Extra Blog: Smart Mobs Encouraged?

During class, we talked about the ideas and concepts of Smart Mobs. Interestingly, I might have found an example of a company who plays on the idea of using the tactics of Smart Mobs. Take for example the company AT&T wireless. An advertisement that has been running on TV for the last year or so pleads for mobile phone users to use their service instead. The commercial depicts a man in a flash mob group without his other group members. The flash mob sends messages via text message but the catch is that the man in the commercial receives it too late because any service other than AT&T is too slow. This results in the man dancing hilariously by himself without his other members.

AT&T Advertisement

These cell phone companies have played a great deal into the success of Smart Mobs. Over the last ten years, these companies have given its customers a cheaper product making cell phones a viable tool. They have given us accessibility to the internet in addition to voice calls and SMS. Furthermore, they have given us more coverage across the world. It is becoming increasingly difficult to find space where coverage is not available.

Blog One: MUDs and AIM ***Revision

In our first week of class, we discussed Sherry Turkle’s “Life on the Screen.” This reading discussed MUDs or “Multi-User Domains” and the types of interactions that occur. So when our class was assigned to make an AIM account and anonymously interact with each other, I was naturally intrigued. First of all, I had never communicated with someone else with a totally different identity. Additionally, I did not realize how valid this type of communication could be. Turkle argues that virtual worlds provide people with an experience that is not possible or even acceptable in the real world. After the few discussions that I had on AIM, I learned a few things. I feel as though MUDs can establish a few positive benefits for its users. Firstly, I would say that this form of communication allows for people to communicate with anonymity. Someone who is shy or not very out going can seek advice or say whatever they want to say without being in fear or face real-life repercussions. I also believe that speaking anonymously to one another prevents anxiety for people who have trouble with social skills. Even if someone feels they are being judged, the other user still does not know who they are. Furthermore, I enjoyed the conversations that I had on AIM. Much of the discussions that took place on AIM would be considered highly controversial if they took place in a real-life interaction. It is easy to see that MUDs can also serve as form of entertainment.

On the other hand, as much fun as I had playing on AIM, one can see the negative attributes in using this form of communication. I was frustrated because I could not figure out who I was talking with. The other problem that I pondered concerns the idea of relationships. Turkle mentions that online romantic relationships exceed quickly online because both parties can be fairly open to one another. Encouraging a fake identity can also cause problems too if someone believes that they are real. Many sex offenders impersonate being another person. However, all in all, I believe MUDs should be used for entertainment purposes.

Blog Eight: Motives of Smart Mobs

This week we read about Howard Rheingold’s thoughts regarding “smart mobs.” Smart Mobs rely on mobile technology to perform the tactics that make Smart Mobs so successful. These mobs became prevalent once SMS technology was developed. SMS is an acronym for “short messaging system.” One of the reasons why SMS is so advantageous in the methods of smart mobs is because of its ability to relay simple messages briefly, quickly, and maybe most importantly, SMS is a very cheap form of communication. Because everyone has mobile devices either in phone form or other, Smart Mobs are most likely here to stay. After reading Rheingold’s work and having our discussion in class, these smart mobs can motivate and produce political and social changes. These mobs are self-regulating and often have no hierarchy in terms of dictating messages across to an organization, government or group of people. However, the big worry here is that smart mobs with the power that they have could prove to be dangerous for millions of people across the planet. Criminal organizations and the spread of Terrorism are two examples of groups that have the ability and the means to use smart mobs in a negative fashion. What could make the tactics of Smart Mobs so dangerous is the privacy that is involved. Nations, especially the U.S., do not have the ability to examine private messages without a warrant. Furthermore, even if the U.S. could surpass these laws, the scale in which they would have to stop these messages would be next to impossible. The only tactic that is available is solid prevention. The spread of false information to many people could prove to be lethal in the future.

Although some smart mobs have been strictly used for political purposes, other smart mobs have been used in entertainment as well. In 2005, a group of U2 fans at a concert in Poland used the schemes of other smart mobs to create their own effect. 70,000 fans at the concert waved the colors red and white representing the Polish flag. The idea to perform these acts of national pride on such a big scale was spread from the internet. Additionally, the band member Bono, who is known around the world for his anti-poverty efforts, was even influenced by the Polish act of honor and made it clear to his audience that he too was in on the act by showing the red lining on the inside of his jacket.

U2 concert in Poland

Blog Seven: Googlization ***Revision

Googlization is a phenomenon described by Siva Vaidhynathan that has impacted and changed how we know and use the internet. What started as a small search engine, Google is now a vital component in making the online world go round. Google is made up of several sub sites like YouTube, GMail, and Google+ that runs the world we live in. In class we discussed what googlization is and how it represents surveillance and privacy with regards to Google’s dominance online. Vaidhynathan argues that privacy interface is made up of five domains: person to peer, person to power, person to firm, person to state, and person to public. Person to peer relates to communication with family and friends. Person to power relates to privacy with teachers, employment authority figures. Person to firm involves privacy with other businesses and companies. Person to state concerns privacy with one’s government, which can be seen on the federal, state, and local levels in the U.S. And lastly, person to public involves privacy with the public domain. Google’s expansion from a search engine and advertisement company to a general media company has affected each of these privacy domains. Vaidhynathan argues that our understanding of knowledge of what’s on the web and our own privacy online is threatened with the type of surveillance policies seen through each of these domains. He argues, “If Google is the dominant way we navigate the Internet, and thus the primary lens through which we experience both the local and the global, then is has remarkable power to set agendas and alter perceptions. Its biases (valuing popularity over accuracy, established sites over new, and rough rankings over more fluid or multidimensional models of presentations) are built into its algorithms.” Google’s recent advertisement supports the idea that googlization is happening.

Dear Sophie commercial

If someone were willing to perform each task in the advertisement for his or her child, their son or daughter would be totally entrapped in Google’s regime.

While Google on the whole might have privacy issues, compared to other companies and websites I believe Google+ exceeds popular social networks in privacy. For example, Google+ surpasses Facebook in terms of its privacy settings. Google+’s interface establishes communication divisions between family, friends, co-workers, business associates, and the public. Facebook, which is obviously at this point the more popular social network, does not contain these distinctions. In addition, Twitter, which is popular for its widely public and open communication, does not even separate the five privacy domains what so ever. A An issue that many face now (that I will face in the future) is the privacy of social networks regarding relationships with employers. Many people are fired for a post they make or an offensive picture tagged by someone else. Google+ combats these issues with its separation of communication between parties with what it calls “circles.” People can now filter between friends and even one’s parents (I definitely have this issue).

Blog Six: Cyber-bullying: When Will It Stop?

A focal point of our Intro to Digital Cultures class is our discussions on how the world has progressed in terms of technology and our daily interactions with it, both positive and negative. This week we discussed the aspects of cyber-bullying on the Internet in our society. “Bullying” has existed in our culture on many levels for a long time and it is no surprise that tormenters and their tactics have found their way on the Internet. We discussed that cyber-bullying takes place partially because its face-to-face interactions are limited and makes it more likely to happen. Nowadays, we often here about multiple cases of cyber-bullying that occur, which leads to horrible incidents such as suicide. What others display online can lead to arguably worse repercussions than face-to-face human interactions. Take for example Tyler Clementi, a Rutgers University student who jumped to his death after his roommate posted video footage of Clementi and another male performing sexual acts. Today with the simple ability to post videos, he wrongly took advantage of Clementi’s privacy. What’s more, Clementi even eerily posted his last words on facebook for all of his friends to see.

Danah Boyd specializes in studying cyber-bullying and its repercussions. She believes that one of the reasons that bullying continues is because tormenters and the tormented have difficulty in admitting the acts themselves because they feel victimized. She writes, "Antibullying efforts cannot be successful if they make teenagers feel victimized without providing them the support to go from a position of victimization to one of empowerment. When teenagers acknowledge that they're being bullied, adults need to provide programs similar to those that help victims of abuse. And they must recognize that emotional recovery is a long and difficult process." Last time in class we talked about Googlization. Ironically, Google released a commercial recently how homosexual people can gain support through Google and its many outlets.

This video can prove to show some of the tactics that are being taken in order to stop cyber-bullying.

Another issue brought about from cyber-bullying is false identity and identity theft. The death of Megan Meier is a clear example of how easy it is for someone to fake and identity. While there is this perception that creating a new identity in a MUD for example might be fun and harmless, it can also create harmful affects to others associating with those who create a false identity. This further brings into question about possible future regulations regarding identity online. Should an outside party examine the honesty of online users? Many people would probably disagree with it because it would inhibit the privacy of safe and responsible users. In my own experience, facebook among other platforms is a good example of communication that is conveyed quickly and effectively but not always in the best manner. I feel as though a lot of private communication that takes place is represented publicly making it an avenue for cyber-bullying to exist in the manner that it does.

Blog Five: Lessig's Piracy in America

After watching the video in class regarding piracy in our music industry, I agree that it is wrong for music artists to use copyrighted material for their own profit schemes. On the other hand, if one’s usage of copyrighted material does not garner them any monetary benefits, what’s the big deal? Lawrence Lessig discusses these issues and how ideas about piracy have changed over the years. Lessig notes that piracy has now gone past the physical stealing of copyrighted material. While this is an important issue in and of itself, piracy taking place through other avenues besides physical stores that sell copyrighted material that one physically grabs is left up for debate. Of course the recording labels and the movie industry advertise against this “new age” piracy, while others do not find a problem with it. The MPAA has an advertisement on many DVDs that explains “you wouldn’t steal a car, you wouldn’t steal a handbag, you wouldn’t steal a movie”, so why isn’t it ok to download copyrighted material? They say “downloading pirated films is stealing.”

Even Jack Black, a famous actor, pleads for piracy to stop.

But will it stop?

Lessig argues that international piracy could provide benefits for American companies. He argues that Chinese consumers who steal Mircosoft’s Windows program will eventually have the means to buy the program later on as China’s wealth improves. Although this could happen, most companies or rightful owners of copyrighted material are not worth billions of dollars like Mircosoft and cannot afford for piracy like this to take place. Lessig also contends that piracy does have its place in society. He writes, “…even if some piracy is plainly wrong, not all ‘piracy’ is. Or at least, not all ‘piracy’ is wrong if that term is understood in the way it is increasingly used today. Many kinds of ‘piracy’ are useful and productive, to produce either new content or new ways of doing business. Neither our tradition nor any tradition has ever banned all ‘piracy’ in that sense of the term.” The remix artist Girl Talk is a great example of this accepted piracy. Girl Talk has became famous for his mash-up style of music. His songs rely solely on copyrighted music samples. Never once has he gotten permission from any of the artists’ samples used in his remixes. He posts his remixes online free of charge on his illegal art record label website.

However, Girl Talk has concerts all across the country for which he is paid for using these samples. Girl Talk even had a concert here at Lawrence University in May of 2009 for which he was compensated for.

One could provide the argument that Girl Talk has re-popularized some of the songs he has sampled as it is easy to find which songs are used in his remixes online.

Blog Four: Learning and Using Flickr

The Flickr project for our Introduction to Digital Cultures class was a fun opportunity for my group members and I to get to know one another. Interacting with my classmates in this fashion is a unique atmosphere that few schools can match as well as Lawrence University. Initially, our group contacted one another via e-mails, Facebook, and Twitter to arrange meeting times. Our group met one day to conceptualize an actual story for the Flickr project. Upon choosing the idea of Grand Theft Auto among other inspirations, our group collaborated on when and where to have our photo shoot and who the characters would be. Other necessary items in this meeting included deciding who had a camera and our transportation for taking pictures photographed on location. The second meeting we had the photo shoot, which consisted of the majority of the photos seen in our Flickr project. Each member of our group willingly and cordially helped in taking photos and suggesting logistics for the photos themselves. The third and final meeting our group took the first and last pictures seen in the slideshow. In addition, we edited all photos while adding the GTA graphics from my ownership of the GTA 4 game.

Our group felt as though having only five to ten pictures to tell a story was short. We wanted to include more elements from the actual game play itself but in the end we felt that we captured the most vital characteristics from the game and probably also the lesser risqué ones too. Basically, the story starts in the real world with Sydney. A world that includes many stresses and real life pains of school, family and life in general. Grand Theft Auto is a video game that provides an avenue of living in a fantasy world that is not revolutionary for its time but is very entertaining for the adult user. Essentially, the user is allowed to commit serious crimes without having to face the repercussions found in the real world. I myself play as the main culprit in the Grand Theft Auto: Midwest City version. A unique aspect of the GTA games is that many users find fulfillment playing the game without completing missions. Many like to find the first vehicle in sight. Carjack it by any means necessary whether it is parked or has passengers in the vehicle. Killing random people in the streets, robbing banks and committing other various crimes, while also finding and using an array of weapons on the map. So I find the first car I see to steal. I kill Dyllan with a crowbar after pulling him out of the car. I always found it amusing when the passengers in the passenger’s seat of the jumped out while the car was moving. After driving around looking for the Chase Bank, I enter with my handgun and rob the establishment. After a whole night’s worth of committing too many felonies, Sydney realizes she must end her fun for the time being and finish her homework.

Grand Theft Auto: Midwest City Flickr Project

Flickr is an easy to use social medium and tool that enables Internet users to interact with pictures. Much like the social media seen in websites like Facebook and Twitter, Flickr is a website that is structured through Yahoo! and only requires an easily accessible and commonly used Yahoo! account. The content and usability of Flicker is user friendly and self-explanatory. I was exceptionally impressed by the ease in editing captions and tags. They are easily edited by clicking on the actual text which brings up a cursor to re-type. Uploading the pictures was also simple as our group was able to upload the pictures from Sydney’s computer desktop to the site itself. The tags in our slideshow can help users of Flickr find photos by searching Grand Theft Auto themes. Although the game itself is popular, other examples like Star Wars, Star Trek, and Lord of the Rings contain a much larger fan base of creating user generated content.

Star Wars Flickr Example

However, one can find a few examples such as ours.

Grand Theft Auto Flickr Example

Flickr is absolutely an effective tool in creating user-generated content and sharing that content with others. This past summer, my mother and my sister were using the Internet to help plan for my sister’s wedding. Besides using e-mail for obvious reasons, both my mother and sister used Flickr and sights like it to find wedding pictures that Flickr users have uploaded. These pictures include examples of trendy fashions and show examples of good and bad designs of wedding outfits of the bridal and groom parties. An example shown below is a picture of the outdoor gazebo where my sister got married. She was able to use this photo as a means of getting a picture of what her wedding day might be like at Woodlawn Manor.

Flickr User Picture Upload of Wedding Day at Woodlawn Manor

This picture is of her husband standing in front of the same gazebo from Woodlawn Manor.

Rebecca Blood’s standpoint on the use of Flickr identifies the rising concept of photojournalism. I like to think that the way Blood illustrates the idea of using tags in Flickr is like using the hashtag in Twitter. She provides an example of the power of photojournalism. Footage of the French employment riots provides internet users with breaking news. Once word got around about these riots, one could search on Flickr and find eyewitnesses views of the action. While these photos can be found in the interesting category of Flickr photos, my sister could find ideas related to her wedding. The interesting photos provides the latest trends. However, I felt as though while the slideshows created by my fellow classmates told fictional stories and that they could be interpreted as ideas of photojournalism, these slideshows can also be used for fun in creating stories and providing fan support for our interests like our group found commonly in playing Grand Theft Auto video games.