Social Media + Digital Activism

Collective Action

  The #KONY2012 social media incentive was one of the most powerful movements that has ever occurred over the web. This day in age, and with the power of web 2.0, the fastest way to tell a large group of people about an issue, is through social media.

When I watched this video, many things struck me as relevant to what we’ve talked about throughout this course. Firstly, the hashtag #KONY2012 was extremely effective. The movement was spread through the use of this hashtag, and the movement was defined by it. Through Twitter, #KONY2012 was trending worldwide in a matter of hours. Secondly, one the social media networks we talked about a lot in class was YouTube. The Kony movement started with a 30 minute documentary posted on YouTube, and to date is known as the fastest video in history reach 100 million views. It did so in less than 1 week. I think one of the reasons why the movement spread so quickly was because of the combination of the networks used to promote the video. Nothing was posted on Facebook, or twitter, or YouTube before the day the video was released. Finally, and the day it was released, all social media network were blasted by this Kony video and hence spread like wild fire.

There are a few benefits of this incentive as well as one large constraint. The main benefit was that the documentary was produced in a way that it struck a chord with those who watched it. People wanted to share the message and this allowed the video to go viral very quickly. On the contrary, after everyone had seen the video, nothing else happened. In the video, the activists wanted to blast major cities across the world with KONY propaganda to create even more awareness. From persona experience, this part of the campaign was unsuccessful because people lost touch with the movement by the time the day came for this to happen. Although the video was powerful, nothing was done about it. Social media is only step 1 in creating change, step 2 is the action.

  Zuckerman’s Blog

Zuckerman’s blog post shared a lot of valuable insights on the KONY movement. Some of the criticisms of the movement are interesting to note. I thought it was interesting that there were no African’s on the board of Invisible Children. The video focused mainly only American action and American awareness. Also, the Visible Children tumblr (one that criticized Invisible Children) pointed out that Invisible Children spends less than a third of the money they’ve raised on direct services in Northern Uganda and bordering areas. The majority of their money is focused on advocacy, filmmaking, and fundraising. So really, how much of a difference are they actually making? Lastly, KONY is no longer in Uganda, a basic issue that should have been considered when constructing the film.

  Additional Criticisms 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/03/08/joseph-kony-video-stop-kony_n_1332427.html

  A few different criticisms came in this article from the Huffington post. Invisible Children’s support for military action also has come under fire. "The savior attitude is pervasive in advocacy, and it inevitably shapes programming. Usually misconceived programming. The saving attitude pervades too many aid failures, not to mention military interventions. The list is long."

Also, a minor instance but caused much debate was a photo showing three members of Invisible Children holding guns and posing with members of the Sudan’s People’s Liberation Army. This didn’t help with PR at all.

  Overall, the KONY movement was effective despite criticisms. But the main question is, what for? And What’s Next?

Idle No More Movement

Social Media was a large driving force behind the idle no more movement. It started small with about 100 people rallying across Saskatoon and then grew into a political protest that has spread across Canada.

Activists that supported this movement used social media as their voice. For example Erica Lee, 22, is a University of Saskatchewan student who has been an activist for most of her life. People like her chose social media as the tool allowing them to express their opinions. According to Lee, “traditionally it’s the chiefs and the people in power that have the ability to speak to the media, whereas now, people like me are getting interviewed.” In essence, social media allows people who are directly impacted by these events to get involved and have their voices heard.

Also, Tanya Kappo, an activist from Edmonton, Alberta used social media as a way to help people in far-flung First Nations communities. A day after the Idle No More Facebook page was born she started the Twitter hashtag of #idlenomore that has now been used hundred of thousands of time across the network. This hashtag has since been used as a central way to create widespread awareness, and conversation about the movement.

Overall, without social media the Idle No More movement may not have become as widespread as it has today. If it did, it might have taken a much longer period of time, and people that were truly impacted by the events may not have been able to have their voice heard.

Arab Spring Movements 

It has also been said that Facebook and Twitter helped to blossom the Arab Spring Movements. 

Being capable of sharing an immense amount of uncensored and accurate information throughout social networking sites has contributed to the cause of many Arab Spring activists. Through social networking sites, Arab Spring activists have not only gained the power to overthrow powerful dictatorship, but also helped Arab civilians become aware of the underground communities that exist and are made up of their brothers, and others willing to listen to their stories. 

For these movements, the speed of online communication through digital channels gave activists unprecedented agility during street operations. Online, they were able to organize, debate, plan, and broadcast at a level of coordination that was unavailable in the past. 

The power of social media was so prevalent in these movements that authorities resorted to shutting off the Internet and Telecom service. In a nutshell, the Arab spring has shown the world what is possible when you combine social unrest with brave citizens and powerful digital tools.

  The Digital Divide

The digital divide is the continuous social issue referring to the differing amount of information between those who have access to the Internet and those who do not have access. 

Dimensions

The difference is not necessarily determined by the access to the Internet, but by access to ICTs and to media that the different segments of society can use. With regards to the Internet, the access is only one aspect, other factors such as the quality of connection and related services should be considered. Today the most discussed issue is the availability of the access at an affordable cost and quality. 

Bridging the Gap

The idea that some information and communication technologies are vital to quality civic life is not new. Some suggest that the Internet and other ICTs are somehow transforming society, improving our mutual understanding, eliminating power differentials, realizing a truly free and democratic world society, and other benefits. 

Rural Access

Rural access is one of the biggest tests of the Digital Divide. Nowadays this is being eliminated through the use of power lines and satellite communications.

Reference:

How has the relationship between consumer & corporation and customer/business changed?           

These relationships have changed dramatically over the years. With the induction of computer mediated communication and Web 3.0 relationships have shifted to online. Yes, consumers are still going to stores to buy things but my generation (me included) and the generations younger than us are buying many products online. It is much easier for me to sit at home and order a product that will (most likely) ship for free, and arrive on my doorstep in 3 days. It’s much more convenient, easy, and stress-free.

Gamification & Social Media – In what ways is social media shaping user behaviours for consumption?

 Social media is shaping user behaviours for consumption by the way companies market themselves online. Websites like Facebook know the webpages we often search and advertisements that appear cater to our direct wants and needs. A personal example occurred when I was in Hong Kong last semester. As someone attending flight school next September, I had been doing thorough research of different schools I could attend. One night, I logged into Facebook and found an advertisement by a random flight academy I had never heard of from South Florida hosting a free seminar in Hong Kong the following day. It was a great opportunity for me to learn more about the industry, so I signed up.

  User Reviews – What is the new role of consumer in the consumption process?

In my opinion, user reviews are critical. People are now looking for opinions or reviews from others who have already experienced the product you’re looking at. In a way, that information is more valuable and much more relevant to your experience over looking at product features on its packaging.

As someone who is actively involved in social media on websites like Facebook and Twitter, I surprisingly do not play many social games on these sites. However, I do play video games on my PlayStation 3 console. But, you can’t forget games like Candy Crush saga…oh candy crush!

The two games I will be looking at are Candy Crush on Facebook, and Call of Duty on the PS3.

  Candy Crush vs. Call of Duty

Candy crush saga is a match-three puzzle video game released in 2012 for Facebook and then again in November 2013 for smartphones. The game is now considered the most popular game on Facebook with over 46 million monthly users. The game plays similarly to Bejeweled, and is extremely profitable. In general, I like how large the game is, it keeps you busy for a long period of time. However, if you run out of “lives” (which happens very quickly at the higher levels) the games makes you wait 15 minutes for the replenishment of 1 single life.

Call of Duty is a first-person shooter video game franchise. The game began on PC but then later expanded to consoles and handhelds. Console network gaming is where the video game really blew up. To date, the video game has sold over 200 million copies and the network takes on over 10 million online users daily. I really like playing Call of Duty online because it is easy entertainment that can last for long periods of time. However, when you start to play the game online, players are extremely skilled, and are often much better players than I am, making it very difficult.

The game frames the social because throughout the game you are able to play with your friends, and be in constant communication with them in all types of gameplay. In Call of Duty, socializing allows you to play as a team throughout the game, but also have simple chat online to meet new friends. 

As briefly mentioned above, in Call of Duty you are able to form “parties” with your friends where you can play on the same team online. The goal is to work together to defeat the enemy. At the same time, you are able to add “strangers” (other players) as friends online as well. Because I have gotten better at the game overtime, I find myself getting many more friend requests as I am seen as a “good” player. I am not familiar with what you are able to do with your friends in Candy Crush. I have only played the game on my tablet.

   The 4 metrics with Call of Duty are

Volume – This refers to the size of conversation occurring online. I play an older version of Call of Duty that is about 3 years old. Still to this day, approximately 35 000 – 45 000 players are online at any given time. It is rare if you end up in a game with the same player twice.

Reach – The spread of conversation online is not very far in Call of Duty. The 12 people you are playing with in one single game (friends or not) is the extent to which your conversation may reach.

Engagement – People you are playing with participate in your conversation online. If they are your teammates you are talking/ working together to defend/conquer the enemy.

Influence – I find that in Call of Duty, the better players have an influence. You can tell who is a better player by their score or their Kill/Death ratio. Generally speaking teams are led by the best players.

The Story of the Hacktivists, looks inside the complex culture and history of Anonymous. The film explores early hacktivist groups like Cult of the Dead Cow and Electronic Disturbance Theater, and then moves to Anonymous’ own disorderly and unruly beginnings on the website 4Chan.

Through interviews with current members – some recently returned from prison, others still awaiting trial – as well as writers, academics and major players in various “raids,” the documentary traces the collective’s breathtaking evolution from merry pranksters to a full-blown, global movement, one armed with new weapons of civil disobedience for an online world. 

Personally, I thought the documentary was a very informative view on what it’s like to be in Anonymous or in more simple terms, a hacker. I was able to see the ways they are viewed by society while also learning what their true motives are. At the end of the film, one of the hackers left me with a quote I couldn’t forget: “Anonymous stands against censorship, and members are proud of it.”

In society, power is what influences the behaviour of people. To have authority, it means that your power is generally accepted by the social structure. Power is difficult to measure in society because it may come across as evil, or unfair, but it order for society to remain orderly, power is essential. This is where the problems lie – more often than not, people or organizations think they have power when they don’t or want to have power when they can’t. With organizations such as Anonymous, they have a lot of power but no authority. It’s also difficult to separate power with authority. For example, when the SOPA agreement was released regarding having to pay for certain internet related information, Anonymous shut down critical aspects of the white house. This move by the group showed how much power they really have, and in turn exemplified their authority over the free access of information. 

Being anonymous online has many pros and cons. In our personal lives, the person we create online has become so important that we are almost shaped by it. Employers are now using our online profiles to decipher what type of person we actually are. Being anonymous online can be a good thing at times too. For example, personal blogs that you may use to express yourself freely. For some people online blogging is a way to say how they feel to a large audience that they can relate too. However, although people may be relating to the content they are producing, readers never know who the actual author is. In general, being anonymous online is good whenever you want to expose something about yourself without it being tied to you directly. This may include blogs, news commentary, YouTube videos, etc. On the contrary, being anonymous online has cons tied to it as well. Many people that remain anonymous online have negative connotation associated to what they are “up too” on the Internet. Many of them are seen as hackers, or troublemakers. Also, remaining anonymous online hinders the unfiltered, free share of information, and in inhibits creativity online.

If passed, the bill would be the most comprehensive protection law for captive orcas in the United States in over 40 years.

A California lawmaker has proposed a new ban on Orca Whale captivity. If the law is passed, it would be the most comprehensive protection law on Orcas in the United States in the last 40 years.

The WikiLeaks Documentary

The Wikileaks documentary was definitely eye opening in many different concerns. Before watching the documentary, I wasn’t totally up to speed on what a wikileak was, but from what I knew about them, I was in favor. I was in favor of wikileaks because I thought that they gave all sides of the story. It turns out that it’s not really about “picking sides” but wikileaks are designed to act as a distributor of information, not an interpreter. Therefore the only sides that existed in tis film are those of dishonesty and transparency. With regards to the actual events in this film, they were extremely disturbing.  In a raw sense, wrongdoers do need to be punished, but killing civilians is just plain wrong. Although this behaviour may seem surprising to some, this is the unfortunate world that we live in today. This video was the unfortunate truth about wikileaks and the even more unfortunate truth about wars.

  Whistleblowers

Chelsea Elizabeth Manning – United States Army

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chelsea_Manning

US Army intelligence analyst who released the largest set of classified documents ever, mostly published by WikiLeaks and their media partners. The material included videos of the July 12, 2007 Baghdad airstrike and the 2009 Granai airstrike in Afghanistan; 250,000 United States diplomatic cables; and 500,000 army reports that came to be known as the Iraq War logs and Afghan War logs. Manning was convicted of violating the Espionage Act and other offenses and sentenced to 35 years in prison.

The information that Manning gave to the public exposed the unjust detainment of innocent people at Guantanamo Bay, shown us the true human cost of our wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and changed journalism forever. There is no evidence that anyone died as a result of the leaked information.  Through WikiLeaks Manning revealed: 

The Collateral Murder video that exposed the killing of unarmed civilians and two Reuters journalists by a US Apache helicopter crew in Iraq

The Afghan War Diary that revealed uninvestigated civilian casualties and contractor abuse

The Iraq War Logs that revealed civilian casualties, and uninvestigated reports of torture

The US diplomatic cables that revealed the role that corporate interests and spying play in international diplomacy

  Cathy Harris – United States Customs Service

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cathy_Harris

Wikipedia Excercise

Article 

The Wikipedia article I have chosen is Squash (sport).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squash_(sport) 

After reading the article, the tone is predominately informative. This article does not present any topic of debate, it’s simply telling people about the sport. The article includes the rules of squash, the court, the history of the sport, the referee, the playing equipment, cultural aspects of the sport, professional players etc. I didn’t notice anything in the article to stand out specifically regarding to tone. I did learn some new things about the sport especially regarding the history of the game and the prevalence of the sport around the world. 

Talk

Throughout the article, people are mainly talking about the squash around the world, it’s health benefits, and most recently it’s presence in the 2020 Olympics. Squash put together a multi-million dollar campaign for bid for their presence in the 2020 Olympic Games. Unfortunately they were unsuccessful in their attempt but it has created more widespread knowledge about the sport.

A common theme throughout the article that I noticed was that all the talk and commentary somehow related to the growth of the sport. Apart from the factual aspects of the article such as past professional and records, the majority of the information was trying to create knowledge in the reader in hope that they may want to try the sport. 

Because there is no controversy in this article, it’s difficult to decipher who is having the conversations in this article. However, the International Olympic Committee is referenced and makes discussion regarding their Olympic bid for 2020. The IOC would also be the only voice of authority, if any, throughout the article. 

In this article, because it’s mainly informative, and there’s not really much space for debate, it’s much easier to judge the value of contributors to this article. As an outsider, I would trust this article for these reasons.

View History

 This article develops from beginning to end in terms of the more in depth knowledge that a person receives. This article starts with a brief introduction on what squash is and then move directly into the history of the sport. Following this, the article talks about the basic rules and gameplay, the referee, and then the more in depth aspects of the game such as tactics, and types of shots played. After the details of the game itself are discussed the article talks about the benefits of the sport, and the squash professionals around the world.

All aspects of this article would be accepted to Wikipedia. It’s purely informational and the article is composed of many different credible squash sources from across the web. All of these sources act as the contributors to this article as they create the information conveyed.

General

I use Wikipedia very often for my personal reference. If I am looking for quick, brief knowledge on a certain issue or topic, I know that Wikipedia can provide me with that. However, I do not use Wikipedia as a reference when doing school related assignments. I also do not use Wikipedia as a contributor; I solely use it as a reader.

Some of the issues with Wikipedia that I have seen are the reliability of the source as a whole. Anyone in the general public has the ability to make changes to the content on the website. However, with that being said the website is monitored closely enough that these false changes would not last long enough to have impact. 

When I Google myself, surprisingly, the majority of the results are predominately me. The first link that appears is the one to all the “Michael Sferrazza’s” on LinkedIn. When I click on that link, I am the third person on the list of profiles. The first two are upscale businessmen in various industries across the USA.

After browsing the first few pages of Google, I have come across no doppelgangers. Every Michael Sferrazza is a real person without a duplicate or copy.

My Online Identity

My online identity is very important to. How I portray myself online is rather respectful and low-key. If one were look at my Facebook profile they would notice that I have no inappropriate content including photos or video of me partying/drinking. I have even gone on to change last name on Facebook to my middle name. I care a lot about my personal identity/brand online because too many employers nowadays are using social media as a tool to get an inside scoop on a potential candidate’s lifestyle. I would had to let my private life portray a lifestyle that may not reflect my daily personality or one that gives off vibes that I am not suitable for that job. 

Hack, Hacking and Hackers – In the Realm of Hacking

I though this documentary was quite interesting. It was interesting because you really got an insight into a “legit” hacker’s life, and lifestyle. With a motive of having something to prove, 2 teenagers stole a restricted computer security list and used it to break into some of the most classified and secure computer systems on the planet. Not only was it a difficult task, but seen as almost nearly impossible to break into. The hackers seemed untraceable until one of the boys called into the New York Times to brag about. It was such a feat that they thought they could get away with this too. Although the documentary was interesting, I felt as if they hackers were displayed typically as what the media portrays them as. This includes the assumptions of intelligent teenage males, plenty of time on their hands, longing to fit in, and wanting to prove themselves. Alluding to that, these teenagers could be considered mischievous geniuses and rebellious heroes.

Hackers are seen in two different realms of light. One is a more positive, complimentary light while the other is not. The mainstream media sees hackers as computer intruders or criminals while those in the computing industry will see hackers as brilliant programmers or technical experts. I think it’s important to look at hackers from multiple perspectives. Yes, there are those people out there that are looking to do harm through hacking. Whether it be to gain access to peoples personal computers or on a larger scale, hack into professional or political databases. But on the other hand, mega IT companies employ these technical geniuses to hack ethically. They are used to prevent criminal hackers and used to find loopholes in their own company’s IT securities.

This leads in ethical hackers, or often known as white hat hackers. White hat hackers are people who are ethically opposed to the abuse of computer systems. Ethical hackers write their own computer programs and see themselves as cyber-advocates and builder. Their goal is not to damage or destroy networks but to improve them by exposing their flaws. As mentioned before, some hackers are legitimately paid to find weaknesses in their systems. One way that hackers may be useful to our society is the fact that they believe information should be free. When SOPA became prevalent and the governments wanted to start charging for internet and the use of social media websites, the hacker group Anonymous showed their power by shutting down the white house for 2 hours. This attack wasn’t malicious, but rather a warning from the greater society that their power is greater than they think.

  Unavoidable Ethical Questions About…Hacking 

Do we have a right to communicate and associate freely? In Canada, yes we do. How we communicate with people online is a personal choice. By societal standards, some content may be age restricting but other than that, the way in which we choose to express ourselves should be up to each individual person. Therefore, hacking has the power to create freedom of speech by breaking the limiting barriers.

Does hacking promote or hinder the development of relationships and the building of community? Hacking has the ability to do both. With the views that a hacker generally possesses, I think it helps to build a community. The information online is meant to be free and shared amongst the people that have access to it.

"Michael,

Great news! The President of the Sochi Olympic Committee has just confirmed that the two wild orcas captured by White Sphere will not be displayed during the Sochi Olympics.

But this fight isn’t over. Whale and Dolphin Conservation believe that White Sphere is responsible for the capture of 8 wild orcas in the past year.

The two orcas that were bound for the Sochi Olympics are still in Moscow. They are still destined to be shipped off to another dolphinarium in Russia or China, where they will be forced to participate in live shows and be kept in ridiculously tiny metal tanks.

The physical and mental health of these orcas is in danger. We have to ramp up the pressure on White Sphere, and we think we know how. White Sphere is a member of the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IIAPA), the world’s largest trade association for amusement parks and aquariums. So is SeaWorld. "

The letter above was an email sent to me because of a petition that I signed online. It was regarding the 2 orcas that were captured to be shown at the Olympic games. This was a big deal for me as it confirmed that online activism does work, and the fact that my single signature did make a difference. Im really glad about this.

London Riots: Blackberry Messenger used more than Facebook or Twitter

In the case of the London Riots, social media didn’t play as conventional of a role like it did in some other cases. The protestors were using Blackberry Messenger vs. Facebook or Twitter as their way to build community throughout the event.

The use of ICTs were vital in the communication among protestors. The device of choice – the blackberry, was a much cheaper and more widespread method for the British teenagers to communicate. The device was much more prominent than Android or iOS devices while a third of the British population owned blackberries. BBM was a free service to blackberry users, is instantly available, and was a good source to use to authorities couldn’t immediately trace the messages.

For activists participating in the London Riots, the biggest constraint came when the police immediately caught on to a post on Facebook early on when Mark Duggan was first killed. The teenagers needed to find a method to communicate and plan their riots without making their plans easily accessible to authorities. This is where BBM came in, and helped them tremendously.

The London riots are a direct result of the ongoing debate on police brutality. The riots were a reaction by British teenagers to the shooting of a resident of Tottenham named Mark Duggan.

The authorities tried to respond originally by paying attention to Facebook and Twitter, but they quickly learned that they were missing out on the action when they couldn’t find anything online. Then, The Guardian got their hands on a broadcast BBM message sent out to people saying “Everyone in Edmonton Enfield wood green everywhere in north link up at Enfield town station at 4 o clock sharp!" reads one. Another directs looters to Oxford Circus in the heart of London: "SHOPS are gonna get smashed up so come get some (free stuff!!!)"

The event was significant not only because of the impact it had on London and the damage that was caused, but it was huge for Blackberry and BBM. It showed that BBM is an extremely secure source to pass private information because of its inability to track. It was big for Blackberry as a company because it was a feature of their mobile device that competitors did not offer.

  Why 2011 Will be Defined by Social Media Democracy

Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube fulfill many different aspects of Digital Activism and Advocacy. Some of these are as follows:

Community Building

These social networks help to build communities online by the many pages that are available to people online. Media today is very customizable and this allows people to pick and choose the communities they want to be apart of for. For example, Justin Bieber's followers are considered a community online. Some of his fans create accounts of their own to build extended communities among one another. With regard to Facebook and YouTube, YouTube provides the content and Facebook facilitates the conversation. Videos are shared over Facebook creating communities. On YouTube itself, people can "subscribe" to certain accounts they like hence creating a community amongst people with similar interests.

Organization

Internet activists pass on e-petitions to be sent to the government and public and private organizations to protest against and urge for positive policy change in different areas. Many non-profits will use Facebook to send the petition to their friends list gather signatures in hopes that people would pass it on. Generally speaking Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube are the methods that organizations use to create awareness.

Awareness

As mentioned above many organization use social media as their outlet to create awareness. Because Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube have the ability to reach millions of people in such a short period of time they are very effective in getting your message out. These networks also create awareness because of the ability to share, retweet, and embed links on nearly any other website. Many people in favor of advocacy will share the message.

Mobilization

Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube are accessible at nearly anytime at any place. With the advancement in technology, smartphones have allowed people to be active online nearly 24/7. This ties in with awareness as well as the ability to mobilize your message effects the spread by word of mouth too.

Action/ Reaction

The overarching goal of online activism is to create enough awareness and strike a chord that will force people to share your message. Posting the right photos or video on these networks is up to the advocate but is so customizable that it has the ability to evoke emotion in people across the world. When this happens, people want to share the message and evoke the same emotion in others, As previously mentioned, this is done by sharing, retweeting, and embedding.

Lobbying

Many of these aspects of Digital Activism are highly related but activists online not only want to create awareness but they want to inform people as well. Once again, because of ability these networks create to reach a mass audience, the activists’ goal is to tell as many people at a time why a problem or issue is occurring. Lobbying is also made easier because of mass e-mail and the ability to broadcast a message widely at such little cost.

Fundraising

The Internet has also made it easier for small donors to play a meaningful role in financing campaigns. Previously, small-donor fundraising was prohibitively expensive, as costs of printing and postage ate up most of the money raised. Activist groups have found that they can raise large amounts of money from small donors at minimal cost, with credit card transaction fees constituting their biggest expense.

  Part 2

MoveOn.org is an American non-profit, progressive public policy advocacy group and political action committee, which has raised millions of dollars online for candidates it identifies as progressive in the United States.  This group has used online fundraising to pay for many of their organization related costs. As mentioned they have raised millions in small donor donations from all across the USA. “For the first time, you have a door into the political process that isn’t marked ‘big money’”, says Darr.

Classmates.com is a network designed to assist members in finding friends and classmates from kindergarten, primary school, high school, college, work, and the US Army.  This group has used Facebook mainly as their way to build their community. The website has reached out to the network on Facebook trying to create awareness about what they offer in hopes of attracting members to their network.

 Soundcloud is a network used for people to upload their own music as well as share music from other artists with people across the web. This platform is great for creating awareness. Not necessarily for digital activism but simply for the spread of one’s music. New artists can reach a vast network of musicians using soundcloud and it’s an effective way to get your content heard.

  Part 3

I will use the #saveourseas hashtag for my chosen cause this semester.

#goodsharkkarma – people talking about different ways to go about helping the oceans, more specifically the sharks.

#saveourseas – the hashtag run by organization creating buzz around the 5 threats of the ocean and the ways in which people can help. The organization takes time to recognize people that are trying to make a difference.

The way I use social media has remained similar ever since I started my first MySpace account. I am careful with how I present myself online especially on common networks such as Facebook and Twitter.

 How did you go about searching for your topic/issue of interest? What did you learn? How is this information/knowledge different than what you might find traditionally about your topic/interest? 

Because I am fairly experienced on Twitter, I have already formed my account around my likes and interests. Apart from friends of mine that I follow/follow me on Twitter I follow many squash, and aviation pages. In squash, I follow players, news, updates, and tips/tricks pages. In aviation, I follow many of the major airlines, aspiring pilot related pages, and general news about the industry as well. Alluding to each of these, I follow CNN, and CP24 as my main sources of news. The information I find on Twitter is different than traditional media because online it’s condensed into 140 characters. So, in 1 short sentence you can decipher whether or not the article/issue is of enough interest to you to pursue.

What trending topic did you decide to investigate? What did you learn about it? What do the trending topics say about our culture or society?

I decided to investigate the #RobFord hashtag. This was around the time of the latest video released of Rob Ford in a small bar in Toronto talking about the Toronto Police. There were many different types of Tweets I came across in this trend. Many Tweets were jokes or poking fun at yet another idiotic move made my Rob Ford but some Tweets were serious too. Many of the serious Tweets came from news sources informing people about the video or from city council member trying to make the video seem meaningless or less important. Because Rob Ford is the mayor of the capital city of Ontario, he has a lot to do with how foreigners develop a perspective on the city. According to foreigners, Ford’s idiotic moves are a “reflection” of the people of Toronto and this is not a reputation we want to have. 

How has reading & writing changed with micro-blogging practices? (think about the structure of tweeting & language used). 

Reading and writing has changed with micro-blogging practices because everything has become much more condensed. As previously mentioned, Tweets have a maximum length of 140 characters so the point must be passed in a single sentence. It saves people time by reading a single sentence to get the basis if an article then having to read the whole thing. Hashtags online are another way reading and writing has changed. People can search hashtags to get a collection of articles, pages, pictures, or issues that all relate to that hashtag. It has made finding topic of interest online much easier.

  What are some of the benefits & constraints of twitter, tweeting, or micro-blogging practices overall? 

When I think about my digital connections and my face-to-face relationships they each play a different role in my life. My digital connections share one purpose, while my face-to-face relationships share another.

My Digital Networks

When I consider my online relationships, each social network provides different kinds of relationships. On Facebook, I am friends with people that I have grown up with throughout the course of my life that have now become acquaintances, and I am also friends with people that I see and talk too on a regular basis. Facebook is a great tool that allows you to keep in touch with people often even if you can’t see them face-to-face. For example, I have a large part of my family overseas in Europe, and Facebook allows me to see how they’re doing on a daily basis, contact them extremely easily, and simply keep in touch. The majority of my friends fall between the ages of 17- 25 and have known me from past jobs, school, and sports. On the contrary to Facebook, my Twitter network is much different. Twitter allows me to follow people around the world that I have never known or met. I am able to follow celebrities or athletes that I like so I can see what they are up too on a daily basis. On Twitter, my followers are generally friends or Twitter pages that may be of interest for me. For example, on my Twitter I follow many squash players, golfers, and public speakers. In return, many golf and squash related pages follow me. These two social media networks differ greatly for me, as my Facebook is primarily people that I know whereas Twitter is people that I predominantly don’t know. My last outlet of digital connection is Instagram. Instagram for me is very personal. The people that I follow, and that follow me are generally close friends or people that I tend to talk to often. It’s a mix of both guys and girls, mainly students.

  Physical World vs. Digital World

More often than not, the network I have in the digital world often adds to the physical connections I maintain. For example, networks like Facebook are agents in keeping physical connections. When I want to see someone face-to-face I may ask them over Facebook or Text messaging. For me also, I tend to maintain more physical connections than keeping them strictly digital. I am “old school” when it comes to important conversations. I prefer talking face-to-face about important issues or simply prefer catch up with someone face-to-face if I haven’t seen them in a long time. Because of my expansive network on Facebook, it allows me to contact people that I may have once been close with to create a meet-up time to catch up. Overall, my network is very diverse. I have people from all over the world that I keep in contact with, from all different dimensions of my life. At the same time, I am active in keeping as many physical connections as possible as well. 

Digital Activism and Advocacy

When I scroll through my Facebook feed I often see posts about various activist groups or movements. It’s interesting to see what people post because it gives me an insight to what issues are important to my friends. Some of my friends are more involved in activist movements than others so from these people I see may posts. For example, I see many posts involving the troubles in the Ukraine occurring right now, I see many posts on animal rights, and I see many posts regarding sexuality and equal rights. When it comes to Twitter, I don’t see many activist related posts except for when they are on a National/global basis. For example, Bell Let’s Talk involves all of Canada in supporting mental health. For people it’s very easy to text/tweet with that hash tag and they know that they are making a difference. Many of the posts that I am seeing though don’t relate to the issues that are important to me. As mentioned in previous blog posts, I have never been an activist for a certain cause until my recent trip to Hong Kong, I passions lie in the ocean, and the closest posts to that issue are the ones on animal rights. I have recently started to Tweet about Save our Oceans and haven’t received much of a response. Depending on the post, I may get the odd ‘Favourite’ or ‘Retweet’ but that is it. Overall, because I am new to online activism I don’t think I play a huge role in circulating information yet. When I become more familiar with my activist group and as my passion grows for it, I feel that I would make a more diligent effort to get my voice heard online.