Digital Communities

[ivetakocianova-blog]

Discovering Blogging

To commence this week’s blog I have to be honest with you; I have heard about blogs and have read a couple of them, but never really paid attention to this blogging thing. Therefore, the fact that Tumblr has reached number 5 on the list of the most popular social networks in Australia for at least 7 months in a row is rather astonishing to me (Cowling 2015). How did I miss all this?

I’ve decided to investigate what is all this excitement about. The Internet is such an open space, for this reason I thought I might find a lot of blogs about “normal”, day to day things. However, further research proved me wrong, I could find blogs about anything you can imagine – dating, shopping, music, movies, traveling, raising children, and the list could go on. Taking all that in consideration I don’t have any other choice than to agree with Cross that “blogs are a major phenomenon of digital culture” (2011, p 37).

IMAGE (Hurwith, J 2013)

I was reading a blog of my fellow student and another surprising aspect of blogging emerged. According to Shivaniielizabeth (2015) sick people use blogs as their way of coping with the illness and to feel companionship. McCosker and Darcy (2013, p. 1267) only confirm these claims by stating that “blogs have been adopted to self-document the intimate and often intense experience of living with illness”.

This element that people utilize blogs as a platform to share their journey through sickness, has never occur to me. However, it makes perfect sense as blog readers themselves say the main reason why they come back is the connection with people with the same experience and the chance to hold a conversation about it (Cross 2011, p.37-38).

Is there more blogs like these? I wanted to know more. Upon searching Google for empowering blogs, several pages of blogs about helping women came up. By the way another startling fact, I couldn’t find one dedicated to men! However, I found one which mission was so meaningful I’ve decided to share it with you. The company running this blog is a non-profit organisation called SheHeroes. Basically, it presents exceptional and successful women across all fields to young girls. That enables these girls to dream big, to explore their interests and pursue non-traditional careers (SheHeroes 2015).

VIDEO (SheHeroes 2015)

Well, let me tell you this whole journey of discovering blogging has been full of surprises along the way. It has been quite eye opening for me, how blogging and social media in general can be used to help and unite people.

To finish I’d like to use a quote that nicely summarises the positive aspects of blogging:

“Probably one of the best things about blogs are all the various voices from different parts of the world and how they all flow together”                                       (Mirum 2008)

Reference list

Cowling, D 2015, Social Media Statistics Australia – April-October 2015, SocialMediaNews.com.au, viewed 25 November 2015, <http://www.socialmedianews.com.au/social-media-statistics-australia-october-2015/>.

Cross, M 2011, Got Blog, in Bloggerati, Twitterati: How blogs and Twitter are transforming popular culture, Praeger, Santa Barbara.

Hurwith, J 2013, ’10 tips to start a contracting blog’ [image], Craftjack, viewed 25 November 2015, < http://craftjack.com/toolbox/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Blogging-Stats.png>

McCosker, A & Darcy, R 2013, ‘Living with Cancer: Affective Labour, Self-Expression and the Utility of Blogs’, in Information, Communication and Society, vol. 16, no. 8

Mirum 2008, ’15 reasons why blogging matters more than ever’, Six pixels of separation, 14 March, viewed 24 November 2015, http://www.twistimage.com/blog/archives/15-reasons-why-blogging-matters-more-than-ever/.

Shivaniielizabeth 2015, ‘Even if you have nothing important to say, you can still blog about it’, Digital Communities, 22 November, viewed 23 November 2015, http://shivaniielizabeth.tumblr.com/post/133700620396/even-if-you-have-nothing-important-to-say-you-can.

SheHeroes 2015, SheHeroes: Seeing is Believing, 3 June, viewed 24 November 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZ4x6zKmm4o.

SheHeroes 2015, What is SheHeroes?, viewed 24 November 2015, <http://www.sheheroes.org/about-sheheroes/>.

[shivaniielizabeth-blog]

I loved reading your blog post this week! And thanks for referencing me, it’s honestly quite flattering! Its so interesting to hear a different point of view in regards to blogs - me, who reads multitudes of blogs daily and you doesn’t know much about them. I thought it was interesting the point that you made that not all blogs are simply a diary but some blogs can be very positive and motivational.

[rubyblogging-blog]

This post was great. Very informative and still accessable and relatable :)

[shanrosew-blog]

You blog? You famous!

All the bloggers out there doing this way better than me, don’t take offence! I’m merely referencing one of the readings from week four which states that on the internet, you only need fifteen friends or people who are interested in what you’re writing and your sufficiently famous (Rettberg 2014, p. 67). So, I’m still not famous. 

I must be doing something wrong. It could be that I’m not up on the lingo like ‘pwned’ that I only managed to discover once reading the learning materials. I happened to come across this on Tahlia’s blog and thought she’d made typos throughout her post AND her title! I’m so glad I didn’t pull her up on it. Embarrassing…

DO I EVEN KNOW WHAT A BLOG IS?

So I admit my interpretation of a blog prior to this week was that it was a written or visual diary. A space where people share their thoughts and opinions and content that has either amused or inspired them. Turns out they are not only much more than that, but they can also be a lot simpler. They can serve a range of purposes from a corporate level down to a personal page sharing a love of mini dachshunds. I happen to own a mini dachshund and since falling deep in love with her, this kind of blog is not that far fetched.

SEE LOOK! THEY ARE ADORABLE!

The unique characteristic of the blogosphere is that it reaches a wider audience and it has the potential to spread like ‘word of mouth’ but in an exciting and fast- paced digital community (Cross 2011, p. 38).

I FOLLOW YOUR BLOG, ARE WE FRIENDS?

A link between blogs can signify that two bloggers know each other and may consider one another as an associate or a friend but it can also signify that one blogger enjoys another bloggers blogging (Rettberg 2014, p. 67). The PUBLICS that are formed when considering blogs is often referred to as ‘networked publics’ and, when put simply, refers to publics that are reconstructed by network technologies). I found Boyd’s definition the clearest and easiest to relate to the idea of social media platforms and blogging communities as describing the space constructed and the imagined collective in network technologies (Boyd 2010, p. 39). When I think of that idea, I imagine little towns made up of the collectives of the blog world… The fashion bloggers, the science geniuses and the mini dachshund enthusiasts.

This idea of networked publics leads to considering what the publics are seeking and delivering through these blogs. Blogging about illness has become a platform for detailed and on- going expressions of people who are suffering severe illness (McCosker 2008, p. 1). These platforms offer sufferers and their loved ones an opportunity to communicate and relate to others experiencing their pain or to supporters who are encouraging their journey. I am lucky enough to not have suffered a serious illness but I imagine a community of support and people experiencing similar things would be true comfort. A risk with having these blogs that are given such a potentially public and powerful voice is that vulnerable people can be taken for a ride. Let’s look at a very well- known case of this in Australia earlier this year. Belle Gibson, a 23- year- old blogger who claimed to cure brain cancer with natural therapies and healthy foods was discovered to be misleading followers (Ferreras 2015). It was discovered Gibson never had the cancer and many people who were inspired by her were left feeling betrayed.

After this week diving into the world of blogs, I feel inspired to keep talking about them but I also feel like I’ve been missing out by just keeping to the single servers like Facebook and Instagram. I have an urge to try and start a photoblog now but if anyone can tell me how to reference where these pictures have come from that I have found on other Tumblrs? I’ve seen people can link them to the original posters blog? HELP.

REFERENCES Boyd, D 2010, ‘Social Network Sites as Networked Publics’, in Papacharissi, Z, A Networked Self: Identity, Community, and Culture on Social Network Sites, Routledge, Hoboken, pp. 39-58.

Cross, M 2011, Got Blog, in Bloggerati, Twitterati: How blogs and Twitter are transforming popular culture, Praeger, Santa Barbara.

Ferraras, J 2015, ‘Belle Gibson, Australian wellness blogger, lied about cancer diagnosis’, HuffPost Canada, 22 April, viewed 4 December 2015, <http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2015/04/22/belle-gibson-cancer-lie-wellness-blogger_n_7120796.html>

McCosker, A 2008, 'Blogging Illness: Recovering in Public’, M/C Journal, vol. 11, no. 6, pp. 1-8.

Rettberg, J 2014, 'Blogs, Communities and Networks’, in Blogging, Polity Press, MA.

[axebrain]

So well written Shannon,

I love how you’ve incorporated all the different elements and injected some real personality into the blog posts.

I need to make sure I do that myself, I’m a bit too dry and academic.

Luke

[theitalianbootinmelbourne-blog]

Love it. I must admit that I am not famous at all, so let’s be friends and we can become famous!! Great jargon for a blogger!!

Simon+e

[shivaniielizabeth-blog]

I loved how you brought in the relationship with blogger and their publics - I guess peers are friends too?! :D

[rubyblogging-blog]

This was really interesting and very fun to read! Thanks for a great post!

[shivaniielizabeth-blog]

I highly recommend you watch this! A funny yet serious take on the online world.

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver 2015 [television program], HBO, 21 June.

[rubyblogging-blog]

This was a great example of the material, love John Oliver, thanks!

[bevsblog-world-blog]

Blog # 3 - Politics and Social Media

This week sees us explored the way politicians use social media as part of their campaign.  Politicians around the world are using social media as a way to connect with the people.  I decided to research the 2008 and 2012 Presidential election in America and the 2013 Federal Election in Australia.

The 2008 election in America saw a huge number of people using the internet to obtain updated information on the campaign for their favourite candidate (Young, 2010).  Leaders from around the world are starting to realise that social media is playing a big part in their campaign to win over voters.  Voters are seeking assurance from these platforms to ascertain who they might vote for on the day of election.

During the 2012 Presidential election in the United States of America, Obama and Romney used social media platforms to attract people to like, comment and re-tweet their thoughts and expose their alliance to their favourite candidate (Dalton-Hoffman 2013).  One of the reasons Obama succeeded in winning the election was due to his presence on social media.  Dalton-Hoffman (2013) shows statistics between August 27th and September 23rd,  on the amount of tweets and Facebook posts President Obama had, 11, 179, 537 tweets and 442,524 Facebook posts, while Romney had 7, 740,992 tweets and 249, 567 Facebook posts.  It was clear to see that Obama was more popular on social media that Romney.  If found the following Youtube video interesting.

America is in the middle of the campaign for the 2016 presidential election.  I’m sure the use of social media has increased dramatically since the 2012 election.

The last federal election in Australia was in 2013. According to Waters (2013), this election was ‘dubbed the “social media election”’.   Kevin Rudd used social media to obtain votes from a younger audience on with his support on same-sex marriage, while Tony Abbott was focusing on showing the family man he is by posting pictures of his family.  In the end, Tony Abbott had more followers than Kevin Rudd.  He must have been doing something right.

Of late in Australia, Malcolm Turnbull became the first lower-house Australian politician to Tweet (Jericho, 2012).  Not only did Turnbull use Twitter, he recognised the need to use a variety of platforms to advertise his political campaign.  

References

Dalton-Hoffman, M 2013, ‘The Effect of Social Media in 2012 Presidential Election’

Jericho, G 2012, ‘How many votes are there on Twitter?’, in The Rise of the Fifth Estate, Scribe, Victoria, Australia.

Waters, G 2013, 'Ten social media moments of the 2013 campaign’, The Sydney Morning Herald, viewed 2 December, 2015, <http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/federal-election-2013/ten-social-media-moments-of-the-2013-campaign-20130906-2t9vv.html>.

Young, S 2010, 'News, political reporting and the internet’, in How Australia Decides, Cambridge University Press, Victoria, Australia.

[rubyblogging-blog]

Great examples of social media and politics. Your post was very engaging and interesting to read!

[elisabeth-mitchell-blog-deactiv]

Crusade of a digital citizen (week 6)

If you had a passport and resume that reflected your digital presence, how would it read? Would you be welcomed into every country? Would you be hired for the job you wanted? And what would you do with that digital citizenship? Would you be an activist? Would you ignite change? Or would you simply go along for the ride?

A digital citizen is “a person who develops the skills and knowledge to effectively use the Internet and other digital technology, especially in order to participate responsibly in social and civic activities” (Dictionary.com 2016). A digital citizen shows “appropriate, responsible behaviour with regard to technology use” (Digital Citizenship 2016).

Nine Themes of Digital Citizenship (Digital Citizenship 2016)

1.       Digital Access: full electronic participation in society.

2.       Digital Commerce: electronic buying and selling of goods.

3.       Digital Communication:  electronic exchange of information.

4.       Digital Literacy: process of teaching and learning about technology and the use of technology.

5.       Digital Etiquette: electronic standards of conduct or procedure.

6.       Digital Law: electronic responsibility for actions and deeds

7.       Digital Rights & Responsibilities: those freedoms extended to everyone in a digital world.

8.       Digital Health & Wellness: physical and psychological well-being in a digital technology world.

9.       Digital Security (self-protection): electronic precautions to guarantee safety.

Using social media for a cause has quickly become an everyday event. In politics, to raise awareness of a charity or to rally likeminded people to protest, the message can be spread quickly and effectively. In 2008 Oscar Morales started a Facebook group called “Un Millon de Voces Contra las FARC” (“One Million Voices against the FARC”). This was a time when many Colombians were living in fear of the FARC. Oscar invited 20 of his friends but within 12 hours the following increased to 900 and continued to triple every day after. The page was originally used like a community notice board but before long was being used to organise marches around the world of around 10 million people collectively (Woodard Maderazo 2008).

Not every action, however, will directly result in a million people marching for the same cause. Everyday activism is the talk and behaviour in day to day life that is not necessary organised with others but is inspired by a social movement and intended to encourage others to behave in the same manner (Masnbridge 2012). Similarly, sub-activism is the everyday political discussion and persuasion conducted on social media. It’s not intended to create great actions but drive conversation and engagement. Clicktivism is seen to have both a positive and negative impact on social movements. This being the act of simply “clicking” to show support for a cause. Does doing so mean anything? It could falsely represent those actually and actively supporting said cause but on the flip side, could bring more awareness through social media engagement.

Culture jamming on the other hand is set out to create a reaction. It is intentional and thought provoking. “Culture jamming is an intriguing form of political communication that has emerged in response to the commercial isolation of public life. Practitioners of culture jamming argue that culture, politics, and social values have been bent by saturated commercial environments, from corporate logos on sports facilities, to television content designed solely to deliver targeted audiences to producers and sponsors. Many public issues and social voices are pushed to the margins of society by market values and commercial communication, making it difficult to get the attention of those living in the “walled gardens” of consumerism. Culture jamming presents a variety of interesting communication strategies that play with the branded images and icons of consumer culture to make consumers aware of surrounding problems and diverse cultural experiences that warrant their attention” (Center for Communication 2016).

REFERENCES

Center for Communication and Civic Engagement 2016, Culture Jamming and Meme-based Communication, Center for Communication and Civic Engagement, viewed 2 January 2016, https://depts.washington.edu/ccce/polcommcampaigns/CultureJamming.htm

Dictionary.com 2016, digital citizen, Dictionary.com, viewed 2 January 2016, http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/digital-citizen

Digital Citizenship 2016, Nine Themes of Digital Citizenship, Digital Citizenship, viewed 2 January 2016, http://www.digitalcitizenship.net/Nine_Elements.html Mansbridge, J. 2012. Everyday Activism. The Wiley-Blackwell Encyclopedia of Social and Political Movements. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/9780470674871.wbespm086/abstract

Woodard Maderazo, J 2008, Facebook Becomes Catalyst for Causes, Colombian FARC Protest, Mediashift, viewed 2 January 2016, http://mediashift.org/2008/02/facebook-becomes-catalyst-for-causes-colombian-farc-protest053/

[narellemda20009-blog]

A great blog - you summarise very well all the characteristics of the digital citizen that we have investigated in this course. Well done. Culture jamming was something that I didn’t really understand, but your explanation has made it much clearer.

[rubyblogging-blog]

Hey, a detailed and informative discussion of the digital citizen, great post!

[kzunblogs-blog]

In a time of crisis...crowdsourcing

Communication in a time of crisis whether that be a national disaster or more sinister like a terrorist attack, we rely on a variety of communication systems and medium to contact loved ones, understand what is happening or to be aware of any further threats. Unfortunately when major crisis take place, our communication systems can also fail making it harder to communicate key information to the public, loved ones or other persons of interest. 

In the digital age, we are now turning to social medium platforms to access information and in a time of crisis ‘crowdsourcing’ is an increasingly popular and effective way of obtaining information and disseminating across a large group or audience.   Merriam Webster Online (2014) defines crowdsourcing as a way to obtain crucial services, ideas or information by getting this information from large groups of people with a focus on the online community.

When the Nepal earthquake struck in 2015, a number of organisations as well as individuals used crowdsourcing as way to fundraise for relief efforts but also to track down missing peoples using the power of social media.   Along with Facebook’s safety feature that allows users to notify followers that they are safe, the Nepal Earthquake has seen a number of crowdsourcing efforts take place such as the use of the Kathmandu living lab map which maps the disaster affected areas thanks to the efforts of online users disseminating key information about each area in Nepal.  Volunteer Coordination has also been used online via Google Docs and social media in order to recruit volunteers but to ensure they are adequately spread across key areas (New York Time, 2015)

Through the use of crowdsourcing, the online community was effectively able to assist and help those affected in Nepal and provide valuable information to rescue teams when traditional communication systems such as telephone was not possible.

Whilst crowdsourcing has been used for more shallow pursuits such as kickstarter campaigns to get Hollywood movies off the ground, one cannot deny the power that crowdsourcing in a time of genuine crisis can hold.  We saw only recently that a Tasmanian widow receive hundreds of thousands of dollars to raise his children after his wife was killed in a car accident. Through the online community coming together and sharing this man’s story they were able to contribute to the wellbeing of his family through crowdsourcing  (ABC, 2016).

What are some examples of effective crowdsourcing in a crisis that you have seen?

References

 ‘Baby born after fatal crash’ 2016, ABC, viewed 1 February 2016 <http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-01-23/baby-born-after-fatal-crash-now-stable/7109314>

‘crowdsourcing entry’ 2014, Merriam Webster, viewed 17 September 2015,<http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crowdsourcing>.

‘Nepalis using crowdsourcing to aid in quake relief’, 2015, New York Times <http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/02/world/asia/3-ways-nepalis-are-using-crowdsourcing-to-aid-in-quake-relief.html?_r=0>

Images

‘Crowdsourcing Disaster Relief’ 2014, Dialogue Consulting, viewed 1 February 2016 http://www.dialogueconsulting.com.au/2014/03/crowdsourcing-disaster-relief/

‘Nepalis using crowdsourcing to aid in quake relief’, 2015, New York Times <http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/02/world/asia/3-ways-nepalis-are-using-crowdsourcing-to-aid-in-quake-relief.html?_r=0>

[narellemda20009-blog]

The Nepal earthquake was a really good example of the success of crowdsourcing - this has been one of the best topics we have covered. To me it seems a natural progression in collaboration - with so many online and connected, it only takes one person with an idea and crowdsourcing can snowball -  many people who want to help, can help even if they are physically removed from the disaster scenes, as has been demonstrated in crisis mapping with resultant better use of resources and relief efforts. Great post!

[rubyblogging-blog]

Great examples of crowdsourcing in action and how it can be of great benefit, thank you!

[martha-browning-blog]

Digital Citizenship 2 // Activism and Protest

Social media these days isn’t just used to communicate with friends and family, follow celebrities and post videos of cute animals. It is serving a more interesting purpose of grassroots activism and as a platform for protest and even facilitating a social revolution (Swinburne Online 2015 Week Six).

Culture jamming is a tactic, coined by Mark Dery in the 1990s, used by many anti-consumerists to disrupt or subvert mainstream media, as a form of protest. Culture jammers will often use the existing media, such as billboards, bus-ads or posters, to comment on what the content is saying, or to showcase the ‘truth’ as the anti-consumerists see it (Marshall 2004).  

Forms of culture jamming include:

Performance art

Graffiti art

Hacktivism

Adbusting (Swinburne Online 2015 Week Six).

Slacktivism and clicktivism are forms of activism which are seem to be adopted by a majority of social media users today. It is considered a ‘lazy’ way of joining in and confirming your stance on a particular issue that is popular on social media, clicking like or sharing the media then moving onto the next semi-important thing. The Kony 2012 campaign is a prime example where users shared the video designed by Invisible Children Inc. to share the gross mistreatment of humans by Joseph Kony, a Ugandan warlord, but it is not all in vain as Bailyn (2012) discussed. Bailyn stated that a majority of users of social media will not act unless the tools to do so are in front of them. By sharing the video, donating even a small amount to the cause and spreading the word of issue, people are inclined to act and take part to enforce a change.  Change.org is another form of social media clicktivism where users can ‘sign’ a petition or share a story without leaving the comfort of their own home, again a form of slacktivism but if it helps get numbers/signatures up on a petition, it is probably doing something useful still.

While activism in a digital community does seem to be a ‘lazy’ way of getting involved, social media can be a powerful way of spreading a message to large target audiences if used correctly. It can also be used to create a civic community within social media and often inspires people to go out and make a change (Rosdil 2011).

References

Bailyn, E 2012, ‘The Difference Between Slacktivism And Activism: How ‘Kony 2012’ Is Narrowing The Gap’, Huffington Post, 13 March, viewed 10 December 2015, <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/evan-bailyn/kony-2012-activism_b_1361791.html?ir=Australia>

Marshall, L 2004, ‘Culture Jamming’, Urban Dictionary, 29 November 2004, viewed 10 December 2015, <http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=culture%20jam>

Rosdil, D 2011, ‘Civic Culture, Sub-cultures, Non-Traditionalism and Progressive Policy’, Urban Studies, vol. 48, no. 16, pp. 3471.

Swinburne Online 2015, ‘Week 6: Digital Citizenship 2 - Activism and Protest’, Swinburne University, learning materials, November 2015, viewed 10 December 2015.

[rubyblogging-blog]

This was a great exploration of this weeks topics and readings, thanks!

[melje-digital-comms-deactivated]

#6 Crowdsourcing in times of crisis

In many situations of crisis and disaster, our media and communication technologies are vital in the delivery of precise and timely information, as well as planning and preparing for natural disasters, and organising action and the process of recovery. During this time we also see a great deal of innovation in use of communication tools, particularly social media (Learning materials, 2015).

Crowdsourcing is increasingly becoming a vital and reliable source of information as it not only assists emergency services and the media during times of crisis, but it can educate, keep records, produce powerful sources of information, act as a communication tool, and alleviate further destruction and even save lives in a crisis situation or emergency (Ford, 2012).

(YouTube, 2010)

The two main platforms that are used for crowdsourcing include Twitter and Ushahidi, and are used for communication, raising awareness, tracking/mapping affected areas and raising funds. Communication is very important in a crisis and using an online platform increases the speed that information is available (Ford, 2012).

In 2012, a year after the Queensland floods, it was noted that the Queensland Police Media Twitter feed was the most visible presence in the information being distributed throughout the crisis (Posetti, 2012). By using social media, particularly twitter as a form of communication, emergency services were able to successfully inform both residence of the Queensland community and the Australian public about what was happening and the specific measures being taken to ensure everyone’s safety. 

(Kerschberg, 2014)

References

Ford, H (2012) Crowd Wisdom, Index on Censorship, vol. 41, no. 4, pp. 33-39.

Kerschberg, B (2014) How Strategic CMOs Use Crowdsourcing to Win [image] available at: http://www.forbes.com - accessed 15 January 2016

Posetti, J (2012) The twitterisation of ABC’s emergency and disaster communication, The Australian Journal of Emergency Management, 27(1), pp.34-39

YouTube (2010) [Video] available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Buyub6vIG3Q - accessed 16 January 2016

[rubyblogging-blog]

I thought this post outline what crowdsourcing actually is very clearly and effectively, thanks!

[mda20009-digital-comms]

Visual Communities and Social Imaging-- The Selfie

Let me preface this blogpost with how much I hate being in photos.I personally love taking them, I just don’t like being forced to be in one. I also don’t understand the point of all those duck face group selfies of girls who claim that theres #nofilter, or when they post a selfie completely unrelated to the actual caption. We have slowly morphed into being completely self obsessed.

It all started with the simple photograph, used as a way to commemorate certain milestones throughout an individuals life, as well as a means to share memories with others. Slowly, the camera got turned around and went from taking pictures of things, be it certain events, holidays or family gatherings, to taking photos of ourselves.

With the rise of using social media to share photos, there has now been a creation of visible publics, which can be viewed as “(re)makers and (re)distributors, engaging in shared culture and knowledge through discourse and social exchange as well as through acts of media reception” (Mizuko Ito (2008, pp. 2-3). Visual publics are publics that are created using the various ‘tagging’ features available on social media, making other users aware of the fact that they are part of or visible within a particular photo, and also linking the photo back to that individuals account, providing them with more social media exposure.

This sense of community achieved through the use of social media platforms is most evident when looking at YouTube, but more specifically, bloggers. They form a relationship with their viewers that makes them want to continuously come back to the channel to see whats going on in their lives. Because of the constant updates, and the fact that they are viewed constantly, the viewer feels as if they know they YouTube star on a personal level, and will therefore relate to the content that is shown. This phenomenon can often be referred to as videos of affinity, where “feelings of membership in a social network, or feelings of attraction to people, things or ideas’ (2009, p. 71)

(missmalini, 2014)

Reference List

Lange, P 2009, ‘Videos of Affinity on YouTube’, in P, Snickars & P, Vonderau (eds), The YouTube Reader, National Library of Sweden, Stockholm, pp 70-88.

Miss Malini, 2014, 15 Hilarious Responses to Selifes (As told by Memes), November 8th 2014, viewed 4th February 2016, <http://www.missmalini.com/2014/11/08/15-hilarious-responses-to-selfies-as-told-by-memes/

Mizuko, I 2008 ‘Introduction’, in K, Vamelis, ed. Networked Publics, MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, pp. 1-14.

[bevsblog-world-blog]

I really enjoyed and can relate to your first paragraph.  I too would rather take the photo than be in it.  

[rubyblogging-blog]

I think your point about a ‘self-obsessed’ society is sadly quite accurate and it seems to be getting increasingly worse! I think it’s definitely an important area to discuss moving forward with technology, thanks for your post!

[comm-online-blog]

Blog Post #8: Let The Games Begin

I never would have considered myself to be a gamer. I’ve never been into Call of Duty, Fallout or Massively Multiplayer Online Role-playing Games (MMORPGs) like World of Warcraft and Eve Online. The popularity of social games has risen, creating networks and profiting from social media sites such as Facebook, the digital gaming community has expanded to include players of Zynga’s FarmVille and King’s Candy Crush; games which I too, have fallen victim too. Has online gaming become more socially acceptable? 

Eve Online is a MMORPG set in space - players explore galaxies, fights battles, build and destroy empires and participate in economic warfare. According to Eve Online player, Jestertrek, there are 21,000 concurrent players, having reached peaks of approximately 36,000 players in the past (Martin, 2015). Players can interact, socialise and communicate in fan forums, as well as with the Council of Stellar Management (CSM) to contribute to game management.  CSM is a player-elected representative board who relays player concerns, statistics and suggests implementation of change to the game developers - CCP (Crowd Control Productions). 

In 1938, Johan Huizinga introduced the analogy of the magic circle, proposing that events within games world are ‘quarantined from the ‘real world’’ (de Zwart & Humphreys, 2014, p.91). Are social games and MMORPGs blurring the line between real world and gaming? The analogy of the magic circle suggests that in the gaming world, everyday rules and morally acceptable conduct are altered for virtual space.

Eve Online players must accept the EULA (End User License Agreement) before commencing. Within the gaming world murder, theft and abusive language are key to the role playing, gaming experience, with players harassing others to maintain dominance and seize control of property. However, ‘abusive, defamatory, ethically or racially offensive, harassing, harmful hateful, obscene, offensive, sexually explicit, threatening or vulgar language’ are all in violation of the  terms of service (de Zwart & Humphreys, 2014, p.80). 

The Mittani - CSM member and Goonswarm Alliance leader, received a thirty-day ban before leaving the council following his inappropriate behaviour at the March 2012 EVE Fanfest. The presentation at the Alliance Panel was streamed live, discussing how an anonymous player was being repeatedly harassed and killed, scammed out of his in-game currency (InterStellar Kredits), believing he would be protected. In a chat forum the player announced he was divorced; suggesting suicidal tendencies. Alex Gianturco (The Mittani) then revealed the players in-game name,  for those who ‘want to make the guy kill himself’ (de Zwart & Humphreys, 2014, p.88). He later apologised for breaching the EULA and terms of service. Gianturco’s address was leaked, receiving rape threats against his wife (de Zwart & Humphreys, 2014, p.91). Is this response justified? 

The Mittani’s 2012 Fanfest case demonstrates how ‘out-of-game behavior can be punished through in-game sanctions’ (de Zwart & Humphreys, 2014, p.88). 

Eve Online 2003, Council of Stellar Management, Evelopedia, viewed 28/01/2016 <https://wiki.eveonline.com/en/wiki/Council_of_Stellar_Management>

de Zwart, M & Humphreys, S 2014, ‘The Lawless Frontier of Deep Space: Code as Law in EVE Online’, Cultural Studies Review, vol. 20, no. 1, pp. 77-99.

Lefebvre, E 2012, The Mittani gets hit with ban and resigns in wake of EVE Online controversy, engadget, 28th March, viewed 28/01/2016 <http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/28/the-mittani-gets-hit-with-ban-and-resigns-in-wake-of-eve-online/>

Martin, M 2015, ‘EVE Online’s player count drops to lowest since 2008’, VG247, 29th June, viewed 29/01/2016 <https://www.vg247.com/2015/06/29/eve-onlines-player-count-drops-to-lowest-since-2008/>

The Mitten 2012, 27th March, Apology on Eve Online discussion forum, viewed 29/01/2016 

<https://forums.eveonline.com/default.aspx?g=posts&t=86980>

[suaybreeze-blog]

The pattern of negative social media behaviour with activities such as online bullying, trolling, and antisocial gamers is quite stark, don’t you think?   To some degree they all use the cloak of anonymity or virtual environments to abscond from the responsibility of real world social norms, preferring traits such as intimidation, manipulation, mistreatment of others, and predatory habits toward their target audience.  Perhaps a percentage of gaming profit should be afforded to social interventions that promote rewards for shared cooperation, and stricter punishment for violence and victimisation.  Thanks for an insightful post. ☺

[bevsblog-world-blog]

I totally agree with you.  Gaming has changed the way some people behave inside and outside of the game.

[rubyblogging-blog]

An interesting crossover of topics with bullying and gaming becoming connected! I had not thought about that aspect of gaming as i’m not very involved in that world, but it is a very important topic. 

[mysocialmediafan-deactivated201]

Week 10: Social gaming: playing the crowd

In this week’s blog we  look at Social gaming.  What is Social gaming and what does it comprise of?  The Oxford Dictionary describes it as the activity or practice of playing an online game on a social media platform. Social games are different from other games due to the following:

1. Turn-based – It is not social unless you are playing with another person. As such users taker turns playing the game. 2. Awareness of others actions – this is a means for you to interact more with the game.  You are more likely to interact if you see a friend taking money from another firend online. 3. Casual gaming  - as advertised not for players who want to play 24 hrs a day. 4. Multiplayer – again as advertised, can be two to a hundred users. 5. Based on Social Platforms – These provide users with an identity and also can help in communication.

Some examples of social features in popular games are: • Gifting – This is a huge driver for retention. Players can send each other gifts, some of which actually impact gameplay such as Zynga’s Treasure Isle. • Wishlisting – Players can add items they need within a game and share these on their wall. Other Players/friends can then choose to help out the person in need. • Collaborative Building – Most of the top games have these, where you don’t have access to certain objects unless you ‘get a friend to help you’. These are requested either through Facebook requests or wall posts.

The above video defines social gaming and the true potential it has.

In 2014 was in the top 25 companies that y generated $54.1B in revenue.  A report on CNBC on 26 Jan 2016 stated digital gaming sales hit $61 Billion in 2015.   Among the growth sectors was multiplayer online battle arena game “League of Legends” which earned $1.6 Billion, and games on the PC-based gaming platform which includes titles such as “Farmville” pulled in $32 Billion. Hmm definitely in the wrong industry here!

It does pose the question though, if PC games are free how do these companies make money?  Here’s how, you can download the game for free, however there are all sorts of extra costs.  This doesn’t necessarily translate into big revenue as it doesn’t matter how much you spend (see this report on how much one teenager spent) but rather the most social players.

So how does it work?   You download a game, start to play it, buy some extras, think it’s awesome, mention it to your friend, they in turn then download, buy the extras (what you bought plus more), they think it’s awesome as well and they tell their friends.   (Uh is anyone else seeing similarities to the pyramid schemes?).  Developers look at this and then target the original person for “special” promotions to keep them playing.

Playing these games constantly online can be addictive and can cause strain in relationships.  Some gamers live totally in the online world and may start to think this is the real world. This may mean they can’t or won’t engage in real world conversations with friends and families, and thus may cause them to feel left out which may lead do feelings of anxiety and depression. Social gaming may cause carpal tunnel, migraines, sleep disturbances, poor personal hygiene and lack of sleep.

From personal experience and my research social gaming can be fun provided it’s in moderation.  Organising activities for kids (whether it be actual kids or man/woman size kids) can help stop the constant need to immerse oneself in the online world. For me personally I play Candy Crush Saga, but only on the train ride to and from work.  When I am home I put my mobile/tablet away and concentrate on interaction with my family - certainly not as bad as the picture above.

References

DiChristopher, T (2016) Digital gaming sales hit record $61 billion in 2015: Report  CNBC http://www.cnbc.com/2016/01/26/digital-gaming-sales-hit-record-61-billion-in-2015-report.html [Accessed 31 Jan 2016]

Grubb, J (2015) Gaming’s top 25 public companies generated $54.1B in revenue last year.  VentureBeat http://venturebeat.com/2016/01/30/googles-u-k-tax-deal-sparks-criticism/ [Accessed 31 Jan 2016]

Knapp A (2014) The Moneymakers for Social Games Aren’t the Big Spenders Forbes http://www.forbes.com/sites/alexknapp/2014/10/03/the-moneymakers-for-social-games-arent-the-big-spenders/#200cc9ef6076 [Accessed 31 Jan 2016]

O’Neil N (2008) What Exactly are Social Games? Social Times http://www.adweek.com/socialtimes/social-games/1695 [Accessed 31 Jan 2016]

Simpson J (2014) The power of truly social games: James Simpson at TEDxOU Tedx https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DO7uaoMX60o [Accessed 31 Jan 2016]

Mendoza M (201) Belgian teen spends $46,000 in free-to-play ‘Game of War: Fire Age’ Tech Times http://www.techtimes.com/articles/17267/20141007/belgian-teen-spends-46-000-in-free-to-play-game-of-war-fire-age.htm [Accessed 31 Jan 2016]

[my-digital-world-blog]

As a non-gamer I am being educated, the annoying game requests that come through on Facebook are all part of ‘collaborative building’. I also see why my husband takes his phone to the toilet to play games, his laptop would be a bit awkward to manage and play :-)

[rubyblogging-blog]

I think those stats are pretty incredible! I had no idea the numbers were already at that level, it just goes to show what a lucrative industry gaming actually is, great post!

[digicomk-blog]

Cyberbullying worse than traditional bullying?

The verbal, physical and social aspects of bullying are very much present, however with the development of the internet comes a change in the environment. Bullying doesn’t stay in the school yard anymore, it can leave school and enter the safety of their homes (Running, 2012). Cyber-bullying has become a large problem in today’s society because bullies feel much freer to say what they want because they can hide behind a screen, creating an emotional disconnect. The person sending the messages tend to feel disconnected from the impact they have on others, but that doesn’t lessen the affect on the people on the receiving end.

The example of what happened to fifteen-year-old Amanda Todd shows why cyberbullying is worse than traditional bullying. She could not get away from a mistake and blackmailer because once put out on the internet, it never went away. He created a Facebook profile which used the topless photograph as the profile image, and contacted classmates at her new school, causing more grief and bullying. She moved schools several times and her tormentors still came after her. She was physically assaulted at a new school by 15 others from another school, which worsened her depression. She took her life after the endless bullying she endured (No Bullying, 2014). A tragic ending to a horrible situation for the poor girl.

According to Boyd (2014) the persistence and visibility of bullying in networked publics adds a new dimension to how bullying is constructed and understood. Engaging in cyberbullying leaves ‘evidence’ of what is being said so others can see what’s happening. However this can lead to enabling others to amplify the attacks therefore increasing the emotional duress of a bullying incident (Boyd, 2014). Technology makes bullying more damaging and hurtful because it lets people inflict continuous harm.

I remember seeing the movie Mean Girls when it came out, I was 12 at the time. I loved that movie- the plotting, scandal, attitude and revenge. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve watched it and would say it had an influence on me in a positive way because it has a good moral in the end. Being mean isn’t the way to go about things and that everyone is human and public humiliation is cruel. There were definitely incidents of bullying throughout high-school, but my school had a 0 tolerance policy and took it very seriously, with major consequences for those who bullied. Being “older” and looking back I’m glad I went to a school that took it seriously and did something about it. I hear of incidents in private Swedish high schools that disgust me, and teachers do nothing about the bullying and ABUSE. A good movie that highlights this problem is ‘Evil’, I highly recommend watching it.

I do think though with the increasing awareness of bullying, people are standing up for people in need and coming to their defence, especially when it is done in a public forum such as Facebook or Instagram. Reading the comments on posts where someone says something mean about someone, and random people who don’t personally know either party come to the defence of the person being attacked. Maybe we’re moving into the right direction? Let’s just hope so..

References:

Running, K. (2012). Cyber-bullying and popular culture. The Observer. [online] Available at: http://www.carlyleobserver.com/news/localnews/ cyber-bullying-and-popular-culture-1.1482627 [Accessed 5 Feb. 2016].

No Bullying, (2014). The Top 6 Unforgettable Cyberbullying Cases of the Decade. [online] Available at: http://nobullying.com/six-unforgettablecyber- bullying-cases/ [Accessed 5 Feb. 2016].

Boyd, D 2014, ‘Bullying: Is the Media Amplifying Meanness and Cruelty?’, in It’s Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens, Yale University Press, New Haven, USA, pp 128-52.

[heyscubasteve]

Mean Girls is a great example of showing how being a bully is “cool” in the eyes of other immature people. Even though it does have a really good message at the end, so the whole bullying aspect can be ignored… a little bit.

[my-digital-world-blog]

I was never bullied at school and I also can’t imagine growing up in a time with social media, it must me so hard for children/teens to be bullied continuously. When I hear of teens taking their own life due to bullying it breaks my heart. But the actual reports of suicide are hidden unless a family decides to take the story public. There would be so many cases of suicide due to bullying, what a sad, sad society we have become. 

[rubyblogging-blog]

I though this post was really great and provided and interesting point about bullying been seen as “cool”, I hadn’t considered that aspect before.

[rubyblogging-blog]

Blog Eight

The recent increase in social gaming, especially those available through social media, has vastly extended the ‘gaming’ community. Those who may never have played single player games alone, are now playing online with both virtual and real friends. The increase is notable and lucrative, even prompting a rise in ‘ virtual world related litigation which attempts to consider how far domestic laws can apply to the global environment of the MMOG (massively multiplayer online game)’ (de Zwart & Humphreys 2014, p.81).

I was one of the many who, after not previously being involved in gaming, started to play social online games such as Hay Day (a farm game) and Trivia Crack (a trivia game). I also did purchase some minor ‘in-game’ items, something I never thought I would do, which is a testament to the power of social gaming. Interestingly as well, my foray into basic social gaming made me want to try other games and I now enjoy more ‘traditional’ games such as Halo. Perhaps this is because many people, who haven’t been raised on games, feel a certain barrier of entry to traditional gaming. Conversely, some social gaming provides a more open and inclusive environment that requires less prior experience or skill.

Many feel that social gaming provides a sense of camaraderie and strong online relationships, whilst others disagree and point to problematic  issues such as gaming addiction.

In fact gaming itself seems to be a fine, and in some cases beneficial or educational pursuit, but it can also be a very problematic addiction. Social gaming addicts may find themselves less and less connected to the real world as they become ensconced in their avatar’s online existence (videogame addiction 2012, p.1). I must admit, I became strangely preoccupied with my online farm, as ridiculous as it sounds, and ultimately decided to stop playing as it was eating up too much valuable time. As the online world becomes more and more accessible, most of us carry it with us everywhere in the form of smartphones, we must also be vigilant to the issues it may create. Whilst gaming itself is not the root of the problem, the accessibility of social gaming can be rather problematic (Video Game Addiction 2016, p.1). It can be easy to want to tap into a game at every free moment, but this can put us at real risk of addiction and losing a connection to those around us.

References

de Zwart, M & Humphreys, S 2014,' The Lawless Frontier of Deep Space: Code as Law in EVE Online', Cultural Studies Review, vol. 20, no. 1, pp. 77-99.

VideoGameAddiction 2016, Social Consequences of Gaming Addiction, Video Game Addiction, Viewed 3 Feburary 2016, <http://www.video-game-addiction.org/social-consequences.html>.

Addiction Blog 2011, ‘Game Addiction’, [image]Video Game Addiction: Top Ten Signs and Symptoms of Pathological Gaming, Addiction Blog, viewed 3 Feburary 2016, <http://internet.addictionblog.org/video-game-addiction-top-10-signs-and-symptoms-of-pathological-gaming/>.

Katkoff M, 2013, ‘Hay Day’, [image], Behind the Success of Hay Day, Game Analytics, Viewed 3 feburary 2016, <http://blog.gameanalytics.com/blog/behind-the-success-of-hay-day-guest-post.html>.

[rubyblogging-blog]

Blog Seven

With the exponential rise of internet use, especially on handheld devices, our private lives are becoming more and more public. With the addition of the selfie and personal video ‘vlogs’, we are sharing intimate moments with a wider and wider audience. Furthermore we are being ‘tagged’ in content, not always with consent, and thus being spread further around the internet sphere. There is a lot of very interesting issues that arise when we examine the publicising of the formerly personal. In selfies people are sharing everything from engagement photos to pre-op hospital selfies, whilst YouTube provides a space for video bloggers (vloggers) to share the birth of their first child or the first day at a new job.

This increase in personal visibility comes with positives and negatives, as do most issues surrounding the increasing use of technology in our everyday lives. On the plus side, intimate online sharing can provide connection for certain people or those experiencing a particular event (Lange 2009, p.73). The shared experience of information that affects a certain group of people, like an ‘inside joke’, can be a sound bonding experience and provide feelings of closeness or friendship (Lange 2009, p.77).

Conversely, the rise in self promoted imagery may be linked to increasing narcissism among users (Firestone 2012, p.1). Having control over what they release individuals are able to filter their content until it reaches a satisfactory standard, before releasing it into the public eye. Therefore what is perceived as raw footage, as with vlogs, is in fact still an edited, selective view of that person's lifestyle. Self-esteem, which many projected public images claim to promote, differs significantly from narcissism and which is based on fear or weakness (Firestone 2012, p.1). Therefore the projection of the perfect life by narsissistic individuals is based on their fears surrounding inadequacy. The problem with this false projection is that it can, in turn, cause the viewers themselves to feel inadeqate thus creating a very unhelpful circle. This is probably highly true regarding young women and the Kardashian family, whom project a very image-based, external-value heavy view of the world.

Ultimately great comfort and closeness can be achieved through the sharing of experiences online, such as mothers support groups or health and exercise motivation. However this is only true so long as those sharing are coming from an authentic, positive place.

References

Firestone, L 2012, Is social media to blame for the rise in narcissism?, PsychologyToday, Viewed 30 March 2016, <https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/compassion-matters/201211/is-social-media-blame-the-rise-in-narcissism>.

Lange, P 2009, ‘Videos of Affinity on YouTube’, in P, Snickars & P, Vonderau (eds), The YouTube Reader, National Library of Sweden, Stockholm, pp 70-88.

Pradhan, H 2015, ‘Getty Images’, [image],  Selfies Officially Banned from the Met Gala, LifeandStyleMag, Viewed 31 January  2016, <http://www.lifeandstylemag.com/posts/selfies-officially-banned-from-the-met-gala-what-is-kim-kardashian-going-to-do-57494>.

Wigs, B 2015, ‘Vlogging’, [image], Creating Your First Video Blog, Women in German Studies, Viewed 31 January 2016, <https://womeningermanstudies.wordpress.com/2015/10/01/how-to-vlog-creating-your-first-video-blog/>.

[prprincess-blog]

When you take a sickie and your mate tags you playing beer pong...

Learning materials week 9.

Yep, true story. I can’t even begin to explain the level of cringe that took place between the moment of seeing the tag, telling my friend to delete it and cracking the next beer. Well, maybe not too much – thankfully my boss is listed as an “acquaintance” on Facebook, making them completely blind to my posts [and those I’m tagged in].

However, I’ve also been in awkward social situations. The kind where you’re hanging out with someone right after you’ve told someone else you’re busy, and this person is disliked by the other. #awkies

It’s becoming quite the debate; to tag or not to tag. Would Shakespeare be proud?

Videos, selfies, images – they’re all increasingly used throughout social media platforms to build connections with users across different cultures (Lange 2009). Short videos [aka vines] are strewn throughout my Facebook feed and I am both tagged and tagging others in the comments of vines at least four times a day. In tagging a particular person in a vine, I am looking at it in two ways:

Does this video remind me of this person; and/or

Will this person find this video as funny as I do.

There’s not much method to my madness.

However, lately my mam decided to join Facebook land – resulting in self-monitoring my comments and tags. It would seem I’m not the only one to experience this, with most young people expressing ‘degrees of anxiety, concern and fascination with the visual landscapes encountered through Facebook’ (Hand 2012, p. 175).

I know I say this every week; but technology, the internet and the way we use it is all forever changing. Social media protocol in general is a liquid thing (Demetriades 2015), so as much as we want there to be some kind of socially-acceptable protocol to tagging, there isn’t and there never can be. Fortunately, for my generation, we are ‘the first to grow up and proceed into adulthood having mastered how and when and why’ to use social media platforms (Demetriades 2015).

REFERENCES

Demetriades, D 2015, “Facebook Photos: To Tag Or Not To Tag”, The Odyssey, viewed 4 January 2016, <http://theodysseyonline.com/muhlenberg-college/to-tag-or-not-to-tag/219048>.

Hand, M 2012, Ubiquitous Photography, Polity Press, Cambridge.

Lange, P 2009, “Videos of Affinity on YouTube”, in P, Snickars & P, Vonderau (eds), The YouTube Reader, National Library of Sweden, Stockholm, p. 70-88.

[x100801656x-deactivated20170206]

I can definitely relate to this. Especially when someone has tagged you in their photos and you aren’t exactly friends or no longer friends. It can lead to some awkward situations. It’s been really interesting to read another perspective on the whole to tag or not to tag issue.

[rubyblogging-blog]

I can also really relate to this post, as I think all of those on the internet pretty regularly can! I’m personally not a big fan of tagging as it can feel like you lose the “curatorship” of your online space so to speak. Great post! 

[rubyblogging-blog]

Blog Six

With so many now connected online, there is huge potential for the sharing and gathering of information during crisis. Whether the issue be a political emergency or a natural disaster, the internet provides incredibly fast communication for those affected and those wanting to provide aid. People in disparate locations can come together to share potentially powerful information (Ford 2012, p.33).

Crowdsourcing can be incredibly important in crisis, saving people's’ lives and providing important resources. For example, during a hurricane people may create a hashtag and provide pictures, videos or locations  regarding affected areas and alert officials about updates. Crowdsourcing is powerful because it is utilising the ‘herd’ and when resources are down in an emergency situation, it can fill in the gaps in traditional communications which may be slowed.

However along with the many positives of crowdsourcing it is important to examine the negatives as they may be quite problematic. It can become difficult for officials to vet which information is a priority or, even more problematic, which information is authentic (Ford 2012, p.33). An example of crowdsourcing gone wrong is during the wake of the Boston bombings when Salah Barhoum was wrongly accused of being the culprit by users of online sites, particularly Reddit (Wadhwa 2013, p.1). Not all of the crowdsourcing in this instance was negative, the gathering of information was very successful but the group attempts at crime solving were highly problematic. It is important then for us to examine the ways in which crowdsourcing can be correctly utilised. A lot of it will come down to the ways in which the technology for crowdsourcing is set up, limits, parameters etc. By having the proper technology supporting crowdsourcing it can be possible to limit false or misleading information whilst promoting helpful fact gathering.

For instance having technology that allows users to submit their information, which is then vetted, and then released back to the public as correct updates. These sorts of checks and balances are very important, as the information often shared via crowdsourcing may be time-sensitive or life threatening. We don’t want to undervalue the incredible possibilities crowdsourcing provides but we also want to be wary and ensure that it is used correctly and to its full potential.

References

Ford, H 2012, 'Crowd Wisdom', Index on Censorship, vol. 41, no. 4, pp. 33-39.

CommonwealthBank 2013, ‘Crowdsourcing’, [image], Crowdsourcing for Small Business, CommonwealthBank, Viewed 23 January 2016, <https://www.commbank.com.au/blog/crowdsourcing-for-small-business.html>.

Wadhwa, T 2013, Lessons from Crowdsourcing: The Boston Bombing Investigation, Forbes, Viewed January 22 2016, <http://www.forbes.com/sites/tarunwadhwa/2013/04/22/lessons-from-crowdsourcing-the-boston-marathon-bombings-investigation/#4d93ffd312b5>.

[rubyblogging-blog]

Blog Five

With more individuals having access to online media than ever before the rise in social correspondence has increased exponentially, but with it so has cyberbullying, trolling, hating and stalking. Many are warning of the effects of such interactions on today's internet savvy population, especially those who are still young. However, does the blanket term of ‘bullying’ apply to all hostile online interactions and is all of this only negative?

The commonly accepted academic definition for bullying includes three main components; aggression, imbalance of power and repetition (Boyd 2014, p.131). When it comes to online provocations they do not all necessarily fit this criteria and it has been found that parents and the media are likely to use bullying as an umbrella term when in fact other offences may be at play (Boyd 2014, p.132). 

Therefore, when a negative online interaction has terrible consequences such as suicide or self harm, people are quick to blame bullying when in fact harassment, stalking or a number of other serious offences may have actually been taking place (Boyd 2014, p.132). In this way, when everything is referenced under the one term it can be difficult to distinguish the seriousness or extent of the situation. This is not to say that bullying shouldn’t be taken seriously but that clarity needs to be achieved in order for effective action to take place.

Trolling on sites such as Youtube, has almost become an internet cultural norm in 2016. In order to ‘troll’ successfully the person must intimate that the are a part of the group before unleashing their comments, it is a carefully constructed game to the troll who predominantly remains anonymous (Wilson et al 2013, p.1). 

Some argue that trolling may bring people together in a certain sense to fight against things like racism or misogyny. In a sense the troll is sparking a heated political debate which brings out the true colours of the collective. Or perhaps they just bring about unhappiness to various online communities. It is such behaviour that has social media sites like Twitter or Youtube putting up reporting methods in an attempt to minimise troll behaviour. Many ultimately go by the ‘don’t feed them’ approach seeing the troll as wanting something, whether it be outrage, attention or conflict, and ultimately ignoring their beckoning bait.

References

Abagond 2014, ‘Internet Trolls’, Abagond 500 words a day on whatever I want, Wordpress, viewed 15 January 2016, <https://abagond.wordpress.com/2014/02/13/internet-trolls/>.

Boyd, D 2014, 'Bullying: Is the Media Amplifying Meanness and Cruelty?', in It’s Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens, Yale University Press, New Haven, USA, pp 128-52.

Evans, J 2012, Cyberbullying, Global Prespective on Cyberbullying, Uknowkids, Viewed 15 January 2016, <http://resources.uknowkids.com/blog/bid/159164/Global-Perspective-on-Cyberbullying>.

Wilson, J, Fuller, G & McCrea, C (eds) 2013, Trolls and the negative space of the internet, Fibreculture Journal, Issue 22, viewed 22 September 2015, <http://twentytwo.fibreculturejournal.org>.