Date of Award
2010
Thesis Access
WSU Access Only (1 year) Honors Thesis
Thesis Location
Honors College Thesis
Degree Name
B.A.
Department
English
Faculty Advisor
Janet Langlois
Abstract
With members around the world, The Little Room message board is an online community that transcends any digital confines. In this paper, I propose that The Little Room is a multifaceted folk group brought together initially by a mutual fascination with the White Stripes and a shared desire to discuss them, a focus their community now ultimately surpasses. Far from simple ritual chatting about the band, self-dubbed Little Roomers create their own traditions, work on their own projects, and share their own folk knowledge—both on the web and off. They also often meet each other in person, redefining the terms of their relationships and what it means to have friends from the Internet. The existence of The Little Room folk group shows that the Internet of today is not merely an “information superhighway” or a pathway to purely virtual existence. The Internet has been incorporated into the lives of its users so seamlessly that the folklore and folk groups created through online interactions are just as valid as the folk patterns of traditional “in person” interactions.
Recommended Citation
Nuccilli, Maria T., "Developing Digital Culture: The White Stripes, Fans, and Folklife on The Little Room Message" (2010). Honors College Theses. 91.
https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/honorstheses/91