Digital neighbourhoods: social media's role in cohesion or division

Join Professor of Internet Studies, Tama Leaver; disability youth advocate, Layne Dixon; and administrator of The Gee Spot community Facebook page, Angie Harper for an insightful panel discussion as we explore the role of social media in shaping our digital neighbourhoods. Together, we’ll dive into how these platforms can foster connection, enhance well-being, and create healthier, happier communities.

About the panellists:

Layne Dixon:
Layne is proudly disabled and queer. They work in the activism space, using storytelling to challenge perceptions of disability. Layne is currently establishing their own business focused on simplifying digital accessibility marketing. They are also working with the Youth Disability Advocacy Network to explore how media influences public perceptions of disability. Layne regularly attends networking events to educate others that disability exists in many forms and that accessibility is about far more than just a wheelchair entrance into a venue.

Angie Harper:
Angie Harper is an experienced online community administrator who has moderated large Facebook groups for nearly a decade, including the Gee Spot (4,800 members across Willagee and neighbouring suburbs) and the largest tennis discussion group in Australia (almost 6,000 members). A mother of six adult children, nursing student and business owner, Angie offers a grounded perspective on what makes digital communities thrive, how to manage conflict constructively, and why thoughtful moderation matters more than ever.

Tama Leaver:
Tama Leaver is a Professor of Internet Studies at Curtin University in Perth, Western Australia. He's a regular media commentator, a Chief Investigator in the ARC Centre of Excellence for the Digital Child, a former president of the Association of Internet Researchers (AoIR). His research interests include children’s data, privacy and rights in an online world, including the impact of artificial intelligence on children; visual social media; the activity and regulation of big social media companies, especially in Australia; and the social, casual and mobile gaming landscape. Tama has received teaching awards from the University of Western Australia, Curtin University, and in 2012 received a national Australian Award for Teaching Excellence in the Humanities and the Arts.

This event is a Community Cohesion initiative funded through the Australian Library and Information Association, in partnership with the Office for Social Cohesion and supported by the Australian Public Library Alliance.