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Are Online Gamers Only Playing Themselves?

Unless you count spending hours building a tiny virtual house on The Sims, I’ve never been one for online gaming. While I understand that everyone has their vices, whiling away my time on a virtual world has just never seemed appealing to me, especially at the expense of real world productivity and personal relationships. 

This seems to be a common complaint amongst women in my age group, as a member of a women’s support group on Facebook I see weekly posts along the lines of “How can I get my boyfriend to stop playing Fortnight and pay attention to me?”

Fortnite is a battle royale style multi-player video game where the last player standing wins (McGhee 2018). The game is extremely popular due to the fact that it is free, can be played on any device, and is social, with players able to talk to each in game.

 The World Health Organisation has recognised gaming disorder as a medical condition, and research shows that Fortnite exploit’s the brain in the same way poker machines do, triggering a release of dopamine in the brain for each victory (McGee 2018). There is even a child internet addiction clinic where 60-70% of the children report Fortnite as their game of use.  

Fortnite isn’t just addictive to children. Author of the video game addiction book Unplugged, Ryan Van Cleave, says more and more adults are becoming consumed by the game, and the consequences can be dire. “They’re killing careers, they're killing families, they're killing relationships, they're killing health, and literally now we're having people killing others and themselves over videogames," said Van Cleave (Fox 2011).

Last year, a 26-year-old man made headlines when he was arrested for assaulting his partner while live-streaming himself playing Fortnite (McGhee 2018).

In the video, a woman can be heard begging the man to come and eat the dinner she has prepared, while he continually yells “I’ll be out soon”. The exasperated woman can be heard saying “No more computer, I’m sick of this”, before the man walks off camera and a slap is heard followed by crying. A viewer called police and the man was arrested and charged with common assault.

As shocking as this is, with the rapid advancement of technology, I have a feeling the worst is yet to come. I think I’ll stick with The Sims.

Reference List 

‘Fortnite’ [image], Microsoft 2019, Viewed 4 February 2019, <http://www.fox19.com/story/15997323/how-video-games-could-ruin-your-relationships/>.

Fox 2011, How video games could ruin your relationships, Fox, viewed 4 February 2019, <http://www.fox19.com/story/15997323/how-video-games-could-ruin-your-relationships/>.

McGhee, A 2018, Fortnite: Millions are playing it, but is addiction to the game really a thing?, ABC News, viewed 4 February 2019, <https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-07-11/fortnite-is-addiction-really-a-thing/9981528>.

Rawsthorne, S 2018, Livestream of video game films Sydney man allegedly hitting partner, Sydney Morning Herald, viewed 4 February 2019, <https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/livestream-of-video-game-films-sydney-man-allegedly-hitting-partner-20181210-p50l9a.html>.

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Five Billion Views and Counting

My iPhone’s Screen Time app informs me I spend an average of 2 hours and 24 minutes on YouTube A DAY (thanks for the shame, Apple). Granted, most of this time is spent while I’m getting ready for the day, I must admit at some point along the line tuning into to my favourite YouTube channels has replaced me watching regular TV. I know I’m not alone in this, with the platform averaging a mind boggling five billion views each and every day (Videonitch 2017).

So what drives this global fascination with YouTube’s content? It comes down to visual communities and the idea of videos of affinity, which ‘aim to transmit a feeling of sharing a particular moment, large or small, or a certain state of affairs in the creator’s life' (Lange 2009, p. 74).

Some of my favourite videos of affinity come from family vloggers The Saccone-Joly’s. Their channel trailer below demonstrates the type of extremely personal footage they share.

They’ve since welcome two more children to their family, but don’t worry, I’ve already seen their labour and delivery. In addition to the birth of their children, I’ve watched their engagement, wedding, moving into their first home, along with more mundane things like trips to the park, and what kind of porridge they made on their What I Ate Wednesdays series. Think I sound like a creep? Tell that to the two million other people subscribed to their channel (YouTube 2019)!

All jokes aside – the Saccone-Joly’s have been extremely successful at creating an affinity with their audience, from book-deals to jewellery lines, they’ve turned their hobby into a full-time career.

The Saccone-Joly’s are not alone in their YouTube success, fellow family vloggers the ACE family have a staggering fifteen million viewers subscribed to their channel (Youtube 2019). The family begin each video with the greeting “Hey ACE Family!”, giving the viewer an instant feeling of affinity and belonging within the family.

Their army of fans refer to themselves as ACE family members and interact with each other within the comments of each video. The family has truly created a visual community among themselves and their audience, letting them share in all the important moments in their lives.

As technology develops, we can only imagine where these digital communities will take us. Using VR to be present in the labour and delivery room? Hollagrams of our favourite online families in our own living rooms? Whatever it is, you can bet you’ll find me there.. getting my 2 hours and 24 minutes worth.

Reference List

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.

‘Man eating corn’ [image], Pintrest 2019, viewed 2 February 2019, <https://www.pinterest.com.au/pin/123567583510788092/?lp=true>

YouTube 2019, The ACE Family, YouTube, viewed 2 February 2019, <https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=ace+family>.

YouTube 2019, The Saccone-Jolys, YouTube, viewed 2 February 2019, <https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxJrnvfqSSvly5hiq2Fe68g>.

Videonitch 2017, 36 Mind Blowing YouTube Facts, Figures and Statistics, Videonitch, viewed 2 February 2019, <thttp://videonitch.com/2017/12/13/36-mind-blowing-youtube-facts-figures-statistics-2017-re-post/>.

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Crowdsourcing Our Way Through a Crisis

When I used to think of the term crowdsourcing, I pictured Kickstarter Campaigns searching for investors in a smart wardrobe or a GoFundMe page raising money for  a community garden. This week I learnt there is so much more to the term, particular in relation to crisis communication.

The Merriam Webster Dictionary (2019) defines crowdsourcing as “the practice of obtaining information or input into a task or project by enlisting the services of a large number of people, either paid or unpaid, typically via the Internet.” Despite my initial ignorance, crowdsourcing can be extremely useful to authorities, volunteers, relief teams and citizens when dealing with a crisis.

 The power of crowdsourcing was demonstrated during the horrific 2011 Queensland Floods, where social networks Facebook and Twitter played a crucial part in sharing the latest news.  The Queensland Police Service played a particularly important role in this process, with their Twitter account spreading information faster than news stations on TV (Bruns 2012). 

The information shared wasn’t just one-way, it also gave locals the opportunity to report back on their situation, sharing personal stories, organising volunteer efforts and requesting additional help. 

Another great initiative was the ABC’s Flood Crisis Map – an interactive map where those effected could submit their own reports or check the map for other reports. Users were able to see live information around road closures, flooded streets, evacuation centres, sandbagging locations, lost and found pets and more (Middleton 2011).

 Crowdsourcing has also been put to great use in the development of interactive mapping platform The Ushahidi – translated to “witness” in Kishwahilli (Casanovas and Poblet 2012). 

The map was developed as a tool to lodge eye-witness reports of violence following the 2007 Kenyan election and subsequent civil unrest. The public were able to log their location and add relevant information against an interactive map to alert others with real-time data (Casanovas and Poblet 2012). This was particularly useful to residence in a country where real, accurate information can be hard to come by due to media censorship and corrupt law enforcement.

 The use of crowdsourcing has completely changed the way we deal with crisis’, there is no doubt humanity will experience many more, and it’s exciting to think about where further technological developments will take us in term of crisis communication and management.

Reference List

Bruns, A 2012, How Twitter Played a Vital Role in the Queensland Floods, The Conversation, viewed 28 January 2019, <https://theconversation.com/how-twitter-played-a-vital-role-in-the-queensland-floods-4910>.

Casanovas, P and Poblem, M 2012, Crowdsourced Crisis Mapping, How it Works and Why it Matters, The Conversation, viewed 28 January 2019, <https://theconversation.com/crowdsourced-crisis-mapping-how-it-works-and-why-it-matters-7014>.

Merriam Webster 2019, Crowdsourcing, Merriam Webster, viewed 28 January 2019, <https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crowdsourcing>.

Middleton 2019, Mapping the QLD Floods, ABC, viewed 28 January 2019, <https://open.abc.net.au/explore/1643>.

‘QLD Police Tweet’ [image], in Crisis Management Using Twitter and Facebook, The Conversation, Viewed 19 January 2019, <https://theconversation.com/crisis-management-using-twitter-and-facebook-for-the-greater-good-2439>.

‘QLD Flood’ [image], in What is Causing Record Rainfall and Floods in Townsville?, ABC, viewed 19 January, <https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-02-05/what-is-causing-record-rainfall-and-floods-in-townsville/10779032>.

‘Ushahidi’ [image], in About, Ushadidi, viewed 19 January, <https://www.ushahidi.com/about>.

[rosiepopsworld-blog]

What Lurks Under the Bridge?

Growing up in a generation obsessed with social media, I have had plenty of encounters with internet bullies known as trolls. Trolling can be defined as "the deliberate act, (by a Troll – noun or adjective), of making random unsolicited and/or controversial comments on various internet forums with the intent to provoke an emotional knee jerk reaction from unsuspecting readers to engage in a fight or argument” (Urban Dictionary 2019.) The term is usually thrown around in a humorous manner, but there is a dark side to trolling that carries tragic consequences.

Charlotte Dawson was a 47-year-old television personality and former model who committed suicide alone in her apartment after falling victim to years of relentless online trolling (Ralston 2014). Charlotte had previously spoke out how helpless she felt being the target of online death threats, receiving messages telling her to "stick her head in a toaster" and "kill yourself".

 At 2.07am she tragically posted a picture of her hand holding tablets, along with the message "you win x. Hope this ends the misery" (Ralston 2014).

There was also Amanda Todd, a 15-year-old school girl who was trolled online so badly she descended into a life of drug and alcohol abuse, and made several attempts on her life before finally succeeding in 2012 (Dean 2012). Amanda left behind a devastating video detailing her harrowing ordeal. 

So what makes Trolls behave this way? Psychological studies show that those who engage in trolling behaviour often have lower levels of empathy and guilt, as well as sadistic traits (March 2017). Further to this, the attention garnered from upsetting people online can create a sense of importance in trolls, something they may be lacking in their offline lives (Hardarker 2010).

The devastation caused by trolls is clear, so is there anything we can do to stop them?

Research has shown the most effective way to fight online trolls is a multipronged approach including the use of school based programs, legislative action and supervising young people online (Aboujaoude et al. 2015). The Australian Government’s Office of the E-Safety Commissioner has initiatives in place that provide classrooms with resources and avenyes to deal with, and report online harassment. With a specific focus on young Australians, the office aims to create a safe environment online through their ‘Young and E-safe and ‘YeS Project’ programs (eSafety 2019).

While trolling may not ever be a thing of the past, it is an issue that needs to be taken seriously and with the help of the Australian government we can reduce the risk of more Australians meeting the horrific fate suffered by the likes of Charlotte Dawson and Amanda Todd.

Aboujaoude, E, Salame, W, Savage, M and Starcevic, V 2015, ‘Cyberbullying: Review of an Old Problem Gone Viral’, Journal of Adolescent Health, vol. 57, no. 1.

 ‘Charlotte Dawson’ [image], in ‘Simone Holtznagel’s Charlotte Dawson Tribute for Three Year Death Anniversary’,Yahoo, viewed 14 January 2019, <https://au.lifestyle.yahoo.com/simone-holtznagels-charlotte-dawson-tribute-for-three-year-death-anniversary-34466917.html>.

 ‘Charlotte Dawson Tweet’ [image], in ‘Charlotte Dawson’s closest friends reveal her demon’, The Chronical, viewed 14 January 2019, <https://www.thechronicle.com.au/news/charlotte-dawsons-closest-friends-reveal-her-demon/2199893/>.

 Dean, M 2012, ‘The Story of Amanda Todd’, New Yorker, viewed 14 January 2019, <https://www.newyorker.com/culture/culture-desk/the-story-of-amanda-todd>.

 Esafety 2019, ‘Your Online Journey, Esafety, viewed 14 January 2019, < https://www.esafety.gov.au/>.

 Hardaker, C 2010, ‘Trolling in asynchronous computer­ mediated communication: From user discussions to academic definitions’, Journal of Politeness Research, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 215-242.

 March, E 2017, ‘Psychology of internet trolls: They understand what hurts people but simply don't care’, ABC News, 13 July, viewed 14 January 2019, < https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-07-13/trolls-understand-what-hurts-people-but-they-simpl y-dont-care/8701424>.

 Ralston, N 2014, ‘Charlotte Dawson found dead’, Sydney Morning Herald, viewed 14 January 2019, < https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/celebrity/charlotte-dawson-found-dead-20140222-338j6.html>.

 ‘Troll’ [image], in ‘What Do all Online Trolls Have in Common?’, Scroll In, viewed 14 January 2019, <https://scroll.in/article/817887/what-do-all-online-trolls-have-in-common>.

 Urban Dictionary 2019, Trolling, Urban Dictionary, viewed 14 January 2019, < https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Trolling>.

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1 Like = 1 Prayer <3... Or Does It?

Being a Melbourne resident, I find myself rolling my eyes every year on the first Tuesday of November as I see the same person who shared a post vilifying the treatment of horses in the Melbourne Cup, purchase a ticket in the office sweepstakes. 

This week I learnt this trend that has been a peeve of mine for years has a name, ‘slacktivsm’ or ‘clicktivism’ – “the practice of supporting a political or social cause by means such as social media or online petitions, characterized as involving very little effort or commitment” (Oxford Dictionary 2019). The more I looked into this juxtaposition between taking action and well, being slack.. I found myself wondering, is social media making us lazy when it comes to standing up for what we believe in?

 Historically, activists had to be active – taking steps to make the changes they wanted through holding protests and rallies, volunteering their time or writing to legislators. Today, seemingly all it takes to contribute to change is to share a post on Facebook (with questionable effectiveness).

One of the largest online activist campaigns I remember is Kony2012. The campaigns was created by California based organisation The Invisible Children aiming to have Joseph Kony, the leader of the Lord's Resistance Army, known for its use of child soldiers, arrested (Invisible Children 2019).

As of 2019 the video has over 100 million views, yet Kony is still a free man.

Would the campaign have succeeded in everyone who shared the policy attended a rally, or wrote to Ugandan officials? We may never know.

While the campaign didn’t succeed in getting Kony arrested, it did help raise awareness to the issue and increase donations to the Invisible Children (Ayoub 2014), so there may be hope in online campaigns after all.

If sharing images, posts and videos in support of social causes gives slacktivists the moral boost they need to sleep at night – more power to ‘em!

References 

Invisibile Children 2019, Kony 2012, Invisible Children, viewed 4 Janurary 2019, <https://invisiblechildren.com/kony-2012/>. 

‘Jesus Checking Facebook’ [image],in Meme Centre, viewed 5 February 2019, <https://www.memecenter.com/fun/6422059/1-like-1-prayer>

‘Melbourne Cup’ [image], Reddit, viewed 5 February 2019, <https://www.reddit.com/r/australia/comments/9ut8am/thatll_teach_you_to_care_about_horses_credit_to/>

Oxford Dictionary 2019, Slacktivism, Oxford Dictionary, viewed 4 January 2019, <https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/slacktivism>. 

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Best Policies, or Most Likes?

I must admit I’ve never cared much for politics, neglecting to enrol to vote until I turned 24 (much to the dismay of my parents). The most attention I’ve ever payed to politics on social media is to laugh at the ridiculous Twitter ramblings of US President Donald Trump.

There is no doubt that social media use has increased rapidly, and this has given politician wider access to voters, but I question whether this is a good thing for our question. Are our young people awarding their vote to the candidate they believe has the best policies and plan to run our country, or because they are the most likeable on social media?

This past state election it was the first I had been enrolled to vote, and with no interest or knowledge on any political matters I made my decision purely based on a Facebook post I had seen Daniel Andrews make in the wake of the tragic murder of Eurydice Dixon.

I’m embarrassed to admit I have no idea if the labour party actually has any plans or policies in place to reduce male inflicted violence or protect our women, the post simply resonated with me enough to vote for Daniel Andrews.

Further to this, social media may be perpetuating a “filter bubble” – the phenomenon of online isolation where individuals only receive the information they have pre-selected, or that social media algorithms have selected for us (Hull 2017).  Simply put, social media sites are smart enough to know our political preferences, and only send us targeted information inline with our beliefs.

This may cause a kind of tunnel-vision, with voters blindly supporting a political party and failing to question their policies or seek apposing views – the very behaviour that makes a democracy possible.

Will social media lead to the downfall of our democracy?

Only time will tell.

References

‘Daniel Andrews Post’ [image], Daniel Andrews 2018, Facebook, viewed 4 February 2019, <https://www.facebook.com/DanielAndrewsMP/posts/eurydice-dixon-was-22-years-old-she-was-an-aspiring-comedian-smart-funny-she-liv/1807396689324859/>.

‘Donald Trump Tweet’ [image], Donald J Trump 2012, Twitter, viewed 4 February 2019, <https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/265895292191248385?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E265895292191248385&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rte.ie%2Fnews%2Fanalysis-and-comment%2F2018%2F0111%2F932446-donald-trump-climate-change%2F>.

‘Filter Bubble’ [image], in Sticky Digital 2017, Danger of Living in a Filter Bubble, Sticky Digital, viewed 4 February 2019,< https://www.sticky.digital/danger-of-living-in-a-filter-bubble/>.

Hull, G 2017, ‘Why Social Media May Not be so Good for Democracy’, The Conversation, viewed 4 February 2019, <https://theconversation.com/why-social-media-may-not-be-so-good-for-democracy-86285>.