Social Media

Class Blog

[lana-west]

Week 14

I thought the idea of something as anonymous as being a "deliberate mystery" was very intriguing. My 10th grade teacher would always tell us that if we were really passionate about our thoughts or opinions, we would stand behind our words, and actively avoid being anonymous. 'Be bold,' he would always tell us. I thought that concept was very interesting to keep in the back of my mind as I was actively reading the articles this week. 

[lana-west]

Week 14

I thought the discussion of what "Anonymous" was very interesting. It gave me many new ideas on what the concept was. I thought it related very well to the article, and filled in some of the questions I had from last week. 

[lana-west]

Week 13

I really don't understand what everyone is so hyped about privacy for all of a sudden. And the concept of staying anonymous. It doesn't make sense why it's such a big thing. It never was in the past. Perhaps we will get more articles about this concept later on that will clear up the confusion. 

[lana-west]

Week 13

I really relate to the fear of an idea being profitable. I don't know if 4chain will be able to be successful, but I wish them all the best. Who knows. The person who invented postednotes did it by accident. And now look at them. They're golden. 

[lana-west]

Log Me Off Before You Go-Go

The article Making Monsters: Lady Gaga, Fan Identification, and Social Media by Melissa A. Click , Hyunji Lee & Holly Willson Holladay discusses how Lady Gaga is using social media in order to create a large following of loyal fans: “social media, particularly Twitter, play an important role in the relationships Little Monsters have developed with Mother Monster” (Click, Lee, and Holladay). As seen in the quotation, these fans call themselves “Monsters,” and affectionately refer to her  as “Mother Monster.” Lady Gaga became well acclaimed for her unique and fresh approach to stardom. She heavily relies on social media in order to connect with her fans. Although I had never particularly loved Gaga enough to be a Monster, a close friend of mine definitely was. She followed Gaga on every social media site possible, especially Twitter. On the other hand, Cory Doctorow’s article The Internet is the Best Place for Dissent to Start suggests what were to happen if social media sites were to decrease in popularity, or to be exterminated entirely. If Doctorow’s idea were to over lap with Gaga’s approach to a fan base, almost her entire following would be lost. While the two articles themselves are very contrasting in content, the outlaying ideas can be examined individually, and pieces of each concept can be placed on top of each other, providing a unique outlook on what the world might come to without social media. 

Doctorow’s article was a much more politically based, and seemingly authentic, source. Therefore, some terminology must be defined in order for the whole picture to come together. He refers to some people as being dissidents. A dissident is, by definition, a person who opposes official policy, especially that of an authoritarian state. With this knowledge in mind, it can be assumed that the article will be, by nature, about a governmental issue. He claims that “Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other social media tools...reveal the social ties between dissidents, making it easy for secret policemen to swoop in and round up whole movements without having to bother with the tedious business of wiretapping and surveillance in order to figure out whom to arrest” (Doctorow). If we are to simply take that concept, detach it from his argument, and reapply it to Lady Gaga’s Monsters, and how they connect with her, we are starting to see how valid his point might be. It rings true regardless of the situation. Ultimately, the Monsters have created strong social ties described by Doctorow, and have put themselves into groups such as on Facebook, that would make it easy for them to be eradicated entirely. It would save all of the people who are against Lady Gaga and her flamboyant ways to “swoop in and round up whole movements without having to bother with the tedious business of wiretapping and surveillance in order to figure out whom to arrest” (Doctorow). See how easy it was to take Doctorow’s thought and apply it to Gaga? The versatility of the argument knows no bounds. 

There are more ways than one for these groupings to affect fan bases. “The increased potential for celebrity-fan interactions in social media allows fans additional opportunities to feel close to celebrities” (Click, Lee, and Holladay). This seemingly goes without saying. Of course there is increased potential. We are in the twenty-first century, are we not? Doctorow would be inclined to agree, as he claims that “while YouTube, Twitter, Facebook (and other popular social services) aren't good at protecting dissidents, they are nevertheless the best place for this sort of activity to start, for several reasons” (Doctorow). This is not a forsaken statement. However, what if we were to take Doctorow’s concept to the extremist level, and completely take out the internet and all forms of social media entirely. Would we be able to survive? 

I think that is a very complicated concept. Some people would be able to adapt and move on. However, others would simply dwindle out of existence. Some people, like Lady Gaga. Her entire fan base of Little Monsters would be lost. Yes, they love her, and say they will follow her to the ends of the earth. And there are some creepy ones who might. But realistically speaking, it is an irrational idea. People who introduced themselves entirely dependent on social media will remain entirely dependent on social media. “…Imaginary relationships with media

figures, including celebrities, are encouraged by the media industries, which “lavish

considerable effort on techniques that not only invite but virtually force this kind of

identification”” (Click, Lee, and Holladay). The world could not exist as is without social media. I’m sorry Gaga, but if social media go-go’s, it’s game over. That’s a wrap. 

Click, Lee, and Holladay. Making Monsters: Lady Gaga, Fan Identification, and Social Media (2013, June). Retrieved from file:file:///Users/lanawest/Downloads/Click%252C+Lee%252C+Holladay+-+2013+-+Making+Monsters+Lady+Gaga%252C+Fan+Identification%252C+and+Social+Media%20(1).pdf

Doctorow, Cory. (2013, January). The Internet is the Best Place for Dissent to Start Retrieved from file: http://www.theguardian.com/technology/blog/2012/jan/03/the-internet-best-dissent-start

[lana-west]

Week 12

I thought the concept of #Riot was extremely thought provoking. On one hand, the word Riot itself has a specific connotation of some type of revolt. However, the hashtag implies an online trend. The fist thing that came to mind was that people were actually #Rioting over social media. After reading the article, I was informed that people were actually using social media in order to organize real life riots. It was an interesting paradox. 

[lana-west]

Week 12

I thought the article on the Kyber-Revolts in Egypt was interesting. The fact that they identified themselves as "the Men of Facebook" was extremely bold. I have always been interested in how people used social media, specifically Facebook, in order to organize mass revolts such as the ones that took place in Egypt. 

[lana-west]

Week 11

This was the first time that I had ever heard of "Bronies" referred to in a legitimate manner. I am so used to hearing about them in a derogatory and demeaning way. These people are clearly fans of the stereotypically feminine toy, and feel as though they should be taken seriously. Boys that play with G.I. Joe's are not considered un-masculine, but aren't they just playing with dolls also? Food for thought. 

[lana-west]

Week 11

I thought it was great how Lady Gaga was able to use social media to relate to her fans in the article "Making Monsters: Lady Gaga, Fan Identification, and Social Media." I was especially interested in the concept of a “parasocial” relationship. I always knew what that general concept was, but I did not know it had a name. However, it makes me wonder if people are going to begin relying more and more on parasocial relationships, especially with the continuous rise of social media's presence within society. 

[lana-west]

Week 10

In the article entitled: "Altaholics Anonymous: On the Pathological Proliferation of Parasites in Massively Multiple Online Worlds" I found it interesting how addiction is portrayed. Typically people become addicted to substances, however, these people had become addicted to a virtual action. The fact that these individuals are seeking help in similar ways to alcoholics was extremely intriguing. This is a topic I'd like to learn more about.

[lana-west]

Week 10

The theme of repetition is very relevant in modern society. it can be seen in commercial advertised. For example, pepsi uses multiple methods of advertising the same product. This relates to gender because of the broad theme of repetition. 

[lana-west]

Week 9

The claim: "pornography substitutes an expression of moral repugnance for elucidation" really struck me in the article "Pornographies of Violence? Internet Spectatorship on Body Horror" by Sue Tait. At first I was really confused by the statement, because of all the big words. But after defining them, I thought it was quite significance. It made me think of how porn could really substitute such an expression. I had never thought of porn in that way, and I thought it was interesting to have such a new perspective. 

[lana-west]

Week 9

I thought it was interesting to learn about how some young feminists are now using social media to respond to rape culture. On Wednesday there were people carrying mattresses all over campus to protest rape. They organized themselves over social media, which is an example supporting how they are using this medium. 

[lana-west]

Week 8

I thought the concept of online ranking was very interesting, and very relevant. My friends and I were recently looking for a place to order Chinese food from, and one of the biggest factors we took into consideration was how they were ranked online. We had no idea who was ranking them, but for some reason we were compelled to trust them. (Whoever "they" are anyways). The better the ranking, the better their reputation appeared to us. My one friend had been to one of the restaurants, and had first hand experience there. She said it was very good, but their ranking online was only at a 3 out of 5 stars. We were more influenced by these mystery rankers then our friend. 

[lana-west]

Week 8

The example of the Forget-Me-Not Panties discussing the concept of iMonitoring really struck a chord with me. It tied in very well with the theme of women as objects discussed in week six under gender. I thought it was interesting how many people were interested in the Panties, because of the desire to control "their" women. It is quite disturbing how much influence technology is having over control in society.  

[lana-west]

Un-Social Media

When you open Google Chrome on my laptop, and go to my recently viewed pages, Facebook is my most commonly viewed cite. I personally use Facebook to keep in contact with my friends, especially since I don’t use my phone regularly. Interestingly enough, I very rarely “like” anything. Author Mat Honan had the exact opposite experience. He conducted an experiment, and described it in his essay entitled I Liked Everything I Saw on Facebook for Two Days. Here’s What It Did to Me (2014). As given away by the title, his experiment involved liking everything that popped up on his Facebook newsfeed for 48 hours. His experiment followed the five procedural steps of media literacy: description, analysis, interpretation, evaluation, and engagement. He came to the conclusion that companies decided what they think you are interested in based on what you “liked.” As he writes in his essay: “after checking in and liking a bunch of stuff over the course of an hour, there were no human beings in my feed anymore. It became about brands and messaging, rather than humans with messages” (Honan, 2014).  On the other hand, I am very involved in my pictures, particularly my profile pictures. I spend hours picking the perfect picture. It has to go through a series of tests before passing. Jeremy Sarachan  writes about how you are alive through your profile picture in his essay Profile Picture, Right Here, Right Now (2013). Although discussing vastly different concepts and ideas, both Honan and Sarachan’s essays connect on one point: the concept of dehumanization within social media. 

Sarachan claims that “After friending people in Facebook, the first thing I do is check out their profile picture” (2013). This is something that I am very familiar with. It has almost become routine. When you are describing someone to your friends, you show them their Facebook profiles, which gives them a sense of life. My boyfriend and I have had a distasteful amount of arguments on this point. He is not into social media at all, whereas I take my social media very seriously. I always argue that he has to keep his Facebook profile up to date, so that when I show him off, I am showing off who he is in his current state, not who he was five years ago. This always becomes the point of disagreement, because he always tells me that he is a live person, and that who he is online should not matter. 

Yet somehow it does. Sarachan supports my argument by his claim that “despite the tools of image manipulation, photographs are viewed as a representation of the world” (2013). What this means is that what we see, specifically in this case your profile picture, is what will be thought of you. In some ways he is right - it completely severs who you are in reality and how you are perceived online. This act of dehumanization can also be seen through Honan’s experiment, and the concept of the “liking” something on Facebook. 

Honan states bluntly that “not only are [likes] ego-feeders for the stuff we put online as individuals, but advertisers track their campaigns on Facebook by how often they are liked” (2014). What this means is that the “like” button is a type of trap. Once you “like” something, you are prompted to “like” more things based off your initial “like.” This task is taken on by what Honan refers to as “Facebook’s robots” (2014). Ultimately, these so-called robots go off an “algorithm to decide what shows up in your feed” (2014). Because this is all based off a mathematical probability, what the robots come up with may not even be a representation of who you really are - just as your profile picture may not be a representation of what you really look like. 

This concept of dehumanization within Facebook is very real. Most do not realize it, because we feel so connected by using it. You can see pictures of people, videos of what they are up to, what they have liked, their relationship status, where they lived….if all the options are completed on someone, you can basically piece together a very good picture of their life. In regards to the profile picture, Sarachan states that “your visibility makes you real” (2013). However, if your visibility makes you real, then not visible would suggest you do not exist. If Honan were conversing with Sarachan, he would respond with his mutual concern, that “this is a problem much bigger than Facebook. It remind[s] me of what can go wrong in society, and why we now often talk at each other instead of to each other” (2014). Dehumanization within social media is very real, and relevant in many aspects. Perhaps we should call it “unsocial” media, since for every step it takes in connecting us, it takes two steps backward to pull us farther apart. 

  Honan, Mat. (2014, Aug 2014). I Liked Everything I Saw on Facebook for Two Days. Here’s What It Did to Me. Retrieved from file:///Users/lanawest/Downloads/Honan+-+2014+-+I+Liked+Everything+I+Saw+on+Facebook+for+Two+Days.+Here%E2%80%99s+What+It+Did+to+Me.pdf. 

Sarachan, Jeremy. (2013). Profile Picture, Right Here, Right Now. Retrieved from file:///Users/lanawest/Downloads/Sarachan+-+2010+-+Profile+Picture%252C+Right+Here%252C+Right+Now%20(1).PDF. 

[lana-west]

Week 7

I thought the viewpoint of the purpose of privacy settings was very interesting. They discussed how they presented an "obfuscatory mechanism," which I had not thought of before.