To all Cyborgs welcome to social media 2013

For those of you not willing to watch only the CRAZIEST, SPINE CHILLING video on social media in 2013, here are just some of the outstanding statistics and facts:

•                Facebook is 1 billion followers strong, making it the third largest country

•                New Yorkers received tweets about an earth quake 30 seconds before they even felt it

•                Lady gaga Justin Beiber and Katy Perry have more followers than the populations of Germany, Turkey, South Africa, Canada, Argentina, and Egypt

•                Babies in Egypt have been named Facebook and Twitter

If this is what social media means to the world in 2013, what can we expect from 2020?

To watch videos such as these and to see statistics that suggest the world has become digital are phenomenal. BUT to experience and know that you are a part of that statistic is scary. China does not allow for social media outlets to exist in its country; this is due to preventing public government unrest, but are they doing their population a favour by shielding them from this excessive connectivity? I believe, yes. http://www.mysocialagency.com/social-media/will-china-ever-allow-facebook

I appreciate that it allows for people to connect, for brands to market and for the economy to grow, but if asked 'would it be easier to live in generation X or Y? I would say gen X. Here is why:

On a personal, individual scale lets Look back on Sherry Turkles theory of the 'Goldilocks effect', the idea of being not to close but not to far from one another. Mobile devices, Twitter and Facebook allow for this daily and people suffer terrible anxiety when they do not have access to these outlets (Turkle, 2012).  The second life is also an outlet where people create an alias and morph into avatars. Here, individuals create idealistic forms of themselves and in severe cases choose to live this second life rather than the reality of their own (ABC net, 2012)

On a wider scale, lets look at digital activism, cyber bullying and cyber terrorism. The Internet is providing a place for activists to come together, create protests and hate groups to terrorise people, governments and societies. This is all done from the safe comfort of their home and at the luxury of remaining anonymous. There are no clear laws that state people can be punished for these crimes, no matter the severity. The Internet is creating a world where good and evil are misconstrued and over lapped. Where do people cross the line?

The future of social media is anything but bleak and is forecasted to grow to web 3.0. This is described as "an age of Semantic Web", where no longer will people need to search for information on the web, as the information will find them based on the data companies are able to collect about users from the sites they visit and their profiles from social media pages (Noff, 2011). Are we entering the third wave of social media? Based on the information in this blog, Yes. We have morphed into cyborgs, whilst not all of us are willing participants; it is as simple as liking a page on Facebook, or answering a text on your phone. If the Internet is now able to withhold personal information about people based on their web searchers then we have lost all privacy, and technology now rules us!

Nonetheless, Will I ever stop using social media, No. Do I care that the Internet is able to hold personal information, not really. I am Gen Y. Despite all the negative aspects of social media I am OBSESSED!

Life is to be lived, not posted, so keep instagraming all those moments ;) #lifeisgood #whynotshareit

References:

ABC net: Four Corners (2012) You Only Live Twice. [video online] Available at: http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/special_eds/20070319/default_full.htm [Accessed: 28 January 2013].

Qualman, E. (2012) Social Media Video 2013. [video online] Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUCfFcchw1w [Accessed: 15 February 2013].

Noff, A. (2011) What’s Next in Social Media. [online] Available at: http://thenextweb.com/socialmedia/2011/06/14/whats-next-in-social-media/ [Accessed: 13 Feb 2013].

Sherry Turkle: Connected but alone? 2012, online video, TED,  US, viewed 30 november 2012 <http://www.ted.com/talks/sherry_turkle_alone_together.html>

Digital Hype

Digital activism is defined as “The practice of using digital technology to increase the effectiveness of a social or political change campaign” (Gago, 2010). I don’t like how they use the word ‘effectiveness’, it’s a positive connotation, and I personally don’t see the beauty of digital activism. I share a pertinent view, with or without technology people will amalgamate and protest, digital activism just allows for a quicker more universal approach. Although my argument lies; with all the protesting and petitions, is significant change made? Or is it just an outlet for people to band together and whine?

An example of this was when presenter David Kosh from channel 7, made a comment that woman should be more discreet when they breastfeed. This caused an uproar from mothers online, and a petition was sent that asked women to protest with their children outside the channel 7 in Martin Place. 800 women signed this petition saying they would attend, only 150 showed up on the day (Carter, 2013). This raises the debate, is digital activism just a hype of empty promises? and how far are people actually willing to go to stand up and make a change. It is easy for a person to be aggressive behind their keyboard and when they are able to stay anonymous. Although when it comes to crunch time will anyone bother leaving the comfort of his or her home to fight for a cause?

This idea of digital hype alludes to KONY 2012, a campaign to fight for Ugandan children against a war criminal, Joseph Kony. Organized group ‘Invisible Children’ began an online video that showed the suffering of the children, and highlighted how everyone could make a difference. Social media outlets were utilized to illustrate the problems for the children and make Kony ‘famous’. The organisation saw 3.7 million people pledge their support for efforts to arrest Joseph Kony (invisiblechildren.com, 2012). This digital activism effort is the paramount example of Internet hype, it reached a global status, and for a few weeks the topic was discussed worldwide. Critics then began sledging the organisation stating they were money hungry, and the activist backlash began. KONY 2012 was short lived and people lost interest. A year on, he was never caught but the organisation promises to continue to push governments to find and arrest Kony (Invisiblechildreninc, 2012).

For anyone who STILL cares here is a video of KONY 2012 a year on. Only 41 000 people have viewed this video, following the initial video that saw 96,500,684 views. Amazing how hype can die so dramatically (Invisiblechildrensinc, 2012)

While I have been known to like a cause on Facebook, and follow a petition online, I have never had any intention of actually doing anything to help. It is easy to click a button or remark on an event, but if asked to leave my computer and join people in protest… No thanks; I’ve got a life to live and things to be done. I feel terrible saying this, because there are people out there that are struggling, but it’s the god honest truth. Unless it bothers me directly, I would not take a stand. Digital activism is easy, physical protest and confrontation is much harder. I’ll stick to the keyboard!

References:

Carter, L. (2013) TV host Koch targeted in breastfeeding protest. ABC news, [online] 22 January. Available at: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-01-21/tv-host-targeted-in-breastfeeding-protest/4473302 [Accessed: 15 February 2013].

Gago, B. (2010) Digital activism glossary - Notes on digital activism. [online] Available at: http://www.digitalactivist.net/articles/digital-activism-glossary/ [Accessed: 22 Jan 2013].

Invisiblechildreninc (2012) Invisible Children - YEAR IN REVIEW: 2012 - What it will take to stop Kony. [video online] Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7xjU87hfzA [Accessed: 15 February 2013].

Invisiblechildren.com (2012) From the director of KONY 2012 comes Invisible Children's new film MOVE.. [online] Available at: http://invisiblechildren.com/kony/ [Accessed: 15 Feb 2013].

Invisiblechildreninc (2012) KONY 2012. [video online] Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4MnpzG5Sqc [Accessed: 15 February 2013]

Cyber Bullying: Tribute to Amanda Todd

Her Name: Amanda Todd

Status: Dead

A young, beautiful girl pushed so far to the edge by cyber bullies that she attempts to commit suicide twice. Her anxiety so bad, she no longer wanted to go to school. But what’s worse, her third attempt was successful, she hung herself... she was 15.

Today a focus on cyber bullying:

Cyber bullying is by far the worst element of social media, while 'traditional' bullying is also cruel and devastating, the Internet has allowed for anonymity. It also provides these bullies with courage, as they are not face-to-face. These bullies attack their victims through social media outlets without having to confront them, and it gives them the opportunity to sit and consider what they are going to say. It is relentless! 

I was lucky, I can confidently say I was never a bully at school nor was I the victim of it. Although I will admit, when I witnessed someone being bullied I would never speak up, does that make me a bad person? It worries me that I will bring children into an even further technologically advanced world and that they could potentially be subjected to this hate crime. Children are now being punished in court (Mail Online, 2012), but the reality is, does anybody want to see these children be placed in jail or is the death of another human being enough to teach a lesson? Where do the courts draw the line? As a mother, would you want the children jailed? (Rivnerivne, 2011)

Rheingold believes Technology is allowing us to take a communal approach to solving society's problems. Yet in this case technology is creating the problem, and allowing 'hate' groups to amalgamate. Even with people like Amanda Todd speaking out, it seems people only have more hurtful things to say. Comments from the video above included "Anon153: Wish she died the first time round", "Soulbeat19: bet she didn’t show her face cause she’s an ugly whore. WHORE", another hater posted a picture of a bottle of bleach and the caption “it’s to die for”, referencing an earlier suicide attempt (Ryall, 2012). So while Rheingold may believe that virtual communities are benefitting society, it seems that even those attempting to stand up for their victims are receiving hateful comments from anonymous Internet users. 

The future for cyber bullying seems never ending! Until governments make clear laws, and people are held accountable for their actions, teenagers and adults a like will continue to torment. Until anonymity is taken away and the vulnerable become strong, cyberbullying will continue. But while there are weak people, there are bullies to torment them; and while there is technology, there are sites to facilitate the harassment.

May I just say, lets hope they have made a law by the time my children enter school, my heart goes out to the parents who have suffered and are left feeling hopeless, just as Amanda Todd's are.

References:

Chai Videos (2012) Amanda Todd's Story: Struggling, Bullying, Suicide, Self Harm. [video online] Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ej7afkypUsc [Accessed: 11 February 2013].

Mail Online (2012) Victory over cyber bullies: Legal first as High Court orders Facebook to reveal trolls who tormented mother for defending X Factor star. [online] Available at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2156365/Nicola-Brookes-victim-internet-trolls-wins-High-Court-backing-reveal-identities-targeted-her.html#axzz2KeX0Zg2M [Accessed: 12 Feb 2013].

Rivnerivne (2011) kayla narey apologized for what she did to phoebe prince. [video online] Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEs7s8T1pgU [Accessed: 11 february 2013].

Ryall, J. (2012) Online bully victim Amanda Todd still tormented in death. News.com.au, [online] October 15. Available at: http://www.news.com.au/national/online-bully-victim-amanda-todd-still-tormented-in-death/story-fndo4eg9-1226496347889 [Accessed: 11 February 2013].

Produsage

Produsage is defined as: refers to an individual who is engaged in the activity of produsage. Produsage blurs the boundaries between passive consumption and active production (Wikipedia, 2005). I sourced this from Wikipedia for the purpose of this week’s blog, due to the constant referral to its ‘produser’ tools. The idea of Wikipedia is that any individual can edit, or add information to a topic where they see fit, enveloping the ultimate produser. To clarify this definition and ensure its feasibility I compared it to competing sites and the information provided was virtually the same. I understand the risk of Wikipedia’s reliability, however it allows new/updated information that no other ‘competing’ definition site permits.

Produsage is yet another revolution brought about through new technologies and social media outlets. Conforming from traditional produser to dirtributor consumer ways, it has allowed for individuals to produce material and share information with others via media platforms. Take YouTube for example, it provides an outlet for people to upload and share their videos for no cost. It has a collection of 70 million video clips and grows 6 million ‘produsers’ a year (CBS, 2009). You can never estimate the popularity a video may have, and the buzz it may create although there are some great success stories. Watch the following video: (Zorro103, 2009)

Two men created a video on an experiment for Mentos and Coke. According to Barbara Lippert from Adweek magazine, they received such big hype from their video they were offered jobs from Mentos (CBS, 2009). It is uncanny how one day you could be two guys playing around with a coke bottle and some lollies, to then become YouTube superstars with over 16 million views (Zorro103, 2009).

Now I’m no superstar and I am a little embarrassed, but here is an insight into my time as a produser via YouTube:

It was for the purpose of a school assignment and all together it received 2 views, however it was my 15 minutes of fame on YouTube. Alongside this, my blog has been another platform for production and again for the purpose of a school assignment. While my time as a produser is small, my time accessing information from Wikipedia and online produsage sites is vast and extensive. Even on Facebook, my friends and myself are constantly sharing and connecting through social media. Jenkins discusses participatory culture and societies ability through technology, to connect and share with others online, and produsage envelops this theory. Society is forever changing due to the technologies available, and Jenkins makes note that, due to this the public now have influence over media content and decisions made by businesses. People’s ability to produce and consume via social media will continue to flourish and people- like the mentos men- will evolve due to produsage.

CBSNews.com (2009) YouTube Phenomenon Keeps Growing. [online] Available at: http://www.cbsnews.com/2100-500195_162-1864812.html?pageNum=2 [Accessed: 4 Feb 2013].

En.wikipedia.org (2005) Produsage - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. [online] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Produsage [Accessed: 4 Feb 2013].

Zorro103 (2009) Diet Coke and Mentos. [video online] Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKoB0MHVBvM [Accessed: 4 Feb 2013].

The second 'life'

The second life, a world of money, sex, gambling and retail- it’s no different to the real world, but then is that what were looking for? What is the real world anymore? It seems what was once a parallel of real and ‘unreal’ is slowly overlapping. It wont be long before were lost in a paradigm shift and unsure of where we belong.

In the beginning I thought the attraction was one of self consciousness; someone’s ability to morph themselves into an alias that replicated a person they wished they were. They take the form of an avatar and create friendships and have sex via this virtual world, to compensate for their lack of, within the real world. Yet after some very INTERETSING research I found there is a whole other side to this world, that sees advertising boom, companies marketing and even a currency that can be converted into US dollars (ABC net, 2012).

Businesses use the site to not only promote their products but also sell. American apparel have stores where people can buy shoes for their avatars, Canadian mobile teller Telus sell mobiles. This is done so for market research, trend spotting and to generate feedback, before a product is released worldwide (Spicoli 2006). As Rheingold discusses; businesses can benefit from sharing services and ideas in a virtual world, and the second life provides this outlet. Finally I am beginning to see some productivity to ‘the second life’, rather than just a space for people to hide behind an avatar identity.

Through pure amazement that the ‘second life’ even existed I decided to create my own sim for a mini-experiment. As any keen Gen-Y-ian would do, I delved myself even further into the social media world:

 

Meet my avatar, Tara31 (note: i do not have blue eyes, or blonde hair, but I thought she looked prettier that way)

In the beginning I found it bizarre, as I was even able to navigate my avatar around using the keyboard. The further I progressed through the introductory pages the more the avatar was beginning to feel apart of me- I didn’t like it.

Then another avatar approached me and I had my first conversation; it was brief, they complimented me on my hair and we went our separate ways- I was flattered.

A few days passed and I idled my way through the second life, having conversations and visiting stores (window shopping of course). But there was one aspect of this ‘life’ that intrigued me- sex! It was beyond me that it was possible, yet it was so prevalent via the site and I found myself (my avatar) being asked for sex daily (I did not partake)! According to research in the month of December avatars had sex 680,000 times a day (Clevvergames 2012) CRAZY!

As my week on the second life came to an end, I found myself attached to my avatar, and I could also see how this site could take over and consume a person- I destroyed my avatar right away.  Theorist Baudrillard emphasizes this type of hyperreality can disconnect us from real emotions and It scared me how you could create your ideal world in cyberspace, and that people were dabbling financially within it. By the end of the week I was emotionally attached, yet to what? And to whom? This hyperreality engulfed me and I found myself distancing myself from the world around me. As a society we are already so caught up in social media such as Facebook and Twitter, but this was beyond anything I had ever experienced, and if I want to live my own life, it is better that I steer clear of the ‘second’.

Clevvergames (2012) The Sims have more Sex then You. [video online] Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zlBkhZgaGNU [Accessed: 28 January 2013].

ABC net: Four Corners (2012) You Only Live Twice. [video online] Available at: http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/special_eds/20070319/default_full.htm [Accessed: 28 January 2013].

Spicoli, S. (2006) Introduction to the Second Life (Historical View). [video online] Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b72CvvMuD6Q [Accessed: 28 January 2013].

HERO/ TERRORIST- sense the irony

“Hero to untold millions, public enemy #1 to the most powerful government in the world.” (ABC 2011) this is describing a man named Julian Assange. I like this Assange character, I may have only met him today (figuratively, of course) but he had me interested from the get-go, despite his creepy demeanor.

He is the leader of the organisation/ website Wikileaks, whose aim is to expose government scandals and share information to the public (Wikileaks 2010). He is described as a whistleblower, activist, terrorist and hacktivist but what about inspirational, courageous, hero or just plain crazy. Lets look at this more in depth:

• ·      A whistleblower: an informant who exposes wrongdoing within an organization in the hope of stopping it.
• ·      An Activist: advocating or engaged in activism
• ·      A Terrorist: a person who uses terrorism in the pursuit of political aims
• ·      A Hacktivist: the use of computers and computer networks as a means of protest to promote political ends.

This is how I see it; he goes about his work by exposing wrongdoing (whistle-blowing), acting out against government enterprises in hope of making a change (activist), and he does all of this through the use of computer and computer networks, as a means to protest (hacktivist/ terrorist). Yet is it strange that I still find myself in awe of him. I think, as the ‘little guy’, I cannot help but feel that this courageous man is doing his bit for community and ensuring as a public, we are AWARE!

Digital activism is at the heart of Wikileaks, Assange and his team utilize technology outlets to share information to widespread audiences and a fast rate. Pertinently speaking, Assange would be a threat to the government with or without social media platforms. There would be numerous networks or radio stations ready to PAY money for the information Assange holds. While one may speculate that Wikileaks is reducing government corruption through the activist website, who’s to say the government are not just becoming more careful where they ‘leave’ their information?

Although this was not the case after a recent government scandal; Wikileaks came into the spot light after the ‘whistle-blower’ organisation posted 391, 832 classified Iraq war documents on its website (Greenberg 2010). With these, came the video of the ‘collateral murder’, where you watch US soldiers gun down unarmed Iroquoian men and a truck holding two children (ABC 2011). This video caused great worry for government bodies and the public was demanding answers. This is Assange’s goal exactly; expose and bring power to the people.

If information such as this continues to be exposed due to this website and people continue to support Wikileaks, the government should be worried. Wikileaks relies on the power of the people; if it falls another company WILL begin. Forbes magazine states in relation to Wikileaks future,  “corruption institutes may come and go and may stop an individual, but they cannot stop us all” (Greenberg, 2010).

HERE, HERE!

ABC.net.au (2011) The Forgotten Man. [video online] Available at: http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/special_eds/20110214/leaks/default.htm [Accessed: 21 January 2013].

Greenberg, A. (2010) The Future of Wikileaks. Forbes, [online] 22 November. Available at: http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2010/1122/focus-andy-greenberg-wikileaks-classified-social-remix.html [Accessed: 21 January 2013].

News.com.au (2012) Julian Assange. [image online] Available at: http://www.news.com.au/technology/julian-assange-fate-could-be-revealed-on-twitter/story-e6frfro0-1226263858599 [Accessed: 21 January 2013].

Wikileaks.org (2010) About. [online] Available at: http://wikileaks.org/About.html [Accessed: 23 Jan 2013].

Politicians and Social Media

POLITICIANS HAVE LOST THEIR WAY: Naïve no more!

The world of politics is a foreign place to me. The way I see it, I like how things are going in my life, so the government must be doing a good job. Yes, this is naïve, a little controversial, and also quite sad or even self-centered. But the rule of politics is, that each individual has a say; and I say… (Stare blankly at computer)

As I stare I ask myself my self over and over “what do I say?” I was stumped. But that was nothing a little research couldn’t inspire.

I begin looking at Obama, his accomplishment in reaching a far wider and younger demographic during his campaign was commendable. Through social media tools and meme’s such as ‘Obama girl’ (obamagirl, 2013) his campaign skyrocketed into a victorious success. The further I researched the more prevalent I saw social media becoming an active part of campaigning for politicians with  “54% of adults used the internet for political purposes in the last cycle”(pewinternet.org, 2011).

But more interestingly I could not help but notice the pattern of politicians attempting to entertain their audiences. Between all the promises and future aspirations, politicians were increasingly attempting to win their audiences through humor and entertainment. They began personalizing and proliferating themselves, rather than traditionally giving speeches and making appearances, these politicians were creating connections and providing entertainment. An example is Julia Gillard, on an interview on the Kyle and Jackie O show on 2dayfm (NewsOnABC, 2010). Gillard discuses her campaign “See the real Julia Gillard”, that attempts to portray a lady of the people, incorporating humor and a casual essence to her being. Her technique is to entertain her audience and illustrate herself as an everyday citizen, in turn attracting a younger audience and downplaying her hegemonic power that some may find intimidating. Even Kevin Rudd who lost to Gillard, has an active Facebook page that he continues to proliferate himself on. His latest status said, “Feel like some Boxing Day shopping? A Ruddy Future T-shirt will satisfy your craving” (Facebook) I cannot help but laugh at his enthusiasm, I’m sure his made a big profit from those T-shirts! (If you want to see more follow this link, they come in many sizes and colours):

https://kruddtshirt.myshopify.com/

On a serious now; it is examples like these that illustrate the shifting attitudes of politicians toward their image to the public. Through all the entertainment though, have politicians lost their credibility? While some say ‘yes’ others say ‘who cares’ but figures show there has been a rise in political interest since the utilization of social media (Huckfeldt & Sprague 1995). Citizens now have the ability to connect personally with politicians giving them the opportunity to share their opinions and support their causes. Watch the video below for a further insight:

This video touches upon Rheingolds theory of a virtual community, and how citizens can amalgamate together to voice their opinions and be heard by like-minded people. It discusses the benefits of withholding a strong public image by sharing ideas and connecting with audiences.

As technology progresses, politicians will continue to objectify themselves to becoming this comical, yet professional, casual, yet serious, everyday citizen, yet king of the people. So finally here is my opinion, politicians are loosing their credibility, while they are successfully reaching wider audiences they continue to blind sight the community from the ‘real’ government by painting a picture of your average Joe with all the credentials to run a country. While I commend them on their efforts and enthusiasm, at the end of the day I want someone who is knowledgeable and trust-worthy, not some red head that likes the Bulldogs and taking her dogs for walks in the mornings

…Just saying

Facebook (n.d.) Kevin Rudd and Labor. [online] Available at: http://www.facebook.com/KevinRuddMP [Accessed: 14 Jan 2013].

Huckfeldt, R. and Sprague, J. (1995) Citizens, Politics and Social Communications. [e-book] New York: Cambridge University Press. p.81-95. Available through: Google Scholar http://books.google.com.au/books?hl=en&lr=&id=xdAB_0-c0ZcC&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=politicians+and+social+media&ots=uOqUzEwZR4&sig=nXVXvPnLjz3VD4J_b1_P7EhrQPs#v=onepage&q=politicians%20and%20social%20media&f=false [Accessed: 14 Jan 2013].

NewsonABC (2010) New Julia meets Kyle and Jackie O. [video online] Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E99e4IOwIXo [Accessed: 12 January 2013].

Obamagirl.com (2013) Obama Girl. [online] Available at: http://obamagirl.com/ [Accessed: 14 Jan 2013].

Pewinternet.org (2011) The Internet and Campaign 2010 | Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project. [online] Available at: http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2011/The-Internet-and-Campaign-2010.aspx [Accessed: 14 Jan 2013].

Tvochannel (2010) SOCIAL MEDIA: Politics 2.0 - The Power of the Citizen. [video online] Available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vrczoLm7Es [Accessed: 14 Jan 2013].