Post 3.2: 14 and Angsty

Interestingly, my first experience with a virtual community was the same year as Michael’s, 1994. The 1994-5 television season brought with it a wonderful show, My So-Called Life. I was 14 and had never before connected with anything on television that so closely resembled my tattered and angsty teenage existence. Let’s keep in mind, this was before the days of the CW or the WB or UPN or even ABC Family. In the mid-90s, the teen television market was still relatively untapped. Suffice it to say, I <3ed My So-Called Life. However, its position in the ratings was always rather tenuous. It had a great deal of difficultly finding an audience. It was always under threat of being cancelled or put on hiatus. Because I needed to gush about my love of this show, and because none of my friends were as into it as I was, I turned to the then-newish creation of AOL communities. Sure enough, there was one for MSCL-ers. I began chatting with these people online (the last time I used IMing, believe it or not), at first about our common interest. I got addresses of network executives to whom to send my appeal. I got validation for my borderline obsessiveness. Ultimately, I became part of a movement larger than myself. I knew I wasn’t the only one fighting for the survival of this show. After the furor died down, I began chatting with people about different interests. I distinctly remember someone sending my the lyrics to “What’s the Frequency Kenneth,” a popular REM song at the time.

In many ways, the virtual community of which I was a part nearly 15-years ago behaved very similarly to the virtual communities of today. It was created by and for people sharing a common, and very niche, interest. However, the only way we could really communicate with each other was through email and Instant Messaging. Today, blogs and live-journals allow personalities to be accessed, and a scientific study of these communities contribute to their ability to focus. After all, it’s a lot easier to get the lyrics to “What’s the Frequency Kenneth” online than it was 15-years ago.

I couldn’t resist.

~ by sdribin on October 11, 2008.