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Blog Post 10 Wearables (Miriam Saguda)

In Crawford, Lingel, and Karppi's article, they present the idea of wearables and self-tracking nature, which affords users quantified data access to metrics of their everyday activities. Such activities may include heartbeat, distanced walked, quality and duration of sleep, and more. Some suggests that such wearable and self-tracking devices afford users self-knowledge and agentic control through external measurements of their data. Similarly, these technologies also provides the digital companies which produce and provide such services access to sources of personalized data to these organizations. Which therein raises their arguement that runs contrary to the commonly held assumptino about the agentic control users are afforded with these technologies . In the measurement of the public's data and information, some companies have sold such information for advertising and profits, which suggests the reduced agency people have over their data. Additionally, through the use of the weighing scale and wearables as examples, they analyzed the way big data has evolved throughout history.

I agree with the authors perspective about the reduced control users have over our data. In my experience, I have realised that the subjects I converse about with my friends and family mysteriously ends up as an advertisement on websites on social media platforms. This probably means that my phone might be recording conversations and sounds that it can capture and using information garnered for advertising or profits. This is rather insidious because there has not been much explicit announcements of such a feature on phones (specifically my own Apple phone), which may suggest that companies may be riding on people's ignorance for profits. Considering the popularity of apple phones, I can only imagine the extent of data mined and used for profit by companies. This is made even more pertinant as the common person usually does not place a lot of value on their personal data due to the lack of awareness of the extent to which companies may be exploiting them.

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Blog Post 9: Exploring Intimacy (Miriam Saguda)

Lambert explores intimacy as a form that is ‘being in’ and ‘being with’ something or someone. He argues that intimacy may be associated with nudity, domesticity, secrecy. For being in, Lambert does not exclude intimacy as being in just in temporal space but suggests that it can also be found in physical spaces, it sounds like music or slow voices, in times flow. As a result, being a part of such intimacy puts us in an intimate space and even time. He provides an example of being ‘in love, as being a temporal space of the relationship, which is also a process of relation. However, this ‘being in’ and ‘being with’ can happen simultaneously as well, as seen in lovers being in love and with a loving partner. He posits, that this connection with being-in and being with transgresses physical spaces and can move into figurative spaces like the digital landscape of social media. In a sense, technology can be said to transform intimacy, as it is frequently mediated by digital space in the urban age. I agree with and observe his perspective in my daily life as I experience most of my intimacy with my family in the digital space, such as online messaging platforms because most of my family is overseas. Additionally, he suggests that such intimacy may develop into a type of fascism.

Lambert also explores intimacy as a work. Since intimacy is inherently mediated, especially by technology, and is entangled in very different social contexts in time and space, Lambert posits that intimacy may be viewed as a laborious process as people try to organize and compact their intimate world. This idea intensifies intimacy. He provides the example of casual posting on social media to a digital audience that may not only contain our close and casual friends, but also professional identities that may judge the type of content that is posted. This example suggests that in social media, people have to put in the work to not mix and entangle different social groups to prevent social consequences. It also suggests that not all content is compatible with all our social groups. This is observed in my personal life as well.  As a result of technology and social media, I realize I need to exercise caution in the content I post on my Instagram stories because of having traditional aunties and uncles that follow me and may not view the things I post as appropriate. Whilst there are features in Instagram that allow for the separation of specific users from viewing your content, which some may argue as an affordance that eases this labor as social groups no longer have to be so mixed into one audience. I still believe that going out of your way to tapping into various users and blocking them from your stories but not your account can be considered as a laborious process of division.

Lambert also suggests people rationalize intimacy the same way we rationalize buying things. Capitalism seems to command people under it to ‘enjoy’ life through consumerism. Consumerism is now viewed as a way to attain intimacy in the form of consumer goods and services that are deemed to provide enjoyment. Things bring to mind the concept of retail therapy as a means to become more intimate with yourself to provide care and comfort to yourself. For some people, the act of purchasing goods and services becomes what they consider an act of self-love, as they see the attainment of pleasure from consumption.

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Blog Post 7 The Success of WeChat (Miriam Saguda)

This blog post will focus on Connie Chan’s reading on WeChat in China where Chan explains the inner workings of the application and the reasons behind its widespread success in China. In turn, Chan urges people outside China to view WeChat’s as a case study on the possible future implications and opportunities that is afforded with the introduction of an app that allows for widespread digital interconnectivity with our daily lives.

 Chan explains that WeChat has allowed for increasing interconnection between the digital and non-digital space, as its varying functions allow for seamless integration with the non-digital ‘physical’ environment. As a result, one of the main functions of WeChat is to create a conducive digital space that caters to the daily needs of its user, such as payment of bills, consumption of entertainment and running of errands. With the access to various services that meets the needs and wants of the user’s lifestyle, WeChat seemingly all-encompassing app was a reason why the app is so successful in China.

 Chan argues that the WeChat payment’ function built alongside the services provided on the platform facilitates the monetization of the app, which provides greater momentum for expansion of services which in turn attract more users. Additionally, Chan posits that another reason for WeChat’s success is the encouragement of e-commerce stores on the platform seen by the ease of store establishment, promotions and subsidies, entices users to use the application due to the abundant access to services and products. In the process, Chan argues that the US has not followed, but should follow such trends so that they can observe similar levels of success. However, such trends are already observed in Instagram. Instagram has moved towards more blatant consumerism culture with the introduction of Instagram ‘Marketplace’. In a sense, there are steps towards the encouraging of ecommerce on Instagram, though it is not as prevalent as in WeChat. Additionally, not much may be said about the success of such an endeavor due to it still being in its early stages.

 Lastly, Chan explains that WeChat’s advanced features and tools has expanded to scope of interaction online, creating a force of freedom for brands and celebrities. Chan suggests that there is increased personalization and interactivity on WeChat as compared to other western social media platforms. She posits that western platforms have limited offerings and are often ‘static’ in their posts. She brings in the example of how platforms like Twitter mass is received, whilst WeChat is able to send messages to specific desired segments at once. As a result, brands and celebrities on WeChat are able to reach out and influence their audience to a greater extent as compared to western platforms. In the context that Chan wrote this, it may have been that such ‘US’ platforms were limited and static, however, at present, platforms like Instagram is able to target very specific groups of people using the ‘advertising’ tab. So, in today’s society, some aspects of Chan’s evaluation may be outdated.

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Blog Post 6: The Sharing Economy (Miriam Saguda)

In "What is a Sharing Economy" Ravenelle introduces various definitions past theorists and companies hold of the concept of the sharing economy. Ravenelle highlights it to consist of 'app-based technologies' that facilitate the borrowing of goods and services, in exchange for payment, for the betterment of society or profit.  Her work focuses on three central themes: Gemeinschaft/Gesellschaft, increasing casualization of labor and resulting increases in social inequalities.

Whilst other scholars argue that the onset of the sharing economy allows for the reintroduction of Gemeinschaft due to community building and increased trust, Ravenelle posits that users maintain disinterest even when participating in the sharing economy. Her research found were decreased levels of trust. Additionally, she brought in the RelayRides as an example of how relationships in the economy were characterized by anonymity. I partially agree with her view as when users consume such products their general goal is to obtain such goods and services to meet their objectives. It is unlikely that users go the extra mile to interact for community building when the nature of the exchange is transactional. For example, in my experience in Grabcar, whilst there is some level of interaction, such interaction was to facilitate the transaction or to make the experience better. Such interaction did not transfer post-trip and was very limited. Additionally, she posits that the sharing economy reflected and perpetuated existing structures of discrimination online rather than democratize entrepreneurism.

Ravenelle posits that the sharing economy has resulted in the 'casualisation of labour' and its risks. She states that since workers are now 'independent contractors', they are not afforded the benefits like compensation, healthcare insurance or disability accommodations, that traditional workers get. As a result, their work is riddled with risk and uncertainty which lead to increased anxiety amongst such workers. This risk and uncertainty are especially pertinent for middle to lower-income groups as their work in the sharing economy may be their main source of income, unlike the wealthier class who may view it as a 'side hustle'.

Ravenelle also points out that the sharing economy has contributed to the rise of social inequalities. She suggests that it allows the wealthy to get wealthier, at the expense of the middle and lower class. Bringing up the example of Airbnb, she explains how excessive renting of property by the wealthy have resulted in overall prices of rent increasing due to the increase in demand for accommodation. As a result, middle and lower-income households have to pay more for rent. I agree with this point as having access to resources tends to open up more opportunities a person as compared to someone who doesn't have much. For example, people who are more able to sell or donate their goods online are typically the ones who have increased resources that they do not use. Specifically, someone can only rent a portion of their home, or other accomodation if they have the resources to purchase in the first place. In that sense, the wealthier you are, the more likely you can benefit from the sharing economy. As a result, the sharing economy may aggravate class divisions and the ability for people to move across classes.

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Blog post 5: Participatory Culture and Users (Miriam Saguda)

In Fuch’s work on “Social Media as Participatory Culture”, Fuchs presents a critical review on scholars, especially Henry Jenkin’s, review of the notion of participatory culture in social media. To start, participatory culture was highlighted by scholars, like Jenkins, social media has brought about increased engagement by users in the creation of products, changing the boundaries of what it means to be a user and consumer. In a sense, some scholars may see the contribution of users to culture and content as a step towards greater democracy as they are now empowered to be more actively involved.

Fuchs proceeds to review the assumptions and points of disagreement in past research on participatory culture. He argues that such an understanding of the concept neglects the more political aspects of participation and the role of class that may inhibit the ability of some to participate at all. He brings up corporate ownership being a dominant factor in preventing contribution flows due to company mediation of content produced by users and their exclusion of users in more high-stake economic decisions. Additionally, he argues that Jenkins provides an overly optimistic view of the effects of participation by highlighting the downsides of social media, like the formation of antagonist communities, the economic crisis, and violations of privacy. Fuchs argues also Jenkin's dismissal of user content creation as constituting exploitation because users enjoy the creative process. He argues that the widespread commodification of users for the profit of corporations is exploitation because consumers are not fairly paid the extent to which they contribute. Regardless of whether such creation is enjoyed or not, Fuchs views it as labor that is both exploited and enjoyed and argues that since it is operating under capitalism, money should be exchanged for such labor.

I agree with Fuch’s point about corporate ownership reducing the ability for participation. Corporate entities seem to only want to receive contributions if it would positively impact their ability to achieve profits or market share goals. Additionally, some voices are weighted higher than others, like the CEO of a company as compared to the users of the company’s product or compared an infrequent user. Hence, it may not be fair to assume that the level of participation is equal across all users and producers. For example, the company Shein is known for the exploitation of low-paid labor in less developed countries. Despite years of public outcry, there seems to be not much action done to change make the production process more ethical. In sense, the voices of socially aware consumers are neglected whilst the opinions of company managers are prioritized as they attempt to increase profits from cutting labor costs in such a manner.

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Blog Post 4: Media Industries and Convergence Culture (Miriam Saguda)

In " Media Industries, Work and Life" Mark Dueze explains the phenomena of convergence culture in media industries, specifically in work, life and society. Duez highlights a change in the way media industries operate and the consequent effects on the interaction the media has with its audiences. Duez argues that this change in the way media is consumed is predominately a result of the convergence of various aspects of everyday life, from media consumption and production, economics, and culture to work and play. He emphasizes that since the media is so intertwined with its audience's life, we should view life as experience in and through media, rather than with media.

Duez argues that media plays a significant role in forming and adding to global culturalization as it is embedded in most aspects of life and a result, is the anchor in the formation of our experiences. Additionally, he goes on to add that the convergence of media consumption and production by audiences, as audiences become more participatory in the media culture, emphasizes the active role audience play in the creation of their everyday life.   Furthermore, Duez posits that media industries have bridged culture and economics, as creative industries are now seen as lucrative spots, drawing in businessmen and creatives looking to tap into such economic potential. Moving on, he argues that the media has created a conducive environment for the exchange of ideas and values, without having people or machines to physically move to other locations, hence suggesting the compression of the world whereby now organizations and companies converge skills for the production of the end-product.

I agree with Duez’s point on the pervasiveness of convergence culture in media industries. Due to the rise of media and internet connectivity, there is increasingly conducive space for companies to collaborate with their audience or other companies. This opportunity may not necessarily be intentional by companies or audiences but may simply be the result of the ease in communication links brought by technological advancements. For example, in the past whereby, it may have been difficult and inconvenient to reach out to a company to air their dissatisfaction with a certain product. However, now, since most companies have an online presence, it is significantly convenient and easy to review products as they could simply go to their website and leave feedback. Internet connectivity has opened up a new arena of communication and as an outcome of that, allowed different stakeholders to interact with each other like never in the past. Hence, enabling end-users to participate in the process of product improvement and creating a sense of convergence between the company and its audience. This dynamic is seen not only between customers and business but between businesses or even between communities and social groups.

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Blog post 3: Mobile Media and the Urban Environment (Miriam Saguda)

Ito’s research tries to understand how portable communication devices construct our lived realities in our urban environment. This construction is observed by the influence these devices have in supporting, changing, or transforming people’s relationship with their public environment, in terms of ‘people, places, and institutions’. Ito explains that the communication devices in question extend beyond phones or even digital devices and states that such portable objects can be anything that influences the way we move and imprint aspects of our identity in the ‘urban environment’ (Ito, 2017 ). Additionally, Ito highlights that the type of communication that the research focuses on is one that is between the user and their environment rather than between people, with emphasis on neutral social interactions. With this in mind, Ito research brings in the concepts of ‘cocooning’, ‘encamping’, and ‘footprinting’ as the different categories of ways people use these communication devices to interact with their urban environment. And in turn, these different categories highlight the role portable communication devices have in being present, supporting and influencing change in the urban environment. 

For ‘Cocooning’, it is described as how we take up public spaces to conduct private activities using our portable communication objects, with the intention of division between the self and others in the public arena. As a result, though one may be inhabiting public space, the person is completely absorbed by the contents of the mobile object, completely disengaged from the public social world. Ito brings up the example of phones as a means to escape from the public social environment and seclude oneself, especially during transit from one place to another. Whilst, I do agree with this point, this point assumes that phone usage is used merely to seclude oneself and that the environment is only the physical setting.  Though the phone might be used to disengage from the immediate physical environment, it may simultaneously be used to engage with the digital urban environment. For example, these people who may be using phones on public transport may be texting their friends or interacting on social media, which can be seen as a unifying activity. Though it may seem that they are being closed off and ‘cocooning’, it is reasonable as such people in transit are usually strangers and there may not be much use or incentive to interact with them.  

For ‘Camping’, Ito suggests that people intentionally occupy certain public spaces they may desire to carry out a specific, planned out activity. These activities involve using their devices for an extended temporal period. Ito brings up the example of a person who frequently goes to a desired café to do work due to the person’s attraction to the environment and its ambiance. 

‘Footprinting’ is described when various aspects of one’s identity not only get attached to but also leaves one’s mark in certain institutions or establishments. Ito explains that urban cities now have transitioned from interpersonal to more impersonal means of tracking one’s relationship between institutions, more tangible means of signifying certain relationships or aspects of one’s identity has been incorporated into the urban environment. I agree with this point. To add on, an implication of such would be that the process of constructing one’s identity is now very much tied to the urban environment, rather in the past, it was predominately constructed by oneself, internally. For example, in the past where such communication objects as readily available, the construct of one’s identity was more personal and internal. For example, a gym-goer may identify as committed to health due to their observations of themselves frequently going to gyms and internal intentions of health. However, now, a gym loyalty card may be an additional indication that someone is an avid gym member, as it is a symbol of one’s commitment to health due to such association with the gym. In a sense, now, there are more tangible manifestations of identities as a result of the marks that people leave when they are associated with certain establishments. And with this, the construction of identity is more externalized. 

Ito, M., Okabe, D., & Anderson, K. (2017). Portable objects in three global cities: The personalization of urban places. In The Reconstruction of Space and Time (pp. 67-87). Routledge.

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Blogpost 2: The functions and impact of television (Miriam Saguda)

In TV and the Spaces of Everyday life, Spigel (2015) argues for the significance of the television in transforming public and private life whilst highlighting the changing functions and impact of the television in our spaces. Drawing similarities and observing the differences in how television has impacted societies and communities, she argues that these perceptions contribute to the construction of different social realities. Spigel (2015) brings to light the persistent effects of television in differing aspects of social life.

Spigel (2015) argues that the effects of the television in the ‘domestic space’ and its relation to ‘family intimacy’ is not homogenous. She writes that although it is traditionally viewed as a means to unify families, television can also be a divisive force that may highlight certain stereotypes across race, gender, class, generation, and geographical location. For example, Spigel explains that traditional notions of watching television as a means for family bonding have their roots in the initial advertising of TV sets during the early stages of its launch. Even now, we see advertisements portraying television as a gadget to be enjoyed with one’s family, together. However, such technologies highlight existing divisions within and even outside of the family setting. This is seen in the differences in the types of content watched due to generational gaps that may be sources of conflict in the domestic setting. For example, the parents may want to watch the news whilst the teenagers may want to watch sitcoms. In a way, the television may be a tool enforcing or add to the existing dynamic of power and authority considering that it is more likely that the parent’s desires would be put at the forefront. Conversely, television may also be seen as a sign of progress or equalizing force as dominant authority figures in the domestic setting give in.

Though I agree with all her arguments, I would also like to add that the weight that television bears differ in other contexts. At the time that Spigel wrote this, the extent of the impact television had was more direct. However, as time progressed,  we are now more exposed to different forms of entertainment, online and offline, streaming and cable TV, the role of television is less obvious. Once being the forefront of a household, in today’s internet age, it can be argued as being more of a lingering artifact of the past, that predominately older generations still use. In my experience, amongst my friends and me, frequent television use is unheard of and even shocking. It is commonly associated with childhood and the past, as now many of us have shifted our consumption of media online. In my home, though the television might be on and the entire family is in the living room, it is basically treated as ‘white noise’ as we all subconsciously switch to our mobile devices or laptops to carry on with our media consumption. I think this is an interesting experience that many of my other friends share.

Additionally, Spigel argues that the associations that people have with television are constantly changing based on context. Additionally, she posits that it may even be used as a tool to further social-political agenda rather than a mere means of entertainment. In this sense, the understanding and meanings associated with television can be vastly different depending on the user, and its many affordances have outweighed its initial primary function of entertainment.

References: Spigel, L (2015). TV and the Spaces of Everyday Life. Mediated Geographies and Geographies of Media (pp.37 -48) Springer, Dordrecht

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Blog post 1: Mediated Communication ( Miriam Saguda)

I will be focusing on the “mediated construction of reality” readings by Couldry and Hepp, they argue that our social world is increasingly interwoven with the media. They frame media to be communication that is technologically driven which institutionalizes how we communicate. This institutionalizing process occurs through materialization whereby there are tangible expressions of communication and naturalization where media becomes a dominant form of communication.

They argue that the media plays a significant role in constructing the structure and experience of our social world and have used the term “mediated communication” to explain their perspective. The effects of “mediated communication” in the construction of the social world is so widespread that it has formed the foundation of how we interact in our day-to-day world. And in turn, they argue that the individual day to day experience of such a construction of our social world in summation is a representation of the construction of the societal social reality. This is because the interplay of the materialization and naturalization of communication in the micro, meso and macro levels all form a sense of reality.  However, they nuance such an argument by suggesting that this mediation does not result in a homogenous experience of the social world. Additionally, they further explain that there is differentiation in different parts of the world. Such brings to light the complexity of the communication effects in different regions or different domains.

I think this concept is extremely prevalent now for people who have access to advanced forms of technology and are increasingly digitalized in their interactions. This is because we have saw great shifts in the way we perceive our realities in different domains of life. For example, where education used to be perceived as a physical place, where we interact with our schoolmates and friends in a more tangible level, now it is viewed as a digital place where interactions seem more intangible. Additionally, education now may be perceived as more focused on academics as compared to before where the educational experience was more holistic as people had more access to CCA’s, breaktime conversations and other leisure activities. In a sense, the lived social realities of students in relation to their education has changed as a result