Digital Communities @ashdigicommunities-blog - Tumblr Blog

Trolling or Cyber-bullying?

The internet and social media in all its glory has revolutionized the way in which we share and obtain information, connect, communicate and do business with one another. And whilst the majority of user experiences have been positive, like with anything, there have also been some negatives.

Enter the Internet Troll.

Trolling is defined in Urban Dictionary (2014) as the deliberate act (by a Troll), of making random unsolicited and / or controversial comments on various internet forums with the intent to provoke an emotional knee jerk reaction from unsuspecting readers to engage in a fight or argument.

Exhibit A:

There is a fair amount of stereotype around the appearance and characteristics of an internet troll.

Exhibit B:

Disclaimer: the above picture is not a true representation of an internet troll, anyone can be an internet troll regardless of gender*, race or sexual preference. (*Trolls dramatically skew male (Gunaratna 2017)).

Researchers at Australian’s Federation University conducted a study on individuals who participated in online trolling to investigate their psychological profile in terms of psychopathy, sadism and empathy. The study found that trolls tend to show higher levels of the traits psychopathy and sadism, as well as lower levels of affective empathy (Gunaratna 2017).

So, is trolling a form of cyber-bullying?

Most people would argue yes. There are some distinctions between the two but there are also some slight differences. Cyber-bullying first came about with the emergence of social media in the early 2000’s (Nicol 2012); however, it is not purely an online issue, bullies have been around for years, they just have another avenue in which to conduct their bullying. Cyber-bullies use technology to deliberately and repeatedly cause harm and destress (Nicol 2012). Cyber-bullies typically know the person they are bullying whereas trolls usually remain anonymous or have no clear relationship with the recipient, however both are conducted in an online setting.

And what can be done about it?

Consensus is (in both instances) to not engage with either an internet troll or a cyber-bully. The rise of internet trolls has bought about the term “don’t feed the trolls” as a warning to fellow internet users as reacting to a troll’s comment/s is the satisfaction they are looking for.

Exhibit C:

Cyber-bullies however, typically require more action to get rid of and usually with the aid of others. Most recommendations involve ignoring the bully, blocking the bully, turning off social media or reporting the bullying to a parent (or guardian) or in some instances a teacher. Sadly though, it’s not always that easy nor does it always guarantee the bully will stop. It is vital that families, schools and communities work together to create a culture in which bullying‐like behaviours are not tolerated (ThinkUKnow).

References

Gunaratna. S (2017). CBS News. Peering into the Psychology of Online Trolls. Accessed at: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/psychological-profile-of-online-trolls/

Martin. B. 2014. Deviant Art (online). Internet Troll (Photo). Accessed at: https://brittmartin.deviantart.com/art/Internet-Troll-479500093

Nicol, S. (2012). Cyber-bullying and trolling [online]. Youth Studies Australia, Vol. 31, No. 4. Accessed at: https://search.informit.com.au/documentSummary;dn=961674521346309;res=IELAPA

Pinterest (online). Internet trolling example (photo). Accessed at: https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/285345326360126935/

Pluperfecter (online) 2011. 14 Characteristics of Classic Internet Troll (photo). Accessed at: http://pluperfecter.blogspot.com/2011/08/14-characteristics-of-classic-internet.html

Stereophile (online) 2017. Home. Galleries. Do Not Feed the Troll (photo). Accessed at: https://www.stereophile.com/content/do-not-feed-troll

ThinkUKnow (online). Tech Talk… Cyber-bullying & trolling what is the difference? Accessed at: https://redcliffeshs.eq.edu.au/Supportandresources/Formsanddocuments/Documents/Parent%20Resources/Tech%20Talk-cyber%20bullying%20vs%20trolling.pdf

Urban Dictionary (online) 2014. Trolling. Accessed at: https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Trolling

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Wow, that image and description of an Internet Troll is quite a hilarious representation. I understand the humour in trying to depict the worst qualities of some sort of low-life that has nothing better to do than put people down. It reflects the type of insecure person that would potentially be hiding behind an anonymous account! In regards to your question “Is trolling a form of cyber-bullying?”, I would respond with 100% yes. Any type of online harassment of abuse is bullying, and when performed through the Internet, it becomes a problem difficult to resolve when the identity of a person is often hidden. What do you think is the best way to resolve the issue of trolling?

feministism

Blog 8: Social Gaming: Playing the Crowd Social Gaming- changing the world as we know it

In recent years we have seen a rapid growth in the trend of ‘Social gaming’, an interactive form of online gaming often involving multiple players (O’Neill, 2008). What’s more interesting is that there has been an increase in the creation of games that promote social good and give back to relevant causes. The creators of free Facebook games, Sojo Studios, Joy Kingdom and WeTopia, have established a way to turn gaming ‘points’ into monetary donations that are going towards charities.

Forbes contributor Erica Swallow reported that in 2011, WeTopia’s donations lead to the following changes (Swallow, 2013):

- 1,000,000 days of school for kids in Haiti

- 700,000 hot meals for children in need

- 45,000 meals for children in Las Vegas

- 32,000 hours of nutrition and literacy programs for U.S. students

- 9,000 papaya and moringa trees

- 6,500 coats, shoes, and shirts for children around the world

- 4,000 books for elementary school children

- 3,400 vitamins for children

- 1,000 medical check-ups for children in New York and Haiti

Check out this video on WeTopia’s efforts to provide a gaming universe where consumers ‘play for good’.

https://youtu.be/-izx0CwzgGw

Amongst the positive social implications online gaming presents, it also offers more potential for innovation for developers, a large, accessible audience, and interaction amongst players (Sellers, 2011). However, there are many negative outcomes which include large budgets as a result of development and marketing, which limits innovation and opportunity. Further risks include negative psychosocial effects including addiction, dependency and lack of real life socal interaction (Sioni, Burleson & Bekerian, 2017). There is also some pressure developers that sometimes must penalise users for playing for free, as well as an ongoing pressure to transform video games into 3D, which once again will cost more and lengthen development cycles (Quora, 2011).

REFERENCES:

O’Neill, Nick 2008, ‘What Exactly are Social Games?’, AdWeek, viewed 23 May 2018, <https://www.adweek.com/digital/social-games/>.

Sellers, Mike 2011, ‘What are pro/cons of social games? (for both customers and developers)’, Quora, viewed 23 May 2018. <https://www.quora.com/What-are-pro-cons-of-social-games-for-both-customers-and-developers>.

Sioni, S, Burleson, M & Bekerian, D 2017, ‘Internet gaming disorder: Social phobia and identifying with your virtual self’, Computers in Social Behaviour Vol. 71, viewed 23 May 2018, <https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563217300560?via%3Dihub>.

Swallow, Erica 2013, ‘How Social Games Are Changing the World’, Forbes, viewed 23 May 2018. <https://www.forbes.com/sites/ericaswallow/2013/03/23/social-games/#68e3fa4d377e>.

Blog 7: Visual Communities and Social Imaging

In this digital age, images and visual memories are captured and documented through smartphones and uploaded to social media. The Internet has provided a technological time-capsule, free to upload images and videos both privately and publically. Technology has changed how and when we capture these moments and has provided the ability to alter and edit them (Bishop, 2016). The images taken sometimes capture a candid moment and a genuine memory, or they are scheduled and posed, for photoshoots, art, or to share a life experience. There has been a massive change from printing photos into photo albums, to being able to share an image as soon as it was taken, for family, friends or the general public to see.

Social media networks such as SnapChat and Instagram have allowed a way to create and share images through a virtual reality. This form of communication is an experience in itself, according to Jurgenson (2014), and is a fundamental part of social network applications.

Images have historically been captured by photography and in later years turned into motion pictures, to now social media. The exploration between the relationship of text and visual representation have always been acknowledged, with Aristotle stating, “the soul never thinks without an image” (Delello, J & McWhorter, 2014). Personally my use of social media to communicate through images stems from the fact that all my friends and even some family members use it, therefore I feel as though I am missing out without it. The creation of group Snapchat’s, as well as society’s obsession with knowing what everyone is doing all the time is interesting. This lack of privacy proves to be negative, yet there is an underlying pressure to continually post ‘relevant content’.

This leads me to question… Do you feel as though you are ‘missing out’ or not included from your social circle if you do not participate in social media trends?

REFERENCES

Bishop, R 2016, ‘Week 9: Digital citizenship 2: Activism and protest’, CANVAS, Swinburne University of Technology, viewed 5 May 2018.

Delello, J & McWhorter, R, 2014, ‘Creating virtual communities of practice with the visual social media platform, Pinterest’, Int. J. Social Media and Interactive Learning Environments, Research Gate, viewed 05 May 2018, <https://www.researchgate.net/publication/267449957_Creating_virtual_communities_of_practice_with_the_visual_social_media_platform_Pinterest>.

Jurgenson, N 2014, ‘The Frame Makes the Photograph’, Snapchat, viewed 5 May 2018, < http://blog.snapchat.com/post/72561406329/the-frame-makes-the-photograph>.

Blog 6: Crowdsourcing in Times of Crisis

Crowdsourcing is a term used to describe the process of receiving money, work, knowledge, experience, skills or ideas from a group of individuals in order to create or facilitate a movement, product or service (Brabham 2013, pp. 2-3)

According to Brabham, the key concepts involing crowdsourcing include:

1. “An organisation that has a task it needs performed,

2. A community (crowd) that is willing to perform the task voluntarily,

3. An online environment that allows the work to take place and the community to interact with the organisation, and

4. Mutual benefit for the organisation and the community.”

In times of crisis, the use of mainstream media can be beneficial as it allows for information to be announced and shared all over the world. Social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter have the ability to upload photos, post live videos and cover news stories in real-time. In particular, the use of hashtags, tagging locations and TwitPic can provide coverage for significant events, allowing journalists and individuals to follow along (Bruns & Burgress, 2012).

Crowdsourcing can become a great source for mainstream media. Social media users from around the world have an opportunity to share important media resources. At the same time, those close to the crisis can also share their own experiences and observations through sites such as Twitter and Facebook. By uploading their photos, videos and tweets, the media are able to use the up-close and personal images in order to cover the story. The use of tools such as Storify, ThingLink Twitpic and hashtags all make it easy for journalists and the media to view and share these images (Bruns & Burgess 2012).

Crowdsourcing also assists emergency services as distributing information and reporting important resources can be effectively communicated via different mediums. One example involves two humanitatrian crisis’, the 2010 earthquake in Haiti and the 2015 earthquake in Nepal, both of which were able to gain relief through open data platforms (Mulder, Groenewegen, Boersma & Wolbers, 2016).

Twitter in particular is a fantastic source of information when it comes to live reporting. The use of tweeting ensures that critical information can be communicated quickly and efficiently, and those following particular accounts can receive notifications and coverage immediately.

What other forms of social media have crisis’ benefited from, and do you think there is a risk of miscommunication or incorrect data being released?

REFERENCES

Burgess, J., & Bruns, A, 2012, ‘Twitter Archives and the Challenges of "Big Social Data" for Media and Communication Research’, M/C Journal, Vol. 15, viewed 14 May 2018. <http://journal.media-culture.org.au/index.php/mcjournal/article/view/561>

Crowdsourcing 2016, Techopedia, viewed 13 May 2018, <https://www.techopedia.com/definition/27816/crowdsourcing>.

Goodrich, Ryan 2013, ‘What is Crowdsourcing?’, Business News Daily, viewed 14 May 2018, <https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/4025-what-is-crowdsourcing.html>

Mulder, F, Ferguson, J, Groenewegen, P, Boersma, K & Wolbers, J 2016, ‘Questioning Big Data: Crowdsourcing crisis data towards an inclusive humanitarian response’, Big Data & Society, vol. 3, viewed 14 May 2018, <http://journals.sagepub.com.ezproxy.lib.swin.edu.au/doi/abs/10.1177/2053951716662054>.

Vardis, Jessica 2014, ‘Crowdsourcing in Times of Crisis’, Prezi, viewed 14 May 2018, <https://prezi.com/p2vznfxsp3ii/crowdsourcing-in-times-of-crisis/>.

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1B Week 7: Trolling and social media conflict

This week, we’re looking at trolling and…

(Source: https://giphy.com/gifs/90s-kid-Hevh6JM0sDcQM)

…uh, no. Not that kind of troll.

Although, they are terrifying.

This kind of troll:

(Source: https://giphy.com/gifs/internet-commenting-i-can-typing-Jb9J6KVpKb0hW)

In the above example, we see a sensible adult engaging in sensible adult interaction on the left. And on the right…well…that guy.

In other words…

(Source: https://giphy.com/gifs/oppositeofhate-sally-kohn-the-opposite-of-hate-fH9LpzpCbRNNvi3z2R)

That’s Sally Kohn, US political commentator, columnist, keynote speaker and author. As it turns out, Kohn has a lot to say about online trolling.

But first. Let’s delve a little deeper…

According to Coles & West (2016, p. 233):

“Trolling’ refers to a specific type [of] malicious online behaviour, intended to aggravate, annoy or otherwise disrupt online interactions and communication.”

At times, this can be humorous…

(Source: https://www.demilked.com/creative-smart-ass-people-funny-sarcastic/)

(Source: http://www.fugitive.com/2015/07/06/fugitive-daniel-damon-posts-on-facebook-request-that-police-use-a-better-mugshot-of-him/)

However, for the most part, trolling can have long-term harmful outcomes for victims who are manipulated by online trolls who, research has shown, are generally male, with higher traits of psychopathy and decreased capacity for empathy (Sest & March 2017, p. 69).

Before I continue…I have a confession

I’m old.

Most of my formative years were during The Land Before Internet.

Google Scholar? Academic journals?

Who needs them when the whole world is at your fingertips in the form of…a CD-ROM?…

(Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxNsIBJOAA8)

Back then, we didn’t know what online trolling was. Or even what online was! There was no cyberbullying. No provocation on social media. No social media!

But we did have real, physical, right-in-front-of-you bullies. And they were mean. They made high school tough. The most consistent piece of advice I heard from adults during this time was “ignore them and they’ll go away.” The most valuable thing I was ever told back then was:

“They’re doing it because they’re insecure.”

(Everyone older than me 1995-2000)

When I heard that, it changed everything. Sure, some of the bullies still bullied but instead of getting upset, I began to look for their pain. Was this one bullying me because he struggled to keep up in class? Was this one being awful because of her alcoholic father?

Today’s equivalent of “ignore them and they’ll go away” is “don’t feed the trolls.” But I chose a different tactic; constantly reminding myself they were more miserable than I was.

Or, as some people like to call it (I guess), compassion.

I managed to find common ground with some of them. Some of them left me alone because they weren’t getting the attention they wanted. It was fascinating.

Back to Sally Kohn

As a “liberal commentator…[who]…worked in the most prominent den of American conservatism: Fox News” (Kohn 2018), Kohn was no stranger to online trolls. In fact, she was once renowned for attracting the worst online trolls (Sally Kohn 2018).

Last month, Kohn Tweeted this video, in which she reads some of the nastiest Tweets she’s received (surrounded by alpaca to soften the blow) before the video takes a surprising turn.

(Source: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6hdr3a)

As Kohn says in her video (if you can focus on anything other than the alpaca; I certainly struggled):

“No one wakes up in the morning thinking ‘How can I be as mean as I can possibly be?…We slip into meanness and incivility and cruelty.”

(Kohn 2018)

Kohn then talks about dealing with these trolls using compassion, civility, seeing the good in everyone and trying to find common ground with them all (Kohn 2018).

We’ve already learned that trolls lack empathy (Sest & March 2017, p. 69), so what if demonstrating to them what empathy is and what it feels like was the answer?

Honestly? I don’t know. And in researching this blog post, I didn’t find a whole lot of studies to resolve those questions. But we’ve been biting back and they’re getting louder. We ignore them and still they don’t go anywhere. So…maybe compassion and empathy are the solutions?

What do you think?

References:

‘90s kid’ 2018 [GIF], Giphy, viewed 2 May 2018, <https://giphy.com/gifs/90s-kid-Hevh6JM0sDcQM>.

‘Internet commenting’ 2018 [GIF], Giphy, viewed 2 May 2018, <https://giphy.com/gifs/internet-commenting-i-can-typing-Jb9J6KVpKb0hW>.

‘Sally Kohn Troll’ 2018 [GIF], viewed 2 May 2018, <https://giphy.com/gifs/oppositeofhate-sally-kohn-the-opposite-of-hate-fH9LpzpCbRNNvi3z2R>.

15 Of The Most Creative Real-Life Trolls 2016, deMilked, viewed 2 May 2018, <https://www.demilked.com/creative-smart-ass-people-funny-sarcastic/>.

Barlow, D 2010, Encarta ’95 Intro, video recording, YouTube, viewed 2 May 2018, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxNsIBJOAA8>.

Coles, B & West, M 2016, ‘Trolling the trolls: Online forum users constructions of the nature and properties of trolling’, Computers in Human Behavior, vol. 60, pp. 233-244, viewed 1 May 2018, <https://www-sciencedirect-com.ezproxy.lib.swin.edu.au/science/article/pii/S0747563216301285>.

Fugitive Daniel Damon Posts on Facebook Request That Police Use a Better Mugshot of Him 2015, Fugitive Watch, viewed 2 May 2018, <http://www.fugitive.com/2015/07/06/fugitive-daniel-damon-posts-on-facebook-request-that-police-use-a-better-mugshot-of-him/>.

Kohn, S 2018, I Was a Liberal Who Worked at Fox News. Here’s What That Taught Me About Arguing Politics, TIME, viewed 2 May 2018, <http://time.com/5233477/sally-kohn-the-opposite-of-hate/>.

Opinion: How to take on your trolls 2018, dailymotion, viewed 2 May 2018, <http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6hdr3a>.

Sally Kohn 2018, ‘Not to brag, but I was once told that I had the worst online trolls in the biz. In the name of book research for #TheOppositeOfHate, I reached out to a few of my “super trolls” to find out why they were so.dang.mean. Allow me and a herd of alpacas to explain what happened next:’, 5 April 2018, Twitter post, viewed 2 May 2018, <https://twitter.com/sallykohn/status/982089249812987904>.

Sest, N & March, E 2017, ‘Constructing the cyber-troll: Psychopathy, sadism, and empathy’, Personality and Individual Differences, vol. 119, pp. 69-72, viewed 1 May 2018, <https://www-sciencedirect-com.ezproxy.lib.swin.edu.au/science/article/pii/S0191886917304270>.

The Opposite of Hate 2018, Sally Kohn, viewed 2 May 2018, <http://www.sallykohn.com/>.

Who is Sally Kohn? 2018, Sally Kohn, viewed 2 May 2018, <http://www.sallykohn.com/about/>.

ashdigicommunities-blog

Such a captivating and hilarious use of GIFs!

Its interesting to hear about your life as an teenager growing up without this form of online bullying known as Internet trolls! My entire high school experience involved using laptops since Grade 7- we were all required to have one and naturally, every single person became an active social media user, to the point where teachers were creating Facebook pages as a means of communication and collaboration for students!

My high schools biggest concern was Tumblr as it has an anonymous button that makes sending private inboxes very easy. It’s interesting to hear that you experienced physical bullying- that is something I can confirm I never witnessed or even hear about during my high school years. I liked your suggestion of compassion and empathy being key to solving the problem- I believe that, and more conversation is needed to find a solution.

Blog 5: Trolling and Social Media Conflict. Internet Trolling- Social Media’s Biggest Problem

Active social media users or those active in online communities have indefinitely experienced or witnessed the effect of an internet “troll” (Moreau, 2018). The term describes a modern version of the mythological creature, which is essentially an anonymous individual that generate fights or write abusive comments, sometimes through fake profiles.

Urban Dictionary’s most accurate definition for trolling is as follows: ““Being a prick on the internet because you can. Typically unleashing one or more cynical or sarcastic remarks on an innocent by-stander, because it's the internet and, hey, you can.” This form of hatred and cyber-bullying is often found on sites such as Facebook, Instagram, Youtube, Tumblr, as well as blog comments and through email.

There is a difference between commenting on a post to create a debate, post an opinion, write feedback or constructive criticism, especially over topics that are controversial. With 3.17 billion Internet users (University of Nebraska, 2018), the effect of online trolling creates problems for businesses, organisations, brands and the general mental health of individuals.

A survey conducted by Statista researched the effect of trolling on U.S adults in 2017. The results revealed that 38 per cent of them witnessed trolling on social media daily.

Another survey assessed which topics of interest were most subject to online trolling in the United States. The 2017 survey found that 63 per cent of individuals believed the most common topic was politics.

Based on the two graphs, we can see that the effects of trolling has a huge impact on online users as this form of online abuse is essentially turning into a global crisis. Comments are not only hateful, but also involve sexual harassment, threaten violence and also attack marginalised groups.

I believe social media is an important and productive way to engage and connect with people, companies and brands globally, which is a positive factor.

However, my question to you all is, Do you think social media brings more negativity to the way we interact online, or do you believe the positives outweigh the bad?

REFERENCES:

Hanson, James 2018, ‘Trolls and Their Impact on Social Media’, University of Nebraska, viewed 19 May 2018,< https://unlcms.unl.edu/engineering/james-hanson/trolls-and-their-impact-social-media/>.

Moreau, E 2018, ‘Internet Trolling: How Do You Spot a Real Troll?’, Lifewire.com, viewed 20 May 2018, https://www.lifewire.com/what-is-internet-trolling-3485891

Stein, J 2016, ‘How Trolls Are Ruining the Internet’, Time.com, viewed 20 May 2018, http://time.com/4457110/internet-trolls/

Statista 2018, ‘How often do you see internet trolling on the following types of media?’, Statista- The Statistics Portal, viewed 20 May 2018, <https://www.statista.com/statistics/379997/internet-trolling-digital-media/>.

Statista 2018, ‘On which of the following topics have you seen trolling behavior on the internet?’, Statista- The Statistics Portal, viewed 20 May 2018, <https://www.statista.com/statistics/380051/topics-witness-trolling-behavior-internet/>.

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1B Week 6: Activism or slacktivism?

As we discovered last week, the advent of the internet and, in particular, social media, has increased our exposure to politics and political agendas. With greater access to information, we’re now able to make more informed choices about the political parties we support and the causes we choose to back (Bakardjieva 2009, p. 91).

But does this increase in awareness actually equate to an increase in aid for worthy causes? Or has social media just turned us into a society of slacktivists?

(Source: https://makeagif.com/gif/drinking-bird-the-simpsons-AnSME7)

What is slacktivism?

In short, slacktivism (slacker activism) is “superficial, minimal effort in support of causes” (Youmans & York 2012, p. 316). For a more in-depth explanation, we can look to Kristofferson, White & Peloza (2013, p. 1150) who divide ‘support’ into two distinct categories.

Token support: this can include gestures such as liking a Facebook page or signing a petition – slacktivism.

Meaningful support: support that is tangible and involves a financial contribution, change in behaviour, or time and effort – activism.

But doesn’t slacktivism at least lead to awareness?

Well, sure. If I wear a World Aids Day pin, someone asks me about it and I educate them…I’ve created awareness. If I join a human rights page on Facebook, I may invite my friends to join. At the very least, they’ll be able to see I’ve joined and may follow suit, thanks to the magic of Facebook.

(Source: https://technologytherapy.com/tag/facebook/)

Awareness is important and provides a vital opportunity for charitable organisations or causes to build a captive audience (Kristofferson, White & Peloza 2013, p. 1163), but does it help these groups achieve their goals?

According to McCafferty (2011, p. 18), we don’t really know. Although it’s easy to measure the awareness that online slacktivism generates, it’s difficult to gauge whether this prompts people to take real, meaningful action.

When organisations take on the slacktivists

One charitable organisation that doesn’t buy into the idea of slacktivism is Crisis Relief Singapore who released a series of ads in 2013 designed to hit slacktivists where it hurts – right in the truth.

To give the ads maximum impact, Singapore-based agency Publicis Singapore, used press photos depicting victims of a flood, a war, and an earthquake (Riviello 2013). In each image, the victims are surrounded by anonymous people giving the “thumbs up” and the tagline “Liking isn’t helping. Be a volunteer. Change a life.” The ads are powerful in their simplicity, “…encouraging us to get out from behind the screen if we want to make a difference” (Gorence 2014).

‘Earthquake’ (Source: https://www.adsoftheworld.com/media/outdoor/crisis_relief_earthquake)

‘Flood’ (Source: https://www.adsoftheworld.com/media/outdoor/crisis_relief_flood)

‘War’ (Source: https://www.adsoftheworld.com/media/outdoor/crisis_relief_war)

Did it work?

There are no public results for this campaign so it is hard to say. However, whether it worked or not could also depend on how we would measure the success of a campaign like this. The ads themselves lacked pretty much everything an ad needs to succeed. Aside from telling us to volunteer, there is no traditional call to action. The ads don’t tell us how to volunteer, where to volunteer or who specifically needs our help.

But perhaps this wasn’t the point. After all, studies have shown that, when executed well, cause-related marketing that incites audience guilt often leads to a greater response and increase in action (Chang 2011, p. 605).

In the war against slacktivism, is the guilt trip our greatest weapon?

Check out Chang’s article (link in references below) for more interesting insight into this and let me know what you think!

References

Bakardjieva, M 2009, ‘Subactivism: Lifeworld and Politics in the Age of the Internet’, The Information Society, vol. 25, no. 2, pp. 91-104, viewed 25 April 2018, <http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.lib.swin.edu.au/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=386709d2-3165-4b3d-ade9-d651f17107fe%40sessionmgr120>.

Chang, C 2011, ‘Guilt appeals in cause-related marketing: The subversive roles of product type and donation magnitude’, International Journal of Advertising, vol. 30, no. 4, pp. 587-616, viewed 25 April 2018, <https://www-tandfonline-com.ezproxy.lib.swin.edu.au/doi/abs/10.2501/IJA-30-4-587-616>.

Gorence, A 2014, ‘‘Liking Isn’t Helping’: Powerful Ad Campaign Addresses ‘Facebook Philanthropy’’, Feature Shoot, viewed 25 April 2018, <https://www.featureshoot.com/2014/02/liking-isnt-helping/>.

Kristofferson, K, White, K & Peloza, J 2013, ‘The Nature of Slacktivism: How the Social Observability of an Initial Act of Token Support Affects Subsequent Prosocial Action’, Journal of Consumer Research, vol. 40, no. 6, pp. 1149-1166, viewed 25 April 2018, <http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.lib.swin.edu.au/ehost/detail/detail?vid=0&sid=82f201d0-2f68-4672-9236-45fa05aaa69c%40sessionmgr101&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1zaXRl#AN=94804513&db=bth>.

McCafferty, D 2011, ‘Activism vs. Slacktivism’, Communications of the ACM, vol. 54, no. 12, pp. 17-19, viewed 25 April 2018, <https://dl-acm-org.ezproxy.lib.swin.edu.au/citation.cfm?id=2043182>.

Riviello, J 2013, ‘Crisis Relief Singapore Reminds Us That “Liking Isn’t Helping”’, MCP Actions, viewed 25 April 2018, <https://mcpactions.com/2013/07/01/liking-isnt-helping/>.

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, viewed 25 April 2018, <http://web.b.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.lib.swin.edu.au/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=1&sid=e2f0493c-fc85-46d8-9df2-6c3f6279011e%40pdc-v-sessmgr01>.

ashdigicommunities-blog

Great post! I also touched based on the term ‘slacktivism’ and found it particularly interesting when discovering the pros and cons of it. Personally I believe that although it is considered the most basic form of activism, I think that any bit of help is better than nothing. For example a bully bystander is worse than getting involved, which is why I think even one repost of a photo, or one tweet of a hashtag could inform an individual or open someone else’s eyes.

Your example of Crisis Relief Singapore’s advertisements were truly horrifying and confronting to see. Although you mentioned there were no public results to see if it worked, I have no doubt that those images sparked an emotional investment in the crisis, surely inspiring others to make a difference!

Blog 4: Activism and Protest

It is rare that we see social media being used for good, however notions of activism and protest are two topics that Internet users can positively contribute to society. With public opinion finding a voice amongst social networking sites, the ideas of reposting, sharing, ‘liking’, and hash-tagging images and posts are all forms of global interaction.

Upon researching this idea of lazy from of advocacy, or bare-minimum style activism, I discovered the term “slacktivism”. This term was first invented by Malcolm Gladwell, a journalist who described it as “the way of the new style activist who just signs online petitions and shares on Facebook, instead of the banner waving, old fashioned street style, brawling with coppers activist days” (Lo, 2013).

is still a form of activism and a way to spread the word, which is better than by-standing and doing nothing to help. Constructive examples include the ability to empower other individuals through the use of images, as well as generating emotion through individuals’ social conscience (Lo, 2013). However, slacktivism has been criticised for implying that social issues can be resolved easily and lack of face-to-face interactions and demonstrations (Robertson, 2014).

An example of this is the recent hashtags #PrayForSyria and #Assad which have been created to increase awareness of the Syrian crisis. These hashtags are being shared by individuals all over the world which is informative and is able to be mobilise protesters to support the need for response and aid of a global crisis (Stearns, 2017).

REFERENCES:

Moyer, J 2017, ‘Political Activism On Social Media Has Grown Some Teeth’, Pacific Standard Magazine, viewed 10 May 2018, <https://psmag.com/social-justice/social-media-activism>.

Lo, H 2013, ‘Slacktivism – Just One Click To Save The World?’, Right Now Inc., <http://rightnow.org.au/opinion-3/slacktivism-just-one-click-to-save-the-world/>

Robertson, C 2014, ‘Slacktivism: The Downfall of Millennials’, Huffington Post, viewed 10 May 2018, <https://www.huffingtonpost.com/charlotte-robertson/slacktivism-the-downfall-_b_5984336.html>.

Stearns, R 2017, ‘No, Prayer Isn’t Just Another Form of Slacktivism’, Relevant Magazine, viewed 12 May 2018, <https://relevantmagazine.com/culture/global-culture/no-prayer-isnt-just-another-form-of-slacktivism/>.

forgetmenothomes-blog

Blog #3

Blog 3

Politics and Civic Cultures

Whilst the introduction of social media has brought connection and community into our immediate worlds it has also been used is the political arena as a tool to reach millions of potential voters. From Twitter to YouTube and Facebook, today’s Politicians and their entourage freely use social media as a communication device because it offers them an opportunity to reach a broad and diverse demographic (Carter 2017).

Their posts, tweets or videos are used to reinforce their party’s policy, causes or campaigns to a mass audience and also allows for that audience to give immediate feedback.

Example A – Julie Bishop MP Facebook Page - https://www.facebook.com/JBishopMP/

Social media is exactly that, it’s social and it offers users an opportunity to engage in online conversations as often or as little as they like and Fran is a great example of using social media by way of “voluntary association” (Lichterman 2012). Sadly, not many politicians really use social media in the way that the average everyday Australian does. We use it to stay in touch and communicate with others by responding to their posts. It’s a two way process but Politicians are yet to get on board with this and many simply use it as a means to broadcast their activity leaving their audience disengaged and unsatisfied.

Some studies suggest that social media can have either a positive or a negative effect on one’s political career due to how they use it. One train of thought is that social media may benefit or even enhance democracy because through dialogue it allows “transparency and accountability” creating dynamic and cohesive change (Khazaeli and Stockemer 2013). Other thoughts suggests that social media in terms of the political area can lead to radicalization and anarchy when not used with more care (Ceron 2017).

Barack Obama has been a great advocate for using social media to reach his audience during his 2007 – 2008 campaign. Claiming to be a “geek and “ tech nerd” Obama embraced social media knowing full well that in order to reach a younger demographic he would need to speak to them on their level. He did the same again during his successful 2011 campaign even creating his own #Obama2012 reaching millions of Twitter followers (McComb-Gray 2017). But, Obama is mindful of the infiniteness of the Internet and that it is the responsibility of the poster as to what gets posted and by who (Jericho 2012). NXT (Nick Xenophon Team) Senator Skye Kakoschke-Moore has recently found herself in the hot seat over some images of her taken in 2009. The young senator was holidaying in Vegas where pictures were taken of here posing inappropriately with a celebrity wax figure in a museum (http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/rendezview/will-politicians-ever-get-social-media-right/news-story/b07250f8b7483a4d3027c75c92783dae). The photos were then uploaded on her Fathers Facebook page and found their way into the Press (Langerberg 2017). Now, whilst the pictures haven’t had any lasting effect on the young Senator career (oh….except they lost the last election!) perhaps we should all be more mindful regarding the appropriateness of our posts.

References

Carter, L 2017. Politicians & social media. Municipal World, 127(10), 3-4,41. Retrieved from https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy.lib.swin.edu.au/docview/1946946792?accountid=14205

Ceron, A, 2017. Social Media and Political Accountability: Bridging the Gap between Citizens and Politicians, Springer International Publishing.

Jericho, G 2012, ‘How many votes are there on Twitter?’, in The Rise of the Fifth Estate, Scribe, Victoria, Australia.

Khazaeli, S, Stockermer, D, 2013, The Internet: A new route to good governance, International Political Science Review, Accesed on April 14 2018, < http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0192512113494728>.

Langerberg, A 2017, NXT Senator Skye Kakoschke-Moore pictured groping waxwork figure in Las Vegas, The Advertiser, Accessed April 14 2018, <http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/nxt-senator-skye-kakoschkemoore-pictured-groping-waxwork-figure-in-las-vegas/news-story/83f18f0d4eccb249ebb2392383f70f2b>.

Lichterman, P, 2012, Reinventing the Concept of Civic Culture, Online Print June 2017, 2012, viewed April 14 2018. <http://www.oxfordhandbooks.com/view/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780195377767.001.0001/oxfordhb-9780195377767-e-8>.

McComb-Gray, D, 2017, Social media on the campaign trail: how Obama and Trump got the upper hand, ContentGroup, Viewed April 14 2018, <

https://contentgroup.com.au/2017/09/social-media-campaign-trail-obama-trump-got-upper-hand/

Images

Julie Bishop, Facebook, Accesses April 16 2018 < https://www.facebook.com/JBishopMP>.

What if I told you [image], Memegenerator, Accessed April 16 < http://www.quickmeme.com/meme/3qp9qw>.

The Trouble with Mass Debating [image], Gareth Hill, Accessed April 16 2018, < http://www.garethjhill.com/the-trouble-with-mass-debating-on-social-media/>.

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studentwizard99-blog

I love this post and the meme from Matrix. Reminds me of this meme I saw in my Facebook feed!

ashdigicommunities-blog

Such an interesting post, and fantastic use of an example in regards to Julie Bishop’s Facebook page. I was shocked at the comments on her photo, such aggressive and offensive language- I am grateful that the public is able to share their opinions about an issue they are so clearly passionate about, however it is concerning to read how it is written. It makes me wonder... if they confronted her in real life, would their use the same tone? Highly unlikely. Hiding behind a screen makes it easy for users to comment without thinking of the repercussions.

I enjoyed your statement that read, “One train of thought is that social media may benefit or even enhance democracy because through dialogue it allows “transparency and accountability” creating dynamic and cohesive change (Khazaeli and Stockemer 2013).” I agree with this statement, I believe this virtual dialogue opens up discussion that can be accounted for, particularly because most users write comments from their own personal accounts. The transparency is an issue, particularly with anonymous cyber-bullies, however the benefits it allows democracy and politics is freedom of speech, opinion and expression.

Blog 3: Politics and Civic Cultures.

The use of social media has drastically changed the way politicians interact with their publics, and has sparked online conversation and debate about civic cultures. The idea of public image and identity are two factors that offer vulnerability amongst politicians and their campaigns, due to the opportunity audiences have to provide immediate feedback.

The idea that an individual can use information technology, particularly social media, to participate and engage in topics such as politics and society, essentially describes the term “digital citizen” (Wright, 2008). A digital citizen has the ability to connect to various online communities, and for politicians in particular, can reach potential voters. The Internet and social media create a form of dialogue based on a direct interaction between the public and politicians, which allows for the enhancement of transparency and accountability and strengthens the democratic system (Ceron 2017).

Research suggests that more than two-thirds of the world’s leading politicians and government representatives are active on social media and that having a Facebook page or Twitter account has recently become a normality for them in Western societies (Ceron, 2017). These politicians use social media to inform and influence citizens through publishing information, replying to comments, asking questions and posting media assets. This is helpful as they are able to receive feedback and replies immediately and in real-time, which also means that ‘social network’ is increasingly becoming synonymous with ‘public opinion’ (Sáez-Mateu 2017, p. 3).

US President Donald Trump is the #20th most followed Twitter user, with over 50 million followers (Twitter, 2018). This social networking site is his most used public communication channel, which often reflects his opinions that spark a large amount of controversy. During his election campaign, he took to Twitter to engage and connect with voters as a strategy to gain attention (Hall, Jennings & Tinati 2018, p. 21).

What do you think about Donald Trumps use of social media, particularly Twitter? Do you think a representative should control his tweets?

Do you believe social media is helpful for a politicians campaign, or can hatespeech and internet trolls sway public opinion?

REFERENCES:

Ceron. A, 2017, ‘Social Media and Political Accountability: Bridging the Gap between Citizens and Politicians’, viewed 5 May 2018, <https://ap01.alma.exlibrisgroup.com/view/action/uresolver.do?operation=resolveService&package_service_id=3431673275000 1361&institutionId=1361&customerId=1350>.

Donald Trump Twitter Page. Affinity Magazine (2017). He retweets Fake Accounts: A Comedy Website Debunked Trump’s Twitter. Viewed 06 May 2018. <http://affinitymagazine.us/2017/01/27/he-retweets-fake-accounts-a-comedy-website-debunked-trumps-twitter/>.

Donald Trump Social Media Photo. Khaleej Times – Battle for White House, ‘Why Donald Trump is a Social Media Champion’, Viewed 05 May 2018. <https://www.khaleejtimes.com/battle-for-white-house/why-donald-trump-is-a-social-media-champion>.

Sáez-Mateu, F 2017, 'Democracy, Screens, Identity, and Social Networks: The Case of Donald Trump’s Election', American Behavioral Scientist, pp. 1-15. Viewed 5 May 2018.

Wright, S 2008, ‘Digital Citizenship: The Internet, Society, and Participation by Karen Mossberger, Caroline J. Tolbert, and Ramona S. McNeal’, Journal of Information Technology & Politics, Vol. 5:2, pp 262-264, viewed 5 May 2018.

Post 2: ‘How are our social experiences in each of these contexts bound up with social media platforms and their affordances, and how do we make use of them?’

Social media has inevitably changed the process of interaction between individuals and the government, particularly in regards to political campaigns. The technological interaction between publics and their electorate has created a new form of dialogue and communication that has essentially ‘strengthened’ the democratic system (Ceron, 2017).

Social media creates a platform for individuals to challenge and express their behaviour, in order to create an online representation of themselves. Karen Mossberger defines a digital citizen to be someone who uses the Internet “regularly and effectively”, particularly in terms of politics and society (Mossberger, 2011). New methods of communication have been enabled through social networking and has now formed the basis of human interaction and affiliation (Ellison, 2015). The concept of ‘affordances’ in relation to social experience is a crucial aspect in understanding the relationship between social media and its users (Helmond, 2016).

A research paper by Michael A. Devito explored the ideology of ‘user perception’, discussing individual affordances across social media sites, focusing on personal characteristics and social media participation rate. Sherry Turkle’s “Connected, but not alone” video highlighted various social issues in online mediums which links in with the concept of “anonymity” in social media and the impact of affordances. Van der Nagel explores the constructive and destructive aspects of anonymity in “Faceless Bodies”. These include bullying, harassment, abuse, and in contrast, also provides freedom of speech and freedom of discrimination in regards to age, appearance or gender (van der Nagel, 2013).

Twitter is an example of a social media platform that caused controversy when it changed its ‘favourite’ symbol from a star shape to a heart shape. This minor technological change created an uproar amongst the platform, with users negatively ‘tweeting’ about the updated feature. This example explores how the communicational actors and connotations a visual element such as a button can possess on a social media site. It is interesting to note that this symbol can affect users feelings and meanings. Anna Helmond describes the concept of affordance as something that “material artifacts such as media technologies allow people to do”, explaining that it affects not only social media technology, but is often explored amongst different disciplinaries.

Facebook is another example of a social media platform that is unique in terms of anonymity and identity construction. In comparison to Twitter, Facebook’s goal revolves around the theme of connectedness and communication amongst users, rather than micro-blogging about trending topics or pop culture. A positive affordance involves the ‘digital archive’ that Facebook creates of our online ‘memories’. The privacy settings on Facebook allows users to have control about what they choose to keep public and private, although the recent ‘data mining scandal’ has sparked controversy in regards to commercially-used data. This type of affordance is an example of how advertisers use and control personal data to create exposure and promotion for businesses. It is clear that one common feature between Facebook and Twitter is that both networks accumulate social capital through features such as commenting, ‘liking’, sharing posts, ‘re-tweeting’, etc.

Photo credit: http://www.a12.com/jovensdemaria/artigos/comportamento/amar-ao-proximo-e-o-amor-maior

References

Ceron. A. 2017, Social Media and Political Accountability: Bridging the Gap between Citizens and Politicians. [Accessed 6 April 2018] <https://ap01.alma.exlibrisgroup.com/view/action/uresolver.do?operation=resolveService&package_service_id=3431673275000 1361&institutionId=1361&customerId=1350>

Bucher, Taina, and Anne Helmond. 2017. “The Affordances of Social Media Platforms.” In The SAGE Handbook of Social Media, SAGE Publications, London. [Accessed 11 April 2018].

Devito, Michael A. 2017, Platforms, people, and perception: Using affordances to understand self-presentation on social media, Northwestern University, [Accessed 11 April 2018]. <https://www.scholars.northwestern.edu/en/publications/platforms-people-and-perception-using-affordances-to-understand-s>

Ellison, Nicole B. 2015, Social Network Site Affordances and Their Relationship to Social Capital Processes, Wiley Online Library, [Accessed 10 April 2018]. <https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/9781118426456.ch9>

Siapera, E 2012, 'Socialities and social media', in Understanding new media, SAGE, London, pp. 191-208. [Accessed 6 April 2018].

TED-Ed 2013, “Connected, But Alone?”, Sherry Turkle, [Accessed 6 April 2018]. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rv0g8TsnA6c>.

A new human ‘need’, Social Media

Digital Communities represent the social, cultural, historical and economic aspects of society in the form of physical and online reality (UTS, 2018).

19th Century sociologist Ferdinand Tonnies posed the question, ‘What holds a society together when most of us are strangers to each other?’. He explored the two socialities, ‘community’- the natural and organic formation of groups, family and friends; and ‘society’- membership or association of a company or state formed rationally. Social media and social networks sites have been defined as web services that provide individuals with a '”public or semi-public proﬁle within a bounded system” in which they can create an online connection with other users. (Murthy, 2013, p.7). This globally accessible community is redefining human connection through a networked digital connection, allowing the ability to “publish and access information, collaborate on a common effort, or build relationships” (Jue et al., cited in Murthy, 2013, pp. 7-8). In Sherry Turkle’s TED Talk, ‘Connected, But Alone’, she described her concerns about individuals disconnecting themselves from reality and instead, becoming reliant on technology to form relationships and connections. She suggests that “constant connection is changing the way people think of themselves” which demonstrates the qualitative detail of how social media exists in society.

Danah Boyd explored the concept of ‘digital natives’ and discussed the ever-changing nature of technology being non-generational (Danah Boyd 2012, p. 72). In terms of digital connectivity, Boyd suggested that her relationship and connection with others are often formed through social media channels. This concept inspired me to assess my personal approach to online communication and the virtual community I am involved in. Wiken and McCosker (2014, p. 292) suggest that “we are always managing the aspects of ourselves that we make accessible to others”, which ultimately affects an individual's authenticity as we are able to alter the way we are presented online.

#digitalcommunities #socialmedia #onlinereality #digitalconnectivity

References:

Boyd, D 2012, ‘Participating in the always-on lifestyle’, The Social Media Reader, NYU Press, pp. 71-76 [Accessed 10 April 2018].

Murthy, D 2013, Twitter: Social Communication in the Twitter Age, Wiley, pp. 1-13 [Accessed 11 April 2018].

Siapera, E 2012, 'Socialities and Social Media’, Understanding New Media, Sage, p. 191-208 [Accessed 10 April 2018].

TED-Ed 2013, “Connected, But Alone?”, Sherry Turkle, [Accessed 6 April 2018]. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rv0g8TsnA6c>.

UTS 2018, “Digital Communities”, UTS Handbook 2018, [Accessed 12 April 2018]. <http://handbook.uts.edu.au/subjects/54060.html>

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