Affinity spaces, literacies and classrooms: tensions and opportunities

• Published in: Literacy (Oxford, England) England), 2018-09, Vol.52 (3), p.145-152
• Main Authors: Magnifico, Alecia Marie, Lammers, Jayne C., Fields, Deborah A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: affinity spaces; audience; Audiences; Classroom Techniques; Communicative Competence (Languages); Computer Mediated Communication; Creativity; Criticism; digital composition; digital literacies; digital media; digital pedagogy; Intervention; Learner Engagement; Learning Theories; Literacy; Literacy Education; Multiple Literacies; Student Participation; Teaching Methods; User generated content
• ISSN: 1741-4350; 1741-4369
• DOI: 10.1111/lit.12133

Building communicative competence in textual and multimodal literacies has become a linchpin of learning, of engagement with the world, and of participation in online and blended spaces. Young creators now compose online and with digital tools, often in what we call “user‐generated content affinity spaces” – interest‐based spaces that focus on creating and sharing self‐made content. Such spaces focus on processes of developing users' creations and sharing the products with an audience. These spaces have been inspirations for teachers to reinvigorate classroom practices and expose students to learning opportunities for creation and critique. But questions remain about models of participation in such spaces, especially those that idealise youth who are the most highly engaged while ignoring those whose participation is less visible. Here, we share three experiences of bringing user‐generated content affinity spaces into more formal learning environments and reflect on the tensions emerging from these efforts. We end by outlining steps to develop theory and interventions to navigate tensions and propel the field forward.