Digital Communities Blog

Hey there! I'm Hasintha and i'm currently in my second year majoring in Sports Management

[digital1communities]

What should you do if someone harasses you through social media sites?

Online harassment has proven to be an important topic of our time and is important to many people, especially women, to censor themselves, step back or remove their online social or professional presence in hopes of preventing online harassment.

Online harassment is the act of using the Internet to systematically and repeatedly harass, threaten or intimidate someone (Panda 2019). This can be done through email, social media, chat rooms, instant messaging, or other online mediums.

Many social media sites (such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Snapchat) have descriptive guides that can be publicized and that do not know how to be published on their websites. You can view these guidelines by browsing the pages on "Terms & Conditions" or social standards / guidelines. These pages have a way of reporting abuse of these guidelines. When you file a complaint, use the advice above to record your situation. Include a comment or a photocopy as proof when submitting your report. If you feel you are in good condition, please contact your local police or law enforcement officer.

As a user, you can also opt to take action, such as, always think before you post – are these words or this photo something you would want everyone to see? Could your comments elicit a potentially harmful reaction, Use recommended privacy settings provided by the site, Unfriend, hide, block, or mute another user from seeing your profile, Remove tags as necessary on posts or photos, or adjust your privacy settings so that you can review tags before they are published, Keep personal details private, including your address, date of birth, phone number, school, credit card number(s), and passwords, be aware of the details you’re showing in photos, such as address numbers, street names, and work buildings, log out of your accounts when you are not using them, especially when using a public computer or device, avoid retaliating, Most bullies are looking to get a reaction therefore  

 References

Anon 2020, Internet Harassment or Cyberbullying : OSH Answers, viewed 7 June, 2020, <https://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/psychosocial/cyberbullying.html>.

Anon 2020, How to Handle and Prevent Online Harassment - Panda Security, viewed 7 June, 2020, <https://www.pandasecurity.com/mediacenter/panda-security/how-to-handle-online-harassment/>.

Cheers! Hasintha

[digital1communities]

Gaming Platforms

Streaming has become an important part of the video industry over the years and many young people who are looking for a career path every day in the media world. Streaming is a great way to motivate people and do what you love to do.

The streaming platform or streaming service for games is a great place for players as it is easy to generate and let people watch. On streaming platforms, you can create your own gaming stations and find your own game online content in a more personal way than YouTube gaming. A streaming platform is important because it's your way of bringing all your content to live in front of a live audience.

Twitch

There are a number of things to consider. The reason it matters is because some platforms are better than others when it comes to different things. Some good sites like Twitch are clearly good if you want to find a captive audience but at the same time, it is the most difficult to reach.

Twitch is the king of the streaming platform and home to thousands of online gamers. Twitch has a number of dedicated sports ads that stream to their site. Twitch is home to game developers, gamers, and other gamers who want to market their products through streaming.

Twitch has been known for a long period for video games and has been a video game streaming platform of all time. Twitch is also a place where major esports game organizers choose to stream, making the platform more relevant to the player.

Mixer

Mixer is one of the first and most serious debates when it comes to challenging Twitch and streaming across the market as a whole. The mixer was created by Microsoft and managed by experienced people, which is the first reason to choose this platform. Mixer is similar to Twitch in many ways, and that is probably also why Mixer is starting to grow. Mixer is a place where you can stream every kind of game and be a part of a smaller, but loyal, gaming community.

YouTube Gaming

We all know YouTube, but until recently, not many people knew about YouTube games. YouTube has really started to focus on expanding the streaming platform.

YouTube Gaming is a great place for streamers who already have an active YouTube channel. Streaming on YouTube Gaming enables you to have people watching live, while also having a normal YouTube channel with available content that all viewers can be directed to.

 References

 Anon 2020, 10 Best Live Game Streaming Platforms for Online Gamers | Vidooly Blog, viewed 2 June, 2020, <https://vidooly.com/blog/live-game-streaming-platforms/>.

Anon 2020, Mixer’s Live Streaming Platform Features – Mixer, viewed 2 June, 2020, <https://learn.mixer.com/en-us/features>.

Cheers! Hasintha

[digital1communities]

Is Clicktivism harmful?

From the sea of blue profile photos, that individuals have lately been posting on social media platforms to express support and solidarity for those in Sudan to pressing the ‘Retweet’ button on Twitter when a tweet really strikes a chord – are these actions truly considered authentic forms of political engagement? It is indisputable that these actions and similar acts can have some political subtext, but opinions on whether they truly constitute ‘political engagement’ remain divided.

In the digital era, most things are just a click away, we can order food through an app without engaging with another human, we can even meet our potential life partner without stepping out of the comfort of our homes – it’s not surprising that we are trying to automate and digitalize political engagement. But is clicktivism truly a form of activism? And if it’s not how can we shift our acts of clicktivism to actual activism in order to mobilize maximum political engagement and meet 2030 SDG Agenda. To answer this question, it’s first important to set out what is meant by ‘Clicktivism’; one definition of clicktivism is “the practice of supporting a political or social cause via the Internet by means such as social media or online petitions (Anukem 2019).” However, clicktivism is not limited to passive support; it can include a range of digital activities that facilitate social change.

If you google the word ‘clicktivism’ another word that generally always emerges is: Slacktivism. This is defined as “the practice of supporting a political or social cause by means such as social media, or online petitions characterized as involving very little effort or commitment.” Which lead me to reflect and honestly ask myself, am I using the simplicity of pressing a few buttons to be a part of the conversation, lukewarm and with no real dedication, or conversely, is a simple attempt at social and political realization better than none at all? The truth for me was yes; a step in the right direction is better than a step backwards or no step at all. However, for those who are capable of doing more and consider themselves to be social and politically conscious, why should they sell themselves short? In the grand scheme of things, clicking like on a tweet does little more than trigger Twitter’s algorithm to raise the visibility of the post; but if we are able to lobby a government official, mobilize our audiences to an event, or to sign a petition, then it is effective. That is when it really hit me that digital activism is only worthwhile when users engage beyond the exposure to the social media post.

As with traditional forms of media, social media has a lot of power and can shine a huge spotlight on an issue, like when a hashtag trends or an influencer champions a cause. However, even with all the numbers pointing towards a successful campaign, the true intention and quality of the message cannot always be upheld – when we publish something on social media it’s free for all, to interpret as they see fit. Campaigns can run the risk of losing their impact as they become diluted by users who align broader issues with the original concept.

Activism and clicktivism are similar in many ways, you could be on the street advocating for a cause and hand someone a leaflet and they won’t read it, much like how you can share a post on Facebook and someone could scroll right past it. The difference between a successful movement and an unsuccessful is how the core messages are communicated – it is not enough for us to arrest someone’s attention momentarily; we, must turn our mindless clicktivism into strategic activism to secure their buy-in.

References

Max, J 2020, The Effectiveness of Clicktivism in Grassroots Political Campaigns, viewed 26 May, 2020, <https://jessemaxmuir.wordpress.com/2015/09/22/the-effectiveness-of-clicktivism-in-grassroots-political-campaigns/>.

Park, A 2020, Clicktivism: Why social media is not good for charity, viewed 26 May, 2020, <https://www.sbs.com.au/news/clicktivism-why-social-media-is-not-good-for-charity>.

Regan, C 2020, Social Media 'Clicktivism' Creates More Apathy Than Empathy – DevelopmentEducation.ie, viewed 26 May, 2020, <https://developmenteducation.ie/feature/social-media-clicktivism-creates-more-apathy-than-empathy/>.

cheers! Hasintha

[digital1communities]

How highly sexualized images form Instagram 'influence'

We live in a confused culture filled with moral ambiguities and flawed solutions. The heart without God is the same as it has always been. What we are exposed to is no doubt is more sophisticated than the sexual images drawn in ancient times. But all are symptoms of deeper issues of the heart. People created porn for the same reasons people consume porn--because life without God and other healthy relationships leaves us all very empty.

Instagram is the birthplace and breeding ground of influencer marketing: a relatively new, multi-billion dollar industry, which isn’t just a place for personal photos, it’s big business. 

Influencers generate digital content and gain the attention of a “following” on social media through representations of their everyday lives, in which various commodities and brands play a vital role. The larger the audience, and the more attention they receive, the greater the monetisation potential.

Most influencers, are women, who aspire to build a personal brand. There are more than 558,000 influencers on Instagram who have more than 15,000 followers. The body plays a crucial role in influencers’ selfies. Conforming to rigid standards of attractiveness and femininity is fundamental to their gaining attention (Duffy & Hund 2015). This means a lot of work for them but also has broader cultural effects in shaping attitudes about body image (Grenten 2017).

https://theconversation.com/social-media-the-bikini-bridge-and-the-viral-contagion-of-body-ideals-87262

One of the easiest ways for women to gain attention on social media is through a highly sexualized aesthetic, which is increasingly “pornified”, i.e., borrowing a “look” associated with mainstream, pornographic imagery.

According to (Drenten & Gurrieri & Tyler 2019) they have found a continuum of pornified self-representations by these social media influencers on Instagram. This ranged from “softer” references – where influencers pose to highlight sexualized body parts and employ “porn chic” gestures such as gently pulling their hair, touching their parted lips and squatting with legs spread to the camera – to images that were hard to differentiate from mainstream commercial pornography.

Here, pornified representations grab viewers’ attention with the goal of being monetized to sell products, such as protein powder, gummy vitamins, or detox tea.

As per the research, the women with a higher number of followers were associated with a more explicitly pornified aesthetic – sometimes using the Instagram platforms to redirect viewers to more direct paid-access pornography on external sites such as OnlyFans.com or private messaging applications like Snapchat and WhatsApp.

Eventually, ladies reserve the privilege to communicate their sexuality and commend their bodies without disgrace, if they are not encouraging negative, harming measures of magnificence. It is significant for enormous influencers to stay fair with themselves and with their adherents so as to enable and soundly bolster one another.

References

Anon 2020, The "Pornification" of Human Consciousness, viewed 12 May, 2020, <https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/blog/genius-and-madness/200903/the-pornification-human-consciousness>.

Tyler, M & Quek, K 2016, "Conceptualizing Pornographication", Sexualization, Media, & Society, vol. 2, no. 2, p. 237462381664328.

cheers!

Hasintha.

[digital1communities]

The 'Slow Fashion' Movement

At a time when most of us are working hard to preserve the environment, fashion is gradually becoming at the forefront of the clothing industry. The results of the Instagram hashtag search have obtained over 4 million results, the secondary market is booming, and fast fashion brands such as H&M and Zara are biting to make their practices more eco-friendly and ethical in an effort to keep up. At its core, the slow fashion movement is all about passing up of of-the-moment items that you’ll be sick of by next season in favor of ethically, sustainably-made items you’ll keep for years to come.

Terms like “eco fashion” and “ethical fashion” get thrown into the slow fashion conversation quite a bit, but as journalist, sustainable fashion expert and ecocult.com founder Alden Wicker told Parade.com, these three terms aren’t synonymous. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Sustainable Fashion Guide (@makefashionbetter) on Sep 19, 2019 at 7:46am PDT

Eco fashion, on the other hand, has to do with the actual materials used to create the item. “Eco fashion is all about whether or not toxic chemicals are used in the manufacturing process, and whether it can be recycled at the end of its life,” Wicker explains.

How to “do” the slow fashion movement

Understanding the importance of slow fashion is one thing and its implementation is another. And if you have a lot of fashionable things in your closet that you haven't worn for a year, making this change can feel intimidating at first. 

Fast fashion professional and author of The Conscious Closet, Elizabeth Cline, suggests starting with a big closet cleanout. “Go through everything you’ve got, and figure out what you’re happy to continue wearing,” she told Parade.com (Cline 2016). A lot of our clothes are good-looking and we’re eager to keep wearing them, and it doesn’t matter if they’re fast fashion or cost $5. If you want to keep wearing those items, that’s the most sustainable thing you can do. Once your clean-out is complete, get your clothes ready to donate. And this doesn’t just mean throwing them in garbage bags and bringing them your local Goodwill.

We have a long way to go as a society when it comes to changing our attention from fast fashion to showing up. But you can do your part with a few simple tweaks — so get started today.

References

Ivan, C, Celia, D, Sarah, G & Matthieu, G 2019, "FROM FAST FASHION TO SLOW FASHION SUSTAINABLE INNOVATIONS: FROM NATURE TO FASHION", Global Fashion Management Conference, vol. 2019, pp. 512-513.

Hall, J 2017, "Digital Kimono: Fast Fashion, Slow Fashion?", Fashion Theory, vol. 22, no. 3, pp. 283-307.

    Thank you

cheers! Hasintha

[digital1communities]

What is digital citizenship? How social media is changing the election process

In this Blog I share my thoughts on this week’s topic which is Digital Citizenship. Simply a digital citizen refers to a person utilizing information technology (IT) in order to engage in society, politics, and government. The appearance of the Internet through platformarization has incited an impressive discussion about its effect on a scope of political actors, not the least of which has been political parties. Just as education has engendered democracy and economic development, so the internet has the ability to help the entire community

Politicians have recently described themselves more as digital citizens and built an online presence with a group of followers. And also Voters use these platforms to share their political beliefs and following up on elections. The best example for this is use of hashtags, where it is used to gain attention, to organize, and to promote. Hashtags got their start in Twitter as a way of making it easier for people to find, follow, and contribute to a conversation. (#auspol)

Recent improvements in digital campaigning in the U.S. in particular have proposed some support for the former hypothesis, with candidates making extensive use of new social media tools (blogs and social network sites) to outsource core campaign tasks (e.g. fundraising, canvassing) to ordinary supporters. In 2016 America encountered the inevitable outcome of an ever-increasing internet and social media dependence. Hailing himself as “modern day presidential,” Trump’s success and popularity is largely due to his internet presence. During this period Twitter has become Trump’s natural home. A completely novel medium in the political sphere, Twitter as a social medium allows the president to connect personally with supporters, decry opponents, and express policy options, all in one space. 

By looking at the above scenario, It is clear that in order to be successful with the development of technology even the politicians should be able use these web based platforms making a better world with the intention of becoming a good digital citizen.  

References

Anon 2020, viewed 2 May, 2020, <https://www.researchgate.net/publication/325514102_Digital_Citizenship_The_Internet_Society_and_Participation>.

Anon 2020, viewed 2 May, 2020, <https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/perspectives/PE200/PE253/RAND_PE253.pdf>.

Anon 2020, viewed 2 May, 2020, <https://www.jstor.org/stable/26273880?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents>.

Cheers!

hasintha

[digital1communities]

how does Tumblr function as a digital community

There are many different ways to use a social blog platform. Some sign up on Tumblr to connect with others, highlight their works of art, or document their adventures widely. The platform is open to a variety of environments and discussions, opportunities and flexibility are endless.

 Finding Friends                                     

Ordinarily, when a person first signs up a web-based social networking site, he knows somebody who is already using it. In any case, with Tumblr, there is no compelling reason to know anybody on the site before beginning. Actually, a few people join since they don't know anybody on the stage; in this manner, they feel more confident to post without being afraid of associates perusing along.

On tumblr users are able to follow anyone who hasn’t block you, therefore it is easy to find friends with shared interest. 

Interacting with Friends

Not all users go to the site to ignite kinships. Truth be told, some join the site in light of the fact that their friends as of now have accounts. The Tumblr Dashboard makes it simple to share various sorts of substances and communicate with small groups of friends. Especially with the current situation in the world people should get used to online platforms to interact with people, in order to control this global pandemic.

Travel Blogging

  Not all blogs needs an open monologue regarding your individual life or interests. Many people who travels, such as students, make travel blogs to records their journeys in text and photos.

If you are a traveller this platform will be very useful to record your memories and share adventures with your friends back in home. Tumblr also hosts proficient travelers who capture stunning photographs such as Exquisite Planet and Traveling Colors. And also using the travel and location tags people can easily scope out for interesting places and good eats before you travel.

Business Blog

Building a brand presence on social media is very significant since consumer interaction is vital.While Tumblr isn't the most suitable place to market products, it can support deals and create compatibility with potential customers. And also if a user thinks a particular product is so cool that person will reblog it so others can see it. This method is mostly grabbed by Adidas, J.Crew and Target to gain customers attention.

References

Anon 2020, TechCrunch is now a part of Verizon Media, viewed 13 April, 2020, <https://techcrunch.com/2013/02/18/tumblr-is-not-what-you-think/>.

Erickson, C 2020, The Beginner's Guide to Tumblr, viewed 13 April, 2020, <https://mashable.com/2012/06/03/the-beginners-guide-to-tumblr/>.

Roncero-Menendez, S 2020, The 7 Best Uses for Tumblr, viewed 13 April, 2020, <https://mashable.com/2013/12/09/tumblr-uses/>.