Georgie's Blog

Digital Communities

[100176846-blog]

Global social media: case study China

Like many others I thought that China was missing out on social media... I have never been to China before but the people that I do know that have gone have always talked about it is hard to contact people from home because Facebook is not allowed in China. However they do have social media but they have platforms that are not well known outside of China (Swinburne Online 2015). In fact the country has the most active social media population in the world with 91 percent of people that were questioned saying they had logged on within the last six months (Chiu, Lin & Silverman 2012).

(Social Media in China 2011)

This image shows the Social media sites that are banned in China and the ones that are not. I like many others have never seen the sites that are popular to use as social media in China. 

Chiu, Lin & Silverman (2012) state that "Social media is exploding worldwide, and China is leading the way." I do not find this statement true. Yes, china has more people on their social media platforms than the rest of the world, but they are limiting themselves, they do not join in on the rest of the worlds social media platforms therefore can not be interacting and learning other things from other cultures or keep in contact with other people around the world. They also have not taken advantage of marketing and advertising online as much as other countries around the world so businesses are missing out on what seems to be an easy way to get your product or service out there (Crampton 2011).

Finding out that China does in fact use social media and it is extremely popular was a big surprise to be, I think the fact that they can ban the likes of Facebook, Twitter and youtube is holding them back not making them lead the way. 

Reference List-

Chiu, C, Lin, D & Silverman, A 2012, China's social-media boom, McKinsey & Company, viewed 8 February 2015, <http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/marketing_sales/chinas_social-media_boom>.

Crampton, T 2011, 'Social media in China: The same, but differen't, China Business Review, Vol. 38, no. 1, pp 28-31, viewed 8 February 2015, <http://www.thomascrampton.com/china/social-media-china-business-review/>.

Social Media in China 2011, viewed 8 February 2015, <http://www.bysoftchina.com/blog/trends/social-media-in-china/23>. 

Swinburne Online 2015, week 11:Global social media: case study China, Viewed 8 February 2015, <https://ilearn.swin.edu.au/bbcswebdav/pid-4566096-dt-content-rid-23613292_2/courses/2014-SO3-MDA20009-200988/UnitLearningMaterials/Week_11-content.html>.

[abbeymmda20009-blog-blog]

One of the many Candy Crush invites which has disturbed my zenful state… (Munro 2014)

“[insert name of Facebook friend here] has invited you to play Candy Crush Saga”

These words irritate me beyond belief. Every. Single. Time.

I’m not an online gamer. I never have been an online gamer. I...

[100176846-blog]

Great post, looks like you spent a lot of time on this one and the images you used really made me stop and reading what you were blogging about.

[chelseatumbelings-blog]

Blog post #8

China

China is a vast nation with many different levels of law persecution and freedoms. One district that shows the most similarities with the west is recently reunified Hong Kong. The citizens once used to western style freedoms of speech and economy are feeling the oppression of china and using social media and digital community based tools to muster and organize. The movement Occupy was directly associated with the movement and protest for the 2014 umbrella revolution. The vast network of communications was attempted to be halted with Instagram and other media platforms being suspended during the protests (Beech 2014). 

The internet is a closely monitored tool of communication in china and there oppressive and effective government utilize it to spin information and statistics regarding the welfare and state of the country. The Chinese government alter the school curriculum to reflect the propaganda

In china the government impose strict controls on users of social media enforcing rules like real name and Id for Weibo (Facebook equivalent) since 2012 and just recently has widespread ID been enforced(Fern Tay 2015). 

While educated and willing users can attempt to circumnavigate the great firewall the providers of VPN access have troubles and are constantly attacked and network slowed by government. With a 557 million people accessing mobile devices the prospect of control is a constant issue for China(Fern Tay 2015).

While it is important to have social order in China, the country wants and needs more freedoms. China government is struggling to get its citizens to remain censored and controlled, it will be an interesting future as the usual people of oppression like Tibet’s villagers  or poor rural mothers don’t have the voices that social communities and digital media has given Hong Kong citizens (Amnesty International USA 2015).

References

Amnesty International USA, 2015, ‘Annual Report: China 2013’, viewed 7 February, 2015, <http://www.amnestyusa.org/research/reports/annual-report-china-2013?page=show>.

Beech, H 2014, ‘Hong Kong Stands Up’, TIME.com, viewed 7 February, 2015, <http://time.com/3453736/hong-kong-stands-up/>.

Fern Tay, H 2015, ‘China increases internet censorship, disrupts VPN providers’, ABC News, viewed 7 February, 2015, <http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-02-06/china-tightens-its-grip-on-the-internet/6067990>.

Images

Photograph by Xaume Olleros–AFP/Getty Images as displayed on TIME front cover October 2014 

[100176846-blog]

Really like this post, Congrats on finishing all your blog, you have written some really interesting posts 

[digitalcomkarina-deactivated201]

The verbal, physical and social aspects of bullying are very much present, however with the development of the internet comes a change in the environment. Bullying doesn’t stay in the school yard anymore, it can leave school and enter the safety of their homes (Running, 2012). Cyber-bullying...

[100176846-blog]

Thought this was a very interesting Blog post and you discussed may good points about bullying, it is extremely worrying how easy it is to troll people online. Well done on this post

[100176846-blog]

Social Gaming

Gaming has become a big part of the younger generation, children as young as two can be seen playing on an iPad and they know exactly how to make it work. Not only do young children like to play games but with nearly everyone having a smart phone gaming has become something that everyone can get into not only that stereotypical males sitting with their PlayStation. Inventors have recognised that people like playing games especially if they feel like it is also a social experience. 

Tourneau, VP of Game at Zynga stated "Social is the backbone of all of our games; the ability to play with all of your friends. That’s what makes these games stand apart. And it really is the thing that we consider first and foremost whenever we are designing a game" (Swinburne Online, 2015).

Many games have a way to interact with other players, this makes gaming more of a social experience but can also cause issues such trolling. Gaming is meant to be an enjoyable experience where people can even escape from their normal lives but in some cases the virtual world is cruller than the real world. Gaming creators have make terms and conditions of their games, which have a no abuse policy, and encourage positive behaviour on their game. (de Zwart & Humphreys 2014, p. 80)

Even though gaming creators advertise for a no abuse policy for their games it tends the be the new person to the game can become the target of this abuse, some may call it friendly teasing but it can be much more than that. It is hard to manage what is said in a game and like just regular trolling the damage can be done before the victim reports (Boyd, 2014) it or before the managers of the game notice the abuse going on.

It is important to acknowledge that yes when you are in a game it it not the real world, however what is said in that game can have a huge impact on someone life. Social gaming is meant to be fun and inclusive and should be kept that way.

 Reference List 

Boyd, D 2014, 'Bullying: Is the Media Amplifying Meanness and Cruelty?', in It’s Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens, Yale University Press, New Haven, USA, pp 128-52.

de Zwart, M & Humphreys, S 2014,' The Lawless Frontier of Deep Space: Code as Law in EVE Online', Cultural Studies Review, vol. 20, no. 1, pp. 77-99.

Swinburne Online 2015, week 10: Week 10: Social gaming: playing the crowd, Viewed 1 February 2015 <https://ilearn.swin.edu.au/bbcswebdav/pid-4566093-dt-content-rid-23613290_2/courses/2014-SO3-MDA20009-200988/UnitLearningMaterials/Week_10.html>. 

[caseeblogshere]

(Schreiber, 2012)

Crowdsourcing: the practice of combining the knowledge and experiences from a large group of people (Swinburne Online, 2015). There is no doubt that it’s a useful practice, particularly in a disaster situation (Posetti & Lo, 2012). The downfall is the logistics of verifying...

[100176846-blog]

Really enjoyed this post, thought you covered some interesting points. I look forward to reading more of your post in the future

[deon-demouche-blog]

Thinking back over the units we have studied and considering the role visual media and social imaging have played in each of the areas, it is interesting to note the various uses of visual content. Images inspire us, can activate or motivate us, sell things to us and have many more ways of...

[100176846-blog]

Thought this post was well written and It is interesting to see how people think about social imaging and what people like to share online

[abbeymmda20009-blog-blog]

"The many moods of me!" (Kardashian 2014)

I can’t help but wonder what went through Kim’s mind when she posted this montage of her “many moods” on Instagram. I guess it comes down to opinion; I look at these images, and they all look pretty void of emotion. Yet, to Kristie Rohwedder,...

[100176846-blog]

I really liked this blog post, I found it very interesting. I have recently read that people who take a lot of selfies seems to have lower self esteems I wonder if this is true for Kim? Really looking forward to seeing your next post

[100176846-blog]

Social Imaging

Facebook has over 1.35 billion users (The Statistics Portal 2014) with so many of us and people we know using Facebook it is not just about keeping in contact anymore it is about sharing the best parts of our life. With Facebook being a big part of many of our lives when someone tags us in a picture it can cause us anxiety. Know one like being tagged into a photo where they are potentially looking bad or doing something that they do not want all their Facebook friends seeing. "Most young people express ‘degrees of anxiety, concern and fascination with the visual landscapes encountered through Facebook" (Swinburne Online 2015, p.1) You might be sitting there thinking that is crazy that people get anxiety over Facebook, but when that little notification comes up saying you are tagged in a new photo. You just don’t ignore it, you quickly look to see what you are doing in that photo and if you do not like it you quickly remove the tag.

  (Tumblr 2015)

Images and video are now a common way to connect with each other, whether it is sending photos about what we are doing or adding a video to our social media page. Images and videos get many views and create a lot of interest. People love to see what others are doing or looking at, a lot of conversation can be made around images and videos. Brands can be tagged in images so others can easily find out more about a certain product or event Instagram in the main medium for this.

  Snapchat is a relatively new social medium platform but one that many of its users love. Snapchat allows users to send photos to each other that only last up to 10 seconds. Snapchat is extremely popular as there “are no comments displayed on a Snap, no hearts or likes. With ephemerality, communication is done through photos rather than around them” (Herrman 2014, p.1) with no negative comments or worrying about how many likes your photo gets it brings back the fun of social media sharing. It encourages just sending a photo or video to friends and not worrying about being judged communication happens by sending or receiving photos or messages based on a photo being sent. I think Snapchat is a great way to communicate and share images and more social media should be about feeling comfortable infront of the camera rather than causing anxiety among users.

Reference list-

Herrman, J 2014, ‘Meet the Man Who Got Inside Snapchat’s Head’, BuzzFeed, 28 January, viewed 24 September 2014, <http://www.buzzfeed.com/jwherrman/meet-the-unlikely-academic-behind-snapchats-new-pitch#3dlvjg2>.

Swinburne Online 2015, week 9: Visual communities and social imaging, Viewed 24 January 2015 <https://ilearn.swin.edu.au/bbcswebdav/pid-4566090-dt-content-rid-23613289_2/courses/2014-SO3-MDA20009-200988/UnitLearningMaterials/Week_09.html>. 

 The Statistics Portal 2014, Statistics and Studies Viewed 24 January 2015 <http://www.statista.com/statistics/264810/number-of-monthly-active-facebook-users-worldwide/>.

Tumblr 2015, Julia6kro viewed 24 January 2015 <http://julia6kro.tumblr.com>.

[madelinenimeh]

How does Snapchat work as a tool for communicating and connecting with others? And what does it introduce that is new?

Snapchat as a communication tool allows users to send picture and short caption to friends in their contact list. “What sets it apart from your run-of-the-mill text message...

[100176846-blog]

I really like this post, I feel like that it is very true about snapchat allowing teen and adults to be themselves they can send a silly photo to another without feeling like they are being judged. 

[emilyryan5-blog-blog]

Watch this quick explanation of the Ushahidi software. As the video explains it is easy to use and accessible to most people. Do you agree? If so why/why not?

[100176846-blog]

Seems easy to follow and access but because it is world wide I feel like there is a lot of information that could be a little overwhelming at times. However I like the idea of this and being able to look at a map online.

[100176846-blog]

Crowdsourcing

In Australia we experience natural disasters every year, these being mainly bushfires and floods. There is not much we can do about natural disasters other than being prepared. People who live in places where natural disaster are likely to occur often do have a plan. The rest of us though just like to be kept up to date with what is going on. The public usually finds out about natural disasters by radio and television.  Television shows are likely to have extended broadcast to keep viewers up to date with new information and the radio has frequent updates. However in recent years social media has become a vital tool to help share information when it comes to natural disasters.

Crowdsourcing is the use of social media to share information in particular when a disaster has happened. This was demonstrated in the recent bushfires in the Adelaide hills in South Australia. The SA Country Fire Service used Facebook and twitter to update residence about the ongoing fire and the progress they are making with the fire (SA Country Fire Service 2015). This therefore allows information to be shared and re-tweeted to reach more people who may be affected by the fire. Even the online newspaper had a twitter feed so readers would not miss out on any news (Baril 2012).

Crowdsourcing can be an a very positive use of social media, however since people can share so much information, sometimes the wrong information is shared, which can make a situation worse. Ford explained that this was a main focus for many countries, a tag of verified or not verified would be places on reports so the public would know what information is reliable (2012, p.38). It is important to look at where you are getting your information from, yes it might be social media but make sure it is a credible page or site, such as a news page rather than one of your followers or Facebook friends just sharing information that they overheard.

Reference List-

Baril, G 2014, Latest bushfire, weather and public transport information for South Australia, viewed 17 January 2015, <http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/latest-bushfire-weather-and-public-transport-information-for-south-australia/story-fnl1ee8j-1226800945513?nk=125fea6bffb1223377fd05c8f97689d4>>

Ford, H 2012, 'Crowd Wisdom', Index on Censorship, vol. 41, no. 4, pp. 33-39.

SA Country Fire Service 2015, SA Country Fire Service Facebook, Viewed 17 January 2015, <https://www.facebook.com/CFSUpdates>.

Baril, G 2014, Latest bushfire, weather and public transport information for South Australia, viewed 17 January 2015, <http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/latest-bushfire-weather-and-public-transport-information-for-south-australia/story-fnl1ee8j-1226800945513?nk=125fea6bffb1223377fd05c8f97689d4>>

[emilyryan5-blog-blog]

Charlotte Dawson opens up about Twitter trolls - video

[100176846-blog]

Former model and TV personality Charlotte Dawson speaks to 60 Minutes about the social media bullies who drove her to be hospitalised last week.

This story about Charlotte is heart breaking but does show the world how damaging trolling can really be. Well done

[100176846-blog]

The sad truth about Trolling

As social media becomes bigger so does the possibility of being trolled/ cyber bullied. Trolling is a term that has only been used in the last few years (Swinburne online 2014), it refers to being harassed or bullied online. A troll is mainly an anonymous person that abuses a person for usually no apparent reason. This has lead to many children, teenagers and even adults to feel attacked and hurt by people who probably do not even know them. 

Governments and the general public have recognized that there is a big problem with trolling. Websites such as Cyber smart (http://www.cybersmart.gov.au) and Reach out (http://au.reachout.com/cyberbullying) are available for people who are being trolled and feel like they need to seek help. These website are vital for anyone that is or has been trolled but also very important for parents of children who are suffering with an Internet troll. 

Fuller stated, "The core problem, though, is that there is approximately a generation and a half of parents who did not grow up with these technologies. They did not experience a childhood mediated through an online persona with online friends." (2014)

This has made it that much harder for parents to help their children as they themselves have never experienced anything like this. Yes, bullying has been around for decades but this cruel online world is relatively new and people are just starting to work out how harmful it can actually be.

Not only does trolling effect children and teenagers but also can have that same damaging effect on adults, this came to many peoples attention when pubic figure Charlotte Dawson had a battle with trolls and could not overcome the depression that they had caused her, which sadly lead to her death (O’Brien & Ralston 2014)

I think that it is extremely important to govern online behaviour because it is not something that can be taken lightly. Trolling or cyber bullying is a serious problem, which can have devastating consequences. It is vital that measures are put in place to limit trolling as much as possible, as social media is not something that will go away, but Trolling needs to. 

(Think before you type 2014)

Reference List

Cybersmart 2015, viewed 11 January 2015, <http://www.cybersmart.gov.au/>.

Fuller, G 2014, 'Cyber-safety': What are we actually talking about?, The Conversation, 27 February, viewed 11 January 2015, <http://theconversation.com/cyber-safety-what-are-we-actually-talking-about-23505>.

O’Brien, N & Ralston, N 2014, Charlotte Dawson found dead, Sydney Morning Herald 22 February, Viewed 19 December 2014, <http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/celebrity/charlotte-dawson-found-dead-20140222-338j6.html>.

Reach Out 2015, viewed 11 January 2015, <http://au.reachout.com/cyberbullying>.

Swinburne Online 2014, Week 7: Digital citizenship 3: Trolling and Social Media Conflict, Swinburne Online, viewed 11 January 2015, <https://ilearn.swin.edu.au/bbcswebdav/pid-4565103-dt-content-rid-23574904_2/xid-23574904_2l>.

Think before you type 2014, Viewed 11 January 2015, <http://www.bullyville.com/blog/?p=1708>.

[madelinenimeh]

Social media has brought the ability to share stories and visuals from causes around the world and while awareness is a large part of beginning to solve an issue is digital activism generating tangible results?

Digital activism is on the rise and definitely has it’s place as our society...

[100176846-blog]

[100176846-blog]

What Happened?

I was one of those people who sat behind my computer and watch the 30 minute YouTube video of Kony 2012 (I may have skipped a few parts I do seem to get bored easily) but for the most part I like thousands even millions of others were really interested in what the video had to say. I have posted the link incase you are one of the few that didn't get caught up in all this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4MnpzG5Sqc 

I only had Facebook at the time but wasn’t it just a huge event! Every second person was posting or sharing about Kony 2012. It was so big on social media and then it made the news. They got what they wanted. They wanted everyone to be aware of who Kony was so that he could be stopped (Invisible Children 2012). However, somehow from all the social media hype this just did not happen. 

'Clicktivism' or 'slacktivism' is the modern trend to protesting, if people wanted to make a different and protest for something they were passionate about, you would have to go rally on the streets some times with many other people. Now all you need to do is sign a petition online (Bakardjieva 2009). This makes it easier to say you care about something but you really are not doing too much to change it.. In fact you're not even leaving your own home. 

This is what happened to Kony 2012. We all watched the video even if you pretend you didn’t watch it or care about it chances are you did. We all got sucked into this social media phenomenon. But just like most things on social media after a short time everyone lost interest and since the public did not see any results, we all felt lied to.

People use social media when it come to protests to gain public exposure, people can tweet, post, share or make a video about what they are passionate about and there is more chance people will hear about it on social media (Bakardjieva 2009). However like the Kony 2012 campaign, people may gain interest but if that interest isn’t maintain then nothing will change. If you're truly passionate about something social media is a great way to get the word out there, but you can't forget that in many cases actions speak louder than words. People want to see some results if they are protesting, even if they have just signed something on the internet, they want to make sure it is worth while.  

  Reference list-

Bakardjieva, M 2009, 'Subactivism: Lifeworld and Politics in the Age of the Internet', Information Society, vol. 25, no. 2, pp. 91-104.

Kony 2012, Invisible Children, 2014, viewed 12 December 2014, <http://invisiblechildren.com/kony-2012/>.

 Kony 2012, Invisible Children, 5 March, viewed 12 December 2014, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4MnpzG5Sqc>.

 Youmans, W, & York, J 2012, 'Social Media and the Activist Toolkit: User Agreements, Corporate Interests, and the Information Infrastructure of Modern Social Movements', Journal Of Communication, vol. 62, no. 2, pp. 315-329.