Digital Communities

Created by Victoria Marshall (2080729)

[v-marshall-mda20009-blog]

One final post...

I just wanted to say a quick thank you for following my blog throughout this unit of work. Being a first time Tumblr user, I can now see why it’s so popular :) congratulations to everyone for completing their blog posts - all the best for our final assessment task and bring on Feb 8! 

Cheers! Tori #mda20009 #thankyou #congrats #theend

[theresesollazzo-blog]

Week 10: Social gaming: playing the crowd

This week I am bit of a fish out of water - When it comes to gaming I really haven’t a clue since the days of Nintendo 64! Therefore trying to understand this week’s readings on Eve Online was a bit challenging with no context, so like with anything foreign these days I ‘goggled’ it and a whole lot of spaceships came up! I’m sorry if you’re a gamer reading this. You probably just cringed… But if Penny can do it and beat Sheldon too, then there is still hope for me!

Particular characteristics of online games in facilitating digital communities and online publics can be defined by their type of massively multiple online role-playing games (MMORPGs), which are online games that are capable of supporting large numbers of players simultaneously in the same instance, or world (Technopedia 2014). 

So MMORPGs are ‘video games’ that allow hundreds or thousands of simultaneous players, on a PSP, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo DSi - providing they are connected to the Internet! Right?

In exploring some of the processes of forming rules and norms (and breaking them) - or ‘codes of practice’ within online gaming communities,  de Zwart and Humphreys’ article discusses that a typical MMOG such as EVE will involve layers of overlapping and potentially conflicting rule sets. The law, norms, architecture and the market are all factors that can affect the regulation, as present in the governance of MMO game EVE. In breaking the rules, this reading mentions that players learn to play with and against the code, and it is this tension between control and creativity that keeps the game space interesting (de Zwart and Humphreys 2014, p.79)

The growing popularity for MMOs I think is an implication of these cases for how we can understand digital communities more broadly.  From what I have understood, your traditional single player games as a result are being developed into multi-player online games, with their own digital communities, that can include anything from ranking charts to their own official gaming events. Digital communities have reinvented the gaming world by connecting players from all over the world and as a result the gaming industry has exploded. Massively Multiplayer Online Games have now grown into 15 distinct categories:

MMORPG: MMO Role Playing Games – Harry Potter

MMOBA: MMO Battle Arena – League of Legends

MMORTS: MMO Real Time Strategy Games – Age of Empires, Rise of Nations, War of Legends

MMOFPS: MMO First Person Shooter Games – Counter Strike, Unreal Tournament, Halo, Planetside

MMOSG(sports): MMO Sports Games – FIFA, Pro-Evolution Soccer

MMOR: MMO Racing Games – Need for Speed, Drift City, Project Torque

MMORG/MMODG: MMO Rythm/Music Games or MMO Dancing Games – Dance Dance Revolution, Audition Online

MMOMG: MMO Management Games – The Sims Online, Monopoly City Streets, Virtonomics

MMOSG(social): MMO Social Games – Second Life, Club Caribe, Everquest, Dotsoul, Furcadia

MMOBBG/MMOBBRPG: MMO Bulletin Board Games or MMO Bulletin Board Role Playing Games – Quest For Magic, BladeMaster

MMOPG: MMO Puzzle Games – Three Rings, Puzzle Pirates

MMOCCG: MMO Collectible Card Games – Magic:The Gathering Online, Alteil, Astral Masters, Astral Tournament

MMO alternate reality games – Second Life

MMO Turn based Strategy Games – Ultracorps, Darkwind:War on Wheels

MMO Simulation Games: Equilibrium/Arbitrage, The Sims Online, Jumpgate

Apparently what makes MMOGs so addictive is the sense of meaningfully interacting with thousands of people halfway across the globe. Games like the World War II create an actual war-like simulation, while those like FIFA or Pro-Evolution Soccer reproduce an entire Soccer stadium virtually. And for a non-gamer like me, I think that’s pretty cool! (Germino 2013)

On that note I would like to conclude my last blog entry on a positive note. I have really enjoyed keeping this blog. It’s been a great way to share my learnings and interact with other students and I hope reading has been just as enjoyable for you.

Therese 

Germino J,  2013, 16 Different Types of Massively Multiplayer (MMO) Online Games,  Dragon Blogger, accessed 29/1/16 

What is Massively Multiplayer Online Game (MMOG)? - Definition from Techopedia, accessed 29/1/16

De Zwart, Melissa and Humphreys, Sal. The lawless frontier of deep space: Code as law in EVE online [online]. Cultural Studies Review, Vol. 20, No. 1, Mar 2014: 77-99. Availability: <http://search.informit.com.au/documentSummary;dn=225934593111540;res=IELAPA> ISSN: 1446-8123. [cited 29 Jan 16].

[v-marshall-mda20009-blog]

Wow! I had no idea there was so many Massively Multiplayer Online Games categories! It certainly is a world of its own, one I admit I’ve never really explored. But I do see the benefits of being able to interact with people from all over the globe. I look forward to seeing how virtual gaming worlds expand...it’s crazy to think of where we will be in ten years time with the current technological advances. Truly amazing. I too have enjoyed keeping this blog - great work & congrats on finishing! :)

[aleksnajd-blog]

Week 10: Social gaming: playing the crowd

Social gaming today is more than just a game. It is a reality with endless possibilities customization and connection to real people in real time.   Entertainment has always been a major attraction for individuals of all ages. Social gaming is another very popular form of entertainment.

MMORPG:

MMORPG is an abbreviation for Mass Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game where thousands of people play together in an ongoing online world. With the games, a player would start at a low level and then would progress until the player had reached the maximum level.   Players gain new expertise, better gear, skills and excellent access areas in the game that often would require a group of people to help raid to complete (Computer Hope, 2015).

World of Warcraft has over 12 million subscribers, this is because of its social capabilities. So instead of fighting monsters or leveling up a character by yourself, you get to do it with thousands of people and interact with them in many different ways with personal emails to public chats across the whole wide world. World of Warcraft allows you to live in a veritable second life, where boys can pretend to be girls and girls can pretend to be boys. You can make enemies and friends, form relationships and even take a different persona (Jason Schreier, 2011).

In Halo, players take on a first person perspective of a highly equipped super soldier. The series centers on an interstellar war between humanity and a theocratic alliance of the aliens known as the Covenant. The Covenant is led by their religious leaders that are called the Prophets, worship an ancient civilization known as the Forerunners, who perished in combat with the parasitic Flood. The main focus on this franchise is the person who plays Mater Chief John-117, one of a group of super soldiers condemned Spartans, and his artificial intelligence (AI) companion named Cortana (Wikipedia, 2015). Players can play either single player or the multiplayer.

Video Gaming Culture:

People mainly engage with playing video games because it is their medium of entertainment. Many gamers are happy by a storyline or the multiplayer that engages gamer’s emotional and mental buttons, perhaps it is the shooting and eliminating opponents that then attracts and holds the attention to gamers. Gaming nowadays has become a thing we do and a way of life.

Video gaming culture is a way of relating to the world in either an ideal way that some escape the disappointments and responsibilities of real life. It is possible that video games have effects on people but many participants feel like they do not care and continue playing (Addiction blog, 2011).

Examples, why do people play video games:

1. To have Challenges.

2. Entertainment and have fun.

3. Escapism! With video games, people can escape the real world and become anything we want to be.

4. Practice or learn life skills. To create content, make new friends, make hard choices and feel empathy.

5. Stress relief.

6. Difficulties are making friends IRL (In real life).

7. It helps players manage their moods.

References:

Addiction Blog, April 18th, 2011, why people play video games: Top 10 reasons. [Weblog]. Retrieved 26 December 2015, from http://internet.addictionblog.org/why-people-play-video-games-top-10-reasons

Wikipedia, 2015, Halo (series), Retrieved 26 December, 2015, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halo_(series)

Computer Hope, 2015, MMORPG, Retrieved 26th December 2015, from http://www.computerhope.com/jargon/m/mmorpg.htm

Jason Schreier, February 16th 2011, 5 Top Social Games and Why They’re So Successful. [Weblog]. Retrieved 26 December 2015, from http://mashable.com/2011/02/15/top-social-games/

World of Warcraft: http://us.blizzard.com/static/_images/games/wrath/wallpapers/wall1/wall1-1600x1200.jpg

Halo: https://cdn3.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/_g8Ezg1DbGIskFhf7S0vWKw4kP0=/0x0:1920x1080/1600x900/cdn0.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/46549364/h5-guardians-fp-warzone-arc-blast-zone-3dba1a9341134af9ba98b11d15d2e9e7.0.0.jpg

Keep calm and play video games: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/6e/14/d4/6e14d4d8c99a4c998838d1e0ffb45045.jpg

[v-marshall-mda20009-blog]

Great post! Video games have traditionally held such a negative stigma...”cognitive laziness”, “social exclusion”, “exposure to violence” - however, I think it’s important, as you’ve highlighted in your blog, to consider the positive impacts of gaming. I must admit, a round or two of Candy Crush every now and then certainly helps me to relax and enjoy some of the simple things in life!

[v-marshall-mda20009-blog]

Gaming: the newly-found benefits

Week 10: Social gaming - playing the crowd

With up to 65 percent of gaming now social, it seems like the “loner game” is long gone (Fiegi, 2011). Nowadays, computer games can be played either online or in the same room with friends and family (Fiegi, 2011). 

In May 2014, Siegal reported 34 million core gamers in the United States alone, with each gamer spending approximately 22 hours every week playing video games (Siegal, 2014). For online multiplayer games like FarmVille and World of Warcraft, gaming rules and boundaries are reinforced to establish a field of interaction - competitive, social, cultural and commercial exchange (de Zwart & Humphreys, 2014, p.77). 

Gaming has traditionally come under fire for its ability to cause social exclusion and exposure to violent media. However, recent studies have gone to show that playing games with people can prove to have health and social benefits, such as increasing trust and the ability to collaborate with others (Fiegi, 2011).

So as gaming continues to combine our real and virtual worlds, how healthy can gaming really be?

There have been endless studies on the negative sides of gaming including addiction, depression, aggression, social exclusion and intellectual laziness. However, new research is shedding light on the social and psychological benefits of gaming and the importance of a more balanced perspective. 

According to a review of research in ‘American Psychologist’, ‘playing video games, including violent shooter games, may boost children’s learning. health and social skills’ (Bowen, 2014). The review also credited gaming for helping to improve problem-solving skills, building resilience in the face of failure and other cognitive skills such as ‘spatial navigation, reasoning, memory and perception’ (Bowen, 2014).

So it can be argued - if antisocial games are believed to cause to antisocial behaviour, then perhaps playing prosocial games can lead to prosocial behaviour? A recent study published in the Journal of Psychology and Social Psychology, found that participants who had just participated in a prosocial game compared to individuals who had played a neutral game were ‘more likely to engage in helpful behaviours such as picking up a box of pencils spilled by the experimenter or agreeing to volunteer to take part in additional research without any further compensation’ (Rutledge, 2010). 

For an old soul like myself, I personally value experiences that I can share with friends in real time. However, as our society becomes more and more technology based, it’s important that we understand and value the positive, social and communal aspects of gaming. To quote Isabela Granic, PhD of Radboud University Nijmegen in The Netherlands, “if playing video games simply makes people happier, this seems to be a fundamental emotional benefit to consider” (Bowen, 2014). 

References:

Bowen, L 2014, Video game play may provide learning, health, social benefits, review finds, American Psychological Association, vol. 45, no. 2, p.10.

Fiegi, A 2011, Jane McGonigal on how computer games make you smarter, Smithsonian Magazine, viewed 17 January 2016, <http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/jane-mcgonigal-on-how-computer-games-make-you-smarter-22964/?no-ist>. 

Fogerty, E 2016, Are there any social aspects or benefits to children’s video games?, viewed 31 January 2016, <http://comm482.weebly.com/erin-fogerty-final-paper.html>. 

Routledge, C 2010, The social benefits of video gaming, Psychology Today, viewed 31 January 2016, <https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/more-mortal/201006/the-social-benefits-video-gaming>. 

Siegal, J 2014, This is how much time the average gamer spends playing games every week, BGR, viewed 17 January 2016, <http://bgr.com/2014/05/14/time-spent-playing-video-games/>. 

Zwart, M & Humphreys, S 2014, The lawless frontier of deep space: code as law in EVE online, Cultural Studies Review, vol. 20, no. 1, p. 77-99.

#mda20009 #gaming #computer #virtual #addiction #benefits #social

[samblrposts-blog]

‘Selfie, Selfie On the Wall’

In a world where mobile technologies have taken monopoly over much of the Internets user generated content, lives have been saved or altered by the presence of concepts such as citizen journalism. It has liberated much of the worlds population, giving them a voice and enabling them to enact change through an extremely powerful, democratic process. But there is something else that has spawned from the depths of this incredibly vast and exciting time of social and techno-cultural change, the Selfie.

Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat are visual platforms that are affording us the ability to show everyone how good we look “before Jenna’s 21st”, “how unhappy we are about going to work :(“ and letting us assess the visual aesthetics of our meals. It has become an important element of our modern behaviours and interactions with mobile technologies and has perpetuated a culture of narcissism amongst much of our digital communities.

Image Source: Instagram

Applications such as Instagram play a pivotal role in the dissemination of these images and as a result have lead to a rise of popularity for particular individuals of who may not have achieved such a status, if it weren’t for the presence of this phenomenon. Ana Cheri is one such individual who literally squatted her way to over 2 million followers on Instagram.

Image Source: ANACHERI - Instagram

But how and why does this happen? There is the initial question of the ‘how?’, which can be easily explained by the appealing nature of Ana’s page. Fitness pages (particularly those focused around a woman) are incredibly popular due to the fact that they play on the desires of both men and women. Perhaps women ‘want to be her’, whilst men simply ‘want her’. It’s a very out dated idea but it appears to be the logic behind it.

Secondly there is the question of the ‘why?’. Burgess and Vivienne explain, “changes in media technologies have engendered changes in how we capture, remember and communicate personal images of everyday and family life” (Burgess & Vivienne 2013, p. 280). We need to remember that the selfie, like many other aspect of the digital community, is a medium, a text and a narrative. The Selfie tells others about oneself, what they are doing, wearing, eating, drinking, the list goes on and perhaps we have grown to rely upon that narrative as a means of connection to each other.

References

Vivienne, S., & Burgess, J. (2013) ‘The Remediation of the Personal Photograph’, Journal of Material Culture, pp 279-98

[v-marshall-mda20009-blog]

Great post! It’s true...we have come to rely on “the selfie” and social networks to connect with one another. It is my hope that the beauty of socialising over a coffee or chatting on the phone isn’t completely forgotten over time - so many wonderful memories come from those moments!

[krisosullivan]

Week 9 - Visual Communities & Social Imaging

Before we start, I want each of you to consider the amount in which you interact via social media with images. This doesn’t just mean having a profile picture on Facebook, this includes instagram, tumblr and most recently, SnapChat. When you are out for a meal and it looks incredible, is the firs thing you do reach for your phone and send a snapchat, or upload it to instagram? In previous times, photographs were used to capture special moments such as family portraits, holidays and the occasional photo taken at an unpredictable time - capturing a special moment that was reflected upon years down the track. Nowadays, with the advancement of camera technology on all smart phones and portable digital cameras, photos are taken at all kinds of events which are promptly sent or uploaded via social media to provide a visual image of what or where somebody is. This bringing the definition of personal photography to change, ‘those photographic practices and images that are inextricably part of personal life – whether the individual taking pictures, the images we use to represent ourselves, the pictures we collect or display for ourselves, or the sharing of pictures with others as part of personal communication’ (Martin Hand, 2012, p. 5).

The main point to look at within the definition is the word ‘communication’. Personal photography is no longer about taking a photograph to capture a particular time period or memory, it is now a way of communication. They say a picture tells 1000 words, is that what it has become? I’d say yes, it has become an era where we communicate with each other via images. We choose to take photos of our food and send to 15 friends on snapchat, which is essentially telling them that you are out eating, this is what you are eating and how fantastic it looks. Through tagging of people and places, we are also communicating to others who we are with and where we are. 

As the popularity of communication through images grew, the images and types of images grew with them. The introduction of ‘selfie’, also known as a self portrait taken by the subject at arms length grew in itself, it is irregular to go out to a bar or nightclub and not see somebody take a ‘selfie’. We have been described as the ‘selfie’ era, and I don’t think that’s inaccurate at all. ‘Selfies’ matched with the latest ‘filter’, which changes the colours and tones of a photo to enhance the quality and look of photo have become a wide spread phenomenon - to point where it is slightly expected that if somebody is doing something exciting, different or is looking good, a photo is expected and embraced by friends, family and people you may not even know! Is it a bad thing? I don’t think so. Does it make society a little more superficial ? Probably. Will this phase of snapping everything die out? Who knows. What I do know is that whilst there is a call for it, companies will continue to develop new and exciting ways to share these images, to provide the best possible look for user and create a higher anxiety among society that they must be looking in top form all the time. 

[v-marshall-mda20009-blog]

I love how you concluded your post! “Companies will continue to develop new and exciting ways to share these images, to provide the best possible look for users and to create a higher anxiety among society that they must be looking in top form all the time”...sad but true. While there is beauty in instant communication and connection with others through social imaging, it will be interesting to see how it all evolves and the long term psychological effects of todays technology.  

[v-marshall-mda20009-blog]

How healthy is the selfie?

Week 9 - Visual communities and social imaging 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

References:

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

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

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

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

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

[newblogger42-blog]

Digital Communities: Week 8

Finding People on the Street: Crowdsourcing in Times of Crisis

No longer is it just the marketing professionals that look to social media to find out what their customers want.  As discussed in this week’s topic, governments and emergency response departments are using social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, and specifically designed software applications such as Ushahidi, to source, disseminate information and make decisions about a crisis (Swinburne Week 8 2016).

Merriam Webster (Swinburne Week 8 2016) describes crowdsourcing as a way to obtain information from a large group of people of the online community who make contributions to services, ideas or content.  These groups contribute in real time, allowing organisations to keep up to date almost instantly.

However, there are possible negatives to this type of data collection which can also hinder the process, such as false claims and information being given. Or there is a technological breakdown.  Tierney (2014) relays the story of Hurricane Sandy when it hit New York City and how power outages and other telecommunication damages hindered the process of crowdsourcing through people right in the heart of the disaster.  Authorities then needed to rely on images and posts from others not affected by the outages to gather information about the disaster, but this in itself can pose problems.

Ushahidi, a social mapping platform, allows citizen journalists to post reports regarding human rights campaigns, something that has opened up doors for other humanitarian rights organisations.  However, Ford (2012) also states that although platforms like Usahidi allow people to be more organised and engaged with others that share the same views on humanitarian rights, there is a need to verify information that is posted for authenticity.  Something all organisations utilising these types of platforms should perhaps consider.

References

Ford, H 2012, ‘Crowd Wisdom’, Index on Censorship, SAGE Journals, Vol 41(4), p33-39, viewed 11 January 2016, <http://ioc.sagepub.com.ezproxy.lib.swin.edu.au/content/41/4/33.full>

Swinburne 2016, ‘Week 8: Crowdsourcing in Times of Crisis’, MDA20009 Digital Communities, Swinburne University of Technology, Learning Materials on Blackboard, 11 January, viewed 11 January 2016.

Tierney, TF 2014, ‘Crowdsourcing Disaster Response: Mobilizing Social Media for Urban Resilience’, European Business Review, 9 July, viewed 11 January 2016, <http://www.europeanbusinessreview.com/?p=4911>

Images

Socialbrite 2012, ‘How crowdsourcing can help your nonprofit’, [image], viewed 11 January 2016, <http://www.socialbrite.org/2012/08/29/how-crowdsourcing-can-help-your-nonprofit/>

[v-marshall-mda20009-blog]

Great post! I love that you touched on the possibility of a technological breakdown and how this would hinder the process of crowdsourcing in a time of crisis. We have become increasingly reliant on social media and technology - while this primarily has huge benefits, there can be some downfalls (as you mentioned). It is crucial that these are considered prior to a crisis so that emergency management can be handled in the best way possible. 

[theresesollazzo-blog]

Week 8: Crowdsourcing in times of crisis. #qldfloods, #prayforparis and #banjir

Traditionally, emergency information has been distributed via radio, TV and as shown below with communal boards for community and tourists. 

Nowadays, with the advent of social media and digital apps, crisis communication has improved, especially around the speed of communication and its effective ‘cut through.’ Crowdsourcing in times of crisis allows alerts of danger to reach its immediate audience as well as be passed along and thus amplified many times over. As seen with #qldfloods, Twitter users became further information disseminators, especially at the height of the crisis. In addition, tweets containing situational information and advice, pointers to news media stories and multimedia updates, how to help or donate funds, were particularly “resonant” on social media.  (Bruns et. al, 2012, pp. 7-10).

When a Qantas Airbus A380 had to make an emergency landing in Singapore last year, passengers Tweeting pictures of damage to the plane at a time when the airline were still saying they were unaware of any damage. We live in a world where not even the US Special Forces, never mind corporations, have the power to control the speed at which news travels (Morris 2015). 

According to Morris, social media doesn’t change, but instead underlines, the basic rules of crisis communications. But the speed at which crises can travel in a digital age means you need to be fully prepared and have a plan ready to implement.

Since the Queensland floods more and more people have looked to social media in times of crisis, including the recent Paris terrorist attacks.  During this time, Facebook activated its Safety Check tool, which allowed users in the Paris area and affected by the attacks to mark themselves or others as ‘safe’. No statistics are available currently to track and measure Safety Check’s role in these attacks. (Goel & Ember 2015) Twitter statistics available show,  The hashtag #prayforparis,  was very popular, with 6.7 million posts in 10 hours. And the hashtag #StrandedInUS gained a lot of traction in the United States to help French people whose flights had been canceled (Goel & Ember 2015). 

Interestingly, Jakarta is flooded with information during disasters and the Indonesian capital is also the world’s most active Twitter city- however the value of social media as a disaster response in Indonesia is mostly discounted. According to iRevolution, ‘ actionable information on rising flood levels could somehow be gleaned from millions of tweets in real-time, these reports could be inaccurate or completely false. Besides, only 3% of tweets on average are geo-located, which means any reliable evidence of flooding reported via Twitter is typically not actionable—that is, unless local residents and responders know where waters are rising, they can’t take tactical action in a timely manner.” A report is considered verified when a confirmed geo-tagged tweet includes a picture of the flooding, like in the tweet below. These confirmed and verified tweets get automatically mapped and also shared with Jakarta’s Emergency Management Agency (Meier 2015).

References

Bruns, A, Burgess, J, Crawford, K & Shaw, F 2012, #qldfloods and @QPSMedia: Crisis Communication on Twitter in the 2011 South East Queensland Floods, Arc Centre of Excellence for Creative Industries and Innovation, pp 7-10, viewed 13 January 2015, <http://www.cci.edu.au/floodsreport.pdf>.

Morris, S, 2015, Using Digital and Social Media During a Crisis, The Quarterly: The Digital Edition, viewed 13 January 2015, http://www.portland-communications.com/publications/the-quarterly-issue-4/using-digital-and-social-media-during-a-crisis/

Meier, P 2015, iRevolution, viewed 13 January 2015 , <http://irevolution.net/>.

Goel V & Ember S 2015,  As Paris Terror Attacks Unfolded, Social Media Tools Offered Help in Crisis, The New York Times, viewed 13 January 2015, http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/15/technology/as-paris-terror-attacks-unfolded-social-media-tools-offered-help-in-crisis.html?_r=0

[v-marshall-mda20009-blog]

You have brought up a very valid point of the verification of reports. While crowdsourcing tools like Facebook and Twitter can be extremely beneficial for crisis communication and emergency management, we mustn’t ignore the repercussions of falsely reported and unverified information when it comes to life and death. 

[v-marshall-mda20009-blog]

Crowdsourcing in times of crisis

Week 8: Crowdsourcing in times of crisis 

This week, my group (Group E) presented a Prezi presentation on “Crowdsourcing in times of crisis”. 

http://prezi.com/tsbeslr1ai3a/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy

Sadly, with the seemingly never-ending natural disasters and terrorist attacks around the world, people are turning to social media crowdsourcing tools like Facebook, Twitter,  Wikipedia, Ushahidi and Google Person Finder for crisis communication and emergency management. As social media continues to grow, these tools are becoming more apparent and widely used in society. While crowdsourcing technologies are primarily positive and hugely useful and resourceful in times of crisis, they can have a negative impact. 

Ushahidi and Google Person Finder are crowd mapping tools which help locate victims during crisis events. Since it’s formation in 2007, Ushahidi has continued to grow and develop, with over 20,000 crowd maps created (Ford, 2012). However, as the sources of user-generated content grow and the volume of data increases, users of Ushahidi face critical choices about what information to highlight and the authenticity of reports (Plucinska, 2014). The Ushahidi team constantly work to verify reports from trusted sources, but will a mass of unverified reports, how easy is it to achieve accuracy?  Obviously it is much easier to verify information when “transparent governments collect reliable information and when multiple journalists are present” (Plucinska, 2014). The challenge for Ushahidi is to discover a way to quickly and accurately sort and evaluate a mass of incoming reports to achieve distributed verification (Silverman, 2010).

Google Person Finder provides a registry and message board for survivors, family and loved ones affected by a natural disaster to “post and search for information about each other’s status and whereabouts” (Google Person Finder, 2016). Similarly, the Facebook Safety Check allows users to send a status that reads, “I’m safe” if activated (Zoltick, 2014). 

As these crowdsourcing platforms continue to develop, there must address a couple of loopholes such as the following...

1. What happens if a person reports that they are “okay” on one crowdsourcing platform but not the other? 

2. What if someone registers someone else as “safe” based on inaccurate information?

3. How will a tech company like Ushahidi and Facebook decide when a crisis is big enough to consider activating their crisis features?

It’s not to say that these tools aren’t worthwhile and valuable - but I feel when it comes down to a matter of life or death, we should be aware not only of the benefits, but of their significance and repercussions following a crisis event. 

References:

Ford, H 2012, Crowd wisdom, Sage Publishing.

Google Person Finder 2016, How it works, Google, viewed 7 January 2016, <https://google.org/personfinder/global/home.html>. 

Plucinska, J 2014, Crowdsourcing during a crisis has its drawbacks, Poynter, viewed 7 January 2016, <http://www.poynter.org/2014/crowdsourcing-during-a-crisis-has-its-drawbacks/268581/>. 

Silverman, C 2010, The challenge of verifying crowdsourced information, Columbia Journalism Review, viewed on 6 January 2016, <http://www.cjr.org/behind_the_news/the_challenge_of_verifying_cro.php>. 

Zoltick, 2014, The good, bad and in-between of social media in crisis situations, ISL, viewed 6 January 2016, <https://isl.co/2014/10/the-good-bad-and-in-between-of-social-media-in-crisis-situations/>. 

#mda20009 #Facebook #Twitter #Wikipedia #Ushahidi #GooglePersonFinder #crisis #crowdsourcing #crowdmapping #Prezi #GroupE

[aleksnajd-blog]

Week 7: Digital citizenship 3: Trolling and social media conflict.

What is a troll? A troll is someone of the internet community who would posts offensive, divisive and controversial comments. Trolls would make it obvious and inflammatory statements that are meant to find weak users (newbies) into reacting. Despite multiple attempts at trying to limit trolling across the internet, it is still widespread in social networks, comment sections and pretty much everywhere else where users can post anonymous (Techopedia, 2010).

Where would you usually find these internet trolls? Trolls over the internet are very common to come by. They can be pretty much found anywhere online. They will try to abuse others in blogs, forums, political discussion, Facebook pages, online game chat and torrent sites threads. Trolls nowadays have become common in new sites. Many of the online news sources now avoid people using the comment section due to so many internet trolls would use this to post hate comments on news articles (Paul Gill, 2015).

Why do people enjoy being internet trolls? It is basically a power rush to be a troll. Being online is like the atmosphere, because it is largely free of perceived consequences, a person can feel like they have the power online, without ever having to meet the person they are trolling face to face. The internet being a world of fantasy and imagination for some, users can forge an alter ego for themselves, and act out their feelings of adequacy and anger. It’s sad to say that it is quite unfortunate that our advanced communication also can bring out the darker side of many people. What makes trolling so easy, is that anyone can do it, and it can be done anonymously. Trolls hide behind their computer screen, and after they are done, they carry on with their lives without facing any real life consequences (Paul Gill, 2015).

The truth behind internet trolls:

1: Trolls are pretty much immune to criticism and logical arguments. They cannot be reasoned with, they are trying to get a reaction from you.

2: Trolls do not feel any remorse. They have a sociopathic tendencies, and accordingly, they delight in other people having hurt feelings.

3: Trolls consider themselves about social responsibility.

4: Trolls gain energy when they insult you, and when you get angry.

Terrible people exists all over the world. It’s really a sad fact of life. Some people feel like they can say whatever they want on the internet, because in reality trolls don’t have to deal with the immediate consequences of mistreating another person. So if you ever find yourself a target on social media, remember this advice: don’t feed the trolls.

References:

Techopedia, 2010, definition – what does a troll mean? Retrieved 22 December, 2015, from https://www.techopedia.com/definition/429/troll

Paul Gill, 2015, What Is an Internet ‘Troll’? How Should I Deal With Trolls? [Weblog]. Retrieved 22 December 2015, from http://netforbeginners.about.com/od/weirdwebculture/f/what-is-an-internet-troll.htm

Troll make internet mad: https://media.licdn.com/mpr/mpr/p/2/005/078/212/3c36c7f.jpg

Don’t feed the trolls: http://losergurl.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/388554_828866265134_193305984_37095493_1647424391_n.jpg

[v-marshall-mda20009-blog]

Thank you! I loved your post (especially your images...great selections!). Your advice: “Don’t feed the trolls” is spot on. As mentioned in my blog post, I think the most effective forms of managing cyberbullying and trolling is to apply the old-school playground methods of dealing with bullies. It is sad that we have to educate young children and teens on bullying...but I think at the end of the day, the self-awareness, confidence and self-assuredness we gain from it as adults may be worth it.

[cameronmda20009-blog]

Week 7: Digital Citizenship 3: Trolling and social media conflict

I feel that perhaps the debate and research into trolling may have missed the mark somewhat. While constructing a discourse that incorporates acts of citizenship, voluntarily or otherwise, researches have built a mesh cage around the subject without realising it is leaking. Some people troll for fun and attention, that is all, it is not an act of citizenship, it is not even social in the way that online society is being discussed by boyd (CITE) and McKosker (2014). By virtue of the decision to define internet social activity as a parallel to physical society researches are telling us the earth is flat, just ignore the curve. Online society needs to be viewed through a new lens rather than simply lumped in with face to face contemporary society, with a determination on cause and cure handed down up on a topic without a history of sufficient duration as to warrant such a determination.

While Olweus’s (cited in boyd 2014) components of bullying may transfer to the online environment at face value, aggression, repetition and imbalance in power, the implementation and background causes of these can be significantly different than in a physical environment. For example an online bully could be the result of, and an outlet for, the victim of physical bullying.     

Likewise the concept of a cyber-safety or social media ombudsman employs a structure that has been applied to contemporary, physical, society in the expectation that it will work as well (or as ineffectually) as it has done in society.

This is not to say that nothing should be done about trolls or online bullies, of course something needs to be done about them however employing existing social practices ignores the differences in online communication and to face to face communication. Is there a call for a playground or park ombudsman to oversee playground bullying? No, because it can clearly be seen that such is an ineffectual manner in which to address playground bullying.

McCosker’s (2014) paper particularly seems desperate to carry the concept of an all-inclusive citizenship within which to explain trolling as an agent provocateur rather than identifying the different drivers underpinning differing types of comment. This fails to acknowledge that the online environment is hybrid, but separate, from existing social norms, online is a different society in which different rules exist. The reference to Agonist Public’s is unconvincing in this paper and the link between aggressive online behaviour and the agonist political movement is tenuous at best. Agonist politics can be seen where someone calls another a troll in an effort to remove that parties arguments from validity (Wilson et al (Eds) 2013), however, this strategy is employed when the comments themselves do not all ready scream “Troll”.

One approach that seem to head in the right direction is the government providing its eSafety website, where people, particularly children, who believe they are being bullied can go and talk about it (eSafety 2015). The nuances of the online environment may best be addressed in the same way children are socialised into established social norms, with a great deal of attention by parents and teachers.

Essentially, it is a social environment that requires skill and knowledge to navigate, like a car, like a masquerade, children are not simply given the keys or dropped off at the ball are they?

Boyd (2014) initially touches on this when interviewing the two girls, the younger was introduced to social media when it was already established, yet has not been taught to use it, just monitored, can this approach be seen as enabling online abuse? Where a proponent who does not understand the reality of the damage done attacks others from concealment for self-gratification out of ignorance?

References

Boyd, D 2014, ‘Bullying: Is the Media Amplifying Meanness and Cruelty?’, in It’s Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens, Yale University Press, New Haven, USA, pp 128-52.

eSafety 2015, viewed 22 December 2015, <https://www.esafety.gov.au/>. McCosker, A 2014, YouTrolling as provocation: Tube’s agonistics publics, Convergence, vol. 20, no. 2, pp. 201-217.

Wilson, J, Fuller, G & McCrea, C (eds) 2013, Trolls and the negative space of the internet, Fibreculture Journal, Issue 22, viewed 22 September 2015, <http://twentytwo.fibreculturejournal.org>.

[v-marshall-mda20009-blog]

Thanks for a great Week 7 post Cameron! I agree with you in regards to applying the same principles for playground bullying to online cyberbully and trolling. The eSafety website is a great source of information, particularly for kids and teens. Like my Mum used to say, “Sometimes it’s best to ignore them, sometimes you have to kill them with kindness” :)

[v-marshall-mda20009-blog]

Encountering social media trolls

Week 7 - Digital Citizenship 3: Trolling and social media conflict 

My Mum would always say, “sometimes it’s best to ignore them, sometimes you have to kill them with kindness”. Like bullies, social media trolls thrive on negative attention, looking to provoke anger and reaction with every key stroke. But who are they and what should you do if you encounter one?

Over the last couple of years, the popularity of participatory online communities such as blogs, discussion boards, image-sharing sites, social networking sites and online gaming forums has exploded. Full of people wanting to share their opinions with the world, these platforms provide a positive means to bring people together to inform, communicate and share ideas and interests.

However, like most things, there are always two sides of the same coin....

Social media trolls

Trolling has become the latest phenomenon to impact upon online communities and is by far the most malicious and harmful to young people and adults alike (McCosker, 2014). Social networking sites such as Facebook become a platform for ‘internet trolls’ to behave in a ‘deceptive, destructive or disruptive manner in a social setting’ by bombarding people with insults, provocations and offensive, threatening language (Buckles, 2014). 

While most social media trolls see their acts as ‘harmless fun’, it is obvious that they have a clear intent on causing emotional harm through abusing, demeaning or joking in a rude manner about or to another person (McCosker, 2014). 

Kate Carnell, the chief executive of Beyond Blue says that bullying via social media can be a major factor in triggering mental health issues (ABC News, 2014). Built upon the stress of the targeted individual, social media trolling can result in a state of fear and loneliness, depression, self-esteem issues, drug and alcohol abuse and suicide (Webb, 2014). Australia was reminded of the repercussions of online trolling in February 2014, when it was reported that Former Australia’s Next Top Model judge, Charlotte Dawson, killed herself after receiving abuse from vicious trolls on Twitter (Webb, 2014). 

That leads me to ask...

When so much good comes from online communities, how can we harness the power of social media to prevent conflict and mental illness?

Can we apply the same school yard principles to combat online trolling?

dana boyd believes that the emphasis should not lie with jumping to blame the technology or platform, but rather working to understand its use and ways in which we can utilise online communities to help intervene in personal conflicts (boyd, 2014). 

Similarly, the Australian Government Office of the Children’s eSafety Commissioner released a report, ‘Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can hurt me too’, detailing cyberbullying and trolling and the best ways to stop it (Australian Government, 2016) : 1. Talk to someone you trust straight away - like a parent, uncle/aunt, teacher or friend, or contact Kids Helpline 2. Don’t retaliate or respond - they might use it against you 3. Block the bully and change your privacy settings 4. Report the abuse to the service and get others to as well 5. Collect the evidence - keep mobile phone messages, take screen shots and print emails or social networking conversations  6. Do something you enjoy - catch-up with friends, listen to good music, watch a good show to chat online to people you can trust  7. Remember you didn’t ask for this - nobody deserves to be bullied and you will get through this

While this report is aimed at children and teenagers, I think it’s important to remember that cyberbullying and trolling can effect people of all ages. As seen with the sad death of Charlotte Dawson, trolling can have a devastating impact if it’s not handled correctly. 

I guess Mum’s are always right...

“Sometimes it’s best to ignore them, sometimes you have to kill them with kindness”.

References:

ABC News 2014, Charlotte Dawson’s death puts cyberbullying back in spotlight, ABC News, viewed 2 January 2016, <http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-02-23/charlotte-dawson-death-puts-focus-on-cyber-bullying/5277904>.

Australian Government 2016, Cyberbullying, Office of the Children’s eSafety Commissioner, viewed 3 January 2016, <https://esafety.gov.au/esafety-information/esafety-issues/cyberbullying?from=cybersmart>. 

boyd, d 2014, Bullying: is social media amplifying meanness and cruelty?. It’s complicated: the social lives of networked teens, Yale University Press, New Haven, USA, pp. 128-52.

Buckles, E 2014, Trolls just want to have fun, Personality and Individual Differences, vol. 67, pp. 97-102.

McCosker, A 2014, Trolling as provocation: YouTube’s agonistic publics, Swinburne University Australia, vol. 20, no. 2, pp. 201-217.

Webb, S 2014, Trolled to death: model Charlotte Dawson bombarded with vile messages over Twitter, Daily Mail UK, viewed 2 January 2016, <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2565903/Trolled-death-Model-Charlotte-Dawson-bombarded-vile-messages-Twitter-just-hours-death.html>.  #mda20009 #trolling #CharlotteDawson #BeyondBlue #bullies #advice

[narellemda20009-blog]

Activism, protest and social media

There is no doubt that the use of social media is widespread.  We live in a society that regards technology and science so highly that it is almost “worshipped” as religion.

But there are different sides to social media that we need to consider. On the one hand, it provides a democratic, emancipatory and participatory means through which citizens can say what they want, whenever they want. New media is used to become informed, to inform and to construct social and political ties with others. 2011, the “year of the protester” saw activists use social media (Twitter, Facebook and YouTube) in Cairo, Madrid, Barcelona and New York to create and exchange user-generated information using social networking sites, that led to the so-called “Twitter-” and “Facebook revolutions”.

On the other hand, the developers and owners of social media platforms are driven by commercial considerations – they want to make money, access new markets, increase users and avoiding negative publicity, which may be at odds with the way their sites are used. In short, these platforms are not designed for the activist - company policies limit users in terms of community policing practices, anonymity, offensive and violent content and intellectual property rights. Facebook, for example, doesn’t allow pseudonyms in accounts: anonymity, especially in socio-political actions, is vital for privacy, liberty and dignity. From a corporate point of view, real people are easier to target for online commerce and consumer data.

Activists utilise blogs, social media sites and mobile apps to promote their message, raise awareness and gain support.  How much of this, in reality, turns into action? It is a debate between true activism (changing the hearts and minds of the public to effect real change) and slacktivism (where people simply click a button and make only nominal supportive gestures rather than truly engaging in a cause). Gladwell maintains that social media activism relies on weak tie relationships – “followers” on Twitter or “friends” and “likes” on Facebook, and that these platforms are used mainly for entertainment purposes, whereas meaningful activism requires a strong robust organisational structure where people show up in person (McCafferty 2011).

Clay Shirky, a technological optimist says, “as the communication landscape gets denser, more complex and more participatory, the networked population is gaining greater access to information, more opportunities to engage in public speech and an enhanced ability to undertake collective action”.  Social media, them, is a tool of the activist, rather than being activism itself – it amplifies and enables people to gather together by eliciting an emotive response.

An interesting video clip on why social media isn’t good for charity (sorry, can’t figure out how to load it)

http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2013/11/18/clicktivism-why-social-media-not-good-charity

References:

Gerbaudo, P 2012, Tweets and the Streets : Social Media and Contemporary Activism, Pluto, London.

Iskander, E 2011, ‘Connecting the National and the Virtual:
Can Facebook Activism Remain Relevant After Egypt’s January 25 Uprising?’, International Journal of Communication 5 (2011), Feature 1225–1237.

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

Kahn, Richard & Kellner, Douglas 2004, ‘New Media and Internet Activism: From the ‘Battle of Seattle’ to Blogging’, New Media Society 6; 87.

McCafferty, Dennis 2011, ‘Activism vs. Slacktivism’, Communications of the ACM 54(12), p17-19.

Valenzuela, S, Arrigada, A, & Scherman, A 2012, ‘The social media basis of youth protest behaviour: the case of Chile’, Journal of Communication 62: 299-314.

Valenzuela, Sebastián 2013, ‘Unpacking the Use of Social Media for Protest Behavior: The Roles of Information, Opinion Expression, and Activism’, American Behavioral Scientist 57(7) 920–942.

Youmans, W, & York, J 2012, Social Media and the Activist Toolkit: User Agreements, Corporate Interests, and the Information Infrastructure of Modern Social Movements’, Journal Of Communication, vol. 62, no. 2, pp. 315-329.

[v-marshall-mda20009-blog]

Thank you #narellemda20009! Your blog post was so insightful - particularly the video link to why social media isn’t necessarily good for charity. I have recently started a non-profit, Lift Up Voices, and this video/article was full of so many great pointers and perspectives to consider! I love your use of photos/videos, very well written. Great work!

[tiarnasaur-deactivated20160706]

Week 6 - Activism and Protest

Week 6 – Activism & Protest Digital activism and digital citizenship are both major concepts that are on the rise in this day and age. Both of these concepts play a major role in how people are active and present themselves online. Social media in some aspects is being seen as a call to arms in many ways. This is due to the fact that many people use social media as a way to share or support causes with their friends and many other people online they may not know. This is shown for so many different causes such as climate change, marriage equality and local politics. Recently the show of support for these has exploded all onto the social media scene as it is a useful and efficient way to get recognition. A recent movement that has taken over social media is #prayforParis following on from the terror attacks which recently took place. Twitter was the main major highway for this hashtag and instantly captured the world attention and made an impact (Gerbaudo 2012). Clicktivism can be shown very much with this cause, this is due to hundreds of thousands of people using the hashtag and changing their profile picture to a coloured French flag as suggest by Facebook. This type of digital activism does however do nothing physical but shows support through online means to those that may be affected. The use of this clicktivism in this case and the effectiveness has not particularly been measured. ‘Culture Jamming’ is a massive concept for today. The discrediting of companies through their own advertising is seen to be very ironic and relevant in today’s society. Also in regards to this, culture jamming is very prevalent with the likes of artists such as Banksy continuing to contribute to this culture jamming scene. If anything culture jamming doesn’t change a person’s opinion but raises awareness of the issue. Although a lot of the imagery these culture jammers cover is copyrighted it does not leave them in a any worse off case if they weren’t to have shown their opinion

As an ever changing society I believe that social media will continue to play a very large role in activism and protesting. This is because unlike many things social media carries across many things such as country, race and religion. People are able to connect and communicate in a way that is not so policed as if they were to voice their opinions in a public place. Of course this is in reference to free countries that do not have restrictions on their communication mediums. Overall moving forward social media will play a huge role in activism, in the digital world and in the physical world. References Gerbaudo, P 2012, Tweets and the Streets : Social Media and Contemporary Activism, Pluto, London.

[v-marshall-mda20009-blog]

I really enjoyed your post #tiarnasaur! With the recent worldly events, we can only hope that social media will play somewhat of a role, big or small, in activism, changing society and bringing some much needed peace.

[v-marshall-mda20009-blog]

Anonymous declares December 11 ‘ISIS Trolling Day’

Week 6 - Digital Citizenship 2: Activism and protest

It’s hard to ignore the relevance of digital activism and digital citizenship in today’s society, culture and news. These concepts are having a major transformative effect on the online world and the ways in which social media tools facilitate the membership and participation of individuals within society (Mossberger et al. 2008, pg. 1). 

People often use social media to project passion and display support towards a particular cause, often to recruit others to their passion. However, In recent times, it seems people have turned to social media to demonstrate their support in a slightly different fashion. Worldly events such as the ISIS terrorist attack in Paris and the 2014 Sydney hostage crisis has seen social media covered in #prayforParis and #Illridewithyou hashtags and posts to offer solidarity and emotional support to victims and their families. But it’s not only victims, supporters and shocked spectators who are embracing the world of social media to spread their message...

Culture jamming can be defined as “an organised, social activist effort that aims to counter the bombardment of consumption-oriented messages in the mass media” (Carducci, 2006). Often negatively associated with non-violent but highly illegal hacktivism activities, collective ‘Anonymous’ are using their savvy programming skills to join the global fight against Salafi jihadist militant group, ISIS. November saw the announcement of a major, sustained operation against ISIS, following the November 2015 Paris attacks. Declaring, “Anonymous from all over the world will hunt you down; you should know that we will find you and we will not let you go”, the anarchic hacktivist group have since taken down thousands of pro-ISIS Twitter accounts and released a list of accounts online (Crilly, 2015). 

If that’s not all, Friday December 11 (today!) has been declared “Trolling Day” against ISIS. Anonymous are asking for the help of the public to make the internet as unfriendly place as possible for members of the terrorist group by simply "mocking them for the idiots that they are” (Reynolds, 2015)! Posting photos that mock the terrorist group, referring to ISIS as “#daesh” and reporting any suspected ISIS-affiliated accounts are just some of the simple ways you can play your part.

“As we join together and show who we are, what we are and what we stand for,” explain the anonymous Anonymous organisers behind the event, “I will not see you on December 11th for I am not a person, but an idea of love and peace and we will show them that we will prevail after all their horrors for they do not have any control on us. Please show others and support us on the 11th...It will be a day they never forget.” 

(Schwartz, 2015)

References:

Carducci, V 2006, Culture jamming: a sociological perspective, Journal of Consumer Culture, vol. 6, no. 1, pg. 116-138, SAGE Journals.

Crilly, B 2015, Anonymous ‘takes down thousands of Islamic State Twitter accounts’, The Telegraph, viewed 11 December 2015, <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/islamic-state/12002179/Anonymous-takes-down-thousands-of-Islamic-State-Twitter-accounts.html>.   

Mossberger, K, Tolbert, C, & McNeal, R 2008, Digital citizenship: the internet, society, and participation, MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass.

Raschke, C 2014, The (global) society of the (grisly) spectacle: ISIS and the media-smart islamist internationale, Political Theology Today, viewed 11 December 2015, <http://www.politicaltheology.com/blog/the-global-society-of-the-grisly-spectacle-isis-and-the-media-smart-islamist-internationale/>.

Reynolds, E, Anonymous declares December 11 ‘ISIS Trolling Day’, Wired UK, viewed 11 December 2015, <http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2015-12/07/anonymous-isis-trolling-day>. 

Schwartz, R 2015, Anonymous declares December 11 ‘ISIS Trolling Day’ - and they want your help, GOOD Worldwide Inc, viewed 11 December 2015, <http://magazine.good.is/articles/anonymous-december-11-troll-isis-day>. 

#mda20009 #isis #anonymous #activism #protest #culturejamming

[holledgeh93-blog]

Week 5 Concepts: Political identities on social network! #mda20009

Concepts. Politics. Not to worry fellow bloggers and reading folk I will aim to not bore you with politics. Politics and global leaders are using social network platforms to their advantage and our advantage. The awesome trait that social networking platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, Instagram etc adopt is that us the ‘public’ can voice our opinions on world leading topics and arguments and discuss them in forums and live chats. We will post on these platforms who we hate and who we love, expressing both emotions and arguments towards our much loved politicians and their movements. Us Australian’s thrive on taking the s#!t out of pollies. It’s even better when they have disturbing facial features as large noses, red hair, big ears and one of them who constantly wears the most unpopular swimming clothing piece dubbed as the “budgie smugglers”. Many pollies are using this to their advantage. Whether it would be a good or bad publicity it is publicity for them and increases their chances of becoming one with “us”. YouTube is an excellent product of social networking for this particular reason. Pollies can post their videos of support, opinions, arguments and sometimes satire vines. The youth of the globe is the ‘public’ sector that spends most of their time on these networking platforms. We will as members of the youth express about politicians and global issues. We as youth are the next generation. We will as a group will drive these conversations and will be able to connect to the pollies. This is so important for these budding leaders and there budding chances of winning our hearts and mind. Let’s go back to twenty years ago where there was no Facebook, YouTube or even Google for that matter. Young voters wouldn’t have much of a clue on who to vote for and what they are actually voting ‘for’. Now day’s we can make a decision via these posts that are relating to politics. These days we have a much better idea and we supposedly know who we are voting for and what we are voting ‘for. This is the power of amateur political comment. As an example “During the 2008 US Presidential Campaign comedians poking fun at candidates quickly appeared on YouTube. Tina Fey’s Saturday Night Live Impersonation of Sarah Palin created more attention and more hits than any of Palin’s YouTube clips”. Pollies and YouTube for the win!

[v-marshall-mda20009-blog]

I love the personalised approach in your introduction - very captivating and inviting! Great work! I admit, when it comes to voting time, I’m so thankful for the internet to dust up on my knowledge after ducking in and out of the news throughout the election campaigns! Social media for the win!