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Intimacy and “Her”

In the very beginning of the article written by Pettman, where he talks about the Japanese subculture of men who flirt with their OS’s, I am immediately taken back to the movie “Her”. Theodore builds an attraction with his OS through flirtation and conversation. We talked in class about the authenticity of Theodore and Samantha’s relationship. I really do believe this type of relationship is authentic. Emotions are involved, real on Theodore’s part and learned on Samantha’s, (although aren’t all emotions learned?) but when emotions of any kind are involved I believe that yes, it is authentic. Especially to the partner who gets hurt. 

I also like where Pettman discusses the realm of love and how we try to limit this emotion to human beings. I am not sure who we are to define love, or where the boundaries of love begin and end. I love my cat. Very much. If anything happened to her I would experience the loss of a loved one. The same as Theodore experienced the loss of his wife, and the loss of Samantha. Is that not the same kind of love, the real love, as Pettman states?

From a sociological point of view, generations these days are not interested in long-term serious relationships for many reasons. Some of these reasons are continuing higher education, people wanting to travel in early adulthood, financial and economical means, etc. All these reasons and many more tie into the excerpt by The Daily Yomuiri, that there are many good explanations why people are in agreement in places like Japan, about relations with AI. If anything, people just don’t want to be hurt. In the movie, Theodore had recently been devastated by a divorce with his wife, he was lonely, and depressed, and likely scared of being hurt, all the while he was still hopeful of reconciliation. 

Theodore finds companionship with Samantha, they build an intimate bond through good conversation and compatibility, it would be hard not to fall in love under those circumstances, wouldn’t it? Pettman states that the reason people experiment with mediated relations are many. One of the reasons he explained was that people can be who they need to be when you are not under the pressure of face-to face interactions. It allows for openness and honesty, and that the “absence of eye contact is liberating” (194) I have to agree, Some of the best, most intimate conversations I have ever had with others were not in person. 

I am not sure that virtual affairs should be considered in marriage laws (as China is discussing), I am not even sure that I condone virtual affairs, I can only say that I understand how they can happen. Pettman talks about love and lust, and this may be where the confusion comes in for me also. This could also explain where the relationship was able to build for Theodore and Samantha. The article talks about how eHarmony uses 29 different signifiers of compatibility, and the bedroom is only one. So now I wonder, in the movie Her, if the relationship had been able to go on longer, would a relationship with an OS or an AI be able to fulfill these relationship signifiers long-term?

I guess really a question of preference. I do not believe there is a question of authenticity though. What I do know, is that if a person can go to the depressed lonely man in the  picture above to this...

Could it really be so wrong?

[danithack-blog]

Social Media and Social Movement

In the article Making History, Morozov talks about the inequities and social delusions that surround the different forms of mass media technology throughout the years. He begins with the telegraph, and then on to the airplane, moving forward to radio and television, and then the internet. The common theme between these developments of technology is the absurdity that they are forms of “increasing friendly intercourse between the nations” (Dunlap, Morozov pg. 280). These technologies were ‘created’ to bring forth perpetual peace on earth? When each of these technologies failed to meet the standards of expectation, another technology developed. Unknown to them were the consequences of a failure to understand that all forms of communication would be transmitted using these inventions. Not all emotions meant to be shared are positive or back the promotion of peace between the nations. This was an opening for evil, as well as good. Used not only to promote peace within the nations, the radio was used by Dictators such as Stalin, and Hitler to promote hate. Politicians, and other literary professionals were hopeful of education being promoted through television to the public, for example driving safety and the transformation of politics and political campaigning. The idea I did like in the article was the ability to vote via teledemocracy, and telephone democracy. Being able to vote from the comforts of your home using these technologies, I do like this idea. I am in more agreement with the author Ray Bradbury’s point of view on television, and I have to say that I am easily persuaded to be a stone-like object fixated on the television. Netflix and chill. Morozov makes a great statement about the internet. He states, “an unruly tool in the hands of overconfident people is a recipe for disaster” (284). I couldn’t agree more. This is true also for those not only overconfident, but also ignorant. People believe everything they hear, see, read on the internet. There is no investigation into claims, news that is broadcasted, and in many cases, the movements that are created. The internet is an amazing, powerful invention. Unfortunately, it is at the disposal of everyone. Not everyone is meant for a tool so powerful.

On June 26, 2015 the Supreme Court voted in favor of marriage equality. Immediately, and widely shared on Twitter were on of the Justices closing remarks. His statement was very empathetic and proclaimed the reverse of the Sixth Circuit. This meant same sex marriage would be legal in all 50 states. A tweet from former President Obama set off a celebration via social media with the hashtag #LoveWins. The former President had the most shared tweet. The White House was in large support of #LoveWins, Disney World Cinderella Castle was lit up at night with the colors of the rainbow, celebrities such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, and George Takei all showed their support for the movement. The #LoveWins movement was even supported by large corporations such as Coca-Cola, Starbucks, and Visa. Social Media played a huge role in the idea behind #LoveWins with You Tube’s #ProudToLove, and of course Twitter creating a new emoji in support. I do not feel this type of movement is about creating awareness of any kind, or raising funds in support of some noble cause. I like this movement because it is about people everywhere just celebrating together. It is just about spreading the hope of change, and what happens when people band together for something good. There is definite power in our words. Positivity and joy are contagious. Social media is a perfect outlet for these positive and hopeful movements that aren’t about making people aware, but just making people smile. There really is nothing cooler than that. Word of mouth is the best advertisement. There is really no need for negative backlash, although there always is. The internet is about free speech (mostly) and the hope of the past that telephones, radios, the world wide web, and social media is present. We need movements that promote happiness, and love for others. For those who can’t appreciate a certain emotion that others are sharing can choose not to participate, that’s kind of the beauty of it all.I am not apart of the LGBTQ community, but i can appreciate equal marriage rights for people to choose to marry and spend their lives with the people they love, nobody should ever have to be discriminated against for something so trivial. 

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Fans and Amateurs

When it comes to social media it’s mostly about the fans. Franchises, networking sites, and people in general depend of the fans and consumers to upload, download, and comment on their sites for survival. The term used in the reading to define the way these sites organize at the most basic level is “grassroots” and this means the “fans”. Fans are the most active ingredient in social media, and the community culture on which it thrives. I understand that participation on these sites, and in these communities, is voluntary, but it is also necessary. Social media is a place where fans can connect with their idols, heroes, and just people they wouldn’t normally be able to connect with. It also allows them to participate and be active in an environment that may be out of their element. Take for instance the paranormal and paranormal investigator. How often do you really run into someone who hunts ghosts for a living? Rarely, if at all. I happen to love the paranormal, even though it scares the crap out of me sometimes. I have never once met a person who bases their career or lifestyle around ghost hunting.

Above is a picture of Amy Bruni (who I follow on multiple feeds) and her partner Adam Berry. They are at a location called The Stanley Hotel. The Stanley Hotel is famous for being a paranormal hotspot because it is the location that the movie The Shining is based on from the author of the novel by Stephen King. They are talking to an audience of fans who are there to investigate this location with them. How cool is that? I can’t wait to go on one of their tours and investigate a famous “haunted” location. This is partially because I am interested in the paranormal, but also because I would love the opportunity to meet these investigators in a more “behind-the-scenes” setting. If it weren’t for the fact that I follow her feeds and fans excitement about Strange Escapes, I would have never thought that this type of experience was available to the fans. 

In this photo we see Nick Groff, another famous paranormal investigator from the series Paranormal Lockdown signing autographs for his fans. It is important to build these relationships and connections with fans because, according to Henry Jenkins, 2 characteristics of participatory culture come from these types of interaction. First it allows the fans in the community to believe that their contribution matters to him. It is showing them that he appreciates them. The other characteristic this photo implies is that they are socially “connected”. Not just a name on his Facebook page, but a face behind the name. 

The reduction concept behind participatory culture tells us that although we are not a part of the politics, or business decisions made in the franchises we follow, we still have a voice. There is power is the consumer backing and we can still participate in some decisions. This is an important concept because nobody wants to be invisible, yet on social media it can sometimes be hard to be seen. So be a good fan to those that you follow. Make a contribution and speak up, because it’s the fans that matter most.  

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SubCulture

There is no doubt that Ghost Hunting, and ghost hunters are a unique subculture in the world of the paranormal. Everything that ghost hunters do to prepare for a “hunt” takes intricate planning. First, the location of the hunt is particularly detailed. Many times, permits may be required considering may “haunted” buildings are condemned, privately owned and can be hazardous to one’s health. Next there are many devices (some costly) required to do a proper ghost hunt. Some of these devices include EVP recorders, heat sensing video equipment, and of course, flashlights. You could never just walk up to a haunted location and expect that you will be able to verify that ghosts exist, without extensive knowledge of how to find one. In any other circumstance, you are putting your life at risk. Even with all the paranormal research going on out there, it is still a skeptical world and many people do not believe in the afterlife. This is what sets ghost hunters apart as a unique subculture in a non-believing world. As in the article about signifyin, there are shared experiences and experiential knowledge in the paranormal communities that can only be understood if you are a part of these in-groups. Signifyin is how Black Americans communicate with other Black Americans using a private language that is meant only for them. All subcultures have a cultural way of expressing who they are, and sharing information in some form or another. Take hashtags for example. Many people,who are unfamiliar with social media, think it is just about putting the hashtag symbol in front of a random sentence and calling it a day. Hashtags can be links and messages to topics specified to those who are a part of that community culture. It is a way of expressing messages through a medium, such as Twitter. Hashtags are short cuts to searchable links. If you were unfamiliar with social media culture you would never know this. Hashtags are also used to draw attention to a specific topic related to whatever it is you may be posting. Those who are unfamiliar with what # represents would overlook the fact that it is pointing you in a direction. A good example of this could be #creepypasta. Creepy pasta? What is that? Well.. creepypasta are forums dedicated to the supernatural and stories that are passed on by others to scare you. Some are urban legends, some are total fiction, some are stories passed from generation to generation and some are recently created by online fans of horror stories.One of the most famous creepypasta is the Slenderman. If you were not a part of the culture, then you have no idea who I am talking about.

Subcultures are important because they set apart a group apart as a distinct entity from others. In the paranormal world you could have many different subcultures. Wiccans, sensitives, palm readers, and ghost hunters are just a few.Dissing is a part of signifyin, and as the gif above implies that if you do not understand the diss, you are not welcome in the culture. Black American cultures value social participation, but this is true for all subcultures. It is, as the reading states, “necessary for community survival” (Appiah 1992; Caponi 1999; Smitherman 2000) Understanding these culture specific languages, forms of slang, and understanding the “diss” either include you, or exclude you from that culture. Identifying yourself as a part of that culture is simple, use a proper hashtag. 

[danithack-blog]

Gender

This is a tough topic to blog about when we are talking about Ghost Hunting. So of course, I go to Amy Bruni. This woman is independent, successful, and dedicated to her career and her family. I am not a part of the “Girl Power” culture, but I can appreciate an independent woman. It can’t be easy starting your own company, twice, and running both businesses, all the while being a dedicated mother to a young girl. This woman’s fame does not come from her body, or the hype of perfection that women try to attain, it came from her business sense, and also her interest in the paranormal. Her feeds are not filled with pictures of her half naked body, or any women being sexualized at all and yet she has hundreds of thousands of followers. Why do women feel it is important to be vulnerable with their bodies to get attention these days? It is because the media has put into our minds that “sexy” sells. Not only that but they have also defined what “sexy’ is for us. Unfortunately, what is labeled as sexy is unattainable for most. The Barbie doll body? I mean who has that, and didn’t pay a hefty price for it? Rosalind Gill tells us that self-monitoring and self-discipline are requirements for a successful feminist, but why? Why must a woman who wants to be feminine have to monitor themselves and discipline themselves daily. It is almost torturous. I never want my daughters to grow up feeling as if they must meet some criteria to feel “beautiful” and I do not want it based on what the media tells them is beautiful. The media is hurting young women by setting a precedence of femininity that they will ultimately fail trying to meet. 

What about this Barbie? Is she not beautiful, full figured and all? I think she is. She is confident, well dressed, and beautiful. This is feminine. In the makeover paradigm this Barbie would be flawed and would require surgical procedures (probably many) to incorporate what the media tells young American girls is beautiful and feminine. They would body shame her. They would make her feel less than, and unwanted. They would ruin her self-esteem especially at an age where self-esteem is vital. This is all for consumerism. Money. The irony of a full-figured Barbie such as this is that, the caption says “All Barbie’s are Beautiful” but if this was a magazine, it would be next to a cellulite ad that gives you two procedures for the price of one!  I have to respect women like Amy Bruni, who respect themselves as women and do not make money off of their biological attributes, but instead they have built a life, and even stardom off of their brains. So maybe ghost hunting isn’t glamorous, but neither is an infected breast implant, or botched Botox. The last decade it was large breasts that made everyone beautiful, this decade it is a big butt. Maybe in five years it will be a full-figured woman with all over curves that will be “sexy”. When that comes up, the majority of us will fit right in.

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Friendship

      Friendship has evolved over the centuries to, of course, “fit” in with the times. This is what everything does. Unfortunately, true friendship, appears to have died out a long time ago. It has been replaced with an ideal that, to me, is watered down. There are walls that block us from showing our real feelings, the ones that are raw, and not always appreciated by society and culture. This is because most of us broadcast our lives and our friendships on social media sites, where the facade of “My life is great, see everyone?” has to be displayed. Everything is a competition, especially between friends. Who had the better, or  more exciting weekend? Who is dating who? Who has the cuter kid? A person could go on forever!

When looking at the ghost hunting community I have noticed some vast differences in the fan culture, and their relationships, and online “friendships” especially with 2 of the more famous ghost hunters that I follow.                               Amy Bruni sets a more social friend base with her followers, even delving into her personal life with pictures of her and her daughter having fun on the beach together. Amy posts where she is and where she is going. Although her online community is largely based on her career and focuses on marketing her television show, there are posts identifying who she is when she is not on television. Whether you’re a personal friend or just a fan, you’re getting the same look into her life. I feel this creates a more “friend-like” atmosphere on her feeds. She gives off the impression that she is, as anthropologist Robert Brain called in the readings, “friends with everyone.”                                                                           Nick Groff, on the other hand, gives off a very cold, and impersonal version of friendship to his fan base. Nick does not post anything about his personal life, and he responds shortly to any comments on his feed, even cutting off any future conversation with his community by ending many comments in “Have a nice day.” Nick has a less social approach, and his community culture is largely based on what is instrumental to his career by marketing. Chris Bloor said that “society is driven by efficiency, not purpose and meaning”. This is how the community and fan culture feels on Nick Groff’s feeds. All business, just efficient.      The difference in these 2 community cultures is pretty staggering, considering that their television shows and their careers are practically the same. There is a notable lack of interpersonal connection on social media, because it just seems that everyone wants to look their best. Social friendships are void of the bond that comes with face to face interaction. It is said that 66% of our communication is non-verbal, and in my opinion, social medial is 100% verbal. This signifies to me that almost 2/3 of real communication is not present. How can we base real friendships on that? The answer is, we can’t.                                                             If intimacy is confessional, and to really know people you have to really listen to their stories, then real intimate friendships prove to be unattainable on the basis of social media “friendships”. I’m okay with this understanding that any real friendships in my life will be face to face, and not modem to modem. 

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Ghost Hunting

Ghost Hunting In the spirit of Halloween, my favorite holiday, I would like to talk about ghost hunting. I love all things horror and the paranormal. There is nothing better than being scared, not for your life, but the type of scared that gives you goose bump flesh, and butterflies in your stomach. There is an anticipation about the afterlife for almost everyone I believe, regardless of religion, race, age, gender, and social class. It is the unknown about life after death that is so intriguing. I have always loved watching television shows about the paranormal, and horror movies are my one and only. There is even a National Ghost Hunting Day, which is September 30 in Louisiana (of course) where ghost hunters from all over gather to hunt in one of the most allegedly haunted areas in the United States. Although I have never experienced anything paranormal in my own home, I do like the idea of believing in ghosts. I have always wanted to go on a ghost hunt and have even had conversations with my boyfriend about traveling through the United States, staying in “haunted” bed and breakfasts, hotels, and going to the local haunted areas. Sounds weird, even a little deranged maybe, but it’s something that has always fascinated me.

What I am interested in is delving into is the fan culture, or community culture, in the paranormal world of social media. There are the obvious “famous” paranormal investigators, who produce television shows that intrigue more people by being on reality television circuit. Then on the other hand; there are the not so popular communities of fans who are really just invested in the idea of is there is something greater happening after we pass on? What are the differences in these two types of communities, do they interact in a more powerful and in depth, or honest form when the world hasn’t been made aware of the passion of paranormal research by television? Is there more sentiment in communities that are smaller, and not surrounded by the popularity of it all?

I have decided to follow 4 different accounts that all have multiple forums on social media. Amy Bruni, Strange Escapes, Nick Groff, and The Shadowlands. Amy Bruni is a television personality in the paranormal society who is the producer of the show called “Kindred Spirits”. Amy is a public figure in Boston, Massachusetts known for her work in the paranormal. Amy has accounts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram with over 200,000 followers. Strange Escapes is where fans of the paranormal can find haunted places  to investigate, and find answers to the question “I wish I could do that”. This is a smaller forum and community of people with 2,500 people on Twitter and Instagram, and about 20,0000 followers on Facebook. This is a arena where fans and investigators can join together for an adventure in the land of the unknown. Nick Groff is also a paranormal investigator, and executive producer of a television show called “Paranormal Lockdown”, as well as a show called “Ghosts of Shepherdstown”. As a child he fell out of a tree and had a near death experience, and 2 years later at the age of 10, he saw his first real ghost. Ever since these traumatic events occurred in his childhood, he has been deeply affected by the paranormal world. I am following Nick on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, where he is followed by around 600,000 people.His accounts are the most popular of 4 I will be following. The last account I will discuss is called The Shadowlands. The Shadowlands claims to be the original society and culture site, being around for 23 years now, This account is followed by fans who are interested in the paranormal and are geared toward a community of open-minded people who are not famous, or have television shows. They only have a desire to know more about what is “out there”.  The Shadowlands have a much smaller community of only around 2000 followers, and here in these forums I believe i can find a more intimate relationship between the ghost hunting culture and it’s fans.

I am eager to to understand the relationships between the paranormal and fans of the paranormal. Are they the “weirdos” some people believe them to be? Do they build the bond that can be found with fans of more pop-culture hero’s? Who knows? Let’s find out.