In time, out of space - Social Media

[narellemda20009-blog]

Blog # 8: When video games become more than just games . .

Is it possible to become addicted to video games? Consider:

a Shanghai gamer fatally stabbed a friend for selling his “virtual sword” on ebay for 7,200 yuan.

a 17 year old was sentenced to prison for fatally shooting his mother because she took away his copy of Halo 3.

a Korean couple played Prius, a game in which you raise a child, until their real baby daughter died from starvation

In the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) internet gaming disorder refers to the “persistent and recurrent use of the internet to engage in games, often with other players, leading to clinically significant impairment or distress as indicated by five (or more) [criteria] in a 12-month period” (diagnostic criteria: are a preoccupation with gaming, withdrawal symptoms, tolerance, lack of control, loss of other interests, use despite negative consequences, deception, mood modification, and losing a relationship, job and similarly important aspects of life).

The Internet gaming market is huge and booming – in 2014 it was a $66 billion dollar industry. Big companies develop games to make people want to play.  and the games are based on

a reward system - they exploit that part of our brain that governs how we feel when we do something: kill monster, get points; complete level, nice music plays. Win game, feel satisfied. It’s a very simple and primitive part of who we are.

people enjoy games because games it helps them escape from = the real world. A study in 2009 found 41% of its participants said they played to escape the real world.

The typical gamer is male, adolescent and white (Kuss 2013) but people with depression and those with social phobias or who have poor social skills are also at risk. Studies in the 2000s(Flanagan 2014) showed gaming addiction varied from 0.2% (Germany) to 50% (Korea) and have led governments and health care providers to institute programs to curb the problem:

“fasting camps” in Japan (individuals are completely cut off from technology)

outpatient clinics for behavioural addiction in Germany and London

inpatient centres in the USA: the RESTART Internet Addiction Recovery Program and the Digital Detoxification and Recovery Centre

To overcoming gaming addiction in both children and adults is to focus on the social problems that make them retreat to the gaming world - improving social skills and becoming socially competent in the real world, managing stress more effectively, addressing real-life issues (depression, anxiety, bullying, loneliness), and setting reasonable time limits around mealtimes, homework times, family or bed time. We, as adults also need to look at our own behaviour, and turn off their screens and smartphones more often.

Technology is here to stay, and we are becoming more and more dependent on it. We need to become more responsible digital citizens in this ever-increasing technological world, and never lose sight of our need to be socially connected, whether that is in the virtual or real world.

References:

Kuss, D 2013, ‘Internet gaming addiction: current perspectives’, Psychology Research and Behaviour Management 6: 125-137.

Flanagan, J 2014, ‘The psychology of video game addiction’, viewed 23 December 2015, <http://theweek.com/articles/451660/psychology-video-game-addiction>.

Vitelli, R 2013, ‘Are video games addictive? Is it possible to become addicted to video games?’, viewed 23 December 2015, https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/media-spotlight/201308/are-video-games-addictive

Images

‘Physical symptoms of game addiction’, viewed 26 Jan 2016, <http://gameaddictionz.blogspot.com.au>.

‘Many names for the thing’, viewed 26 Jan 2016, <http://www.slideshare.net/JocelynBrewer/nerd-nite-internet-addiction-and-digital-nutrition-dec-2014>,

Adair, C 2013, ‘Escaping video addiction: Cam Adair at TEDxBoulder”, viewed 26 Jan 2016, ,https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHmC2D0_Hdg>.

[theurbantheoristblog]

Hey Narellemda20009, thanks for sharing this, you’ve raised some fascinating points which, might I say have me questioning my personal digital consumption levels.

Yet again, just a great read!

[nakitamarendazuniverse]

Some really shocking cases! I found the fasting camps in Japan particularly interesting as it raises questions about whether gaming addiction is a cultural issue, an idea I hadn’t previously entertained. 

[yesdontyouknowit]

This was so interesting. The choice of images were also really effective. Gaming and social media has addition in more than the gaming side of communicating online. it shades the progress and benefits of using the internet. We obviously should be moving back to our natural roots. I enjoyed your post. Thanks for sharing.

[katiechapsdigital-blog]

Week 10: Social Gaming

Social gaming has evolved so much within the past 10 years. Yet it was interesting to read how the two big technology platforms of social media and gaming have come together and made this successful hybrid.

The fact that gaming is now becoming more accessible upon social media websites means that gaming is not just limited to the young ‘nerd’. It ranges from everyone, young and old, women and men. Now the rise of smart phones are making for even more access for social games on the run.

In 2014, 365 million users of Facebook were access social gaming through the social platform (Leonov, 2014). Social gaming A great way to connect with current Facebook connections and a fun way to establish new ones. Yet, Thornhill (2014) brought to light the honest exploration side of gaming. A living breathing game EVE took to battle with over 4,000 partaking making for a fight that would of cost over 300,00 US if it was to happen in the real world.  Servers based in Iceland have been running overtime in regards to the detailed and well throughout of game.

Yet, what happens when social gaming has it addictive elements? For example, losing large amounts of money in the real world. MacPokies (2015) suggest the Australian online publics have taken to in app-purchases that come with free gaming and social gaming apps. Could their be serious negative effects like the pokies? In addition, MacPokies (2015) suggest the negative effects of these social gaming apps getting in the hands of underage children and impressionable teenagers. Some of the games are not exactly age appropriate (such as EVE) for the younger generations to partake in. Are these settling in bad habits and examples too soon and are they too accessible? Should these social gaming communities be censored too?

Leonov. I, 2014, Mobile and Social Gaming Industry: 2014 Highlights, Gamesutra, viewed 25 January 2016

<http://gamasutra.com/blogs/IevgenLeonov/20141229/233307/Mobile_and_Social_Gaming_Industry_2014_Highlights.php>

Thornhill . T, 2014, The online videogame battle that cost $300,000: Gamers see hundreds of costly spaceships destroyed after user forgot to pay bill to defend their base, Daily Telegraphy, viewed 25 Januaray 2016

<http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2547908/EVE-online-sees-biggest-battle.html>

MacPokies, 2015. Social gaming online casinos, viewed 25 January 2016

<http://macpokies.com.au/social-gaming-online-casinos/#continue>

[newblogger42-blog]

I agree #katiechapsdigital that it is very easy for kids to access in-app purchases if parents don’t realise that they can make restrictions around their access to it.  This could very well lead to bad habits and facilitate gambling and gaming addiction in adulthood.  Kids are so impressionable at a young age that definitely exposure to games such as EVE would have to rub off on most of them and induce unsociable behaviour.

[yesdontyouknowit]

I like the aspect of your post focusing on monetary losses from online gaming. If appears when individuals are sucked into gaming addictions it doesn't only lead to health and social issues. good work.

[magicnumber23-blog]

Blog #7 – Visual Communities and Social Imaging

Offline and online world of social media

Gone are the days when we use to take a photo or video to capture that moment in time, that special memory of a holiday, family occasion or birthday. Memories that were captured offline, developed and displayed around the home or kept in bulky photo albums.  Now, we’re living in an online world where there’s no such thing as offline anymore, less photos around the house and photo albums with a few selected photos.  Innovation and technology hasn’t changed the the idea of capturing a moment, it has changed however, how and when we document – 24/7 (Bishop 2016; Jason Farman 2014).  Innovation of the smartphone and the Internet has enabled us to capture an image or video with a portable pocket sized device, and then instantly upload it to social media for the world to see.  I like it how Sociologist Nathan Jurgenson puts it ‘seeing your life in the present already being documented’.  Jurgenson believes uploading images to social media shouldn’t be compared to traditional photography in its art form, but rather a way of communicating the experience itself (Jurgenson 2014; Jason Farman 2014).  I agree, social media provides a much bigger audience than visitors to your home.

Snapchat: Network Visuality & Visible Publics

(Snapchat n.d)

To be honest I’m not a fan of taking a ‘selfie’ and I’m rarely involved in one, looking in the mirror every morning scares me enough already!  I don’t use Snapchat for taking ‘dick pics’, ‘selfies’ or any illegal activity, I use it to communicate my experiences with an audience that cares and enjoys sharing it with me.  I’m talking about family and friends and 99% of the time it’s 10sec snaps of my 1 year old son growing, learning and general everyday life.  I don’t feel I’m trading the experience in hope of documenting the moment as Turkle puts it, I’m able to do both (TED-Ed 2013).

(Jason Farman 2014)

Snapchat is an example of ‘network visuality’, expression and experiences through images and videos.  ‘Network visuality’ has become a social norm, evident in the existence and popularity of other social media platforms, Instagram, Facebook, Flickr and Youtube (Bishop 2016).  In an interview (check it out above), Jurgenson talks about theories as to why it’s normal to have an audience for your content (Jason Farman 2014).  However, there is a difference between a wanted audience and unwanted audience and yes I’m talking about ‘dick pics’ again.  Whether it’s Snapchat, SMS or any other social media platform, no one, not even Snapchat can “guarantee” the vulnerabilities from hacks or leaks (Bogle 2015; Bishop 2016).  However, if your name is Dane Swan or Travis Cloke, your vulnerability is your stupidity (Ryan 2016).

(Womens Day 2016)

Posting, sharing and snapping your visual generated content is a way of communicating the experience itself to others.  But, be warned about the vulnerabilities and implications of an unwanted audience, don’t take ‘dick pics’!

References

Bishop, R 2016, ‘Week 9’, Digital citizenship 2: Activism and protest, Learning materials on Blackboard, Swinburne University of Technology, viewed 22 January 2016.

Bogle, A 2015, ‘Snapchat tells users it’s not storing their private snaps after privacy update’, Mashable, 2 November, viewed 22 January 2016, < http://mashable.com/2015/11/01/snapchat-privacy-policy-update/#cOH0jp1Eigqh>.

Jason Farman 2014, Photography, Self Documentation, & Social Media: An Interview with Nathan Jurgenson, 16 June, viewed 22 January 2016, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnPtZ5lKDHo>.

Jurgenson, N 2014, ‘The Frame Makes the Photograph’, Snapchat, 7 January, viewed 22 January 2014, < http://blog.snapchat.com/post/72561406329/the-frame-makes-the-photograph>.

Ryan, P 2016, ‘Magpies Swan, Cloke in ‘nude photo’ furore’, afl.com.au, 18 January, viewed 22 January 2016, < http://www.afl.com.au/news/2016-01-18/swan-cloke-in-nude-photo-scandal>.

TED-Ed 2013, Connected, but alone?- Sherry Turkle, 19 April, viewed 22 January 2016, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rv0g8TsnA6c>.

Images

Snapchat n.d., [logo], viewed 24 September 2015, <http://au.eonline.com/eol_images/Entire_Site/2014611/rs_600x600-140711114502-600-tech-snapchat-logo.ls.7114_copy.jpg>.

Womens Day 2016, ‘THE NUDE AFL PHOTOS EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT…’, [image], kiis1011.com.au, viewed 23 January 2016, <http://www.kiis1011.com.au/entertainment/the-feed/the-nude-afl-photos-everyone-is-talking-about>.

[melgallimore-blog]

This was a really good read. I especially enjoyed your point on there not being as many photos around the house. It actually made me think of something I had never realized - when I was younger we had a whole shelf for photos in frames. If you knocked one over they went down like dominoes. I can’t even remember when that shelf was packed up, but it’s not there anymore. It’s clear to see digital photography is reason for this. 

[adigitalcitizen]

I too can relate to decline of photographs around my house. The decline can also be seen through the documenting of my five children’s lives - they are those that were born before our purchase of a digital camera (there were lots of processed and framed pictures of them when they were young), the ones that were born when we had a digital camera but before we used social media (had some pictures processes and framed, but not that many), and the poor child that was born after social media took hold of our house (well, she only really has her professional school pictures as hard copies, and the rest are either online or in the cloud. But it must be noted that she has far more images, videos and selfies then the rest of the family combined!) 

[yesdontyouknowit]

Great read! its crazy I see my friends swiping through photos constantly but not as many physical photos anywhere. Most people i know don't even have printers. Keep up the good work.

[yesdontyouknowit]

Social Gaming

Throughout my blog we have discussed the way social media effects people in the real world. Gaming is another area that can’t be over looked, with many people taking their gaming very serious. Some games are pleasant and cute while the more serious games have violence as a foundation (de Zwart, 2014). Social gaming has been partly credited to the success of Facebook with their online games such as Farmville (Zynga, 2014). Violent games on the other hand often are at the center of controversy and blamed for real world acts of violence in the media, which is the only information many of us know about them in general. What we are going to explore is the complex social structure in the case of the MMOG game EVE and how these kinds of games can affect reality (de Zwart, 2014). Click here to read an article about murders linked to people who play violent games (Fletcher, 2015).

 EVE is a game where players can buy things with online currency, loot, steal, blow up, harass, and kill other people to gain social status and success in the alternative reality. Many of the player license agreement codes of conduct contradict the very nature of the game (de Zwart, 2014). Players gain a sense of achievement from their skill in this hostile game. This makes setting rules in the coding to protect players and adding in purchasable items with real world money, to advance, appear to be dangerous ground for it’s creator CCP (Crowd Control Productions) (de Zwart, 2014). This is because when the players’ perception of fairness and freedom are being challenged it takes away this reward, which has led to players leaving the game in the past (de Zwart, 2014).

 The theory that what happens in the game’s ‘magic circle’ stays in the circle has also been seen to be floored (de Zwart, 2014). There have been incidences where gamers use bomb hoaxes to call the police on other gamers, which have been coined ‘swatting’. In one case the police have actually shot an innocent gamer (Associated Press, 2014). There are also other stories of bullying and harassment outside of the game. This has made the need for players to be anonymous important for social war games (de Zwart, 2014). This is included in the player license agreement and when broken in the real world it can have virtual world consequences. Just as online threats of real world safety are taken seriously and reported to real world authorities. It is clear that bullying, safety and the boundaries between reality and social media are blurred (de Zwart, 2014). Click here to read an article about police hoaxes carried out by gamers (Associated Press, 2014).

 There are obviously some misconceptions in peoples’ ability to change hats of game playing roles to the ones they play in reality (de Zwart, 2014). Game addiction and acts of crime seem to have some strong ties (Fletcher, 2015). The question is; would these crimes still be happening at the same rate without the games? Although studies have found no link and it is in fact violent people related to violent crimes (Vincent, 2014). Click here to read more (Vincent, 2014). If you have liked what you have read please follow my posts to find out more about social media and behaviour.

 References

Associated Press, 2014, ‘Gamers use police hoax ‘swatting’ to attack opponents’, Independent, 15 September, viewed 24 January 2016, <http://nypost.com/2014/09/15/online-gamers-use-police-hoax-swatting-to-attack-opponents/>.

de Zwart, M & Humphreys, S 2014,' The Lawless Frontier of Deep Space: Code as Law in EVE Online', Cultural Studies Review, vol. 20, no. 1, pp. 77-99.

Fletcher, L, 2015, ‘14 Mass Murders Linked to Violent Video Games’, Charisma News, 15 October, viewed 24 January 2016, <http://www.charismanews.com/culture/52651-14-mass-murders-linked-to-violent-video-games>.

Vincent, J, 2014, ‘Long-term US study finds no links between violent video games and youth violence’, Independent, 11 November, viewed 24 January 2016, < http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/gaming/long-term-us-study-finds-no-links-between-violent-video-games-and-youth-violence-9851613.html>.

Zynga, 2014, viewed 24 September 2015, <www.zynga.com>.

[yesdontyouknowit]

Crowdsourcing in Times of Crisis

When a crisis occurs traditional media broadcasting is one of the first things to go down (Ford, 2012). In the case of war this is sometimes done deliberately and in other cases from the effects of natural disasters (Bruns, 2012). Social media has proven resourceful in times of crisis in creating new ways for people to communicate, sort and record important information, through postings, which in the past was not available. In these cases it is the general public that is providing information through platforms such as Twitter and custom crisis specific applications such as Ushahidi (Bruns, 2012). When the general pubic is called on to part take in this kind of sharing of information it is called crowdsourcing (Ford, 2012). Crowdsourcing has also proven effective in helping authorities catch criminals (Glynn, 2013).

 Crowdsourcing is not without its challenges. Witness accounts often need to be authenticated and verified, which can be a timely process. As more of us are using social media and providing information this process is becoming longer, with more people attempting to obstruct the efforts for reasons such as political motivation (Bruns, 2012). Click here to read an article how a crowdsourcing was used to solve the Boston bombing (Glynn, 2013).

 Features used to search information, such as hash tags, have made it easy for people to quickly get relevant news and up to date information almost immediately as it happens. Photos and other posts are usually shared on multiple platforms. History has shown that during natural disasters it is only the most relevant information that is repeatedly shared and authorities generally make sure to interact with posts to encourage participation. Authorities are often trained in using the most relevant social media platform for the type of post for maximum effect (Bruns, 2012). 

 War zones are a challenging area for traditional journalists to cover. Ushahidi is used to record events accurately, map violence (including report social injustices), and record death toll accurately (including names) through crowdsourcing (Ford, 2012). The developers who coded the app were also crowdsourced. Ushahidi was highly effective for it’s initial use in Kenya but has not been as effective in countries that are culturally less likely to share information and thoughts, which some have called the ‘social life of information’. Verifying claims in places of war also attracts distinct challenges, such as people with alternative political agendas that have trolled Ushahidi to decrease its efficiency (Ford, 2012). Click here to read more about the success of Ushahidi (Ushahidi, 2015).

  Crowdsourcing is proving a great way for people to make meaningful contributions using social media as digital citizens, one of the most successful examples of this practise is Wikipedia (Ford, 2012). In times of crisis social media becomes under pressure to evolve and over time with it comes the negative traits such as trolling from its other uses, which was also covered in my last post (Bruns, 2012). The Internet is having an adverse effect on how we do things. It will be interesting to see how crowdsourcing next evolves.  

 Referencing 

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 22 January 2016, <http://www.cci.edu.au/floodsreport.pdf>.

Ford, H 2012, 'Crowd Wisdom', Index on Censorship, vol. 41, no. 4, pp. 33-39.

Glynn, C 2013, “Boston Marathon Bombing "Crowdsourcing:" How citizens are using the Internet to help solve crimes”, Crimesider, 18 April, viewed 22 January 2015, < http://www.cbsnews.com/news/boston-marathon-bombing-crowdsourcing-how-citizens-are-using-the-internet-to-help-solve-crimes/>. 

Ushahidi 2015, “ABOUT USHAHIDI”, Ushahidi, viewed 22 January 2016, <https://www.ushahidi.com/about>.

[yesdontyouknowit]

Trolling, Social Media Conflict and Digital Citizenship

Bullying, harassment and stalking are buzzwords in the media. They are loosely defined and cases are sensationalized with strong calls to action in the media. Particularly when the topic is related to school aged children and teens where the topic appears most sensitive, but is it (Boyd, 2014)?

The way teens communicate during their difficult transition into adulthood today is shaped by celebrity culture and consumerism in the media, and by the way their respected elders communicate and manage relationships. The ‘all publicity is good publicity’ saying in regards to how teenagers behave on social media is mirrored from the drama they see on TV and the use of attention to negotiate popularity and power at the expense of others (Boyd, 2014). On TV the celebrities gain money and fame, and for school aged teens it is social status and in some cases micro-celebrity or even celebrity status. In fact studies conducted by Danah Boyd on cyber bullying found that teenagers believe bullying is not happening. The buzzword ‘bullying’ changes to ‘drama’ for girls and ‘pranking’ for boys, with little regard for emotional consequences and expected retaliation. It is also in the perception of the victim whether certain actions are even considered bullying when the mental health and complex social situations are hard to properly decipher from a bystander’s perception (Boyd, 2014). Boyd mentioned parents react at the drop of a hat. This shows how conflict and misunderstandings are more common when people don’t say enough or say too much at the wrong time, with many young people not having open talking relationships with their parents and teachers. This puts into question what aspect of a teenagers socialization is causing most distress. Whatever the case social media is deliberately formulated to circulate gossip and content of interest, and reach the masses, making the effects of trolling last longer and blow situations out of proportion. In some cases making celebrities out of humiliation (Boyd, 2014). Click here to read an article on 15-year-old Clancy Ellis and her experience with cyber bulling (Alexander, 2015).

   Online trolling and bullying isn’t only happening with school aged teens. Social media platforms are very public and reach people from all over the world. In some contexts such as on YouTube, the platform is not only being used to create accountability for ‘flaming’, that happens offline, but also as a place for people to ‘flame’ or troll people in comments. Posts and comments can be vitriolic or aggressive and in some cases the audience creates this perception. It could be a simple observation that all posts are created to provoke a reaction, gain attention and generate interaction (McCosker, 2014). With so many people from different cultural backgrounds it is difficult to know what will annoy one person, motivate someone to defend their own cultural differences, or create national, social and cultural cohesion for others. At what point does utilizing your right as a citizen or digital citizen become trolling or in some way offensive? Some say bullying and trolling is caused by the characteristics of how social media is design to extract multiple responses, reactions, and interactions. Keeping in mind that social media platforms are organizations with a goal to keep us engaged (McCosker 2014). Click here to read an article about a Islamic State jihadists impersonator and the real world consequences (Potaka, 2015).

 Many people blame social media for what is said to be an increase in online trolling and bullying. That is simply not the case (Boyd, 2014). While social media platforms are tools to communicate, any more censorship would impact our ability further to function effectively as citizens (McCosker 2014). It is important that educational curriculums and programs to build social resilience in all users are utilized to protect the young and old, so that social media platforms can continue creating awareness and community accountability for antisocial behaviour to minimize and prevent bullying (McCosker 2014). It is clear we are in a cultural change but to what is unpredictable.

Referencing

Alexander, H 2015, ‘Alstonville teenage runaway Clancy Ellis was a victim of cyber bullying on Ask.fm’, Sydney Morning Herald, 14 June, viewed 22 January 2016, <http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/alstonville-teenage-runaway-clancy-ellis-was-a-victim-of-cyber-bullying-on-askfm-20150612-ghn493.html>.

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.

McCosker, A 2014, YouTrolling as provocation: Tube's agonistics publics, Convergence, vol. 20, no. 2, pp. 201-217.

Potaka, E, McMahon, L 2015, ‘Unmasking a troll: Aussie 'jihadist' Australi Witness a 20-year-old American nerd’, Sydney Morning Herald, 12 September, viewed 22 January 2016, < http://www.smh.com.au/national/unmasking-a-troll-aussie-jihadist-australi-witness-a-20yearold-american-nerd-20150909-gjil47.html>.

[yesdontyouknowit]

What do we stand for?

Activism and protests have been some of the defining moments in demonstrating the influence social media have on modern life and the power of collective voices (Gerbaudo, 2012). The media then sensationalizes social media’s influence on future events to blur the publics perceptions regarding the value of their online contributions, which as a result can lead to the obstruction of democracy when it comes to issues that contradict the interests of the rich and powerful (Youmans, 2012). This week I will be discussing the realities of online and offline Activism.

 When, what, where, why, how and who? It is undeniable that social media is great for logistics, but is it’s ability to inspire action real or over exaggerated? When it comes to major events, there are often historical and social stresses that existed with or without social media, although social media is a great way for people to come together to communicate and organize. There is evidence that in some cases, social media does insight collective action and, it is through stirring emotion, as mentioned in some of my previous posts. It only needs to make the opinion leaders act and share (Gerbaudo, 2012). Click here to watch an emotional activist video, Kony 2012 (Kony, 2012).

 After an extreme demonstration of activism, the government and other organizations and people of influence the event affects, take steps to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Some of those steps are deactivating people’s social media accounts, deleting posts, or making sure their posts can only been seen on the users page rather than shared. Some sites are transparent about censoring and others not so much. Deactivating user accounts even if it is only for a short time, can disrupt the effectiveness of online activism using social media (Youmans, 2012).

 There are many ways to be an activist and types of activism on social media. Some actions are more meaningful then others and some scholars question if they actually mean more than they are credited for. Some ways people get involved are by sharing content, posting content, liking content, donating online, and most importantly, turning up to demonstrations and supporting with physical presence and voices. When a campaign doesn’t get a physical response but still attracts the other elements of action they describe the participants as demonstrating what is called Slacktivism and clictivism. Many campaigns don’t have the physical support or follow through from organizers to be effective. Click here to find out how successful the KONY 2012 campaign really was.

 To understand this concept, I will describe the dominant functions of popular social media platforms to encourage people to act, followed by the definition of culture jamming and some examples of culture jamming. It could be said that social media is used to persuade, inform, incite belonging and give affirmation. Posts can often be shared and published simultaneously using multiple platforms. Mainly platforms provide link-shorteners to make the distribution of information easier such as bit.ly, which is used to share videos and pictures on Twitter. Activism on social media is a way users can demonstrate their digital citizenship and freedoms of our presumed democracy (Mossberger, 2008).

 Facebook – is used to recruit groups and create flexible connections (Gerbaudo, 2012).

 Twitter - is used to give users real-time updates that are substantially less filtered and which bypass mainstream news outlets. Twitter is also good for the organization of people (Gerbaudo, 2012).

 YouTube and Yfrog, Flickr and Twitpic - are used to backup claims, by showing instant video and photographic evidence to the audience (Gerbaudo, 2012).

 Culture jamming - is when existing media is edited and used to comment on the text itself, often uncovering the inequalities and flaws in the media and politics, which often encourage consumer culture and capitalist nature. On social media, it is often created using software, although culture jamming can include performance art, hacktivism, grapffiti art and adbusting, whether it be on or offline (Marshall, 2004). Click here to watch some examples of Adbusters, which often demonstrate the negative impactions of the things we support with our money through consumerism (Truthloader, 2013).

 It is clear that activism is an important part of democracy by challenging the messages we are constantly exposed to as media consumers. There also appears to be a level of corruption in this system, which can disrupt the delivery and effectiveness of information to the public on important issues. With much of the censorship going unknown, this has an impact on users being able to function as citizens and digital citizens in our democracies around the world.

  References

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

 Kony 2012, Invisible Children, 5 March, viewed 22 January 2016, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4MnpzG5Sqc>.

 Mossberger, K., Tolbert, C., & McNeal, R 2008, Digital Citizenship: The Internet, Society, and Participation, MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass.

 Marshall, L 2004, ‘Culture Jam’, Urban Dictionary, November 29, viewed 22 January 2016, <http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=culture%20jam>.

 Truthloader 2013, Joseph Kony 2012: What happened to Invisible Children? – Truthloader , 5 March, viewed 22 January 2016, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okmswBs4rdg>.

 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]

How Trump keeps trumping the world of Twitter.

Week 5 - Digital Citizenship 1: Politics and civic cultures

Week 5 saw the exploration and collaboration of social media and politics. Over the last decade, politicians have been using innovative technologies to reach young and new audiences by introducing opportunities to ‘talk back’ and participate in political discussion. Studies show that nearly three-quarters (74 percent) of Internet users seeked news and information online throughout the 2008 US presidential election (Jericho, 2012). 

So it’s no wonder that current presidential candidate Donald Trump has turned to Twitter to get his message out. Among the ever-increasing list of fascinating things about Donald Trump’s improbable presidential candidacy, this may just top the list: the outspoken political apprentice is boasting the number one spot in the Republican polls, even though he (as he has made us all aware on a number of occasions) has spent a tiny faction of the money his opponents have.  

So, what is it (besides the never-ending, slightly entertaining and highly offensive jaw-dropping remarks) that makes his presidential campaign so successful? The answer - social media. Utilising Twitter as his most central tool, Trump is educating us all in the abandonment of traditional journalism methods by demonstrating the true capabilities of Twitter when used correctly. Currently boasting 5.1 million followers and gaining an average of 12,158 new followers each day, it is clear that Trump has mastered Twitter in a way no candidate for president ever has (Borchers 2015). 

Ironically, this weeks readings shed light on Australian Prime Minister (then lower-house politician) Malcolm Turnball and the mastering of his Twitter skills. With 65,000+ followers, Turnball demonstrated that “the size of one’s Twitter following is irrelevant. It may look good at first glance, but it pales into significance when measured against real, honest and genuine online engagement” (Jericho, 2012). Like Turnball, Trump uses the social media platform to not only broadcast political statements, but to encourage and engage (at times, outrage) policy debates and conversation with online supporters. Using Twitter, Trump is able to amplify his message, make news, lob attacks or wage threats against those who disagree with him - in turn, creating a community of ever-growing supporters and voters. 

Rather than using Twitter merely as an emotionless and formal announcement board, Trump’s tweets touch on pop culture, display unexpected personal insights, defend debate performances, talk to strangers, indulge in celebrity gossip and test rivals…all in an effort to personalise and encourage online engagement with his 5 million followers and supporters (Barbaro, 2015).

Having been retweeted more than 3.5 millions times since embarking on the presidential race in June, there’s no doubt this his efforts represent a methodical and disciplined campaign strategy, despite the appearance of chaos.

References:

Barbaro, M 2015, How Donald Trump uses twitter (hint: impulsively), NY Times, viewed 1 December 2015, <http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/06/us/politics/how-donald-trump-uses-twitter.html>. 

Borchers, C 2015, On Twitter, Donald Trump’s following pales to some prominent Muslims, The Washington Post, viewed 1 December 2015, <https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2015/12/09/these-16-muslims-have-more-twitter-followers-than-donald-trump/>. 

Jericho, G 2012, The rise of the fifth estate: social media and blogging in Australian politics, Scribe Publications Pty Ltd, Victoria Australia. #mda20009 #donaldtrump #twitter #socialmedia #politics #Borchers #WashingtonPost #presidentialcampaign

[yesdontyouknowit]

Its crazy how sharing somethings that are inappropriate make politicians popular and others make them loose there job. Great job on the post I like the Trump topic. You writing is really good.  

[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!  

[yesdontyouknowit]

I agree your conversational writing style is engaging and the way you have presented your ideas is really comprehensive. look forward to reading more.

[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!

[yesdontyouknowit]

This post has given me some real inside on behaviour and activism. keep posting.

[tahliaforrestdigital-blog]

Kony Who?

Hey everyone! Congrats on making it half way of the teaching period. Firstly lets all give ourselves a big round of applause for studying so hard and working so hard in one of the most crazy and busy times of the year. Lets not forget what they say: “if it were easy, everyone would do it” (and by they I mean my dad, he says that to me)

Week 6!

LOCAL DIGITAL ACTIVISM Basically, I think the use of social media to promote business or campaigns or really anything is standard and absolutely essential within todays society. What better or easier way is there to spread news or information to a HUGE group of people at a rapid pace? (probably none)

DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP This term, refers to the ‘potential benefit for society as a whole that comes from new digital and social media tools and their ability to ‘facilitate the membership and participation of individuals within society’ (Mossberger etal 2008, p. 1). The term is loosely related to a civic culture, and similarly, culture jamming.

CULTURE JAMMING I love the concept of culture jamming. 1, because it has an awesome name and 2, because it genuinely makes sense to me. Culture jamming is a way of describing the use of advertisement against itself to point out flaws or inequalities, Consider usage of graffiti; major social or political controversies are expressed via graffiti. See examples below:

SLACKTIVISM AND CLICTIVISM The idea that surrounds civic energy.. This to me represents the power that is held within social media and its ability to circulate rapidly, which is not a new finding.  The use of Kony to represent this concept was one that I found perfectly fit. I remember the name Kony, I remember the wrist bans, the campaigns, how sad I felt for all of those children. What I don’t remember though, and I’m sure many don’t, is how that story ended. The internet was capable of spreading the news about Kony to promote his arrest, because ordinary people wanted to feel they were apart of something bigger, and better. However, the whole program was a failure in ultimate terms, allowing for the disappointment of a huge number of individuals.. welcome to the internet. 

HAVE A RIPPER HOLIDAY EVERYONE! MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR, SEE YOU ALL IN 2016! 

tahl x

[thisisclarewright-deactivated20]

Hi Tahlia,

Yes, digital activism is a perfect marketing tool, and better yet, it’s free! But are we abusing its use with unrestrained clicktivism?

The Kony campaign was a great example of how digital activism creates awareness on issues, yet public awareness alone is not enough to help an issue.

Clare

[yesdontyouknowit]

Great post! its so interesting how companies can use activism for ways to capitalise and make money. Thanks for sharing.

[2xglenos-blog]

Blog Seis (6) Week 8: Crowdsourcing in times of crisis

Bush fires, floods, tsunamis, earthquakes and terrorism seem to be an unfortunate reality on our ever-changing world leaving long term devastating effect. For so long we have relied on outdated bias media outlets to report and advise on times of crisis. Thankfully entrepreneurs have been proactive to help mitigate the disaster affects to society using social media and other key innovative media tools to distribute information and co-ordinate help instantly using crowdsourcing.

So what is Crowdsourcing?  Howe (2006) describes crowdsourcing is taking a challenge faced by an organisation or society then instead of relying on internal R&D departments to develop a solution, they invite outside expertise and the general public to be involved to help solve the problem.

This is not a new technique; as for years Business has taken to our digital communities to encourage the crowd interaction as way to generate innovative ideas to develop competitive advantage.

This is a great youtube clip on the founder of Ushahid an innovative crowsourcing tool to help society in times of crisis.

 Recently in a time of crisis crowdsourcing has been most effective with society using their digital communities i.e Facebook and Twitter to communicate. These sources give individuals and communities fast up-to-date information from authorities or people in similar catastrophic situations to help report from ground zero.

 Where pictures speak louder then words crowdmapping is now more popular then ever. Similar to crowdsourcing however crowdmapping is highly effective in may other ways, from giving society a visual of crisis as they unfold, can be useful in catching wanted persons, it also gives local citizens a visual voice to map local issues from pot holes to signage. (Crowdmapping 2015)

In Australia bushfire has become an unfortunate way of life. And with the use of both crowdmapping and crowdsourcing application the recent fires in Adelaide were made easier to manage.  Fire fighters were able to pinpoint the exact spots on where the fires were, predict soon to be affected town , locate distress residence and then priorities to where the crews should be deployed (Williamson 2015). 

This new way of using technology is effective in many ways, it easily saves lives giving residents in affected area all the information needed by fellow citizens and authorities to implement their fire plan and helps locate priority citizens in distress. 

Having information communicated so freely over the Internet can raise the question of authenticity of the information provided. Previously learning about personality traits of trolls on the Internet, its inevitable and unfortunate that trolls will some how corrupt the information.  This can leave authorities and society in limbo of the authenticity of the information provided.

 With this in mind I still believe that both crowdsourcing and crowdmapping in a time of crisis has been the most effective and positive use of our digital communities to date. What are your thoughts?  

 Glen

References:

Crowdmapping 2015, A single map is worth a thousand words, Nesta, viewed 6 January 2015.

< http://www.nesta.org.uk/digital-social-innovation/crowdmapping>

 Howe, J 2006, The rise of crowdsourcing,wired.com, viewed 6 January 2016,

< http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/14.06/crowds_pr.html>

 Williamson, B 2015, Crowd sourcing and satellites help identify Adelaide bushfire destruction, ABC News, viewed 12 January 2016.

< http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-01-21/crowd-sourcing-helps-to-find-fire-destroyed-adelaide-hills-homes/6028208>

 Youtube:

CBS news.com, 2010, Crowdsourcing crisis information, 21 April, viewed 6 January 2016

< https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8SNmum1oe4>

 Images:

[yesdontyouknowit]

This is a really good post. The concept of using group collaboration from the public to solve problems. keep posting.

[sammmiemc50]

Blog # 5 (Week 7) Digital Communities ‘Drama’ and understanding online bullying

In the previous weeks, the units explored the impact of social media and networked communities within the contexts of personal use, the increasingly employment of social media platforms for political campaigning, and activism and protest through digital means (Blackboard 2015). The unit moved to focussing on the contested concept of online interpersonal conflict and exploring further how we manage our identity socially online: ‘trolling’, cyber-bullying and recognising some positive opportunities exist to ‘help’ the bullies themselves whose intention is to expose and embarrass others through social media platforms (Wilken & McCosker 2014).

Bullying - Divergent Conceptions

According to danah boyd (2014, p.130), the concerns about teenage online conflicts and perceived public shaming and harassment have resulted in a ‘national obsession’ with cyber-bullying - interactions that are largely misconstrued by adults.  Boyd’s perspective is based on a definition of bullying drawn from the work of Dan Olweus that identifies three components that are required to meet the threshold of bullying

agresssion

repitition

imbalance of power

Personal accounts obtained from teenagers by boyd do not support that most online conflict contains the element of ‘imbalance of power’: rather the interactions are entered into wilfully and knowingly and are often initiated for ‘drama’ - “perfomative, interpersonal conflict that takes place in front of an active, engaged audience, often on social media” (boyd, 2014, p.138).

Given the absence of an imbalance of power, many examples of perceived cyber-bullying are no more than a form of entertainment, or a means to alleviate boredom.

This perspective can be contested. “Social Norms Theory” (Perkins and Berkowtitz, 1986), proposes that an individuals’ interpretation of social norms, “those beliefs about the attitudes and behaviours that are normal, acceptable, and even expected, in a particular social context” and that influence behaviour, can be misinterpreted to conceive that an attitude or behaviour is more common (or less common) than they perceive it to be: thereby the person engages with ‘false norms’ (Anti-Defamation League). In the social media context, such false norms can lead to someone to engage in behaviour - online rumours, cruel taunts, deliberately embarrassing someone - thinking that it is acceptable to their peers, with the intention of conforming to expectations, driving behaviour in engaging in cyber-bullying.  The perception can be that non-participation may lead to being ostracised from the group - and potentially become a victim themselves (Berkowitz 2015).

As a parent of teenager who is in the cohort of being susceptible to both being bully or victim, the changes in legislation that has recently been implemented is of particular interest.  One only needs to become aware of one tragic example of how cruel online persecution can lead to the death of a young person to be persuaded that perceived violation of civil liberties (i.e. freedom of speech) measured against regulation to prevent such behaviours, supports that a regulatory framework is justified (Begg 2015).

Text messages, Facebook posts - and tragedy

On Easter Saturday 2014, 19-year-old Jessica Cleland suicided having been cyber-bullied by two teenage boys “she considered friends”: she had no history of mental illness.  The Coroner’s finding stated that “although it is not possible to identify, with any degree of certainty, the factors contributing to a person’s decision to take their own life, it is evident that messages received by Jessica online proximate to her death … were precipitating factors. I am satisfied that Faceboook and text messaging were problematic for Jessica: easy access to the Internet on her phone meant that she was exposed to potentially upsetting communications 24 hours a day: and she was able to return to, and re-read, the upsetting messages .. and ruminate about them” (The Drum 2015). Jessica’s Facebook account had been flooded with “horrible sentiments before she died” by the two boys, who had publicly stated that they hated her and that she was “a f**cking woos” and “useless” (Ford 2015: McNab 2015).

Under new legislation, the two boys in the Cleland case could be sentenced to 10 years in prison.  With the function of promoting online safety of children, The Office of the Children’s eSafety Commission provides education and resources for young people, parents, teachers, and anyone concerned about cyber-bullying stating the Commission’s vision “is to encourage behavioural change where Australian children and young people act responsibly online, just as they would offline to create an environment where cyberbullying behaviour is just unacceptable” (Office of the Children’s eSafety Commission 2015).

References

Begg, M 2015, ‘New cyber-bullying commissioner takes nanny state too far’, The Australian, freedomwatch.ipa.org.au/tag/childrens-e-safety-commissioner/

Berkowitz, A 2013, Social Norms Approach, Education Development Centre’s Higher Education Centre, www.ou.edu/judicial/pae/pdt/iv/b/IVBiiSocialNormingTheory.pdf

boyd, D 2014, ‘Bullying: is social media amplifying meanness and cruetly?’, It’s complicated: the social lives of networked teens, Yale University Press, New Haven

Blackboard 2015, Digital Communities, https://ilearn.swin.edu.au/bbcswebdav/pid-5190912-dt-content-rid-26655217_2/courses/2015-SO3-MDA20009-210404/UnitLearningMaterials/week-07.html

Wilken, R and McCosker, R 2014, ‘Social Selves’, The media and communications in Australia, 4th edn., Allen and Unwin, Sydney

[yesdontyouknowit]

I really enjoyed this read. It’s interesting how even deleting people from your work off your Facebook can be considered to be bullying. Social media is redefining how people hurt and support each other. 

[narellemda20009-blog]

Crowdsourcing

In times of crisis or emergencies, social media platforms such as Twitter, YouTube and Facebook provide an innovative means of improving the flow of real time information, enabling appropriate action to be taken. As well as mainstream news media, people affected by events can share information, experiences, photos and videos that can be crucial to public knowledge, response and recovery efforts. This is the basis of crowdsourcing – obtaining information, services and ideas from a large group of people, including the online community.

The best known example of crowdsourcing is Wikipedia, the extensive, up-to-date online encyclopaedia. Tools are available that make crowdsourced information and images available to the public on maps, so-called social mapping. Ushahidi is probably the most well known of these tools, developed originally to monitor civil conflict during the Kenyan elections of 2007. Using SMS, social media platforms and the web, an event could be depicted on a map as it unfolded over time. One issue that needs to be addressed in any  crowdsourced content is the authenticity and accuracy of the information.

In his blog on iRevolution, Patrick Meier  (2015) describes how he used UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles or drones) and Pix4D drone mapping software to produce a detailed map of the village of Panga, Nepal which was devastated by the “Ghorka” earthquake on 25 April 2015.

3D images of Panga created using Pix4D software

Bringing technology, humanitarian and local community partners together, they were able to produce a 3D map from thousands of images captured by the drones. This indicated the damaged areas, buildings that had been destroyed and those that were structurally unsafe. The maps were printed on huge banners, and then crowdsourced: locals added their knowledge by identifying such things as the location of debris, temporary shelters and drinking water. This added a rich, contextual social layer to the map, which added to further discussions, strategies and priorities for the recovery and rebuilding the Panga.

Compare the quality of the maps: satellite imagery and digital images from the drones -

This story really resonated with me because I own and fly a quadcopter, similar to those used in Nepal by Meier. They are amazing gadgets and their applications are endless – I use mine to find the wild pigs hiding and destroying the sugar cane on the farm where I live (do you know how to tell the difference between wild bush pigs and wild pigs that live in sugar cane? Bush pigs have razor-sharp teeth; pigs living in sugar cane have rotten, sugar-decayed teeth). Flying drones are great fun and a great way to spend one’s free time.

Meier, P 2015, ‘Introducing WeRobotics’, viewed 23 December 2015, < http://irevolution.net>.

Meier, P 2015, ‘Aerial Robotics in the Land of Buddha’, viewed 23 December 2015, <http://irevolution.net/2015/09/28/aerial-robotics-in-the-land-of-buddha/>.

Pix4D 2015, ‘Mapping Nepal: Drones and the future of disaster response’, viewed 23 December 2015, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOXmju2bCpQ>.

DJI 2015, ‘DJI Stories – Crisis mapping in Nepal’, viewed 23 December 2015, < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXkcvzxBsrY>.

[2xglenos-blog]

Thank you narellemda20009 for such a great and insightful blog on crowdsourcing.It was really interesting and I learned a lot.

I really enjoyed the clip on Nepal, this earthquake highly resinates with me as my wife and I were suppose to be trekking there when the tragedy happened, Lucky but unlucky my wife could not get insurance due to her heart problem. 

I believe crowd mapping is one of the best innovations that can help the whole of society.

I also loved your experience using drones in the sugar cane.

Top effort 

Regards

Glen 

[luanabickel-deactivated20160307]

Great example of crowdsourcing Narelle. We are all aware that Social Media platforms has given the public a voice and a freedom of speech, where everyone can give their opinion regarding any particular issue and to broadcast news.

I agree with Glen that crowd mapping is a great innovation. Best way to go about social changes through technology.

cheers,

Luana

[yesdontyouknowit]

Nicely structure post. While crowdsourcing is becoming more popular and more posts are being uploaded social media as the fifth estate is being more evident. wiki is reported to be more accurate than Encyclopaedia Britannica, this fact alone makes the future sound exciting in regards to what will being available in the next 10-20 years. good work.

[aleksnajd-blog]

Week 9: Visual communities and social imaging.

In visual communities and social imaging, there are different ways which we can view visual aspects of people own identifications whether it being on Instagram, Facebook and Tumblr. People use it to engage with others through a way that they can share images to those they choose to connect with (Urban Dictionary, 2016).

In my own experiences, I enjoy tagging photos on social platforms whether it being my trips to Europe or when I am with friends, I like to look back to it as a memory so I don’t forget the good times. It is important to be careful what you post online, because once its uploaded, it’s out there on the web, and there is nothing you can do. Some people aren’t always up to date with social media, and this is smart because they prefer to keep things hidden from people. I have friends on Facebook that have a restriction to what people can post on their walls in case it being inappropriate.

Snapchat is an app on smart phones where you can send images to friends, giving you the ability to write a short message as well as a photo of your surroundings. I myself used it as another means of communications with my friends where you would send random photos or just send a short message to each other. Snapchat is really interesting, although you have to be careful when using it, because photos can be screenshotted and saved on your phone. People that send nude photos can have photos saved through the screenshot function on your phones and it can give the receiver the ability to share this with other people. So be mindful what kind of photos you are sending, it can easily backfire (Elyse betters, 2015).

The first self-portrait to ever been  taken was by Robert Cornelius in 1839 where he took the images by removing the lens cap and then running it into frame where he sat for a minute before covering up the lens again. On the back of the image he wrote, “The first light picture ever taken, 1893” (Wikipedia the Free Encyclopedia, 2016).

References:

Urban Dictionary, 2016, social-imaging, Retrieved 5 January, 2016, from http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=social-imaging

Elyse betters, 26th December 2015, what’s the point of Snapchat and how does it work? Retrieved 5 January, 2016, from http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/131313-what-s-the-point-of-snapchat-and-how-does-it-work

Wikipedia the Free Encyclopedia, 2016, Selfie, Retrieved 5 January, 2016, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selfie

Robert Cornelius, http://petapixel.com/assets/uploads/2013/12/robertcornelius.jpg

Snapchat, http://musically.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Snapchat_logo-2.png

Sexting, http://31.media.tumblr.com/00fc39b8f394059e747e3e2bd5f2693a/tumblr_inline_niryggP8QI1t4xvfm.jpg

[cameronmda20009-blog]

Hi aleksnajd, great blog.

The first selfie is an interesting component, and it seems to have a great deal more importance than the current fad of posting selfies everywhere. While not a fan of selfies, on reflection I also take many pictures when overseas and post them, usually via FB, noting where I am and what the experience is, and I go back through them every now and then and wish i was traveling again!

Cheers

[yesdontyouknowit]

good read. it’s interesting that some people are more aware of their privacy then other when in comes to communicating online. Its interesting how platforms are making people not be anonymous and that could be effecting to what level people share their thoughts. It would be interesting to hear what these people have to say. I look forward to reading more posts.

[yesdontyouknowit]

A picture says 1000 words.

When you look at your social media accounts, whom do you follow? What do you find interesting about those people? What are they posting? Most of us don’t think too deeply about it, we like who we like. This week I’m going to focus on the power of images and video and the changes in cultural use and interaction.

 Media convergence has come about through the innovation of technology and the multifunctional use of those technologies and their digital unification on the Web 2.0 platform (ACMA, 2011). A stand out element of our social activity is the taking and sharing of photos and videos. Nathan Jurgenson, a specialist in the field, says that what once were mediums to document important events and create community amongst family and friends for personal viewing is now changing. People are more likely to document unimportant moments to share and create community with a wider audience, while placing importance on special occasions by being disconnected from social media (Farman, 2014). This shift in culture highlights the ubiquitous of photography today. Click here to watch the full video.

 So why are we so interested in filler moments and how do these people make us want to watch? Vblogs often address particular audiences and create in jokes and conversations with the people who choice to follow by using intertexual and contextual referencing. These are called videos of affiliation or videos of affinity (Lange, 2009). Without understanding this referencing a random viewer could interpret a single post as garbage. People create these blogs to get attention and captivate their audience through the illusion of giving attention, while maintaining a constant presence and creating a sense of community through comment interaction. The intertexual referencing is considered to be when a blogger mentions a past or future post, which creates rapport through past experiences together and anticipation for the future. While the contextual referencing is when the blogger addresses particular people and events that take place outside of the faming of the medium (Lange, 2009).

  Videos of affinity are not only created through words but also body language, this makes it possible to use the principle similarly on photos of affinity. This theory is closely related to other communication theories applied to face-2-face interaction (Lange, 2009). Social media bloggers often get criticised for the narcissistic nature of creating cultural capital through these kinds of personal posts and need for public approval. It is important to also remember that these posts are created to create inclusion, for example telling a friend you wish they were with you at a concert, and not just in the vain of how many ‘likes’ you can get, which is an aspect of affiliation and a foundation of visual communities (Farman, 2014).

 The presence of filler posts as part of visual communities makes it clear why people will agree to use their popularity to promote the motives of commercial brands. Considering the amount of content they need to churn out to maintain attention. While some will use merchandise as a means to create a lead up to something meaningful with their online identity, others lose themselves and get over run by the capitalist nature of our society. Examples of this can be seen in my first two blog posts.

  References

ACMA, 2011, Broken concepts: The Australian communications legislative landscape, and updated version 2013, viewed 21 December 2015, <http://acma.gov.au/theACMA/About/The-ACMA-story/Connected-regulation/broken-concepts>.

 Farman, J, 2014, Photography, Self Documentation, & Social Media: An Interview with Nathan Jurgenson, 16 June, viewed 24 December 2015, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnPtZ5lKDHo>.

 Lange, P 2009, ‘Videos of Affinity on YouTube’, in P, Snickars & P, Vonderau (eds), The YouTube Reader, National Library of Sweden, Stockholm, pp 70-88.

[ljt245]

Week 7 -  Bullying and harassment online.

Blog post 5

What is bullying?  The collapsing of contexts.

“There’s no bullying at my school, everyone’s much too chill.” – Luke, age 16, Sydney.

With a third of all teenagers having experienced annoying or menacing behaviour online, communities are rightly concerned about the issue of bullying and the safety of children (Lenhart 2007).  However, the term has become a one size fits all description of harassing behaviour in online spaces that has confused the issue (boyd 2014, p. 131).  Olweus (cited in boyd 2014, p. 131) says bullying is defined by power distance, repetition and aggression, very different from the forwarding of an unflattering pic on Instagram for a laugh, or malicious gossip that often goes by the same name.  This blurring from a generational misunderstanding between those experiencing the behaviour and those in a position to report them, is damaging because the behaviours and the technologies that conduct them are all different, and so require different interventions to address them (Fuller 2014).

How does cyberbullying affect you? (MySecureCyberspace 2010).

Why do kids do all this stuff?

“Adults just don’t get social media.  Like if I put a status up and it doesn’t get 50 likes I delete it, you guys don’t know what that’s about.” – Owen, age 16, Sydney.

More often, aggressive online behaviours between teens fit Boyd’s (2014, p. 138) definition of drama: performative, interpersonal conflict in front of an engaged audience.  While teens have more autonomy than children, they still lack agency in much of their lives, and they know it.  Identity creation and evaluation of others falls within their zone of influence and social media gives them the opportunity to exercise it (Boyd 2014, p. 142).  Screens put distance between actions and consequences in ways that developing minds don’t always appreciate, resulting in issues that get out of hand before the participants realise (Kids Health 2015).

Cyberbullying: what it is (O’Brien 2014).

Do kids need protecting?

“It happens all the time, a girl will dis someone on their social media and like 15 girls get involved and the person comes back and says why didn’t you tag my so I could hear your lies straight away, and it’s on.” – Terry, age 16, Sydney.

In his discussion of agonism, McCosker (2014, p. 215) suggests the value of adversarial interaction online for productive impact.  In other words, that aggressive exchanges online can be a good thing.  For me though, the safety of teens in online spaces it too big a price to pay for the tempering of adolescent character.  Bullying may be more common offline than on, but we do not ignore it in the real world and have a moral duty to apply the same standards to our online spaces (Queensland Government 2015).  They may have different norms but at their heart remain just places for the interaction of people.  Lacking the structural defences and resources of adults, our adolescents need our protection (Boyd 2014, p. 150).  The efforts to combat bullying and other harassing behaviour that teens can be subject to are worthwhile.

To This Day (To This Day 2013).

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.

Fuller, G 2014, ‘Cyber-safety’: What are we actually talking about?, The Conversation, 27 February, viewed 22 September 2015, <http://theconversation.com/cyber-safety-what-are-we-actually-talking-about-23505>.

Kids Health 2015, Cyberbullying – bullying from a distance, Kids Health, viewed 19 December 2015, < http://www.cyh.com/HealthTopics/HealthTopicDetailsKids.aspx?p=335&np=288&id=2704>.

Lenhart, A 2007, Cyberbullying, Pew Research Centre, viewed 19 December 2015, < http://www.pewinternet.org/2007/06/27/cyberbullying/>.

McCosker, A 2014, YouTrolling as provocation: Tube’s agonistic publics, Convergence, vol. 20, no. 2, pp. 201-217.

MySecureCyberspace 2010, Think Time: How Does Cyberbullying Affect You?, 30 November, viewed 20 December 2015, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0oGFh0mwrjM>.

O’Brien, J 2014, ‘Cyberbullying: what it is’ [image], Jean O’Brien, viewed 20 December 2015, < http://www.jeanobrien.com/2014/01/29/cyberbullying-advice-infographic-for-barnardos/>.

Queensland Government 2015, Bullying and Cyberbullying facts, QLD Gov, viewed 1 January 2016, <https://www.qld.gov.au/disability/children-young-people/bullying/facts.html>.

To This Day 2013, To this day, 18 February, viewed 20 December 2015, <https://vimeo.com/59956490>.

[luanabickel-deactivated20160307]

Definitely bulling and trolling have always been an issue in society however, it is now more visible than ever. I believe bids need to be educated about the issue not protected, they will eventually need to learn how to deal with the problem themselves, and it would prepare them for life later on. Very informative post though.

[2xglenos-blog]

Well said mate, you have deliver some really interesting facts. Unfortunately education for the Troll and education on how to deal with Trolls seems to be the answer along with harder penalties. If teenaged were taught the why trolls and bullies act this way may soften the blow to the unwilling victim. 

[yesdontyouknowit]

Great! from my own experience a lot of bullies are also bullied. It’s interesting that that annoying can also be considered bullying and your post clearly outlines the misconception of how bullying is defined