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Week 10: Digital Citizenship and Conflict: Social Media Governance

Despite social media being a great platform for people to communicate, share their lives and meet people it also has some negatives to it.

Online harassment on social media and online platforms is very common. It can take many forms, such as spreading malicious rumours, sending abusive direct messages and non-consensual sharing of personal content, including sexual images. (Haslop, O’Rourke & Southern 2021). It is pretty worrying knowing this can happen to anyone.

Some facts: - According to Free To Be Online, more than half (59%) had been targeted with abusive and insulting language. - In 2021 a study by the Economist Intelligence Unit found "more than a third of women worldwide have experienced abuse online, rising to almost half for younger women." - facing a loneliness crisis, which is particularly concentrated among young people and men. (The Conversation, 2018) - Online harassment as mentioned can range from different levels. Some examples. 'Fat hoe', 'sult', 'you f***** black ****', 'you deserve everything coming to you'. -You would think we would have Australian legislation against this issue right? Well, there was no piece against bullying to online abuse. Until the Online Safety Act 2021 was passed into Australian law in January 2022 which offers protection against serious online abuse, including image-based abuse, child cyberbullying and seriously harmful or dangerous online content. (Lecture week 10) “What colour is your Bugatti?” Does this sound familiar at all? well, it's one of the reasons Andrew Tate became a Maga Influencer whether people agreed or didn't with his views on life. His image is about him promoting aggressive misogynistic positions designed to stir controversy and draw attention to his brand. He definitely succeeded in this as his name was all over Tik Tok and led them to get banned. Manosphere refers to an overlapping collection of online men's support communities that have emerged as a response to feminism. (The Conversation, 2018) Some information and data were found based on this topic above. - The intimate relations of young men also appear to be in decline. One report suggests rates of sexual activity have dropped by nearly 10% since 2002. - Suicide rates have risen significantly in men in particular over the past decade. - We’Rourke & Southern 2021). It is pretty worrying knowing this can happen to anyone. How does Andrew Tate have any relevance in this? His a main figure in the manosphere, and his appeal to 'lost men' lies in his message of self-empowerment, promoting individual responsibility and rejection of victimhood. He also speaks on controversial views regarding gender and draws attention to his brand. He definitely succeeded in this as his name was all over tik tok and led them to get banned. Manosphere refers to an overlapping collection of online men's support communities that have emerged as a response to feminism. (The Conversation, 2018) Some information and data were found based on this topic above. - The intimate relations of young men also appear to be in decline. One report suggests rates of sexual activity have dropped by nearly 10% since 2002. - Suicide rates have risen significantly in men in particular over the past decade. - We’re also facing a loneliness crisis, which is particularly concentrated in young people and men. (The Conversation, 2018)

He is a main figure in the manosphere, as his appeal to 'lost men' lies in his message of self-empowerment, promoting individual responsibility and rejection of victimhood. He also has controversial views on gender and race, including a belief that the genetic superiority of white men and the inferiority of women. Many see the manosphere as those who feel marginalized by society.

References: Ben Rich and Eva Bujalkagence (2023)  'The draw of the ‘manosphere’: understanding Andrew Tate’s appeal to lost men',Links to an external site.The Conversation February 13.

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Week 9: Gaming Communities, Social Gaming and Live Streaming

What is a game? “To play a game is to attempt to achieve a specific state of affairs, using only means permitted by rules, where the rules prohibit use of more efficient in favour of less efficient means, and where the rules are accepted just because they make possible such activity. I also offer the following simpler, and, so to speak, more portable version of the above: playing a game is the voluntary attempt to overcome unnecessary obstacles.” (Suits 1978, p.41)

Game platforms: -Consoles -Distribution & Consumption - Social/communication - Streaming Gaming, primarily online gaming, has become very popular in recent years due to its ability to create a community. People are able to share their interests in the games with others all over the world just from their own devices and many different platforms. What comes with this is streaming. Many gamers are now streaming on platforms like Twitch and YouTube where they play games and viewers engage with it by commenting and getting entrainment out of watching someone play. According to Twitch statistics, in 2023, there are over 2.4 million average concurrent viewers. Streaming has also become a way people complete games, as they document it live for people to watch. Gaming has become both a sport for many and even a job allowing them to earn money through live streaming.

Some interesting information from the required reading is below.

As of 2018, Melbourne now accounts for over half of the entire Australian videogame development industry (GDAA, 2018) During 2010 opportunities and popularity around sharing videogame works were easier than obtaining employment in the industry. International Game Developers Association was a monthly social meetup that was set up in the early 2010s. It was both a social and networking event. The Arcade was then introduced which provided affordable office space for small game development teams. This again highlights the community gaming forms through events that happen all over the world and here in Melbourne. Considering starting gaming? It's never too late to join the community and share your interests with others. References: Keogh, B 2021, 'The Melbourne indie game scenes: value regimes in localized game development' (Chapter 13), Download 'The Melbourne indie game scenes: value regimes in localized game development' (Chapter 13),in P Ruffino (ed), Independent Videogames: Cultures, Networks, Techniques and Politics, Routledge, pp.209-222. Ruby, D. (2023). Twitch Statistics 2023 — (Users, Revenue & Insights). [online] Demand Sage. Available at: https://www.demandsage.com/twitch-users/

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Suits, B. (1978). The Grasshopper: Games, Life, and Utopia. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. (p.41)

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Week 8: Digital Citizenship and Software Literacy: Instagram Filters

We have all used a filter at least once for personal use or to post on social media, right? Well, in this week's topic, we will dive into all things #face filters. Filters use augmented reality (AR) technology. This allows "users to see the real world, with virtual objects superimposed upon or composited with the real world." (Azuma 1997, p 355)

Facts: - Beauty and “surgery” filters appear to be amongst the most popular on Instagram and Snapchat (Miller & McIntyre 2022) - 46% of users have accessed a filter effect (week 8 lecture notes) - 500 million users access ‘stories’ daily (week 8 lecture notes) - 700 million users across Meta products access AR in some capacity (usually filters) every month. (week 8 lecture notes)

Barker, Jessica. (2020). 'Making-up on mobile: The pretty filters and ugly implications of Snapchat'. Download 'Making-up on mobile: The pretty filters and ugly implications of Snapchat'.Fashion, Style & Popular Culture. 7. 207-221. 10.1386/fspc_00015_1. 

Snapchat face filters are used by many on the daily to cover up a pimple, add tan skin when looking too pale, to change someone's lips as if they have filler and hide those insecurities many hold. The filters act as a shield for many who don't like taking photos of themselves.

The "technological magic" (Arata, 2016) is when the app relies on a facial detection tool that recognizes patterns of light and dark pixels as distinct areas of the face. "The image within the camera’s frame is mapped out with a series of coordinates that identify these areas as eyes, lips and other features. The filters are then aligned with these coordinates so that virtual elements stay in place as a user moves around." (Vox, 2016)

Makeup brands like L'Oreal were a company that ran a sponsored Snapchat filter and their aim was ‘to capitalize on the playfulness of Snapchatters’ (Johnson 2016: n.pag.)

The use of filters comes with psychological consequences as each has its own set of critiques. This is the filter effect of nose slimming, face sculpting, lip tinting, eye enlarging, skin whitening and makeup enhancement. (Barker, Jessica. (2020) Filters have caused many users to feel undesirable and feel detached from their own natural faces. As Liquido, 2016 stated 'In one swipe, my face was transformed to standards that the fashion and beauty industry has been pushing for decades.' Despite this many would refer to filtered images of celebrities when showing surgeons the plastic surgery they want. Because of this "I got so carried away with how different they made me look that for a split second, I forgot what I look like’ (Olutoye, 2018: n.pag.) Users have become so blindsided and worried about getting that 'perfect look' that they begin to forget about their own features. Those behind the idea of Snapchat filters are to be held accountable as well. Snapchat has ‘its own agenda. It wants to flatter and persuade you to keep using it, but has no obligation to tell you the truth or take responsibility' (Arata 2016: n.pag.)

References: Anon, (2019). Filters have powers. [online] Available at: https://www.reddit.com/r/memes/comments/dh1vm2/filters_have_powers/

Arata, E. (2016), ‘The unexpected reason Snapchat’s “Pretty” filters hurt your self-esteem’, Elite Daily, 1 August, https://www.elitedaily.com/wellness/snapchat-filters-self-esteem/1570236.

Azuma, R.T. (1997). A Survey of Augmented Reality. Presence: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments, [online] 6(4), pp.355–385. https://doi.org/10.1162/pres.1997.6.4.355.

Barker, Jessica. (2020). 'Making-up on mobile: The pretty filters and ugly implications of Snapchat'. Download 'Making-up on mobile: The pretty filters and ugly implications of Snapchat'.Fashion, Style & Popular Culture. 7. 207-221. 10.1386/fspc_00015_1. 

Miller, L.A. and McIntyre, J. (2022). From surgery to Cyborgs: a thematic analysis of popular media commentary on Instagram filters. Feminist Media Studies, pp.1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/14680777.2022.2129414 Vox (2016), ‘How Snapchat filters work’, YouTube, 28 June, https://www. youtube.com/watch?v=Pc2aJxnmzh0.

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Week 7: Digital Citizenship and Health Education: Body Modification on Visual Social Media

Body modification: This is any method of making or altering permanent changes to your appearance.

 The aesthetic template is a key part of this week's topic.

Our faces and bodies can easily be enhanced by filters and templates

By changing lips, eyes, jaw, cheeks, waist and pretty much any feature on someone. 

Public Health Campaigns

Microcelebrity culture

Aesthetic labour

Pornification

Female and male aesthetic templates

Body dysmorphic disorder

Dissonance: Dissatisfaction with body image & cosmetic seeking behaviour’s. (Week 7 Lecture)

Below is an example of this as she has changed her lips, jaw, nose and overall facial structure is changed.

Duffy  BE and Meisner,  C 2022. “Platform governance at the margins: Social media creators’ experiences with algorithmic (in)visibility,” Media, Culture & Society. doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/01634437221111923

Background: This reading discusses how social media creators who are marginalized due to their race, gender or content type experience algorithmic invisibility on social media platforms. (SAGE Journals, 2022)

 Media regulation to platform governance:

•Investigations into digital governance have increased in recent years due to decision-making often not being transparent or understandable to the public. 

•It is important to consider the perspective of social media creators and influencers when examining the impact of governance decisions made by social media platforms as they can have impacts on creators. (SAGE Journals, 2022)

 (In)visibility in the creator economy:

•Creator economy has been ranked as the “fastest-growing type of small business” (Lorenz, 2021).

Method: - This project includes 30 in-depth interviews with recruit participants from, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Twitch willing to discuss their experiences with platform governance and regulation. (SAGE Journals, 2022) - How the recruitment list was developed: 

(1) Press coverage that identified individual creators; (2) Platform-specific hashtags (e.g. #shadowbanned, #censored); (3) Public call for participants shared on Reddit forums for current and aspiring creators.

-First round of interviews revealed many creators feel unfairly targeted by platforms and their algorithms. The second round of interviews focused on creators from traditionally socially disadvantaged groups (people of colour, women/non-binary, LGBTQ+, and those who routinely cover politicized issues within their content). (SAGE Journals, 2022)

 Findings: Mechanisms of (in)visibility

-Creators and influencers on social media platforms often feel uncertain about how the algorithms and visibility mechanisms work.

-They spend countless hours trying to understand what works and what doesn't by needing to keep posting in the hopes of going viral.

-Creators fear being made invisible through shadow banning or content removal for guideline violations. (SAGE Journals, 2022) Platform invisibility: Violations, shadow bans, and bias Bias and discrimination

-Participants highlighted informal ways of punishment were applied where their content was hidden or removed without notification or explanation.

-A participant suggested that those working for the companies are discriminative “I think that TikTok is actually transphobic. I really think that the people in charge are closed-minded,” she shared. (SAGE Journals, 2022) Conclusion: -The study examined how creators’ orientation toward platform (in)visibility and the wider systems of regulation and governance structure their experiences, creative processes, and cultural products.

-It is clear that platform companies allocate visibility that is inconsistent and often biased. Many participants stated they feel unfairly targeted by both informal and formal punishments.  (SAGE Journals, 2022)

Above is an example of Kim Kardashian who has modelled for Dolce and Gabbana. Despite this viewers wouldn't be able to take away from looking at her body and facial image. It is clear changes have been made and it further highlights how she will influence others and create a false representation of what you 'should look like'. (Kimkardashian Instagram, 2022)

References: Duffy  BE and Meisner,  C 2022. “Platform governance at the margins: Social media creators’ experiences with algorithmic (in)visibility,” Media, Culture & Society.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Co2f2hNp__H/utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

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Week 6: Digital Citizenship and Slow Fashion 

This week's topic covers digital citizenship and slow fashion.

What is #slow fashion? "The movement encourages brands to embrace a quality-based rather than a time-based business philosophy based around slower production, ethical attitudes, and well made and long-lasting products (Domingos et al 2022)"

Let's hope you didn't forget what digital citizenship is but if you did let us recap. #Digital Citizenship refers to a good digital citizen as a person with the skills and knowledge to effectively use digital technologies in a positive way to participate in society, communicate with others, and create and consume digital content (Office of the eSafety Commissioner, NSW Department of Education)

When companies say they are sustainable, do you ever wonder what they mean by this? 1. Items are to be produced child labour free. 2. Materials used in production should be less environmentally harmful and more durable. 3. Production process must be ethical and socially responsible. 4. Creating long-term relationships across the supply chain which ensures fair prices and wages. (week 6 lecture) The economic impact of the fashion industry: 1. The fashion industry in Australia contributed around 27.2 billion Australian dollars to the national economy in 2021 and employs over 489,000 Australians (Statista 2022). 2. Top global fashion companies Nike, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Adidas, Chanel, Zara, and Uniqlo (Statista 2022) Environmental impact of fashion: 1. The global fashion industry accounts for 10% of the world’s carbon emissions. The industry exceeds the combined carbon footprint of international flights and maritime shipping. (week 6 lecture) 2. Burberry and H&M accused of disposing large quantities of unsold new clothes because of the constant pressure to produce the latest looks (Brewer, 2019)

Let's jump into one of this week's readings but instead, it's a video. DW Planet A 'If you think fast fashion is bad, check out SHEIN'Links to an external site. (2022) 

Shein is the new place to shop for many due to its low prices even when making big quantity orders. It is not fast fashion it's 'ultra fast'.

The online company targets mostly the young generation and produces new products every day on its website. In order to reach this target audience they use social media influencers as a tactic. It has become very popular due to social media having countless videos made of people doing #hauls.

A journalist stated 'The issue is the workers they are not in the social welfare system'. A fact many might not know is that 'the fashion industry is responsible for 8-10% of greenhouse gas emissions.'

Gen Z was then interviewed in the street about what they think about climate change. The same answer across all was that they don't think about it when fashion shopping. The reason was 'low budget' 'We are students, we are pretty low on funds.'

They have predicted the company won't last for long as education on this issue is getting out slowly and in hopes that will stop the support of their unethical practices and any other fast fashion company in years to come.

Will you stop shopping and supporting these fast fashion companies or are you also 'on a budget?'

References: DW Planet A 'If you think fast fashion is bad, check out SHEIN'Links to an external site. (2022) 

HuffPost UK. (2018). The Funniest Slow Fashion Memes Poking Fun At Fast Fashion. https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/slow-fashion-memes-instagram-2018_uk_

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Week 5: What is Digital Citizenship?

Let us start by covering some key terms from this week's topic.

#Digital Citizenship refers to a good digital citizen as a person with the skills and knowledge to effectively use digital technologies in a positive way to participate in society, communicate with others, and create and consume digital content (Office of the eSafety Commissioner, NSW Department of Education)

#Platformisation refers to digital platform rise and dominance over traditional business models and various industries.

#Political engagement on social media includes sharing a petition or contacting public officials, publicly following a political figure, posting written comments for other people, commenting on others’ posts, and forwarding political news, with or without commentary and endorsement (Theocharis et al 2023)

Week 5 reading: Moonsun Choi & Dean Cristol (2021) ' Download 'Digital citizenship with intersectionality lens: Towards participatory democracy driven digital citizenship education', 

Choi begins by discussing the three approaches to Digital Citizenship. The first one is the 'Unidimensional approach to digital citizenship'. This is based on disciplines for example education, communication, journalism and political science. It discussed that digital citizenship should be taught in educational settings so younger age groups behave ethically online. Communication and journalism stated how 'media influence individuals perception, attitude and behaviours.' This is highlighted on digital platforms where users will alter their views and beliefs on a specific topic due to the influence and power of others and digital platforms. Moonsun Choi & Dean Cristol (2021)  The second approach is multidimensional. Refers to critical perspective and internet political activism. Moonsun Choi & Dean Cristol (2021)  The last approach Critical and Radical approach to digital citizenship discusses the need to analyse power dynamics and their impact on society. Moonsun Choi & Dean Cristol (2021) 

Discussion around social media use in the classroom and the need for teachers to integrate digital literacy practice to allow for self-expression. Moonsun Choi & Dean Cristol (2021) 

Hashtags are one of the ways that users connect with each other on social media and digital platforms. They connect with each other through topics, discussions and issues on which they might have a common opinion. For example, in the past few years, this may have been #covid19 #BLM #BlackLivesMatters #climatechange. These hashtags allow to raise awareness and make it accessible for users to find information on these topics under a simple hashtag.

An important issue that is currently still discussed is the #BLM movement. This was a key issue that was trending on social media, by sharing opinions, personal stories, protesting, creating awareness and campaigns. Moonsun Choi & Dean Cristol (2021) article concludes the reading by stating digital citizenship allows for 'exploring, comparing, collaborating, exchanging, expressing and augmenting ideas' and not just seeking information.

References: Moonsun Choi & Dean Cristol (2021) ' Download 'Digital citizenship with intersectionality lens: Towards participatory democracy driven digital citizenship education',Theory Into Practice, 60:4, 361-370, DOI: 10.1080/00405841.2021.1987094 

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Week 4: Digital Community & Fandom: Reality TV

This week’s topic is diving into digital communities and fandom within reality TV.

Let’s start with the basics. Digital communities are groups of people online who share common interests and ideas. Fandoms are fans who are very passionate about a particular media or celebrity. I’m sure you have watched at least one reality TV show and loved it. This may be because it’s a genre of TV that represents real-life situations of people designed to be entertained.

Week 4 reading: Deller, Ruth A, (2019) Extract:  'Chapter Six: Reality Television in an Age of Social Media'

Many reality TV stars wouldn’t be where they are without the assistance of social media to grow their popularity, status and overall growth online. One specific social media platform that helped this was Twitter. Twitter allowed viewers to engage with content such as behind-the-scenes or what happened next footage. Reality television tends to be one of the most popular talking points on the platform (Bruns, 2011; Deller, 2011; Woodford, 2013).

The term ‘liveness’ helps the media emphasise its role as something that unites society. Deller discusses this term as it creates a shared social experience where reality shows present themselves as it. Twitter does this by using #hashtags displayed on screens throughout the broadcast (Deller, 2019). Viewers can also post and share opinions openly in real-time on Twitter and social media.

Mark Andrejevic (2004), highlights how reality TV and its growth on social media has opened opportunities to ‘make our own reality shows’. This allowed users to broadcast their daily life online with access to a webcam.

It’s evident that social media and reality TV correlate with each other’s rise and growth currently and in the future. Deller suggests that reality TV stars and micro-celebrities are becoming one.

‌References:

Deller, Ruth A, (2019) Extract:  'Chapter Six: Reality Television in an Age of Social Media' Download 'Chapter Six: Reality Television in an Age of Social Media' in Reality Television: The TV Phenomenon That Changed the World (Emerald Publishing).

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Week 3: Digital Community: Tumblr

Does anyone even use Tumblr?

The first topic we will get into is Tumblr, from its history to what it offers to digital communities and users.

Tumblr amongst other social media platforms is ranked number 10 in Australia. It was founded in 2007 and bought by other major companies and in 2017 Verizon bought Yahoo's operating business one being Tumblr. Despite this, Tumblr is not linked to the ‘real name internet’ like other mainstream platforms. As a result, it provides a positive and safe space for marginalised groups including the LGBTQI+ communities. (week 3 lecture, 2023)

Who started #hastagging on social media and online platforms? Tumblr was among the first to introduce this feature as a community-building tool. It allowed users to #filter through tagged posts in real-time. (week 3 lecture, 2023) Surprising I know.

Furthermore, on Tumblr users don’t need to follow each other to see their content, making the site relatively public. Users simply use #hastags to interact with others based on their interests and what they would like to engage with.

To finish the Tumblr topic off, there is also less surveillance which monetizes specific details including when users are online and date/time stamps are not prioritised.

The core weekly reading: “Love the Skin You’re In”: An Analysis of Women’s Self-Presentation and User Reactions to Selfies Using the Tumbler Hashtag #bodypositive, Anna Reif, Insa Miller & Monika Taddicken (2022).

In relation to hashtags and its popularity and impact on Tumblr, this study conducted research on selfies posted by women using the #bodypositive hashtag on the platform. From this research, it was found that the hashtag created a sense of connection between users who would empower each other and diminish the chances of body image issues and comparing. It created a community of women from different backgrounds, body types, ages and races to embrace themselves.

On a different topic, Allison McCracken, Chapter 3 ‘Going Down the Rabbit Hole: An Interview with Amanda Brennan, Head of Content Insights and Social, Tumblr’ in a Tumblr book: (University of Michigan Press: 2020). Touches based on various questions that highlight Tumblr features and why it is liked by many users. She states how Tumblr allows users to share what they are passionate about while being anonymous. She highlights how hashtag-focused it is which creates a different type of interaction between users and reinforces how it’s based on interests. For example, a user can follow a person because they like Marvel then that person starts liking a new TV show which results in the user ‘going down the rabbit hole’. In minutes you are at point c from point a.

References:

Allison McCracken, Chapter 3 ‘Going Down the Rabbit Hole: An Interview with Amanda Brennan, Head of Content Insights and Social, Tumblr’ in a tumblr book: platform and cultures eds Allison McCracken, Alexander Cho, Louisa Stein, and Indira Neill Hoch (University of Michigan Press: 2020) https://doi.org/10.3998/mpub.11537055 Deller, Ruth A, (2019) Extract:  'Chapter Six: Reality Television in an Age of Social Media' The TV Phenomenon That Changed the World (Emerald Publishing).