I know a few friends who have an addictive personality disorder, she gets hooked onto things really quickly and then becomes obsessed. I have addictions, but I can control them and I know when to stop that’s why I don’t play online games because when I was younger I...
I personally don't have an addictive personality. I mean, i can like stuff A LOT, gaming for one, but once I'm done with a game, i don't feel "lost" or have crazy withdrawals... Very interesting post!!
A 37 year old woman wastes her life on a good horror game and nothing else matter. Not even university. In fact, when “The Last of Us” came out (although not an online game), I failed a unit.
No joke.
The addiction is certainly real. With the introduction of online gaming on the XBOX, PS4 and PCs, online gaming has skyrocketed over the years. With internet being so easily affordable and internet cafes’ still widely available all over the world, it’s no surprise that online gaming is incredibly popular.
Asia Pacific tops all the other continents as having the most online video gamers. It’s no revelation that South Korea absolutely loves its online video games. Playing games has become a national past time, so much so that professional gaming, or “e-sports”, is a multi-million dollar industry in Korea where you can also gain the bachelor degree in e-sports!
But several members of the government have been claiming that gaming culture has permeated to the point of detriment across the nation. In a debate hosted by the Democratic Party of Korea, government officials, professors, and industry representatives came together on June 18 to discuss the merits of video games.
Entitled "Video Games: Addiction or Art?" the debate focused on whether the impending Game Addiction Law, which would effectively regulate video games in a similar method to drugs and alcohol in legal context, is the most appropriate way to deal with Korea's current enamour with video games.
As with alcohol and other addictions, reports have linked compulsive gaming to increasingly violent and erratic behavior and criminal acts.
In 2010, a middle school student murdered his mother and killed himself after an argument over his gaming addiction. In 2009, a couple addicted to Internet games allowed their daughter to die from neglect.
But it doesn’t stop there. Online gaming can also be described as SOCIAL GAMING: Social gaming commonly refers to playing games as a way of social interaction, as opposed to playing single-player games. Many current online social games are connected to social networks or app-based, as increasing mobile device usage has lead to a growing interest in casual mobile gaming.
But it isn’t all bad news. Gaming can be an effective tool to support and enhance learning and teaching in a variety of educational sectors and contexts. Many scientists and psychologists find that video games can actually have many benefits – the main one is making kids smart. Video games may actually teach kids high-level thinking skills that they will need in the future.
Playing video games change the brain’s physical structure the same way as do learning to read, playing the piano, or navigating using a map. Much like exercise can build muscle, the powerful combination of concentration and rewarding surges of neurotransmitters like dopamine strengthen neural circuits that can build the brain.
So it’s not ALL bad with video games but, like everything else, limitation is key because surprise! surprise! you STILL have a life.
Cnet, South Korea's Game Addiction Law could treat games like drugs and alcohol, viewed on 2 February 2015,<http://www.cnet.com/au/news/south-korean-government-to-debate-game-addiction-law/>.
Controller Issues, The gaming industry, viewed on 2 February 2015,<http://www.controllerissues.com/tag/worldwide-games/>.
Market Research.com, Social & mobile games spur growth of online gaming market, viewed on 2 February 2015,<http://blog.marketresearch.com/social-mobile-games-spur-growth-of-gaming-market>.
Statista, Most popular social games on facebook based on daily active users, viewed on 2 February 2015,<http://www.statista.com/statistics/267003/most-popular-social-games-on-facebook-based-on-daily-active-users/>.
As this week we learned about Visual Communities & Social Imaging, there are many forms or platforms for which we can view visual aspects of people’s own identification whether it be through Facebook, Instagram, Flickr as well as Tumblr. What we know is that...
In the current climate of selfies and visual media communications, we are able to reconstruct ourselves to be viewed the way we would like to be viewed. We can represent the best snapshot of our selves, so when others tag us in an embarrassing or unauthorised picture...
This is a common hashtag used on photographs on a Saturday night and a common quote used before leaving the house (within my social circle anyway!). This is…
This is a common hashtag used on photographs on a Saturday night and a common quote used before leaving the house (within my social circle anyway!). This is…
This video is an example of communicating with groups of people that you have in a social network, or commonalities of ideas or fascinations. A video of affinity is a moment in an ongoing social relationship between current and new people, “personalising content with like-minded individuals” (Lange 2009 p.83). Two guys using an ephemeral video to connect with a collection of people who like cats and or humour.
An Engineer’s guide to Cats (Klusmanp 2008)
Klusmanp 2008, An Engineer’s Guide to Cats, 13 February, viewed 29 December 2014, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHXBL6bzAR4>
When the world was hit with a series of natural disasters (see for example Hurricane Katrina, the devastating earthquakes in Haiti and throughout Asia but also the Tsunamis in both Japan and Indonesia), social media played a vital and fundamental role for people to ask for help and for that help to arrive from all the volunteers and officials that were provided with the right tools to help those in dire need.
Social media has made a difference before, during and after these catastrophes by providing easy accessibility. This proved effective following the earthquake in Japan where tweets to Ambassador John Roo got help to transport injured patients from Kameda Hospital.
During the earthquake in Haiti, social media users were used as a base for volunteers by Ushahidi, a piece of software that allows digital volunteers to create maps for first responders in a disaster zone.
A group of companies (including Ushahidi) called FrontlineSMS, CrowdFlower and Samasource, collaborated to set up a text message hotline – “Mission 4636” – supported by the U.S. The Haitian government collaborated with radio stations to advertise the hotline, and a few days after the disaster, anyone in Port-au-Prince could send an SMS to a toll-free number, 4636, to request help. The messages were routed to relief crews at the U.S. Coast Guard and the International Red Cross on the ground.
Skype was also used to coordinate relief efforts. The Marine Corps, the Coast Guard and The World Food Program have also used Ushahidi in several disaster response efforts. After the disaster hit in Japan, Ushahidi was used to create the largest crisis map to date with over 8,000 reports received via social media about shelters, food stores, cell phone charging centers and road closures.
Emergency relief agencies such as the Red Cross also maintain Twitter accounts and use them to disseminate information to the public, such as how volunteers can help and where to get shelter and aid following a disaster. The results of a recent study released by the Red Cross showed that the public is now seeing social media as an important medium to communicate with their friends, families and colleagues as well as to seek help before, during or after an emergency situation.
“Technology can solve this problem quickly and cheaply, but governments and relief agencies don’t often use it.”
The rapid proliferation of broadband, wireless and cell phones, coupled with new crowdsourcing technology, is completely changing the face of disaster relief. Everyone with a computer can provide crucial assistance, sifting through satellite photos, translating messages or updating maps, and most people are happy to do this free of charge — contributing to life-saving relief efforts is a powerful motivator. Governments and aid agencies should make it a central part of future disaster response efforts.
'crowdsourcing entry' 2014, Merriam Webster, viewed 18 January 2015,
The image above in furthermore to our learning in week 7 about bullying and trolling on social media. The above image, aptly named “safebook”, gives some tips to both parents and youth using social media website Facebook. It touches on reporting bullies and what to do it you are being bullied online as well as protecting your personal information.
Internet ‘trolling’ refers to offensive online behaviour, often with the ultimate goal of gaining attention. It is a form of manipulation, often in jest and for the tacit fun of online community members (Donath 1999). Trolls intend to embarrass, anger and disrupt, usually for amusement at...
Week 7: Digital citizenship 3: Trolling and social media conflict
TROLLING AND CYBERBULLYING
Elise Moreau (the web trends expert for About.Com) has been following trends for most part of her career including trolling and cyberbullying. She states that "the mythological troll is similar to the internet troll" (Elise Moreau 2009). The troll hides behind their computer screen and like a hawk keeps a close eye on the situation on hand: be it on a blog, website, Facebook post or internet forum. Ready to attack, he pounces on the easy pray and with quick wit and sharp words he strikes a blow right in the heart, the deadliest part.
Someone who isn't taking cyberbullying and trolling too seriously are the celebrities on the "Jimmy Kimmel Show" (a late night talk show that aires in the US). It has a very entertaining segment called "Celebrities read mean Tweets" where very well know celebrities read out loud these incredibly mean tweets about them and video their reactions while music plays in the background. It's all in good fun. In my opinion it's a stab back at the cyberbullies - it shows that celebrities aren't affected by mean remarks and the plain rude statements these tweets make about them are just sliding off their shoulders without pain.
It is very sad to think that teenagers' only way of escaping cyberbullying is through suicide. Suicide has been the talk of many newspapers and television stations over the years.
Most importantly the case of Shane Gerada whom sent over 300 threatening text messages to 17-year-old Allem Halkic over the course of a few months. Over two days in February 2010, Gerada sent Halkic five particularly aggressive messages, one that read, “Ur all mouth and no action, wait till I get my hands on u, and I’m telling u now ill put you in hospital.” Gerada also used the MySpace social-networking site to falsely claim that Halkic had formed a relationship with another friend’s girlfriend. Soon after these events Halkic committed suicide.
Gerada pleaded guilty to a stalking charge and received a sentence of just 200 hours community service.
(Shane Gerada leaves the court. Photo: Ken Irwin)
The idea of a specific cyberbullying offence has been forwarded by Alastair Nicholson, chair of The National Centre Against Bullying and former Chief Justice of the Family Court. In response to Gerada’s lenient sentence, Nicholson expressed his view that there needs to be more specific cyber-bullying laws “There is a very strong argument that it should be considered a specific offence… You need to have some firm framework in which people can operate and know what they can and can’t do.”
This notion that cyber-bullying will be taken seriously once education and empowerment have been proliferated has been suggested by ex-Prime Minister Julia Gillard, “Empowering students about how to become part of the solution to bullying, and also empowering teachers to help them respond to bullying behaviour, how to intervene when they witness bullying rather than just standing by, and how to report it [will prove most effective]”.
Cyberbullying, n.d. photograph, viewed 10 January 2014,
Law Report 2014, Can A Cyber-Bullying Commissioner Protect Our Kids?, Radio National, 27 February, viewed 10 January 2014, <http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/lawreport/5286036>.
McCosker, A 2014, YouTrolling as provocation: Tube's agonistics publics, Convergence, vol. 20, no. 2, pp. 201-217.
No Bullying 2014, Six unforgettable cyber bullying cases, No Bullying, viewed on 10 January 2014,
“Cyber bullying is bullying carried out online or through mobile phones. This includes SMS, email or social networking sited to harass or abuse someone” (Lawstuff, 2014). Cyber bullying is considered a crime in NSW law if and when it contains...
your post was incredibly well written and i really enjoyed!
The YouTube video you posted called "two girls arrested over one allegedly brags on Facebook about cyber bullying suicide victim"... what a sad world we live in
“Provocation should be understood in context and examined in terms of the way it can not only problematise, but also productively intensify, vitalise and sustain publics within social media...
I find satire a very relatable tone when it comes to political discussion, so be it good or bad on an academic level, I appreciate How Green Was My Cactus, political cartoons in the newspaper and Dr Seuss spoofs on Facebook about Tony Abbott. It’s all part of politics as we know it in Australia. If cartoons are being celebrated as a political art form, then condemning social media for the same reason, is a double standard.
and we know now what political satire really means to some religions, after the whole Charlie Hebdo tragedy from the other day. I find it hilariously stupid how some people get brainwashed to the point of killing.
In 2007, President-elect Barack Obama sourced out the best of the best in order to instantly engage millions upon millions of supporters through social media platforms and...
I had been looking forward to this week’s topic since the start of the TP. I am an activist and proud to be pushing for positive, ethical change in our world. I love that I can sign 5 petitions before breakfast and feel good about my start in the day. Activism through social media platforms...
Loved the "signing partitions before breakfast"! And what about Lego??? I had no idea and I've certainly learned something new. Very well written article, I've thoroughly enjoyed it :)
WEEK 6 - Digital citizenship 2: Activism and protest
(Sea Shepherd 2014)
With the introduction of social media, organisations have had opportunities of reaching a global audience which wasn't possible before. Before the introduction of the internet, we were relying on the information provided by the media in the form of newspapers and radio. We weren't sure, however, that we were getting the real deal - that is, the truth.
The truth is something the media has never been capable of doing as it was overshadowed by the big corporations and THEIR meaning of truth. We were unaware of what was really happening around us and in this day and age, us as inhabitants of planet earth, want more. We want more control over what we know and what we should know. But it's not easy.
Social media provided an outlet for organisations and non-for-profit to turn the blind eye into a fully functioning one, and allow us, the outsiders, to know the real truth. But what is the REAL truth? It is our right to know. To know what's really happening outside our four walls.
"Sea Shepherd", a non-for-profit organisation aiming at protecting our waters from the unnecessary killing of marine life (and particularly whales), have a major social media presence which means that more people know about what they do and support their work in their current active campaigns. This way, they can raise awareness, get people involved and raise some much needed funding for their adventures.
Author Malcolm Gladwell argues that: "People protested and brought down governments before Facebook was invented. They did it before the internet came along. Barely anyone in East Germany in the 1980s had a phone -- and they ended up with hundreds of thousands of people in central Leipzig and brought down a regime." (Engadget 2011)
I disagree.
Social media has become the main platform for the marginalized Arab masses, because it enables them to express their frustration and send their message to the world in defiance against censorship, which is widespread in the Arab world. This is the perfect example of everyday activism.
Though the social media-organized protests in Egypt were not as peaceful as the ones in Tunisia, they successfully led to the ousting of a dictator, Hosni Mubarak. The movement began on Jan. 25 2011 (spurring popular Twitter hashtag #Jan25) and lasted until Feb. 11, when Mubarak finally agreed to step down.
The power of social media has definitely taken on some intricate challenges over the years and the future looks brighter and brighter for all of us, just looking for the real TRUTH.
The "Bring Back our Girls" social media movement: on 14 April 2014, 230 School girls were kidnapped from the Chibok Government Secondary School by Boko Haram Terrorists in Nigeria. All 230 are still missing.
Engadget 2014, what you need to know about social media activism, Engadget, viewed on 14 December 2014,<http://www.engadget.com/2014/07/02/social-media-activism- explainer/>.
Gerbaudo, P 2012, Tweets and the Streets : Social Media and Contemporary Activism, Pluto, London.
New America Media, social media made Tunisian uprising possible, New America Media, viewed on 14 December 2014,<http://newamericamedia.org/2011/01/social-media-made-tunisian-uprising-possible.php>
Sea Shepherd 2014, Sea Shepherd Global, Shea Shepherd, viewed on 14 December 2014, <http://www.seashepherdglobal.org>.
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