Paper Short Abstract:

The paper presents empirical work on the intertwining of digital and physical places in the context of 'communities of interest' (book clubs, fandom), addressing conceptual questions about place and community in a digitalising world.

Paper Abstract:

It seems that digital spaces have become central to our lives, rendering 'real' places obsolete. However, digital space is no less real than physical space, nor can we speak of a dichotomy. Many people move easily between these spaces. We therefore need to study how these two spaces are intertwined - how the digital becomes physical and how the physical uses the digital.

In studying these interactions, the notions of community and networks become relevant, as place-based activities are assumed to belong to communities, while digital connections are assumed to constitute networks. While the distinction between communities and networks has been problematised, the interplay between the physical and the digital raises additional conceptual questions that have led scholars to use terms such as 'field, interaction, sociality' (Postill 2011).

The proposed paper will present cases of ‘communities’ organised around shared interests (i.e. so-called ‘communities interest’ around interests such as reading books, being a fan, knitting) and their online and offline interactions, showing how different groups of people move between different worlds. The ever-changing technical capabilities of different digital platforms allow for different types of interaction. The local knitting group meeting in a community centre will use Whatsapp to stay in touch and also follow Facebook groups related to their interests, while young readers will prefer TikTok as an information channel and use Whatsapp groups as a hangout space.

Based on these empirical observations, the paper will address conceptual questions about place and community.

Postill, J. (2011). Localizing the Internet: An anthropological account (Vol. 5). Berghahn Books.