[OPLIN 4cast] OPLIN 4Cast #675: The summer of Discord

[OPLIN OPLIN]

Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser.
<http://www.oplin.org/4cast/>
[image: OPLIN 4Cast]

OPLIN 4Cast #675: The summer of Discord
July 1st, 2020

[image: Teen with headset playing a computer game] My teenage son has been
using the chat/voice app Discord for some time, in order to communicate
with his gaming buddies and even some of his non-gaming friends. In fact,
it is now his communication channel of choice for at least one or two
friends who aren't gamers at all. Considering that Discord's roots are
firmly in the gaming realm, this says a great deal about how far it has
come. And, this week, the news proves it: Discord is firmly planting itself
elsewhere.

   -
   - Discord is rebranding to shift away from gaming
   <https://www.engadget.com/discord-rebranding-151953314.html> [Engadget]
   "In a blog post published on Tuesday, the company announced it's changing
   its focus to make its software into a place where anyone can find a
   community, create their own chat sever and talk to their friends, whether
   they're into gaming or not."
   - Discord Was Once The Alt-Right’s Favorite Chat App. Now It’s Gone
   Mainstream And Scored A New $3.5 Billion Valuation
   <https://www.forbes.com/sites/abrambrown/2020/06/30/discord-was-once-the-alt-rights-favorite-chat-app-now-its-gone-mainstream-and-scored-a-new-35-billion-valuation/#25538578b6b2>
   [Forbes] "It’s a bit discordant to think about Discord being used by
   Santibanez and other Black Lives Matter activists. The ironically named
   communication app started its life attracting far, far different crowds. It
   was founded in 2015 to make it easier for gamers to talk while playing
   video games and gained notoriety as a home for the Alt-Right two years
   later when white supremacists used it to orchestrate that summer’s
   Charlottesville protests. Caught largely unaware, Discord only worked to
   expel the racist groups after the protests ended with 34 people injured and
   a woman dead, mowed down by a car. "
   - Discord launches 'Your Place to Talk' initiative with new website &
   more
   <https://www.shacknews.com/article/118958/discord-launches-your-place-to-talk-initiative-with-new-website-more>
   [Shack News] "As a result of the expanding audience using Discord for a
   variety of gatherings and interests, Discord is aiming to become a more
   reliable service to everyday users, gamer or not."
   - How Libraries Can Use Discord and Twitch
   <https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/blogs/the-scoop/libraries-can-use-discord-twitch/>
   [American Libraries] "Libraries that use Discord for programming most often
   use it for games and gaming-related programs as well as to host book clubs
   or roleplaying games like Dungeons and Dragons. "

*From the Ohio Web Library <http://ohioweblibrary.org>:*

   - Gaming Services Like Twitch, Discord Are Booming
   <https://proxy.oplin.org:2111/login.aspx?direct=true&db=buh&AN=142514707&site=ehost-live>
   (Kharif, O. (2020). Gaming Services Like Twitch, Discord Are Booming.
   *Bloomberg.Com*, N.PAG.)
   - Discord: The $2 Billion Gamer's Paradise Coming To Terms With Data
   Thieves, Child Groomers And FBI Investigators
   <https://proxy.oplin.org:2111/login.aspx?direct=true&db=buh&AN=134353588&site=ehost-live>(Brewster,
   T. (2019). Discord: The $2 Billion Gamer’s Paradise Coming To Terms With
   Data Thieves, Child Groomers And FBI Investigators. *Forbes.Com*, 9.)
   - Pandemic Forces Programs to Move Online: Libraries adapt quickly to
   the crisis
   <https://proxy.oplin.org:2111/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ulh&AN=143591347&site=ehost-live>
   (Ford, A. (2020). Pandemic Forces Programs to Move Online: Libraries adapt
   quickly to the crisis. *American Libraries*, *51*(6), 14.)

------------------------------
The *OPLIN 4cast* is a weekly compilation of recent headlines, topics, and
trends that could impact public libraries. You can subscribe to it in a
variety of ways, such as:

   - *RSS feed.* You can receive the OPLIN 4cast via RSS feed by
   subscribing to the following URL:
   http://www.oplin.org/4cast/index.php/?feed=rss2.
   - *E-mail.* You can have the OPLIN 4cast delivered via e-mail (a'la
   OPLINlist and OPLINtech) by subscribing to the 4cast mailing list at
   http://lists.oplin.org/mailman/listinfo/OPLIN4cast.

© 2020 Ohio Public Library Information Network
[image: Find us on Slideshare] <http://www.slideshare.net/oplin>  [image:
Find us on Facebook] <http://www.facebook.com/oplin.org>  [image: Find us
on Google+] <https://plus.google.com/107751358238995507967>  [image: Find
us on Twitter] <http://www.twitter.com/oplin>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.oplin.org/pipermail/oplin4cast/attachments/20200701/65354403/attachment.htm>