Playing Online in Caring Communities

People participate in online communities for a myriad of reasons, including social support, finding and maintaining friendships, and exploring facets of their identity. Additionally, and importantly, these online communities are places for people to spend their leisure time and have fun. In this talk, I explore how different playful communities leverage technology, such as social media or games, as a place for support and care. I present two case studies including a community for autistic youth that uses Minecraft and the musicians BTS’s fandom community, ARMY, that uses a myriad of social media. I will discuss how playfulness on social technology holds a key role in facilitating access to community support and can bridge virtual and physical worlds in everyday life.