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What is the Lost-TV online community? / What makes it a �community�?

 

But first, what is Lost?

 

To understand the origins and purpose of the Lost-TV community, it is first necessary to understand the show itself.� In particular, it is important to realize that Lost directly encourages active viewer participation.

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How does Lost do this?� For one thing, each Lost episode introduces mysteries and questions that it does not immediately answer.� There are smaller mysteries presented throughout each episode, and then there is the overarching mystery of the show (what is the island and what are the characters� purposes on the island?).� After each episode, viewers are left to try to solve these mysteries by piecing together clues and brainstorming creative theories.

 

When answers are provided, they are often very ambiguous.� This ambiguity �compels viewers to take an active approach and engage in computer-mediated discussions online in order to clarify and interpret the televisual messages.� (Livelsberger 17).� Viewers must actively interpret the show for themselves in order to fully understand its content, and they often consult each other to learn of additional, alternate interpretations.

 

The show further encourages active participation by presenting its storylines in a fragmented fashion.� There is the main storyline on the island, as well as character �flashbacks� and �flashfowards� that chronicle stories from throughout the characters� lives.� Each episode can potentially switch multiple times between these storylines.�

 

Through the many questions, ambiguous answers, and fragmented storytelling, Lost is presented as a puzzle that begs to be pieced together.� It is as though the producers of the show challenge the viewers to explain show�s mysteries, and the most devoted fans take on this challenge in full force.� Most importantly, the majority of viewers turn this challenge into a social experience; they turn to others to declare their theories and help each other assemble the pieces of the puzzle.

 

To see an example of the mysterious nature of Lost, you can view the clip below, from the end of the pilot (premiere) episode:

 

(A bit of background for the video:  A plane crashes on a deserted tropical island, leaving 48 survivors.  They try to send a distress signal using a transceiver from the airplane, but unfortunately the transceiver does not work from the beach.  A small group brings the transceiver to higher ground to try again, which is where this clip picks up.)

 

 

This clip is emblematic of the show in that it raises many questions and ends on a cliffhanger.  In particular, it ends with the question �Where are we?� a question that becomes one of the central mysteries of the show.  By raising provocative questions and then cutting off, the show encourages viewers to continue the discussion amongst themselves.

 

Due to the level of commitment the show requires, Lost fans are a notoriously dedicated (some would say obsessed) group.� To get a sense of the scale of Lost fandom, you can view the parody of Lost fans from The Onion, posted below.  The video pokes fun at Lost fans for spending all of their time theorizing while neglecting their �real,� everyday lives.  While the video is of course an exaggeration, it is accurate in pointing out that Lost fans love to discuss the show and are extremely dedicated to solving the show�s mysteries.� Lost is not the only television show to have a devoted fanbase, but as suggested by this parody, the level of devotion of its fans is far from average.

 

 

 

The Lost-TV forum, and what makes it a �community�

 

The Lost-TV forum, like other Lost-themed websites, is a place where fans of the show can congregate and discuss ideas.� The purpose of the site is explained in this post, designed to help orient new members:

 

 

As explained above, the Lost-TV forum is a place for learning about the show, contributing thoughts, asking questions, and speculating about the show�s mysteries.� The format of the site, which allows members to post their ideas and respond to the posts of others, creates a virtual space where enthusiastic fans can converse.

 

The Lost-TV forum is not just a conglomeration of Lost fans and posts, however, but a community.� What exactly bestows the forum with the status of �community�?

 

First, the Lost-TV forum has a regular set of members that inhabit a shared space on the internet.� These members frequently contribute to the site to the point where members can often begin to associate certain ideas and personalities with each other.� Of course, any internet user can visit the site and read through the posts, but the community itself consists of the regular members who spend enough time at the site to become acquainted with the site�s other members, customs, and ideologies.

 

Another factor that contributes to the sense of community is the shared experience of members of the site.� The weekly showing of Lost synchronizes the community; because almost all members watch the show live and never miss an episode (as indicated by responses in this thread), the members of the site experience the thrills of the show together.� Members feel grief at the same time when a beloved character is killed, and joy when separated characters finally reunite.� They experience confusion in unison when a new mystery is introduced, and satisfaction when a long-standing mystery is finally solved.� All of the site�s members are united by the shared experience and weekly ritual of sitting down and watching the hour-long show.

 

The members of the Lost-TV forum are further united by the shared language that is used to discuss the show.� This language is summarized on the site itself, in threads entitled �Lost-TV Dictionary� and �The Updated Lost-TV Dictionary...now with muffins.�� An excerpt of the updated dictionary is displayed below:

 

 

As this excerpt shows, there are terms that can be universally understood by internet users (ex. �FTW� and �IIRC�) and Lost fans (ex. �Evie� and �Foxy,� two actors from the show).� There are also terms specific to the Lost-TV forum.� Terms such as �EZHack� evoke the history of the forum, and terms such as �ILFed� refer to specific forum members.� Together, these terms constitute a sort of language that only members of the forum can understand.� The language develops naturally to explain unusual events that unfold on the show and on the message boards, and the coined terms serve to provide the community with a unique identity.

 

As a result of its regular set of members, the shared experience of these members and the shared language, the Lost-TV forum can be described as a rich and multifaceted community.� It is debatable, however, whether the community is real or imagined.� It is an �imagined community� in that its members imagine themselves as part of a group; there is no physical Lost-TV locale where members can interact face-to-face (Anderson 6).� However, it may be that �the distinction of real and imagined or virtual community is not a useful one� (Wilson & Peterson 456).� The Lost-TV forum has real members who engage in real interactions, though the interactions are always mediated by the internet.� Consequently, it may be best to describe the Lost-TV community as both real and virtual.