Facebook is now the largest social network platform in the digital media age with more than 500 million active users around the world (Harlow 2011). There are options for users to click ‘like’ for Facebook content or respond to a comment. Users can also cite links to videos, photos and texts in their comments. Harlow (2011) says these Facebook’s features are interactive which also serve to “attract attention from users, further contributing to online participation and, eventually, offline participation.” However, there are arguments around whether only virtual interaction could build trust among participants in the scholarly field (Diani in Harlow, 2011).
MasterChef Australia, which has reached one million Facebook fans recently, could be a good example to analyze how people communicate on Facebook. MasterChef Australia is a light entertainment chef competing TV program. It uploads video clips of shows and updates news and information on its Facebook home page to engage with fans. Links to other video clips from its YouTube Channel and online news articles from its website are cited into comments on Facebook. For the current activity of applying for MasterChef Australia 2013 on its Facebook home page, more than one thousand people like this activity. There are eighty seven comments such as “will MasterChef 2013 move to Melbourne” and “how to get free tickets to the show”. Both MasterChef Facebook team and MasterChef Live are communicating with people via answering questions or giving suggestions to candidates. MasterChef Australia even asks its Facebook fans to leave questions about MasterChef 2012 champion Andy Allen, who recently published his book The Next Element, for its show which has attracted almost three hundreds of comments.
MasterChef Australia is taking advantage of social network site Facebook to build its brand. On the other hand, virtual interaction on Facebook, in my view, can promote trust among users. According to Harlow’s research which is based on depth interviews and content analysis, online Facebook activity of high-frequency posters also can be translated into offline participation. Therefore, the activity of applying for MasterChef Australia 2013 on its Facebook has the potential to attract more candidates.
Reference:
Harlow, S 2012, ‘Social mediaand justice movements: Facebook and an online Guatemalan Justice movement that moved offline’, New Media and Socity, 14(2): 225-243.
dongyanwang 