Academics Love Yum Cha!

An exploration and discussion into digital communities, social media platforms and practices over Yum Cha. Sounds yummy - no?

[yumchaquarterly]

Chinese regulation of Social Media

China’s heavily regulated social media policy undeniably has political implications in regards to propaganda and dictatorship. However I am in no position to argue for or against this complicated issue. Rather I can’t help but be curious as to how these guidelines impact China’s sociality through online social networks, and what they’re view on the western model is. Do they think we are anarchists and rebellious? At constant conflict with our accused bigotry and political correctness – would they be wrong? In fairness we generally view their model as restrictive, liberating and authoritarian. But is it? Michael Anti discusses in his TedTalk that China has an inner internet regulated by the government through a server located in Beijing. This allows them to access any information they want, whenever they want; used to detect any political speech and monitor revolt. As consequence, Chinese citizens have their own unique social media sites, very similar to the ones we are familiar with. Facebook is Ren-Ren Twitter, Weibo and Youtube, Youku. As you can see here, the Ren-Ren is a copycat of the facebook platform. The only differing aspect is that Ren-Ren is monocultural, being a platform only accessed by Chinese citizens. Westerners are quick to accuse this as anti-democracy, but we naturally created our own ‘monocultural’ groups anyway. So are we that different? The academic term is ‘homophily’ used to describe sub-groups on social media who form on the basis of a shared ideology. I suppose though the core distinction is that homophiles still have exposure to differing ideologies that, by default, define their status as a homophiles. With this logic, my Chinese monoculture network and western cultural homophily analogy is insufficient, dur to the governments strick regulations on western exposure. Dang it!! I’ve made my own argument redundant again… There still is gradual acculturation however from western agents. Chinese citizens access  from their YouTube, Youku, chinese dubbed western shows. Crampton mentions in his article, ‘The Social Media of China’ that Prison Break is a popular show with the west. Chinese citizens are revolting against the governments stern regulations, such as protests against politicians covering up a horrific train accident form wider news. 

[yumchaquarterly]

#MyYumChaBringsAllTheBoysToTheYard

I remember this one time I went to YumCha. See?


Images have hijacked the social media as a prominent form of communication. If it wasn’t concerning enough that youths cease to read books, they don’t even read news feeds! Instagram and snapchat have become platforms that structurally enforce image-based communications. So what are their implications on the sociality of social media? On first thought I consider that our individual ‘image’/’reputation’ becomes constructed on a visual basis, rather than textual. This means that it is not our ideas that reflect us, but visual qualities. Vivienne and Burgess articulate this concern, “articulations within web culture and the digital storytelling movement"

It's particularly revealing of how moments of technological transition produce changes in the practices and politics of self-representation. I’ve always thought that to be ‘successful’ on instagram, you need to either be good-looking, a really good cook or have an obideient pet. I personally do not qualify, therefore I am not active on instagram. This is a conscious decision because I believe that the ‘insta-culture’ can be harmful to user self esteem. I iresonate with Jurgeon’s philosophical reasoning with digitial forums., a technical ontological between virtual and reality – ‘digital dualism’ . This as a framework describes how users can become overly mystified by the images they consume through their news feeds. We forget that the good-looking, successful people we follow, amids a cut, mediate thir reality onto the virtual – the two very distinct. Framing, angles, filters and the very decision to include one thing – by default – means they exclude something else. Their lives are mediated onto the virtual in glory and praise. Users unconsciously conflate these two concepts as fact, but as Vivienne and Burgess distinguish, it is ‘strory-telling. A dear frend of mine is one of these ‘inst-celbrities’ with 4839 follows, and only following 363. I discussed with her how her virtual image and narrative reflects her reality and she comments that in reality, she is busy, tired, introverted and unmotivated. But her consistant selfie updates, luncheons and cosplay advetnures don’t communicate these honesties. The girl I see when we meet for ice cream at N2 is exhausted after a week of 9-5 albeit the fresh, beautiful, ice-cream fanatic image she posts on Instagram.  We come to compare their virtual lives with our reality, and inevibtable disappoint ourselves.  Published content is heavily reliant on ‘likes’ that imposes a value and worthiness of what is posted. The average user therefore compares their profile too those who have become ‘insta-famous’ on the premise that they have aquality that is socially valued, setting an expectation of worthiness. 

Snapchat is another example of image text communications. The ket distinction wit instagram is its purose as a platform, taht is to comunicate ratehr than represent. Its archectectual form allows users to send images, complimented with a short text, to convey a message. As a practise, unlike instagram, there is no capability for fellow users to either approve’ or ‘reject’ user’s content. 

[yumchaquarterly]

We Forgot that Images are just Pixels

Crowd-sourcing is described by Heather Ford as social media being utilized as a ‘liberation technology’, allowing persons involved in a crisis to become active mediators and ‘public journalists’ to help disseminate information to fellow persons involved. Axel Bruns et al apply Ford’s cocept to the 2011 Queensland Floods, and having lived in Brisbane during this crisis, I can contribute to this discussion discussing how the crowd-sourcing bonded the ‘Queensland’ local identity as a sociality of bonding.

The concern with crowd sourcing as a method of collaborating and accessing information is its reliability and priority. Who, with the absences of a ‘certified’ distributor, determines what information is important, and at that most? Ford notes this is an issue for admins of crowd-sourcing, “users of the technology face critical choices about what information to highlight, about the authenticity of reports and, consequently, which information should be declared as ‘verified’”. I observe during the 2011 floods that members of the publics took images of the disaster, locating ‘warning’ and ‘at risk’ zones in the Brisbane area. However, due to the dramatic depictions, online media users tended to ‘retweet’ and ‘share’ them more frequently. Consequently, panic ensued in residence, of them my mother, whose neighborhoods were safely remote from these areas. What we see is that wielders of this information priorities what is ‘important’ on the basis of drama rather than usefulness, deforming its perception of accuracy. Severely hit suburbs, such as Fairfield Parks, gained most currency due to the dramatic pictures it provided. However its hilly landscape ensured it would precede any further, despite common thought. In comparison, suburbs that were perceived as safe were hit, only lightly, but still enough to cost some damage to homes. Residents were not too aware of this risk due to the publics on social media not focusing on the true risk areas, allocating attention on accordance of the wrong currency. 

Bruns et al acknowledge this mediation during the 2011 Queensland Floods formally, noting that #qldfloods as the tag line for users to access relevant information. They discuss the practical and technological complications that recycling information on social media. 

“Facebook page, with messages automatically cross posted to Twitter. This was problematic for a number of reasons, however: first, the lower 140 character limit for messages on Twitter, compared to Facebook, caused several of these cross posted messages to be truncated and thus unusable (especially when embedded hyperlinks were broken in the process); additionally, this also meant that users on Twitter may first have had to navigate from Twitter to Facebook, to see the full, original message, and then to follow any embedded links to their eventual destination “ This arises the issue of ‘Chinese whispers’, how information can be distorted and, as Bruns et al mention, become inaccessible due to the fumbles and interpretations of public journalists. However I can attest to the positives of crowd-sourcing. Although the method and process may be clumsy at times, the intention brings it back to ‘right intentions’. As with many crisis, community bonds and identities are justified, and in Queensland’s case, remodeled in the realization of support and the ‘us’.  Most notably, Anna Bligh’s speech was aired live during the floods, and served as a testimony to the bond and power of locality that had developed over the few weeks. Brisbane’s general structure is very socioeconomically segregated, but during these few moments and prior, an acknowledgement that money and status doesn’t pay for mercy, was shared. Personally, witnessing the city that I bypassed everyday being shutdown for a day to recover showed me the role, and its importance, that each individual has to moving the city and community moving. Crowd-sourcing disseminated an empathy amongst the public, inspiring assistance and support from a city as a whole. 

[yumchaquarterly]

'League of Legends' - Gaming Sociality Case Study

As per the curriculum, this weeks topic of ‘Social Gaming’ was my group’s week for investigation and presentation. Here is speech on the social implications of ‘Architectural Sociality’ within the gaming platform, League of Legends (LoL) with further discussion. LoL’s archetctual structure is unique to other MMO’S such as World of Warcraft and Eve online in that its basis of plyer intereaction is temporary groups. Players are randomly paired the required to co-operate to seize a win. This then becomes a complicated platform and network of sociality, depending on individual’s intetnions and mean-making of the game.

Conversation is made possible by the chat section. Converssations can either be ‘instrumental’, related to the game and goal, or ‘sociable’, being comments that aren’t gameplay related. Conflict is the more common sociable interaction, being bullying and harassment. Because players co-operat on the basis of ‘rational will’. The random, temporary structure of grouping must assume that each player has the same aspiration to work as a group to claim victory. However this is rarely the case. The dymanic which disrupts this ‘ideal harmony’ is players generally adopt a ‘1 player’ mentality due to self identification with the roles adopted in virtual platforms.

Everyone wants to be the ADC Mid-Laner, who is the leader, the strongest and most praised – naturally thi is the most attractive role to play, therefore conflicts arise.

Game developers recognised this sociality issue within the architects of the platform, so they adjusted it to provide an alternative articecture for players to play in. The ‘Team Builder’ server allows players to pre-select champions and the role they wish to full fill to group them with other players who will make a cohesive team.

This deconstructs the random element of the grouping process. This creates positive sociality, relflected in instrumental conversations during my own gameplay experience, making a positive expeience and environment.

LoL doesn’t conform to the academic standards of an online social networok, the criterion; the ability to develop self representative profiles; form of articulation to others; and traverse through other profiles to conncect. It still is a network, however. We could consider it as an economical network instad of social. Players still have the option to add users as friedns outside of game, but it is still limted socially. The ties connecting individual’s exchange a social capital based on the value of the user as aplayer. Others become resources for an individual to utilize ingames to win more and move up competitive ladders. Consequency, there lacks little social or emotive valure in the game, with minimal personalization opotions, making it an often hostile environment and emphasizing the rational will that it is constructed upon.

We observe an inverse form of self representation and identification commonly seen in typical social media platforms; rarther than representative it is reflective.  Link to Prezi :http://prezi.com/-ii9gsq8pbvp/gaming-sociality/

[sukideen]

'Look Up' - A spoken word film for an online generation. I thought it was ironic people were posting about not being on technology, on technology, but i gave this a watch and i recommend you do too.

[cassieswinburne-blog]

This doesn’t relate to any specific topic but relates to digital communities overall. It is a good reminder for everyone to engage with those around them. Social media is great and serves a lot of purposes like finding out information quickly, connecting with those around us and those on other side of the world. We can engage with celebrities and share funny videos. But it’s important to pay attention to sitting right in front of you too.  You don’t need to give up social media or even leave your phone at home like the video suggests. Just leave it in your pocket and take in what’s around you. 

[yumchaquarterly]

Fellow classmate, Cassie, reposted this very relevant video titled 'Look up' by Gary Turk - who ever he is. The video has 39 million views with 10 000 dislikes. To be frank i'm surprised it's not more. Let me give this a 'read' then I'll validate by antipathy.  For those unfamiliar with 'reading' - The act of criticising to the ridiculous fullest extent  #TheLibraryIsOpen

Firstly, don't blame the internet for having no friends Gary. And certainly don't pull wool over our eyes, inferring 271 friends indicates you have a prominent online presence. Here's what you should have said - "I have 271 friends (SEMICOLON) I am lonely. And calm down Dr. Seuss, with your moody-ass music, its a computer not a noose. Past your dramatic fabrication, I see your message - don't wear brown because it makes you look pale and tired (probably why you have no friends) . That 'lost' guy was punching too far above his weight to make it across the street with her. So look up, as Gary whinges, after you follow him on twitter, subscribe and visit his websites. If you really want helpful advise to stay offline, buy a nokia. Don't get me wrong, I understand Gary's message. But his bias towards social media and the internet bothers me. Going back to week 1, boyd's discussion of balancing and existing 'between' our online and offline lives demostrates that social media is an integrated function in our society and sociality. It is ignorant to declare it purely harmful and and degrading to our lives is ignorant. Progress happens, and this is how we are progressing. as boyd explores, it is not about separating online and offline modes, but merging them. Incorporating an ability to receive and communicate information instantly - this is the gift of technology.  Furthermore, for the Queen of Reading, check out Bianca del Rio at her finest. YOU'RE WELCOME!!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a71V1gYiDJg

[yumchaquarterly]

'I heard she came she came pre-packaged.... and frozen!'

So here is where we’re at, Por-kisha said to Béeflina that Chicka came from a frozen packet. Chicka's reputation was ruined amoungst her steamy friends, so Chicka went on NoodleBook and made a fake profile of Po-kisha’s love interest, Vege-darian and convinced her to confess her love and admit customers before had handled her. Gasp!!! All on the one trolley…

Similar to the dramatic live’s of Yum Cha’s Upper East Side dumplings, youths of today often confront bullying, and with the access and trend of social media, it has become a platform to mediate this harmful aggression. Dana boyd explores this exact scenario in her book, ‘the social lives of networked teens’. She describes the landscape of cyber bullying as ‘how teens and adults experience conflict’, that social media frames the sociality of bully very differently depending on perspectives; a very important point when assessing negative behaviors online. Then how do researchers best understand? Ethnography- adults throwing some shade to moody teens to equip themselves with the culture and practice?

  Boyd extrapolates that, “Networked technologies complicate how people understand bully­ing. Some people believe that cyber bullying is a whole new phenom­enon. Others argue that technology simply offers a new site for bullying, just as the phone did before the Internet. Often, what’s at stake has to do with disagreements over how to make sense of the role of social media in amplifying the visibility of bullying”

I can speak from a personal experience with this relation between individuals and their bullying ‘visabilities. A figure emerged on MSN in year 9 as ‘OMFG.goss’, who sent us word documents, designed like pages from a magazine, of dirt about selected peers. Fascinated with the dramas of ‘gossipgirl’ she got herself into a lot of trouble with peers once she was founded – fortunately it didn’t take 8 seasons, rather 2 weeks….  But what was interesting, as boyd notes, is the visibilities tht emerged from this online drama; the backlash of the outraged victims and the true identity of the girl. She was the ‘counter-culture’ kid who no one really noticed. Despite this, she became the vicious ‘OMFG.goss’ cinstructing a role he would play online that didn’t mirror her real character.

The devilishly handsome Anthony McCosker discusses in his article “Trolling as provocation: YouTube’s agonistic publics” that online arenas allow youths to engage in ‘active’ and ‘creative’ means, which can determine the ‘economy of focus’ from users. This describes how interactions function during bullying. ‘OMFG.goss’ become the currency for attention. She was directly threatened, spoken about continuously over facebook and vandalized via any online means. In this frame we observe that cyber bullying is an extension to the real life dramas of teen youths, as boyd explores. What then becomes the issue is instilling the codes of cyber bulling in adult perspectives, to best understand how to that online bullies. So what is it still bullying when the ‘real life association’ is removed? Perhaps ‘trolling’,

as explored by the unfortunately partnered (I presume?) McCosker, is more appropriate. Removing the personal intention and adding the anonymity changes completely the sociality and mores behind this particular interaction. I can’t discuss this any better than McCosker, so I won’t try. 

[yumchaquarterly]

RECENT: Food Strikes Starve Paying Diners

You can fry us, Try to steam us. But until you eat us, You can not oppress us! ~ Local Vegetarian Dumpling in regards to being left behind by 'full' diners We refuse to boil, In your dictatorship toil!! ~ Fed up Noodles about recent reform to chicken stock usage.

Social media platforms have become channels for mediating democratic action, ranging from political protest (Arab Springs) to social publicity (#nomakeupselfie). The commonality between these two diverse activist campaigns is how social media is utilized as a network using the ties between individuals that pre-exist. Essentially, campaigners take advantage for the ‘proximity-defying’ quality of social media. The concern with this forms of campaigning it’s ability communicate effectively the intended message and to remain relevant, hindered by miscommunication and social interpretations. Henrik Serup Christensen discusses the implications of ‘slacktivism’ in his article ‘Political activities on the Internet: Slacktivism or political participation by other means?’. He defines slacktivism as “negative sense to belittle activities that do not express a full–blown political commitment. The concept generally refers to political activities that are easily performed”. I observe that slacktivism arises when social interpretation deludes the user, or ‘political activist’ from the intention. Take for example the ‘no-make up selfie’ fiasco. What originally was a social campaign from Britain to raise awareness for Cancer transcended into a vain expression in Australia. Here we see the concept of ‘selfie’ take priority over the awareness for cancer. The #nomakeupselfie become more about expressing a ‘brave’ for bearing a natural face, that communicated as a proof of natural beauty (with most selfies reflecting enough sun to compensate for lack of make up) or a feminist pursuit to deny glamourizing themselves for men. This is the consequence, and often motivations, behind slacktivism – an alternative intention, often to reflect identity via association. A cancer survivor Kim Stephens shares her compelling perspective in this article.

  http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/theres-no-bravery-in-no-makeup-selfies-20140327-35lyx.html

  Social interpretations therefore deprive the campaign of its relevance. The no make up selfie became bulletin news, not for cancer, but for the abuse of no make selfies. No information to donated, or what the original case was for was mentioned in these news segments; a disappointing outcome, however this does demonstrate the consequences of ‘slacktivism’. 

[yumchaquarterly]

Who's Cooking?

As vulnerable YumCha consumers, we trust the dishes we order are cooked and prepared under healthy conditions. That washed hands rolled our dumplings and clean water boiled out noodles. likewise, we tend to assume the information we assess via social media was created by 'qualified chefs' of the info-cuisine. Their sources were plunked fresh from the soils and only a dash of personal opinion added to avoid a salty bias. Responsibility of quality must also be ascribed to the carriers of our food, the waiter and/or waitress; keeping keen watch they don't drop our dish serving a crumbled, muddle version of the tasty original.  Information disseminated is a general issue for social media. However it is a particular concern for political figures, especially in times of election. You'd be skeptical to go to a YumCha restaurant if it was run by general consumers, the public. The legitimacy, experience and intention isn't clear nor guaranteed to be safe. Facebook is similar in regard to information. Meme's, Facebook pages and shared footage is rarely professionally produced. This concept of self produced and distributed media is understood as 'social journalism'. The newfound ability given to the general internet user to publish and distribute information via personal mediums (created memes, iPhone footage and images) (Grabovic, 2014). This is an important consideration for Australian politics. With young adults (18-24) making up 30% of the electoral (Sidiot 2013) and making 25% of australian face book users, it can not be disregarded how they are represented on Facebook networks. In the past we have seen this provide help and hinder the labour parties election campaigns. This 'social journalist' content also anchoring particular news bulletins.  'Kevin '07' anchored the 2007 Labour election campaign. The slogan became representative of Kevin Rudd's relatable Australian laid-back personality, with his youth appealing dad jokes. 

This online presence responded well with youths on social media, resulting a vast cult following depicted above. However this socio0political force has proven to harm the labour party as much as it helped previously. Julia Gillard was subjected to vast criticism. Arguably, the criticism barely regarded her political endeavours, but rather her unfortunate personal qualities - red hair, female, accent, hairdresser husband and the carbon tax brouhaha. Pages such as the following are prominent on Facebook, leading to her overthrow of labour party leading in anticipation of the 2012 election. 

[yumchaquarterly]

Food for Thought

Yum Cha and social media are alike experiences. Both entice with a promise of satisfaction but often leave you bloated; to which we vouch to never return! But soon later we're eager for another round.  Imagine the restaurant is the media-sphere. Each table represents a different social media site and each dish a unit of content. These dishes are determined and organised by the diners of the table, whose social conventions vary to other groups at their tables. This would determine the manner the food is consumed - a table of young friends gathered for lunch may be eager to share taste all the dishes offered, whereas traditional Chinese diners keep to their own meals, aware and enjoying thoroughly the meals they chose. Opinions within the academic communitiy of YumCha-ology are divided. Some embrace its concept, suggesting that the platform of gathering allows for conversation and sharing of meals one wouldn't usually try (Chicken Feet - its a lot yummier than it sounds!!). And other theorists believe that eating food together steals this opportunity for conversation and socialising, with our mouths too full to talk to one another; an unintentional consequence of delicious food.  But the core intention of each table is the same, to gather individuals to converse and associate through dumplings! - or information. Enough of the metaphor. It's too delicious!! What is interesting is the varied methods and modes of these social media platforms to create a network through sociality. But, hang on... Sociality? Network? Platforms?  OH THE AMBIGUITY!! 

It's like being asked if you'd like light soy sauce, dark soy sauce or Tamari soy sauce... They're the same sauce, aren't they?!?!?

Well let's get to know these ingredients. Sociality essentially refers the association's between individuals (Siapera 2012).  However the nature of sociality changes with changes in social structures, the varied means which it is mediated culturally and technologically. Ferdinand Tonnies iterated sociality to examine its shift during the social transition from the Agrarian Age to the Industrial Age. Basically he observed that communities (Agrarian) and societies (Industrial) were distinguished by the 'will' that associated individuals (Siapera 2012). In communities this will was considered 'natural', being based through instinctive needs (Eg. belonging and safety) whereas societies formed through a 'rational' will, in which individuals associate together to achieve an overall goal (Siapera 2012). A sound definition until societal structure shifted again with the introduction of the internet, the Information Age. Howard Rheingold popularised the term 'virtual communities', an extension of Tonnies 'traditional community', expressing that the sociality of 'natural will' transcends into the 'online' coding expression in text and computerised semiotics. Even today this has further expanded. Could we now consider social media to construct 'virtual societies' based on rational will. Perhaps also thought of as networks? This sociality of 'rational will' through online societies could be expressed through the term of social capital. Social capital is 'the sum of actual & virtual resources accessible to an individual through ties, forming a network of sociality' (Siapera 2012). Here is where networks come in, the structure and process in which the social capital is achieved and exchanged between individuals. 

I don't know about you, but I'm getting full!! I leave this post for now, so we can rest and eat more!! I'll continue this discussion of networks and platforms in later posts. These posts will consider networks and platforms in unique social media contexts, such as gaming and Instagram! 

Siapera, E. (2012) ‘Socialities and Social Media’, in Introduction to New Media, pp 191-208

[yumchaquarterly]

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