StephSaidSo

Social media and me

[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.

[sammmiemc50]

I am rather envious of the understanding of the cultural norms associated with ‘the socially acceptable protocols’: my 16 year old son has a quiet smirk at my shock at some of the posts, and trolling, I see on his social media sites (when I get a second’s peak!). At least completing this unit has given me a little more insight. Thanks for an entertaining post.

[stephsaidso-blog]

Love the title of this post :) HA HA HA

[magicnumber23-blog]

Blog #5 – Digital Citizenship 3: Trolling and social media conflict

The dark side to the Internet and social media

As I’ve explored in my other blogs, the innovation of the Internet and the creation of social media brings many advantages and benefits to individuals’ and society as a whole.  However, where there is good, evil is lurking closely around the corner.  The evil I’m talking about is the trolling, bullying and stalking behaviour from anonymous keyboard warriors that hide behind their screens (Wilson et al 2013).

Urban Dictionary top definition for trolling:

“Being a prick on the internet because you can.  Typically unleashing one or more cynical or sarcastic remarks on an innocent by-stander, because it’s the internet and, hey, you can” (Urban Dictionary 2016).

Not all conflict is seen as trolling or cyberbullying, but a matter of misunderstanding, wrong intent and misinterpretation.  However, it’s not something society can ignore because there are ‘pricks’ out there ruining lives for amusement, deception, manipulation or just seeking to justify their feelings (Bishop 2016).  It’s not just ruining lives; it’s ending lives (NoBullying.com 2015). In most of these tragic cases the victims have been children and teenagers, the statistics are frightening, I had no idea until reaching into this weeks topic. Australian research indicates cyberbullying is most common in 10-14 year olds, with 50% of the age group reported being bullied online at some stage (Kids Helpline 2014). Nobullying.com and kidshelpline.com.au are movements against cyberbullying, they provide further insight into identifying the signs, dealing with and seeking help (NoBullying.com 2015; Kids Helpline 2014).

What is being done?

The Australian Government started its crackdown on cyberbullying back in 2014 by appointing a Commissioner who had the task of enhancing the online safety of children in Australia.  One of the campaign objectives was to collaborate with industry leading companies, Google and Microsoft to implement improved safety measures in the fight against cyberbullying (Mamamia 2014; Lannin 2014).  

Check out the ‘Office of Children’s eSafety’ for more information.

What can you do!

So the wise Internet folk say ‘Do Not Feed them!’, don’t give them the satisfaction and material they’re looking for.  Unfortunately the digital world will always come up against it, however digital citizenship needs to continue the fight against them by creating awareness and prevention before its too late (Wilson et al 2013).

I say let the scum rot at the bottom of the Internet!

References

Bishop, R 2016, ‘Week 7’, Digital citizenship 3: Trolling and social media conflict, Learning materials on Blackboard, Swinburne University of Technology, viewed 16 January 2016.

Kids Helpline 2014, ‘Cyberbullying’, Kids Helpline, July, viewed 16 January 2016, <http://www.kidshelpline.com.au/grownups/news-research/hot-topics/cyber-bullying.php>.

Lannin, S 2014, ‘Cyber Bullying: Government crackdown to target social media sites’, ABC, 3 December, viewed 16 January 2016, <http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-12-03/government-plans-cyber-bullying-crackdown/5935560>.

Mamamia 2014, ‘1 in 5 Australian kids have experienced this. And the consequences can be devastating’, Mamamia Team, 15 August, viewed 16 January 2016, <http://www.mamamia.com.au/cyberbullying-statistics-in-australia/>.

NoBullying.com 2015, ‘The Top Six Unforgettable CyberBullying Cases Ever’, NoBullying.com, 22 December, viewed 16 January 2016, <http://nobullying.com/six-unforgettable-cyber-bullying-cases/>.

Sturdivant, K 2014, ‘They see me Trollin’, [image], Fun Science Friday – “Trolls Just Wanna Have Fun”, Southern Fried Science, viewed 16 January 2016, <http://www.southernfriedscience.com/?p=16818>.

Urban Dictionary 2016, Top Definition: trolling, Urban Dictionary, viewed 16 January, <http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=trolling>.

Wilson, J, Fuller, G & McCrea, C (eds) 2013, Trolls and the negative space of the internet, Fibreculture Journal, Issue 22, viewed 16 January 2016, <http://twentytwo.fibreculturejournal.org>.

[prprincess-blog]

Being a prick on the internet because you can - How absolutely perfect is this description?? It makes me wonder how many of those who criticise people online would actually be game enough to say the exact words to someone’s face!

[x100801656x-deactivated20170206]

Really interesting to see that I wasn’t the only one to refer to trolling as the dark side of social media. I had absolutely no idea when I wrote my post that others would refer to it in the same way. I have to say that the urban dictionary definition of trolling was pretty awesome and very poignant. Being a prick because you can. Pretty much says it all. 

[sammmiemc50]

I agree that it is the young and the vulnerable who are at most risk from cruel and cowardly behaviour online (and it is cowardly because trollers and cyber-bullyers would rarely behave in such a way in ‘real life’). Without the maturity to cope with attacks against their identity and confidence, the impact can be catastrophic.

[stephsaidso-blog]

Great Post. I like how you have included what can you do. Its one thing to point out the negatives but you have really made a point with what we can do as individuals :)

[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.

[stephsaidso-blog]

Great Post - I like how you have outlined the ‘Nine Themes of Digital Citizenship’ :)

[shivaniielizabeth-blog]

The World of Online Gaming

I come from a bit of a gaming world – I wouldn’t call myself a gamer, but my brother is a gamer, and my partner is a gamer, as well as most of his friends. Now, because of this world that the people I love are so heavily involved in, it is practically impossible for me to not be able to pick up terminology or story lines and even get a little bit involved in these online worlds.

Over 50 million people play an MMORPG (Second Skin, 2008), and I can see why. World of Warcraft has over 10 million players worldwide (Atlay, 2015), all part of this virtual reality world. I remember once my partner was playing World of Warcraft, and he asked me to play a bit so that I could understand what he was talking about when he explained what was going on in his games. All I did was run around and kill things with lasers coming out of my eyes… and I only played for about 40 minutes before I said that it wasn’t for me. That being said, I did get really into it! I yelled when someone ran in front of me to kill the tree-monster (sorry if you play WOW, I don’t remember the exact character name) I was trying to kill. It was a lot of fun, but I don’t think I really was able to get into the virtual world side of the game with less than an hour of play time.

The documentary Second Skin (2008) focuses on the relationships that gamers have with their virtual worlds and their fellow gamers. So many people have used these games as a form of socialising. People play these games for more than 10 hours a day… couple that with approximately 8 hours a day for work, attempting to factor in 4 hours for sleep, that leaves 1 hour left in a day for EVERYTHING else, including eating, bathing, cleaning, exercising, socialising (Second Skin, 2008). Half of MMORPG players say that they are addicted to this virtual worlds and 1 in 5 say that they are residents of a virtual world (Second Skin, 2008). It can be an online dating tool, with 1 in 3 gamers date someone from a virtual world (Second Skin, 2008).

There is a dark side though, especially for females. Many can experience cyber bullying. John Oliver, host of Last Week Tonight, dedicated a segment to the online harassment (2015). He focused on the “veritable cornucopia of horrifying messages” that women can receive online, including rape threats and death threats. It also focuses on how the law in America hasn’t progressed to be able to help these women the way the really should be able to.

I personally think that the gaming world gets a bad rap for being an ‘unhealthy’ virtual world. To me, I don’t really see the difference between my partner wanting to log into his game as soon as he gets home and me checking my Facebook newsfeed. Virtual worlds can be addictive, and for all the reasons we have discussed – they provide you with the ability to escape, and communicate and even to become the person you WISH you could be. There probably is something inherently wrong with all of this, but I also don’t believe in digital duality (Herrman, 2014) and the real and virtual are going to become synonymous, and I really do think that this is something that we need to embrace, rather than reject.

References:

Atlay, O 2015, ‘Most Popular MMORPGs in the World’, MMOs.com, viewed 17 January 2016, < http://mmos.com/editorials/most-popular-mmorpgs-world>

Herrman, J 2014, ‘Meet the Man Who Got Inside Snapchat’s Head’, BuzzFeed, 28 January, viewed 16 January 2016, <http://www.buzzfeed.com/jwherrman/meet-the-unlikely-academic-behind-snapchats-new-pitch#3dlvjg2>

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

Second Skin 2008 [Presto], Brauer & Escoriaza, USA.

[cameronmda20009-blog]

Hi shivaniielizabeth,

Great piece on gaming online.

The social aspect of it is certainly a big draw card, when younger my friends and I played dungeons and dragons (I know, how nerdy lol) while having a bbq and drinking (well, most of us were only drinking). This was the face to face version of online gaming, so true to form with the advent of online gaming we shifted online to play.

While only rarely these days, it is still the equivalent of going to a mates bbq to organise everyone to play online and have a drink at the same time, and the time set aside for the event is no different, it takes the majority of your attention for the day and the interaction is as real to the players as though they were in the same room.

Cheers,

Cameron.

[kzunblogs-blog]

Thanks for this really insightful piece. I actually found social gaming as one of the more difficult pieces to write about as I have no exposure or experience with it and neither do friends or family. I was really shocked to hear about that the bullying (especially the violent threats against women) that takes place in gaming. Hopefully the positive social aspect and behaviours can overtake this and people can enjoy gaming to their full potential.

[narellemda20009-blog]

I’m not a gamer myself, and have often wondered what the appeal is of these online games. The statistics are a real eye opener and with the graphics, collaboration and interaction of many, for those who are inclined, I can see that these MMORPG could become totally engrossing and addictive. Moderation and supervision of younger on-liners is a must.

[stephsaidso-blog]

I love the image with the quote 1 in 3 have told an online friend a secret that they have never told anyone else. VERY INTERESTING. Shows how people can really connect and socialise online. :) Great Post!

[kzunblogs-blog]

Let's get ready to rumble..social gaming

Social Gaming or gaming refers to games that are specifically made (and can be profited from) social sites like Facebook or apps that can be downloaded onto laptops, PCs, smartphones and tablets according to Swinburne Online (2015)

Personally, I don’t not have any personal experience with gaming whilst I do have a number of apps on my phone, they are more service orientated apps or social media platforms where I can elect to not have to have access to social gaming. However, social gaming is continuing to grow and is creating opportunities for creators to earn serious dollars from users who continue to purchase and partake in their games.

A bit of fun?

Whilst gaming is perceived as fun for participants, there does pose a significant risk of addiction given the ease and accessibility of gaming in the internet age.

A recent CNN study supports this stating ‘’This is why we’re seeing Internet Gaming Disorder becoming a bigger problem because now, not only has almost everyone got a computer, and almost everyone has a video game system in their home … but now you’ve got a cell phone and you’ve got games on it and you can access games pretty much everywhere.“

The American Psychiatric Association’s DSM-5, a manual that classifies mental disorders, lists Internet Gaming Disorder as “a condition warranting more clinical research and experience before it might be considered for inclusion in the main book as a formal disorder.” (CNN, 2016)

What can be done?

With mental conditions such as Internet Gaming Disorder gaining prominence and an increased number of individuals suffering addiction problems similar to gambling, what responsibilities do game and app creators have to ensure that gamers can be supported in their pursuits and access support if they show sign of addiction? Stuff NZ (2015) reports that Game development companies boast budgets rivalling those of the big movie studios, producing games with very high production values and sophisticated back stories. This level of investment reflects the money that gamers are prepared to pay for good products however at this point in time, game development companies have done very little to ensure that gamers are safe from addiction and whilst they have a number of mechanisms in place to ensure monetary transactions are safe, age of gamers are verified, it does not extend much further than that.  In a world where social gaming is increasing its presence and reach, do gaming developers need to be regulated?

References

CNN 2016, Internet Gaming Addiction Spirals, viewed 5 February 2016 http://edition.cnn.com/2016/01/06/health/video-games-addiction-gentile-feat/

Stuff NZ 2015, ‘Internet gaming disorder is a growing problem’ viewed 5 February 2015 <http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/well-good/teach-me/69505239/Internet-gaming-disorder-is-a-growing-problem>

Swinburne Online 2015, Week 10 Learning Materials, viewed 5 February 2016                        

 < https://ilearn.swin.edu.au/bbcswebdav/pid-5190915-dt-content-rid-26655220_2/courses/2015-SO3-MDA20009-210404/UnitLearningMaterials/week-10.html>

Images

Game Image 2014, Game on girl, viewed 5 February 2016 http://www.gameongirl.com/podcast-posts/tag/social-gaming

Gaming Opportunity 2015, Visual Mobile, viewed 5 February 2016 <https://visual.ly/mobile-social-gaming-opportunity-top-down>

[narellemda20009-blog]

It didn’t take that long for Internet Gaming Disorder to become recognised in the DSM-5. It is basically a behavioural problem and big gaming companies really have no interest in this “addiction” - their focus is entirely financial. Self-monitoring is difficult and addicted gamers will kid themselves as to the level of their addiction. 

[stephsaidso-blog]

I am the same - not a big gamer myself however i have found it quite interesting learning more about it. I think its great with the digital advancement the online games have become more collaborative and social. 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!

[stephsaidso-blog]

Great to see such a current example used here. I have been apart of a much smaller form of crowsdsourcing, A friend of mines dog went missing. A Facebook page was created to help find him. When he was found he was badly injured and need surgery. The Facebook page was then successfully used to crowdsource the fundraising to cover the vet bill. I think the reason it worked was that so many people followed the story and the girls journey to find her dog that they could put themselves in her shoes so when it came to donating they contributed. I personally thing online platforms can be great for these uses as i have seen the work successfully before.

[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>.

[x100801656x-deactivated20170206]

Really interesting that you referenced the Boston bombings as the negative side of crowd sourcing. I did as well, mainly because I though that it highlighted the negative side of crowdsourcing. Despite the positive impact that crowdsourcing can have, there are also negatives. Mainly misinformation, which can be the biggest negative.  

[stephsaidso-blog]

I loved how you have highlighted both the positives and negatives here. It it great to look at it from both sides. 

[x100801656x-deactivated20170206]

Crowdsourcing: The Boston Bombings, Misinformation and The Suspect Who Wasn’t.

On April 15, 2013, two bombs went off near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, killing three spectators and wounding more than 260 other people. Four days later, after an intense manhunt that shut down the Boston area, police captured one of the bombing suspects, 19-year-old Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, whose older brother and fellow suspect, 26-year-old Tamerlan Tsarnaev, died following a shootout with law enforcement earlier that same day (History, 2016)

In the hours that followed the Boston marathon bombings, an intensive manhunt had begun. As the search for suspects intensified, speculation surrounding the identity of the suspects ran wild. Social media ablaze with theories on the possible identities of the suspects and though Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was eventually caught four days after the bombings took place. In the hours prior, these theories led to the mistaken identification of Sunil Tripathi, as one of the suspects. Madrigal (2013) states that the speculation began on reddit, when Tripathi – a missing Brown university student; was mistakenly identified by a former high school classmate, believing she had recognised him in surveillance photos released by the FBI. The speculation quickly spread on Twitter, with the hashtag #BostonBombing trending.

#BostonBombing tweet (2013) <http://bit.ly/1SJfDb6>

As the speculation grew, so too did the level of misinformation and though clearly an example of crowdsourcing, which most broadly can be defined as “the practice of obtaining needed services, ideas, or content by soliciting contributions from a large group of people and especially from the online community rather than from traditional employees or suppliers” (Merriam Webster, 2015).

#BostonBombing tweet (2013) <http://bit.ly/1ZWeSxe>

The speculation indeed highlighted the seemingly oblivious downside of mass communication channels in obtaining and sharing information in the age of social media and digital communities.  As the speculation deepened, the theory went unverified and unchecked by those who continued to tweet and retweet the theory, including many journalists. A tweet by Anonymous – a well known network of ‘hacktivists’; was retweeted 3,000 times. Crowdsourced citizen journalism had exploded. None were more proud of this than Greg Hughes – a reddit user, who tweeted, “journalism students take note: tonight, the best reporting was crowdsourced, digital and done by bystanders. #Watertown” (Hughes 2013, cited in Madrigal 2013). This same crowdsourced journalism though seemingly well-intentioned and though serving as an pertinent example of crowdsourcing, failed to correctly identify the suspects and as such the tweets of Greg Hughes and many others have been subsequently been deleted. Though most notably traces remain with references to the tweets still on Twitter.

#BostonBombing tweet (2013) <http://bit.ly/1ZWf3sB>

References

2016, Boston Marathon Bombings, History, viewed 11 January 2016, <http://www.history.com/topics/boston-marathon-bombings>

‘crowdsourcing entry’ 2014, Merriam Webster, viewed 11 January 2016, ,<http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crowdsourcing>.

Gourarie, 2015 ‘Tripathi tweet’ [image], CJR, viewed 11 January 2016, <http://www.cjr.org/images-body/tripathi_tweet.jpg>

Madrigal, A C 2013, ‘#BostonBombing: The Anatomy of a Misinformation Disaster’, The Atlantic, 19 April, viewed 11 January 2016, <http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2013/04/-bostonbombing-the-anatomy-of-a-misinformation-disaster/275155/>.

Rumoursandsocialmedia 2013, ‘Boston Marathon Bombings Twitter Sunil Tripathi’ [image] rumoursandsocialmedia, viewed 11 January 2016, <https://rumoursandsocialmedia.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/ghughesca-greg-hughes-boston-marathon-bombing-sunil-tripathi-police-scanner-mike-mulugeta.png>

Rumoursandsocialmedia 2013, ‘Boston Marathon Bombings Twitter rumour’ [image] rumoursandsocialmedia, viewed 11 January 2016, <https://rumoursandsocialmedia.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/jackpmoore-sunil-tripathi-boston-marathon-bombings-twitter-rumor-rumour.png>

[prprincess-blog]

I think this blog explores the hidden dangers of crowdsourcing perfectly! While members of the public can offer first-hand accounts of what they’ve seen, I don’t think they should be relied on to supply thorough information - as with the suspect for the Boston Bombings, people can get it wrong!

[sarahcurlblog-blog]

in my blog i looked at the positive side of crowd sourcing, i did not think about the negatives. I know that the internet can help people jump to conclusions quickly and it can cause damage for the person who has been falsely accused

[x100801656x-deactivated20170206]

It was actually great to see you provide a counterpoint as it highlighted the positives. The negatives don’t always instantly spring to mind for the simple reason that crowdsourcing doesn’t have definitive black and white areas. It’s murky at best and people can often have well intentioned actions that sometimes are misplaced.

[stephsaidso-blog]

Great to see both views as well as the use of an update example. :)

[stephsaidso-blog]

“Online gaming communities” Blog 8 (Week 10): Social gaming: playing the crowd

SOCIAL GAMING

What is social gaming?

‘Social gaming’ refers the activity or practice of playing an online game on a social media platform. Simply put, social gaming are the games that have been purposely made for social sites such as facebook apps and other mobile and tablet devices.

I personally don’t have any experience in social gaming. I was born into the Super Nintendo and Nitendo 64 era. Today, however online social gaming has become a popular social activity online. So much so that many people have reported their participation in the online gaming world.

What makes a social game different from other games?

·      Turn-based – A social game is not social unless you are playing with another person. As such, social games enable users to take turns.

·      Awareness of others’ actions in games – such as a newsfeed.

·      Casual gaming – “Social gaming” As it is currently referred to, social gaming is for the average user and not for someone who plans on playing 24 hours a day.

·      Multiplayer –  You can’t be social without there being other people so whether it’s two or two hundred users, the game has to be multiplayer for it to be social.

·      Based on Social Platforms – In the context of social gaming, social platforms provide users with an identity and also can provide the backbone for simple forms of communication (such as notifications, etc).

Who are social gamers?

As shown above, 55% of social gamers are female as opposed to 45% of males. More females play multiple times a day than males. 68% of females play with people they known were are 41% of males play with strangers.

Are you a social gamer? If so what games do you play?

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.

EVE Online, 2014, viewed 6 February 2016, <www.eveonline.com>.

Groan, A 2014, History of the Great Empires of Eve Online, viewed 4 February 2016, <https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sciencegroen/a-history-of-the-great-empires-of-eve-online>.

King 2014, viewed 5 February 2016, <www.king.com>.

The EVE Online "Monoclegate" Peace Accord 2011, Evil Avatar, viewed 6 February 2016, <http://wwe.evilavatar.com/forums/showthread.php?t=147507>.

Thornhill, T, 2014, 'The online videogame battle that cost $300,000: Gamers see hundreds of costly spaceships destroyed after user forgot to pay bill to defend their base', The Daily Mail, 29 January, viewed 6 February 2016, <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2547908/EVE-online-sees-biggest-battle.html>.

Steam 2014, viewed 5 February 2016, <http://steamcommunity.com/>.

Suzor, N & Woodford, D 2013, 'Evaluating consent and legitimacy amongst shifting community norms: An EVE Online case study', Journal of Virtual Worlds Research, vol. 6, no. 3, pp. 1-14.

Zynga, 2014, viewed 6 February 2016, <www.zynga.com>.

[tiarnasaur-deactivated20160706]

Week 9 - Visual Communities and Social Imaging

As we continue to progress through the digital age it has become so apparent how important visual communities and social imaging is. This ranges from a friend tagging you in a photo on Facebook to making a post on Instagram. Our photos seem to be able to show physical evidence of our experiences and rationalises our perceptions towards certain things.  

I can tell you for one after my recent holiday to Bali I couldn’t wait to share all my photos just so I was able to show where I was and some of the things I did. If that’s not social imaging I don’t know what is!

^^Jimbaran Bay, Bali.

As technology has improved so has the way we take the photo. From originally being for record keeping or even special events taking a photograph is now part of our everyday life. We take photos on all sorts of mediums and have even developed our own specialised art of taking a selfie. There now seems to be a large market of people who even educate others on how to ‘take the perfect selfie’…. There are even people that have been killed trying to take the perfect selfie, seriously people!!

^^ That video has over 3 million views!

Now more than ever we are all readily taking photos and those that are deemed worthy are posted online for all people far and wide to view and comment on. Is this activity enhancing our vanity and decreasing our privacy? To me it seems that our constant interconnectivity has definitely had a negative effect on the personalities and attributes of people (Selfie City, 2014).

One major app that has influenced this social imaging culture is Snapchat.

Snapchat from its inception was always destined for good and bad things. No matter what an apps intended use is for if there is another side that can be manipulated people will find a way to do it. This is definitely the case with Snapchat with the constant news articles regarding explicit pictures captured on the app as well as their changed privacy clauses of which now Snapchat can capture and keep any single picture you send!!! Where are the ethics behind that? Something you thought was private actually isn’t…

Following Snapchat many other platforms have similar policies. If you post anything to their site especially as a photo once it is uploaded you lose all rights to it. This means all sorts of advertisers can steal your image and more or less do as they please. This is the very harsh cruel reality of visual communities and social imaging (Herrman, 2014).

There is no denying that photos are the way of the future but how much will taking photos control our life?

References

Herrman, J 2014, ‘Meet the Man Who Got Inside  Snapchat’s Head’,  BuzzFeed, 28 January, viewed 24 September 2015, <http://www.buzzfeed.com/jwherrman/meet-the-unlikely-academic-behind-snapchats-new-pitch#3dlvjg2>.

Selfie city, 2014, viewed 24 September 2015, <http://selfiecity.net/>. 

[stephsaidso-blog]

I love the video you have posted “how to take a selfie”. It seems as though there is a tutorial for everything theses days. It really just shoes how the ssefie has become so common in our day to day lives.

[v-marshall-mda20009-blog]

How healthy is the selfie?

Week 9 - Visual communities and social imaging 

As popular as ever, the ‘selfie’, an arms-length mobile phone camera self-portrait shared via social media, has changed the world of communication (Swinburne Online, 2016). As of August 2013, Instagram was covered with more than 36 million photos tagged #selfie and 98 million tagged #me - it’s no doubt the ‘fad’ has become contagious (Humphrey, 2013). 

The world-wide phenomenon has even influenced technology, with the introduction in 2010 of the front-facing camera with the iPhone 4 (Humphrey, 2013).  

Martin Hand defines personal photography as a “inextricably part of personal life - whether the individual taking pictures, the images we use to represent ourselves, the pictures we collect for ourselves, or the sharing of pictures with others as part of personal communication” (2012, p.5). 

While it can be argued that the ‘selfie’ is a healthy influence to encourage self-expression and confidence, the negative impacts including self-obsession, the need for social approval and the pressure of portraying the “perfect life” and our ideal self online cannot be ignored. A research study from Harvard University revealed that social media users ‘”get a bigger neuro-chemical buzz from sharing information about themselves than sharing information about others” (Humphrey, 2013). But what does the goal of gaining a ‘like’ do to the self-esteem and self-image of social media users?

Psychologist Diana Parkinson suggests that the constant display of what we ‘have’ tends to be born from insecurity and a need for external validation (Stylist 2016). Particularly around this time of year, it’s hard to ignore the endless bragging about peoples lives across social media. Whether it’s a post boasting of a work promotion, a new ‘healthy lifestyle’, a new home purchased, or Christmas holiday happy snaps - January is usually the time of year when people are most anxious to project that image of “perfection”. 

A short film titled, ‘What’s On Your Mind’ illustrates just this - the story of a man faking working out, enjoying the nightlife and quitting his job, all in an effort to gain ‘likes’ from his friends online. With more than 10 million views, the 2014 video has since gone viral. 

Psychologist Dr Richard Sherry has warned that rise of visual communities and social imaging can lead to feelings of shame and worthlessness, adding that social media has the power to ‘undermine the coherence between our real, lived lives and memories’ (Telegraph Media Group Limited, 2015). 

So I plead - the next time you go to upload a photo or ‘selfie’, take a minute to ask yourself whether you’re portraying your “real self” or your “ideal self”. There is beauty in being able to look back and reflect on life through photo and images - but make sure we’re looking back on YOUR LIFE. Rather than focusing your attention and effort into meeting the social pressures of portraying that “perfect life”, use your time and effort to “accomplish the goals that will align your real self with your ideal self. By doing so, you will ultimately become more fulfilled as you accomplish the goals that will lead you to becoming the best you…the “real” you.” (Green, 2013). 

References:

Green, K 2013, The social media effect: are you really who you portray online?, The Huffington Post, viewed 11 January 2016, <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/r-kay-green/the-social-media-effect-a_b_3721029.html>. 

Hand, M 2012, Ubiquitous photography, Polity, pg. 5.

Humphrey, K 2013, As popular as ever, selfies are changing the way we communicate, Star Tribune, viewed 10 January 2016, <http://www.startribune.com/as-popular-as-ever-selfies-are-changing-the-way-we-communicate/219856941/>. 

Stylist 2016, The psychology of selfies, viewed 11 January 2016, >http://www.stylist.co.uk/people/the-psychology-of-selfies#art?>. 

Swinburne Online 2016, Week 9: Visual communities and social imaging, MDA20009: Digital Communities, Swinburne Online, viewed 10 January 2016, <https://ilearn.swin.edu.au/bbcswebdav/pid-5190914-dt-content-rid-26655219_2/courses/2015-SO3-MDA20009-210404/UnitLearningMaterials/week-09.html>. 

[tiarnasaur-deactivated20160706]

I like your concept of ‘real’ and ‘ideal’! Certainly says a lot about humanity.

[stephsaidso-blog]

Great video! I also agree with @tiarnasaur The topic of ideal VS real is great!

[stephsaidso-blog]

“Let me take a selfie….” Blog 7 (Week 9): Visual communities and social imaging

Selfie culture

Oxford Dictionaries announced the Word of the Year of the year 2013. Can you guess what it was? The 2013 Word of the Year of the year was….

 “Selfie”

The word ‘selfie’ can be described as:

“A slang term used to describe a photo that is taken of oneself for the purpose of uploading it to social networking sites and image sharing websites, such as Facebook or Instagram To take a selfie, the right or left arm is extended with the camera held backwards. The selfie shows the person's arm is shown extended in front holding the camera or smartphone device.” 

The selfie-stick

In the year 2014, Time magazine's listed the selfie-stick as one of the 25 best inventions of that year. But what is a selfie-stick? Used to take selfie photographs, a selfie-stick is a monopod that can position a smartphone or camera beyond the standard range of the arm. More recently, the selfie stick has been recognized or more so critiqued for its connection with the apparent narcissism and self-absorption of current society, with some people labeling the tool the "Narcisstick" or "Wand of Narcissus".

Snapchat

How many times do you check Snapchat a day?

I know personally that I check mine as frequently as I check my emails or read text message (mainly due to have to notifications turned on) but also because Snapchat has become one of my major forms of communication with my close friends. Over 2 million Australians have also noticed their increase in participation and consumption of Snapchat for communication.

 But - what it, Snapchat? In 2011, college buddies, Evan Spiegel and Bobby Murphy, founded Snapchat. However, the app designed to send messages that disappear was originally named Picaboo. In 2012 Picaboo rebranded as Snapchat. Snapchat had approximately 50 million users by 2014.

References:

Dredge S 2014, ‘Ten things you need to know about Snapchat’, 14 November, viewed 5 Februarys 2016, <http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2013/nov/13/snapchat-app-sexting-lawsuits-valuation>

Frenchgirlsapp, 2014, viewed 30 January 2016,<https://www.frenchgirlsapp.com/>.

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

Herrman, J 2014, ‘Meet the Man Who Got Inside Snapchat’s Head’, BuzzFeed, 28 January, viewed 28 January 2016,<http://www.buzzfeed.com/jwherrman/meet-the-unlikely-academic-behind-snapchats-new-pitch#3dlvjg2>.

Hjorth, L 2011, ‘Mobile spectres of intimacy: the gendered role of mobile technologies in love – past, present and future’, in R, Ling & S, Campbell (eds) The Mobile Communication Research Series: Volume II, Mobile Communication: Bringing Us Together or Tearing Us Apart? Transaction Books Edison, NJ , pp. 37-60.

 Jason Farman 2014, Photography, Self Documentation, & Social Media: An Interview with Nathan Jurgenson, 16 June,viewed 30 January 2016,<https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnPtZ5lKDHo>.

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

Selfie city, 2014, viewed 30 January 2016, <http://selfiecity.net/>. 

Vivienne, S & Burgess, J 2013, ‘The Remediation of the Personal Photograph’, Journal of Material Culture, vol. 18, no. 3, pp. 279-98.

'Snapchat' n.d., [logo], viewed 28 January 2016,<http://au.eonline.com/eol_images/Entire_Site/2014611/rs_600x600-140711114502-600-tech-snapchat-logo.ls.7114_copy.jpg>.

SocialMediaNews.com.au, 2014, Social media statistics, viewed 28 January 2016, <http://www.socialmedianews.com.au/social-media-statistics-australia-december-2015/>

Titcomb J 2015, ‘What is Snapchat? App's founder explains social media phenomenon,’ 17 June, viewed 6 February 2016, <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/social-media/11680056/What-is-Snapchat-Apps-founder-explains-social-media-phenomenon.html>

[stephsaidso-blog]

Crowdsourcing & Crisis Mapping

Crowdsourcing

What is crowdsourcing? Well, an article published by Wired magazine in June 2006 states that Jeff Howe created the term "crowdsourcing" (Adams 2013). However, the term that was studied by theorist by Henry Chesbrough (Schildhauer & Voss 2014) refers to companies outsourcing projects to the public, tapping into the knowledge of a larger crowd by setting a challenge to the public for opinion suggestion and insight (Michel Neumann 2014).

  Additionally, Blohm Leimeister & Krcmar (2013) differentiate competitive and collaborative as two forms of crowdsourcing. Collaborative crowdsourcing is established in a co-operative way where as the competitive type of crowdsourcing is constructed by gathering and communicating individual results.

 Crisis Mapping

Crisis mapping is typically undertaken with the goals of creating “maps” that have key geographic data related to a response (Greenberg 2013). But is crisis mapping just used for political campaigns? No! Crisis Mapping can also include social and environmental crises.

 Crisis Map Sourcing involves multiple methodologies and technologies to collect data. Ranging from paper-based survey approaches to crowdsourcing reports via SMS and utilising social media (iRevolutions 2011).

 Crisis Mapping in Australia

In 2013 Google launched the Free Crisis Map, a crisis mapping tool for the bushfires burning through Australia in particular, Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria. (Starr 2013). The map allows users to zoom in, locate any one particular fire and discover its current status.

When researching crisis mapping I came across the following video “Emergency Management Social Media Research.” The video demonstrates examples of how social media was used throughout the Victorian floods in 2011. To save you watching the video I have summaries the key points below:

·      Around the time of the Victorian floods in 2011 there where over 12,000 mentions of the floods on social media,

·      Of those, the most common platform of social media used share information was that Twitter

·      Social media reported flooding faster than official news outlets in metropolitan areas

Ultimately, the video and its finding show that the news of crisis, whether they are environmental, social or political – they have the ability to travel faster on the web via social media than the speed that news outlets can report them. That’s the power of crowdsourcing.

 References: Adams I 2013, Crowdsourcing vs. Co-Creation: What’s the difference?, 21 November, viewed 12 January 2016, < http://blog.optimizationgroup.com/crowdsourcing-vs-co-creation-whats-the-difference> Blohm I, Leimeister J M & Krcmar H 2013, “Crowdsourcing: how to benefit from (too) many great ideas”, MIS Quarterly Executive, Vol. 12 No. 4, pp. 199-211. Greenberg B 2013, Why Is Crisis Mapping So Popular? 23 October, viewed 13 January 2016,  < http://www.emergencymgmt.com/disaster/Crisis-Mapping-Popular.html> iRevolutions 2011, What is Crisis Mapping? An Update on the Field and Looking Ahead, January 20, viewed 17 January 2016, < http://irevolution.net/2011/01/20/what-is-crisis-mapping/> Neumann M 2014, Open Innovation vs Crowdsourcing vs Co-creation, 17 April, viewed 15 January 2016, <http://www.wazoku.com/blog/open-innovation-vs-crowdsourcing-vs-co-creation/> Schildhauer T & Voss H 2014, Open Innovation and Crowdsourcing in the Sciences, 19 January, viewed 15 January 2016, < http://book.openingscience.org/vision/open_innovation_and_crowdsourcing_in_science.html> Starr M 2013, Google launches Australian bushfire crisis map 22 October viewed 16 January 2016, < http://www.cnet.com/au/news/google-launches-australian-bushfire-crisis-map/>

[stephsaidso-blog]

Digital Citizenship 3: Trolling and social media conflict

Week 7 - Blog 5

Issues of governance and regulation of social media use

In the current digital age with social media platforms, websites and apps online abuse known as cyberbullying, trolling, hating or stalking is becoming more so prevalent. With social media is here to stay and increasingly being used by children and young people, the government and the public are attempting to create policies around the concepts of ‘digital citizenship’ in order to promote balanced, civil, ethical and profitable forms of Internet and social media use (McCosker & Johns 2014). Digital citizenship has been described as ‘the ability to participate in society online’ (Mossberger, Tolbert & McNeal 2008). However, Berg and Breheny (2014) state that bulling is a serious social problem, “not a technological one”.

Young people and technology

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, in April 2009, 79% young Australians aged between 5–14 years reported accessing the Internet in the previous 12 months. That is approximately 2.2 million young Australians! By April 2012, the online participation on children increased to 89.4%. As demonstrated in the table below, the study also shed light on the particular Internet activity they were engaged in.

Another recent study found that along with texting, social media is he most frequently used places for cyberbullying victimization (Whittaker & Kowalski 2015). The same research also found that online aggressive comments aimed at random people were evaluated least negatively whereas those directed toward peers were perceived most negatively (Whittaker & Kowalski 2015).

Richards, Caldwell & Go (2015) state that the risks of social media can be reduced with website design as well as developing strategies to help those most at risk manage the risk. Furthermore, social media risks for children can be diminished though adding in safety features (Richards, Caldwell & Go 2015).

How do you think online bullying can be reduced?

References:

Australian Bureau of Statistics. 4901.0 – Children’s participation in cultural and leisure activities, Australia, Apr 2012. 2012.

Berg C & Breheny S 2014, The cyberbullying moral panic, Institute of Public Affairs Review: A Quarterly Review of Politics and Public Affairs, May, Volume 66, Issue 1, pp.25 - 27

McCosker A & Johns A 2014, Contested publics: racist rants, bystander action and social media acts of citizenship, 1 May, Media International Australia, No. 151, pp.66-72

Mossberger, K., Tolbert, C. & McNeal, R. 2008, Digital Citizenship: The Internet, Society, and Participation, MIT Press, Cambridge, MA.

Richards D, Caldwell P H Y & Go H 2015, Impact of social media on the health of children and young people,  Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, pp. 1152–1157

Whittaker E & Kowalski R M 2015, Cyberbullying Via Social Media, Journal of School Violence, Volume 14, Issue 1, pp. 11-29

[sammmiemc50]

Digital Citizenship [Blog 4] Activism and Protest

Throughout history, and regardless of political systems, activism on behalf of a cause has resulted in profound and enduring social and political change. The abolition of slavery, the Suffragettes fight for women’s right to vote, anti-war protests, anti animal cruelty campaigns, are but a few examples of historical social protests and collectivist mobilisation (Martin 2007).

In the corporate-dominated, commercial traditional media systems, democratic deficits were clear: the control of the media by the elite, with commercial and/or idealogical agendas made access to have a voice for the average citizen limited and constrained (Carroll & Hackett 2006).

In today’s world, digital activism has transformed the methods and motivations of digital citizens, enabling and facilitating the mobilisation of social movements (Mossberger, Tobert & McNeal 2008).  The ‘Arab Awakening’ is well cited as the transformational power of information technologies to share information, to ‘choreograph’ social movements and to offer ‘a sphere of public life in which ..  youth could reach beyond the control of older generations .. build links with transnational networks of advocates who provide a counter balance to state power” (Gerbaudo 2012, p.4; Youmans & York 2012, p316). However, the emancipation promised by the new technologies is viewed by some as another channel for state repression or facilitating ‘slacktivism’, according to the Oxford Dictionary

Slacktivism

“Actions performed via the Internet in support of a political or social cause but regarded as requiring little time or involvement, e.g. signing an online petition or joining a campaign group on a social media website” (Oxford Dictionary 2015)

Culture Jamming

American lecturer, essayist and cultural critic Mark Dery coined the phrase ‘Culture Jamming’ to describe a unique form of political communication employing 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” (CCCE 2015). With practitioners of culture jamming considering that social values, culture and politics have been distorted by commercial and corporate sponsors, the use of ‘memes’ (”images that stimulate visual, verbal, musical, or behavioral associations that people can easily imitate and transmit to others”) the intention is to cause the viewer, or audience, to, even for a split second, consider how their consumerism is affecting global issues.  (Dery 2015; CCCE 2015). 

References

[narellemda20009-blog]

Your NikeVision example is perfect - it gives a perfect explanation of what culture jamming is: very frank, honest and revealing. And it uses one of the very big names to make the point. Great!

[stephsaidso-blog]

I agree with @narellemda20009 great example of culture jamming @sammmiemc50! 

[stephsaidso-blog]

Politics and civic cultures

Blog Post 3 (because ‘Blog Post 4′ happened first...)

Over the last few years we have seen an increase in the use of social media to assist voicing political campaigns. Political leaders such as President of the United States, Barack Obama have recently opted to use social media to help reach a larger audience. Jericho (2012, p. 255) states that politicians are now using social media such as Twitter and Facebook as a place to broadcast from. With a growing relationship between political campaigns and social media, it is important we look at how it all began. Obama was the first politician to successfully use social media as a main campaign tactic (Ruttledge, 2013).

According to the European Business Review (2010) Obama, used email, his website, social networks (such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube), phone calls, mobile phone text messages and video to reach potential voters. He used a variety of social network sites to target differing groups of people. For example, on Facebook alone he had over 3 million friends. Additionally, 3 million people signed up to receive text messages. Finally, the European Business Review (2010) states that After President Obama won the election, all of the people who had been receiving text updates and announcements received one last message: “All of this happened be- cause of you. Thanks, Barack.”

So Obama made it work, but how effective are social media platforms such as YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook in other political campaigns and strategies? 

References:

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

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

Joseph, Sarah 2012, ‘Social Media, Political Change, and Human Rights’, Boston College International and Comparative Law Review 35(1), p145-188.

Ruttledge, D 2013, How Obama Won the Social Media Battle in the 2012 Presidential Campaign, The Media Psychology Blog, 25 January, viewed 4 December 2015, <http://mprcenter.org/blog/2013/01/how-obama-won-the-social-media-battle-in-the-2012-presidential-campaign/>

The European Business Review 2010, Obama and the power of social media and technology, May – June, viewed 3 December 2015, < https://faculty-gsb.stanford.edu/aaker/pages/documents/TEBRMay-June-Obama.pdf>

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

[stephsaidso-blog]

Welcome to 2016

Welcome back and welcome to 2016.

I hope all my followers had a lovely break over the holiday period.

I know my break was much needed. So much so that i posted some of my blogs out of order.

This week i will take you back to Week 5 where we discussed Politics and civic cultures as i have already posted Week 6 Activism and Protest.