Sofie QUT

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Big Data, Big Predictions

‘Big Data’, sounds like something technical and boring to most people, but what they aren’t acknowledging is the big affect it actually has. “Whenever you click on a website, whenever you make a purchase, whenever a light switch is turned on and off, it’s generating a piece of data” (The Economist, 2012). All this data is the reason why all the advertisements, youtube video and facebook page suggestions you come across online are all in your interest; because big data assesses what you like and makes sure you’re continually engaged with it.

  Image sourced from: http://blog.joelrubinson.net/2014/04/big-data-big-research-possibilities-emerge-at-arf-conference-2014/

Today I clicked onto an ad that was of my interest suggested to me through email. It was a deal on OurDeal and as I was reading more information on it, there was a pop up to say “Someone purchased this one hour ago in Bracken Ridge.” I didn’t really understand why they’d think I’d care, but it was interesting to see how someone’s activity near my location was shared with me. This made me recognise how clever big data is, and the potential it has to take control.

  The knowledge big data generates is so informational, that it is often being used to predict answers. Predicting answers and information is a golden tool for companies. They can predict how people consume, think and do things, which pretty much hands over the answers for companies and their marketing schemes. The prediction can sometimes be so detailed they can literally discover how to best influence you to buy more (Sieger, 2013). Big data isn’t just predicting answers to people’s actions however, but answers to many wonders. For example, Australian energy company Energex was able to predict the best location to build its’ power grid. Another platform the use of prediction through big data is very popular is on television.

  Various television shows, particularly reality series, often engage with their audiences through social media. Shows such as Big Brother, X-factor, The Voice and My Kitchen rules encourage their audiences to engage with the show through the social media platform, Twitter. An example of how to measure TEI (Twitter Excitement Index) of a show was done by Woodford, Prowd and Burns (2014), through the premiere episode of My Kitchen Rules. Lasting 115 minutes and gaining over 150 tweets per minute that used the hash-tags and/or account names and with the use of algorithms, a TEI of 1.09 was made. Not only is the amount of audience engagement intriguing, but also what the companies can do with all this information. As researchers are capable of observing and analyzing exactly what users are saying, they can then use this information to make the show exactly how the audiences want it.

  To sum up, big data is a big deal that most people aren’t acknowledging. It’s able to predict such powerful strategies, especially for companies in need of a marketing tool. Overall, big data is always somewhat following you, whether it be suggesting sites in your interest online, or eliminating the guy you don’t like on My Kitchen Rules.

      References:

  Siegel, Eric. 2013. “Introduction – The Prediction Effect.” In Predictive Analytics, 1-16. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons Inc. Accessed May 10, 2014. (Available on CMD)

  The Economist. 2012. The Dark Side of Big Data. Accessed May 10, 2014. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raJOkguPrH4

  Woodford, Darryl, Katie Prowd and Axel Bruns. (n.d.). “Telemetrics: Towards Measuring Social Media Engagement with Television.” Accessed May 10, 2014. http://blackboard.qut.edu.au/bbcswebdav/pid-5234702-dt-content-rid-2118244_1/courses/KCB206_14se1/Woodford%2C%20Prowd%20and%20Bruns%20-%20Telemetrics%20Towards%20Measuring%20Social%20Media%20Engagement%20with%20Television.pdf

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Lack of Anticipation in New Media Communication

Communications have had a dramatic transformation since the introduction of new media. Traditionally defined as conversing with others face-to-face, communication is now available in multiple electronic forms. It is in question whether mediated communication is an impoverishment or enhancement of communication; either way a “mixed modality” (Baym, 2010) has definitely been created. New media has altered and added to the traits of communications.

  Social Media allows users to share their experiences in the form of written, photographed and/or filmed content to a wide audience, often everyone in their lives. This is an example of how new media has altered communications; traditionally experiences could only be shared by personally conversing with others, now within minutes you can upload your experiences to share with the world. Baron refers to this as ‘the end of anticipation’ (2008, 7), as it’s no longer an excitement to hear ones experiences later on, as they’ll often be posted on social media in the present.  Communication is so easily in reach through new media, it is not so much something to look forward to as once before. Not only is the anticipation for users experiences dulled, but also for new information.

  New media has made it so easy for users to find out information on their interests and share it to through social media. Users often post or have their interests listed on their social media page, allowing others to know instant information on them. This kills the anticipation to converse with others to find out their interests, especially for those who have only recently become friends. Also the anticipation on the information itself becomes dulled, as it’s so obtainable through new media. For example, discovering new music: gone are the days where word of mouth led you to excitedly discover your new favourite band, now the information is communicated all over the Internet for you to easily discover. Another example of anticipation dying due to new media is with relationships.

  Often when relationships are split by distance they tend to miss each other; however new media can easily bring them together through mediated communication. There are various apps and services such as Skype, Viber and Whatsapp, which allow users to text, call and video call free of charge internationally.  With these services, there’s almost no stopping communication in most situations. This illustrates a trait that has been added to communications, one that could possibly be seen as an impoverishment as people no longer get to experience the anticipation of soon communicating with someone.

  Image sourced from: http://www.aquos-world.com/en/product/with_skype.html

As a result of new media, there has been altered and added traits to communications. Communication scenarios such as hearing of ones experience, finding out information about someone or something and being distant from another in a relationship, all example how new media has transformed communication. Overall, these communication scenarios illustrate how the anticipation for communication that once existed has now been dulled through new media.

  References:

  Baron, Naomi. 2008. Always on: Language in an online and mobile world. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Accessed April 12, 2014.

https://qutvirtual3.qut.edu.au/qv/olt_material_search_p?p_unit_code=KCB206

  Baym, Nancy K. 2010. Personal connections in the digital age. Cambridge: Polity Press. Accessed April 12, 2013.

https://qutvirtual3.qut.edu.au/qv/olt_material_search_p?p_unit_code=KCB206

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The Hybrid Economy Online

From a time where only media producers could voice their ideas and opinions to the public, we are now in a world where the Internet allows the audience to also. The Internet has become a platform for anyone to gain the publics attention to their blog, business or even just a social media post. Although the Internet does give audiences the chance to take control, there are still “way more “spectators and inactives” than active participants and creators” (Sauter, 2014). There are many reasons why individuals are not choosing to take control, from having little knowledge in using new media to their own personal choice. However, although there are not a lot of individuals creating media on the Internet, a lot are curating.

  A trending activity on social media is to curate or repost media such as memes, videos, news reports and more. The act of curating has lead to media posts made by ordinary people spread viral. A perfect example of content being spread viral is the ‘Neknominate’ videos. ‘Neknominate’, believed to have started in Australia, is a game where you film yourself sculling an alcoholic beverage and then nominate a friend to outdo you, then post the video on social media for the friend to continue the game (Wilkinson,  Soares, 2014). This viral game exemplifies how audiences have control to take over new media. However audiences with control may just be the result of media producers taking control back.

  Image sourced from: http://www.quickmeme.com/p/3vujtw

As media producers observe their audience’s actions online, they gain ideas on how to harness the Internet. Users often have the opportunity to comment or review various online content. This gives the users somewhat control, however it is also a form of feeding information to the commercial economy online. Sites have also been created specifically for user spreadability such as Flickr: a popular social network for sharing images and videos, and Slashdot: a science and technology website based on users submitted news topics. Commercial economies are not only taking advantage of user spreadability through certain websites, but also user’s personal social media pages.

  The act of users curating on social media has been acknowledged and taken advantage of by commercial economies for their own business growth. As users often share videos through Facebook, videos are now being made so that users must first share the video before they can actually view it. The purpose of this is to make sure more users are spreading the content, to gain more views. Another example of this is seen in Facebook competitions. Before a user can enter the Facebook competition, they must first either “like” or “share” the page. Spreading content has become the act of two economies working for each other; an economy of users wanting to share in interest and a commercial economy wanting to make money, resulting in a hybrid economy (Lessig 2012).

  The Internet is a platform for not only the media producers to speak to the public but also its’ audiences. Although the audiences have an opportunity to take control and create online content, most are curating existing media. With users curating and sharing their opinion, this allows the commercial economy to take control and harness the Internet. Overall, the Internet is a hybrid economy operated both by media producers and their audiences.

  Sofie Dennemoser

N8400989

  Bibliography

Lawrence Lessig. 2012. “Monetizing The Hybrid Economy.” FORA TV Video, posted February 1. Accessed March 20, 2014. http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xghx4r_lawrence-lessig-monetizing-the-hybrid-economy_news

 Sauter, Theresa. 2014. “Week 3 – Creating and Consuming New Media Content.” Lecture Recording, posted March 13. Accessed March 20, 2014.https://lecturecapture.qut.edu.au/ess/echo/presentation/704659c3-1f73-4bdb-97b8-4fa8ae370e77?ec=true

Wilkinson, Peter and Isa Soares. 2014. “Neknomiate: ‘Lethal’ Drinking Game Sweeps Social Media.” Accessed March 20, 2014. http://edition.cnn.com/2014/02/18/world/europe/neknominate-drinking-game/

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New Media: An Invisible Infrastructure in Today's Society

New Media has become strongly embedded in society today’s everyday life. It is not only technology itself but an entanglement between technologies, users and their usages and various contexts such as social, cultural, political, religious and economic. It is becoming so immersed that ordinary activities are being reinvented in new media form, for example: Kindergarten students are now learning on iPads rather than chalk boards (Youtube, 2012). New Media is taking over human lives so much that it’s become a “life lived in rather than with media” (Deuze, 2011). The more often new media is used, the more it becomes normal to society, allowing further new media to keep being created and become ‘invisible’ to users. Invisible meaning users don’t realise they’re constantly using technology as they’re accustomed to it. One common activity new media is being used for by Social Media users is self-formation.

Social media sites such as Facebook , Instagram and Twitter are heavily used for self-formation. Posting status updates and photos is a way to present ones life to the people surrounding them. These media platforms become a reflexive project on ones self shaped by experiences, interests, relations to others and technologies. This self reflexive project then becomes a public performance as “we can in fact see ourselves live” (Deuze, 2011). Individuals in today’s society are now relying on social media sites to actually gain knowledge on one another rather than real life conversation. A great example of this is the new dating App called Tinder.

Tinder is currently the fastest growing dating app with 200 million matches worldwide since it was released in the US late last year (Whyte, 2013). The app is as simple as seeing another’s profile in the same area and clicking a yes or no button to talk to them. As this app is booming in popularity, it exemplifies how new media has even taken over the way we meet others. However Tinder and all other social media sites could possibly be exposing ones life to unknown audiences.

As there are many different audiences from different contexts coming together and converging on new media, it can be a case of exposing one to audiences of unknown scales. Especially as social media settings need to be manually set to private to hide ones information, otherwise absolutely anyone can view others personal details. Therefore new media can become much like the glass bedroom (Pearson, 2009), as private exchanges and conversations are visible to the public. This has created a shift in values of privacy in society, as more and more people are submitting their personal lives on new media.

As new media is so immersed in society today, it has become an invisible infrastructure on many aspects in people’s lives. From the way people reflect on themselves, the way people meet each other and the amount of privacy in peoples lives. As new media continues to grow and the usage of it remains invisible, the future of society will develop a deeper life lived in new media.

Sofie Dennemoser

n8400989

Bibliography

Erik Qualman. 2012. “Social Media Video 2013.” Youtube video, posted November 7. Accessed March 15, 2014. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUCfFcchw1w

Deuze, Mark. 2011. “KCB206 Internet, Self and Beyond: Week 2 Lecture notes.” Accessed March 15, 2014. http://blackboard.qut.edu.au/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_4_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fcontent%2FlistContent.jsp%3Fcourse_id%3D_108110_1%26content_id%3D_5232444_1

Whyte, Sarah. 2013. “How easy is it to find a date on Tinder?” Accessed March 15, 2014. http://www.dailylife.com.au/life-and-love/love,-sex-and-relationships/how-easy-is-it-to-find-a-date-on-tinder-20130912-2tmig.html

Pearson, Erika. 2009. “KCB206 Internet, Self and Beyond: Week 2 Lecture notes.” Accessed March 15, 2014. http://blackboard.qut.edu.au/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_4_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fcontent%2FlistContent.jsp%3Fcourse_id%3D_108110_1%26content_id%3D_5232444_1