Virtual Micronesia: Performance and Participation in a Pacific Facebook Community

Abstract

This article examines the 'Stars of Micronesia' Facebook community and popular performance contest that ran continuously from August to November 2013. Examining its music and the participatory culture made available through social media, this study explores the role of online performances in negotiating conventional Pacific boundaries and in forging cultural networks in online musical environments. The case of the SOM demonstrates that participants have drawn largely on global musical practices as a means of creating an inclusive community that crosses cultural and national boundaries. Examining online performances and musical engagement on the site I contend that Islanders from Micronesia may be forging identities through music and social media that challenge conventional representations of this Pacific region and its people.