Thoughts on Discord (W7)

 I found it coincidental that one of the tools for this week is Discord. I've been using Discord since around 2016, almost exclusively for video games. Back then, it was mostly just a way to talk with friends as we played games, but even now, despite all the new features (video chat, screen sharing, streaming, and bots, etc.), at its core, Discord remains a messaging platform. That’s part of what makes it so unique.

This became especially clear to me during our community observation assignment, where I spent time in two esports Discord servers: Fnatic and G2. Both are European professional esports organizations with dedicated servers and tens of thousands of members. While both servers offered similar technical features, my experience in each was drastically different.

When I was actively participating in the Fnatic server, it really did feel like a community. There were ongoing conversations, inside jokes, and a genuine sense of belonging. In contrast, my time in the G2 server, where I lurked, felt more like looking in on a crowded lobby. The difference wasn't just how I engaged, but how the platform allowed for those differences to exist.

In my assignment feedback, I was asked, “Do you think your experiences would have been different if you had joined communities on other platforms?” My answer is absolutely. Discord’s structure encourages consistent, low-barrier engagement. You don’t have to post a picture or write a formal post like you would on Reddit or Facebook. You just jump into the chat. Plus, the ability to use a gamertag instead of your real name lowered the stakes and made me feel more at ease. That anonymity can be a double-edged sword, but in the right community, it creates a space where people feel comfortable expressing themselves.

Discord’s power lies in its simplicity - it doesn’t try to be everything. Although it's slowly expanding its features, it still thrives on its roots: real-time, text-based conversation among people with shared interests. And sometimes, that’s all you need to build a strong community.

Have you used Discord in the past? What are your thoughts on the platform?


Comments

  1. LydiaJune 26, 2025 at 12:07 PM

    Hi Jack!
    I've only ever used discord a handful of times, but all of my cousins and friends who play video games LOVE discord! I think it's a great way to promote and foster a community, and I'm glad you got to experience that in your community assignment! Do you think there's a way that discord could work in an educational setting?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. JackJune 27, 2025 at 8:44 AM

      Hey Lydia!
      I think Discord can work in an educational setting, but there needs to some ground rules. I think the biggest thing would be that everyone would need to edit their profile name to be their true identity. There would also need to be an agreement with how people use the Discord server. Things can get pretty hectic if things are unregulated, especially in an educational setting.
      Discord servers could serve as the class GroupMe or WhatsApp - it's whatever the professor prefers.

      Delete
  2. StephenJune 26, 2025 at 4:16 PM

    Hello Jack,

    I've used Discord particularly as a way for me to engage with game or software developers. It's an interactive way to see a developer's road map and also give them feedback on their product. Also, when a new mod or update is released, people give tips how to install and tweak settings. There's a lovely community called Flatscreen 2 VR Modding Community, where people mod 2D and convert it into VR experiences. To me, Discord is all about tinkering and quick feedback.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. JackJune 27, 2025 at 8:46 AM

      Hey Stephen,
      I've been in Discord servers that do the same thing - feature guides on how to install/update games.
      You are absolutely right, Discord is all about quick feedback. I think that's what makes it so easy for people to use. It's all quick texting back and forth.

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

1st Memory of Social Media (Post 2)

 Oh man this is throwing it WAY back to my time in 7th grade (2011/2012). Facebook dominated 6th grade and was still quite popular but Instagram was on the rise. The really fortunate kids in my grade had iPhones. I was not one of them so I had to settle with my iPod.  I remember being SO hesitant and afraid to make an Instagram account. The thought of making an account, sending friend requests, waiting to see if people considered me their friends, and then MAYBE posting photos or videos of myself was nerve-wracking. This was different to Xbox Live and video games where people gathered to play specific games (which I was much accustomed to); this was connecting with other people for connection's sake. What would I post about? How would people react? How many likes would I get? Eventually, I did muster up the courage to send friend requests. I kept it to mainly the people I interacted with the most at school and waited for others I didn't know to send me requests first. As for m...
Read more

Lurkers and Free Riders (W3)

I thought the third discussion topic from this week would be a good place for me to start my week's blogs. It also hits home for me. Free riders, as Clay Shirky describes, are people who benefit from online content while not contributing themselves. "Lurkers," people who observe and rarely or never interact with other users, can be lumped into this category. While they’re sometimes criticized, I think lurkers an inherent part of how the Internet works, now more than ever. I’ve always been more of a lurker. I used to post stories and photos on Instagram (see my second blog post), but over time, I started feeling anxious about like counts and who was watching. That pressure eventually made posting feel more exhausting than rewarding. These days, I mostly scroll through Reddit, X, and YouTube, especially to follow esports and professional wrestling. Even on Reddit, where I’ve posted a bit more, I’ve probably made fewer than 50 comments in total. In my experience, lurking hap...
Read more

Bruns (2011) thoughts so far (W2 Reading)

I'm halfway through reading the Bruns (2011) article and before I started the C5C half of the article, I felt the need to make a blog post about it. It's quite incredible (to me, at least) that this article was written in 2011. Reading through the first half,  I felt like it was written within the past 5 years. Now, more than ever, I believe the Internet users are true "produsers." There's so much opportunity now for collaboration on anything and everything! I wonder if Bruns (and others) had any idea of what potential Web 2.0 and produsers had back then. How would Bruns react to reading his article now? One part I really liked in the first half of the article was on page five. Bruns (2011) writes, "it [produsage]  also has historical connections to pre-commercial models of scientific research and other ideals of open intellectual engagement in academia as well as the civil society beyond." This quote stuck out to me. What does the Internet and produsage...
Read more