of a
constructed community to understand the creation of “Brony
culture”, Coleman's discussion of Anonymous to frame the (often
stark) differences between the two primarily-online community, and
Berlant's Cruel Optimism to
mark the tragic arc of the creation of a safe Brony space and
tentative forays of “Bronism” into mainstream acceptance, I
intend to track the history of this community, especially insofar as
it tracks down to one of the most important questions of our time:
how do online communities deal with persecution from (often
anonymous) sources in ways that are particularly unique to the space
they occupy?
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