Wednesday, May 7, 2008
On my soapbox: Virtual Communities
April 19 2008 - the date that Facebook took over the #1 social network position from myspace. (Alexa, 2008). It really makes me wonder what is the good in all this web-based networking - I mean, sure its easy to reach people in one place on a fairly regular basis, and I know catching up on the lives of people from high school or even earlier in my life is much simpler. Sharing media, extending communications and gaining a sense of community are also up there. But really, in comparison to the good ol’ days of sitting around with a cup of coffee and catching up with old mates, the cold feeling of checking your wall on face book just doesn’t come close.
According to Rheingold, virtual communities are “social aggregations that emerge from the net when enough people carry on public discussions long enough with sufficient human feeling, to form webs of personal relationships in cyberspace” (1994). The phrase ‘with sufficient human feeling’ worries me a little. Certainly, the concept of sending messages to one another, whether it be in the form of a wall entry or a ‘gift’ or a ‘tag’ or god knows what else, can be classified as showing some ‘human feeling’, but it still is not the same as interpersonal, face-to-face sharing of life and experience. Sitting in a dark room on a computer looking at you tube clips and ‘poking’ one another is not a real form of living.
I have a friend that said to me “There are two kinds of people in this world: Those that live, and those that blog.” Okay, so she may have been a little extreme, but it is something that stuck in my mind. I don’t want to turn into a computer zombie. I want to still go out and see live music and drink and party and generally socialise with REAL people. Not those who claim to be my friend because we sat on the bus next to each other once and I will probably never speak to again.
I know that this is extremely closed-minded, but I am scared about the future of society. I worry about the ways in which we are heading in terms of interaction and relationships. The concept of completely virtual relationships where you have never met the person you are conversing in real life - you have never looked them in the face, have never made eye contact with them, have never seen their smile or laugh - it cannot really be healthy.
There are a number of people who tend to agree with me for their own reasons: be it Umair Haque’s view (2008) of face book being evil, or Li and Bernoff’s view (2008) that face book is destroying the consumer as we know it. Facebook, although perhaps modern in terms of technology and virtual communities, is forcing us to go backwards in terms of social interactions - one of the things that define us as humans.
References
Alexa (2008) http://awis.blogspot.com/2008/05/facebook-overtakes-myspace_07.html
Haque, U. (2008) The Facebook Effect http://discussionleader.hbsp.com/haque/2008/05/http20bitscom20080506thestateo.html
Li, C. and Barnoff, J. (2008) Social Networking | Transformation http://www.changeboard.com/hrcircles/blogs/editor/archive/2008/05/07/social-networking-how-it-s-transforming-the-world.aspx
Rheingold (1994) in Bruns, A (2008) KCB201 Lecture Week 6 Online Communities. Brisbane: Queensland University of Technology
Friday, May 2, 2008
Convergence: The centralisation of all media
Convergence of media is becoming a much more commonplace activity. The differentiation between one type of media is hardening as media forms are beginning to transform to meet the needs of new technology and society. The increase of interchangeable content from one media form to another is just an ordinary, everyday occurrence.
According to Jenkins, convergence refers to the “flow of content across multiple media platforms, the cooperation between multiple media industries, and the migratory behaviour of media audiences” (2006, p.2).
I have begun to analyse some of the ways in which convergence is developing throughout the media universe.
Early-day media convergence started with simply being able to use mobile devices as computers – sending and receiving computer files through infra-red and blue-tooth or even USB capacities.
These days, media convergence looks more towards downloading film, television and music files from the internet, the adaptation of wireless technologies to stream online broadcast media including radio podcasts and up-to-date television programming, and even the transformation of gaming.
In looking at gaming, the internet has become a commonplace arena for tournaments to take place. People are now able to play computerised games with people from anywhere, with webcams and microphones set up to socialise the game (if the individual finds them necessary). The games can even be playing via wireless connection, sitting in a café in an everyday sense, whilst people around them are none the wiser.
Gaming is a big arena, as many individuals who are very media and technology savvy are consumers of gaming. Looking from a commercial angle, large media companies have been able to capitalise on the popularity of one media product by making others under the same brand – such as The Bourne Identity/Supremacy/Ultimatum. Not only was this a book transformed into a film, but a film concept transformed into a computer game that is immensely popular to gaming consumers – The Bourne Conspiracy. This is a very effective example of how one form of media can easily transform to fit into another – I mean, what kind of a media item would you classify Bourne as now?
Reality television has been another example that shows how we as consumers love the idea of participatory media. Jenkins (2006, p.59) mentions how television shows such as American Idol and Survivor have allowed audiences to become excited about voting for their desired winner/loser via mobile technology and internet resources. They are one of first examples of audience participation in media convergence – allowing their broadcast media and their new media technologies to coincide.
An alarming fact is the projected future of old media technologies, such as the newspaper. According to Henry Mayer, studies have shown that if current trends follow, the printed newspaper will become extinct around April 2040 (ACCC, 2005). Digital and Online resources will take over, changing the face of media forever.
The future of media in terms of convergence is based purely on consumption and technology. Where will it lead?
References
Jenkins, H. (2006) Convergence culture: When new and old media collide. New York: New York University
Mayer, H. (2005) Media Convergence and the Changing Face of Media Regulation.
http://www.accc.gov.au/content/item.phtml?itemId=684901&nodeId=0212f46ad15b025ea7430a1b127a988d&fn=20050519%20Henry%20Mayer.pdf (Accessed May 2, 2008)
Sierra (2008) The Bourne Conspiracy Game. http://www.bournethegame.com/ (Accessed May 5, 2008)
According to Jenkins, convergence refers to the “flow of content across multiple media platforms, the cooperation between multiple media industries, and the migratory behaviour of media audiences” (2006, p.2).
I have begun to analyse some of the ways in which convergence is developing throughout the media universe.
Early-day media convergence started with simply being able to use mobile devices as computers – sending and receiving computer files through infra-red and blue-tooth or even USB capacities.
These days, media convergence looks more towards downloading film, television and music files from the internet, the adaptation of wireless technologies to stream online broadcast media including radio podcasts and up-to-date television programming, and even the transformation of gaming.
In looking at gaming, the internet has become a commonplace arena for tournaments to take place. People are now able to play computerised games with people from anywhere, with webcams and microphones set up to socialise the game (if the individual finds them necessary). The games can even be playing via wireless connection, sitting in a café in an everyday sense, whilst people around them are none the wiser.
Gaming is a big arena, as many individuals who are very media and technology savvy are consumers of gaming. Looking from a commercial angle, large media companies have been able to capitalise on the popularity of one media product by making others under the same brand – such as The Bourne Identity/Supremacy/Ultimatum. Not only was this a book transformed into a film, but a film concept transformed into a computer game that is immensely popular to gaming consumers – The Bourne Conspiracy. This is a very effective example of how one form of media can easily transform to fit into another – I mean, what kind of a media item would you classify Bourne as now?
Reality television has been another example that shows how we as consumers love the idea of participatory media. Jenkins (2006, p.59) mentions how television shows such as American Idol and Survivor have allowed audiences to become excited about voting for their desired winner/loser via mobile technology and internet resources. They are one of first examples of audience participation in media convergence – allowing their broadcast media and their new media technologies to coincide.
An alarming fact is the projected future of old media technologies, such as the newspaper. According to Henry Mayer, studies have shown that if current trends follow, the printed newspaper will become extinct around April 2040 (ACCC, 2005). Digital and Online resources will take over, changing the face of media forever.
The future of media in terms of convergence is based purely on consumption and technology. Where will it lead?
References
Jenkins, H. (2006) Convergence culture: When new and old media collide. New York: New York University
Mayer, H. (2005) Media Convergence and the Changing Face of Media Regulation.
http://www.accc.gov.au/content/item.phtml?itemId=684901&nodeId=0212f46ad15b025ea7430a1b127a988d&fn=20050519%20Henry%20Mayer.pdf (Accessed May 2, 2008)
Sierra (2008) The Bourne Conspiracy Game. http://www.bournethegame.com/ (Accessed May 5, 2008)
Thursday, May 1, 2008
The Modern Downloader - A Perspective
After watching an episode of the IT Crowd on ABC2 last night (see YouTube clip below), and reading Emmy’s blog regarding the illegal downloading of music products, I have begun to contemplate other industries that have suffered due to the increasing effects of web 2.0.
In comparisons to web 1.0, where the webmaster simply updated sites to allow for people to peruse in personal searches for information, web 2.0 has dramatically changed it, making the web experience more exciting and pleasurable, where people are able to share opinions, ideas, and files (Deelip, 2007). File sharing over web 2.0 is a serious problem.
It is becoming more and more commonplace that people are jumping online to download pirated copies of films, television shows and music. It seems that within web 2.0, people feel it necessary to share everything that they have in order to allow others to download the products for free and save their funds for a rainy day.
Intellectual property means that anything intangible produced - be it a song, poem, story, theory or invention - is legally protected. Anything copyrighted, patented or trademarked is legally unable to be reproduced without the go-ahead from the creator and their business. For the internet, this not only relates to music, but television, film, photography, and many many more forms. Rifkin makes the projection that "Concepts, ideas, and images - not things - are the real items of value in the new economy" (2000, p.5). This is to impact our society immensely.
Obviously the most controversial topic of illegal downloading is music, but as this topic has been covered a number of times already in this assignment by others, I’m going to leave it. If you are looking for more information, head here.
One aspect of illegal uploading and downloading that I would like to consider is video clips. They are available just like music or television on torrent programs, they are also made readily available on media sharing spaces like YouTube. Viacom has taken legal action against YouTube, due to the number of video clips taken from MTV and posted on the site. By posting videos on YouTube, the person posting the file is giving YouTube permission to copy and redistribute the video (Dan, 2007), which obviously isn’t the case as the poster does not own rights to the file in the first place - MTV does. This is another way in which the creators and legitimate owners of the files lose out, as royalties are not paid, as there are no funds received for the watching and redistribution of the files.
Films have the exact same problem. From purchasing the film in a legitimate sense, the creators receive renumeration for their product. Even in a cinema situation, every ticket sold has a percentage that goes to the distributor - although when downloaded, the creator misses out, and even though you may have loved the film, it could turn out to be a monetary flop.
When you next choose to press that “download” button, think about the consequences for those who really deserve the royalties - not the massive corporations, but the producers and directors of the content.
ARIA (2007) Internet File Sharing: The Myths Explained http://www.aria.com.au/pages/InternetFileSharing-TheMythsExplained.htm (Accessed May 2, 2008)
Dan (2007) Marco.org YouTube’s Legal Woes http://www.marco.org/235 (Accessed May 2, 2008)
Deelip (2007) Blogspot: The Differences Between Web 1.0 and Web 2.0. http://deelip.blogspot.com/2007/02/difference-between-web-10-and-web-20.html (Accessed May 2, 2008)
Rifkin, J. (2000) The Age of Access: how the shift from ownership to access is transforming modern life. Penguin: London
In comparisons to web 1.0, where the webmaster simply updated sites to allow for people to peruse in personal searches for information, web 2.0 has dramatically changed it, making the web experience more exciting and pleasurable, where people are able to share opinions, ideas, and files (Deelip, 2007). File sharing over web 2.0 is a serious problem.
It is becoming more and more commonplace that people are jumping online to download pirated copies of films, television shows and music. It seems that within web 2.0, people feel it necessary to share everything that they have in order to allow others to download the products for free and save their funds for a rainy day.
Intellectual property means that anything intangible produced - be it a song, poem, story, theory or invention - is legally protected. Anything copyrighted, patented or trademarked is legally unable to be reproduced without the go-ahead from the creator and their business. For the internet, this not only relates to music, but television, film, photography, and many many more forms. Rifkin makes the projection that "Concepts, ideas, and images - not things - are the real items of value in the new economy" (2000, p.5). This is to impact our society immensely.
Obviously the most controversial topic of illegal downloading is music, but as this topic has been covered a number of times already in this assignment by others, I’m going to leave it. If you are looking for more information, head here.
One aspect of illegal uploading and downloading that I would like to consider is video clips. They are available just like music or television on torrent programs, they are also made readily available on media sharing spaces like YouTube. Viacom has taken legal action against YouTube, due to the number of video clips taken from MTV and posted on the site. By posting videos on YouTube, the person posting the file is giving YouTube permission to copy and redistribute the video (Dan, 2007), which obviously isn’t the case as the poster does not own rights to the file in the first place - MTV does. This is another way in which the creators and legitimate owners of the files lose out, as royalties are not paid, as there are no funds received for the watching and redistribution of the files.
Films have the exact same problem. From purchasing the film in a legitimate sense, the creators receive renumeration for their product. Even in a cinema situation, every ticket sold has a percentage that goes to the distributor - although when downloaded, the creator misses out, and even though you may have loved the film, it could turn out to be a monetary flop.
When you next choose to press that “download” button, think about the consequences for those who really deserve the royalties - not the massive corporations, but the producers and directors of the content.
ARIA (2007) Internet File Sharing: The Myths Explained http://www.aria.com.au/pages/InternetFileSharing-TheMythsExplained.htm (Accessed May 2, 2008)
Dan (2007) Marco.org YouTube’s Legal Woes http://www.marco.org/235 (Accessed May 2, 2008)
Deelip (2007) Blogspot: The Differences Between Web 1.0 and Web 2.0. http://deelip.blogspot.com/2007/02/difference-between-web-10-and-web-20.html (Accessed May 2, 2008)
Rifkin, J. (2000) The Age of Access: how the shift from ownership to access is transforming modern life. Penguin: London
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Produsage - what does it mean?
As Axel Bruns mentioned in his lecture, Producing is a traditional concept of producing goods or services for economic renumeration or other capital gains (Bruns, 2008, Lecture 8). Production that is simply led by the means of creating the finished product from raw materials - the creation of something worth more than the sum of its parts generally. These producers, in a general sense, produce the products so that they can be utilised by another party, be it individuals, groups, or by other means.
Bruns (2008, lecture 8) refers to the ways in which the product, in a traditional sense, went from the producer, through an intermediary (usually a distributor or something of the likes), which then led to the product being bought and used by a consumer.
Usage looks at the means of consuming this finished product, be it the purchaser or receiver of the good or service that has been produced by the producer. Generally, as mentioned, the consumer will purchase the product from an intermediary.
In terms of the virtual realm, the digital environment, a product can be anything that has been created for a purpose - usually some form of media. Virtual products can consist of collaborative works, be it something such as Wikipedia or Del.icio.us (as mentioned in Bruns’ lecture), where people are able to tag, share, contribute opinions and information. Vitrual products can also consist of something completely individual, such as You Tube clips, DeviantArt pages. These individual pages seem to represent the individual, and to an extent they are, although by contributing to the catalogue within the site, it is simply another method of collaboration between individuals online.
Even Blogs or Instant Messaging programs are allowing people to collaborate and share information, such as WebMessenger, which not only allows people to speak with one another in an online arena, but also to share files, pictures, and other media through conversations.
Produsage is the combination of production and usage of the same products - sharing and collaborating ideas, opinions, media, art and many other forms of products (or artefacts as described by Bruns,) in a virtual environment that facilitates this collaborative sensation (2008, lecture 8).
We are moving into a technological framework that allows us all to be members of generation C (Trendwatching, 2008), where everyone can be content creators, shares, consumers.
Something that bothers many people is the concept of knowledge overload. What is going to happen when everything is shared and collaborated and every topic is completely saturated? Will we get to a point where because of prod usage, we will possibly be able to find out EVERYTHING on a certain topic? And how will this information be organised to assist us in finding the information that we truly require?
References
Bruns, A. (2008) KCB201 Lecture Week 8 Produsage. Brisbane: Queensland University of Technology
Delicious (2008) Delicious. http://del.icio.us/ (accessed May 1, 2008)
Deviant Art (2008) Deviant Art. http://www.deviantart.com (accessed May 1, 2008)
Trendwatching.com (2008) Nouveau Niche Part 1. http://www.trendwatching.com/trends/nouveau_niche.htm (accessed April 28 2008)
Trendwatching.com (2008) Generation C. http://www.trendwatching.com/trends/GENERATION_C.htm (accessed May 1, 2008)
Wikipedia (2008) Wikipedia. http://www.wikipedia.org (accessed May 1, 2008)
You Tube (2008) You Tube. http://www.youtube.com (accessed May 1, 2008)
Bruns (2008, lecture 8) refers to the ways in which the product, in a traditional sense, went from the producer, through an intermediary (usually a distributor or something of the likes), which then led to the product being bought and used by a consumer.
Usage looks at the means of consuming this finished product, be it the purchaser or receiver of the good or service that has been produced by the producer. Generally, as mentioned, the consumer will purchase the product from an intermediary.
In terms of the virtual realm, the digital environment, a product can be anything that has been created for a purpose - usually some form of media. Virtual products can consist of collaborative works, be it something such as Wikipedia or Del.icio.us (as mentioned in Bruns’ lecture), where people are able to tag, share, contribute opinions and information. Vitrual products can also consist of something completely individual, such as You Tube clips, DeviantArt pages. These individual pages seem to represent the individual, and to an extent they are, although by contributing to the catalogue within the site, it is simply another method of collaboration between individuals online.
Even Blogs or Instant Messaging programs are allowing people to collaborate and share information, such as WebMessenger, which not only allows people to speak with one another in an online arena, but also to share files, pictures, and other media through conversations.
Produsage is the combination of production and usage of the same products - sharing and collaborating ideas, opinions, media, art and many other forms of products (or artefacts as described by Bruns,) in a virtual environment that facilitates this collaborative sensation (2008, lecture 8).
We are moving into a technological framework that allows us all to be members of generation C (Trendwatching, 2008), where everyone can be content creators, shares, consumers.
Something that bothers many people is the concept of knowledge overload. What is going to happen when everything is shared and collaborated and every topic is completely saturated? Will we get to a point where because of prod usage, we will possibly be able to find out EVERYTHING on a certain topic? And how will this information be organised to assist us in finding the information that we truly require?
References
Bruns, A. (2008) KCB201 Lecture Week 8 Produsage. Brisbane: Queensland University of Technology
Delicious (2008) Delicious. http://del.icio.us/ (accessed May 1, 2008)
Deviant Art (2008) Deviant Art. http://www.deviantart.com (accessed May 1, 2008)
Trendwatching.com (2008) Nouveau Niche Part 1. http://www.trendwatching.com/trends/nouveau_niche.htm (accessed April 28 2008)
Trendwatching.com (2008) Generation C. http://www.trendwatching.com/trends/GENERATION_C.htm (accessed May 1, 2008)
Wikipedia (2008) Wikipedia. http://www.wikipedia.org (accessed May 1, 2008)
You Tube (2008) You Tube. http://www.youtube.com (accessed May 1, 2008)
Something I Want to Share
I would like to share a personal experience with you in regarding virtual cultures.
My housemate is... to say the least a bit of a computer nerd. He tends to spend much of his time in what seems to be isolation, in his room with the door closed, enjoying the online realm in all it's glory.
Over the past 16 months or thereabouts, he has been 'dating' this young lady from North America, whom he has never seen face-to-face... they met during an online gaming session and, don't ask me how, but the sparks began to fly from there.
Although I have given him enormous amounts of taunting for only being able to find a girlfriend on the other side of the world, she moved to Australia in the last week, and I have begun to really understand the full potential for online communities to spark relationships that were originally limited by geographic location. The two of them are very happy together, and perhaps in an idealistic sense, seem to go together perfectly!
The question is - what were we missing out on before the creation of online communities?! And if this is where we are now, where are we heading?!
My housemate is... to say the least a bit of a computer nerd. He tends to spend much of his time in what seems to be isolation, in his room with the door closed, enjoying the online realm in all it's glory.
Over the past 16 months or thereabouts, he has been 'dating' this young lady from North America, whom he has never seen face-to-face... they met during an online gaming session and, don't ask me how, but the sparks began to fly from there.
Although I have given him enormous amounts of taunting for only being able to find a girlfriend on the other side of the world, she moved to Australia in the last week, and I have begun to really understand the full potential for online communities to spark relationships that were originally limited by geographic location. The two of them are very happy together, and perhaps in an idealistic sense, seem to go together perfectly!
The question is - what were we missing out on before the creation of online communities?! And if this is where we are now, where are we heading?!
Online Communities and the Individual
There has always been a push for the individual to ‘belong’ to a community, especially a democratic one where there is some point of forum for the individual to have their say… if they wish.
“The desire for strong communities as an antidote to the sense of alienation and disenfranchisement seen as characteristic of modern, industrial, capitalist societies has been a long-standing feature of discourses surrounding new technologies.” (Flew, 2004, p.64)
Something that needs to be acknowledged is the ways in which virtual cultures have dramatically changed in recent years. The reasons and purposes for individuals participating in virtual cultures has grown from a simple passive usership to more of a produsing, proactive one, relying on CMC (Computer-Mediated Communications). Participants create content to be shared in an interactive environment, rather than simply to take advantage of the convenience of email and other online products that already exist.
There have been a number of reasonable explanations as to why online communities are beneficial for the individual. Flew (2004, p.65) discusses how there are political and ideological benefits to belonging to virtual communities, as well as having positive psychological results, allowing people to interact and create identities through their membership.
In looking at the individual and their membership and participation within online communities, there are a number of alarming incidences of people becoming deceitful and seeing the “self as multiple, changeable, fragmented, in short as making a projection of its own constitution” (Flew, 2004, p.67), or as others have begun to realise, the individual can portray themselves as someone very different to their true persona. This is a very key concern with online communities, as people are able to manipulate and deceive one another, making people around them believe that they are something they are not.
As mentioned in my blog regarding teenage anorexia, there are too many impressionable teens who are able to be misled into believing something very different to the truth. Such is the example of Megan Meier, who was harassed continuously online to the point where she hanged herself at the age of 13. It is important that we are educated in the “dangers of Internet addiction, or the possibility that people become more socially isolated or depressed the more they use the Internet.” (Flew, 2004, p.68)
In other examples, many people have been able to find friendship and companionship that do not compare with those in the physical realm - and connections with people are from across the globe. I personally have a cousin that recently got married to a gentleman she met over the internet - and she is one of many.
Overall, it is important to acknowledge the uses of the internet as a creational product and a means for us to create more and interact amongst one another - whether we choose do it responsibly or not.
References
Flew, T. (2004) New Media: An Introduction. Melbourne: OUP
Zetter, K. (2007) Megan Meier Suicide Stokes The Internet Fury Machine http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2007/11/megan-meier-sui.html (accessed April 30, 2008)
“The desire for strong communities as an antidote to the sense of alienation and disenfranchisement seen as characteristic of modern, industrial, capitalist societies has been a long-standing feature of discourses surrounding new technologies.” (Flew, 2004, p.64)
Something that needs to be acknowledged is the ways in which virtual cultures have dramatically changed in recent years. The reasons and purposes for individuals participating in virtual cultures has grown from a simple passive usership to more of a produsing, proactive one, relying on CMC (Computer-Mediated Communications). Participants create content to be shared in an interactive environment, rather than simply to take advantage of the convenience of email and other online products that already exist.
There have been a number of reasonable explanations as to why online communities are beneficial for the individual. Flew (2004, p.65) discusses how there are political and ideological benefits to belonging to virtual communities, as well as having positive psychological results, allowing people to interact and create identities through their membership.
In looking at the individual and their membership and participation within online communities, there are a number of alarming incidences of people becoming deceitful and seeing the “self as multiple, changeable, fragmented, in short as making a projection of its own constitution” (Flew, 2004, p.67), or as others have begun to realise, the individual can portray themselves as someone very different to their true persona. This is a very key concern with online communities, as people are able to manipulate and deceive one another, making people around them believe that they are something they are not.
As mentioned in my blog regarding teenage anorexia, there are too many impressionable teens who are able to be misled into believing something very different to the truth. Such is the example of Megan Meier, who was harassed continuously online to the point where she hanged herself at the age of 13. It is important that we are educated in the “dangers of Internet addiction, or the possibility that people become more socially isolated or depressed the more they use the Internet.” (Flew, 2004, p.68)
In other examples, many people have been able to find friendship and companionship that do not compare with those in the physical realm - and connections with people are from across the globe. I personally have a cousin that recently got married to a gentleman she met over the internet - and she is one of many.
Overall, it is important to acknowledge the uses of the internet as a creational product and a means for us to create more and interact amongst one another - whether we choose do it responsibly or not.
References
Flew, T. (2004) New Media: An Introduction. Melbourne: OUP
Zetter, K. (2007) Megan Meier Suicide Stokes The Internet Fury Machine http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2007/11/megan-meier-sui.html (accessed April 30, 2008)
Monday, April 28, 2008
Online "Anorex-Sick" Issues For Young Teens
“Convergence occurs within the brains of individual consumers and through their social interactions with others. Each of us constructs our own personal mythology from bits and fragments of information extracted from the media flow and transformed into resources through which we make sense of our everyday lives. Because there is more information on any given topic than anyone can store in their head, there is an added incentive for us to talk among ourselves about the media we consume” (Jenkins, 2006, p.3).
The problem is, whereabouts is this convergence leading us? Is the creation of an open media plain where everything is a simple free-for-all really a good idea for everyone? Is it safe for the individual?When considering it in an everyday sense, it would seem the answer to these questions is ‘yes’. I mean, how on earth could the internet and other interactive mediums really be detrimental to a human? Okay, certainly there are those people who are hermits, who would prefer to be left alone in a dark room with their computer, and really, in all honesty, the increasing availability of online communities and virtual cultures is most likely actually helping the social status of these people.
The one thing that I would really like to consider is those who are vulnerable. Those who are easily led and manipulated and transformed into what they consider to be ‘cool’. “Kids are in such a haste to look fashionable and attractive, that they are turning to binge drinking and drugs, becoming increasingly prone to such mental disorders” (Tiandian News, 2008).
My example of this are ‘thins-poration’ groups, young crowds of girls who get together to inspire one another to become anorexic and suffer depression one another. Many of these girls have taken up the role of “generation C” (Trendwatching.com, 2005), adding niche content in text, audio, video online to be shared with others.
Certainly, one might look at them and think ‘perhaps these girls are creating support networks to deal with their own personal issues’. In fact, it is much the opposite, with the sickness believed to be an elite social group, with people having ED’s (Eating Disorders) being the only ones allowed to participate. This is the kind of alarming activity that can ruin the young and lively nature of a teenaged girl and change the course of her life forever.
These ‘ana thinspo’ groups have taken over mainstream online broadcasting channel youtube (see video below), as well as other online communities such as myspace (for example, this profile) and facebook. They promote the image benefits of becoming anorexic, and how it will assist in creating social status within the ‘thin’ virtual world, Now, online group opinion leaders cannot be named as completely to blame. As usual, tabloid gossip magazines are still mentioning in grave detail the most recent of scandals, many portraying images of scrawny Lindsay Lohan, Paris or Nicole Richie in their most recent downsizing escapades. Not to say that this in any way excuses what these opinion leaders are doing, but it just creates another form of reaffirmation that what the young and impressionable girls are learning is socially acceptable.
It is simply the fact that these opinion leaders are able to exploit the innocence and naivety of many young and impressionable girls through virtual media and subculture contact and still come across as being a supportive friend. Now there is something very wrong with that.
I believe that it is very important that there is a level of screening involved with young and impressionable individuals when using interactive and produsing media forms. If there is no screening, it could very possibly lead to the demise of many individuals and an outbreak of mental and physical illness due to peer pressure.
References
Jenkins, H. (2006) Convergence culture: When new and old media collide. New York: New York University
Myspace.com (2008) An Oh Rex "SICK" Obsession. http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=73440603 (accessed April 28 2008)
Tiandian News (2008) Peer Pressure Pushing Kids to Depression, Anxiety, Anorexia. http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/south-asia/peer-pressure-pushing-kids-to-depression-anxiety-anorexia-re-issue_10042550.html (accessed April 28 2008)
Trendwatching.com (2008) Nouveau Niche Part 1. http://www.trendwatching.com/trends/nouveau_niche.htm (accessed April 28 2008)
The problem is, whereabouts is this convergence leading us? Is the creation of an open media plain where everything is a simple free-for-all really a good idea for everyone? Is it safe for the individual?When considering it in an everyday sense, it would seem the answer to these questions is ‘yes’. I mean, how on earth could the internet and other interactive mediums really be detrimental to a human? Okay, certainly there are those people who are hermits, who would prefer to be left alone in a dark room with their computer, and really, in all honesty, the increasing availability of online communities and virtual cultures is most likely actually helping the social status of these people.
The one thing that I would really like to consider is those who are vulnerable. Those who are easily led and manipulated and transformed into what they consider to be ‘cool’. “Kids are in such a haste to look fashionable and attractive, that they are turning to binge drinking and drugs, becoming increasingly prone to such mental disorders” (Tiandian News, 2008).
My example of this are ‘thins-poration’ groups, young crowds of girls who get together to inspire one another to become anorexic and suffer depression one another. Many of these girls have taken up the role of “generation C” (Trendwatching.com, 2005), adding niche content in text, audio, video online to be shared with others.
Certainly, one might look at them and think ‘perhaps these girls are creating support networks to deal with their own personal issues’. In fact, it is much the opposite, with the sickness believed to be an elite social group, with people having ED’s (Eating Disorders) being the only ones allowed to participate. This is the kind of alarming activity that can ruin the young and lively nature of a teenaged girl and change the course of her life forever.
These ‘ana thinspo’ groups have taken over mainstream online broadcasting channel youtube (see video below), as well as other online communities such as myspace (for example, this profile) and facebook. They promote the image benefits of becoming anorexic, and how it will assist in creating social status within the ‘thin’ virtual world, Now, online group opinion leaders cannot be named as completely to blame. As usual, tabloid gossip magazines are still mentioning in grave detail the most recent of scandals, many portraying images of scrawny Lindsay Lohan, Paris or Nicole Richie in their most recent downsizing escapades. Not to say that this in any way excuses what these opinion leaders are doing, but it just creates another form of reaffirmation that what the young and impressionable girls are learning is socially acceptable.
It is simply the fact that these opinion leaders are able to exploit the innocence and naivety of many young and impressionable girls through virtual media and subculture contact and still come across as being a supportive friend. Now there is something very wrong with that.
I believe that it is very important that there is a level of screening involved with young and impressionable individuals when using interactive and produsing media forms. If there is no screening, it could very possibly lead to the demise of many individuals and an outbreak of mental and physical illness due to peer pressure.
References
Jenkins, H. (2006) Convergence culture: When new and old media collide. New York: New York University
Myspace.com (2008) An Oh Rex "SICK" Obsession. http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=73440603 (accessed April 28 2008)
Tiandian News (2008) Peer Pressure Pushing Kids to Depression, Anxiety, Anorexia. http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/south-asia/peer-pressure-pushing-kids-to-depression-anxiety-anorexia-re-issue_10042550.html (accessed April 28 2008)
Trendwatching.com (2008) Nouveau Niche Part 1. http://www.trendwatching.com/trends/nouveau_niche.htm (accessed April 28 2008)
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