Sam M's Week 10 Reflection – The Internet – a private eye's best friend.

After this weeks workshop and the discussion of Terms and Conditions, as well as Privacy Policies of large use websites I was a little curious about how easily we could access other people's information without the need of hacking an account. It turns out it's not that hard.

This article looks at a speech by Steven Rambam, director of the Pallorium Investigative Agency, given in July 2008 at the Last HOPE (Hackers on Planet Earth) conference. "Anything you put on the Internet will be grabbed, indexed, cataloged, and out of your control before you know it.." sums up his feelings on the matter. As a private investigator he used to hunt for information in many time consuming ways, but now everything is available at the click of a mouse button. Not just for him but for anyone that has an internet connection and the desire to look. “"Dominos has built the biggest consumer database in America," and the U.S. Marshall's Service, the New York Police Department and collection agencies are using it to track people down, Rambam said.” Who thought that they were just getting a pizza?

Many of us wouldn't have thought that with profiles up on Face Book and using other online sources we were remaining completely anonymous, but this article not only points out all the different places our information could be kept and used, but also how easy it is to find. You can extrapolate from this information, all neatly put together in one article, as a good hard look at the information you put out there and how much of it do you really want known by the public. Most of us don't mind with a lot of our details what gets shared around, but I for one didn't know about Face Book Phonebook, and that anyone of my Face Book friends, could access my mobile number by me not changing the default settings to self only.

Another point he raises is the locatability of people through their mobile phones. The government wont have to use microchips under our skin to keep track of us in the future, they will just need our mobile numbers. Or the continuous placing of security cameras in hidden areas can keep track of our movements without us noticing.

If you're not a criminal then does it really matter how much of what you say or do gets out there? You don't have anything to hide. There is the thought though, that potential employers could look at your Flickr account, see what you get up to on weekends, and decided to go with another applicant. Or the potential for an online stalker becoming a real life stalker and tracking you down.

Rambam is a P.I., but anyone with basic internet skills can do half of what he does, no sweat. Ultimately, unless we move somewhere without electricity and phones, we will keep using the internet. The onus is on us, to determine how much of our personal information we want floating around online, and how much we think that may effect our lives. If we take simple precautions when using the internet, like not given personal details out to strangers in chat rooms, then our information, and potential safety of ourselves can be assured.

Here is a link to osportfolio.org summing up the points this article makes, but in a one and a half minute video, with a catchy beat, and accented female voice over. It has one message "are you in control?".

Trolling

Hey guys,

I mentioned trolling in the tute on Wednesday and most people didn't know what I meant... So here's a link to the wikipedia article on it.

And here is an example :)

Just incase you wanted to know what our government was doing to help us protect our online privacy, I give you the online page for protecting your privacy on the internet. Straight from the office of the Privacy Commissioner.

Virtual Physicalities

Hello all,

In today's tute, the topic of virtual rape was heavily discussed. And now, perhaps more then any other time, I would like to utilise this blog to express what I could not in the tute - so please excuse me if I may seem brash or perhaps naive (particularly regarding legal policy and prosecution laws - within both the 'real world' and cyberspace). Virtual rape does not carry the same ramifications, or rather should not, then rape in the real world. Firstly, the physical side effects of rape are far more malice and severe in the real world then that of the virtual. Well may we argue that our virtual selves have now overlapped with, and are often confused with, our real, tangible selves, but distinctions still must be made between these two realms. For example, bullying which may occur in the school playground is different from that which takes place in cyberspace, or the virtual world. Let me explain; a child is approached by a pier in the playground who then proceeds to tournament the child (both mentally - calling them names and insulting them, and physically through size - using hand gestures, facial expression, pushing, punching and kicking). Conversely, a similar event may take place over a social networking site such as facebook or MSN. However in this instance, there is no possibility of a physical form of intimidation (including facial expressions and hand gestures) but rather written (not spoken) forms of bullying. Clearly, these two situations, although both concerned with bullying and intimidation techniques or tactics, are not of the same caliber (for reasons outlined above). Nor should they carry the same consequences or punishment.

Through this example it should become evident that acts which take place on the internet and in real life, are not and should not be classified within the same realm. And they most certainly should not carry the same penalty or level of punishment. In fact, a rape case should further support this argument, as the consequences of rape on the victims behalf are far more damaging if they take place in the real world - because of the combined effects of the physical and the mental or psychological damage/trauma.

Cheers,

Blake.

Week 10 Reflective Post - Virtual Reality

Virtual reality: danger ahead

As I have a great interest in the idea of Virtual Reality and Virtual Community, for my reflection, I found a piece - "Virtual reality: danger ahead" from USA Today in July 1995 by Kelly Kershner on virtual reality and the possible dangers that may come along with the advancement of the virtual.

In the article, Kershner argues that virtual reality 'allows users to interact with computer-simulated images and some day may offer immersion and escape into make-believe worlds'. I definitely agree with Kershner. I think that the virtual world has indeed provide users an avenue of escape from the real world. It often reflects a utopian world where users can relief any form of unhappy feelings within themselves. Although the virtual reality seems to be a positive avenue for users, Kershner also states that there are many negativity in it. For example, as virtual reality seems extremely real and many virtual exercises seem to be more involve in killing than in thinking, users because more violent due to the portrayal of violent through the virtual reality. Thus, I argue that users may reach a point where they are unable to differentiate the difference between virtual reality and real reality.

However, another point raised in the article was the idea of a virtual community. Kershner shows that although in real life, virtual reality may seem as an end of community, it is fact emerge a different kind of community, one that is not defined by geography. I believe that the virtual community has indeed brought people around the world closer to each other. However, it also brings about another problem of interaction. People tend to rely on this idea so much that they forget about their real reality. Thus, I think that as much as virtual community has brought people around the world closer to each other, it has in turn brought people further from each other in real life.

The idea of virtual reality definitely intrigues me.

Week 10 Reflective Post - Slacktivism

‘Slacktivism: Can social media actually cause social change?’

In light of the week nine discussions surrounding online resistance and culture jamming, I found this newspaper article from The Sydney Morning Herald that deals with yet another form of online activism, that of Slacktivism, a term the author, Lin Ma, uses to describe ‘those who update their status, join a Facebook group or make a blog post about a cause for social currency.’ In other words, one considers themself an activist through the click of a virtual button.

Ma poses the question of whether or not Slacktivism through social media has the capacity to cause social change, and goes on to present both perspectives. On the one hand, she presents evidence for the argument that social media does not have the capacity to cause important social change (such as changing political situations) which only “offline” action can do, however, it is a useful forum for influencing trivial change related to consumer patterns, such as the online backlash over iSnack.2.0 which forced Kraft to rethink the name of the product. On the other hand, Ma finishes with a very optimistic view of social media’s capacity to cause social change as it ‘reduces the barriers for participation’ (Sheikh, cited in Ma 2009) thus increasing people’s willingness to participate as activists.

The latter argument drawing upon Simon Sheikh’s (the national director of GetUp) claim that social media is a forum for social change, is particularly problematic. Firstly, Sheikh assumes that the ease of online activism has resulted in increased participation, yet seems to ignore the issue of the Digital Divide, that not everyone has access to and knowledge of computer technology and online spaces in the first place. Secondly, the level of participation itself needs to be questioned. Even though as is argued, online activism is allowing more people to participate; is joining a Facebook group against slave labour really the same as protesting outside the Nike factory? It seems that Slacktivism relies upon quantity rather than quality as a measure of participation.

The shift from offline to online activism means contemporary protest is often confined to individual acts pursued ‘in the privacy of your own home.’ This got me thinking about the meaning of the term “protest,” which is no longer associated solely with the public sphere but has recently come to include the private sphere too. In online activism, the collective experience associated with traditional protesting activities ceases to exist, particularly the sense of euphoria and ritualised power that accompanies large masses of people. It is hard to imagine 600 234 569 340 675 fans on a Facebook page or eight word Twitter postings leaving more of an impression than the noise, imagery and atmosphere of a large mass of actual bodies marching for a unified cause.

One issue that is touched on but not really expanded upon is the likelihood that Slacktivism renders the meaning behind ethical causes meaningless, as we are bombarded with a multitude of emails and Facebook groups to the extent that they become reminiscent of Baudrillard’s concept of the simulacra (Baudrillard, cited in Bates 2010). So as “participation” becomes easier and thus more commonplace, will we become more removed (and possibly cease to care) about the issues we are able to support through the click of a button? As social media marketer for Vibewire, Omar Samad asks ‘how much impact would joining a Facebook group have unless people actually take action in the real world?’ (Samad, cited in Ma 2009). In the end marching is reduced to mouse-clicking, and who is going to see this?


Although I have been somewhat critical of this article, I do believe that Ma makes one particularly valid point about the hope for social media to change the world. In quoting Jye Smith from Switched on Media, it is noted that ‘what drives change is awareness…and people are never going to care unless they know’ (Smith, cited in Ma 2009). So if for nothing else, Slacktivism through social media has the potential to let people know about important issues so they can pledge their online support which will hopefully translate into offline support.



Reference List:

Bates, T 2010, lecture in WOMN2205 at the University of Western Australia, Crawley on 20 November 2010.

Ma, L 2009, ‘Slacktivism: Can social media actually cause social change?’, The Sydney Morning Herald October 1. Available from http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/slacktivism-can-social-media-actually-cause-social-change-20090930-gcgk.html>. [5 October 2010].

Week 10 Reflection

Hey everyone!


A lot like Marina, I found our last tutorial's conversations on online and resistance and culture jamming of interest, and I found an article on Reader Supported News, a website that believes that the reader is "best served by financial control of the news service they depend on".

The article, 'Facebook Censoring Online Activism? : Activists upset with Facebook' goes into depth at the recent (mid September) silencing of two large Facebook-user created pages in regards to Target's funding of anti-gay politics, and BP's gulf oil spill. Both pages were created to show awareness, and attempt to get large numbers of people to boycott the companies until they do something to clean up, literally and metaphorically, their acts.

"As the number of Facebook members signed up for the “Boycott Target Until They Cease Funding Anti-Gay Politics” page neared 78,000 in recent days, Facebook personnel locked down portions of the page — banning new discussion threads, preventing members from posting videos and standard Web links to other sites and barring the page’s administrator from sending updates to those who signed up for the boycott."

The locking of this did not go down well with the groups' creators, and, as the article goes on to explain, is because of fine print Facebook "clearly" explained in the past. Many readers of the article, and even in the article explain how Facebook uses their control when they please. '"It really does have a big effect when 10,000 people or 100,000 people join a group, and they change the rules midstream,” said Dorian Benkoil of New York-based Teeming Media. “Then, they try to thread the needle by saying you can still have a page, but we’re not going to let the admin post … They say it violates their rules. Then they say, we’ll go halfway.”'

This whole article just reminded me of living in such a controlled society. While we do not live in Facebook (obviously), people assume that because they have a profile there, it is theirs. Facebook is a private company, but people upload photos, phone numbers and address' without even thinking about it. A while ago, Facebook tried to change their privacy policy, saying any photo that had ever been uploaded to Facebook became their property, so any professional photographers who had uploaded photos no longer owned the rights to them. While this was rejected as ridiculous, and quickly removed, the thought still lingers. With people forgetting that all of their information lies within a private company, they don't know what is coming.

I have heard reports that Facebook recently changed its "Fan Pages", to an option that a user "likes", because they are hoping to be the new Google, a giant search operator, but personal. By using information that Facebook already has about each individual user- what you like and what you don't, Facebook knows what to tell advertisers about what would interest you, what you would most likely be looking for when browsing the internet and much more.

While convenient, this whole idea seems to be too much like The Truman Show for me.


While reading the article, I noticed the tab on the bottom of the page- 'Join us on Facebook'- had a bit of a laugh, why not join them and see if one day that search option suggests something like that!

Week 10 Reflection on Blog Discussion

Week 10 Reflection on Blog Discussion

Hi everyone,

For my reflection I would like to bring up a blog discussion on a virtual rape case. In April 2007, “Belgian newspapers De Morgen and Het Laatste Nieuws reported that the Federal Computer Crime Unit in Brussels sent out detectives to investigate a virtual rape case that occurred in Second Life”. A commentary on this issue was written in Virtually Blind, a research resource that covers legal news, issues, and events that impact virtual worlds, video games, and the 3D internet.

The commentary garnered 40 replies and sparked a flurry of debates from the validity of the crime to whether the authorities were right to take action to what constitutes rape.

Some found the entire concept of virtual rape ridiculous and their comments were a clear indication of their views. “Virtual Rape? Throw this character into virtual prison.”
Some believed the police were right to take action. “Even if the act is not a crime, the visual and textual basis of it could be considered obscene and illegal.”

In my opinion, if the psychological impact of a virtual rape can be proven to have the same impact as that of a real-life encounter, ethically and legally, I would say that it is right for the offender to be prosecuted. The main issue is being able to prove the depth of the psychological impact. I feel that it would be a waste of time and resources to find an offender over such an issue if the victim made the report because she was annoyed and feeling spiteful. The punishment should fit the impact of the crime.

What I found interesting about the discussion is a comment raised by one of the respondents. “Things like these happened before as stated in this article about a similar event that took place in an older text based mmorpg. It was discussed at the time but no real action was taken. Well this time police was involved as you can find on the second citizen forum and in all the others articles covering the story”

This begets the question what accounts for the change in perspective?

If you look at the textbook's example of the LamdaMOO virtuak rape incident in 1993, no mention of legal action was made. The incident itself then was a shock to the system and people did not have any idea how to react to it. No police report was made and the victim only confessed that she was emotionally traumatized much later.

Fast-forward to 2007, when a similar crime occurred, the matter was reported to the police and the public prosecutor gave the green light for detectives to investigate. This shows an overall change in the importance society gives to a virtual rape. The victim herself felt it was bad enough to make a police report and the public prosecutor felt the damage was significant enough to warrant an investigation.

How is it a “virtual rape” case in 1993 did not call for police intervention but a similar situation in 2007 warrants the attention of the police?

Furthermore, everyone was either for or against legal action.

I believe it is the increased integration of virtual worlds in our everyday lives that accounts for the difference in perspective. As the internet increasingly became a part of everyday life, the number of people interested in games requiring avatars have increased. The importance attached to one's virtual friends, virtual actions and virtual well-being increases and it has a greater impact on a person's psychological well-being.

A clear example of the impact of one’s virtual life on one’s real life would be the account of a former victim of virtual rape. She responded to the discussion and states that she is “still traumatized and upset by the whole incident and it has had terrible ripple effects” on her real life as well as her virtual life.

Her personal experience validates my stand that the importance one attaches to one’s virtual life is high. The differences in police reaction as well as the reaction of the victim between the virtual rape case in LamdaMOO to the more recent Second Life case, led me to conclude that the priority placed on one's virtual well-being is now higher that it was in the past. Therefore, I believe it is the main factor for the different reactions to the 1993 case and the 2007 case.

Wk 10 Reflective Post - The MySpace Generation

Hi guys!!

So for my reflective post I've found a news story that looks at what they call 'Generation @' or 'Generation Myspace', which is quite simply, you and I (The MySpace Generation). I have always had a fascination with how the older generation's perceptions of youth and how they so happily group us all into the one clump of technology fanatics. This article, does just that.

The introduction consists of about 3 paragraphs where it describes the setting of Amanda Adam's dorm and the endless amounts of technology she is using in her life. It then goes on to talk about the networking organisation titled 'Buzz-Oven' that Amanda is involved with, which basically uses strategic marketing and networking to inadvertently advertise up and coming bands.

Then the divisions are highlighted, the statistics about how many hours teens spend online, socialising, surfing the net and networking. Apparently we are so consumed and mesmerised by the internet that we are forgetting how to communicate face to face???

"experts think they're already creating new forms of social behavior that blur the distinctions between online and real-world interactions"

In regards to this statement, yes and no....we do use abbreviations and certain phrases online which transfer into our everyday lives, however I personally have never seen anyone who forgets how to communicate in the real world? It is something that is engrained in us and I think the thing that is being overlooked is just that today's youth have been raised to adapt very quickly to change. We are taught to speak to our family at birth, simple things, we are then taught to communicate more formally with strangers like teachers and store cashiers and then we have a computer thrust in front of our faces and we adapt to communicating via a totally different medium. We adapt so easily to new mediums that we can transfer skills from one to the other, why should this be ridiculed?

It goes on to discuss how the creation of Buzz-Oven was a successful way to reach their intended target audiences. Aden Holt created the site in order to help advertise concerts. It allowed youth to join the group and write on the wall for it, uniting those with similar interests. They seemed to like the fact that they were being publicly acknowledged for what they were doing and therefore did volunteer advertising work, in order to have their name up there. When they were asked, they said they liked that what they said wasn't censored and that they "let them do their thing".

In regards to using the internet as a savvy form of advertising, it appears as though teens have been onto it for a while, whilst the adults are only now just starting to latch onto how much easier it is to reach youths through the internet as opposed to more traditional media forms.

Personally, I think what I gained from this article was that Generation @ or whatever you want to call it, are just like a filtering system of their own. We choose the sites we want to be associated with and the content we want to promote. We don't have to regulate a number of sites trying to find what we are looking for, because the market comes to us. We are the ones doing the spending and browsing, so the market is designed to reach us most effectively. It is effectively tailor-made for us. That's why sites such as Buzz-Oven are created, because the younger generations are the ones who are going to make things happen, we are going to attend the concerts, buy the cd's etc.

Basically as we continue to quickly adapt to the fast-paced lifestyle of this century, we become more and more comprehensive of different mediums and we remember what they offer. The internet is a hit because it offers what we want, we can filter it so that we are associated with specific groups and excluded from others. In regards to being a technology dominated generation, yes we do use it a lot, but we are still just as capable to revert back to traditional methods of communication. It's just that when something is added to the world's inventory, we learn how to use it, assess whether it is going to benefit us and then adapt to it. Whereas older generations are much less willing to have a go. That being said, there are huge amounts of parents getting involved on facebook at the moment, so I think they're slowly coming round to it!

So that was my reflection! I hope you guys were lol'ing and rofl'ing at some of the stuff but now i gtg but ill bbs with another blog, TTYS!

iTunes Terms and Conditions: 55 pages on an iPhone?

Hey Guys

Leading on from our discussion today in the workshop. iTunes Terms & Conditions: Try Reading 55 Pages on Your iPhone article makes fun of, and questions who actually reads the iTunes Terms and Conditions. It's a good, very short read.

Enjoy,
Luke

Week 10 Reflective Post : Social websites harm children's brains

Hey Guys


For my reflective new post I decided to look at an article that appeared on the UK newspaper The Daily Mail. Social websites harm children's brains: Chilling warning to parents from top neuroscientist by David Derbyshire looks at the growing fear among academics and parents that the growth of use of social networking sites among young people are in fact changing the way young minds work. The article reveals that this growing use could in fact be leading to a more self centered youth with short attention spans who demand instant gratification.


I think this is a really scary article and made me consider my own interactions with Facebook and social networking sites and whether it is somehow changing the way my brain is wired. I also started to notice aspects of things the article mentions that I myself do, which was a bit worrying, because "They point out that students no longer need to plan essays before starting to write - thanks to word processors they can edit as they go along," something which I regularly do.


I myself have to some extent noticed these so called affects in todays youth. I work part-time at a school and I have noticed that many of the children have very short attention spans and do have this seeming need for instant gratification. However I am a bit dubious as to whether this is caused by their use of social networking or whether it is simply a fact that generations are changing and that these children have low attention spans because they are just that, they are children. 


However, I also really respect the fact that the psychologists in the article make it clear they don't dislike social networks, but rather they feel that young people need to learn how to "make real relationships with people."


Just some of my thoughts, 


Luke 

Tute Presentation - "The Virtual Community"

Hey guys,

So, I thought that I had posted this on Monday but turns out it actually didn't work... Sorry that its so late, but these are my thoughts on the Howard Rheingold reading "The Virtual Community".

Following on from Caitlin’s discussion of virtual communities, I thought I would open up a discussion about how we, as a part of this generation in which technology is such a dominant force, feel about virtual communities and the idea of life within a computer.

Firstly, I thought we would look at how our feelings towards virtual communities have changed since we have become more involved in them. Rheingold says that “the idea of a community accessible only via my computer screen sounded cold to me at first, but I learned quickly that people can feel passionately about e-mail and computer conferences.” For many of us, this unit is the first time we have blogged or been a part of an online community, and although it is different because we also have the face-to-face contact in tutorials, we are still engaging in virtual relationships online.
How have our perceptions of virtual community changed since becoming part of one?

Leading on from this, it is important to discuss how our perception of ourselves can be altered by involvement in online communities. In the article, Rheingold talks about the ability to be so many different people at once in a virtual environment. He says “I was an audience, performer and scriptwriter, along with my companions, in an ongoing improvisation”. We have discussed before the way in which people tend to only present a version of themselves in an online environment, in order to present the best possible idea of who they are. It is clear that people might also take the opportunity to engage with different versions of themselves that they feel are marginalised in real life.
Do we feel that people can reinvent themselves and present different versions of their personalities in virtual communities?

One of the most important points I noticed that Rheingold was trying to make in the article, relates to the leverage that virtual communities, and internet technology as a whole, give to ordinary people. We must note that this article was written in 1993, when the internet was just being developed and people, even those like Rheingold, who were heavily involved in it, only had a slight idea of how it would develop. He talks alot about how people need to be educated about the internet in order to use its technical power intelligently to maximise its potential. His reading is highly developed when it notes that “this new sphere of vital human discourse remains open to the citizens of the planet before the political and economic big boys seize it, censor it, meter it, and sell it back to us.”
Given that this article was written 17 years ago, how do we feel about this statement? Do we think that his prediction was right, or is the internet as free to citizens as Rheingold would have hoped?

Finally, I would lie to discuss a very interesting observation made by Rheingold in reference to the way the internet was propagating and evolving at the time of the article. He said to “think of cyberspace as a social petri dish, and virtual communities as the colonies of microorganisms that grow in petri dishes”. He says the net is a “social experiment that nobody planned but that is happening nevertheless”.
Although it may have started out as a social experiment, what do we think of the internet now? Does it still seem experimental or is the internet just second nature to us now?

Week 10 Presentation

Hey guys!

In this article, Howard Rheingold talks about his personal experiences with the numerous virtual communities that he is a member of. He also talks about the importance of virtual communities and the history of the Net, providing readers with interesting statistics about the rapid growth of the Internet population.

Question one: Can a relationship that has formed in an online environment be transferred and maintained in reality?

Rheingold talks about how he went to a WELL party at someone’s actual home and how he felt he couldn’t recognise any of the people, even though he had contended with and formed bonds with these people online.

Question two: Can people form a lasting relationship online if they are only communicating through words?

Rheingold says, “people in virtual communities do just about everything people do in real life, but we leave our bodies behind.” In my opinion, body language and the ability to see and touch someone are both necessary in order to form a lasting relationship. What people say in an online environment may be very different to what they might say in reality. Some people are more formal when they write, whilst some are much more expressive in an online environment and are very quite in person.

Question three. Can people separate themselves from the virtual/real environment? Or do they become intertwined?

Rheingold concludes this article by stating, “I carry around their conversations in my head and begin to mix it up with them in real life, my virtual communities also inhabit my life. I’ve been colonized; my sense of family at the most fundamental level has been virtualized.”

I found numerous examples about people who were unable to separate themselves from the virtual/real world. One example that stood out for me, occurred in February last year, when a 41 year old man from Shanghai called Qiu Chengwei, loaned his prized virtual sword from The Legend of Mir 3 to his 26 year old friend Zhu Caoyuan. Without the knowledge of sword owner Chengwei, Caoyuan sold the virtual weapon for 7200 yuan. Chengwei complained to the police that Caoyuan had stolen his sword, but they refused to help, as the sword didn’t actually exist. Early one morning a month later, Chengwei broke into Cayuan’s house and stabbed him to death.

Question four: After reading this article, do you believe that virtual communities are authentic?

Rheingold mentions that it feels like an authentic community because it is grounded in his everyday physical world. He states that he is attended “real-life WELL marriages, WELL births and even a WELL funeral.”

Question 5. How can virtual communities change our experiences of the real world?

I look forward to discussing these questions with you all on Wednesday!

Caitlin Stanford.

A Rape In Cyberspace Tute Presentation

Hey Guys
Sorry this is late, my internet wasn't working this morning. Don't we love technology!

Dibbell spends most of the article explaining and writing about the events of the ‘Rape in Cyberspace’ and it’s aftermath, but in the midst of his recounting, he does in fact raise several important issues about the nature of interactions within digital communities. Dibbell outlines how problematic it is to define what was essentially a text based encounter as ‘rape’, and indeed the problem of punishing it in any meaningful, yet proportionate way.

Question 1: Would we ourselves classify this text based encounter as “rape” despite the non physical nature of the crime, or was it simply a string of text that caused offense.

Dibbell provides testimonies from the parties involved as to the ‘real life’ effects of the crime to confirm the interactions on LambdaMOO as potentially “profoundly compellingly, and emotionally meaningful”.

Question 2: Have we ourselves have any experiences online that were profoundly compelling and emotionally meaningful e.g in online games or anonymous chat rooms or the like.

The “distinctions between the virtual and physical versions” of crime are further explored in the idea of capital punishment for the offending Mr. Bungle. The return of the real life person behind Mr Bungle in a different guise is viewed almost casually, Dibbell describing it as an almost inevitable result of a punishment that was “no more or less symbolic than [the] crime”.

Question 3: Did we feel the punishment given to Mr. Bungle was enough, or did it deserve a punishment more permanent. Does this sort of incident and it’s difficulty in punishment point to the law surrounding online harassment not being adequate.

The fascinating development from all this was of course the development of “a system more purely democratic than any that could exist in real life” and a justice system, concepts usually associated with the physical world.

Question 4: Because of their anonymous and allegedly liberating nature, do we feel the internet and online communities allow for a more democratic experience than the real life, especially when it comes to the idea of justice.

Dibbell argues that meaningful social interactions in an entirely text/language based world blurs the boundaries between thought/word and deed. However, he offers no solution that might protect “our precarious freedoms of expression” from this potential threat.

Question 5: Do we have any ideas as to how problems like those that occur in “A Rape in Cyberspace” can be avoided while protecting freedom of expression and speech.

Looking forward to some interesting discussion baed on the questions outlined above and really with this article it isn't hard to have lots to say because it is a very engaging yet very confronting look at online communities.

See you on Wednesday,

Luke

California Bans Online Impersonation

Hey Guys

Came across this article tonight. Thought it was a pretty good example of a government legislating for the 21st century and being proactive about an issue facing online communities and internet users.

Hope we are all having a great study break,
Luke

Culture Jamming Tute Reflection Wk 9

Culture Jamming Tute Reflection Wk 9

Upon reflection of this weeks tutorial based on Culture Jamming and its aligned theories, the majority of discussion was based upon ideas of ethical trading, fair and free trade, token advertising, the green market, etc. Within this discussion, the tute seemed to establish two polar opposite, but yet inextricably linked theories. One hand the group argued that the boycotting of multi-national corporate organizations such as Nestle and Cadbury, which exploit children through slave labour, would aid in raising awareness of unethical employment. One the other hand, it was argued that the abandoning of such companies would in fact lead to a grater level of poverty within those already poverty-stricken countries. Another interesting binary that was raised in the tute discussion was the monetary price a consumer pays for ethical trading. Paradoxically, the consumer is guilt-ridden when purchasing products, and thus supporting companies, which endorse unethical employment and exploitation of their workers. This seems to be a complex catch22 situation, in which the consumer will constantly be trapped in. What role then, or what effect can Culture Jammer’s have on the limiting, or suppression of slave labour and exploitative means of production? Are programs such as Adbusters or PETA for example active in addressing foundational problems with capitalism, markets and multi-national corporations, or do they merely promote shock-value techniques such as Calvin Klein’s “Heroin Chic”?

A key point however, which was not addressed in the tutorial discussion for this week was whether or not we actually believe Culture Jamming effective forms of protest. What is it exactly that Culture Jamming seek to achieve? In Christine Harold’s 2004 article, Pranking Rhetoric: “Culture Jamming” as Media Activism, she suggests that Culture Jamming is “seeking to undermine the marketing rhetoric of multinational corporations, specifically through such practices as media hoaxing, corporate sabotage, billboard ‘liberation’ and trademark infringement” (p190) Harold further extrapolates “…pranking (the process by which Culture Jamming works upon) by layering and folding the rhetorical field – addresses the patterns of power rather then its contents. It does so by taking its cue, in part, from the incredible success of commercial rhetoric to infect contemporary culture.” (p209 my brackets) If we then assume that Harold is correct in her assumption of the ways in which Culture Jamming works, in what ways and to what extent do we belief Culture Jamming to be an effective form of subversion, inversion, prank or parody.

Cheers,

Blake Chitty.

(Belated) Week 6 Presentation

(Again, posted it in the wrong place...sorry it's late!)

Breaking the ice:
• Who is a member of a social networking site?
• Which one? More than one?
• How did you choose? Why did you switch?
• Why did you join one to begin with?
• How often do you check your site? How do think it impacts your (social) life?

Why?
• To be “social” – irony of being by yourself considered being social
• “That’s where my friends are” – yet it’s not a physical place (they are at their homes, which IS a physical place, but they don’t go there)
• Issue of immobility: can’t get to their friends? (public transport, parents, people who have licenses etc.)
• Issue of convenience (don’t have to leave home, increasingly lazy/technologically advanced society, all about convenience – e.g. like fast food)

How?
• All about convenience:
• Computer  laptops (portable computers)  phones (smaller)
• If it’s only when you’re bored, then why do people do it whilst they’re ‘out and about’.
• There is a need to tell people hoe much fun you’re having – “I’m so drunk”, “going to the movies”, “hanging out with……”

Culture of Social Networking Sites: Private Space with No Privacy
• Ourselves: define our popularity, prove ourselves, create who we want to be, change certain things about ourselves, leave out the “bad bits”,
• Friends: how many are our actual friends, neglect real friends (time with them) to be on Facebook and that social life, accept people we don’t even really like, birthday messages
• Relationships: something intimate becomes public, public love + public heartbreak (god vs. bad), not official until it’s on Facebook, complicate complicated things (“it’s complicated with….”), defied by who you’re dating
• Language/jargon creates: LOL, ily
• “MySpace Photos”
• Facebook/MySpace Stalking

From the Readings:
• We want a space without rules (no govt., parents etc.) – yet there are so many “cultural rules” surrounding these sites.
• Have to go so often, can’t go on too much – much have certain amount of friends, not too many – photos –
• Music is cultural glue among youth – these sites can exploit/spread this fact.
• Power-play with Top Friends – too much drama, taken to be reality.

Also, I had 2 videos to show in my presentation:
1. Clip from Gossip Girl (Last Episode of Season 2: The Goodbye), where "gossip girl" asks everyone to meet at a bar where she will reveal herself, she then reveals that they are her - they send in the secrests that she posts - they create the drama they 'hate'.
2. Clip for Law And Order: SVU (Season 1, Episode 18: Chatroom) where Detective Stabler explain to his daughter that he is so protective about her using the computer because "Sometimes I bring my work home with me. I'm trying to catch a guy who goes after young girls. You know how I lock up the doors and windows?
[Maureen nods]Now they're coming in through here.[points to the computer]"

The Fun of Anonymity

(I posted this in the wrong spot agesss ago! I'm so terrible at this blogging thing!)
Newbie!
Hi! My name is Caitlin (I see there is already another Caitlin), and I am an arts student, majoring in Psychology. I am in my final semester of my arts degree, and hope to go onto honours within Psychology.

I have never blogged before, but I like the idea that you have the freedom to express whatever you like, without anyone knowing who you are!

Following on from that idea, I present you with my favourite website; www.postsecret.com

PostSecret is an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a postcard - it's arty/creative and you get to read peoples secrets! They upload new posts every Sunday - and delete the old ones, so you have to read them each week or you miss out! It can become really addictive :)


Caitlin (Ede)

digital makeover

here's the covergirl touch-up we were talking about in the tute last week.
alison

webliography

hi guys sorry this is a bit late, been sick then totally forgot...I hardly ever use the Internet and so handing something in written/writing something is normally as far as I go. Well there is still plenty of time before our next assignment so hopefully some of these may be interesting as they were for me.


My articles focus on the concept of relationship building through the Internet. I decided to look at the opposite opinion of my own for the fun of it and found some interesting articles that explore the positive aspect of social networking via the Internet for self confidence and relationships that extend into the real world. I also added two articles that show a negative opinion of the Internet and cyberspace, and one especially because i loved the concept of the article (all about cyber affairs breaking apart years of marriage!)


Enjoy.


1: Tranny Boyz: Cyber Community Support in Negotiating Sex and Gender Mobility Among Female to Male Transsexuals



In the article Gauthier and Chaudoir focus on the positive impacts of the Internet and its development of social networking sites for female to male transsexuals (FTMs.) The article researches the use of the internet for social networking by this minority group, and the impact it has had on FTM’s normally difficult ability to feel a sense of belonging. The article looks at the Internet’s ability to provide security, professional advice, aid for legal rights and friendships. Society in the real world may be rejecting of FTMs, however through the realm of the Internet their gender becomes blurred in a way that acceptance becomes more plausible. The article discusses the concept of what gender is; the physical appearance of the body and how one promotes their body. Although FTMs normally face problems with the physical side of gender acceptance, via the Internet this is no longer the case. The Internet provides a physical barrier which opens up new doors for FTMs. The article specifically focuses on the idea that the Internet is allowing the feeling of acceptance to those (not just FTMs) that would rarely experience it in the real world. The article uses conversations between FTMs from Internet chat sites to reinforce the hardships of being socially unaccepted because of socially developed rules. It focuses purely with a positive outlook on the Internet by using this less prominent gender figure. Use this link to download the pdf version of the article for free.







2:Pan-national Identities: Representations of the Philippine Diaspora on the World Wide Web



Tyner and Kuhlke look at the Internet’s ability to maintain the feeling of belonging for migrants. The article focuses on the Philippine migrants who have been able to maintain their ties with their culture backgrounds through the use of the Internet and social networking sites. The Internet has allowed the fracturing of once forced assimilation of migrants. The research focuses on the Philippine migrants due to their vast migration history in both developed and developing countries, with their migration to over 160 different countries. The article researched the effect of Internet interactions on real world spatial interactions. The networking programs differentiate between different migrant groups providing historical background, occupations and social support for migrants who face challenges in their new environments. download the article for free using this link without having to register or pay.







3:Causes and Consequences of Social Interaction on the Internet: A Conceptual Framework



This article focuses more broadly on why it is that the Internet and its use as a social networking site is growing so fast in popularity. Mckenna and Bargh look at who uses the Internet in this manner, as well as why people may use the Internet for social interaction. It looks at the future of the Internet; it may not be a necessity like other technologies such as the telephone and car, but it is slowly becoming that way, especially in our personal lives. The article researched the self related and socially related influences that would encourage people to use the Internet to find relationships. Self related issues discussed include; stigmatised identities and constrained identities. Social motivators discussed include social anxiety, loneliness and the practical motivator of lifestyle constraints. The article also focuses on the power of these relationships and how the informality and security of the less physical approach can lead to more meaningful and emotional relationships. Research in the article discussed the influences that time spent interacting on the Internet has on real world interactions and the onset of depression, with results varying greatly to the typical assumptions made about the Internet. Use the above link to download the article.







4:Journal of Couple & Relationship Therapy: Cyber Sex



This article by Atwood & Schwartz pinpoints a negative aspect of the Internet as it focuses on the ever growing popularity of emotionally explicit and sexual relationships that develop via social networking via the Internet between people already involved in real world relationships or marriage. Couple therapists discuss how common the problems with Internet based infidelity are becoming in modern societies. Cyber affairs are just as emotionally damaging and destructive as the common affair. The underlying problem is that the Internet affairs are becoming more accessible and easier to remain in secrecy than the typical affair. The article discusses the main causes for those who outreach to the net for sexual and emotional pleasures. It discusses both personal reasons as well as relationship based reasons. It discusses the allure of anonymity, differentiation of the self and Internet addiction as causes for the onset of Internet relationships. Furthermore it looks to the concept of the ‘mid life crisis’ and intimacy issues as leading influences in this behaviour. The concept of ‘cyber flirting’ is introduced with its innocent packaging uncovered for its dominant role in the onset of infidelity. We also look at why an Internet relationship is so intriguing? Concepts of the alluring ‘fantasy’ over the mundane ‘reality’ are discussed in relation to the increasing popularity in Internet affairs. Download this interesting article using the link.







5:Minding the Cyber Gap: The Internet and Social Inequality



In the article Chen and Wellman observe at the connections that the Internet usage patterns have with pre-existing inequalities relating to socioeconomic location, age, gender and ethnicity, focusing on what is named the ‘double digital divide’; geographical location and socio-economics. The article does not just focus on the general use of the Internet, but the founding reason for the Internet relating to using it for a meaningful purpose. The article also takes into consideration the difference between having access to the Internet compared to having the education to properly use the Internet. The article focuses on the irony that the advantages of the Internet for the disadvantaged are hindered because of the status of the disadvantaged. It looks at how the Internet, although not as easy to see in modern societies, in less developed countries is a source for the upper class and is only increasing the material gap between the rich and the poor. It focuses on the comparison between the USA, Britain and Africa. Patriarchal gender norms also enforce social gaps through the use of the Internet in relation to women’s rights and roles in underdeveloped countries. The article then asks, and looks for the answers, for the important questions about the role the net is playing in the future increase or decrease of social inequalities. Read more with the above link!







Bibliography




Atwood, J. D., Schwartz, L., (2002) ‘Cyber Sex: The New Affair Treatment Considerations’, Journal of Couple & Relationship Therapy. Vol 1: 3. Pp 37-56. Available (01/09/2010): http
http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~db=all~content=a715724264~frm=titlelink

Gauthier, D. K., Chaudoir. N.K., (2004) ‘Tranny Boyz: Cyber Community Support in Negotiating Sex and Gender Mobility Among Female to Male Transsexuals’ An Interdisciplinary Journal: Deviant Behavior. Vol 25: 4. Pp 375-398. Available (01/09/2010):

Tyner, A. J ., Kuhlke, O., (2000) ‘Pan-National Identities: Representations of the Philippine Diaspora on the World Wide Web’ Asia Pacific Viewpoint. Vol 41: 3. Pp 231-252. Available (01/09/2010): http://www.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1467-8373.00120/abstract

Mckenna, K. Y. A., Bargh, J. A., (1999) ‘Causes and Consequences of Social Interaction on the Internet: A Conceptual Framework’ Media Psychology. Vol 1: 3. Pp 249- 269. Available (01/09/2010): http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~db=all~content=a785351251

Chen, W., Wellman, B., (2007) ‘Minding the Cyber- Gap: The Internet and Social Inequality’ Blackwell Companion to Social inequalities. Vol : . Pp 523-545. Available (01/09/2010): http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/9780470996973.ch23/summary