Virtual Communities
Where do you find community when there is a global pandemic?
By Shannon Brault
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought a whole new meaning to what a community can be. With the absence of in-person experiences ranging from concerts to movie nights with friends, many have taken to virtual communities on social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok, that offer companionship and advice in a time that is otherwise quite lonely for many people.
For a while in quarantine, I got back into YouTube and kept up with all the YouTube drama and updates. I would binge watch different YouTubers, and then when I got sick of that, I would turn to some trashy reality TV shows and the subreddits about them. While I found some community there, there wasn’t a long term appeal since I shared only one interest with the people on the page, and it was an interest that wasn’t a fundamental part of who I am. The two places that have truly acted as a catalyst for community building during these COVID-19 times have been Instagram and TikTok.
I’ve had Instagram for many years, and while scrolling through people’s vacation pictures worked for me for a while, it just doesn’t anymore. If I’m on Instagram, I’m either reposting news that I think people need to know, or I’m going to the virtual communities I have found for advice, reassurance, and companionship. My personal favorite community surrounds the account iWeigh.
iWeigh was started by English actress Jameela Jamil two years ago to try and create a safe and inclusive space on social media. It’s about brick-by-brick activism and making a small difference in large numbers, introducing people to new voices, artists, activists, and movements, and I find a great deal of confidence and comfort in the community that has been made. While there are posts about general activism, there is a focus on body image activism and mental health activism. There are not a lot of truly safe spaces for people to talk about body image, body dysmorphia, and the myriad of related issues, as well as the institutions which perpetuate these harmful ideas to profit off of people’s insecurities. I have struggled with body image for a huge portion of my life, and iWeigh gives me a sense of importance. It’s about weighing yourself not in pounds but in your experiences: the way you treat others, how many times you laugh in a day, how many times you make others smile, and how brave you are.
If I really need a good laugh or cry, I go to TikTok. Since TikTok curates your interests in your “For You” page, there is always comfort there. There are different “sides” of TikTok that you are put into depending on your interests and what you interact with on the app. If you are on a certain “side” of TikTok, you will be shown videos about the topic of that side (for example, if you like and comment on dog videos, you will be on dog TikTok). These sides, if accurate to your interests and values, provide community and support
I’m on different sides of TikTok that each have their own community. I’m on Alt TikTok (which makes me know that my emo phase was indeed not a phase), the side of TikTok manifesting AOC to be president in 2024, Astrology TikTok, Deep Talk TikTok, Mental Health TikTok, Dog TikTok, and Tarot Card TikTok, but my favorite side of TikTok is Gay TikTok.
People on the app debate over whether Gay TikTok or Straight TikTok is better, and without any doubt, Gay TikTok is the place to be. Gay TikTok is a place where members of the LGBTQ+ community can speak about their struggles, stories, and viewpoints. While their videos are public, their videos only reach people also on Gay TikTok through the “For You” page. If you look in the comment sections on Straight TikTok, you will see mean comments, and people bullying one another. Gay TikTok is welcoming, inclusive, and genuinely a community of people who support and uplift one another. There are always funny and relatable videos on my “For You” page from the myriad of sides of TikTok that I am on, but Gay TikTok remains my favorite.
iWeigh on Instagram and the different sides of TikTok have been a reminder to me that I am indeed not alone in these extraordinary times, or even in my normal, everyday struggles. Sometimes it is easy to forget that we have people in our life that are there for us when we need them, but these communities are a quick reminder that no matter how alone we feel in this life, we are indeed not alone in anything. Opening up and relating to people is how I feel less alone in times of stress and uncertainty, and TikTok and Instagram have been ways in which I am able to connect with others.