The Performance and Maintenance of Standpoint Within an Online Community

• Published in: Communication, culture & critique Vol. 5; no. 4; pp. 600 - 617
• Main Authors: Atkinson, Joshua D., Rosati, Clayton, Stana, Alexandru, Watkins, Sean
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken, USA Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.12.2012
• ISSN: 1753-9129; 1753-9137
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1753-9137.2012.01148.x

In the following essay, we explore the possibility for the expansion of the Audience Performance Paradigm to include the concept of “Standpoint Performance.” Specifically, we looked at an alternative cityscape constructed through diffused intertextual production as the site for such a performance. Using interviews and qualitative content analysis, we were able to demonstrate how some members of the DetroitYES! web community were able to construct a collective experience that allowed them to gain a voice within the oppressive environment of the contested cityscape of Detroit. In addition, our research also illustrated how there is a hierarchical community maintenance that was necessary for such performances to arise within the community.