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Young Swedes flock to virtual communities7 November 2005
The internet is increasingly becoming a meeting place for young people, often replacing traditional ways of communication. One example is the hugely popular Lunarstorm virtual community in Sweden. |
Lunarstorm is the biggest site of its kind in Sweden with about one million members, including 80% of Swedes aged 12-24. On average, more than 360,000 users log on every day to chat with friends, read and write diaries, or get advice. Around five million messages are posted every 24 hours.
Other features now include clubs, classmate directories, friend (and enemy) lists, music and movies, and a reputation system that enables members to vote on each others' profiles, diaries and lists.
Following the tsunami disaster in December 2004, Lunarstorm became an important meeting place for emotional support and planning actions. While thousands of Swedes were missing in the disaster area, people at home were using Lunarstorm to exchange information, share emotions, and organise charity actions.
The site has also received some negative media attention, in particular regarding some cases of 'grooming' and young teenagers posting sexually explicit photos of themselves.
Like most Swedish online communities, LunarWorks, the company that runs the website, belongs to BitoS, an industry organisation that sets standards for ethical behaviour.
LunarWorks has introduced some new safety rules and tools for users. Members can now block text messages and all photos posted on the website need to be approved by a Lunarstorm support team. Lunarstorm also suspend accounts which are being misused, and deletes content which could be considered harmful or inappropriate.
Lunarstorm is planning to launch an English language site in the UK on 15 November 2005.
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