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Community interaction no longer exists only in physical places.

Local Facebook groups, comment sections and online debates have become digital third spaces where belonging, identity, humour, nostalgia and conflict are performed publicly.

This section explores how Blairgowrie exists online.

belonging

Who is considered local? Who gets accepted? Who gets questioned? Digital discussions often reveal hidden social boundaries.

development debates

Discussions surrounding supermarkets, tourism, housing and local change often become debates about identity itself.

facebook as place

Local groups function similarly to pubs, streets and cafés: spaces where people gather, observe and interact.

humour + performance

Online interaction often becomes theatrical. Sarcasm, local references and in-jokes shape digital community culture.

nostalgia

Shared memories and photographs are constantly used to reinforce ideas about what the town used to be and what it should remain.

observation

Digital spaces reveal tensions and emotions that are not always visible face-to-face.

FIELD NOTE /// LOCAL FACEBOOK GROUP

A discussion about development quickly shifts away from buildings and towards identity, belonging and ownership of place. People defend not only the town itself, but their position within it.