All Things Digital @all-things-digital-blog - Tumblr Blog

Michael Anti (aka Jing Zhao) has been blogging from China for 12 years. Despite the control the central government has over the Internet -- "All the servers are in Beijing" -- he says that hundreds of millions of microbloggers are in fact creating the first national public sphere in the country's history, and shifting the balance of power in unexpected ways.

#the great firewall of china #social media #censorship #china

#8: Add me on Renren

If you’re in China right now using their network, you probably won’t be able to see this. But why?

Because of the Great Firewall of China.

Here is a brief run down about it. It is also known as the ‘Golden Shield Project’ designed as a strict Internet censorship and surveillance project in China, restricting citizens from access to things such as politically sensitive topics, fake news, pornography, and just any microblog they simply don't like (Synthesio 2013, p. 4)

Now you’re probably wondering if they have a digital social life. Well they have their own forms of social media applications replacing sites like Youtube, Twitter, Google and Whats App, even Facebook which they developed as Renren. And of course, they are all heavily regulated. Surprisingly enough though, Chinese Internet users spend more time on social media sites than any other sites, even after all of this (Chiu et al. 2012, p. 3).

But do you think this strict censorship could be depriving them of useful resources?

Wang (2015, p. 29) explores the concept of place in conjunction with geo-identity when thinking about uses of China’s microblogging sites in particular. So if we compare our geo-identity with Chinese Internet users, there is a difference in the way we create content based on our experience with “place-making” in our country of residency (Wang 2015, p. 31).

If we compare the content I have posted as a Melbourne resident compared to a Chinese citizen, you will see the difference between the topics and opinions given. By living in Melbourne, I actively consume global media and base my opinions and assumptions through unfiltered comments, posts and photos. In Melbourne, the idea of place in a social media environment constitutes to broad communication between global citizens, allowing larger social networks to join in conversation which influence opinion (Christiansen 2017, p. 142). Here, the idea of place has personally influenced my social media usage through the unlimited access I have to explore places through personal experiences and social practices both online through social media and offline.

In comparison, Chinese Internet users have not been exposed to a broader sense of place outside China. Therefore, more limited and restricted content is posted, relying on their own sense of place and experience with local news consumption obstructing a larger viewpoint. Their idea of social media consists more of a consumer product and research point of view direct from China, therefore illustrating their limited knowledge of place about the world (Crampton 2011, p. 28). Basically, their geo-identity is dependant on their exposure to news curated and censored for all users in China.

Now I wonder how we would cope with this Firewall. Not very well I presume.

#great firewall of china #censorship #melbourne #space and place #geo identity

bobbycaputo

Inside a Chinese Internet Cafe Where Gamers While Away Their Days

The Lemon Internet Bar is a tiny place, just 300 square feet and brimming with 80 or so computers in tidy rows. On any given day dozens of young men and women fill the oversized armchairs, illuminated by glowing screens as they wage war in games like Legendary Alliance and DOTA. They spend hours and hours there, sustaining themselves on junk food and catnaps as they lose all track of time. “You can stay indefinitely,” says photographer Jingli Wu. “You can even sleep there.”

(Continue Reading)

#gamers #china #internet cafe #video games

teapotsandroses

all-things-digital-blog

As much as you don’t want to be a gamer, start playing one game and you will be addicted.

#video games #lisa simpson #girl gamer #sleepy #games all night

randomgamesblog

Love Games? Follow RamdomGames

#gaming #random gaming #winner #fighting game

the-gamer-land

all-things-digital-blog

Everyone knows Super Mario. Whether you played it on the old Nintendo, online, or on PlayStation, it was always a big hit.

#gaming #super mario #online games #popular games

If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun

Johansson 2013

#gaming #online games #player rules #game play #social interaction

toeianimation

#7: Speak up if you’re an addict; a gaming addict

How many of you still play The Sims? *Hands up* I’ll be honest, I’m still guilty of playing this game. But why is it so addictive?

When we talk about video games, specifically online gaming, we are referring to the array of virtual entertainment on graphic displays that have now evolved to gaming involving users contributions in game play (Curran et al. 2005, p. 622). Online gaming is so prevalent in this digital age, allowing digital citizens to form their own communities which strengthens connectivity between them. So if we go back to the question on why online gaming is addictive, it is because of the combination of a “distinct reward structure, an open-ended design and strong social component” that makes it more demanding (van Rooij et al. 2010, p. 52).

Now lets explore the online video game Everyday the Same Dream.

This game is a lot different than your ‘usual’ video game expectations. It is about a man that commutes to work every day. It doesn’t get much simpler than that. As you continue playing, the cycle becomes somewhat “boring” doing the same thing every single time and you decide to explore other options and possibilities. The purpose of this video game was solely about representing “contemporary political realities in a relatively unmediated form” (Soderman 2011). It is a game testing the boundaries within a confined space with limited interactions between people and objects. Although game rules are made by developers, players sometimes wonder away from the norm which effectively impacts game play in most cases (de Zwart & Humphreys 2014, p. 80). However in the case of this game, you start again.

I played it myself and I found an interesting underlying message. I kept playing, going through the cycle over and over again thinking that something would change; but it didn’t. So I went further. Instead of stopping at my desk, I walked beyond that point which led me to a ledge with the optional motion, “jump”. Now this says something. The more and more repetitive life becomes, the more and more you consider “other options”.

The way this game conveys this message is somewhat clever. Despite the underlying message, overall, video games can be considered as part of reality. We immerse ourselves in the content of video games, experiencing varying emotions and strategically choosing our paths, with the rules of the game limiting and dictating what we can and cannot do respectively (Johansson 2013, p. 78).

Video games are unique. You could say it is ultimately impossible to adapt this to a 1 and a half hour movie or a 600 word book following the same narrative. Social norms that govern video games compared to movies are very much dissimilar due to the interactive nature that games exhibit (Suzor & Woodford 2013, p. 5). So you could say video games are an advantage, you interact with your surroundings and essentially ‘choose your own fate’.

Now if people ask if I play video games; yes, yes I do.

#gaming #video games #online gaming #player rules #everyday the same dream

theemotionmachine

When you get no attention online so you need to start seeing a therapist.

all-things-digital-blog

Social media are only social constructs of reality and do not represent what everyones lives are like; but unfortunately too many people take it to heart and therefore resulting in mental health issues.

#social media #mental health issues #speak up #public health awareness

andrevvminyards-deactivated2020

all-things-digital-blog

It is important for those with a health issue or mental illness to speak out to a community that is in it together.

#mental health is important #lets talk #public health #social media

kuwkimye

Live Google chat with Kim Kardashian West about #RedFlag, a project exploring what happens when mental illness meets social media.

#redflag #mental illness #social media #health promotion campaign

#6: Dr. Google will see you now

Let’s start off by asking a simple question. When you are sick, where do you go? The doctors right? Wrong. We go to Google.

That’s right, in this society where there are an abundance of resources and information, Google has the answers to everything.

Our health is one of the most important things to look after, and since the emergence of digital media, there has been more communication on health education and the levels of interactivity between users (Burgess et al. 2014). The Internet has been used as a widely accepted source for a quick and accessible “self” diagnostic tool, even when individuals are aware that the credibility of this informant is not entirely accurate. Usually, our primary motives for seeking health information online stems from the accessible nature that the Internet contains (Boot & Meijma 2010, p. 146).

Or are we just scaredy cats who don't like going to the doctors..?

Either way, when we take a stance from the perspective of social media, there have been positive outcomes that have progressed through the idea of health and the digital environment. Public health campaigns are increasingly successful following the rise of social media as a viable option for health promotion (Lister et al. 2015, p. 2246). What this has enabled is a mass engagement with health campaigns by gaining followers and increasing the awareness of particular health issues over a social media platform.

An example of this is the ‘To Write Love on Her Arms (TWLOHA)’ movement which provided assistance in those combating suicide, addiction and depression through mediated marketing campaigns. They focused on its unique establishment and prominence on indie subcultural values over social media to get their underlying health message across (Milner 2012, p. 426). What we can take from the success of this movement is how social media has become a primary way of developing prosperous ways to assist in general awareness of health issues.

In particular, blogging has also gained attention from users wanting to publicise their own personal battles with health implications. They have been adopted to “self-document the intimate and often intense experiences” with a sole purpose in mind to educate the public (McCosker & Darcy 2013, p. 2). In this sense, social media plays a significant role in allowing an open forum for individuals to interact with others that they empathise with. However, sometimes social media can have the opposite effect on users. There has been negative associations between mental health issues and social media, particularly with the hashtag #depression, which has illustrated the ways that personal health experiences are ultimately shaped by positing practices and site features (McCosker 2015, p. 37). Although viewed in a negative limelight, this provides information for future support.

Back to a positive note to sum up the uses of public health and social media, why don’t you check out Life Without Anorexia, an influential blog about a young woman and her journey to recovery from anorexia. Extremely inspiring if you ask me.