Digital communities

DISCLAIMER: This blog is used strictly for education purposes only. No copyright infringement intended.

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The Great Firewall of China

What a world without the internet? What will you do if u could not access Twitter, Facebook, YouTube or even your email? These are the things that people in China have to go through every single day. Before you plan to visit China, make sure you are prepared for the limitation of accessing the internet there. These problems caused by the Great Firewall of China (Anderson n.d.). After China got the access to the world wide web in 1994, the internet causing the country’s early netizens and the government came to a realisation that the free flow of information from the internet could cause some big political implications(Shen 2019). With that said, they created the Great Firewall OF China to solve the problem. 

The Great Firewall of China is the combination of legislative actions and technologies enforced by the People’s Republic of China to regulate the internet domestically, which also known as the most sophisticated Internet censorship system in the world. over the past few years, the number of websites blocked in China has increases to 10,000(Shen 2019). Some of the social networks that have been blacklisted in China are Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApps. They also blocked the access of some popular news outlet like Bloomberg, The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. The role of the Great Firewall is to block any access of foreign websites and to slow down cross-border internet traffic. When President Xi Jinping became the president of China, the online restraints has grown tighter especially during the death of Nobel Peace Prize winner, Liu Xiaobo and during the Communist Party Congress in 2017(Chan 2018).

Social Media in China

According to Crampton (2017), Chinese internet users are online for an average of 2.7 hours per day, considerably more than other developing countries. China’s citizens use different social media that the rest of the world. instead of using YouTube like people in the Western country, China citizens use Youku and Tudou. Youku and Tudou are filled with longer content and professionally produces video (Crampton 2017). Besides that, China have Sina Weibo to replace Twitter. Weibo was launched in 2009 just about three yeas after Twitter. Like Twitter, Sina Weibo allows users to post 140- character messages and users can follow friends and comment on things(Crampton 2017).

References:

 Chan, E 2018, ‘The Great Firewall of China’, Bloomberg, Viewed 5 June 2020, < https://www.bloomberg.com/quicktake/great-firewall-of-china>.

Crampton, T 2017, ‘ Social Media in China: The Same, but Different’ , Goglobal, Viewed 5 May 2020,< http://www.goglobalconsultinggroup.com/blog/social-media-in-china-the-same-but-different/>.

Shen, X. M. 2019, ‘ The story of China’s Great Firewall, the world’s most sophisticated censorship system, Abacus News, Viewed 5 June 2020, <https://www.abacusnews.com/who-what/story-chinas-great-firewall-worlds-most-sophisticated-censorship-regime/article/3030478..

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Social Gaming

What is social gaming

In my opinion, social gaming is the games you can play online that require social interaction between players. When you think about game, immediately you can think of PUBG.  PUBG is one of the games that require interaction between players to win the game or as people like to call ‘chicken dinner’. Social gaming is a form of relaxation and distraction from the outside world (Logan 2020).Because of the advance of technologies that are available, the social gaming industry is one of the fastest growing industries(The insane Growth of Social Gaming 2020).

According to Whitson and Dormann (2011), social gaming can raise awareness in the real world by delivery powerful statements which hope can inspire players to change the view or attitude in the real world. Social impact games, activist games, persuasive games, or even documentary games are some of the example of social gaming that can create social awareness of a particular issues, educate and change attitude and behaviour of players, and promote activism and social engagement.

How social media change social gaming

One of the social media platforms that are commonly used is Facebook. Facebook popular with game design in which players can keep on nipping back in throughout the day to check on the progress of the game, one of the examples of social gaming that is popular on Facebook is Farmville(Stuart 2014). Farmville allows player to build their own farm where player can plant and harvest crops and trees. This is a good example of a social gaming where the player needs to check on their farm from time to time. Besides that, through Facebook, users can share their experience by sending an invite to their friend. Players can invite and play with their friend to share the same experience in a game. Moreover, Players also can chat with their friend while playing the game on Facebook. It is very convenient for Facebook user to do two things in in time.

Are Gaming Communities Becoming More Toxic?

In my opinion, gaming communities are slowly becoming more toxic. According to Schneider (2019), women who play games are often verbally abused or molested online. Women gamer has experienced a negative impact which lead to loneliness and experiencing anxiety in the gaming world. Men do not received threat or verbally abused online like women. According to Mclean and Griffiths (2018), online game players are supposed to feel less lonely and society anxiety, but women did not received the same feeling as men.

References:

Logan, B 2020, ‘Social Gaming-A Usability Perspective’, Spotless, Viewed 31 May 2020,< https://www.spotless.co.uk/insights/social-gaming-usability/>.

McLean, L., & Griffiths, M. D. 2018, ‘Female Gamers’ Experience of Online Harassment and Social Support in Online Gaming: A Qualitative Study’, International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, pp. 1-25.

Stuart, K 2014, ‘ 10 Ways Facebook Changed Gaming Forever’, The Guardian, Viewed 31 May 2020, <https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/feb/04/10-ways-facebook-changed-gaming-for-ever#maincontent>.

Snhneider, K.R. 2019, ‘How to Deal With A Toxic Gaming Culture’, Digital Culture, Viewed 31 May 2020,  <https://www.dw.com/en/how-to-deal-with-a-toxic-gaming-culture/a-50075300>.

‘The Insane Growth of Social Gaming’ 2020, Digicult, Viewed 31 May 2020, <http://digicult.it/internet/the-insane-growth-of-social-gaming/>.

Whitson, J. R., & Dormann, C 2011, ‘Social gaming for change: Facebook unleashed’. First Monday, vol. 16, no. 10.

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Fandom

Are media representations of fans as ‘weird’ and ‘overly emotional’ fair? What is your own experience of fandom?  

in my opinion, it is not right for the media to say fans as ‘weird’ or ‘overly emotional’. It is normal for someone to be a fans of something. Being a fan of something actually can help someone in a way. Based on my experience, being a fan of a celebrity that I admire is not that bad. It is helpful when I am going through a hard time. For example, I have been a fan of Justin Bieber for some time now. When he revealed that he was struggling with depression and Lyme disease. It shows that he is a normal human being like us and he is going thought something and there are ways to overcome difficult time in life. It actually gives me comfort knowing that he can overcome it. He shows that I can overcome my own struggle or problem.

Advantage of being a fans

1.       Can improve your health

Being a fan not only shows that you are invested in a certain thing. By being a fans also can help you to improve your health especially if you’re a fans of a certain sports. It can have a positive impact for your health. Sport can inspire you to exercise or work out to be like your favourite player. For example, like the NFL player that you admire.

2.       Fans have a sense of belonging

Fandom is a community which included the people that have the same interest as you. when someone meet fans of the same music taste as you, they will have the sense that they are not the’ weird’ one. Liking the same music as someone can make you feel belong in a community especially online community.

Disadvantages of being a fans

1.       Can ruin relationship

Sometimes it is dangerous to be a fans. Especially if you are in a relationship where your partner is insecure or controlling. Being a fans of a celebrity that is different gender that you may cause some problem in the relationship. Your partner may be jealous or think that it is weird for you to admire other guy that is not them.

2.       Waste of money and time

Most CDs or merchandise can cost a lot of money. For example, buying a limited edition of an album from BTS can cost fortune. Besides that, attending concert of your favourite band can cause you to spend money that is not necessary. Sitting in front of the computer can also a waste of time for fangirl or fanboy when they can spend their time doing more useful thing that that.

References:

Science Explains… Why Being a Fan is Good for You’, 2020, Inverse, Viewed by 22 May 2020, <https://www.inverse.com/article/7120-science-explains-why-being-a-fan-is-good-for-you>.

‘Benefits of Fandom: Why Being a Sports Fan Improves Your Health’ 2020, A healthier Michigan, Viewed by 22 May 2020,< https://www.ahealthiermichigan.org/2017/09/22/benefits-of-fandom-how-being-a-sports-fan-improves-your-health/>.

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Crowdsourcng and Crowdfunding

Crowdsourcing

Crowdsourcing is involving of a large group of people obtaining work, information or opinion and submit their data or information through the internet, social media, or smartphone apps. It is called crowdsourcing because it involves a crowd of people that work together trying to solve tricky problems and information. The internet has make it easier for people to source the information needed to solve a problem which help with crowdsourcing.

Crowdfunding

In my opinion, crowdfunding is the process of funding a project by raising a small amount of money from a large number of people. Or in other words, funding of something be collecting money from the ‘crowd’. It is often used by investors, entrepreneurs, musicians, or charities. Crowdsourcing and crowdfunding are not a new term, it is just that we do not normally called crowdsourcing and crowdfunding.

Benefit of social media for crowdsoucing

1.       Gain a better understanding of your customer

Jarrett wieselman from Netflix sent out a tweet asking people what they mean when the say “Netflix did not promote the (cancelled show). The responds from the tweet shows a good example of crowdsourcing. Thousands of people responded to the tweet on how they can make Netflix a platform that can promote more shows that the audience want. Not only did the company learn something new, it also gains a few good ideas on how to promote Netflix to be the best platform to watch shows online.

 2.       Improve your product or service

Customer feedback is one of the most important part in improving a product or service. You will be able to know what they like and dislike about a certain feature on the product. Social Media help us to identify problems in a product and service through the feedback that they posted (Zote 2019).

 Benefit of social Media for crowdfunding

1.       To engage with the community

It is not enough to post a campaign and wait for the donations to come through. You must find the donor. Social media is a useful platform to reaching out to people. Social media like Instagram help us to share, post and promote the campaign to people around the world(Importance of Social Media to Crowdfunding 2017). Crowdfunding through Social media can help us to attract large number of potential donors to make a campaign successful.

 2.       Convincing people with visual content

Social media platform like Instagram help us to post a great visual content to promote a campaign. Visual content is a good way to convince people about the campaign. According to Monaghan , campaign with a relevant visual content gets 94% more views than content without an relevant images.

 References:

Monaghan, M 2020, ‘5 Proven Reasons to Use Visial Content in Social Media’, Smart Bird Social, Viewed by 16 May 2020,< https://smartbirdsocial.net/5-reasons-use-visual-content-social-media/>.

‘Importance of Social Media to Crowdfunding’ 2017, Make Giving Happen, Viewed by 16 May 2020,< https://makegivinghappen.com/importance-social-media-crowdfunding/>.

Zote, J 2019,’Hoew to use Social Media Crowdsourcing effectively’, Sprout Social, Viewed by 16 May 2020,< https://sproutsocial.com/insights/social-media-crowdsourcing/>

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Public Health

According to CDC Foundation, Public Health is the science of protecting and improving the health of people and their communities. Public Health can be achieved by promoting a healthy lifestyle, researching disease and injury prevention. Generally, Public Health is concerned with protecting the health of the people around the world. It is an important part for the public health professional to prevent health problem form happening by implementing education programs, recommending policies for the people, conducting research to solve the problem.

Is social media useful for spreading information on Covid-19

Social media is one of the platforms that can help from spreading information about Covid-19 to the people. Especially in my country, everyone has at least one of the social media. For example, WhatsApp, Instagram or even twitter. People all around the world are taking necessary steps to protect themselves and their families from the new disease, Covid-19. Unfortunately, while many people are sharing information in the social media about the virus, it is not all correct. Misinformation and of information during this time can risk someone from infected from the disease if they did not follow the correct steps. The pandemic has causing a lot of chaos in this world. People are worried and stressed. It can stress people more when there are many fake news out there on the social media.

WhatsApp is one of the places where news can spread widely because everyone, I mean EVERYONE have Whatapp on their phone. Although social media is a good place to spread the information about Covid-19, it is still one of the place people will spread about fake news related to Covid-19. Despite repeated advice and reminders to the public on the spreading fake news about it, some people still is not afraid of the consequences that they will face even with the punishment that awaits to those who spread fake news. According to Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, there were 184 investigation papers have been opened and 20 cases have been charged in court regarding the spread of fake news on Covid-19 on the social media on April 2020.

Why celebrity are an important part for a campaign

 One of the perfect social media platforms for someone starting a successful campaign is through Instagram. In my opinion, majority of the people have Instagram. For example, the ice bucket challenge. It was a successful campaign which was participate by a lot of celebrities especially celebrities from the United States. Including the celebrities in a campaign can attract various types of audience for the campaign.

Reference:

“What is Public Health?” 2020, CDC Foundation,Viewed 10 May 2020,<https://www.cdcfoundation.org/what-public-health>.

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Activism and Protest

Have you ever heard of the word activism? I am sure that most of us know and heard of the word activism. According to Cambridge Dictionary, activism is the use of direct and noticeable action to achieve a result, usually a political or social one. Example of activism that I know are petitions, rallies and many more. However, protest is a strong complaint expressing disagreement, disapproval, or opposition. For example, protesters gather to protest by carrying signs. Basically, activism and protest are a little bit the same in some sense.

Example of Activism n Protest

Because of the increasing cases in the US, the government is asking everyone to practice social distancing and some of the citizen is not cooperate. One of the latest activisms and protest the have been happening in the US is the “lockdown“ protest or I like to call it stay-at-home protest. Some of the people around the US is not happy with the decision that their government have made that is asking them to stay at home during this crucial time. There are some people break the rules that have been set by the government by gathering and not practicing social distancing but there also some people protested from their vehicles.

The reason for this protest is because they lost their freedom, and many are losing their job due to the lockdowns. Some of the US citizen is frustrated that they could not do anything that they normally do. The number of unemployment in the nation have increases dramatically during this lockdown.

Use of social media for activism and protest

Nowadays, most of us have at least one of the social media platforms. Does not matter if we are older or the younger generation. It is normal to have at least one of the social media like Twitter, Instagram, snapchat and many more. One of the most famous hashtags that is related to activism and protest is #womenmarch. The purpose of the annual marches is to campaign for human rights laws and initiatives and other topics, including women's rights, immigration reform, healthcare rights, abortion rights, climate, LGBTQ rights, economic inclusion, religious freedom, workers' rights and acceptance. The 2017 women’s march was one of the most powerful moments for women uniting together across the world to achieve a greater goal. Millions of women march together to demand and fight for an equal treatment in this society. There are a lot of celebrities and women tweeted about the women march which make the protest as one of the most powerful protest that have ever created.

 Katy Perry is just one of the celebrities that is supporting this movement.

 ‘Definition of ‘activism’ n.d, Collins Dictionary, viewed 23 April 2020, <https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/activism>.

Mudde,C 2020, ‘The 'anti-lockdown' protests are about more than just quarantines’ The Guardian, viewed 23 April 2020,< https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/commentisfree/2020/apr/21/anti-lockdown-protests-trump-right-wing>.

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Political Engagement

What is Politics

So, what is politics. We tend to hear about it. But do we really know what politics is. In my opinion, politics is a group of people in a country that try to make their country a better place by discussing about a certain topic and have an agreement between them to create a better country for everyone. There are a few of political parties in a country. Despite from the fact that different parties have a different opinion in a certain subject, but they work together to agree on the final decision.

Social media and Political engagement

Nowadays, it is normal for us to come across anything that is related to politics in social network platform like Twitter or even Instagram. Especially Twitter, it is a place where people commonly talk about their daily life and things that happen in this world. For example, the changes of the Government this recent year which happened at the end of February 2020. 

Because of the recent event, a young politician named Syed Shaddiq tweeted that he is devastated by the event as he said “I am sorry for failing you. I tried. I really tried to stop them.” According to Head, a lawyer and activist Fadya Nadwa Fikri felt betray by the event saying that Malaysians did not vote for this.

Social media has created channels of communications that play an important role in spreading the latest news, and social media has changed the power to change not just the message, but the view in political issue. Because of social media, it can change the view of a politician. The worst nightmare for a politician is when an old tweet resurfaces and hunt them which destroyed their image. According to Wood, some of Australian politicians have been deleting their old tweets to avoid themselves from scandals or controversies that will ruin their reputation in the future. Besides that, politicians need to think before their tweeted something on Twitter because it can create conflict between parties and followers.

Besides the bad of social media platform for politics, there are some benefits that can help the Politicians and the people. Having a social media platform enable one politician to address any fake news or false accusation that circulation about oneself. People also can able to connect directly with politician. Politicians can reach more people in Twitter and it is cost less to do their campaign on social media like Twitter than wasting a lot of money just to hold a campaign.

References:

Wood,P 2019,”Federal election 2019: Why politicians are deleting their old tweets”, ABC,17 April 2020, <https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-05-14/federal-election-2019-why-politicians-are-deleting-old-tweets/11095516>.

Head,J 2020,” How Malaysia’s government collapsed in two years”, BBC News, 16 April 2020,<https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-51716474>.

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Is Tumblr a blog or a social network site

Thoughts on Tumblr

Based on my first experience using Tumblr for Digital communities, there are a lot of cool stuff that Tumblr have. Tumblr is known for sharing or expressing our creativity, our thought about something and many more. The homepage is where we can see things that have been posted by the account that we followed. If you familiar with Facebook, it is easier for you to understand how Tumblr works.  You might be asking “How Tumblr works?” it is different than Instagram, the latest post will be at the top of the page and the oldest post will be at the bottom of the page according to the date here Instagram works the other way around. Besides that, the differences between Tumblr and Instagram is that Tumblr allow users to share more of multimedia content in more personal way and Instagram provides a platform to post images or videos with test (Demeester 2017).

What is blog and social network.

           In my opinion, a blog is a place where people share their experience or express their feeling like a diary. Perhaps the differences between journal and the blog is that  blog article is published to the people around the world to see. A blog mainly focusses on a specific topic. A blogger usually will focus on the topic that he or she is interested in than the other blogger. Through blog, people can share their opinion on something to the public. People who agree or disagree with a particular topic posted by the blogger may respond to the blog and can have a further discussion about the subject.

           Besides that, social network site is an online platform that allows people to create public profile and connect on a website with others. The user can follow people that they know or admire to interact with them through social media. For example, parents can add their children on Facebook to interact with their children that is far from them.

Is Tumblr a blog e a social network site?

           In my opinion, Tumblr is a blog and a social network site. Tumblr consider as a blogging platform because it allows us to express our opinion like a diary but to the public. Tumblr have easy fixture that can make blogging easier for the users to write their new post. For example, users can insert their new post by clicking the text bar. Tumblr is more interesting that other social media site because it has more visual content. The users have the option to insert photos, videos that related to their post, files or even links(Skrba 2018). Moreover, Tumblr also consider as social network site because It allows users to connect with others by following other or talk with other users privately through chat like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and so on. 

 References:

Skrba, A 2018,’Tumblr vs WordPress Comparison 2020’, Firstsiteguide.com, January 12, Viewed 11 April 2020, 

<https://firstsiteguide.com/wordpress-tumblr/>.

 Demeester, J 2017, ‘Instagram Vs. Tumblr: A Showdown between the Two Giants’ ,Understanding eCommerce, December 28 , Viewed 11 April 2020, <https://www.understandingecommerce.com/instagram-vs-tumblr-a-showdown-between-the-two-giants/>.