Georgina Cuzzilla

Digital Communities

[vjeranski]

[georxgina]

(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHLBaOASC74)

[annagpellegrino]

Play The Game

In week 10 we looked at the gaming community and the social and controversial aspects about it. We also looked at the Magic Circle theory which explains that a person crosses a physical or mental boundary when playing a game that separates it from the real world (Calleja 2015, p. 211). This theory has its flaws though as there are many factors that influence gameplay and the crossing of a physical and/or mental boundary. Real life experience can affect each individual’s own unique experience within the game.

People often feel very connected to games and can get lost in it. I know myself even playing games like Mariokart I feel disheartened when I lose. These emotions become problematic when it comes to online games based on social networks like Fortnite in which individuals must communicate with each other throughout the game. This can cause problems such as cyberbullying within the gaming world. Cyberbullying in gameplay is just like what we discussed with online trolls on social media, it’s the same thing but a different outlet. There is also the debate over whether video games can influence one’s behavior in a negative way. Violent video games aren’t real but can put ideas into players heads. The addictive nature of video and social games can cause players to implement too much of the ‘real world’ into the game and vice versa. 

Video game addiction can actually be considered a mental disorder as it has negative short term and long term effects on mental health. Players may stop sleeping and eating and start to develop aggression or other extreme emotions (Psych Guides 2019). The isolation from the real world can also have extreme effects on one’s social behavior. Gaming is innocent for the most part but when it comes to extensive use it can become an addiction. Gaming also creates another space for bullying to occur with not many strategies in place by gaming companies to stop this.

References:

Calleja, G 2015, ‘Ludic identities and the magic circle’, in V Frissen, S Lammes, M de Lange, J de Mul & J Raessens (eds), Playful Identities: The Ludification of Digital Media Cultures, Amsterdam University Press, pp. 211-224.

Psych Guides 2019, Video Game Addiction, Symptoms, Causes and Effects, Psych Guides, viewed on January 25 <https://www.psychguides.com/guides/video-game-addiction-symptoms-causes-and-effects/>

[georxgina]

I think the internet, in general, is addictive. As we have learnt over the past few weeks the internet has many different areas that contribute to our mental health through gaming, trolling and social imaging.  The internet is affecting our ability to function in the real world.

[arfaduzn-deactivated20190217]

Weeklings.....nothing more than...weeklings.......

Of course that’s not quite how you spell week but there you go! Welcome again tumblrs to another scintillating post or two live and direct from my memory banks, albeit dusty! It’s been an interesting couple of weeks thus far, the last couple of weeks has seen the various team presentations get underway and lots of lively discussion has ensued in reply. Over in week 5 (last week, well, not last week when you read this into the future..ahem..get on with it? Alright) we were discussing Politics and Civic Cultures. An interesting angle, yeah?

Speaking for me personally I don’t ever discuss politics or religion on social media. It’s just not worth the angst that often results from doing so. Looking at it, I guess it could be positive, but all experience has shown me is that discussions almost always get out of control on both of these topics and more often than not, I just walk away shaking my head. It seems to me that there’s always gonna be one or two that say certain things online that they would never ever dare or attempt to say offline - and that’s where the problem starts. Would be great if some people would just chill out a bit and just discuss things without hysterics etc etc.. When is a politican right I think is the question ;-) (Only joking…well, maybe…). I could point out Donald Trump like everyone else probably would but as for getting it right, the thing is we don’t know if there’s any truth in what they’re writing apart from your usual puff pieces they’ve almost always copied and pasted from a media release their superiors have written.

I’ve lost a couple of friends on facebook over the years because I dared to write what I thought about the whole Trump saga. Fer cryin’ out loud - I live in a country where Scott Morrison is the prime minister. Not Donald Trump! It just goes to show how emotional people can get online, and how some can transform from this calm rational sort of person offline, to a ranting, raving lunatic once placed behind a screen and a keyboard. I really have no idea why some people find it so difficult but it is jarring and more than just a little tiresome. …and so onto week 6 and onto Team C’s submission. Activism and Protest, focusing on Culture Jamming. The questions asked to generate discussion were: 1. What are some adbusting images you have found powerful and why? Post them up!

2. What activism or protest campaigns have you come across through social media? For example, an organisation that has used hashtags or other forms of tagging to get their message across multiple platforms?

..to which I responded with: “1. Adbusting images - look no further than these guys: http://www.bugaup.org/gallery.htm These guys targeted cigarette ads in the 70’s and 80’s and I remember often the billboards around Sydenham station in Sydney would often be the first to cop it. There was also one I saw recently for Coke which was in their "Share a coke with” promos and one was “Share a coke with diabetes”. Well let’s put it this way - no one is forcing you to drink it, or smoke, or whatever. 2. As others have mentioned, the #metoo movement has been one that’s really stood out but I don’t know why everyone’s getting so excited. Look - if you’ve done nothing wrong then you’ve got nothing to fear have you? Might not be as black and white as that but from where I’m standing it most certainly is, although what I will say is that it’s really easy to throw accusations and reputations that may have taken years to build disappears overnight just like that. (looks over his shoulder…oh that schnitzel looks *really* nice….metoo please!) ;-)“ This might ruffle a few feathers but honestly I don’t care. I find it true though - if you’ve done nothing wrong then there’s no need for you to start shaking and sweating over it, right? Let’s keep that in mind - but I do stand by what I said in the sense of that it IS really easy for someone to throw accusations here and there. I’ll be honest, since this metoo thing started I have actually been a bit concerned about getting too close to a woman! I like everyone else have a few female friends I hang out with, just innocent stuff - going out for a coffee or a catchup or whatever and most have been in my life for 10 years or more. Yeah, I may be depriving myself of a future with someone, marriage, starting a family, all that sort of thing. But honestly, what’s gonna happen down the track if this someone you’ve been with decides to level accusations at you and inside you know they’re false and you can’t do a bloody thing about it? As a result I’ve decided to remain single and completely by choice. Does anyone remember the "all men are bastards” angle about 20 years ago? It seems to have morphed into metoo.

[georxgina]

I love the approach you have taken to your blog posts!

Unfortunately, I'm not really into politics, I find it a little confusing at times as there is so much happening daily. Social media has definitely played a role in broadening my understanding of what goes on in politics. Although I am in the same boat with you as I never discuss politics on social media, I believe it can call for unwanted opinions from people that don’t have much relevance on my life.

[lhmswinburne-blog]

Week 5 – Politics and Civic Cultures

 Week 5 - Politics and Civic cultures was of particular interest to me because, well, it had to be. I was part of group 2, who explored this topic for Assignment 3 presentation. The two most important things I took away from this topic was the idea of digital citizenship, and examining politicians online, and how they all use social media differently.

Donald Trump is a great example of when politicians get it super wrong when communicating with followers online. His notorious twitter account, which is separate to the official POTUS account, is frequently the source of ridicule and controversy (Gopnik, 2018). This article about Trumps tweets is an interesting read, suggesting he uses social media, mostly twitter, to say outrageous things in order to distract his followers and the media from other more poignant issues.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/trumps-tweets-distract-us-from-the-biggest-scandal-of-all/2018/05/08/0212817e-520a-11e8-9c91-7dab596e8252_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.850bd98de8c7

Political social media accounts are almost always run by professional communicators, rather than the politicians themselves (Buncombe, 2018), especially in Australia where our politicians’ online lives are relatively tame compared to the US. Multiple controversial US political figures use social media as a free and easy way to spread messages and ignite followers to action all over the country. This leads to a complete and utter breakdown of common decency towards others online with different political persuasions, taking us to the concept of digital citizenship.

I particularly enjoyed the information I came across in regard to Digital Citizenship. A great definition of digital citizenship is the way in which access to the online world is used to express and debate issues of human rights, politics and democratic issues (Mossburger et al, 2007). As someone who engages in online debate a little more often that I would like to admit, especially when it comes to politics, this concept made me examine my own behaviour and ask myself if I am contributing to my online communities in a positive and ‘good citizen’ type manner. The term ‘civic cultures’ has emerged from this world of online political debates, as contributors form groups to align themselves with a cause, such as a profile picture filter for same sex marriage. I jumped straight on board with that type of thing when it first did the rounds, however on examining these cultures, I almost felt guilty, thinking that adding a rainbow to my profile picture was somehow making a difference. A recent chat with a friend who identifies as bisexual made me realise that while that type of thing was great for showing solidarity and love for those effected by the issue, it should always be backed up by action!

References

Buncombe A 2018, Donald Trump one year one: How Twitter President changed social media and the country’s top office, Independent, 17 January, viewed 26 September 2018, <https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/the-twitter-president-how-potus-changed-social-media-and-the-presidency-a8164161.html>

Google Images 2019, ‘The Presidential Pet’ [image], Google Images, viewed 28th January 2019, <https://www.google.com/search?q=trump+tweet+cartoon&rlz=1C1CAFB_enAU661AU670&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiF16matY3gAhVOfH0KHQ6eDrUQ_AUIDigB&biw=1920&bih=969#imgrc=Caw117WfGoCSZM:>

Gopnik, A 2018, ‘Trump’s Tweets Are Ridiculous, but Perilous to Ignore’, The New Yorker, April 17, viewed 28th January 2019, <https://www.newyorker.com/news/daily-comment/trumps-tweets-are-ridiculous-but-perilous-to-ignore>

Mossberger, K, Tolbert, C J, & McNeal, R S 2007, Digital citizenship: The Internet, society, and participation, MIT Press.

Pic Sunday 2018, ‘Australia Marriage Equality Filter for Profile Pic’ [image], picsunday.com, viewed 28th January 2019, <https://www.picsunday.com/p/Australia-Marriage-Equality.html>

[georxgina]

I agree that Trump and his media advisors are very clever in the way they take to social media, distracting society from issues he is afraid to speak about. He is always trying to stay relevant through controversy. 

“I don’t regret anything, because there is nothing you can do about it. You know if you issue hundreds of tweets, and every once in a while you have a clinker, that’s not so bad.” (Trump 2017)

Trump, D 2017, ‘Donald Trump in his own words’, Financial Times, 3 April, viewed 29 January 2019, <https://www.ft.com/content/9ae777ea-17ac-11e7-a53d-df09f373be87>.

[scientronid]

[digitalcomms2018-blog]

Activism and Protest

Activism is the policy or action of using vigorous campaigning to bring about political or social change and protest is a statement or action expressing disapproval of or objection to something. Basically standing up for what you believe in.

We know that social media is a platform where people are able to share their life updates, holiday photos, political views, but I can also be used as a platform for advocacy. Just like an online video can be trending and go viral, so can people’s views or opinions. Users are able to build collective action against issue arising across the world.

Activism can take many forms in cyberspace, one of which being ‘culture jamming’. Culture jamming sees individuals or groups, alter current media in the attempt to convey an opposing message. Ultimately distorting the original message communicated. According to Carducci, there are many different forms of cultural jamming, including performance art, graffiti art, modifying billboards, parodying advertisements, hacktivism, adbusting, and subvertising.

In 2012 the world’s social media got taken over by Kony. The Kony 2012 campaign launched with a short documentary-style video, aimed at educating people about Joseph Kony a Ugandan cult and militia leader. The video went viral and spread through social media. Though some controversy sparked about the makers of the video, this campaigned allowed people to view their opinions and share this campaign in a captivating way.

According to the Pew Research Centre, 69% of Americans feel that social media platforms are important for activism and creating sustained movements for social change. The role of social media and digital communities in protesting will continue to grow as users of these platforms can voice their desire for change in a very powerful way.

Have you ever been an activist online?

Or been part of a protest?

[georxgina]

Social media is definitely an essential tool in creating social change in today's society. Last year I remembered the spread of the Me Too movement where a large number of celebrities protested against sexual harassment and sexual assault. This went viral through the hashtag #metoo on social media. This activism encouraged victims of sexual harassment to speak out allowing the world to see the magnitude of the problem. It also spread the idea of women's rights and gender equality. ReachOut Australia has also taken to this viral trend by providing related articles helping people understand sexual harassment and ways in which to deal with it. https://au.reachout.com/tough-times/me-too

[scientronid]

[becksworldblog-blog]

Social Media and Activism

As discussed in week 5, Social Media has been utilised as a way for politicians to reach out to the public in order to gain more voters, this week it is being looked at with how activists utilise social media in order to gain awareness and supporters for their issue. Youmans and York further explore this topic of issue. 

Youmans and York view Social Media sites to have a purpose of, to “serve as venues for the shared expression of dissent, dissemination of information, and collective action” (2012, p. 315). This point is interesting, as those with passions due tend to utilise social media platforms in order to convey those points mentioned. However, not only do they share expression of dissent they also share an expression of agreement. Bakardjieva supports this statement by expressing how “active participation in community life online, this reasoning goes, will strengthen individuals’ identification with common values and care for the common good” (2009, p. 91). 

Moreover, social media and activism have grown over the last few years as people have realised that via social media, it can grab the attention of a wider audience, allowing people to be easily educated on things that are happening around the world. For example, Youmans and York point out how the ‘Arab Spring’ protests were labelled as a ‘FaceBook Revolution’, they further highlight how social media had played an important role in the overthrow of the governments in Egypt and Tunisia (2012, p. 317). 

However, an interesting point mentioned by Youmans and York is that social media was originally not designed to cater for activist users, therefore the change in strucure of the platform can have a negative impact for those that rely on social media for political and activist reasons (2012, p. 317). Although, with the growth of the utilisation of social media for such things, particularly on platforms Twitter and FaceBook, any changes to happen to these platforms would most likely now consider how the public use these social media platforms and take into consideration if these changes would affect any of the activists.

Bakardjieva describes people that utilise social media as a platform for activism as “people willing to share their problems and lessons learned in specific situations of their lives” (2009, p. 100). However, she mentions how in it, there is a sense of empowerment in the way people discuss their personal life as it is a form of collectiveness in realising that you are not alone if you think this way about a particular topic (2009, p. 100-101). 

References:

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

Mia Bernier 2016, ‘Arab Spring’ [image], in Social Media and Arab Spring, Slide Share, viewed 24 January 2019, 

<https://www.slideshare.net/MiaBernier/social-media-and-arab-spring>.

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.

[georxgina]

Social media and activism work well together at spreading the information to a broader audience, but I believe sometimes these messages get lost in translation. There is so much content posted online daily that it easy for posts to become viral from the number of views/shares/links, number of unique users the post has reached, and the rate at which the content is consumed. In saying that, one day you might see a vital activism post on Facebook, but by tomorrow the next trending post will be a funny cat video. The rate in which content can become viral will make you forget about what you thought was important the day before.

[the-digital-communique-blog]

Trolls under the bridge

The concept of trolling is an interesting one. I certainly would never condone the online bullying and belittling that happens over the internet but it must be hard to decipher sometimes. The banter that my friends and I use to communicate could easily be taken out of context by somebody who didn’t know we were friends. Olweus (cited in Boyd 2014, p. 131) defined bullying as an act requiring aggression, repetition, and an imbalance in power, and must contain all three of these factors. Trolling takes a similar mentality online by using controversial online messaging to creating discord and emotive responses (Urbandictionary 2019, n.p.). It is interesting to think about whether trolling meets all of Olweus’s criteria, and I would argue that in a lot of cases trolls are not acting aggressively. But does that mean that it is not bullying? To me bullying is more about how the other person feels, and whether the act continues after the victim has expressed a desire for it to stop.

McCosker (2014, p. 201) argues that acts of trolling should be examined through the correct cultural and geographical context to properly understand both the effect and meaning of act. This is an interesting point as cultural differences or even subtle differences in the use of language can change the meaning/interpretation of a message.

A case in point for me is Shannon Noll’s Facebook page. He gets an absolute barrage of comments and takes it all in good humour thankfully, I personally think they are hilarious but perhaps another viewer may not….

He was even good natured enough to make a sports bet add where he read out some of the comments.

According to Boyd (2014, p. 130) parents and journalists believe that social media significantly increases bullying, an assumption that is refuted by the data. This has led to a strong focus on teen suicide from the unquantified journalistic view that the majority of youths are bullied online (Boyd 2014, p. 131). McCosker (2014, p. 202) aligns social media conflict with agnostic pluralism, speaking to the necessity of having a contested space which allows for passionate debate and contested interactions. A study conducted on a short and highly provocative anti-Islam film found that interactions between the content creator, Dutch MP Geert Wilders, and those who commented was minimal (McCosker 2014, p. 206).

YouTube by numbers (Aslam 2019) link: 1.9 billion monthly active users 5+ billion videos shared to date 150 million hours of YouTube watched daily YouTube services 95% of all internet users

After conducting his analysis on YouTube commentary accrued on videos regarding the Christchurch earthquake and a flash haka, McCosker (2014, p. 213) describes YouTube as a “participatory space that incorporates and perhaps also accommodates conflict and cruelty”. The work of Thelwall and Sud (2012, p. 616) found that certain themes, such as religion, trigger lengthy discussion while other genres such as music and comedy were the least commented on. I think overall these works show that emotive subjects are far more likely to attract comment and debate, which also makes them a likely target for trolls who are able to find easy trigger points to gain a response.

References

Aslam, S 2019, ‘YouTube by the Numbers: Stats, Demographics & Fun Facts’, Omnicore, viewed 11 January 2019, https://www.omnicoreagency.com/youtube-statistics/

Boyd, D 2014, It’s complicated: the social lives of networked teens, Yale University Press, New Haven.

McCosker, A 2014, ‘Trolling as provocation: YouTube’s agonistic publics’, Journal of Research into New Mdia Technologies, vol. 20, no. 2, pp. 201-217.

Thelwall, M & Sud, P 2012, ‘Commenting on YouTube Videos: From Guatemalan Rock to El Big Bang’, Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, vol. 63, no. 3, pp. 616-629.

Urban Dictionary 2019, ‘Trolling’, Urban Dictionary, viewed 11 January 2019, https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Trolling

[georxgina]

Although some of the comments to Shannon Noll online may seem hilarious to an outsider, you can’t understand the effect it may be having on him. Scattered in those comments would be some nasty personal attacks. Bullying is difficult to deal with for anyone but I imagine social media for celebrities would be a nightmare. The Sportsbet video tries to make some lighthearted fun out of this trolling, but it also promotes a bad message that these kind of actions aren’t taken seriously.

[georxgina]

Social gaming

In week ten we discussed how the gaming community is formed through a range of network platforms and consider the sociality and player conflict resulting from online gaming. 'Social games' are known as games that are specifically made for and profit from social network sites like Facebook. Massively multiple online role-playing games (MMORPG) are "An online role-playing video game in which a very large number of people participate simultaneously." (Oxford English Dictionary 2019) World of Warcraft is one example of these role-playing games that opened the possibilities for online pc gaming.

Fortnite, an MMORPG is a game of multiple battles where 100 players leap out of a flying bus onto an island to fight each other where the last one standing wins. Released in 2017, Fornite quickly became the years top game with over 40 million players logging in to play every single month (Loveridge 2018). Fornite is a free game that can be played across multiple platforms including PS4, Xbox One, PC and Mac along with mobile versions on Android and IOS. It has been known to attract a younger audience due to its bright, cartoon-like graphics and costume customizability. Being able to team up with friends add a social aspect to the game as participants can chat using their headsets. 

Many children are now spending their free time playing Fornite instead of physical activities outside which according to The World Health Organisation has suggested that gaming disorder is a medical condition (McGhee 2018). In an article published by the ABC, Brad Marshall who runs the Internet Addiction Clinic department within Kidspace in Sydney says that 60-70 per cent of the children he sees are playing Fortnite as their primary game (McGhee 2018). The obsession with being always online can lead to sleep deprivation, anger issues and many fall behind at school from not handing in homework and assignments. Marshall believes these games are more addictive than others due to their easy availability.

Opposing this opinion is brain specialist Professor Murat Yucel, who believes the game does not necessarily equate to addiction and that it is more complicated. Yucel considers that games like "Fortnite are designed to exploit the brain's vulnerabilities in the same way poker machines do" (McGhee 2018). Parents can take action by using the parental control option on certain consoles to limit the length of gaming sessions.

References:

Oxford English Dictionary 2019, ‘Definition - MMORPG’, Oxford University Press, viewed 9 January 2019, <https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/mmorpg>.

Loveridge, S 2018, ‘How many people play Fortnite? Is it really as many as people say?’, GamesRadar, 8 November, viewed 10 January 2019, <https://www.gamesradar.com/how-many-people-play-fortnite/>.

McGhee, A 2018, ‘Fortnite: Millions are playing it, but is addiction to the game really a thing?’ ABC, 11 July, viewed 10 January 2019, <https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-07-11/fortnite-is-addiction-really-a-thing/9981528>.

Swinburne Online 2018, Lecture ‘10.1 This week’s focus’, MDA20009 Digital Communities, Learning materials on Blackboard, Swinburne University of Technology, 10 January 2019, <https://swinburneonline.instructure.com/courses/704/pages/10-dot-1-this-weeks-focus?module_item_id=60121>.

[thegoodvybe]

[georxgina]

Visual communities and social imaging

During each topic in this unit, we have discussed the importance of visual, including photos and images on social media and the ways in which we connect digitally (Swinburne Online 2018). Using the term 'networked visuality', we can understand how imaging is becoming an integral part of the formation and maintenance of social networks (Swinburne Online 2018). 

Maintaining a central role in society and culture, photographs have become a medium of communication. "Changes in media technologies have engendered changes in how we capture, remember and communicate personal images of everyday and family life" (Vivienne & Burgess 2013 p. 3). Many platforms such as Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook have embraced the new hybrid practices of personal image-sharing and networked publics (Vivienne & Burgess 2013 p. 6) by incorporating the camera function on the smartphone enabling new visual methods of expression, sharing and communication through posts or popular app features. The smartphone has paved the way for new kinds of personal photography in the form of the selfie, "a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically with a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website"(Oxford English Dictionary 2019). In 2013, the Oxford English Dictionary’s chose 'selfie' the word of the year as it had discovered a rise in mainstream media sources using this term. Companies like Apple and Samsung have since advanced their technology of front-facing cameras making it both easier to produce and to share these types of photographs.

The use of visuals has raised legal and ethical issues surrounding privacy and control of our content. Some tools have enabled users vulnerable to unauthorised distribution of their content. Additional concerns surrounding body image have arisen due to favourite social influencers using programs and apps to manipulate their images. Influencers are caught using these apps to create an unrealistic version of themselves by airbrushing pores, lines and pimples, whitening their teeth and even going as far as to change their facial structure and waistline. In recent years the mobile app, Facetune, has become a success by allowing consumers to download their app for free but then charging a monthly rate to unlock all features. Due to its accessibility, user interface and low cost compared to Photoshop and Lightroom it is endorsed by multiple Instagramers and celebrities. People compare these manipulated images to themselves, in turn, experiencing a high level of body dissatisfaction and low self-esteem. As more and more young people are exposed to these images asking the question ‘Why don’t I look like that?’ it is essential we communicate and promote self-love.

References:

Oxford English Dictionary 2019, ‘Definition - Selfie’, Oxford University Press, viewed 9 January 2019, <https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/selfie>.

Oxford English Dictionary 2013, ‘Word of the Year 2013′,  Oxford University Press, viewed 9 January 2019, <https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/word-of-the-year/word-of-the-year-2013>

Swinburne Online 2018, Lecture ‘9.1 This week’s focus’, MDA20009 Digital Communities, Learning materials on Blackboard, Swinburne University of Technology, 9 January 2019, <https://swinburneonline.instructure.com/courses/704/pages/9-dot-1-this-weeks-focus?module_item_id=60106>

Swinburne Online 2018, Lecture ‘9.3 Networked visuality’, MDA20009 Digital Communities, Learning materials on Blackboard, Swinburne University of Technology, 9 January 2019, <https://swinburneonline.instructure.com/courses/704/pages/9-dot-3-networked-visuality?module_item_id=60109>.

Vivienne, S & Burgess, J 2013, ‘The Remediation of the Personal Photograph’, Journal of Material Culture, vol. 18, no. 3, pp. 279-98.

[georxgina]

Crowdsourcing in times of crisis

During times of world crisis, such as natural disasters or terrorist events our media and communication technologies are most needed as they provide accurate and timely information to create action. These communication tools create an innovation platform for emergency services and media outlets to use (Swinburne Online 2018).

Crowdsourcing allows people and the media "to obtain information or input into a particular task or project by enlisting the services of a large number of people, either paid or unpaid, typically via the internet." (Bainbridge, Goc, & Tynan 2015 p. 511) One of the most successful forms of crowdsourcing is Wikipedia, an online encyclopaedic with up-to-date information and endless content. This allows for collaborative information-gathering, in a short period, gathering vast amounts of information used to produce open-source journalism. It enables a wide range of people from the everyday social media user to young journalists to "participate in the newsgathering process and as such has been lauded as a positive step forward in the global digital age of news production." (Bainbridge, Goc, & Tynan 2015 p. 495)

As social media is rapidly developing, media companies need to implement new broadcasting approaches to reach their audience, gain information on current events while improving the flow of information. In 2012, the ABC released The Australian Journal of Emergency Management which discussed the way communication strategies are changing at the ABC in relation to gaining and providing information from communities about disasters. It investigated how social media and crowdsourcing tools are used for good in response to crises and disasters. After the Black Friday bushfires in 2008 and the Queensland floods in 2010, the staff at the ABC used platforms such as Twitter to broadcast its coverage and updates. This paved the way for social media to be used as a tool in the journalists work practices (Postetti & Lo 2012 p. 34). The ABC integrated these social media posts with their traditional output methods of radio and television by feeding crowdsources information into on-air messages. While some journalists rely on Twitter and Facebook for fast information, the issue of credibility arises. The ABC works through methods of extracting information timely that is most reliable, through a mixture of logical algorithms and human assessment (Postetti & Lo 2012 p. 38). By being strategic about social media activity creating consistency, building awareness and planning, organisations can be successful in using social media as a communication platform in times of emergencies.

References:

Bainbridge, J, Goc, N & Tynan, L 2015, Media and journalism: new approaches to theory and practice, 3rd edn, Oxford University Press, South Melbourne.

Postetti, J & Lo, P 2012, The Twitterisation of ABCs Emergency & Disaster Communication, Australian Journal of Emergency Management, Vol. 27, no. 1, pp. 34-39.

Swinburne Online 2018, Lecture '8.1 This week's focus’, MDA20009 Digital Communities, Learning materials on Blackboard, Swinburne University of Technology, 11 December 2018, <https://swinburneonline.instructure.com/courses/704/pages/8-dot-1-this-weeks-focus?module_item_id=60090>

[tere-fere-qq]

[georxgina]

Digital Citizenship 3: Trolling and social media conflict

Week seven we focused on the hard-hitting topic of bullying through social media platforms, identifying this social media ‘misuse’ as trolling and conflict. Digital citizenship is usually concerned with ethical behaviour in online environments and takes aim at problematic forms of participation (McCosker 2014). Bullying can lead to serious consequences not only for the recipient but for the bully as well. Bullies tend to act aggressive or mean due to underlying factors, whether they are struggling with their issues or they are uneducated or unaware of the arm they are causing.

As we are always connected, social media platforms have given us access to public communication through applications such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Researches disagree on specific definitions of bullying as networked technologies complicate the new world of cyberbullying and the ability of people to understand it. Swedish psychologist Dan Olweus states that there are three components central to bullying, aggression, repetition, and an imbalance in power (Boyd 2014 p. 131)  But is the media amplifying the meaness and cruelty that is bullying? Some argue that technology and social media a new way for bullying, as the phone did before the creation of the internet. People assume that technology makes bullying more hurtful and damaging, although children and teens report that they experience more severe harassment at school (Boyd 2014 p. 133). “Although new forms of drama find a home through social media, teens’ behaviours have not significantly changed. Social media has not radically altered the dynamics of bullying, but it has made these dynamics more visible to more people.” (Boyd 2014, p. 152).

To create cybersafety, we first need to educate children and teens as well as the parents, which half of didn’t grow up with these technologies. As the parents didn’t experience childhood with social media, they struggle to understand and help their children through experiences with cyberbullying (Fuller 2014). In 2018, the New South Wales government took action by announcing the strengthening of laws to protect people from cyberbullying and online trolling. Beginning November 2018, under legislation people who stalk or intimidate using technology and or social media will face a maximum of five years in prison. These new law changes follow the case of 14-year-old schoolgirl Amy “Dolly” Everett who took her life in January 2018 after she was a victim of online bullying (Kontominas 2018).

References:

Boyd D 2014, 'Bullying: is social media amplifying meanness and cruelty?’, It’s complicated: the social lives of networked teens, Yale University Press, viewed 26 Decmeber 2018, <https://commons-swinburne-edu-au.ezproxy.lib.swin.edu.au/file/d47f38bf-bd06-413f-9542-0bc855f38b51/1/99333103114.pdf>.

Fuller, G 2014, ‘Cyber-safety’: what are we actually talking about?, The Conversation, viewed 26 September 2018, <https://theconversation.com/cyber-safety-what-are-we-actually-talking-about-23505>.

Kontominas, B 2018, 'Online trolls and cyberbullies in NSW face up to five years in jail under new law change’, ABC News, 7 October, viewed 10 December 2018, <https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-10-07/online-trolls-and-cyberbullies-in-nsw-face-tougher-new-laws/10348246>.

McCosker, A 2014, YouTrolling as provocation: Tube’s agonistics publics, Convergence, vol. 20, no. 2, pp. 201-217.

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