Discord is a platform that initially gained popularity among the community of video gamers. I was already acknowledged with this server before universities started to use it as a part of education because my friends and I used to talk to each other in voice channels. We often chat there, send pictures and photos while speaking, and share the screens while explaining something (the same is done while using it during distance learning). Thus, it is a handy platform where one can do nearly everything.
Concerning the structure, in Discord, notable roles can be established for all members of the created server. For instance, distinct roles can be created for administrators and moderators, active members, and the rest (Hornshaw, 2020). Relationships between members using the same channel can be of two types. Eighter friendly (all are equal), and they joined the same server to chat or play videogames, or official (there is a moderator or a teacher in the head), and they are managing work or studies there. Interestingly, both types of relationships are natural to Discord because it has many functions, and there is possible to create many channels with the same people, so different parts of a project can be separated to preserve the structure.
From my perspective, the Discord server is more democratic than not. For instance, there is a “Discord Street,” a website, where open channels are described with the invitation to join. Thus, everyone can find people with the same interests, a democratic feature, just like joining political parties. Moreover, not only the moderator can mute noisy members or even block them, but everyone. However, a member can mute another, so no one will hear him, or minimize the volume of his voice, so only this member (who decided to mute) will not hear another. Therefore, it is not necessary to wait for the decisions of the channel’s creator; members can unite, discuss, and take action on their own.
Reference
Hornshaw, P. (2020). What is Discord?. Digital Trends.