Chloe Summerfield

Digital Communities

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Social Gaming

In week 10, we entered the very intriguing world of social gaming and discovered the many forms of sociality and player conflict that can come with it. We considered the long history of playing games and the way that people connect and communicate via gaming. At present, gaming communities are formed in many different ways and vary between networked platforms.

A real concern of gaming is the lack of physical activities that are being undertaken by children and teenagers due to the amount of time spent in their gaming world. In 2017, the world was introduced to the game Fortnight; a game where up to 100 players battle against each other on an island, and the aim is to be the last man standing.

According to The World Health Organisation, gaming is becoming quite a medical condition, explaining that the addiction of the game is leading children and teenagers to sleep deprivation, anger issues and hindering their awareness at school.

Brad Marshall from the Internet Addiction Clinic at Kidspace in Sydney explains that

“We're seeing about 60-70 per cent of the kids coming through the door reporting that Fortnite is their primary game of use… We've also seen quite a lot of anger outbursts at home.”

He further explains that the level accessibility is contributing to the addiction as the game is easily able to be downloaded by the user. When I wanted to find some more research for this blog, I typed into Google ‘Fortnite addiction’. The first page to appear lead me to a website called Game Quitters. ENOUGH SAID. This website explained that over 40 million users played it last month alone. Moreover, it was reported that a 9-year-old girl in the UK was sent to rehab for refusing to use a toilet due to being unable to pull herself away from the game. When she finally was pulled away by her parents, she attacked her parents (Gaming et al, 2018). Again, ENOUGH SAID. It’s one scary world we live in. And I can only assume it could get quite scary being within the gaming world.

When I think of gaming, it’s not really the term I’d use to describe how I used to play when I was growing up. However, the more I think about it… I did go through a bit of a gaming phase (The Sims anybody?!?!). And WOW it used to take up a lot of time. It’s only as of recently when I had to look after a young boy who was on work experience that I really got to know the world of gaming and just HOW important it can be for some. This school boy could hardly take his eyes away from his laptop (which he had bought in to play on during the ahhh… quiet times). He was fully immersed in his own little world and would only really communicate with the other player in his world. Is this normal or is social gaming becoming somewhat anything but social???

 References

Gaming, R., Ones, R., Detox, 9., Rehab, T., Fundamentals, T., HobIdeas, 6., Gamers, V., Articles, B., Ones, L., Ones, R., Ones, V., Group, P., Ones, B., Rehab, T. and Presentations, L. (2018). Parents Guide to Fortnite Addiction | Game Quitters, viewed 27 January 2019 <https://gamequitters.com/parents-guide-to-fortnite-addiction/>.

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Visual Communities & Social Imaging

Throughout the semester, we have learned of the exponential growth of social media platforms. Within this, we have learned of the importance of visuals to social media. All the photographs and videos. At just a click of record button, we can put a photo or video on the internet, where it will be there forever. What we have also learned, particularly in week 9, the high level of anxiety and the difficult ethical and legal issues regarding control that can come over our photos and videos.

YouTube, Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram. I use all of them on a daily basis. Something that has always been drilled into me is about how I’m using them. Luckily for me (or unluckily? I’m not sure), I rarely post on my social media accounts. Not because I choose not to it’s just I’ve never had real interest in doing so. I do however feel inspired by the people who can use social media to express, share and communicate.

The advancement of technology in recent times has seriously contributed to the way in which we are taking these photos and videos. A lot of the times, these photos are barely planned (like they used to be) and within the press of one button or one swipe, we can take a photo. It’s amazing.

“Changes in media technologies have engendered changes in how we capture, remember and communicate personal images of everyday and family life” (Vivienne & Burgess 2013 p. 3).

The camera function on our smartphones allow us to share our expressions and communications all within one snap of ourselves (do we have Kim Kardashian to thank???). One word; selfie.

Defined as “a photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically with a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website” (Oxford English Dictionary 2019). What comes with this advancement in technology comes the filters that we can add to our selfie, making our smiles grow, puppy ears appear and love hearts float above our heads. It’s great. And so entertaining (for some).

What comes with visual communities is obviously the risk of what we can share and WHO we are sharing it with. The use of these images and videos has increased the level of legal and ethical issues which surround privacy. It can leave us vulnerable. It also encourages problems surrounding body image issues as people are using particular Apps, like Photoshop and Facetune, to edit their photos, sending a really powerful message to their followers as people can be posting images that aren’t realistic.

References

Oxford English Dictionary 2013, ‘Word of the Year 2013′,  Oxford University Press, viewed 22 January 2019, <https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/word-of-the-year/word-of-the-year-2013>

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Crowdsourcing in times in crisis

It feels like our technological devices are always at hand and it can always feel like our social media accounts are always there to be checked and updated. But what happens when communication systems fail us and they go down in times of, well, crisis?

In week 8, we discovered how social media platforms have been developed to obtain information or input into a task or project by enlisting the services of a large number of people, either paid or unpaid, via the internet” (Bainbridge, Goc, & Tynan 2015 p. 511). During this week, we specifically focused on natural disasters and how crowdsourcing has helped to solve problems in disasters like earthquakes, tsunamis and bushfires.

'Crowdsourcing is 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.com, 2014)

It is a very clever tool that is most commonly used during times of crisis. A perfect example of when crowdsourcing was implemented was the Paris terrorist attacks in 2015 (the very first example of crowdsourcing). It was through social media that people were able to ‘mark’ themselves as safe on Facebook, essentially sending an alert to all of their Facebook friends that they were unarmed in the attacks whilst in Paris. This is game-changing. And it’s a type of communication that is actually doing some good. This moment in time also allowed for these individuals to share their locations and to share live content of Paris during this horrible time.

A lot of the time we think of privacy when we use our social media accounts. I know for myself I get incredibly nervous about the thought of people able to knowing my location. But crowdsourcing as a feature in our digital community as I mentioned earlier, is really amazing. It makes me consider how difficult things would’ve been before crowdsourcing, or on the whole, before social media. How did people find out where people were in times of crisis? How did people know that their friends or family were safe? Crowdsourcing is such a pivotal movement in our digital community and connects us to one another in such an efficient and dynamic way.

 References

Bainbridge, J, Goc, N & Tynan, L 2015, Media and journalism: new approaches to theory and practice, 3rd edn, Oxford University Press, South Melbourne.

Merriam-webster.com. (2014). Definition of CROWDSOURCING, viewed 24 January 2019 <https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crowdsourcing>.

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Trolling & Social Media Conflict

Over recent times, I feel like ‘trolling’ has become part of my vocabulary and something that has become all too familiar. It is because like never before, we have more and more access to forms of public communication whereby users of social media can practically voice whatever opinion and comments that they may have.

In week 7, we delved into the world of trolling and conflict on social media platforms, and the impact that it can have on our everyday lives. By definition according to Urban Dictionary, trolling refers to:

“The deliberate act of making some unsolicited and/or controversial comments on various internet platforms with the intent to provoke an emotional knee jerk reaction from unsuspecting readers to engage in a fight or argument.” (Urban Dictionary, 2014)

Honestly to me, trolling can be summed up in one word: nuisance. Actually, I could throw in a couple more but you get my point. I think it’s safe to say that it’s not condonable, nor is it funny. It’s just plain annoying. I simply can’t fathom the keyboard warriors who would get a kick out of misusing their social media accounts to what? Potentially harm somebody’s feelings? Better yet their life. It’s just cruel.

One of the biggest names in the music industry, Ed Sheeran, recently left the Twittersphere due to trolling, saying:

“I’ve actually come off Twitter completely. I can’t read it. I go on it and there’s nothing but people saying mean things. One comment ruins your day. The head**** for me has been trying to work out why people dislike me so much.” (Beaumont-Thomas, 2017)

And he is so right. It’s shameful and embarrassing that these trolls will say whatever they feel like saying just to publicly embarrass someone. The effects from cyber-bullying as we all should know can be extreme. It is so important for people to know that they shouldn’t feel protected behind their keyboards and screens. Sure, they can throw (or should I say, type) their words at anybody they wish but they should be aware of the serious consequences that can come with trolling and causing social media conflict.

 References

Beaumont-Thomas, B. (2017). Ed Sheeran quits Twitter after abuse from trolls. The Guardian, viewed 10 January 2019 <https://www.theguardian.com/music/2017/jul/04/ed-sheeran-twitter-abuse-trolls>

Urban Dictionary. (2014). Urban Dictionary: Trolling, viewed 10 January 2019. <https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Trolling>.

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Activism and Protest

The exponential growth of social media over recent times is proving to be the way of sharing expressions of dissent and building collective action against a particular issue across the globe. It is through the social media platforms, like Facebook and Twitter, whereby individuals are able to collaboratively voice their opinions and desire for change and action.

In week 6, we looked at culture jamming and how it is contributing to social change and disrupting social norms. Through the use of powerful questioning of the certain values and image of corporate brands, culture jamming cleverly aims to shock, shame and anger their target audience, with action to change as the ultimate outcome.

A form of culture jamming is hacktivism, which can be defined as when activists use hack into computer systems of institutions and organisations in an attempt to intervene and disrupt their daily operations and flow of information (Gunkel 2005, p. 5; Sorell 2015, p. 391).

A perfect example of hacktivism is the group Anonymous, who demonstrates hacktivism by being an internet-based vague international network comprising of a plethora of activists who strive to expose all the nitty-gritty stories and information that get left out of mainstream media such as institutional or corporate wrongdoings (Dery 2010).

The notorious group have an incredible ability to hack governments and corporations, sourcing their associations and promoting their opinions on social media forums, like Facebook and Twitter. They also had a huge impact on preventing terrorism after the Paris terror attacks in 2015 and declared war against ISIS with various hacks and attacks (Shammas 2015).

“If you’ve been sexually harassed or assaulted write ‘me too’ as a reply to this tweet.” - Alyssa Milano

Another really powerful act of online activism is the #metoo movement. Starting with the accusations against Harvey Weinstein, searching through the hashtag on Twitter appears endless stories and recounts of sexual harassment and assault. Essentially, this pivotal movement advocates for those with first-hand experiences and brings light to those that are unaware (Bremke, 2018).

I use the word ‘powerful’ to describe this campaign as it had a huge impact on not only women in Hollywood and the entertainment industry, but the everyday women who have been accustomed to sexual harassment and assault.

I use the word movement as this campaign gave woman the opportunity to stand up against the power of men and their demands. It essentially created a voice for women to know that they are not alone and that they can speak up against their attackers. This movement caused women to come together and unite.

References

Bremke, J. (2018). The #MeToo Movement. Period, viewed 3 January 2019 <https://medium.com/periodmovement/the-metoo-movement-a03b3150a79>

Dery, M 2010,Culturejamming:hacking,slashing, andsniping in theempire ofsigns,Shovelware, viewed 6 December 2018, <http://markdery.com/?page_id=154>.

Gunkel, DJ 2005, ‘Editorial: Introduction to hacking and hacktivism’, New media & society, vol. 7, no. 5, pp. 595-597.

Shammas, J 2015, ‘Anonymous accuses firm of protecting ISIS from cyber-attacks as hackers struggle in their war on Islamicextremists; The hacktivists named and shamedthe firm asCloudFlare, dubbing them "shameful" on Twitter’,Daily Mirror, 28 December.

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Politics and Civic Cultures

In recent times, the use of social media has been playing an increasingly role in shaping the political landscape on a global level. From Obama first opening his Facebook page in 2007 to figures like Donald Trump, who take to the stage of Twitter to get their point across, these politicians are taking to social media to engage with the population regarding political and global issues.

In week 5, we delved into digital citizenship which can be defined as the way in which access to the online world is used to express and debate issues of human rights, politics and democratic issues (Mossburger et al, 2007). Furthermore, we explored the relationships between social media platforms and political campaigns, and how this relationship has seen exponential growth over recent years. We are seeing that politicians are taking to social media to deliver announcement and speeches strategically as part of a process of communicating and reaching out to the younger demographics.

When you think about it… if you follow a politician on let’s say Twitter, you are constantly present of their most recent announcement or in some cases rants. This gives the user the ability to participate openly in the political conversations and the messages being sent.

A really great example of digital citizenship is the use of social media during the marriage equality debate in Australia in 2017. The misuse of social media on platforms like Instagram, Facebook and Twitter lead to users to voice their opinions in a negative and aggressive way, unfortunately leading to online trolling (the bad kind of digital citizenship). On the other hand, the successes of the same-sex marriage vote lead to an outcry in support and gratitude.

In my opinion, I believe there is a huge benefit in politicians using their social media to promote themselves and their opinions. Yes they should tread lightly in how their messages are posted, but in my opinion, the messages that are direct and can cause a bit of a stir, are the ones that are remembered and eventually discussed (think Trump).

The rapid advancement of technology gives these political figures to vocalise their points of view and allows them to keep up with fellow politicians.

References

Mossberger, K, Tolbert, C J, & McNeal, R S 2007, Digital citizenship: The Internet, society, and participation, MIT Press.

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The World of Blogging & Microblogging

In week four, we delved into the world of blogging. A world that is quite unfamiliar to me but something that certainly intrigues me.

Blogs are those individual, idiosyncratic commentaries that have been usually been written by one person or a group where they post on a regular basis on the Internet (Cross, 2007).

Whereas; microblogging is a “combination of blogging and instant messaging that allows users to create short messages to be posted and shared with an audience online”, like Twitter (Nations, 2018). This online audience Nations refers to can also be called ‘publics’. Publics refers to “a concrete audience, a crowd witnessing itself in visible space, as with a theatrical public” (M, Warner 2002). 

The major difference between blogging and microblogging is the word count, where blogging has the freedom of using as many characters as desired for their post, microblogging limits this to a certain amount.

After identifying the concepts of blogging and microblogging, and their key difference, I began to wonder (whilst writing my own very blog!) the ambition behind people posting on their blogs or via microblogging platforms like Tumblr and Twitter, and what are the absolute benefits of it.

Blogs vary by different types of content – business, lifestyle, fashion, food, travel and the list goes on!

This allows for the blogger to be free in whatever he or she produces, and can express themselves and their passions in a free nature. It also is a means of connecting with like-minded people who share the same feelings, opinions, thoughts and knowledge.

The exponential growth of blogging over recent times will also help people in building their professional network. Gary Dekmezlan, a professional blogger himself, explains that whether you’re a “solopreneur or blogging to market your business, building relationships will facilitate your blog’s growth” (Huffpost, 2016).

As the Internet has become a way of running our day-to-day lives, the benefits of blogging and microblogging are proving to be advantageous as unlike never before. Setting up a blog can be done in minutes and you don’t need some sort of degree to get it all started.

In saying that… all of this blogging is starting to get me a little bit inspired.

 References

Dekmezlan, G. (2016). Why Do People Blog? The Benefits of Blogging. [online] HuffPost. https://www.huffingtonpost.com/gary-dekmezian/why-do-people-blog-the-be_b_8178624.html [Accessed 4 Dec. 2018].

Nations, D. (2018). Here's What the Term 'Microblogging' Really Means. [online] Lifewire. https://www.lifewire.com/what-is-microblogging-3486200 [Accessed 4 Dec. 2018].

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Introduction to Digital Communities and Social Media Platforms

Week one introduced us to the world of digital communities and social media platforms. Both of these concepts feel quite familiar to me because;

a)       I can honestly say that I am using social media way too often; and

b)      It feels like we are surrounded by social media platforms within a very digital community.

As we delve into this topic, it is important to understand some of the very concepts including:

·       Virtual communities: a collaboration of people who share common interests, ideas and feelings and pursue similar goals over the Internet or any other combined network.

·       Digital community: communities that rely on digital technologies like mobile phones, the Internet and e-mail to communicate, network and circulate information.

·       Social network: Facebook and LinkedIn are amongst many other social network sites whereby they can be defined as web services which enable users to 'public or semi-public profile within a bounded system' (Boyd, p. 211) and through which they can ‘articulate a list of other users with whom they share a connection’ (Murthy, 2013, p. 7).

This brings me back to a).

There are countless times where I am looking at more than one screen. There are also countless times where I’ve scrolled through the same feed and feel hungry to find something new to gawk at, whether it be via Instagram and the latest fashion trend from a certain ‘influencer’ or scrolling my thumb up and down my iPhone screen down the Facebook feed to find a new interesting post.

Connected, but alone?

One scary thought is that we have now adapted to being so connected with our phones and interestingly enough makes us question whether we are in fact being more social or are we disconnecting ourselves from any real kind of conversation. It seems that via every social media network we are able to connect and communicate with others, and also locate people at almost any given time. In Sherry Turkle’s TED talk, she explores the concerns of connecting only through technology means causing a disconnection from our inner and outer lives and real-world contexts.

“Our little devices… are so psychologically powerful that they don’t only change what we do, they change who we are” (Turkle, 2013)

This statement from Turkle got me thinking about the type of person that I become when I have my little device in my hand, particularly when I am surrounded by company and how this effects my psychological state. She ironically suggests that we are all seeking to connect with one another, however, in doing so, we ultimately disconnect ourselves from any real conversation and actually demonstrate senses of loneliness.

After watching her talk on TED, Turkle has made me realise that it is “time to talk” and to reconsider the most appropriate way for me to belong within a digital community whilst still sharing my own kind of real connectedness to my inner and the other world.

References

Boyd, D 2012, ‘Participating in the always on lifestyle’, in M Mandiberg (ed), The social media reader, New York University Press, ProQuest Ebook Central, pp. 211.

Murthy, D, 2013, Twitter: Social Communication in the Twitter Age, Oxford: Wiley, pp. 7.

S, Turkle (2013), Connected, but alone? <http://bit.ly/VhYg6X>