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Given the amount of surveillance, do you think social activism can prevail in China?

In our technologically driven day, the problem of monitoring has gained international attention. But China is a notable exception in this sense, since concerns about the viability of social action have been raised by the government's massive monitoring system. This blog article examines the opportunities and difficulties of social activism in a nation where the government is constantly on guard.

About Surveillance in China

Concerns have been expressed over the possibility of social action succeeding in China due to the country's vast monitoring apparatus. It is challenging for activists to organise and communicate without fear of being recognised and penalised because of the government's capacity to monitor both offline and internet actions.

China uses a variety of techniques for surveillance, fusing cutting-edge technology with conventional ways of command. A vast surveillance network has been established as a result of the advancement and use of face recognition technology, internet filtering, and widespread usage of closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras. The government wants to create an atmosphere in which dissent can be promptly detected and put down by keeping an eye on and controlling both online and offline activity.

In China, social activity now has more avenues to pursue because to the growth of social media. WeChat and Weibo are only two examples of the platforms that activists may use to exchange information, rally support, and plan actions. But the government has also clamped down on activity on social media, banning websites, limiting information, and arresting activists.

Social Activisim Against Surveillance: Challenges

The Chinese government has extensive and advanced surveillance capabilities. The government monitors the behaviour of its residents using a range of technology, such as voice, face, and facial recognition. This makes it possible for the government to keep tabs on the whereabouts of activists, as well as to identify and intercept their internet correspondence.

The Chinese government uses undercover operatives and human informants in addition to technology surveillance to keep an eye on protest organisations. These informants have the ability to enter activist groups and give the authorities important details about their strategies and operations.

Another significant obstacle is the Chinese government's propensity to use force against protestors. The administration has clamped down on rallies and demonstrations on several occasions, and it hasn't thought twice about using force against protestors. Because of this, there is now an environment of fear and intimidation that may make it challenging for activists to criticise the administration.

Obstacles:

Fear of Retaliation: The possibility of government retaliation is a continual concern for activists. The desire of people to participate in activism might be stifled by the fear of being recognised and penalised for holding divergent opinions.

Censorship and Control: To manage the flow of information, the Chinese government uses highly developed censorship techniques. Social media sites are constantly watched, and anything that is judged to be politically sensitive is promptly taken down. This makes it difficult for campaigners to get their thoughts out there.

Tensed Online Spaces: After being viewed as possible refuges for free speech, online areas are coming under more and more scrutiny. The Great Firewall of China limits access to international websites and social media networks, which reduces the channels activists have to interact with like-minded people.

Answering the question: Given the amount of surveillance, do you think social activism can prevail in China?

In China, social activity may nevertheless be successful despite the obstacles. To stay under the radar and gather support for their cause, activists need to be inventive and innovative. Though its future is unknown, social action in China may yet have a significant impact on how China develops in the future.

It's unclear what the future holds for social activity in China. It is expected that the Chinese government will keep strengthening its hold on power and that it would becoming harder for activists to carry out their work without worrying about facing consequences. The monitoring infrastructure of the government is ever-changing, and activists are under more and more pressure to fit the official narrative. However, it appears that activism will continue to find ways to thrive in China given the rising need for democratic changes and social fairness. However, social activity may continue to play a significant part in determining China's destiny as the Chinese people want more freedom and democracy.

References

Shepherd, C. (2017, June 5). China activists fear increased surveillance with new security law. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-security-int-idUSKBN18M09U/

DeLuca, K., Brunner, E., & Sun, Y. (2016). Constructing Public Space|Weibo, WeChat, and the Transformative Events of Environmental Activism in China. International Journal Of Communication, 10, 19. Retrieved from https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/3841

Zixue Tai (2015) Networked Resistance: Digital Populism, Online Activism, and Mass Dissent in China, Popular Communication, 13:2, 120-131, DOI: 10.1080/15405702.2015.1021469

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Has the Covid-19 pandemic changed the public perception of gaming?

Unquestionably, the Covid-19 pandemic has changed how we work, live, and engage with the world. The gaming industry is one surprising sector that has undergone a dramatic transformation. Gaming has evolved from being viewed as an escape for a select few to becoming a cultural fixture amid lockdowns and social distancing procedures. This blog article will discuss how the pandemic has changed how people see gaming and why it's no longer just seen as an opulent pastime for a select few.

Shift in Gaming Participation

The increase in gaming activity throughout the pandemic has been one of the most obvious shifts. Lockdowns and other limitations caused individuals to spend more time indoors, which is why gaming became a popular form of entertainment. People of all ages found comfort and camaraderie in the gaming community, whether it was through casual smartphone games, immersive console experiences, or multiplayer online gaming. The idea that gaming was exclusive for a particular group of people was called into question by the increase in player participation.

Social Connectivity Online

With the increasing prevalence of physical separation, gaming offered a novel way to foster social engagement. During a period of isolation, online communities, multiplayer games, and virtual events provided a sense of connection that was otherwise absent. The idea that gaming is a social pastime has changed, which has helped dispel myths and stereotypes about lone players. A broader awareness of gaming's potential to promote social ties has replaced the notion that it is a solitary hobby.

Gaming's Expanding Demographic

The growing population of gamers has been one of the biggest shifts in perspective. In the past, younger populations were typically linked to gaming. But the pandemic forced individuals of all ages—from kids to senior citizens—to look into gaming as a means to kill time and maintain social connections.

The stereotype of the lone gamer has been disproved. Families started bonding over game sessions, parents and kids started playing together, and older generations found comfort in the virtual worlds that computer games provided. This change in perspective has helped gaming become accepted as a commonplace kind of entertainment for people of all ages.

Has the Covid-19 pandemic changed the public perception of gaming?

Unquestionably, the COVID-19 epidemic changed how people felt about gaming. Previously seen as a specialised pastime, gaming has cemented its standing as a common and acknowledged mode of amusement and interpersonal communication. The narrative around gaming has changed due to its inclusion and adaptability. It is now seen as a useful part of contemporary living rather than just a leisure activity.

Since social distancing has reduced consumer and business activity, gaming has provided a fun diversion for those who are lonely at home and want to socialize. Data from the start indicates a sharp increase in playing time and purchases since the lockdowns started.

The game industry's current tendencies have been expedited by the pandemic. Despite the coronavirus's massive economic devastation, the video game industry is booming worldwide. The worldwide video game business is expected to be valued at $159 billion in 2020, which is over three times the amount made by the music industry ($57 billion in 2019) and around four times the amount made at the film office ($43 billion in 2019).

Furthermore, the pandemic has sparked an era of remarkable expansion for the industry. Microsoft and Sony have released historical growth rates for their respective gaming income sources. The globe fell back in love with video games while many of us were stranded at home.

Since March 23, 2020, the percentage of players who claim that the COVID-19 epidemic is the reason they are playing video games more has actually increased3. The United States had the largest rise (46%) followed by France (41%), the United Kingdom (28%) and Germany (23%).

Thus, it's evident that the epidemic has improved public awareness of gaming in addition to increasing the number of individuals who play video games. People have always considered gaming to be a means of amusement and social interaction.

Bonus: Gaming’s Perception in the Future

It's a bright future for gaming. We should anticipate increasingly more captivating and immersive gaming experiences as technology develops. It's also conceivable that gaming will permeate more aspects of our everyday existence. For instance, gaming might be utilised in the workplace for training or instructional objectives.

It's a good thing that people's opinions about gaming are changing after the pandemic. This implies that more individuals may now take advantage of gaming's positive effects without experiencing guilt or embarrassment. It also implies that people are more inclined to view gaming as a respectable way to pass the time and engage with others.

References

Bhave, Kak. (2020, September 13). Understanding how Covid-19 affected the Gaming Industry. Braves Technologies. https://www.bravestechnologies.com/post/understanding-how-covid-19-affected-the-gaming-industry

Epstein, A. (2020, September 28). Just how popular were video games were during COVID-19? World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/09/covid19-coronavirus-pandemic-video-games-entertainment-media/

Epstein, A. (2020, September 16). The pandemic has turned everyone into gamers. Quartz; Quartz. https://qz.com/1904276/everyone-is-playing-video-games-during-the-pandemic

How Did The COVID-19 Pandemic Change Our Gaming Habits? | Kwalee. (2023, March 30). Kwalee.com. https://www.kwalee.com/blog/gaming/how-did-covid-change-our-gaming-habits

‌Quinn, W. (2020, June 3). 3, 2, 1 Go! Video Gaming is at an All-Time High During COVID-19. Nielsen; Nielsen. https://www.nielsen.com/insights/2020/3-2-1-go-video-gaming-is-at-an-all-time-high-during-covid-19/

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Do toxic fans in some online spaces make it difficult to become or identify as a fan?

There is no denying the appeal of internet environments, particularly social media sites like Twitter, for developing fan groups. Connecting with those who have similar interests to yours might be facilitated by being a fan of anything. Taking part in fan groups, talking about your interests, and producing material with others can be a lot of fun. Thus, it can be quite challenging to feel at ease identifying or becoming a fan in certain toxic online fan communities.

About Fandom

Enthusiastic fans of a certain genre, artist, film, television show, or phenomena form fandoms. They provide a community of like-minded people, a place for expression, and a sense of belonging. These fan groups now thrive on social media platforms, which provide a forum for interaction, dialogue, and content exchange.

It is a group of people who are enthusiastic about the same item, be it a band, movie, TV show, book, or sports team. Those fans can read fan literature, do fan art, go to conventions, and talk about their favourite things on the internet together as a community.

Toxic Fans

Toxic fandom exists for a variety of causes. Some fans might believe they own their favourite items and should have the power to decide how other people interact with them. It's possible that some fans are jealous of their own fandom and feel the need to disparage others to feel better about themselves. Others can just take pleasure in harming people and being nasty.

Some behaviours of the toxic fans includes:

Gatekeeping and intimidation: Toxic fans may act as judges of who qualifies as a "true" fan and participate in gatekeeping behaviours. Newcomers may feel intimidated by this mindset and fear rejection if they don't live up to the expected levels of fandom dedication.

Cyberbullying and Harassment: People who voice different viewpoints or even little departures from the accepted norms within the fandom are frequently the focus of cyberbullying and harassment by toxic followers. This conduct can result in online harassment, which discourages people from publicly identifying as fans or taking part in conversations.

Polarisation and Conflict: Disagreement and division among fans may be fostered by toxic fandoms, which can polarise communities. This has the potential to transform the once-vibrant and encouraging group into a conflict arena where people are afraid to voice their own beliefs for fear of retaliation.

Effect on Fan Identification

Fan identity can be severely damaged by toxic fandom. Fans may be less inclined to identify as fans when they experience safety or welcomelessness inside a community. This may be particularly true for fans who identify as marginalised, such as female fans in male-dominated fandoms, indigenous fans, and fans of colour.

It can also be challenging for new fans to join a toxic fanbase. It may be frightening and demoralising for new fans to witness other fans being harassed and tormented. A smaller and less varied fan base may result from this.

Toxic fandoms provide a number of difficulties for those who want to identify as fans:

Fear of Rejection: People may be discouraged from publicly expressing their passion or identifying as fans if they are afraid they will be rejected or made fun of by more seasoned fans. Reluctance to participate in fan networks or to share their passion might result from this fear of rejection.

Self-Censorship: People who live in toxic environments may learn to self-censor their ideas in order to avoid controversy or unfavourable attention. This may impede the fandom's ability to freely express itself and engage in sincere dialogue.

Loss of Enjoyment: Being a fan can be made less enjoyable by the poisonous fan community. Rather than discovering a safe and stimulating environment, people may experience tension or anxiety when contributing to conversations or expressing their passion.

My thoughts...

Yes, it can be challenging to identify as a fan or to become a fan in some online communities due to toxic fans. A nasty and unwelcoming atmosphere brought about by toxic behaviour might deter new fans from joining and unnerve long-time supporters.

In some online environments, toxic fan behaviour may make it very difficult for those who want to become fans or who want to publicly identify as fans. When a fan community becomes toxic, it might put up obstacles in the way of newcomers embracing their love for a specific topic or joining a fan community.

References

Arouh, M. (2020). Toxic Fans: Distinctions and Ambivalence. Ex-centric Narratives: Journal of Anglophone Literature, Culture and Media, 0(4), 67-82. doi:https://doi.org/10.26262/exna.v0i4.7917

Proctor, W., & Kies, B. (2018). Editors’ Introduction: On toxic fan practices and the new culture wars The Toxic Turn? https://eprints.bournemouth.ac.uk/30957/1/on%20toxic%20fan%20practices.pdf

Taylor, V. (2023, January 31). Toxic Fandom: What Is It? - Change Becomes You - Medium. Medium; Change Becomes You. https://medium.com/change-becomes-you/toxic-fandom-what-is-it-c8c1520beb06

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In an era filled with fake news, what effect can this have on crowdsourced information?

The increasing number of fake news has become a major problem at a time when information is freely available. It has a significant and worrisome effect on crowdsourced information, which is information gathered from the individual contributions and collective intelligence of many people. Crowdsourcing depends on the cooperation and pooled expertise of a broad group. However, the legitimacy and dependability of information gathered from crowdsourcing can be seriously jeopardised by the spread of false information.

Crowdsourced Information Features

Crowdsourcing is an effective concept that uses the combined knowledge, varied viewpoints, and abilities of a sizable group of people to create content, find solutions to issues, or compile data. Crowdsourced data and contributions are vital to websites and citizen journalism projects such as Wikipedia, Reddit, and others. This method encourages the democratic exchange of knowledge by enabling users from all around the world to add, verify, and edit content.

The Problem with Fake News

Information that is inaccurate or deceptive and presented as news is known as fake news. It can be disseminated for a number of purposes, including advancing a certain agenda, misleading others, or generating revenue.

When it comes to crowdsourced information, fake news may be especially dangerous since it can be hard to tell it apart from legitimate news. Misinformation may proliferate as a result, and confidence in information gathered from crowdsourcing may decline.

Fake news has grown to be a serious issue because it frequently presents sensational, deceptive, or wholly false material as factual reporting. It penetrates news organisations, social media, and even trustworthy websites. Fake news may proliferate for a number of reasons, such as political goals, monetary gain, or just plain fun. The validity of crowdsourced data may be compromised by this misleading information in a number of ways.

What Effect can this have on crowdsourced information?

Crowdsourced information may suffer from fake news in a variety of ways, including:

It has the potential to distort poll and survey results. The survey's results will be skewed if a sizable portion of respondents take part in it and trust a false news article. Misunderstandings and false information on public opinion may result from this.

It may be applied to social media manipulation of crowdsourced data. Fake news articles, for instance, can be used to establish "echo chambers," where people are only exposed to material that validates their own opinions. People may find it challenging to learn about other viewpoints and to generate well-informed opinions as a result of this.

Disinformation concerning crowdsourced information itself can be spread through it. Fake news articles, for instance, might be used to damage crowdsourcing platforms' reputations or lead readers to conclude that the material they get online is untrustworthy.

Diminished Credibility: Information published on crowdsourcing platforms loses credibility when it contains fake news. It causes uncertainty about the veracity of all material, even when it is thoroughly researched and validated, by obfuscating the distinction between true and fraudulent content.

Impact on Decision-Making: In crowdsourcing settings, false information obtained via fake news has the potential to impact decision-making procedures. Users could base choices on information that is wholly inaccurate or deceptive, which could have an effect on results and lead to incorrect conclusions.

Figure 1: Distorted info from a well-known crowdsourced information platform, Wikipedia

Figure 2: Distorted info from a well-known crowdsourced information platform, Wikipedia

Bonus: Battling against Fake News in Crowdsourcing

The issue of fake news is significant and has the potential to harm crowdsourcing data. It's critical to take precautions against being deceived and to be mindful of the possibility that false news might skew crowdsourcing information.

The following advice will help you guard against fake news and how it affects information gathered from crowdsourcing sources:

Examine the information you take in with a critical eye. Never blindly accept something because it appears on social media or originates from a reliable source. Make your own investigation to confirm the information.

Recognise the telltale indicators of false news. Sensationalised headlines, factual inaccuracies, and sharing by unfamiliar accounts are common characteristics of fake news articles.

The fight against false information tainting crowdsourced data is definitely not over. It necessitates constant attention to detail, flexibility, and cooperation from platform creators, users, and society at large. Refined moderating techniques, media literacy as a top priority, and an embrace of future technology can strengthen crowdsourcing information against false news.

In the end, false news offers a chance as well as a significant obstacle to crowdsourcing information. In order to protect the integrity of shared knowledge, it exhorts us to innovate, work together, and create more reliable systems. We can all benefit from preserving the integrity and dependability of crowdsourced information by banding together to fight fake news.

References

Yan Huang & S. Shyam Sundar (2022) Do We Trust the Crowd? Effects of Crowdsourcing on Perceived Credibility of Online Health Information, Health Communication, 37:1, 93-102, DOI: 10.1080/10410236.2020.1824662

Ritchie, H. (2016, December 30). Read all about it: The biggest fake news stories of 2016. CNBC; CNBC. https://www.cnbc.com/2016/12/30/read-all-about-it-the-biggest-fake-news-stories-of-2016.html

Evangelos Lamprou, Antonopoulos, N., Iouliani Anomeritou, & Apostolou, C. (2021). Characteristics of Fake News and Misinformation in Greece: The Rise of New Crowdsourcing-Based Journalistic Fact-Checking Models. Journalism and Media, 2(3), 417–439. https://doi.org/10.3390/journalmedia2030025

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Is blogging still relevant in the age of TikToks and Instagram?

What is blogging?

A blog is short for weblog, which is a constantly evolving online page that is used for commercial or personal inputs (Barney, 2022). Blogging is an action that involves producing writings, images as well as various other content and posting it online (Duermyer, 2022). Blogs allow interactivity between the readers and the author as it has a comment section provided at the bottom of each blog write-up (Barney, 2022). In general, blogs tend to be written in a conversational tone in order to showcase the author’s character and perspectives (Barney, 2022). There are also some companies that utilise blogs to reach out to their target markets and advertise their products (Barney, 2022).

What are TikTok and Instagram?

There are more than 4.7 billion individuals who are using social media around the world (Dollarhide, 2023). TikTok and Instagram are the social media platforms that have accumulated more than 1 billion active users globally (Tan, 2023).

TikTok

TikTok is a social media platform that has more than 2.5 billion downloads and is popular for its features that enable its users to not only watch but also create videos (D’souza, 2023). Its main feature is that it allows the users to record videos of themselves dancing, lip-syncing or acting out skits. Initially, the duration of the videos was limited to 15 seconds. However, TikTok has increased them to up to 3 minutes (Picaro, 2023). Additionally, TikTok also offers other features that enable the users to edit and modify videos, such as adding music, effects as well as filters (Picaro, 2023). Not only that, the users can also interact with other creators by stitching or dueting their videos (Geyser, 2022).

Instagram

Instagram is also a well-known social media app that was created in 2010 and with the main feature of picture sharing (Moreau, 2022). It started off as a mobile phone photo-editing and sharing application with a variety of filters and adjustments. Users are able to tag pictures with people, places or other details, which is an incorporation of features from an app that used to be popular, which is FourSquare (Blystone, 2022). It has continued to have a high level of user engagement by constantly introducing new, cutting-edge features such as Stories, Live Videos, Reels and many more (Moreau, 2022).

What makes TikTok and Instagram so popular?

The reason why these two social media platforms are so popular is because it has a wide and active community of users. This community can give the users a sense of belonging as they are able to connect with other people from all over the world who share the same interests and passions as them. Besides, it has been able to captivate a lot of users due to its focus on the visual. A lot of people are more likely to interpret visual information as compared to written information (Cole, 2018). Moreover, the usage of TikTok and Instagram is highly addictive as the users tend to scroll away the images and short videos and little do they know they have spent hours and hours on those apps.

How has the popularity of blogging been impacted by the growth of TikTok and Instagram?

Ever since the rise of social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram, it has replaced blogging as a main way of expressiveness online. The number of active bloggers also started to decrease, and it is hard for the bloggers to compete with TikTok and Instagram ‘Influencers’. Due to that, the term ‘blogging is dead’ also started to come into existence.

Is blogging still relevant in the age of TikToks and Instagram?

Blogging is absolutely still relevant, and it is definitely not dead, even though TikTok and Instagram have been growing rapidly. This is because there is always something to write about, and there will always be someone who will read it. Blogging can also create a community within the interests and connect with the readers. The bloggers also can have full control of their blog and can publish anything they want compared to TikTok and Instagram ‘Influencers’ as they are restricted by the platform’s format, such as creating a short-length video only. Even though TikTok and Instagram provide engaging platforms for creating content, it is also important to know that blogging has a significant position in the online ecosystem.

References

Barney, N. 2022, 'weblog,' WhatIs.com, September, viewed 1 October 2023 <https://www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/weblog>

Blystone, D 2022, ‘Instagram: What It Is, Its History, and How the Popular App Works’, Investopedia, 22 October, viewed 1 October 2023, <https://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/102615/story-instagram-rise-1-photo0sharing-app.asp>

Cole, J 2018, ‘Why Is Instagram So Popular? We Asked Active Users To Explain’, Thought Catalog, 11 September, viewed 1 October 2023, < https://thoughtcatalog.com/james-cole/2018/09/why-is-instagram-so-popular/>

Dollarhide, M 2023, ‘Social Media: Definition, Importance, Top Websites & Apps’, Investopedia, 31 August, viewed 1 October 2023, <https://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/social-media.asp>

D’Souza, D 2023, ‘TikTok: What It Is, How It Works, and Why It’s Popular’, Investopedia, 14 August, viewed 1 October 2023, <https://www.investopedia.com/what-is-tiktok-4588933>

Duermyer, R 2022, ‘What is Blogging?’, the balance, 29 November, viewed 1 October 2023, <https://www.thebalancemoney.com/blogging-what-is-it-1794405>

Geyser, W 2022, ‘What Is TikTok? – Everything You Need to Know in 2023’, Influencer Marketing Hub, 30 December, viewed 1 October 2023, <https://influencermarketinghub.com/what-is-tiktok/>

Moreau, E 2022, ‘What Is Instagram, and Why Should You Be Using It?’, Lifewire, 9 April, viewed 1 October 2023, < https://www.lifewire.com/what-is-instagram-3486316>

Picaro, E, B 2023, ‘What is TikTok and how does it work? Everything you need to know’, Pocket-lint, 30 August, viewed 1 October 2023, <https://www.pocket-lint.com/what-is-tiktok/>

Tan, C 2023, ‘TikTok vs Instagram Users & Stats in 2023’, Increditools, 2 August, viewed 1 October 2023, <https://increditools.com/tiktok-vs-instagram/>