Tayla Spier- Digital Communities

Digital Communities 

[digital-danish-blog]

Crowd-sourcing: Mark Yourself Safe with Social Media

[1B Blog Post 4: Week 8]

“Crowdsourcing defines 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 Online

Within modern society, crowdsourcing is extensively implemented online and can attract broad participatory crowds (Wilson, Bhakoo, Samson 2018).  Volunteers or contributors even rely on their organization surrounding via open social media platforms. Having up-to-date information and social mapping is vital when raising awareness and generating a humanitarian response (Mulder, Ferguson, Groenewegen, Boersma & Wolbers, 2016).

(Meier 2014)

Notably, social mapping first became prominent following the 2007 Kenyan election crisis leading to the inauguration of the non-profit organisation Ushahidi  (Ford 2012 pp. 34-33). Since then multiple other online-based organisations, such as CrisisCommons, have launched and followed suit. 

Naturally, social media giant Facebook has also implemented its own feature for disaster relief and aid called Crisis Response. This feature contains a safety check, community help, and new fundraising tools amongst an easy-to-navigate interface to inform you of the updates most relevant per user (Statt 2017).

(Facebook Crisis Response, 2019)

In particular, this feature provided me reassurance that a friend I made in high school was “marked safe” during the current flooding in Townsville. Ironically, back in 2005,  that same friend and I went door-knocking to collect funds for The Salvation Army. This had me reflect upon how we now have multiple methods which are easier, faster and arguably more effective than what we had 14 years ago. Though according to the PFRA (2019), door-to-door fundraising is still a relevant method of crowdsourcing. It still really makes one reflect on our experiences and ourselves as digital citizens. Whilst convenience, current information and an ability to reach a broader demographic is obtained we’ve perhaps decreased the extent of determination we once had. Personally, I would much rather instead make an online donation rather than physically collect funds door-to-door. I can’t help but consider whether this has made myself, like many others, lazier and maybe less likely to physically volunteer. Though I could perhaps now use the exercise what with all these consumed ‘Food for Thought’ posts fuelling my hunger lol.  

I hope you enjoyed your food for thought, with a serving of cream cheese danish. Please come again!

[Please see /references for all sources]

Keep reading

[fearless--summer]

Hi Jasmin, what a fantastic post! 

I’m sure we can all agree that social media has really helped in aiding in these times of crisis. The Facebook feature of being marked safe is a good point and something that i’m not sure what we would do without in our current day. The images you’ve chosen are very informative. I agree that we don’t see door to door fundraising anymore and had personally not noticed the shift to online. I agree that it is a preferred method to donate online now. 

Thanks! Tayla 

[tsdigitalcommunities]

Im sure we can all agree that social media has really helped in aiding in these times of crisis. The Facebook feature of being marked safe is a good point and something that i’m not sure what we would do without in our current day. The images you’ve chosen are very informative. I agree that we don’t see door to door fundraising anymore and had personally not noticed the shift to online. I agree that it is a preferred method to donate online now.

Thanks! Tayla

[legenwaitforitdarythoughts]

Activism in the 21st century

When I think of activism, names like Doctor Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, Rosa Parks come to mind, people who dedicated their lives to campaigning for human rights and social causes that brought about change on a large scale. As I began to read about activism in the digital age, I started to wonder what the activists of past generations would make of online campaigning. Would the ‘I have a dream speech’ been as potent delivered via a YouTube video instead of in front of a crowd in Washington? Would the message have had the same result, or would it have been lost within the millions of other videos? And would sharing a hashtag have brought about the same amount of change as the quarter of a million people who descended on the mall in Washington in 1963?

Today, through social media and the internet we are bombarded with charities, causes and videos showing horrific atrocities and society is quickly becoming desensitised and unmotivated to take real action. As a result, a new culture of activism is emerging known as ‘clicktivism’ and ‘slacktivism’ which Reddin (2018) defines as ‘armchair activism’ whereby ‘complex, serious issues are oversimplified to the point where viewership, likes and clicks is thought to be the equivalent of making a difference’. Scholar Evgenyi Morozov (quoted in Gerbaudo 2012) take this definition further describing slacktivism as ‘feel good activism’ that ‘creates an illusion of having a meaningful impact on the world without demanding anything more than joining a Facebook group’.

But is activism in the digital age all negative?

Absolutely not, modern movements like #MeToo, #BlackLivesMatter, #MarchForOurLives, #Kony2012, and the Arab Spring are all grassroots causes that used social media in one way or another to further their mission and generate awareness. According to Youmans & York (2012), social media was a powerful tool in bringing about the collective actions during the Arab Spring providing a method to coordinate action, share information and raise public awareness of the issue on a global scale. Further, Rutledge (2010) strongly supports social media for facilitating sustainable activism suggesting that it brings together people who are passionate about an issue and provides them with a way to harness this collective energy and turn it into action.

There is no doubt that social media has a role to play in modern activism. However, as Sophie Egar cautions in her TEDx Talk, “social media activism is useless if it doesn’t create awareness that leads to action off the internet” (TEDx Talks 2018). Yes, real change requires action beyond the hashtag, like or share. We’re not going to change the world sitting in front of a computer.

I’ll finish with a favourite quote of mine – “it’s better to have less thunder in the mouth and more lightning in the hand.” Actions do speak louder than words (or clicks).

Keep reading

[adigitalworldstudent-blog]

Hi legenwaitforitdarythoughts,

I really enjoyed reading this you certainly have a way with words. I laughed at the tree picture because I have similar thoughts to you. You say that real change requires action beyond the hashtag, like or share and this is true. This  “acceptance of what happens, without active response or resistance” (Oxford Dictionaries 2019), is what oversimplifies issues that need to be taken seriously.

You make a good point about the ‘I have a dream speech’. I too wonder if the message would have the same result. 

Ange

Oxford Dictionaries 2019, passivity | Definition of passivity in English by Oxford Dictionaries, viewed 3 January 2019, <https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/passivity>.

[tsdigitalcommunities]

Hello!

As social media is aiding in amazing movements that you’ve mentioned, it didn’t occur to me to think about the negatives and people taking advantage of this. Great job bringing up clicktivism and slacktivism!

Tayla

[alannah-spina-blog]

The Digital Politician

(Week 5)

With such a rapid growth in digital platforms, the reach in which political members and parties can achieve among their publics is exponential, and certainly has come along way since I studied Australian politics in high school!

I’ll admit that growing up, I never took much interest in politics and civic culture, and was often that child begging “can we change the channel!” any time a politically centred story came on the news. But as I’ve matured, the political content that is so readily available to digital publics has opened a large door (especially for young and unaware publics) to the modern events of our world, and how we can open up a conversation about it.

(Merino 2012)

The reach of the internet has transitioned elections, conferences and public debates to a digital platform, and this transition from traditional media has become pivotal to persuading public perceptions (Young 2010). This greater emphasis on immediate and interactive distribution of news has created a larger platform for conversation and understanding between parties, and among publics. 

Perhaps the most effective impact of political social media use is the opportunity to engage younger voters, such as myself! With a massive 99% of 18-29 year old Australians consuming social media daily, persuasion of young voters has never been so easy - which is especially pivotal in countries like the US, where voting is non-compulsory (Sensis 2018). The ability to ignite young, cosmopolitan publics has never mattered more than now.

(Sensis 2018)

Furthermore, the ability for candidates and political parties to engage in younger generation culture, such as memes, parodies and satire, dramatically shifts their ability to appear relatable and relevant. The attempt to understand a generation that will inevitably be the leaders of tomorrow, and relate to them on platforms that impact their day to day existence is crucial. 

(vmartinas 2013)

In my opinion, social media has been tremendously important to the success of political campaigns, as well as the responsibility and transparency of political parties. This digital evolution has dramatically impacted the level in which parties can ‘cover up’ indiscretions, or blanket deceive their publics. It has effectively created means by which politicians MUST show up and be visible, as the level of accountability pushed by digital publics is as high as ever. The large scale access to voters, the real-time campaign progression, the opportunity for two-way communication, and the ability to tailor messages based on audience and demographic has allowed these #digitalpoliticans to become relevant and relatable (Murse 2019).

REFERENCES

Merino, F 2012, ‘Proof debuts social ad service for politicians’, Vator, 15 March, viewed 25 January 2019, <https://vator.tv/news/2012-03-15-140-proof-debuts-social-ad-service-for-politicians>.

Murse, T 2019, ‘How social media has changed politics’, ThoughtCo, 14 January, viewed 25 January 2019, <https://www.thoughtco.com/how-social-media-has-changed-politics-3367534>.

Sensis 2018, ‘The must know stats from the 2018 Yellow Social Media Report’, Sensis, viewed 25 January 2019, <https://www.sensis.com.au/about/our-reports/sensis-social-media-report>.

vmartinas 2013, ‘Twitter is mobilising politics’, Talking Politics WordPress, 12 April, viewed 25 January 2019, <https://talkingpoliticsjomc.wordpress.com/2013/04/12/social-media-mobilizing-politics/>.

Young, S 2010, How Australia Decides: Election Reporting and the Media, Cambridge University Press, Ebook Central (Proquest).

[jltwllmsn-deactivated20190910]

Hi Alannah, I really enjoyed this post! You’ve highlighted how even the younger generation can access and consume politics, even in a lighter sense with memes and videos. I just still can’t help think of #auspol and laugh at how out of touch our politicians still are. Like old mate Tone eating an onion or more recently Scomo’s ‘bus tour’ (hahaha) I love how our generation loves to recreate and can tear people down a couple of notches. 

Thank you :) 

Juliet  

[tsdigitalcommunities]

Hello!

You make a good point that growing up politics wasn’t really of interest- it’s amazing how social media has changed that. We are all now somewhat kept in the loop of whats going on- even if we don’t fully understand it. I agree that in our modern day social media is vital to a successful campaign. 

Thanks! 

Tayla

[digital-danish-blog]

A Realistic Approach to Combat Online Trolls.

[1B Blog Post 3: Week 7]

‘Trolling’ refers to the act of comments or posts online, especially within social media networks, which are aimed to disrupt normal discussion for the purposes of their own amusement. The term is often associated with negative connotations such as misleading or pointless conversation or to incite conflict (Klyueva, 2013). 

However, though initiates provocation, trolling should be considered ever-changing with its multiple and highly contextualised forms (McCosker, 2014). What this implies is that not all trolling is within the realms of necessarily having malcontent. Examples of this are as seen below:

[ via Omegle (Giphy, 2013) ]

[ via being Rickroll’d - a meme which consisted of clickbait to mislead a user into instead being directed to ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ by Rick Astley (Dubs, 2009) ]

[ (Wendy’s Tweet’s 2017) often engaged in banter especially towards their competition ]

Did you have a chuckle at any of these? If so, you’ve just experienced the same sense of amusement trolls feel when trolling. While it mightn’t be on the same spectrum as what’s typically considered tasteful, remember that humour itself is subjective. Not everyone finds ‘Bridesmaids’ or ‘Seinfeld’ funny or even relatable after all. Granted, without question, a lot of trolling can and has lead to some severe cases of both online and offline harassment. 

Combat Tip #1: If it’s malicious, be judicious. Your safest bet is to not respond. The reaction is what they want from you - so don’t give it to them!

The general wisdom from the populace of the Internet would advise as such. This remedy stems from the belief that acknowledgement and interaction are what provides a sense of accomplishment when the intention is simply to gain attention. Potentially, this may also influence third-parties to become involved hence igniting the contestation (Wilson, Fuller & McCrea 2013). 

Viewer discretion is advised for the hyperlinked video attached [here], depicting a cautionary tale of the result of suffering this young girl, referred to as ‘Jessi Slaughter’, endured after having responded to online trolls (Zebrah, 2011).

Combat Tip #2: The ‘Key’ in Security. Removing yourself from harmful situations and better online account management. 

Boyd (2014) described the events in which a girl would threaten to put information online with the attempt to humiliate her sister. This isn’t an uncommon occurrence, provided the presence of the Internet’s influence. Statistics show that 83% of Australian students, aged 9-15, who partake in online bullying also bully others in person (Bullying No Way, 2019). What can be taken from this is that from adolescence and even through adulthood, our sense of ‘digital citizenship’ needs to be moderated and held accountable for. We need to be more self-aware of what we post online and understand the functionality of online privacy. The purposes of blocking, muting and so forth are supposed to be here when encountering online harassment. Despite often being misused to maintain our biases and restrict constructive information or criticism, as further discussed in my posts Redefining Human Connection & Communities & Heart React for ReLOVEution ♡… but is it Really that Easy?

P.S: As an admin or moderator of various online forums, groups and servers I can also attest to this generally being the better courses of action. 

I hope you enjoyed your food for thought, with a serving of chocolate danish. Please come again!

[Please see /references for all sources]

Keep reading

[communitygoesdigital]

I didn’t occur to me at all to talk about being Rickroll’d! Great example. I found boyd’s exploration of the use of the term “drama” quite revealing… I’m almost beginning to think that as a teenager we used this word instead of “bullying” as well. Amazing what our brains can forget!

[tsdigitalcommunities]

Hello!

Great to see your approach of how to manage the trolling and bullying behaviors. Not an approach that jumped into my head. I agree that if you don’t give the bullies anything back that they will eventually stop and also to remove yourself from the harmful situation. I believe this is a good time to use the handy ‘block’ button which should solve the issue. 

Thanks! 

Tayla

[alannah-spina-blog]

The Positive’s of Online Gaming

(Week 10)

Let me make this clear - I am probably the last person on the planet to ask anything about the online gaming world! Having grown up in a family of active sporting athletes, the closest I’ve come to playing any kind of online game is FIFA or AFL Live! 

Yet, upon approaching this week’s topic, I carried my preconceived idea that online gaming was an addictive and self destructive way for users to escape their lives into a world of virtual reality. And in some aspects, this is true, with Massive Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPG) aiding to the development of psychological disorders that affect mood, anxiety and substance abuse (UNC 2019).

(UNC 2019)

But like most things in the world, there are certainly positives to the online gaming realm that I had not yet considered prior to this week’s content (funny how a little research can open your mind to alternative ideas!)

Perhaps one of the most successful examples of how online and virtual gaming can create a positive affect on users, is the highly interactive Pokemon Go.

The game essentially acts as an augmented reality app where users can roam the real world seeking and catching Pokemon characters (Wei 2016). Since its inception in 2016, the game has topped the app download list and has become a huge worldwide phenomenon among teenagers, young adults and friendship groups (Chamary 2018). Among the fun had by users, the positive effects of the game include: 

1. Getting out in the sun

2. Physical activity

3. Exploration of nature

4. Social interaction

5. Brain training

(Chamary 2018)

(Pokemon Go 2017)

The extensive psychological power of augmented reality also proves its usefulness in stimulating cognitive control, especially in regards to the treatment of depression, anxiety and PTSD (Wei 2016).

The way in which augmented reality differs from other traditional online games, such as Fortnite and World of Warcraft, is its ability to transport users into a different space that is still considered present in the real world (Wei 2016). The game essentially provides users with the tools to go outside, explore, and create relationships with other players. 

I feel that one of the most exciting things about this game is the non-threatening and non-violent themes (compared to other games of its popularity), as well as its ability to motivate socially anxious individuals to get involved, participate, and experience something new in their neighbourhood that they may have previously overlooked.

REFERENCES

Chamary, JV 2018, ‘Why Pokemon Go is the world’s most important game’, Forbes, 10 February, viewed 30 January 2019, <https://www.forbes.com/sites/jvchamary/2018/02/10/pokemon-go-science-health-benefits/#12ae3eda3ab0>.

Pokemon Go 2017, ‘Pokemon Go events around the world’, [image], Pokemon Go Live, viewed 30 January 2019, <https://pokemongolive.com/en/post/gosummerevents/>.

UNC 2019, ‘Negative aspects of online gaming’, Online Gaming Addiction, viewed 30 January 2019, <http://onlinegamingaddiction.web.unc.edu/negative-aspects-of-online-gaming/>.

Wei, M 2016, ‘The psychological pros and cons of Pokemon Go’, Psychology Today,12 July, viewed 30 January 2019, <https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/blog/urban-survival/201607/the-psychological-pros-and-cons-pok-mon-go>.

[tsdigitalcommunities]

Hi there Alannah!

Great post! It is true that Pokémon Go had so many benefits for gamers, a game that is very different to all others. It was great to see people outside exploring with their friends and family. I see it as a great bonding activity. Im not sure whatever happened to this game- I guess everyone retreated back indoors to their games there haha.

Tayla

[tsdigitalcommunities]

Social Gaming

Negative Effects of Social Gaming

There is a wide number of concerning negative effects that can come with social gaming, particularly in excess. These include:

-Effected personal relationships (Online gaming addiction 2019).

-50% of married gaming addict’s marriages are negatively affected (Online gaming addiction 2019).

-Can feel excluded and becoming irritated or offended because they spend their time away from people (Online gaming addiction 2019).

-Can lead to a lack of social skills, especially in young people as they grow up. They can suffer from social awkwardness, lack of confidence in conversations, being unable to have a good conversation with romantic interests and all of this and more will lead them to go back to their gaming world where their virtual friends will await who they feel more comfortable with (Online gaming addiction 2019).

-Physical effects: migraines, sleeping disturbances, back aches, poor hygiene (Online gaming addiction 2019).

-Incidents of death have been recorded as people haven’t looked after their health well enough or getting angry at opponents and murder has occurred (Online gaming addiction 2019).

The Positives

There are arguably a number of positives that come with online social gaming (Kowert 2019). These include:

-Maintaining friendships- this can be a shared activity which can be an enjoyable activity between friends and family, even from one side of the world to the other (Kowert 2019)..

-Making new friendships- As many of the gamers encountered are strangers, this can lead to making new friends as you can get to know each other online (Kowert 2019).

-Social and emotion well-being (Kowert 2019).

-A stronger sense of identity as a gamer will feel part of something and also may have impressive skills to show off (Kowert 2019).

-Higher life satisfaction (Kowert 2019).

Gaming Addiction

Excessive gaming can lead to negative moods, depression, anxiety, neglecting relationships and school and work related commitments and basic needs such as eating well and physical exercise (Mozes 2018). In 2013 online gaming addiction was listen in the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (Mozes 2018). Those addicted can be seen to spend typically 8-10 hours or more per day playing the game or 30 hours per week (Mozes 2018).

 (BetaNews 2018)

 Reference List

‘Although a large majority of parents (95 percent) say they’re concerned about the risks online gaming poses, they admit to allowing games to entertain their offspring’, in Betanews 2018, 95 percent of parents worry about the risks children face from online games, Betanews, Viewed 1st February 2019, <https://betanews.com/2018/06/13/children-online-gaming-risk/>

Mozes 2018, When Does Online Gaming Become an Addiction?, Alan Mozes, Viewed 1st February 2019, <https://www.webmd.com/parenting/news/20180420/when-does-online-gaming-become-an-addiction#1>  

Kowert 2019, Benefits of Online Social Play, Rachel Kowert, Viewed 1st February 2019, <http://smartsocialgamers.org/2017/08/31/benefits-social-online-play/>

Online Gaming Addiction 2019, The Negative Aspects of Gaming Online, Viewed 1st February 2019, <http://onlinegamingaddiction.web.unc.edu/negative-aspects-of-online-gaming/>

[tsdigitalcommunities]

Visual Communities and Social Imaging

A little less than a decade ago social media mostly consisted of text and people used laptops and desktop computers to access these websites (Plomion 2016). Now things have transformed largely and we can use our mobile phones (Plomion 2016). Within seconds we can share images, memes, videos and more (Plomion 2016). It’s extremely easy to post visual content and algorithms show that they are popular and successful posts (Plomion 2016). Instagram, Snapchat and other real-time phone applications that share images and videos are sky rocketing with new users and are breaking records with how many accounts there are (Plomion 2016).

Social media is becoming a platform where people reinvent themselves, where they get to portray the best versions of themselves showcasing only the highlights of their lives (Shearer 2016). With the rise of the ‘selfie’ trend thanks to the front facing cameras on most modern day mobile phones, people are posting regularly hoping for as many likes as possible (Shearer 2016). People are then judging how attractive each other is based on these likes (Shearer 2016). Compliments are now done online instead of in person (Shearer 2016). There are many delusions about what people’s lives are actually like, which is negative for the confidence of many (Shearer 2016). Young people are becoming obsessed with what people think of them and self-esteem levels are being affected based on the attention they gain on social media (Shearer 2016). Creating low self-esteem helps companies to be more successful, therefore social media will continue to stay the same and possibly get worse in this area (Shearer 2016).

Facebook and Twitter have both recently redesigned their newsfeeds to emphasize visual content after there was a noticeable shift towards visual content online (Commcreative 2019). Statistics show that photos on Facebook generate 53% more likes than a text only post (Commcreative 2019).

(success 2016)

The Snapchat Craze

Snapchat is a phone application which allows you to post short videos or photos on your story or send them to friends for up to 10 seconds. Snapchat is an application that heavily leads to the issues presented above. A ‘Snapchat story or it didn’t happen’ attitude can be seen amongst a large number of young people (Leigh 2016). This unfortunately means that people are interrupting interesting and/or fun moments in their lives to get their phone out instead of enjoying themselves (Leigh 2016). Some examples of where you can see this are during concerts, fireworks, meals with friends and more (Leigh 2016). Even if there is something that we are not interested in, we will still post it on our Snapchat to seem interesting to other people (Leigh 2016). This is a time consuming act and may not allow people to live in the moment with the people around them and enjoy the best moments in life. 

Reference List

Commcreative 2019, The Importance of Visual Content in Social Media, Viewed 1st February 2019, <https://www.commcreative.com/feed/the-importance-of-visual-content-in-social-media>

Leigh 2016, The Snapchat Craze is Making Us Crazy, Taylor Leigh, Viewed 1st February 2019, <https://www.theodysseyonline.com/the-snapchat-craze-has-gone-too-far> 

‘May Your Life Some Day Be As Awesome As You Pretend It Is On Facebook, in SUCCESS 2016, Why Social Media Is Ruining Your Self-Esteem and How to Stop It, SUCCESS, Viewed 1st February 2019, < https://www.success.com/why-social-media-is-ruining-your-self-esteem-and-how-to-stop-it/>

Plomion 2016, Why The Next Generation of Social Media is Visual, Ben Plomion, Viewed 1st February 2019, <https://www.marketingtechnews.net/news/2016/jun/23/why-next-generation-social-media-visual/>

Shearer 2016, Filters and photo manipulation on social media sites are creating a generation of deluded adolescents, Cristopher Shearer, Viewed 1st February 2019, <https://www.independent.co.uk/student/istudents/filters-and-photo-manipulation-on-social-media-sites-are-creating-a-generation-of-deluded-a6852736.html>

[tsdigitalcommunities]

Crowdsourcing in Times of Crisis

Crowdsourcing for natural disasters is now largely done through social media platforms, thanks to social media platforms including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and more. During the time of a natural disaster, the use of social networking websites increase to more use than that of a phone call or text message (Velev and Zlateva 2015, p.42). Let’s take a look at exactly how social media platforms create awareness of these natural disasters during these harsh times which then inevitably lead to the positive outcome of public knowledge, response and event recovery.

4 Primary Ways that Social Media is used during natural disasters:

To keep family and friends connected (Velev and Zlateva 2015, p.43).

Situational updates (Velev and Zlateva 2015, p.43).

Situational/supplemental awareness (Velev and Zlateva 2015, p.43).

Assistance with access to services (Velev and Zlateva 2015, p.43).

Social Media and Hurricane Harvey

Let’s take a look at a specific example- Hurricane Harvey and how social media specifically created such a positive difference for public knowledge, response, event recovery and saving lives.

Hashtags- Hashtags #sosHarvey and  #helphouston were used for flagging down citizen rescuers (Rhodan 2017).

Accounts- The @HarveyRescue account compiled a database of addresses and names needing help which like the     hashtags, led to response (Rhodan 2017).

A mother who was with her two children along with many others tweeted for help, sharing their address details     which led to emergency services quickly reaching them (Rhodan 2017).

Facebook opened up the option to mark yourself as safe, ask for help or offer services during the natural disaster (Rhodan 2017).

-A well-known tweet of a photo of elderly people struggling in their nursing home was shared among 4800 people and pushed the nursing home to become a priority for emergency services. All of the elderly people in this instance were saved (Rhodan 2017).

-11 Systems were disconnected and therefore social media was used primarily for calls for help (Zhang 2018).

-Citizens filmed entire events on their social media pages in different languages so that local and international non-english speakers could understand what was going on (Zhang 2018).

-A program and profile was also created to counter false information and people trying to use the natural disaster falsely to their advantage (Zhang 2018).

(The Atlantic 2018) 

 Reference List

‘People are rescued from floodwaters from Hurricane Harvey on an air boat in Dickinson, Texas, on August 27, 2017′, in The Atlantic 2018, A Look Back at Hurricane Harvey: One Year Since Landfall, The Atlantic, Viewed 1st February 2019, <https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2018/08/a-look-back-at-hurricane-harvey-one-year-since-landfall/568594/>

Rhodan, M 2017, 'Please Send Help.' Hurricane Harvey Victims Turn to Twitter and Facebook, Maya Rhodan, Viewed 3rd January 2019, <http://time.com/4921961/hurricane-harvey-twitter-facebook-social-media/>

Velev, D and Zlateva, PV 2015, Use of Social Media in Natural Disaster Management, ICITE 2012, At Hong Kong, vol.39, 31st January, pp.42-43, Viewed 3rd January 2019, <https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Plamena_Zlateva/publication/271585520_Use_of_Social_Media_in_Natural_Disaster_Management/links/54ccd2d50cf29ca810f5e6bb.pdf>

Zhang, AL 2018, UT research: Social media saved lives during Hurricane Harvey, Annie L. Zhang, Viewed 3rd January 2019, <http://dailytexanonline.com/2018/09/14/ut-research-social-media-saved-lives-during-hurricane-harvey>

[tsdigitalcommunities]

Trolling and Social Media Conflict

Governments, schools, parents, organizations and more are doing their best to prevent the misuse of social media by trying to devise social media codes of practice and are also suggesting new laws to control what happens and what people are doing on social media (Swinburne Online 2018). Bullying, trolling, hating and stalking are just a few of the negative outcomes of the openness of social media (Swinburne Online 2018).

Types of Social Media Misuse

Some of the different types of misuse that can be seen within social media today include (ipleaders 2016):

-False and unreliable information- Social media websites are a free place to share information, opinions and more. This may include false information about people, places, businesses and more. This can then be shared to a large audience which may lead to people believing the information is true which may be harmful to them and others.

-Sexual predators- Social media is an open door to sexual predators where they can target children or any person easily and communicate with them, pretend to be someone that they are not, find out information about their lives and more. This can be very dangerous, especially for children.

-Cyberbullying- bullying and harassment online is extremely common, particularly amongst younger people. Sending a mean message or posting a hateful comment is at the tip of our fingers and can be done in seconds and on many platforms anonymously. Also, because everyone is able to share their opinion online, people generally disagree on things and arguments are had.

-Lack of privacy- This can lead to stalking, bullying and more.

- Fraud and scams- People may find themselves buying fake items, having their money stolen, having their accounts hacked and more.

Social Media and Governance

Social media has impacted governance in the following ways (Browne 2015):

-Political participation- Online channels have been created for formal interactions which are restricted to a small number of elite internet users (Browne 2015). The majority of internet users are then using social media to organize activism and also to protest (Browne 2015).

-Transparency and accountability- Citizens are using social media to communicate, report and map issues which has increased the pressure for the government to respond (Browne 2015).

-Peacebuilding- Social media can be used to both initiate violence but also monitor it which can be positive (Browne 2015).  

-Private sector- Businesses can increase transparency and customer communication and create new forms of leadership (Browne 2015).

-Internal governance- New legislation and regulations are controversial (Browne 2015). Some online hate speeches constitute as a crime and some governments have had to shut down services in an attempt to control social media (Browne 2015).

Trolling and social media conflict can affect anyone and everyone due to how convenient and easy it is to communicate and post online. This can effect students, people in the workplace, politics, celebrities and any other individual.

 (Ad Espresso 2014)

Reference List

Browne 2015, Social Media and Governance, Evie Browne, Viewed 1st February 2019, <https://gsdrc.org/publications/social-media-and-governance/>

Ipleaders 2016, How Can Social Media be Misused, Viewed 1st February 2019, <https://blog.ipleaders.in/can-social-media-misused/> Â

Social Media Trolls, in Ad Espresso 2014, How to Deal with Social Media Trolls Without Losing Your Cool, Ad Espresso, Viewed 1st February 2019, < https://adespresso.com/blog/dealing-with-social-media-trolls/>

Swinburne 2019, 7.1 This Weeks Focus, Viewed 1st February 2019, <https://swinburneonline.instructure.com/courses/704/pages/7-dot-1-this-weeks-focus?module_item_id=60074>

[tsdigitalcommunities]

Activism and Protest

Social media has the power to create an undeniable force when it comes to collective action. Digital citizens are able to facilitate grassroot activism, new ways of mobilizing protest movements as well as social revolution.

Social media has radically changed activism and protest throughout the world (Cohen 2018). Decades ago it would take weeks of planning, newspaper advertisements, phone conversations and a well-known speaker to gain attention for a successful protest (Cohen 2018). Today in our time of social media a Facebook post or a tweet can fill the streets with protestors, jam a state capitol or block an express way (Cohen 2018). When it comes to sharing messages of activism and/or protest on social media, a special leader is not needed, only a powerful message that resonates with lots of people (Cohen 2018).

(Washington Examiner 2019)

Heard of the #metoo movement? I bet you have!

A global movement which really shows how powerful social media is when it comes to activism is the #metoo movement (Zilles 2018). Alyssa Milano shared a social media post using the hashtag and encouraged women who have experienced being sexually assaulted or sexually harassed to use it as well (Zilles 2018). Within 24 hours, 4.7 million people had used the hashtag (Zilles 2018). This movement was a global phenomenon within less than a year (Zilles 2018). This has brought a lot of attention and awareness of these issues as well as helped for there to be a change in our world.

So, who is a digital citizen?

Digital citizens are people who communicate, share, buy, sell and more on media devices and social media (Webroot 2019). They use technology to report events, organize action and supporters around the world (Webroot 2019). This is the 21st century version of grassroot activism that goes beyond traditional media confines and government control (Webroot 2019). The internet plays a huge part of rallying groups of people and educate people who are kept out of the loop also with live updates (Webroot 2019). An extremely large number of individuals who have access to the internet and social media may be regarded as digital citizens. 

Cultural Jamming

Cultural jamming, an important term when looking into activism and protests is the act of using social media to comment on political and social conditions more broadly using existing media (Swinburne Online 2019). This allows us to critique the prevailing beliefs and ways of thinking and acting in society (Swinburne Online 2019).

People are harnessing this online world of communication which turns the worlds eyes to world struggles and a range of arguments (Webroot 2019). It is clear that social media and technology have a great deal of power when it comes to activism and protest and this power will continue to grow in the future.

 Reference List

Cohen 2018, Social (media) Activism: The Changing Face of Protests, Sharon Cohen, Viewed 1st February 2019, <http://www.batimes.com.ar/news/world/social-media-activism-the-changing-face-of-protests.phtml> Â

In observing that #MeToo women are unduly intimidated and harassed, even assaulted and raped, sympathetic women jumped on the bandwagon of distress and added a range of stupid, uncomfortable, and absurd but often consensual interactions they've had with men. In Washington Examiner 2019, The #metoo movement isn’t as simple as you think, Washington Examiner

Swinburne Online 2019, 6.3 Culture Jamming, Viewed 1st February 2019, <https://swinburneonline.instructure.com/courses/704/pages/6-dot-3-culture-jamming?module_item_id=60065>

Webroot 2019, The Digital Citizen- A New Type of Grassroots Activism, Viewed 1st January 2019, <https://www.webroot.com/us/en/resources/tips-articles/digital-citizenship>  

Zilles 2018, The #MeToo Movement Shows The Power Of Social Media, Christian Zilles, Viewed 1st February 2019, < https://socialmediahq.com/the-metoo-movement-shows-the-power-of-social-media/>

#mda20009 #activismandprotest

[tsdigitalcommunities]

Politics and Civic Cultures

Social media platforms have changed politics forever. Let’s take a look at some of the biggest ways in how they have changed:

-Direct contact with voters- free advertisement and information sharing (Murse 2019).

-Information and interaction regarding politics now go viral easily with the use of the ‘share’ button on Facebook and Twitter amongst like-minded people (Murse 2019).

-Specific demographics can be targeted for eg. age, location (Murse 2019).

-Political parties can conveniently fundraise for different events and causes (Murse 2019).

-Politicians get to filter what they say on social media with the help of their handlers and public relations professionals (Murse 2019).

-Negative comments and feedback from the community are easily deleted from the different social media platforms and positive feedback can be collected to improve their campaign (Murse 2019).

-Energetic young voters are engaged which has had a profound impact on elections as the majority of voters used to be older (Murse 2019). 

With the introduction of the use of social media by political parties, there is the major problem that amateurs are weighing in with their political comments which leads to non-official content. This then means that people doing their research online about the campaigns and parties may have false information which will lead them to change their understanding of certain aspects and possibly their vote. It can be extremely toxic when people read misleading information when it comes to important topics such as politics.

(ABC News 2013)

Rudd Vs. Abbott

When analyzing the social media presence during the time of the 2013 election in Australia, Kevin Rudd and Tony Abbott appear to have approached social media quite differently (Smh 2019). Rudd dominated Abbott’s following leading with 1.3 million followers and Abbott with only 150 thousand followers (Smh 2019). During the campaign and up to this date Rudd has built a relationship with his followers and appeared to want to befriend them by interacting with them (Smh 2019). He had many open conversations with his followers and also was a huge entertainer by sharing dorky and unflattering photos of himself which made himself seem approachable and just like any other Australian (Smh 2019). Abbott on the other hand has kept his Twitter as only sharing messages and information with transcribed speeches and images of him from his appearances which is much less entertaining (Smh 2019). It has a detached feel where the followers may feel like they’re speaking with Abbott’s staff members and not him (Smh 2019). It is clear that a candidate may have a bigger following and therefore potentially more success if they remain human and approachable and also contactable by the general public (Smh 2019).

In 2008, the Pew Research Center found that 74% of American internet users went online during the 2008 campaign to take part in or get information about the campaign (Young 2010, p.204). As social media continues to take over- see my recent Tumblr post An Introduction to Social Media World Domination for more on that, it is inevitable that political campaigns will be advertised widely on social media and a growing following will be important for different parties and politicians.

Reference List

‘Kevin Rudd and Tony Abbott prepare for tonight's people's forum in Brisbane’, in ABC News 2017, Kevin Rudd and Tony Abbot will face questions from a group of 100 undecided voters, ABC News, Viewed 1st February 2019, <https://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-08-21/rudd-and-abbott-prepare-for-tonights-second-debate-in-brisbane/4901022>  

Murse 2019, How Social Media Has Changed Politics, Tom Murse, Viewed 1st February 2019, <https://www.thoughtco.com/how-social-media-has-changed-politics-3367534>

Smh 2019, Social Media Stakes, Viewed 1st February 2019, <http://images.smh.com.au/file/2013/08/07/4640158/Web_ElectionSocial/>

Young, S 2010, How Australia Decides: Election Reporting and the Media, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

[alannah-spina-blog]

The day I understood how “alone” we truly are

It is moments like this evening where I find myself wondering “as much as we connect, are we truly making real connections?”

It is true that social media has completely reconceptualised how society communicates - long lost friends can find each other with the click of a button, families across borders can feel present in each others lives, and different cultures can immerse themselves in the world of others. But at what cost?

Turkle (2012) raises an extremely valid and confronting point in her iconic Ted Talk - that our “little devices” are so psychologically powerful, they’re transforming our raw and intimate moments with each other into filtered, refined and structured means of connection (Turkle 2012). This redesigned way of communicating with each other makes us afraid to say how we really feel in real time, as the fluidity of our words cannot be as easily controlled face-to-face. This often leads to a disconnect between people, where true emotion lacks, fake empathy ferments, and we transition into a world of loneliness. 

(Elvenkov 2017)

Wright (2017) reiterates how important it is to develop the power to “switch off”, as our dooming dependence on technology affects our personal state of mental health and alignment. In a world where we can be contacted day or night, our privacy is easily destroyed and our sense of self eroded (Wright 2017). 

Furthermore, Dr Seppala (2016) discusses how our addiction to image and self preservation has destructively distorted our sense of presence, and our pivotal moments in life are consumed by the obsession of how others will perceive them as opposed to actually enjoying them (Seppala 2016). We essentially lose our experience of happiness and contentment by driving ourselves mad with portraying the right image for social consumption. 

(Seinfeld’s Best Bits 2018)

With these devastating truths in mind, I am left to wonder: will our world continue to evolve into an isolating, digitised environment where our real connections are distorted by social media? I find myself at a crossroad on this topic - being the perfect age to have experienced a social media ‘free’ childhood, while growing up in a world consumed by the effects of globalisation. 

Turkle (2012) urges that society has reached the inevitable moment in which it needs to make a choice: do we teach our children to be alone, or do we let them consume until their lonely?

As publics, we need to make a shift backwards to our own lives, our bodies, our communities and our planet, or I fear for our future sense of ideology. 

References: 

Ellenkov, I 2017, ‘The evolving link between social media addiction and depression in young adults’, Brain Immune, 28 November, viewed 8 December 2018, <http://www.brainimmune.com/social-media-addiction-depression-young-adults/>.

Seinfeld’s Best Bits 2018, ‘It was a good bit in the 80s and it’s still relatable today’, Seinfeld’s Best Bits Facebook Page, 3 November, viewed 8 December 2018, <https://www.facebook.com/seinfeldsbestbits/photos/a.618708798265971/1427788647357978/?type=3&theater>.

Seppala, E 2016, ‘3 ways social media ruins everything’, Psychology Today, 6 March, viewed 8 December 2018, <https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/feeling-it/201603/3-ways-social-media-ruins-everything>.

Turkle, S 2012, Connected, but alone?, 6 February, viewed 8 December 2018, <https://www.ted.com/talks/sherry_turkle_alone_together>.

Wright, C 2017, ‘In a world consumed by technology, we must have the power to switch off’, Huffington Post, 27 March, viewed 8 December 2018, <https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/chris-wright1/in-a-world-consumed-by-te_b_15580306.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer_us=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS5hdS8&guce_referrer_cs=2yeOe2tz-JQt_jFfiL8pZw>.

[tsdigitalcommunities]

Hi Alannah!

Great blog post! There are some amazing positives that come from social media as you’ve mentioned- long lost friends can reconnect, families of distance can feel closer and different cultures can grow an understanding of each other. I constantly want to delete social media, but with these life changing positives its hard to give up social media. Psychologically the disconnection with people in face to face situations is awful for our relationships and individually I feel we must be conscious of this (and spread the word). There are many fears for our future children and how they will grow up when it comes to social skills and mental health.

Thanks for your post you raised some awesome points.

Tayla  

[digital-danish-blog]

Redefining Human Connection & Communities

[Blog Post 1: Weeks 1-2]

This week I was introduced to the extent and duration in which the concern behind social media disconnection has been present for. During my late teens, I had often heard my elders comment about how many believed technology to be taking precedence over face-to-face communication. However, it intrigued me to discover that the concept behind social media disconnection had been present long before it had any personal significance to me, let alone before any of us were even born. 

As early as the 1800′s, Ferdinand Tönnies attempted analysis by defining sociality into 2 core categories; Community (Gemeinschaft) and Society (Gesellschaft) (Tönnies & Harris 2001, p.ix). An idea which continued and perhaps strengthened as technology developed. Erik Qualman‘s video on Social Media Revolution (2013) details a timeline depicting the years gained per popular technology with reaching 50 million users throughout time.

So why has this ideology behind the stigma of social media remained relevant?  Sherry Turkle’s speech given at TED-Ed (2013), as shown below, identifies key understanding’s in relation to how we are comprehending social media in relation to our daily lives.

Turkle focus’s primarily on mobile phones, texting in particular. Having detailed how we’re using them affects changing who we are, family interaction and reliance on the devices as a means of avoiding difficult situations including that of our ability to communicate as a whole. How I interpreted this speech was that perhaps within the busy nature of our lives the convenience was something which became desirable. However, in doing so it came at the cost of in-person interaction. 

However, as this speech was presented in 2013 and I’m assessing it in 2018, some ideal’s have changed somewhat.

“What is wrong with conversation? It takes place in real time, you can’t control what you’re gonna say” -  Sherry Turkle

While this certainly holds true for texting or social networking sites like Instagram, it doesn’t necessarily apply to live-streaming (Twitch) or voice/video over IP platforms (Skype). Social media sites that were initially static like Facebook, have also since launched live services. 

Furthermore, Turkle uses an example which likens favouring robots to that of going to the pub with friends. But some people don’t drink alcohol. It’s okay to communicate or have interests or values that are different. And social networking can assist with finding likeminded individuals that you can better connect with.

One could say “a fragile sense of self” (Turkle 2013), is apart of growing up and individuality must be factored in. While many will take to create fake persona’s, many will be using it to find themselves too. Additionally, if you’re using social media so casually you’re bound to also speak casually. In conclusion, I believe Turkle’s concern with social media discourse is dependent on whether you’re able to be true to yourself and respect others or not.

I hope you enjoyed your food for thought, with a serving of pecan danish. Please come again!

[Please see /references for all sources]

[tsdigitalcommunities]

Hi Jasmin, 

Isn’t it scary thinking back to our teens years and realising how much time we wasted on social media and how it may have effected our social skills growing up. I agree that the idea of being true to self is definitely a big concern in the effects of social media. It certainly is allowing us to present ourselves however we would like, commonly as ‘our best selves’, with a truly filtered social media presence and then when it comes to live posting, as you mentioned- a newer feature of social media and face to face conversation people can struggle as they are placed in a more on the spot situation than they are used to.

I enjoyed your blog post and believe you’ve shared some great information! Also, how good is pecan Danish!

Thanks, Tayla :)  

[tsdigitalcommunities]

Social Media Platforms/Networks and Their Configuration

What are the social media platforms?

Social constructs have created the idea that different social media platforms are used for different contexts (2012, p.71-76). Platforms include Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp, Snapchat, Tumblr and more which are all used for different things ranging from photo and video sharing, instant messaging and sharing information. Developers of social media platforms and networks make constant changes adding functions, deleting them and improving them to be more user friendly and innovative (Swinburne Online 2018).

Network publics are publics restored by networked technologies (p.39). Networked technologies are the space constructed though networked technologies and/or secondly an imagined collective that is created as a result of an intersection of people, technology and practice (2010, p.40-55). Networked publics allow people to get together for social, cultural and civic purposes and help people to connect with new people (2010, p.40-55).

So, how is it all configured?

Bits and atoms define what interactions are possible and how people engage in the space (2010, p.40-55). Bits are what configure the digital environment (2010, p.40-55). There are 3 main features of a social network website. Firstly, profile which is where each individual can express themselves and where the beginning of an interaction may begin. (2010, p.40-55). Fashion and style come into play here (2010, p.40-55). Secondly the friends list. This is where people select who they want to connect with. This is generally current and past friends and family, acquaintances and peripheral ties or people someone may feel compelled to include (2010, p.40-55). Thirdly, each social network website has its own unique tools for public communication, including commenting on another post, posting on their profile and more (2010, p.40-55). These posts are generally viewable by the public or a large group of people. These 3 features make it a network public. There are 4 elements which play an important role in the configuration of these network publics. Firstly, persistence as all online expression and interaction are automatically recorded and archived forever (2010, p.40-55). Secondly, replicability as all content can be duplicated (2010, p.40-55). Thirdly, scalability, as the potential visibility of any posted content can be seen by up to billions of people from the public (2010, p.40-55). And lastly, searchability. Content in network publics can be found extremely easily through searching for it (2010, p.40-55).

 Reference list

Boyd, D 2010, A Networked Self : Identity, Community, and Culture on Social Network Sites, 1st edn, A Networked Self Ser., Ebook Central (Proquest)

Boyd, D 2012, The Social Media Reader, 1st edn, New York University Press, Ebook Central (Proquest)

Swinburne Online 2018, 3.2 Social Media Platforms, Viewed 8th December 2018, <https://swinburneonline.instructure.com/courses/704/pages/3-dot-2-social-media-platforms?module_item_id=60016>

[tsdigitalcommunities]

An Introduction to Social Media World Domination

What is Social Media?

As an iPhone user, the newest update lets us know weekly the approximate average of time we are spending on our iPhone’s per day. In the last few weeks I have felt incredibly shocked, guilty and confused when it gives me the notification and lets me know that I am spending 3.5-4.5 hours staring at my phone screen per day. Â Statistics tell us that an alarming 2.01 billion people world-wide are active on Facebook per month, 1.23 billion of which are active daily and also 600 million people are active on Instagram monthly (SocialMediaNews.com.au 2014). We use social media to choose, construct, interpret and display how we want ourselves to be seen as (Wilken & McCosker 2014, pp. 291-295). We are also perpetually connected to people and information through a series of devices and platforms (2012, p.71-76). Humans are curious and social in nature; therefore we are particularly passionate and addicted to social media for these reasons (2012, p.71-76). Some individuals use social media to communicate with others, some just want to convey presence and thoughts (2012, p.71-76).

So what’s the problem?

Social media is overwhelming, and we cannot keep up with all tweets, status updates etc. by family and friends (2012, p.71-76). Many would argue “how can people be so public about their personal lives?” and also “who wants to read what others have to say?” especially when we come across information from so many strangers online. Unfortunately, we also have little control over what is done with our shared information once it is on social media (Wilken & McCosker 2014, pp. 291-295).

Feeling lonely... yet?

Social media does make us feel connected, but it doesn’t truly allow us to learn about each other or really gain an understanding of each other (TED-Ed 2013). Because we always feel connected, we are bad at being truly alone and turning to social media when we do feel alone doesn’t solve the underlying problem (TED-Ed 2013). Being young correlates to a deeper engagement with technology as young people grew up with it (2012, p.71-76). When children grow up from a young age using social media, this can cause lack in confidence socially when it comes to face to face conversations and also the struggle of not knowing how to be alone. Social media appeals to us more when we feel vulnerable and therefore it’s a never ending harmful cycle (TED-Ed 2013).

Reference List

Boyd, D 2012, The Social Media Reader, 1st edn, New York University Press, Ebook Central (Proquest)

Socialmedianews.com.au 2014, Social Media Statistics, Social Media News, Viewed 8th December 2018, <https://www.socialmedianews.com.au/social-media-statistics/>  

Ted-Ed 2013, Connected, but alone? - Sherry Turkle, 19th April, Viewed 8th December 2018, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rv0g8TsnA6c>

Wilken, R, McCosker, A 2014, The Media and Communications in Australia, 4th edn, Allen and Unwin, Ebook Central (Proquest)