A Sense of Communal Belonging in Digital Space: The Case of the 3.11 Disaster
This article aims to examine the role of social media in disaster communication and its potential to foster a sense of communal belonging through shared emotional connection, using the case study of the 3.11 disaster in Japan. The 2011 triple disaster had profound implications for new interactions a...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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The Japan Foundation, Sydney
2019-07-01
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| Series: | New Voices in Japanese Studies |
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| Online Access: | https://newvoices.org.au/volume-11/a-sense-of-communal-belonging-in-digital-space-the-case-of-the-3-11-disaster |
| _version_ | 1818909919949094912 |
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| author | Sonja Petrovic |
| author_facet | Sonja Petrovic |
| author_sort | Sonja Petrovic |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This article aims to examine the role of social media in disaster communication and its potential to foster a sense of communal belonging through shared emotional connection, using the case study of the 3.11 disaster in Japan. The 2011 triple disaster had profound implications for new interactions among individuals, as the earthquake not only brought destruction to the surrounding environment, but also reconfigured many people’s sense of place, security and communal belonging. I argue that, in a post-disaster context, social media had substantial implications for individuals’ perceptions of belonging to local and regional communities, as it introduced new dimensions and forms of interaction among individuals, regardless of temporal and spatial barriers. Qualitatively approached, this study examines the evolving potential of social media to serve as space where individuals can experience and express closeness in time of crisis, creating and maintaining new forms of affective communities in digital space. Based on in-depth interviews and social media data from Japan that relates to the 3.11 disaster, this article sheds light on how social media can enable users to experience a sense of belonging to local, regional and global communities through multi-level interaction with similar others. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-19T22:34:34Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-aff4b53043fa46919e7fb64aa01ff512 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2205-3166 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-19T22:34:34Z |
| publishDate | 2019-07-01 |
| publisher | The Japan Foundation, Sydney |
| record_format | Article |
| series | New Voices in Japanese Studies |
| spelling | doaj.art-aff4b53043fa46919e7fb64aa01ff5122022-12-21T20:03:15ZengThe Japan Foundation, SydneyNew Voices in Japanese Studies2205-31662019-07-0111749810.21159/nvjs.11.04A Sense of Communal Belonging in Digital Space: The Case of the 3.11 DisasterSonja Petrovic0The University of MelbourneThis article aims to examine the role of social media in disaster communication and its potential to foster a sense of communal belonging through shared emotional connection, using the case study of the 3.11 disaster in Japan. The 2011 triple disaster had profound implications for new interactions among individuals, as the earthquake not only brought destruction to the surrounding environment, but also reconfigured many people’s sense of place, security and communal belonging. I argue that, in a post-disaster context, social media had substantial implications for individuals’ perceptions of belonging to local and regional communities, as it introduced new dimensions and forms of interaction among individuals, regardless of temporal and spatial barriers. Qualitatively approached, this study examines the evolving potential of social media to serve as space where individuals can experience and express closeness in time of crisis, creating and maintaining new forms of affective communities in digital space. Based on in-depth interviews and social media data from Japan that relates to the 3.11 disaster, this article sheds light on how social media can enable users to experience a sense of belonging to local, regional and global communities through multi-level interaction with similar others.https://newvoices.org.au/volume-11/a-sense-of-communal-belonging-in-digital-space-the-case-of-the-3-11-disasterJapan3.11Tohokuaffective communitiescommunal belongingcontemporarydigital spacedisastermulti-level interactionsocial media |
| spellingShingle | Sonja Petrovic A Sense of Communal Belonging in Digital Space: The Case of the 3.11 Disaster New Voices in Japanese Studies Japan 3.11 Tohoku affective communities communal belonging contemporary digital space disaster multi-level interaction social media |
| title | A Sense of Communal Belonging in Digital Space: The Case of the 3.11 Disaster |
| title_full | A Sense of Communal Belonging in Digital Space: The Case of the 3.11 Disaster |
| title_fullStr | A Sense of Communal Belonging in Digital Space: The Case of the 3.11 Disaster |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Sense of Communal Belonging in Digital Space: The Case of the 3.11 Disaster |
| title_short | A Sense of Communal Belonging in Digital Space: The Case of the 3.11 Disaster |
| title_sort | sense of communal belonging in digital space the case of the 3 11 disaster |
| topic | Japan 3.11 Tohoku affective communities communal belonging contemporary digital space disaster multi-level interaction social media |
| url | https://newvoices.org.au/volume-11/a-sense-of-communal-belonging-in-digital-space-the-case-of-the-3-11-disaster |
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