practicum post #2 - jen

As I've continued writing on the 90210 message board, it occurred to me not only how fun it is reading the posts of the people who take this stuff really seriously but also how this message board really allows people to feel part of something - a virtual community as Watson would call it. Watson said that virtual communities are social aggregations that emerge from the net when enough people carry on public discussions long enough with sufficient human feeling, to form webs of personal relationships in cyberspace. Thus, virtual community would fit the description of this 90210 message board.

One of the topics that was posted on this site 3 days ago was "happy anniversary bh 90210." Exactly 20 years ago from 10/4, 90210 first premiered on TV. I think it is amazing how 20 years later this show is still on TV everyday. This illustrates not only how it was a huge success but also how the issues discussed are still very much relevant to today's times. It also shows how people from different generations are coming together and talking about this show in different ways everyday. This show has brought together people of many different ages all who are fans of 90210 which has allowed them to form a virtual community where they've created a safe space for the expression of fan emotion.