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New Media- Big Data. Amy McCarthy Week 10

It is not hard to see that new media is a powerful tool. It is a part of our lives now and fits in seamlessly, none more so than the internet. I myself spend most of my day somewhat connected to the internet, whether if be on Facebook, Instagram or checking emails. But it's what goes on behind the scenes that is interesting- everything I do can turn in to data that will benefit someone. What is more important though, is what is done with all that data. Coming to conclusions and making predictions is what can make a difference. Predictive data can affect your day in every way possible, from the way you drive, shop, study, vote, watch TV and communicate (Siegel, 2013). A lot of this is to do with marketing, and how consumers are targeting differently according to predictions. Marketing is benefitting hugely from collecting online data. Companies like Netflix show recommendations by making use of data collected from consumers. This way they can suggest what a consumer should purchase next (Shaw, 2014). This form of target marketing is extremely useful and can essentially turn a much larger profit. Similarly companies predict 'mouse clicks' of online advertising. Websites generally pay per click for the advertisements they display, therefore they predict which ad you're more likely to click on (Siegel, 2013). Whenever I'm on Facebook, Google or YouTube the only advertisements that seem to show up are for companies I am actually interested in. It's like they know me really well. You would think with all of this knowledge that companies would take advantage of it. But from my experience this isn't really the case. Companies like General Pants Co, Universal etc have all implemented 'data bases' that send you promotional emails. The idea of this is that every time you make a purchase online or in-store the data base would track your purchases- learn your favourite brands or styles then send you emails accordingly. Whether or not this has actually worked is unsure, but if the program was implemented correctly it could be a huge profit generator. On the other hand, insurance companies have the capabilities to predict if someone is likely to crash a car or injure themselves (Siegel, 2013). An insurance company called Allstate predicts bodily injury liability from car crashes based on the characteristics of the insured car which saves approximately $40 million per year. Obviously there are limits to the accuracy of these predictions, Jay Leno once asked "How come you never see a headline like 'Psychic Wins Lottery'?" (Siegel, 2013). Which is right- "prediction is very difficult, especially if it's about the future" (Bohr, unknown) because the future IS unknown (Siegel, 2013). REFERENCE LIST: -Shaw, J. (2014, March-April). Why “Big Data ” is a Big Deal. Harvard Magazine. Retrieved from http://harvardmagazine.com/2014/03/why-big-data-is-a-big-deal -Siegel, Eric. 2013. “Introduction – The Prediction Effect.” In Predictive Analytics, 1-16. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons Inc. -The Economist. (2012, June 26). What is Big Data? [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahZGEusG13A

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Copyright and Intellectual Property Law- Amy McCarthy week 9

With the internet being available for more and more people these days it is interesting to think about what laws and regulations are actually in place to stop the theft of intellectual property and media. It's so easy these days to just go online and copy and paste someone else's work with near zero cost or download a form of media instead of purchasing it. Even now for example I could copy and paste someone else's work and slightly alter it- claiming it as my own. Obviously I wouldn't do this, but the possibility is there. What needs to be addressed is whether or not these laws are actually in place and if they are, does anybody follow them? When it comes to study the rules of assessment/ the institution where you study say that you cannot copy someone else work- but is this the same for everything else? Can people not just see someone's idea and use it as their own? See a picture on an Instagram account and post it as their own? And is this such a horrible thing? When it comes to such small issues maybe not, but it hasn't stopped their, anyone can now go online and download and artists music, a movie or tv show free of charge. It has become almost second nature, and of course this is a crime, but it obviously is still going on. The issue maybe more so comes down to monitoring these offences, the internet is such a multifaceted system that would be impossible to monitor. Not only that, but what punishment would fit and crime and would it really be worth criminalising thousands of people? The idea of a 'win win' situation is the best solution. Business models such as Netflix, spotify and iTunes are great alternatives that reduce the cost of purchasing old media, but gives the consumer the freedom of purchasing in the comfort of their own homes. This solution decriminalises online 'downloading' of media as you are doing such through a pre approved organisation that is still making the artists some money. Reference list Flew, Terry. 2014. “Fair use and the future of copyright.” Internet Law Bulletin, 17 (2): 41-43. Flew, Terry. 2014. “Ch 11: Internet Law, Policy and Governance.” In New Media. 4th ed, 178 – 197. Melbourne: Oxford University Press.

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The End of Anticipation - Amy McCarthy

The end of anticipation refers to the idea that we no longer eagerly await the return of friends or family to hear about their travels or time away, instead we already know what they have been up too because we’ve seen it online (Baron, 2008). The anticipation of ones arrival was always part of our social definition however due to new media technologies this has changed. When someone goes away for an extended period of time it is not uncommon to see photos of their travels on Facebook, Instagram or in a personal email. Technology has brought us together virtually and made it much easier to keep in contact with people, wherever they may be, however this is affecting the substance of meeting again ‘face-to-face’.

  I myself have been on two long holidays in the past two years and find it almost impossible to recount what I did to my family and friends because I feel like I am repeating myself- even though I haven’t seen them in weeks. On my return from any holiday I always look forward to showing my family all of the photos I took and explaining what I did, but this hasn’t happened my last two trips. My family already knew where I had been because they saw it on my Instagram account. Of course I could go into more depth and detail- but what’s the point? Even if I didn’t post a photo on my Instagram account it is likely I had spoken to them in an email or on Facebook as well so once again, everyone already knows.

  Obviously keeping in touch with people is wonderful and I would never want to be without that option, but I can see the excitement isn’t there as much as it used to be. Four years ago I didn’t have Instagram, and I wasn’t an avid Facebook user (plus I didn’t have a smart phone) so all of my photos and experiences from my trip were kept to myself until my return home- where I then went into detail with photos and anecdotes.

  While there are positives and negatives from this level of virtual connection, I can’t think of how lost I would be without it. Yes, a lack of excitement after a lengthy absence may be disheartening however being able to keep in contact with a loved one for an extended physical time apart seems like a blessing. In two days my best friend of over seventeen years is moving to London for I don’t know how long and I am surprisingly okay with it. I know that I will be able to Imessage her every day like always, and see what she is doing through social channels. Obviously a physical absence will be difficult, but nowhere near as how hard it would be without new media keeping us connected.

  References: 

Baym, Nancy. 2010. “Ch 3: Communication in Digital Spaces.” In Personal Connections in the Digital Age, 50-70. Cambridge MA: Polity Press.

•Baron, Naomi. 2008. “Ch 1: Email to Your Brain: Language in an Online and Mobile World.” In Always On: Language in an Online and Mobile World, 3-10. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

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Relative Surplus Value Production

Relative surplus value production is in no way a new concept- it is a concept however, that has been made easier for companies with the rise of new media. Relative surplus value production means that productivity is increased so that more surplus value is produced in the same time frame as before. Traditional forms of advertising (eg television, newspapers, radio etc) only allowed companies to advertise one message to every consumer at one time. Now with targeted online advertising companies can show different ads to different consumers in the same time frame -completely based on what will generate more interest depending on the consumer. Companies now have the opportunity to advertise to their consumers more than once, at the exact same time. They do this through targeted online advertising. Advertisers show several advertisements to their audience, a different advertisement for different consumer groups depending on the monitoring, assessment and comparisons of the users interests and online behaviours. Every day when I am surfing the web, checking my Facebook or watching videos on youtube I am faced with online advertisements. I had no idea to what extent these advertisements were tailored to me. Sut Jhally (1987) argued that "reorganising the watching audience in terms of demographics" is a form of relative surplus value production. Which I interpret as reorganising which consumer sees which particular advertisement will help generate sales- a concept that is of course, relative surplus value production. New media and targeted online advertising is raising efficiency for companies as they no longer have to waste time showing an advertisement to a consumer that would not be interested. In fact, the more targeted the advertisement is the better. Companies have the abilities to try their hardest to make sure the content they are advertising is going to the right people, creating more opportunity to make money, whilst also saving money on the advertisements that would not have worked. It becomes more likely that a consumer will click on an ad if they are actually interested in it, I know that is definitely the case for me. Any advertisement that does not interest me isn't even on my radar. Facebook is the perfect example of targeted online advertising for me, the social media platform already has all of my interests right there, in my 'like' pages. A Facebook profile knows your gender, age, relationship status, what movies you like and so much more! How many times I have had a friend tell me that their Facebook ads have turned to an online dating company after a break up is hilarious. Although I don't often click on online advertisements myself, due to the possibly irrational fear that my computer will get a virus from any ad, I definitely notice that all of the advertisements I see are in some ways interesting to me and change depending on what is going on in my life. They even know where I have been online shopping lately and tell me about the sales. The corporations surveillance of us, the consumer enables targeted advertising to attempt to lure us into consumption through manipulation of our desires, needs, interests and lives at that point in time. Targeted online advertising is clearly the way of the future and a complete benefit for companies who hope to increase their relative surplus production. Let's just hope that we, the consumer have the strength to resist! Reference list: Benkler, Y. 2006. The Wealth of Networks: How Social Production Transforms Markets and Freedom. Yale University Press. Accessed March 30, 2014. http://www.sisudoc.org/sisu/en/pdf/the_wealth_of_networks.yochai_benkler.portrait.a5.pdf Fuchs, Christian. 2014. “The Power and Political Economy of Social Media.” In Social Media: An Introduction, 97 – 125. London: Sage Publications. Amazon Mechanical Turk. 2014. “Mechanical Turk is a marketplace for work.” Accessed March 25, 2014. https://www.mturk.com/mturk/welcome Sauter, Theresa. 2013. “KCB206 Internet, self and beyond: Week 4 lecture notes”. Accessed March 25, 2014. http://blackboard.qut.edu.au/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_4_1&url=%2Fwebapps%2Fblackboard%2Fexecute%2Fannouncement%3Fmethod%3Dsearch%26context%3Dcourse_entry%26course_id%3D_108110_1%26handle%3Dannouncements_entry%26mode%3Dview

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Media, Culture and Society

Media Life

Media was once a wonderful aspect of life that humans 'lived with', but over the last few decades it is obvious that this is no longer the case. Media is now a part of our daily lives, we 'live in' media, it is just another part of our lives. Roger Silverstone (2007), Alex de Jong and Marc Schuilenburg (2006) and Sam Inkinen (1998) describe this as a 'mediapolis'. I am no stranger to this concept, you can find me on Facebook, Instagram, email, Linkedin, Tumblr and many more social media platforms that seem to fit effortlessly into my life. A concept that was no stranger to me was that people 'produce themselves', we now have almost total control of how we are perceived by others which gives us the opportunity to alter our identities. 

  We do this through our many social media 'extensions of ourselves'. One could almost say that social media users are nothing like who they portray themselves to be online (if that is their wish). I myself never thought of my Instagram account as anything but an accurate representation of my actual life- a way to share my thoughts and experiences with others. But after scrolling back through the years I noticed that only the best, most positive occurrences were represented. I had altered my followers perceptions of my life through posting photos and information that completely disregards any negative or upsetting things I was dealing with, even though I was most definitely experiencing them. I had created an extension of myself through social media that let people view my most 'perfect' self. Media is definitely a part of me, as I am sure it would be for many others. 

  Friedrich Kittler suggests that we become blind to that which shapes us the most. Media is without a doubt a large determining factor on how we are perceived, this is almost entirely because our constant usage is disappearing from our consciousness, hence 'living in' media. The 'Truman Show' delusion is also a testament to this theory. The Truman Delusion suggests that "our lived reality cannot be experienced separate from, or outside media". More importantly when asked how it was so easy to convince Truman of his clearly fake reality, Christof the director in the movie answered "we accept the reality of the world with which we are presented". Truman's reality was just another version of 'real', he was unaware of any other reality much like we as consumers of media are unaware of media and it's affect on our life and perceptions of the world. When it really comes down to it promoting a more positive self through social media can't really affect or hurt anyone unless they are introduced to a different self that was not orchestrated by the user. 

  Reference List:

DeAngelis T (2009) ‘A New Kind of Delusion? A Growing Number of Psychotic Patients Believe They Are Stars of Reality TV Shows’. APA Monitor on Psychology, June, URL (consulted October 2010): http://www.apa.org/monitor/2009/06/delusion.html

De Jong A, Schuilenburg M (2006) Mediapolis: Popular Culture and the City. Rotterdam: 010 Publishers. 

Castells M (1996) The Rise of the Network Society, the Information Age: Economy, Society and Culture. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

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