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welcome to my blog! this is the first post you’ll see but technically the last ~ Oooo!

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good luck and solidarity to all my peers up late and scrambling for the finish line right now! we’re in the same boat ~ 

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Future Gaze: Week 12

“What Orwell feared were those who would ban books. What Huxley feared was that there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one who wanted to read one. Orwell feared those who would deprive us of information. Huxley feared those who would give us so much that we would be reduced to passivity and egoism. Orwell feared that the truth would be concealed from us. Huxley feared the truth would be drowned in a sea of irrelevance. Orwell feared we would become a captive culture. Huxley feared we would become a trivial culture.”

– Andrew Postman from Guardian article My dad predicted Trump in 1985 – it's not Orwell, he warned, it's Brave New World

This semester has fully awakened my curiosity in all aspects of digital life and experience. I feel like I have covered a lot of ground, contradicted myself many, many times and not really reached a conclusion of opinion, as such, but rather a well-rounded understanding of how digital life it inevitably intertwined with physical reality. Looking forward I see the complete dissolution of life, communication and community as we know it. I also see a very dark tunnel ~ the exploration into VR, robotics and AI, an a death of the human identity as we have understood it for thousands of years. From the dirty ash of technological experiments I see a phoenix arising from the ash, less dependent on flat screens and more integrated with the natural universe.

Future Gaze readings list:

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2017/feb/03/is-snapchat-the-new-facebook

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today’s food for thought

https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/how-our-likes-helped-trump-win

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Case Study China: Week 11

coming soon woohoo!

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Social Gaming: Week 10

“The virtual topographies of our millennial world are rife with angels and aliens, with digital avatars and mystic Gaian minds, with utopian longings and gnostic science fictions, and with dark forebodings of apocalypse and demonic enchantment”.  – Erik Davis

My experience of online gaming is so limited that it is likely I will make a fool of myself even writing about it. My only experience of ‘games with screens’ in general is with a handheld Tetris console from the 90s, a Game and Watch Octopus Nintendo console from the 60s and a brief encounter with Sims and Donkey Kong at a slumberparty in early childhood. 

Nintendo Games, 1960s

I remember Donkey Kong awakened a world of possibility in me, though the exploration died fast since my family didn’t even have a television, so I had little contact with the digital world until I got my first Macbook at age 18. At the time my highschool boyfriend was involved with Halo and I was perturbed by his apparent favoured interest in aliens over me. Since then I have had a naively biased opinion of video / social gaming as a largely violent activity, since it appears (through adverts, screenshots) to be largely combative.

I think what I have failed to respect is the complexity of games and the thoroughness with which they have been designed. If I can respect J.K. Rowling of Philip Pullman for envisioning an alternate reality that defies physics and pushes the boundaries of the fantastical, why I have I been so hesitant to accept gaming as a legitimate escape activity from ordinary reality? What makes it different to reading, or watching a film?

I suppose I honestly feel confronted by the idea of people prioritising a virtual life and avatar over their own physical surroundings for extended periods of time. I am afraid of the idea of someone losing their ability to identify themselves as a singular being, without a virtual avatar. By assuming this I suppose I am projecting my own fear onto others, since it is losing myself that I really fear, hence why I have probably never participated in gaming culture. I am sure there are people who are more well equipped to deal with their identity crisis and balance the stability of their real world life with that of a virtual avatar!

Nostalrius Shutdown, 2016

I willingly accept gaming as a social activity, aided by social media in general, but I would defend platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, Facebook etc as belonging to a very different category of social media. Indeed you can create a slightly falsified version of yourself through selfie and blogging culture (as I will be writing about in my essay focusing on visual communities), however the ability to literally construct assets and participate in commerce within the confines of virtual space is concerning to me with consideration towards a longterm picture of society and the future of humanity. 

I can’t help but feel saddened by what has been lost in our culture since the rise of technology and dissipation of faith (as an overall reference to spirituality, not necessarily any religion) and been replaced with digital storytelling, especially since the concepts and stories are majorly dictated by a bunch of males that work in coding and development. If gaming is going to rewrite the mythology of humanity, a task that was previously undertaken by elders of community and was intricately linked with nature and the changing of the seasons (such as the stars, moon cycles etc- think of Persephone from Greek mythology or Frigg from Norse mythology), the gender disparity in game development needs to be addressed, so as to make virtual exploration and experimentation a place where everyone feels welcome to envision their own mythology. 

Hydra Constellation - Greek Mythology

This was probably the least academic piece of writing I have shared on this blog so please forgive me for just splurging my wayward thoughts onto your dashboard ~ I have a tendency to fluff and get more philosophical than is necessary, especially in my studies! In some ways though I find it impossible to engage in research and education without examining how everything is connected, and it makes it hard to compartmentalize concepts. That is why I have found university so challenging and am glad that this is almost my last week ever.

References

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

Hershey, S 2008, ‘Myth, Gods, and Video Games’, Reality Sandwich, 23 September, viewed 31 January, 2017  http://realitysandwich.com/8651/myth_gods_and_video_games/

Kingsley, DL 2016,  ‘Modern Fictions – How the Sacred Manifests in Chaos, Superheroes and Outer Spaces’, Reality Sandwich, 19 April, viewed 31 January, 2017, http://realitysandwich.com/319895/modern-fictions-how-the-sacred-manifests-in-chaos-superheroes-and-outer-spaces/

Kyriakou, S 2015, ‘Gender Challenge in the Video Games Industry’, Financial Times, 25 June, viewed 31 January, https://www.ft.com/content/4778b356-1409-11e5-9bc5-00144feabdc0

Suzor, N & Woodford, D 2013, 'Evaluating consent and legitimacy amongst shifting community norms: An EVE Online case study', Journal of Virtual Worlds Research, vol. 6, no. 3, pp. 1-14.

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reflection: week 9

sitting here at midnight with a hot cocoa musing about the ephemeral nature of the digital selfie and trying to make sense of my online life. i’ve been living in the US for a year and am returning home in a few short weeks. today heralds the new chinese year of the fire rooster ~ i already feel the energy of the new year to be bold and unashamed, a year that stale attitudes and social shackles might crumble under the destructive rule of shiva. rooster or phoenix? i knew this year would be transitionary ~ and on a personal level much has changed in four weeks already ~ a breakup, my last week of university ever is near approaching, i am moving countries via a trip to japan, leaving behind a small but pleasant life that i built here while trying to find time for my art. i am trying reconcile the fact that my new friendships here will soon be cyber relationships, while my longterm friendships back home will reawaken themselves in physicality. i feel myself to be between worlds, a nagging calling from both ends through my various platforms. when do you leave? when are you home? i’m trying to exist in the place in between, since i think transition is where wisdom can be found. this is a time i want to experience with depth, and so i may try to refrain from digital documentation of this transition after this post, since i feel this is an experience to be shared only with myself. enjoying these last few weeks of digital communities and wishing all my peers the best in their studies! thanks for listening ~

x freya aka cyber sorceress

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Visual Communities & Social Imaging: Week 9

I found the focus on social imaging this week to be especially engaging ~ looks as though I’ve found my essay topic! I feel like there is an overwhelming depth to what can be discussed and researched here, so I hope that eventually I can find some clarity of thought that can be presented as a cohesive argument!

I believe that the concepts presented in Photography, Self Documentation, & Social Media: An Interview with Nathan Jurgenson (2014) are both well considered and insightful, a stark contradiction to Sherry Turkle’s and others morbid view of the control of technology over our lives. Rather, Nathan Jurgenson asserts a more empowered vision of how we use social imaging as a means of momentary self expression through digital documentation. 

Herein lies the dichotomy between preservation and impermanence. While some argue that selfies, geo-tagging and any form of online, social documentation are a desperate attempt to devise a digital legacy born of an inherent nostalgia, I would argue that online documentation is essentially an experience of non-attachment, important if only for a minute. Though we perhaps render a personal blog, profile or page akin to a photo album, we are not so foolish as to innately dismiss the ephemeral nature of digital documentation. We are all quite aware of the potential for platforms to become ultimately redundant, in the same way that Myspace feels like a platform from the dinosaur days, our personal pages having faded into the abyss, either deleted or forgotten.

The ephemeral nature of social media has been more literally embraced in recent years with the rise of Snapchat leading the way for momentary sharing, with new Instagram features ‘Stories’ and ‘Live’ and live camming porn sites such as Chaturbate following closely behind. If we are to discuss the concept of affinity (Lange, 2009), I believe we must take into consideration the changing nature of online video from permanence to transient. I would suggest that Affinity, or the feeling of a connection between people based on personal interests, ideologies or hobbies (Lange, 2009) can be amplified through live of ephemeral video, since it grants the spectator membership to a group of individuals all having an authentic experience that transcends location and many other social barriers. 

This is a radical shift for social media even in a few short years. From the rise of photography as a means of visual nostalgia to the Facebook timeline, most past and recent past documentation seemed fixated on the need to reference something of a traditional form of documentation such as photo albums, diaries and paper archives. However, I believe the Instagram movement such as #nofilter was indicative of the desire to move away from a nostalgic mood to something more raw, immediate and authentic. Ultimately, calling a digital selfie any less ‘real’ than a photograph set up on a self timer on a camera is unfair. As Jurgenson (2014) suggests, policing authenticity is both conservative and dangerous, as it asserts value over another persons self expression, just as graffiti was once not considered ‘art’, nor rap considered ‘music’. 

Perhaps the challenge here is to consider which moments you feel are important to share, and which to keep to yourself. If you see your life as if through a metaphorical viewfinder, each moment a potential experience to be shared, it assumes that in your mind you have already sold your experience of now to future digital history, and that’s kind of sad.

References

Farman, J 2014, Photography, Self Documentation, & Social Media: An Interview with Nathan Jurgenson, 16 June, viewed 3 August 2016, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnPtZ5lKDHo>.

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

Vivienne, S & Burgess, J 2013, ‘The Remediation of the Personal Photograph’, Journal of Material Culture, vol. 18, no. 3, pp. 279-98.

Images: 

Nor, P 2015, We In Luv And Live Very Fabulous Lifestyles, illustration, viewed January 2017 http://pollynor.com/We-In-Luv-And-Live-Very-Fabulous-Lifestyles-Illustration-by-Polly-Nor

Nor, P 2015, Nm Rly Wbu, illustration, viewed January 2017 http://pollynor.com/Nm-Rly-Wbu-Illustration-by-Polly-Nor

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Crowdsourcing In Times Of Crisis: Week 8

In all honesty, I am writing this entry retrospectively ~ so despite the desire to fool you into thinking that I can read the future, some of my references will be from later in the semester, such as the political landscape currently in the US etc! Since I am currently living in the US, I feel the need to write about it, or at least say something about it since the energy from the last week is permeating every interaction I have with the outside world.

In the last few weeks crowdsourcing has proved itself again as a powerful, fast and expressive tool to communicate collective knowledge and collaborate between individuals, transcending location and backgrounds. From the positive outpouring of love and solidarity on social media during the weekend of the Women’s March to the social media outrage turned action based response to the brutal changes being made by US President T, for example the immigration travel ban, crowdsourcing is no doubt an effective way to deal with crisis! 

Interestingly, I have had to defend the importance of the Women’s March to various men in my life, partly due to their assumption that it bought into ‘clicktivism’ (though they don’t use that term) and was ‘tokenistic’ of the women’s rights movement and was making no ‘real change’. (For now I will hesitate to unpack why they have this attitude). Aside from feeling troubled by men essentially telling me that the experience of women is invalid, it also denies the power of crowdsourcing and the impressive work that came before, during and after the largest protest in US history. I think the action-based change that some are suggesting needs to ‘replace’ protest culture can only be built on the foundations of a large, united voice and strong, accessible organizational tools ~ such as social media crowdsourcing. 

Since the march, discussion for further action has taken place on all platforms and networks with resources being collated and shared. Phone numbers for ministers, lists of ethical brands that support racial and gender equality, plans for further gatherings and community discussion are among the many examples of information that is being gathered for collaborative action.

Similarly, the updates that circulated over the weekend of 28/01 - 29/01 regarding the US president’s call to ban foreign nationals of the 7 listed countries ~ essentially a ‘muslim ban’ ~ were fierce in their ability to spread information swiftly and succinctly through every media platform, instantly arousing protests and a call to action. Lawyers appeared on the scene, websites and charities that support refugee families were shared and companies such as Uber were boycotted due to what some called a ‘lack of morality’ for not standing in solidarity with those protesting the ban. The Guardian put out an open call for anyone willing to share their stories, which helped them to paint a more detailed description of how travelers and families were /are affected by the ban.

Regarding the question of accuracy of factual information I would say this: things may or may not be correct when they are first reported. However, the digital community is always on an overwhelming quest for truth, and through collective discovery and work we almost always reach the conclusion. The initial awareness is what is important (so long as we avoid the black hole of clicktivism ~ reaching back to week 6), because we then have a springboard of information to encourage further action.

On a less political level, crowdsourcing has also changed my life in small yet wonderful ways. Due to my networks on my social media accounts, I am able to share and ask for recommendations for best hairdressers in Melbourne, which Australian superannuation providers have divested from fossil fuels, how to know whether an old house has black mould and how to deal with boundaries in relationships. The wealth of knowledge provided and shared by willing volunteers is a true act of generosity and proof that generally speaking, we want what is best for our neighbour and are excited by the idea of sharing what we think is quality living. It really is the way of the future!

References

Bruns, A, Burgess, J, Crawford, K & Shaw, F 2012, #qldfloods and @QPSMedia: Crisis Communication on Twitter in the 2011 South East Queensland Floods, Arc Centre of Excellence for Creative Industries and Innovation, pp. 7-10, viewed 28 January 2017, <http://www.cci.edu.au/floodsreport.pdf>

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

Howard, J 2006, ‘The Rise of Crowdsourcing’, Wired, 14 June, viewed 25 January 2017, <http://archive.wired.com/wired/archive/14.06/crowds.html>

Ushahidi 2014, viewed 25 January 2017, <http://www.ushahidi.com/>

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Trolling & Social Media Conflict: Week 7

This week the focus was on trolling and social media conflict, more specifically cyber bullying and the adverse effects of trolling in the online community. Interestingly, there are disputed definitions of bullying, though Danah Boyd (Boyd, 2014) iterates that there needs to be a distinction between cyber bullying, trolling, stalking, harassment and abuse, despite the adult community of parents and schools frequently suggesting cyber bullying covers all grounds. 

Though it’s easy to dismiss cyber bullying and trolling as a ‘teenage’ problem in schools, that attitude fails to acknowledge the struggles adults can encounter as social media users. Public figures face an especially difficult challenge of mediating trolls and choosing whether to engage with them or ignore them. While the general ‘rule’ is not to engage, it means that consequences are low for trolls, especially since platforms such as Facebook and Instagram are less than helpful when it comes to online abuse.

The case in 2015 when Melbourne feminist author and activist Clementine Ford chose to engage with a provocation from a troll resulted in a media explosion. As you may remember, Ford responded with nude selfie to Sunrise on her Facebook page when they suggested that women were asking for abuse by posting nudes online. Michael Nolan, an employee at Meriton Apartments reacted to her response by calling her a sl** in the comments section of her page. She posted a screenshot of his comment more publicly, which led to him being fired from his job. 

What surprised me most about this story was the level of hate directed toward Ford in the wake of Nolan’s dismissal from his job. How dare she make a man lose his job! was chorused on multiple platforms. To this she responded on her Facebook page: “To anyone who suggests I have caused a man to lose his job, I’d like to say this: He is responsible for his actions. He is responsible for the things he writes and the attitudes he holds. It is not my responsibility to hold his hand and coddle him when he behaves in an abusive manner just because it might have consequences for him. Women are often told to stay silent about harassment because it’s not fair to ‘ruin a man’s career’. Why is their behaviour our responsibility? Enough,”

What becomes evident to me here is 1) There is an obvious disconnect between what trolls believe they can get away with without consequence and 2) In many cases, trolling appears to be largely a feminist issue, since women face more of a threat, as seen in the screenshots of comments received on Ford’s page here. (I’d like to issue a content warning for the vile comments). And as you might notice, most of these comments are from men!

But as Boyd (Boyd, 2014) laments, most bullies that act out are reacting aggressively because they are dealing with their own personal issues, not because they are inherently evil people. This brings me to the crux of what I have been considering this week ~ why do people troll and bully, and why do we think of them as others, these faceless and soulless cyborgs that supposedly don’t have jobs, wives or feelings. Is it that the crisis of technology and the dissolution of community is so painful for some that the only response is anger towards those that appear to be living a more successful and empowered life? I’ll leave you with food for thought.

Fun fact: Some years ago I was payed to act in a short educational film for Education Victoria about cyber bullying in highschools! A couple years later I started receiving messages in my Tumblr inbox of my blog from people that recognised me from my blog, and had been shown the video at school! Though most were supportive, some of them seemed to enjoy telling me what a bad actor I was through my inbox! Ironic?

Boyd, D 2014, ‘Bullying: Is the Media Amplifying Meanness and Cruelty?’, in It’s Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens, Yale University Press, New Haven, USA, pp. 128-52. 

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Activism & Protest: Week 6

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Digital Citizenship, Politics & Civic Cultures: Week 5

It might appear on the surface that the association between politics and social media is rather dry. After all, the only way I began to engage with Australian politics was because I was rather tickled by the witty live Tweets that aired throughout the Australian political show Q&A. Seeing the weekly news summed up in a specific amount of characters from the varied perspectives and opinions of other Australians was extremely satisfying, and I slowly began to form my own opinions about policies, issues and the political landscape at large.

While Australian politics are assumed to be a bit of a snooze, the public, especially in capital cities, appear to be engaged in and critical of the movements of our leaders. Australians are hard to please, I think. If our politicians want to communicate effectively with the public through social media, we expect a certain level of underdog humour, honesty, transparency and the ability to relate in a very down to earth way. Whilst past leaders such as Rudd, Gillard and Abbott attempted to appear relatable through purposeful media action (see Kevin Rudd’s razor cut Twitter post) their movements have the potential to unintentionally go viral (see Abbott chomping down on an onion and the international social media hullabaloo that ensued) and create an overall negative response.

Living in the US this past year has shown me how the subtleties of culture  determine our values, and how that effects what we look for in a leader. While Australians thrive on humour and would vote in someone that we consider ‘decent’, Americans perhaps value a leader that embodies something more bold and charismatic, with a sense of justice and hope. If politicians want to create strong social media platforms for themselves, they first have to ask themselves who their audience is, and what they value. Politicians have an increasing challenge to appeal to us as both credible leaders and entertainers, and walking this fine line may be of benefit or detriment to their campaign.

In some ways, I feel that social media is beyond the benefit of politicians. But maybe it’s not about them. Youth culture expects such transparency that any attempt by a politician to try to relate appears contrived and fruitless. The collaborative nature of the Internet can unpack the motive of an individual within moments, leaving their efforts in shreds via Twitter, Tumblr or Facebook, to name a few. Political news distinctly feeds the collective nature of social media, creating waves of mass mourning, incredulousness, triumph and humour. In some ways, this is one of its more uniting themes. Take the morning after president-elect Donald Trump’s victory as an example of how collective mourning created digital unity. Even those not previously engaged in US politics felt the desire to participate in the outpouring of disbelief. As talked about in Week 2, it’s moments like these that make us feel like we are part of a community again, sharing and learning and feeling as one.

As we progress into the digital age, I believe politicians have the obligation to continue dialogue with the public through advancing technologies. This however must be taken with a grain of salt on their behalf, since the collective mind will always be there to correct them where they have gone wrong, and call them out when they are out of line. Even if it’s not to their benefit, they still have the responsibility to keep us informed, engage with us, and show us some true colours. And if they reply to our Twitter criticisms from a place of mirth, we might even start to think about voting for them! 

References

Barely Political 2007, Crush On Obama, 13 June, viewed 7 November 2016, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKsoXHYICqU>.

DCU School of Communication 2013, IAMCR 2013 Plenary No. 3 - Jodi Dean, 3 July, viewed 7 November 2016, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5ABPuNQ6IU>.

Jericho, G 2012, 'How many votes are there on Twitter?', in The Rise of the Fifth Estate, Scribe, Victoria, Australia.

Saturday Night Live 2013, Palin/Hillary Open – Saturday Night Live, 23 September, viewed 7 November 2016, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSOLz1YBFG0>.

The Sydney Morning Herald, Social Media stakes: Rudd & Abbott, viewed 7 November 2016, <http://images.smh.com.au/file/2013/08/07/4640158/Web_ElectionSocial/>.

Young, S 2010, 'News, political reporting and the internet', in How Australia Decides, Cambridge University Press, Victoria, Australia.

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Overview: Week 1 – 3

This journey into cyber territory through Digital Communities these last few weeks has brought up both personal, familiar questions about the role of networking and social media in daily life and previously unchartered waters of critical thought in regards to its ever changing purpose. Though I held strong views about the darker aspects of technology and media, academic exploration has uncovered perspectives that have challenged my presumptions and woven a more rounded view of its place in our lives. I have arrived at a middle ground, knowing that its complexity is mostly beyond my comprehension, but that engaging, analysing and self reflecting is of great benefit, since ignorance and complacency is what encourages its darker nature.

Week 1 asked for critical thoughts in regards to the idea of being always connected online, yet disconnected socially and physically. I began to ask, at what point does online connection compromise valuable real-life physical connection? And at a time so saturated by digital connection, what sort of connection can be defined as real or not real? These themes of discussion highlighted the increasing rise in addiction, fear and anxiety around being alone that is perpetuated by social media and digital connection. I believe this epidemic is the main cause for concern, since emotional wellbeing of individuals and consequently humanity at large is the ground from which functional society arises. 

Interestingly, Week 2 elaborated on the concept of community and society by referencing the past definitions of each, and looking at the ways in which online social engagement is attempting to create it’s own communities that are decentralised and based on shared interests between individuals, in comparison to towns where community is built from individuals with varied interests. Since digital communities can surpass boundaries of location, race, age, religion and gender, the potential of meaningful, global connection and mutual learning between individuals is increased. Alternatively, digital communities also have potential to remain as bubbles, creating fragmented and polarised online groups that see little need to engage with alternate opinions and ideals. These ‘bubbles’ are further governed by the hosts and platforms on which digital communities establish themselves, which knowingly determine the accessibility of content and affordances available to its users, which asserts a high level of control over the ability of communities to communicate freely.

If we look at the way Ferdinand Tönnies observes social evolution, we could suggest that online groups will only remain successful as communities if they escape commercialisation and government control, since he asserts that meaningful community was disbanded by the desire for money to be used more profitably, which is where mercantile trade lead to capitalism. These leads me to question ones desire behind their use of social media, and whether one is consciously or subconsciously striving for longterm profitable gain, perhaps through likes and followers as social currency that will potentially lead to work etc, or whether we are looking for a deeper, more meaningful connection that they are physically lacking due to capitalism and a dissolved sense of community.

In Week 3, we explored affordances and privacy by comparing platforms and sites, with a specific focus on Reddit, or Reddit Gonewild, an amateur pornography site with intended nondiscriminatory codes of conduct that unfortunately slip into the discriminatory category. By actively engaging in the affordances of various platforms, I started to further consider the meaning and importance of usability, especially privacy. Though I assert that privacy is a fundamental right, I couldn’t help but ask myself why I thought it was important. What am I afraid of if my online privacy is breached? Are there areas that my naive mind is failing to comprehend? When a woman posts a nude photo online, are her consequences greater than her male counterpart due to the potential for stalking, trolling and recrimination from family or workplace? And if so, is not online privacy in this instance a feminist issue?

These first few weeks were an excellent foundation from which to explore further in these weeks ahead. I also took time out to work on my group presentation about blogging, an interesting social experiment in communicating with others online without so much as a picture as reference! Hopefully by probing, enquiring and experimenting, we can start to make sense of this creative monster we have made for ourselves.

All the best to my peers!

Image by Eleonora Arosio, 2016 

References

Boyd, D 2012, Participating in the Always On Lifestyle, in Mandiberg (ed) The Social Media Reader, NYU Press, pp. 71-76.

Gillespie, T 2010, 'The politics of platforms', New Media & Society, vol. 12, no. 3, Sage.

Interaction-Design.org 2011, Affordances (Don Norman, 1994), 15 February, viewed 7 November 2016, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NK1Zb_5VxuM>.

Murthy, D 2013, Twitter: Social Communication in the Twitter Age, Polity, Cambridge.

Siapera, E 2012, 'Socialities and Social Media', in Introduction to New Media, pp. 191-208.

TED-Ed 2013, Connected, but alone?- Sherry Turkle, 19 April, viewed 7 November 2016, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rv0g8TsnA6c>.

van der Negal 2013, 'Faceless Bodies: Negotiating Technological and Cultural Codes on reddit gonewild', Scan Journal of Media Arts Culture, vol. 10, no. 2, Macquarie University.

Wilken, R & McCosker, A 2014, 'Social Selves', in Cunningham & Turnbull (eds), The Media & Communications in Australia, Allen and Unwin pp. 291-295.

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Platform Case Study & Considering Affordances

Blackboard Response Week 3: Platform Affordance Comparison

Instagram vs. Tumblr

Instagram and Tumblr are both used predominantly for image sharing and have an emphasis on aesthetics. The user experience mostly differs in their subtle affordances. Both feature in individualized dashboard, which is often considered as a homepage that is comprised of posts from profiles/blogs that the user has 'followed'. Unlike the consensual viewing that occurs when you personally search something into Google knowing vaguely what you will find, having a dashboard on Instagram or Tumblr requires trust that whoever you have 'followed' will post something that you will 'like'. Likes are given by clicking on a heart, and are saved into a private 'liked' archive.

Also, while Instagram relies on the use of a phone for posting content, Tumblr is versatile in it's use on either a phone, tablet, laptop or desktop.

While Tumblr seeks to create a collaborative effort of curation by hosting the feature of 'reblogging', Instagram remains a mostly solitary act of curation, since 'sharing' another's post is relatively uncommon and requires the process of screenshotting, then reposting. Tumblr reaches back to the past by creating a user made, researched archive of humanity's artistic endeavors and personal images and posts that have been posted since the birth of Tumblr in 2007. Instagram affords less freedom by keeping reblogging to a minimum, and by relying on new content from users phone photography archive, rather than the Internet at large.

My observation would be that while Instagram could be more of an expression of our outer life, Tumblr comes closer to being an expression of our inner life. Though both allow for similar privacy settings, needing either a 'request' to follow (Insta) or a password (Tumblr), most users chose a public account. Interestingly Tumblr, which is more likely to gain traction on posts due to it's reblogging feature (meaning less privacy), appears to have users share more about their feelings, mood and inner life experience. Instagram, on the other hand, shows a more perfected and put together outward lifestyle based on physical experience. The use of Instagram could be described as unselfconscious narcissism saying look at me! my life is cool! Tumblr could be described as humoured and sarcastic self-loathing saying poor me, hahaha!

As a graphic designer, I would observe that the interface and design graphics of Tumblr creates more of an illusion of cosy 'cyber safe space', while Instagram uses white space as more of a 'pick-me-up'. The concept of 'safe space' is heightened when we find the ability on Tumblr to work with designing 'themes' as well as the ability to edit and personalise HTML codes to create the desired aesthetic. Instagram however is streamline and one design fits all, which also suits some!

Both work as an effective means of image sharing, though the ability to personalise, reblog, create long text posts and experiment with varied image formatting gains Tumblr more affordances. But don't forgot ~ you can share your Instagram posts to Tumblr, and get the best of both worlds!

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Just found some digital notes of my thoughts on social media from two years ago...

It’s my belief that social media is killing our creativity, zapping our motivation, unhealthily taunting us with the desires we never knew we had and making us into indulgent, sad, self-advertising ego daleks with clouded visions of a longterm thriving society. 

Harsh, but obviously very impassioned! I suppose in some ways I still feel this to be true, but I would express it in a softer, more forgiving way. I think the acceptance of inevitability ultimately leads to forgiveness, and since I believe the creation of social media was inevitable because humans are a curious and creative species, I am more inclined to forgive us for at least experimenting with what is possible. Where I am less forgiving is when we individually do not question the impacts of social media on our individual lives, and ask ourselves whether we need to make adjustments to improve our habits so that we can live the most fulfilled life possible.

[cyber-sorceress-blog]

Week 1: Reflection

These first couple weeks of trying to get back into studying has been a challenge, but I have found myself feeling fired up and passionate about the discussions being generated by our digital communities subject. I think about social media and technology every day, wondering what life would be like if no one had devices, and feeling nostalgic for a time that I can’t even remember. I believe in a fate of sorts ~ a universal order that places people where they need to be at any given time. Though I often wish I was born in a time less complex and without the presence of digital technology, maybe I’ve been thrown the challenge of acceptance, and all I can do it use it as my tool.

In saying all that, I want to believe social media and digital technology is a good thing, and look at the forms of digital activism and communication that are bringing people together from all walks of life. It educates us quickly and succinctly through immediate sharing, and gives us access to an almost unlimited wealth of collective knowledge, but something in me is calling out No! Wrong! 

Our experience of life that interconnects with digital media is still in utero, so to speak. We are still forming, fleshing out a collective story and figuring out what works and what won’t work. I don’t think our current use of something that should be considered a tool is emotionally sustainable, or overall beneficial. The concepts I have been navigating this week are having me question whether social media is good / bad, or whether it sits on an immeasurable spectrum that is too large and too complex for me to comprehend.