Med104 - Henry Jenkins

Med104 is underway! There have been lots of interesting discussions on the uni discussion board, I've kicked off Assignment 1 and continued to mildly fret about the remediation project....!

Reflecting on Med104's week 1's reading Henry Jenkins, "Critical Information studies for a participatory culture (pt2)" blog post April 10, 2009.

Which of these points did you find interesting?:
The way the internet seems to be interpreted through political agenda’s and mainstream media is very interesting to me. It is interesting how often these powers use fear of the internet, and fear of the changes that the Internet may bring to rile the public up. The foremost conclusion to understanding the impacts of new media on our lives is education and then research. “we need to develop strategies for decreasing the role of ignorance and fear in public debates about new media’. (Jenkins, 2009). The internet is part of almost everything we do, and I think that there is just as much opportunity for duplicity and non authentic behavior offline as online – it is more a matter of empowering ourselves and our children through education and awareness, just as we have previously in regards to offline potential issues. This does not in anyway mean that terrible things do not occur online, more that terrible things occur in spite of the internet not because of it.
Shared Concerns: 
Reasserting Fair Use is an interesting topic. Large economic powers have traditionally forced the hand of law makers in regarding to copyright law, ensuring the coin and intellectual power stays with them. With the decentralizing nature of the internet it has become apparent that a reworking of these ideas needs to take place to ensure all who are able to publish are able to claim their work as their own, and also that each individual is treated as the artist particularly in the face of litigation.
Concern/Disagree/Other Consequences:  
Overall, all the points are so interesting to me. These areas relate across the span of internet use and all of them are important to consider and to move ahead with. I find the idea of the digital divide and participation gap scary and interesting, it makes me wonder where on the agenda does it lie? Above eating a healthy lunch at school? Above home visits to children in danger? In the face of such adversity, is access to knowledge via the internet more important…or not?


cheers
Sarah

Assignment 1 Net102 - Q & A's

I mentioned in an earlier post, that when I'm gearing up for an assessment I search the internet for examples of previous work. I use these to get a feel for what has been submitted, often the questions are different to the ones I need to answer, but for me, I think it has helped me find my own style of writing.

So, here is my assignment 1, unedited. Three questions & my responses.  I received 7.5/10.  Please please do not copy my work, it is plagiarism to do so.


cheers
Sarah



How has the move from an analogue to digital medium changed the distribution and consumption of music?

From transistor radio to the iPod and other MP3 players, the music industry is again at a turning point. The move to the digital format is now supported by a plethora of easy to access web applications. Music of all genres, ages and languages can be tested, purchased and allocated to a personal 'mix tape' in minutes. Legal music download sites allow consumers to purchase single songs in an instant. Beer (2006) says a significant change in music culture has been the increase of music downloading. ITunes alone reached 10 billion downloads in February 2010 (apple.com), showing the shift in consumer behavior away from wanting to purchase a physical album.

Music is more portable than ever before. As access to the Internet has become more accessible, people are using the portability of music players to create a private space in public. Laughey (2007, p175) states ‘music can enable a feeling of occupancy and control in ‘public’ spaces’. From analogue to digital, the most significant change to the music industry is that speed and portability are now the keys to music distribution and consumption.



References

Apple iTunes (2010) “Tunes Store Tops 10 Billion Songs Sold”, February 25, http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2010/02/25iTunes-Store-Tops-10-Billion-Songs-Sold.html

Beer, David (2006). The Pop-Pickers Have Picked Decentralised Media: the Fall of Top of the Pops and the Rise of the Second Media Age. Social Research Online. http://www.socresonline.org.uk/11/3/beer.html

Laughey, D. (2007). Music Media in Young People's Everyday Lives. In Music, Sound and Multimedia: From the Live to the Virtual Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 172-187




Pascoe describes the use of technology by young adults as part of their romantic lives in a way that is integrated into their everyday lives. Do you think the use of online dating sites can also be considered a normal part of everyday life? Why/why not?

Young adults 'perform' their relationships via the online world, providing them a wider audience through more access to their existing ‘ties’ and opportunities to re-enforce ‘latent-ties’ (Haythornwaithe, 2005). People in the age group that learned to perform relationships prior to the emergence of the Internet ‘Digital Immigrants’ (Prensky, 2001) tend to think of these intimacy practices as private. In comparison, teen-dating behavior is often public and collaborative (Pascoe, 2009). Social Network Sites, instant messaging and mobile phone use further facilitates this public behavior.

For many, online dating is part of their everyday life formed through the opportunities presented by the convergence between globalization, the Internet and the emotional being. (Henry-Waring & Barraket) In the busy digital world of today, finding love and intimacy online is often the rational way. Through an online dating site’s profile page, one can enable filters that are not easily accessible in an offline setting, leading to a more streamlined approach to finding love. Henry-Waring & Barraket maintain that emotional online interactions are part of the real world, not separate from it (Stanley 2001). Therefore the intimacies formed and played out online are a real part of normal everyday life.



References

Haythornwaithe, C. (2002) Strong, Weak, and Latent Ties and the Impact of New Media The Information Society: An International Journal 18(5), 385-388

Pascoe, C.J. (2009) Intimacy in Mizuko, I et. al. Hanging Out, Messing Around, Geeking Out: Living and Learning with New Media. Massachusetts: The MIT Press, 117-148

Prensky, M. (2001) Digital Natives, Digital Immigrants From On the Horizon London: MCB University Press 9(5), 2-4

Henry-Waring, M., & Barraket, J. (2008) Dating & Intimacy in the 21st Century: The Use of Online Dating Sites in Australia International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Society 6(1), 14-3


How, if at all, has the relationship between Doctor and patient been affected by the rise in the use of the Internet, in relationship to peoples health, in everyday life?

The rise of the concept of Medicine 2.0 has empowered people to be more involved in their own healthcare. Doctor’s fees are increasingly expensive and time is always of the essence within a consultation and many people are reading up on their symptoms proactively. (Anderson, Rainey, and Eysenbach) This enables the system to cater to as many people as possible within a short time frame. One major problem with self-diagnosis is potential for misdiagnosis, which can lead to unnecessary stress on the patient or even inappropriate self-medicating.  The Internet has not replaced the need for a physical consultation with a medical professional; however, there is scope for more health services to take place online.

“The Internet has been a tool for users and citizens to get more involved and empowered” (Eysenbach 2008) aiding the shift over time from a patients one-way relationship with their doctor to more of a collaborative model. The availability of information online enables a patient to question their doctor, discuss possible alternative treatments and make informed choices. Support groups provide emotional and factual support online, point patients in the direction of alternative treatments and enable a person to be in control of their health, identifying them as an expert in the experience of their own health (Eysenbach 2008).



References

Anderson, J. G., Rainey M.R., & Eysenbach G. (2003) The Impact of CyberHealthcare on the Physician-Patient Relationship. Journal of Medical Systems 27(1) 67-84
Eysenbach, G. (2008). Medicine 2.0: Social Networking, Collaboration, Participation, Apomediation, and Openness. Journal of Medical Internet Research. 10(3).

An ending & new beginnings...

In a crazed tornado of uni work, I submitted the 2nd essay for Net102 and the learning reflections document.

I found the essay, the most challenging thing I've written to date in my student career, and to be honest by the time I handed it in I was counting marks to see if I could get away with a high fail for it. So, when I received the essay back yesterday with a DISTINCTION I was so amazed. And, a little proud of myself. I really enjoyed the challenge of attempting to wrap my mind around the concepts of identity, space, time and community.

Enough about Net102, it is now the past. Med104 Engaging Media is where the action is at this study period. Already I am a little nervous. The creative side of the major assessment freaks me out!

BUT

I am on my way, well and truly on my way now, to my BA Internet Communications, and overall, feeling really happy with my decision to take up studying online.

cheers
Sarah

Lost in everyday life

Lost in everyday life, in learning, parenting and working.

Therefore, my blogging for Net102 has died off considerably, however I have been working really hard  on this module.

In the first essay, I investigated how the Internet has changed the way woman make decisions during pregnancy. Essay writing doesn't come easily to me, so I am super happy with the credit I achieved. This essay also gave me the opportunity to get my idea's on everyday life theories onto paper.

THEN, the big essay. Paralysed by stress, I'm not sure I have achieved all I wanted for this one. 2 weeks until I know if I at least delivered an essay that can pass!.....I think I will publish my assignments on the blog. When I'm doing assignments I look for examples of ones in the past, just seeing that it is in fact possible really helps my head! It is important to note though, that these assignments are submitted works and if you copy them it is plagiarism and also kind of rude.....

Back to my learning portfolio reflections essay I go!

cheers
Sarah

Community & Identity - Learning Portfolio task

Tough week! Essay 1 was due,  the flu thing going around that has been dubbed the '100 days cough' had me in it's grasp and it was school holidays. However, Community & Identity was the topic, which is such an interesting topic for me. Most of the time I spend online is to communicate with and nurture relationships and maintain community ties.


The learning portfolio task:

Chose an online community and answer the following
· How is this a 'community' (and what is a community)?
· Connections and gaps between the world of this community and face to face life.
· Who are the 'powerful' in this community, and how was this power acquired?
· Is there a difference between 'virtual' and 'real' life? What do these terms mean, nowadays?


A new online community to me, is my Instagram community. Formed through an interest in social media and using my iPhone for photography it has become, to me, another way to reach people that I would not have before.
Individuals gain different things from a community, therefore the description of actually 'what' a community is, is a little fluid. Overall a community can be described as a group of people, with something in common be that political, emotional, economic (fashion etc), faith, communicating with one another. Shafi says 'There is also a strong sense of unity and fellowship in a community'. (Shafi, blog)
Being on Instagram is an interesting community to me, as I did not join with the purpose of keeping in touch with people I already know, which is one of the main reasons people use Facebook. Due to this, I do not have a great drive to meet these people offline. We know each other, know where we live (in a general sense) and share images of our day to day lives. The main difference therefore between this community and face to face life, is the physical face.
There are people on instagram world wide, and some of these seem to try to gather 'likes' with a passion! Through gaining greater exposure of their images they are exerting a kind of power over the greater community. Behind the scenes, Facebook offered a huge sum to buy Instagram (a massive power play!) and and many individual business people use the application as a form of advertising - there are a number of power mongers amongst us! However, at this stage, they are not directly effecting my experience within the community.

My tutors response, Good example Sarah. Its an interesting one, as you identify, because it probably doesn't 'look' or 'feel' like a traditional community, yet does share some of those key characteristics used to define community. However, it is not dissimilar to offline 'photography clubs' or 'book clubs' for that matter. These communities were formed around shared interests, and this process of 'sharing' was a big part of the value of belonging to these communities.

Another question was raised this week,  what is the difference between a ‘real’ or face-to-face community and ‘ virtual’ community? Go beyond the two readings and see if you can find another source that contributes to how we might define this distinction?

Beside the actual physicality of offline v's online, perhaps there is no real distinction between the communities. Henry-Waring & Barraket maintain that emotional online interactions are part of the real world, not separate from it (Stanley 2001), meaning that in the case of intimacy, feelings are real online and part of your whole, not separate from it. Therefore, the investment people make in online communities is just as great as the investment in offline communities. With the growing access to online communities, I propose that people spend more time tweaking, touching, updating their online community than the communities they are members of offline.

Shafi says,’ In Online communities, anyone can jump the bandwagon and become a member of the community’.(Shafi.2005). This is true in an offline community also. There is just as much scope for duplicity offline as online, in fact, there is a lot more trust in people believing the authenticity of others online because of the lack of physical cues. Therefore, the emotion investment could be higher online than offline. 

Lots and lots going on in my head, and I have a number of readings to get through. Essay 2 is looming and it is LARGE. Some big ideas to deconstruct and understand.

I'll get cracking!

cheers

Sarah

References (for both responses)

Shafi, (2005) Can a Virtual Community be any different from the experience of a Real Community? Incoherent Thoughts

Henry-Waring, M., & Barraket, J. (2008) Dating & Intimacy in the 21st Century: The Use of Online Dating Sites in Australia International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Society 6(1), 14-3

that Fiske reading again...

It has been playing around in my head and here is another thought, a thought more closely related to my essay 1 topic...

I might change the direction altogether and try to relate the concepts Fiske uses to the way women form a 'new' everyday life when expecting a child, particularly, their first child. I think this time in a woman's life (and to an extent her partner) is a rare time where one's 'normal' patterns of everyday life are shifting. The idea of 'expecting' a child, leads me to the concept of 'expecting' your everyday life to no longer hold the patterns of your previous life. The period of pregnancy is spent 'furnishing' for a life you do not lead yet. 9 months creating a new 'habitus' as a parent, a mother.
'the weaving of one's own richly textured life within the constraints of economic depravation and oppression, are not just ways of controlling some of the conditions of social existence; they are also ways of constructing, and therefore exerting some control over, social identities and social relations.' (Fiske, 1992) To an extent, a mother to be, regardless of economic status, creates an idea, creates the outlines of the life they want for their child, and that they want to lead as a parent. They are using what control they have over the life they have and the life their child will have, thus creating the basis of an identity, of an everyday life to be.
Maybe? I know, not related to the online world at all!!

cheers
Sarah

Fiske, J. (1992). Cultural Studies and the Culture of Everyday Life Cultural Studies (pp. 154-173). New York: Routledge

Power & Economy

Woah! Power & Economy. Not really top of my list in topics I feel a natural warmth to, however, when looking at them from the angle of the Internet, perhaps, just perhaps, I can glean some comprehension of these drivers of society.

My discussion board posts this week, went something like this:

What is the political economy of new media? Use Mansell to assist you in your answer.

The political economy of new media refers to the power and authority over the access to information and products and how then this relates to all through economic ties. The studies on how the Internet influences politics and power have been limited thus far. It is important to study this power and influence as many assume equality online, however, due to the influence of large organisations there is now a disconnect between that assumption and reality. There are a large number of studies into the products and services of new media, these studies do not delve into the powers "that are embedded within them" (Mansell, 2004, p97).
Economically, power is created through managing the scarcity of the resource. Within the parameters of new media, scarcity to formed through ‘the use of copyright, promotion of obsolescence, creation and sale of audiences and favoring’(Mansell, 2004, p98) The Internet is also controlled through fiscal means, creating spaces that need to be paid for to access, effectively ‘walling off’ (Mansell, 2004, p98) real estate online, inadvertedly (or not) created spaces that only people with the right knowledge/money/power can access.
Mansell, R. (2004). Political economy, power and new media. New media and society, 6 (1), 96-105.

Why must we be aware of power and institutions when studying the internet?

We must be force our awareness of power and institutions when studying the internet to ensure we recognise that the internet is not a "non-hierarchical economy and culture" (Mansell, 2004, p101). The Internet has created opportunities for many people but rarely do the main players within powerful institutions offer these opportunities in an altruistic way. For major media companies, people's interest, ideas and information are necessary for them to grow, we are the commodity and are now very easy to access.  It is important to be critically aware that the even though each individual now has the power to publish themselves online there is "unequal participation and power in the open source communities" (Mansell,2004, p101). All people are not equal online, and much like traditional offline culture, powerful companies hold power online, and with that the ability to effect public opinion, political movement and access to information.
Mansell, R. (2004). Political economy, power and new media. New media and society, 6 (1), 96-105.


Web 2.0 - Facebook, twitter, Instagram - gathers a significant amount of users - of what use is this to advertisers? 

The data collected via these web 2.0 applications is like a goldmine for advertisers. Users give data for free to the site, once the information is on the site it belongs to them. Once given freely, your data is then used to target advertise to you specifically, creating sales, and buzz, more 'likes' for the advertiser etc. . More than that, the application you gave that information to for free makes money off that free information. In a previous unit, one of the students asked on the blackboard 'would you pay for Facebook if that meant no advertising and data collection?'. I still think this is an interesting question - to keep your data within your control, would you pay for that service?.
Beyond Facebook, twitter, Instagram there are many 'word of mouth' online marketing companies who count on the general publics interest in sharing their opinion to help promote their clients products. I was recently sent a box of kids vitamins to 'share' with other mums. Through this online medium savvy marketers are finding and then adapting to the flexible delivery methods now available to them.


So, yes, it was an involved week. I have lost my way a little on Essay 1 and am questioning if I have involved the reading from Fiske at all. Perhaps I need a paragraph on 'everyday life' and what that actually means.....hmmmmm.....Must read and respond to the Gilbert reading for this week also.

cheers
Sarah