Cyber bullying...contents may harm

This weeks blog is close to my heart. I have two children who are 10 and 13 years old and have experienced both traditional and cyber bullying. Both forms are hurtful and belittling and I believe as long as there are different personalities in the world there will always be bullying, but it is our responsibility to try and control it.

Everyone knows what traditional bullying is and if you haven’t experienced it then you are lucky. It is when someone harasses, threatens or embarrasses another person. The only difference between traditional bullying and cyber bullying is that cyber bullying occurs online.

Because cyber bullying is on the internet it is harder avoid, it spreads faster and is very public. Often perpetrators can hide behind a false or even stolen identity so you don’t know who your real enemy is. You then question everyone and this can be emotionally destroying.

I live in an area surrounded by schools and I think the youth suicide rate has reached epidemic proportions. I cannot find any figures on these rates but the comparison between suicides I knew of when growing up (zero) compared to now (2-3 per year) is a significant increase.  I think the correlation between Internet use and these suicide figures is hard to ignore. Further studies and coping techniques are needed for the future, one study found..

Students who were cyber bullied reported feelings of sadness, anxiety, and fear, and an inability to concentrate, which affected their grades. Youth who were bullied online were more likely to have skipped school, to have detentions or suspensions, or to have carried a weapon to school.

Schools provide great programs such as Bullybusters that educate the children on bullying. Often the solution is to seek help from a teacher or parent. Yet are the parents equipped with all the answers? The United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) says adults are;

responsible to protect children from all forms of physical and mental violence, injury or abuse.

 We are the pioneers of a new era of children and adolescents who are regular produsers of the Internet. They live in the cyberworld, which is a world that is more familiar to them than us. As the UN says it is our responsibility to protect our children so ultimately we need the tools to help our children. This can be very difficult to negotiate. Even cyber bullying victim celebrity Charlotte Dawson found it hard to find the right solution to dealing with cyberbullying. So the solution for our childrens’ future needs to be achievable and current.

 

REFERENCES

Beran and Li, 2005 T. Beran, Q. Li Cyber-harassment: A study of a new method for an old behavior. Journal of Educational Computing Research, 32 (3) (2005), pp. 265–277

Bullybusters. Kids Matter. Australia Government Department of Health. Viewed 9 February <http://www.kidsmatter.edu.au/primary/programs/bully-busters>

United Nations 2003-2005. Enable. Viewed 9 February  <http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/enable/comp501.htm>                 

Are you a Produser ?

We are living in a user led age where marketers are now letting consumers develop their own flavours and websites are getting their followers to update their sites with their own content and opinions. These people are termed as Produsers which is a blend of two words – drumroll please...Producers and Users.

 Australian media scholar Axel Bruns of the Queensland University of Technology describes the definition of produsage as

“the collaborative and continuous building and extending of existing content in pursuit of further improvement.”

In 2006 Time Magazine awarded their ‘Person of the Year’ accolade to ‘You’ by recognising the birth of a collaborative user-led community on the Internet – the Produsers. Internet users were no longer just ordinary people home alone with their computers. They were being recognised as citizens now empowered to engage and create media content.

As TIME observed car companies are running open design contests. Reuters is carrying blog postings alongside its regular news feed. Microsoft is working overtime to fend off user-created Linux.

 Some examples that I have experienced are the obvious ones such as You Tube, Blogs, online games such as Halo and of course Wikipedia. I have also seen Help Desks and even Apple Geniuses Bars using user blogs that build from one another’s knowledge and experiences. Not one size fits all so the more updates there are on each other’s experience/problems the more breadth you have to find your solution.

However one problem that has arisen with Produsage and that is around the inaccuracies caused from too many fingers in the pie. Although Produsage.org reassures us that the more participants there are using and contributing the stronger and more accurate the quality will be. They are relying on a communal evaluation ("given enough eyeballs, all bugs are shallow")

Henry Jenkins was all for this collective intelligence. In his interview with Axel Bruns he refers to the notion of produsage allowing communities to have equality because it is producing and consuming at the same time. This way the consumers are not passive but more engaged with the content and therefore become actively involved with a vested interest.

This can also be observed in citizen journalism. Everyone has a camera on them at all times and when they see an opportunity they have the ability to become the producer, freely interacting, communicating and sharing their ideas. Others feed off these ideas and add their opinions whilst building a strong collaborative and true community. I think the future of Produsage is in our own hands.

As the Time article pointed out you can learn more about how people live just by looking at the backgrounds of YouTube videos—those rumpled bedrooms and toy-strewn basement rec rooms—than you could from 1,000 hours of network television. 

REFERENCES

Bruns, A 2005, Some Exploratory Notes on Produsers and Produsage, Snurblog, viewed 15 January 2014, <http://snurb.info/index.php?q=node/329>.

Grossman, L December 2006. You-Yes, You – Are TIME’s Person of the Year. Time Magazine, viewed 15 January 2014, <http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1570810,00.html>

Jenkins, H 2008, From Production to Produsage: Interview with Axel Bruns (Part One), Confessions of an Aka-Fan, viewed 19 January 2014, <http://henryjenkins.org/2008/05/interview_with_axel_bruns.html>.

In my dreams I would look like this...

If I’m being totally honest before this unit I had never heard the word Simulacra. It was a hard word to get my tongue around and all of the learning’s and quotes seemed very one sided from theorist Jean Baudrillard.

Jean Baudrillard is French sociologist, theorist and author of the book Simulacra and Simulation. He explains Simulacra as being a copy that depicts things that either had no reality to begin with (similar to the world in the Matrix movie) or something that no longer has an original (Disneyland). He has been quoted as saying

 “In todays world, reality has been replaced by sign systems that recodify and supplant the real. Simulation precedes and determines the real”

 To help understand the evolution of Simulation further Baudrillard explains the Hierachy of Simulation as these four stages;   

A simulacrum is strongly represented in this current day and age via online games or second life. I myself have never played a second life game or have an avatar but I suppose its because I am too busy with my first life. In the gaming world second life and avatars are used as an extension of reality, a world in which you can do things that can’t be done in this world.

Howard Rheingold is also very interested in the theories around virtual communities. In his book ‘The Virtual Community’ he describes entire communities of people online where they are performing all of their daily duties in cyberspace. People can not only socialise with friends but also go to work or study online whilst living another parallel life in this real world. 

Baudrillard believed that our lives were becoming so saturated with simulacra that all meaning was becoming meaningless, which he call “precession of simulacra”. I am not sure I believe entirely in his theory.  Simulacra and second life for some people is just an escape - a break from the everyday, which isn’t such as bad thing, there are worse things they could be doing. 

I think second life can be used to advance our world and we are just in the infancy. Recently I saw an article about a disabled man who was running a factory on the other side of the world aided by his avatar. So we must remember both the disadvantages of the social exclusions of second life and avatars but also the advantages and future prospects of the potential of simulacra. I will never look at the world with the same eyes after discovering the word Simulacra.

REFERENCES:

Rheingold H, N/A. The Virtual Community. Viewed 8 January 2014 <http://www.rheingold.com/vc/book/2.html>

The Research Geek, Oct 2010. The Social Media and Simulacrum of the self. Viewed 8 January 2014. <http://researchgeek.wordpress.com/2010/10/10/simulacrum-of-the-self/>

Waugh, R, April 2012. Avatar becomes reality, Viewed 8 January 2014 <http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2135067/Mind-controlled-robot-paraplegics-unveiled-Avatar-reality.html>

Wikileaks...keeping the bastards honest

Up until the 17th Century Royalty controlled the media until the Industrial Revolution bought about changes. From this change activists such as the Puritans and Karl Marx started to emerge.

 These activists provided a necessary social debate where parties argued it out in engaging debates between good and bad. The presses freedom of speech proved to be what was needed to provide a good and ethical government.

Now we jump forward to the 21^st century where personal computers and the Internet have provided a new platform for the general public to become involved in media making and partaking in a participatory culture. Wikileaks fuels this participatory culture by providing an outlet for whistleblowers. They are not causing trouble for trouble sake but providing a site to disseminate information.

 

This transparency of information I believe reduces government and corporate corruption by just being there. Knowing there is a body like Wikileaks could make people think twice about their unethical actions.

Henry Jenkins, one of the great brains of our Digital Future said

Powerful institutions and practices (law, religion, education, advertising and politics) are being redefined by a growing recognition of what is being gained through fostering – or at least toleration through participatory cultures.

 As Jenkins said social media is redefining these institutions. These institutions need to rethink their game plan or be honest and upfront. Big Brother is out there or maybe we should call Wikileaks the annoying Little Brother.  Julian Assange is not a criminal, no court of law has convicted him of any criminal act. So I believe both he and Wikileaks are practicing their civil rights as derived by Article 19 in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Wikileaks).

everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

P.J Proudon, another 17th Century political / anachist was quoted as saying: To be GOVERNED is to be at every operation, at every transaction noted, registered, counted, taxed, stamped, measured, numbered, assessed, licensed, authorized, admonished, prevented, forbidden, reformed, corrected, punished ... which is a mammoth task for any government or country. So to have Wikileaks and Julian Assange around now and in the future to provide ethical auditing and to keep the bastards honest is reassuring, long live Freedom of Speech.

REFERENCES

Jenkins H, 2006. Fans, Bloggers, and Gamers: Exploring Participatory Culture Author: Henry Jenkins Publication: New York: New York University Press, cop. 2006. Viewed 20 January 2014 <www.uoc.edu/uocpapers/4/dt/eng/jenkins2.html>

Only in America, 2013. Edward Snowdon Julian Assange Do Read. Blogspot. Viewed 20 January 2014.  http://onlyinamericablogging.blogspot.com/2013/11/edward-snowden-julian-assange-do-read.html

 Proudhon PJ, P. J. Proudhon in the Revolution of 1848, Mary B. Allen The Journal of Modern History
Vol. 24, No. 1 (Mar., 1952), pp. 1-14, viewed 20 January 2014 <http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/1871978?uid=3737536&uid=2134&uid=2&uid=70&uid=4&sid=21103329046911

Wikileaks, 2014. Why Wikileaks and the Media is Important, viewed 20 January 2014 <http://wikileaks.org/About.html>

OIL & WATER = POLITICS & SOCIAL MEDIA

Politics and Social Media is equivalent to Oil and Water. To let the beaucratic, single-minded, egotistical, incompetent leaders of our country loose on social media without any PR filtering is a high risk to the successful future of any political campaign.

 Don’t get me wrong Politicians have a tough job. They are trying to do right by a nation with constant scrutiny from their opposition. Prior to social media Politicians would rely heavily on PR activities to connect to their public. These activities were highly orchestrated to a level where the Politician would be told what to wear, what to say and how to smile. Their responses would be scripted and rehearsed.  

 Introduce Social Media into the mix and the free flowing thoughts of Politicians are fodder for the public. Social media can be a powerful Political tool, which could make or break a campaign.

As explained by the Media Scholar Henry Jenkins - Politicians can use ‘participatory culture’ to be linked to potential voters via social media. Ordinary people can connect or ‘participate’ with politicians via their social media sites. They can consume what the Politicians or their Communications teams are creating and in turn potential voters can contribute directly to the campaigns via social media – feel connected to the campaign. In the case of Barack Obamas 2008 campaign the majority of the campaign was run and won because of social media.  

A survey revealed that 30 percent of registered voters were encouraged to vote for Obama or Romney by friends and family through postings on the social media sites (Kennedy 2012)

 13 million emails, nearly 4 million donors, 2 million members of the My.BarackObama.com social network and tens of thousands of engaged activists changed the American political landscape via its digital activism.

Without the Internet Obama could not have afforded to win the number of voters that he did. As Howard Rheingold explains the power of collaboration;

Cooperation interaction = survival of the fittest in business

Rheingold’s theory relies on the interaction of the people in the communities, Politicians like Obama have had great success in this field and other Politicians can do well by learning from this campaign. 

In order for politicians to be a Social Media success, they don’t need to be young or nice to look at, they need to be genuine, natural and unscripted and know and believe in their Parties policies enough to confidently voice their own opinions. Unlike this babbling response from ‘The Talented Mr Shorten’ LINK

REFERENCES

Kennedy, K 2013, ‘Use it or Lose it: Social Media in the 2012 US Election’ Pulitzer Centre. Viewed 4 January 2014 <http://pulitzercenter.org/reporting/social-media-role-young-voters-increase-future-US-elections-Obama-Facebook-Twitter>

Liberal Party TV, 26 April 2012. ‘The Talented Mr Shorten’, You Tube. Viewed 4 January2014 < http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFELLK8htKM>

Rheingold, H Feb 2008.  TED,  ‘Howard Rheingold - The new power of collaboration’ 1.41, viewed 4 January 2014 <http://www.ted.com/talks/howard_rheingold_on_collaboration.html>

Buy nothing this Christmas ?

With Christmas just days away you are being given permission to ‘Buy nothing this Christmas’. In doing so you are not just relieving yourself from hours of shopping mayhem, you are also joining a political movement. 

The 'Buy Nothing this Christmas' campaign is an example of a digital activist campaign by Adbusters. Adbusters is one of many online groups that are trying to forge a major shift in the way we live. Whether it is a campaign to stop people consuming or citizens trying be heard. One of the positives from social media is the ability to connect those who are disconnected either by location or circumstance. Media guru Clay Shirky explains civic life as.. 

 

… not just created by the actions of individuals, but by the actions of groups, the spread of mobile phones and internet connectivity will reshape that civic life, changing the ways members of the public interact with one another.

 

 

  Digital activism empowers individuals to easily act on the beliefs and causes they are passionate about. Campaigns such as Kony,   Obamas campaign and the recent uprising in Egypt are examples campaigns in which their cause was driven to the world via social media. The main driver of each of these campaigns was organised online communication, better known as DIGITAL ACTIVISM.  

  

 Getup is an Australian organisation that helps give everyday Australians the opportunity to get involved by holding Politicians accountable on important issues. Why sit at home fuming over a recent ludicrous political decision made by government monkeys when you can Getup and do something about it.

Whether it is sending an email to a member of parliament, engaging with the media, attending an event or helping to get a television ad on the air, GetUp members take targeted, coordinated and strategic action to effect real change. 

GetUp drives digital activism by providing a step-by-step guide to setting up your own campaign online whether it is for a local cause or of national relevance.  I have often ‘joined the cause’ simply by clicking a vote button. It makes change possible and brings it to our desktop. Campaigns such as;

-       ban live export

-       save the Barrier Reef

-       save the  Tassie forest

 

I don’t consider myself an activist but on the 'value of Digital Activism Scale' (Sivitanides 2011) which incorporates; optimist, pessimist and persistent 

I consider myself an optimist. 

We can do more than just like a page on Facebook  (I mean is there anyone out there who does 'like' cancer – really!)  I like the ability of digital activism to easily empower citizens to be able to alter political power. 

 

Activism is not new but the digital age has revolutionised the accessibility of being able to make change happen. The future sees a world which we will become one by the ability to out rule corruption and unfairness at the touch of a button.

 

Have a Merry Christmas whether you choose shop or not.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Adbusters 2013, Buy nothing xmas, Adbusters blog,  https://www.adbusters.org/blogs/bnd-xmas-2014.html, viewed 21 December 2013

 

Shirkey, C 2009. The Net Advantage, Prospect <http://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/magazine/the-net-advantage/#.UrZkk40j75k> , viewed 20 December 2013

 

Sivitanides, M 2011, The Era of Digital Activism, McCoy College of Business, Texas State University. Accessed via Swinburne Blackboard 10 December 2013

 

 

Do only Twits Twitter?

Numbers speak volumes; on Twitter today there are more than 554 million active users, which equates to 58 million Tweets per day. Twitter is projected to generate $399 million in 2013, so the Twits are onto something, but why is it so popular?

It was originally created to answer the simple question of “what are you doing?” and grew from there. Twitter differs from other networking sites because of its low bandwidth requirements and the strength of its collective audience.

If we looked at the top ten most popular people on Twitter we would see an uninspiring list of American musicians or celebrities such as Justin Bieber #1 or Kim Kardashian #9. I wonder (and worry) why so many people want to know what these celebrities are doing?

Nicole Scherzinger wearing a Twitter dress at the launch of the EE 4G network where fans could Tweet their comments directly onto the dress bringing new meaning to real time.

 

I turn to the wise scholar and social media stalwart Henry Jenkins who explains that we now live in a world with a high level of participatory culture where everyone can participate and learn from each other. Like the days of old quilting groups that harnessed the power of the collective audience. With Twitter we can choose who we want to learn from, who we want to follow. More from Jenkins.

In times of crisis Twitter has proved to be the first point of contact for many who are cut off from regular points of communication. 
 

-       Haitians 2010 and Japanese 2012 major earthquakes

-       Victorian 2009 Black Saturday fires

-       Mumbai 2011 terrorist attacks

-       Movements such as;

o    China avoiding Government Censorship in response to Google pulling out of China

o   The Obama campaign

Twitter is no longer a trivial media fad, it has made its mark as a grass roots communication tool. It provides profitable product reviews, company messages, advertising, universities are using it to relay class information and media are using it for short news updates.

Nelson Mandela sadly passed away this week, so I checked the Twitter feeds to see the reaction of the world. I was met with some inspirational tributes and also some jaw dropping statements. Here are a few in order from amazing to atrocious.

“He took history in his hands and bent the arc of the moral universe towards justice” Barack Obama@BarackObama

“The world mourns Nelson Mandela but will the same world follow his example of forgiving, restorative justice?” FatherBog@FatherBob

 “Former Vice President believed Nelson Mandela a terrorist” Chis@chrisharrisBC

“I loved his movies” a number of Tweeters getting very confused with Morgan Freeman

“Wow! Bout time!” jay@sho4short

This event shows Twitter is faster than news services or blogs and exhibits a lack of censorship (much to a few governments discomfort). It allows true freedom of speech. It enables us to see the unedited opinions from within the cultural melting pot of society. So why do you Tweet?

 REFERENCES

Jenkins, H 2011, Participatory Culture, You Tube,  <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZgZ4ph3dSmY > , viewed 5 December 2013

Murthy, Dhiraj 2013, Twitter : Social Communication in the Twitter Age, e-book, p 70, accessed 5 December 2013, <http://SWIN.eblib.com.au/patron/FullRecord.aspx?p=1166845>.

  

Statistic Brain, July 2013 “Twitter Statistics”,  http://www.statisticbrain.com/twitter-statistics/ viewed 4 December 2013