The virtual me

As I’m sure you are well aware from reading our course reader amongst other things, there has been a debate on the idea of online identity. Some believe online identity to be continuous and an extension of our offline identities whereas other theorists such as Sherry Turkle who wrote works such as “Life On The Screen” in 1997 see online identities as being potentially quite different to offline identities.

These conflicting perspectives really got me thinking about this issue. On facebook I list my interests, music tastes, my favourite films and my hobbies which in most ways are very reflective of my offline persona. However, a comment I read by Sherry Turkle stuck with me. She said online we have the opportunity to edit identities and have the opportunity to pick and choose what qualities we want to present and hide from our peers. I don’t know about y’all but in my opinion, she was pretty bang on. I’m certain that we all do this. Avatars, websites like second life or games like Sims allow the user to alter themselves. Second life is notorious for this, users can change their gender, age, race, skin, hair and eye colour and can even choose not to be human!

This is also very true for social network users. On my own profile I take much care to ensure that the pictures posted of me aren’t unflattering and will insist they are deleted or untag myself to maintain an attractive image. Other ways people do this is by talking themselves up, maybe claiming to be more athletic than they really are, or claiming to love Quentin Tarantino films when perhaps they’ve only seen a snippet of one of the Kill Bill films and so forth. The anonymous nature of the internet allows us to do this and to express our identities any which way we want! So, are online identities really all that authentic? I would love to hear your views!

Women, sexual objects in games

As a final post I will talk about an aspect which was in my assignment. In the popular media culture, the videogame phenomenon has vast potential in influencing people from any age. Many children are influenced now days in this phenomenon and perceives the world in different ways. Like any people, gender is another large aspect which also considers on how people are influenced. Many videogames generally target the male audience as they are designed by men and for many men. Due to this many games with high ratings in violence such as GTA include gore and violence which may offend many women as GTA allows sexual activities with prostitutes, murder and rape. The form of portraying females as sexual objects rather than people depict a perspective in the male mind which supports the women to be depicted in this nature. This brings up ideas of perception which leads to many anti-female ideas and the right of violence against women.
A study brought up in 2007 shows that the male characters were vastly portrayed to be very aggressive in comparison to the female characters which were seen in a very sexualised way. However, in contrast some games were designed to show a strong female character which takes part in a large role to the Women community. Tomb Raider is a videogame most known to have this impact however still portrays sexuality which the characters looks, features and also the violence that Lara Croft portrays which still engages with the male audience. Gender is controversial when it comes to videogames in the perception of the male and female community.

Lara Croft - The pose which emphasises the sexual features of this character.

Women from Grand Theft Auto - The prostitutes which a highly sexualised in this image.

Michael

Need an answer? Google and Youtube Provides

It is funny how you can get an answer to anything if you just google it. In addition to this, you can even Youtube something if you want a 'Youtube tutorial' on a "how to" question.

With sites like google and youtube, it is so convenient to just jump online and ask anything and everything. From map instructions to definitions to music lyrics- google has the answers to everything. I have also recently started using Youtube for all my "how to" questions. Whether it is "how to get kim kardashian curls" to "how to sew a dress"- youtube provides step-by step videos that can help direct you.

I think its great how google and youtube can solve many of lifes daily problems. The evolution of the internet now provides users with anything and everything. It is amazing to see how much content is now readily available to the masses. Teyana Taylor a female rap artist even made a song about Google entitled- Google me Baby.

I even googled the song to get the lyrics:

"You better ask somebody- google me baby"

Is there even such a thing called privacy these days?

I recently got a Facebook friend request from my mother. I immediately declined. Why would i want my mother as a friend on Facebook? and secondly Why would she want to be connected to me? I asked her shortly after i rejected her. She told me she just wanted to see what i was up too, along with all my other aunties and uncles who had tried to send me a request.

In saying this, I have no problem with being friends with them, i just feel as though it is an invasion of my privacy. Surveillance was a foreign term to me before taking this class. After talking in tutorial discussions about this term, i realised how i could identity with it personally.

Social networking sites scream SURVEILLANCE to me. Alot of my younger cousins have to add their mum and dad so they know exactly who they are talking to and what they are talking about. This is totally justifiable as more and more teenagers are being targeted by pedophiles and bullies. There was a recent story on the news about a girl who was subjected to commiting suicide as part of a practical joke that was made by a group of bullies at her school.

For my friends and I, the term surveillance can be linked to numerous things. Firstly, Facebook is a great site for us to monitor our potential suitors,ex boyfriends and current boyfriends. As long as your connected with them you can see their msg history and who they have added. Sounds stalker i know but its the truth.

Twitter has evolved into a space where fans can go and get up-to date information about what they're favourite celebs a doing. For celebrities, Twitter is a space where they can market their name and also advertise new movies, albums and business ventures etc.

In saying this, people shouldnt air their dirty laundrey online. It is just going to eventually hit you in the behind as employers are now able to access facebook content tracing back to your highschool years. In relation to the title of this post, i pose the question if there even is a thing called privacy these days? With the introduction and popularity of social networking sites, more personal content is available to the public. Privacy settings can help protect you, however it is up to the user to chose who they interact with and what sites they use online.

Music Piracy

I was recently thinking about the last time i brought a CD. To this day i still cant even remember the last album i brought which is a little disheartening to think. Sites like Limewire and Bearshare have targeted young music listeners, who honestly do not have the money to purchase CDS to illegally download music. Even before sites like limewire and Bearshare, my friends and i would use tapes (yes tapes) to record music off the radio.

I will be honest, i have downloaded all my music content over th years, or have given my ipod to a friend to update- who has also illegally downloaded their music too. I dont think that there is any harm in this and the only people it really affects are the music artists who have enough money as it is.

The piracy advertisements that are shown before you go into the movies or before you watch a dvd seem like annoying bids to try and get people to stop downloading music and films. Placing laws on this i feel hasnt helped at all because nearly everyone downloads music these days and people are just going to continue to download their music content. Itunes however have helped decrease music piracy to an extent. Being a university student, i still cant justify spending $2.50 for a song where i could just get it for free from a site like Limewire.

I think for illegal downloaders, they feel there is no-way they can get caught online. Piracy advertisements arent doing their job if more and more people are still downloading. The cost of CDs i feel have increased so there is no reason as to why people are going to stop. Governments should just make it legal and music artists will just need to find alternative ways for people to buy their music. Maybe by partnering with sites like Limewire and Bearshare. Its a start anyways.

Online Dating

Society's traditional ways of dating focused on courtship. Men were expected to make the first move and were also expected to be the perfect gentlemen. Whether it was asking the girl for the first dance, making the first phone call, opening doors, pulling chairs out etc- it was always the males responsibility to approach his potential suitor. Fast forward to the 21st century and the womem of today are expressing notions of female independance and empowerment. It is no wonder why it may be harder for guys to approach a successful lady or if anything any woman he comes accross.

Week fours lecture on sexuality and intimacy online brought forth ideas linked to self presentation. Luke outlines points about 1) being unique without standing out too much and 2) being attractive and being real. I immediatley started thinking about the numerous advantages that online dating presented. In terms of self presentation-bad hair days and the constant "i have nothing to wear" scenarios will bever put you in freak-out mode.

Online dating services are now the go-to-place for singles. Nowadays people really dont have time to go on pointless blind dates. The convenience of online dating eliminates time wasted on dating non-suitable potentials. An advantage to online dating is the elimination of dating expenses. These expenses being dinner, movie and drink costs etc. You can discover fatal flaws of acquaintances before meeting in person.

In addition tot his, rejection is much less messy, hurtful and embarrassing. Conversations online can also be more to the point so that questions dealing with compatibility can involve less emotional risk. A video i found on youtube looked at the success of online dating service e-harmony. The site does the picking for you ny picking patterns between you and suitable potentials.

Sites like e-harmony and match.com have allowed people to see and catergorize potential suitors based on their likes and interests. I am all for online dating and even have clost family members who have met online and are now in happy marriages.

Check out the video on how e-harmony, an online dating service works. This service also has over 19million users.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYS5JtIjA-M

Facebook in Reality

I was youtube surfing when i came across a video where they asked the question: What would it be like if Facebook was actually played out in real life? It was quite hillarious to see the processes that occur when accepting friends, looking at photos and captions, status updates and privacy issues. Putting the processes in a real life setting showed how unrealistic the communication tools where if transferred into the real world. Although they were pulling the mickey out of it, it was funny to see how Facebook has changed the way people reconnect with friends and family online.

In reality, processes to connect and communicate with friends is much more easier. Well personally thats what I think. For instance, you dont have to 'poke' someone to get their attention, send a friend request in the hope they would accept and finally find the best possible photo that makes you look 10kgs lighter. The convenience of sites like Facebook make them more appealing to users. We have become a lazy society.

Todd Kelsey in his book Social networking spaces: From Facebook to Twitter and everything in between states that "Part of the reason Facebook took off in the school environment is because Facebook is inherently social. E.g. you can sign in, see who is on someones list of friends, and you can invite people to be your friends"(2010)

In reality, people arent that socially forward. Facebook offers people with a space to be more confident- especially to those more socially reserved. Although it is a great way to reconnect with old friends and family, would you really talk to every single person on your friends list if you were connected in a real life setting?

What do we really learn about our "online friends" too? Social gossiping and social status are a few of the main things that we can identity from snooping at status updates and recent photos. In reality, privacy is more apparent and it is harder to have a nosey into other peoples business. Facebook lets users put on a show into their world. This may be an over exaggerated view, however it may not be authentic.

Being the worlds largest social networking site, i guess it shows how much society is evolving in terms of communication. Ten years from now, Facebook may be dead (just like how hi-5, another SNS fell to the ground after SNS Bebo took off). Watch this space i say.

Check out the link to the youtube video: 'FACEBOOK IN REALITY'




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrlSkU0TFLs

A Generational Thing?

I was recently talking with my Mum and somehow we got onto the topic about social interaction and dating. To cut a long story short, my Mum was firm in her position that people of my generation just don’t know how to do it right! She thinks the idea of online dating, texting and social networking (being on the computer) for long periods of time is unnatural, an artificial form of communication and stunts our face-to-face social interaction. As you can imagine this sparked quite a debate between us as I thought her view was typical of people from her generation and she thought I clearly didn’t know any better.

I really don’t see what the hype about this is! I would argue that youth and young adults today are just as social as those from previous generations. I see most of my close friends on a daily basis but find social network sites such as facebook really useful for keeping in contact with my other groups of friends as I can see what they’ve been up to lately by reading status updates and viewing pictures and so forth.

The issue of texting was also addressed. A classic example that my mum loves to bring up was when one of my family members observed a boy texting a girl at a youth dance. He asked her via text if she would like to dance with him to save himself the potential embarrassment of a rejection. Her point being that, how is one to learn to grow and extend yourself if you don’t put yourself out there face to face. I see her view but if you can save yourself from possible rejection why not take the easy route? However although this is kind of mentality is becoming common today, that doesn’t mean to say we don’t know how to do things the traditional way either!

I think technology is a great tool for keeping social contacts. There are many positives like being reconnected with childhood friends or being able to keep in touch with relatives over seas. Regardless of whether or not we use these technologies, at the end of the day we still have to go about our every day lives and activities. In my opinion I do not see how social networking or texting hinders us from socialising the “traditional way.” What are your thoughts? Is technology social crippling us, I would love to hear your responses … See you on Facebook.