Thinking out loud

Before I researched this topic, I knew very little about gaming. I always thought it was anti-social time-wasting behaviour of those who engaged in online games. However, research suggests that 55 percent of gamers play with others and that gaming is now recognised as a social activity (Crawford & Rutter 2007, p. 4). I can see that there are many benefits to social gaming including its capacity to bring people together.

Social computing is the social and interactive behaviour between computer users, includes social networking sites (e.g., Facebook) and multiplayer online games (e.g., fortnight). Although fairly new, fortnight is one of the most popular multi-player games at present and allows users to come together to fight off evil and fight off each other. Ertan & Medeni (as seen in EC JRC 2009) defines social computing as a “set of open, web-based and user-friendly applications that enable users to network, share data, collaborate and co-produce content”.

Some online games use the collaborative natures of gaming to structure the culture, norms and rules around how games are facilitated among users. EVE Online, a space-themed hugely multiplayer web-based amusement (MMOG), affords players a channel of correspondence with game managers and developers by effectively empowering player participation in game management (Zwart & Humphreys 2014, p. 77).

Online gaming facilitates digital communities because it brings people together through the value of shared experience. To form friendship and share interests with other users is what online gaming affords. Social media has enabled these connections to take place and grow through the now larger audience reach it provides. Social gaming is developing an important component in today’s social media sites with social networking sites offering a place for online games to progress in the virtual medium. (Aburahmah et al. 2016, p. 72). Now with the facilitation of social media sites, online gaming is continuing to grow as an opportunity to engage with others through communication and discussions.

According to Crawford & Rutter (2007, p. 1), 

“though the origins of digital gaming can be traced back to the 1950s, it was not until the late 1970s and 1980s that digital gaming began to develop as a leisure activity”. 

But with the benefits of online gamily producing digital communities, there are always going to be risks. Some say that people become addicted to the games and it changes the behaviour in adolescents, making them angry and at times lashing out in violence. Research Internet gamers reported 40% of massively multiplayer online role-playing games users categorized themselves as “addicted to the game’ with one in six reporting frequent problems in life due to “Facebook” use (Geisel et al. 2015, p. 2).

References

Aburahmah, L, AlRawi, H, Izz, Y & Syed, L 2016, ‘Online Social Gaming and Social Networking Sites’, Procedia Computer Science, vol. 82, pp. 72-79, viewed 30 January 2019, <https://ac-els-cdn-com.ezproxy.lib.swin.edu.au/S1877050916300254/1-s2.0-S1877050916300254-main.pdf?_tid=e7680ead-c2a4-46e3-abb4-c7fecd7e5b4d&acdnat=1548820467_1fe91c293688c1d370fce69689da3908>.

Crawford, G. & Rutter, J., 2007, ‘Playing the Game: performance in digital game audiences’ in Gray, J., Sandvoss, C., and Harrington, C.L. (eds), Fandom: Identities and Communities in a Mediated World, New York: New York University Press, pp. 271-281.

de Zwart, M & Humphreys, S 2014,‘The Lawless Frontier of Deep Space: Code as Law in EVE Online’, Cultural Studies Review, vol. 20, no. 1, pp. 77-99.

Ertan, A & Medeni, T 2011, ‘A LITERATURE REVIEW ON TRUST, PRIVACY CONCERN AND IDENTITY CONSTRUCTION IN SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES & ONLINE FANTASY ROLE-PLAYING GAMES’, INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF eBUSINESS AND eGOVERNMENT STUDIES, vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 21-29, viewed 30 January 2019, <http://www.sobiad.org/eJOURNALS/journal_IJEBEG/arhieves/2011_2/03asli_ertan.pdf>.

Geisel, O, Panneck, P, Stickel, A, Schneider, M & Müller, C 2015, “Characteristics of Social Network Gamers: Results of an Online Survey”, Frontiers in Psychiatry, vol. 6, no. 69, pp. 1-5, viewed 30 January 2019, <https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2015.00069/full>.

Online Gaming [IMAGE], in GIPHY 2019, Sassy Star Wars Gif, viewed 30 January 2019, <https://giphy.com/search/online-gaming>.

Person gaming [IMAGE], in Tripwire 2019, The State of Security, viewed 30 January 2019, <https://www.tripwire.com/state-of-security/vert/checklist-online-gaming-privacy/>.

Ass. 1b. Week 10.  Social Gaming: Playing the Crowd.

Social gaming. What is it? Social gaming is how we describe games that are predominantly made for playing on social media sites (O’Neil 2008). Though that may be the case, it would become clear that it has long since outgrown that description. Massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPG) have grown to the point that within themselves they have created a social network or social group. People do not just play the game, they team up, make plans, and execute them as if they were in the real world. Sure, going alone is an option, but enduring success is unlikely (Williams 2016 p.665).

Understanding the overall picture of the gaming world takes a lot more attention than a surface glance. When we mention online gaming, people automatically seem to think of violence or gambling. However, there are games out there that carry a far more positive aspect. Yes, games like Fortnite, War Thunder, Call of duty, and World of WarCraft call us to arms, to kill or be killed. However, it appears the hype of negative media forget the likes of Farmville, Words with Friends, and Pop Quiz entirely. All of these are social, and all stimulate our capacity to learn. Add Pokémon Go, that got people of their seats and out into the streets, and the benefits of online games become apparent.  

Okay, so we can justify the personal social side of gaming, but what about the issues? Like anything that involves human beings, there is always an issue. For example, online games usually involve an in-game currency. Fortnite had a case where it was accused of being used to launder money (Gershgorn 2019). Likewise, Eve Online has had a couple of scandals that saw players lose $300,000 worth of purchases over a simple in-game deal that went wrong (Thornhill 2014). Eve also encountered an issue when one player from the in-game council (the Council of Stellar Management), failed to step out of his game role and into reality during an online video post. The player, known as ‘The Mittani’, and for his violent and ruthless actions, made statements and threats that are not acceptable in the real world (De Zwart & Humphreys 2014 p.93). While the Mittani apologised, the damage was already done. 

Of course, this poses the question, are people able to distinguish between the virtual world and the real world? That will need to be thrown over to the psychologists and anthropologists of the world, while I go back to my game to fight an air battle over Great Britain.

References

De Zwart, M & Humphreys, S 2014, “The Lawless Frontier of Deep Space: Code as Law in EVE Online”, Cultural Studies Review, vol. 20, no. 1, pp. 77-99, viewed 17 January, 2019, <https://search-informit-com-au.ezproxy.lib.swin.edu.au/documentSummary;dn=225934593111540;res=IELLCC>.

Forbes 2019, Mew, [image], viewed 29 January, 2019, <https://www.forbes.com/sites/olliebarder/2018/06/15/you-wont-be-able-to-transfer-mew-from-pokemon-go-to-pokemon-lets-go/#48c8044f22e6>.

Fortnite 2017, Fortnite Battle Royale - Gameplay Trailer, viewed 29 January, 2019, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gUtfBmw86Y>.

Game On 2019, GameOn, [image], viewed 29 January, 2019, <http://www.gameonlu.com/>.

GameSpot 2014, This is Eve Online - Gameplay Trailer, viewed 29 January, 2019, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqoxRcP5kbo>.

Gershgorn, D 2019, The “Fortnite” economy now has its own black market, viewed 28 January, 2019, <https://qz.com/1528941/fortnite-is-reportedly-a-money-laundering-hotbed/>.

O’Neil, N 2008, What Exactly are social Games?, viewed 13 January, 2019, https://www.adweek.com/digital/social-games/

Thornhill, T 2014, EVE Online sees biggest ever battle involving more than 4,000 players, viewed 28 January, 2019, <https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2547908/EVE-online-sees-biggest-battle.html>.

I like your point that “people don’t just play the game, they team up make plans, and execute them as if they were in the real world.” As someone who only saw negatives associated with gaming, I was actually surprised to find scholarly articles that supported the argument that games can be healthy for developing strong friendships and helping people to feel part of something when they may not in the real world.

Ass. 1b. Week 9.  Visual Communities and Social Imaging.

Okay, I get it. Visual social media has taken the place of face-to-face relations and communications. Good, bad, who knows? Only time will tell. This past week I have read some stuff on visual media. Funnily enough, the material was not very visual which I found quite amusing. It is like reading a poorly written book on professional communication. Nonetheless, the following is what I have learnt. Pictures and video have always been a part of our lives. I recall a multitude of times when I have had to endure the family album or a video of my grandparents’ holiday. Blah! The boredom. However, times have changed, technology has changed, and people have changed. I enjoy seeing pictures of friends away on holiday. I enjoy the 5-minute video blogs my son posted while travelling around Europe.

 I guess if we cannot be there and share the experience, the next best thing is to watch a video of the experience. It adds to our sense of relationship with that person.  We usually gain a feeling of affinity with someone when we eat, drink and socialize together (Snickars 2009 p.78). Today, videos are an expression of the same sort, attempting to fill the gap (Snickars 2009 p.77). Of course, technology has made that a lot easier with the ability to drop a video link on Facebook, YouTube or Twitter, or a picture on Snapchat and Instagram, and then a hashtag to bring them all together.

There is a range of pros and cons associated with visual social media. In some cases, people can feel a level of anxiety as the imagery that is posted may be used and abused, taken out of context, and shared without consent. If we cast back a few weeks, I blogged about trolling and bullying. It is often in the realm of visual social media that this trolling and bullying takes place. Yes, there are means to protect yourself. However, you need to read a nasty comment before it is a nasty comment, by then the damage is done.

On the upside, you can build a genuine relationship with anyone anywhere, and you can stay close to those that are physically far away. You can also choose whom you wish to befriend. There is no need to befriend those that leave nasty and negative comments. So what if your picture is permanent. So what if your video is embarrassing. It is not like that does not happen in face-to-face communications, is it?

References

Getty Images 2015, Internet Troll Using Computer, [image], viewed 19 January, 2019, <https://www.huffingtonpost.com.au/ginger-gorman/virtual-trolls-do-real-damage_b_8186848.html>.

Mak-a-meme.org 2018, That’s embarrassing, [image], viewed 20 January, 2019, <https://makeameme.org/meme/well-thats-embarrassing>.

Quick Meme 2019, Joker Kid, [image], viewed 20 January, 2019, <http://www.quickmeme.com/meme/3r43h5>.

Snickars, P 2009, The Youtube reader, National Library of Sweden, Stockholm, pp. 70-88.

You made me smile talking about going through photo albums or watching home videos. We all love to share moments with our friends and family and realistically, social media is just the photo album/VCR on steroids. For most people, that’s what social media is to them, a way to stay in touch with their kids, grand-kids, parents, cousins, friends etc. – especially when they are far away and it’s impossible to be physically near them. I think we also love to live vicariously through people, that’s why we follow celebrities and social media famous people. We can experience what they do through visual media. So yes, I agree with you that visual media will always be an essential aspect of communication online as it allows us to develop and maintain relationships with our friends and family.

Our lives both on and offline have meshed together as people sharing photos of themselves ‘on the go’ allows others to see how we live our lives moment by moment. As Lobinger (2015, p. 475) points out ‘Networked photography’ is photo sharing practices that share photos through mobile visual communication instantly following real-time photo capture that has become a pervasive communication routine for many.

Ephemeral Communication is “Communications that are deleted or otherwise not made available after a certain, relatively-short time period”. Social media tools that allow people to create cartoons of themselves, filters, lenses and send messages that self-destruct appear to be popping up everywhere. 

“The growing interest in platforms that are designed to erase communication artefacts after a short period are distinct from those associated with more permanent platforms” (Bayer et al. 2015, p. 957). 

Indeed, the ephemeral nature, enabled by these platforms such as those of Snapchat has gained traction for the possibilities of controlling the content one share with the audience. This “self-destructive” messaging approach affords users the capacity to communicate with close friends rather than an extensive network of more formal acquaintances, such as Facebook (Piwek & Joinson 2016, p. 365).

Facebooks highly publicised failure to acquire Snapchat twice has made it obvious that the key players in this industry are keen to progress into this field (Ganzenmuller 2014, p. 1242). However, with these affordances, there are also risks.  As Ganzenmuller (2014, p. 1241) points out this self-districting communication has enabled people to make poor choices as messages disappear users are left feeling immune to repercussions. Despite the risks, the affordance of ephemeral communication will continue to grow, and people will continue to enjoy sharing the ‘moments’ of their lives with whom they choose. 

References

Barack Obama Taking Selfie [IMAGE], in GIPHY 2019, Barack Obama Selfie GIF, viewed 27 January 2019, <https://giphy.com/gifs/m2J5d72A5xRXq>.

Bayer, J, Ellison, N, Schoenebeck, S & Falk, E 2015, ‘Sharing the small moments: ephemeral social interaction on Snapchat’, Information, Communication & Society, vol. 19, no. 7, pp. 956-977, viewed 27 January 2019, <https://www-tandfonline-com.ezproxy.lib.swin.edu.au/doi/abs/10.1080/1369118X.2015.1084349>.

Ganzenmuller, R. G. 2014, ‘Snap and destroy: Preservation issues for ephemeral communications’, Buffalo Law Review, vol. 62, no. 5, pp. 1239-1288, viewed 27 January 2019, <https://heinonline-org.ezproxy.lib.swin.edu.au/HOL/Page?collection=journals&handle=hein.journals/buflr62&id=1281&men_tab=srchresults#>.

IGI Global 2019, Communications, IGI Global, viewed 27 January 2019, <https://www.igi-global.com/dictionary/virtual-hoarding/60277>.

Lobinger, K 2015, ‘Photographs as things – photographs of things. A texto-material perspective on photo-sharing practices’, Information, Communication & Society, vol. 19, no. 4, pp. 475-488, viewed 27 January 2019, <https://www-tandfonline-com.ezproxy.lib.swin.edu.au/doi/pdf/10.1080/1369118X.2015.1077262?needAccess=true>.

Piwek, L & Joinson, A 2016, ‘What do they snapchat about? Patterns of use in time-limited instant messaging service’, Computers in Human Behavior, vol. 54, pp. 358-367, viewed 27 January 2019, <https://www-sciencedirect-com.ezproxy.lib.swin.edu.au/science/article/pii/S0747563215301023>.

Snapchat app [IMAGE], in Getty Images 2019, Yahoo Set To Invest $20 Million In Snapchat, viewed 27 January 2019, <https://www.gettyimages.ie/photos/snapchat?family=editorial&mediatype=photography&phrase=snapchat&sort=mostpopular>.

Stock Photo [IMAGE], in GIPHY  2019, Stock Photo GIF, viewed 27 January 2019, <https://giphy.com/gifs/xWfCVTBxb5FYBOD4Wp>. 

I like that you drew attention to how ephemeral messaging allows users to “communicate with close friends” as opposed to our acquaintances on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. As I mentioned in my own blog, there is a very distinct difference in the way people interact with each social platform which is quite interesting. People definitely have a stronger relationship with the people they communicate with on Snapchat than they do on Facebook or Instagram. 

It’s great that you also pointed out the negative side and risks associated with this type of “self-destructing” communication. I read a few articles recently that discuss the effect that Snapchat is having on mental health and body image along with other safety concerns. Whilst there are risks associated with all social media, I think it’s up to the user as to how they choose to use this medium.

Week 8- Crowdsourcing in times of crisis

Before talking about the topic of crowdsourcing, it must be defined first, well what is crowdsourcing? 

Crowdsourcing focuses on work, opinions and information being obtained from a group of people who sometime work as freelanced or through a voluntary basis. They submit data through the big wide world of the internet including, smartphone applications and social media platforms. It is believed that social media is seen as one of the most effective components of crowdsourcing because it reaches a bigger audience, resulting in a more efficient and fast way of crowdsourcing. However, in times of a crisis, is crowdsourcing still as effective? i refer this to Bruns article about the 2011 Queensland floods as he makes valid points about the effectiveness of social media platforms, in this case, Twitter and how it allowed the community to help. 

In 2011, South East Queensland was hit with floods. The floods crisis went on from the 10th to the 16th of January. Through the time of the flood crisis, social media platforms were seen as effective ways of communication as updates and information were being shared with the public and locals. 

Crowdsourcing through twitter was a very effective role that was played during the time of the crisis. For example, many users of Twitter tweeted a hashtag “qldfloods” to mark a message that was relating to the topic to further the awareness of the crisis towards the users of Twitter. From the 10th to the 16th of January, 35,000 tweets were hashtagged, resulting in 50 to 60% of users retweeting the hashtag and around 40% of them users containing further information about the floods (Brun et, al, 2012, pp. 7-10). 

In my opinion, i believe that crowdsourcing through the use of the internet, especially through social media platforms is one of the most effective ways to get information across to the community. I even think it is more beneficial than the news providing this information through televisions as it is important to understand that many individuals may be at work and do not have access to a television at their worksite, however, the use of smartphones throughout the twenty first century gives crowdsourcing an effective element to raising awareness as it is a faster way to communicate to the audience of social media and can also result in raising donations to help the community that is affected much quicker. 

What do you all think about crowdsourcing being an effective element in times of a crisis? 

For further information, please refer to these links below. 

https://www.redcross.org.au/news-and-media/news/support-in-north-qld-floods 

https://goldcoastpets.com.au/2011/01/13/queensland-floods-ways-to-help-qldfloods/ 

References

Bruns, A , Burgers, J , Crawford, K & Shaw, F 2012, ‘Crisis communication on Twitter in the 2011 South East Queensland Floods’, viewed 14 January 2019, <https://eprints.qut.edu.au/48241/1/floodsreport.pdf> 

Salvation Army, ‘2011 Queensland Floods- update 30/1/2011′, [image], in Google, viewed 14 January 2019, <https://www.google.com.au/search?hl=en&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=932&bih=519&ei=EWQ8XJjxI5f3rQGDk6qIBg&q=2011+queensland+floods&oq=2011+queensland&gs_l=img.1.0.0j0i8i30j0i24l8.576.3529..4956…0.0..0.159.2336.0j16……0….1..gws-wiz-img…..0..0i5i30.aVTEYaydH_k#imgrc=hxEOJc8AQ4YEsM:> 

Twitter, ‘Twitter (@Twitter) | Twitter’, [image] in Google, viewed 14 January 2019, <https://www.google.com/search?biw=932&bih=470&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=3mQ8XL-GFMeH9QOg2KWgBQ&q=twitter+&oq=twitter+&gs_l=img.3..0i67j0l9.11323.11323..11707…0.0..0.152.152.0j1……0….1..gws-wiz-img.II_JhAlhHMg#imgrc=gUUd1zMCwaxvPM:> 

Crowdsourcing in times of crisis, but what is crowdsourcing. The Cambridge Dictionary defines, crowdsourcing as the activity of giving tasks to a large group of people or to the general public, for example, by asking for help on the internet (Cambridge English Dictionary 2019). When I think of crowdsourcing, I often think of all the crazy events where I found out about it because Facebook starts a let people know you are safe program. I feel like I learn about natural disasters on Facebook faster then I learn about it from the news. I work a 9-5 job and in my moment of procrastination I often check Facebook and that’s how most of the time I find out that something terrible happened. People often look to social media including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram for all the latest updates and details on the events both good and bad. I know I do.

(Crowdsourcingweek 2019)

Social media has the ability to connect the whole world with a touch of your finger especially in time of a disaster. It also has the amazing has the potential to save tens of thousands of lives and help get assistances to the neediest survivors of a disaster (Wiederhold, 2013, p. 781).

These days you can’t go past something tragic event happening without a GoFundMe page popping up. You can find any cause you are passionate about and donate a little or a lot depending on what you are feeling. People can even go fund a complete stranger’s wedding. A quick search on GoFundMe for the word wedding comes up with 43470 results found (GoFundMe 2019). Now crowdfunding isn‘t always for personal gain. The Cambridge Dictionary defines, crowdfunding as a practice of getting people to each give a small amount of money to provide the necessary finance for a project, usually through the internet or social media (Cambridge English Dictionary 2019). Other sites crowdfundning platforms include Kickstarter, which is the world’s largest funding platform non-personal agendas. Kickstarter funds creative projects such as film, music, art and designs (Kickstarter 2019). Another site for crowdfunding is Indiegogo. Indiegogo is like Kickstarter but also allows personal funding as well as funding for human rights (Indiegogo 2019). Using social media to promote your crowdfunding project you can depending on the purpose of your project or cause, find the appropriate site to use as a medium to begin to promote and beginning funding your campaign. What a world we live it in today.

References

Cambridge English Dictionary 2019, CROWDFUNDING | meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary, viewed 27 January, 2019, <https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/crowdfunding>.

Cambridge English Dictionary 2019, CROWDSOURCING | meaning in the Cambridge English Dictionary, viewed 27 January, 2019, <https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/crowdsourcing>.

Crowdsourcingweek 2019, 14-Parts-of-the-Crowd-Economy, viewed 27 January, 2019, <https://crowdsourcingweek.com/14-parts-of-the-crowd-economy-landscape/>.

GoFundMe 2019, GoFundMe: #1 In Fundraising & Crowdfunding Online, viewed 27 January, 2019, <https://au.gofundme.com/mvc.php?route=homepage_norma/search&term=wedding>. Indiegogo 2019, Indiegogo: Crowdfund Innovations & Buy Unique Products, viewed 27 January, 2019, <https://www.indiegogo.com>.

[1B Blog Post 3: Week 7]

‘Trolling’ refers to the act of comments or posts online, especially within social media networks, which are aimed to disrupt normal discussion for the purposes of their own amusement. The term is often associated with negative connotations such as misleading or pointless conversation or to incite conflict (Klyueva, 2013). 

However, though initiates provocation, trolling should be considered ever-changing with its multiple and highly contextualised forms (McCosker, 2014). What this implies is that not all trolling is within the realms of necessarily having malcontent. Examples of this are as seen below:

[ via Omegle (Giphy, 2013) ]

[ via being Rickroll’d - a meme which consisted of clickbait to mislead a user into instead being directed to ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ by Rick Astley (Dubs, 2009) ]

[ (Wendy’s Tweet’s 2017) often engaged in banter especially towards their competition ]

Did you have a chuckle at any of these? If so, you’ve just experienced the same sense of amusement trolls feel when trolling. While it mightn’t be on the same spectrum as what’s typically considered tasteful, remember that humour itself is subjective. Not everyone finds ‘Bridesmaids’ or ‘Seinfeld’ funny or even relatable after all. Granted, without question, a lot of trolling can and has lead to some severe cases of both online and offline harassment. 

Combat Tip #1: If it’s malicious, be judicious. Your safest bet is to not respond. The reaction is what they want from you - so don’t give it to them!

The general wisdom from the populace of the Internet would advise as such. This remedy stems from the belief that acknowledgement and interaction are what provides a sense of accomplishment when the intention is simply to gain attention. Potentially, this may also influence third-parties to become involved hence igniting the contestation (Wilson, Fuller & McCrea 2013). 

Viewer discretion is advised for the hyperlinked video attached [here], depicting a cautionary tale of the result of suffering this young girl, referred to as ‘Jessi Slaughter’, endured after having responded to online trolls (Zebrah, 2011).

Combat Tip #2: The ‘Key’ in Security. Removing yourself from harmful situations and better online account management. 

Boyd (2014) described the events in which a girl would threaten to put information online with the attempt to humiliate her sister. This isn’t an uncommon occurrence, provided the presence of the Internet’s influence. Statistics show that 83% of Australian students, aged 9-15, who partake in online bullying also bully others in person (Bullying No Way, 2019). What can be taken from this is that from adolescence and even through adulthood, our sense of ‘digital citizenship’ needs to be moderated and held accountable for. We need to be more self-aware of what we post online and understand the functionality of online privacy. The purposes of blocking, muting and so forth are supposed to be here when encountering online harassment. Despite often being misused to maintain our biases and restrict constructive information or criticism, as further discussed in my posts Redefining Human Connection & Communities & Heart React for ReLOVEution ♡… but is it Really that Easy?

P.S: As an admin or moderator of various online forums, groups and servers I can also attest to this generally being the better courses of action. 

I hope you enjoyed your food for thought, with a serving of chocolate danish. Please come again!

[Please see /references for all sources]

The combat tips are great. I think number 2 is an important one especially the point you made about being more ‘self-aware of what we post online’. It’s absolutely true if you actively prevent situations where Trolls could attack, you are more likely to avoid them altogether. I have been on social media for 11 years, and never experienced bullying or trolling and I think that is because I am very strict with my privacy settings on Facebook and am careful about what I post, comment on and share not just for my own sake but also my friends.

Week 7 - Trolling and Social Media Conflict. 

After reading Danah Boyd’s article of whether social media is amplifying bullying, i believe that it is important to understand that the use of technology and platforms is not the blame for the use of drama that arises between peers, however, to understand and focus on the use of media platforms and technology, that have enhanced personal conflicts and made dynamics of bullying visible. (Boyd 2014) 

Anyone who uses social media platforms throughout their life has most probably either experienced trolling, trolled another individual or witnessed trolling of others. Trolls are full of negativity. So, how do we handle trolls on social media platforms? 

Well first, what is a troll? 

Trolls are individuals who try and put people down. This is seen as a form of bullying as they get pleasure of seeing how many feelings they can hurt by writing negative information towards people or about people to get a response. To keep a reputation online and thrive with positivity. Follow these 5 steps to accomplish just that. 

Step 1 - Establish a Policy 

Establishing a policy will help detail what comments will be allowed on your media platforms. This helps trolls disappear and create a more friendly and engaging environment in the social media world. 

Step 2- Kill them with Kindness

With the use of humour, lightness and kindness, turn the tables around and respond to the troll with a positive comment. This can be seen as a great way to bring in positive attention as well kill the troll with kindness!

Step 3- Choose a path that is positive

It is important to learn to laugh at many trolls. Ignore their nasty comments and do not let them get to you, because the troll will then think they have won. It is important to remember you are the better person as you do not bring people down. 

Step 4- Unmask them 

Many trolls thrive on being anonyms, if you take away that power, it can result in that troll to think twice about what they may post on your platform. 

Step 5- Create your own community

My last and most favourite step is to create your own community. This means deleting negative people, blocking them and having no contact with them at all. By doing this, you are creating a positive community within your social media platforms and you will also see less of trolling of others and even yourself as the use of negative people on your media platforms have now disappeared. 

remember, “ Sometimes you just have to take a step back and realise what’s important in your life, what you can live with, but more importantly what you can’t live without” - Lauren Conrad 

References

arabiangazette.com, ‘ Is Online Identity To The Youth In A Contemporary Society? [image] in Google, viewed 3 January 2019, <https://www.google.com.au/search?hl=en&biw=932&bih=470&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=DlItXNOVIIOA8wXooYP4Cw&q=media+platforms+friendly&oq=media+platforms+friendly&gs_l=img.3…3225.9524..9835…0.0..0.305.4808.0j17j6j1……0….1..gws-wiz-img…..0..0j0i67j0i30j0i5i30j0i24.Gg6hzh6_mG8#imgdii=jftdv6fYFjBgrM:&imgrc=5Ei2kLGnorBAzM:> 

Boyd, D 2014, It’s complicated: the social lives of networked teens

Daily Mail, ‘Cheerleaders sassy expression’ [image] in Google, viewed 3 January 2019, <https://www.google.com/search?q=sassy+face&tbm=isch&source=iu&ictx=1&fir=0NLLvkLkKfNxeM%253A%252C2wa-1A9ec1cY2M%252C_&usg=AI4_-kTadicelHOXA37h8BOqNHvwebpoYg&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwixgquKqtDfAhXBgLwKHUNKCgkQ9QEwA3oECAUQCg#imgrc=0NLLvkLkKfNxeM:> 

MIT Sloan School of Management, ‘ Probing the origins of happiness [image] in Google, viewed 3 January 2019, <https://www.google.com/search?tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=cFQtXMK7E8GE8wWtubW4Ag&q=happiness&oq=happiness&gs_l=img.3..0j0i67l4j0l3j0i67j0.1596.3012..3096…0.0..0.295.1833.0j4j4……0….1..gws-wiz-img…..0.HuaICj7lN0E#imgrc=g8qq0_6z8bInGM:> 

The world of trolling and social media conflict, examining norms, potential abuses and new forms of conflict can all cause potential harm for on individuals.

Bullying has been in society for hundreds of years, however, technological bullying, known as cyberbullying has endorsed the expansion of the problem. Online publication of personal information put teens in a position of defenselessness where they were victims of online bullying or contributing in online bullying (Nilan, 2015).BullyingStatistics.com(2017) released some stats on cyberbullying. Over half of adolescents and teens have been bullied online and the same number involved in cyber bullying. The results are mental effects. Suicidal thoughts and violent actions (Bullying Statistics, 2017).

http://upworthy.tumblr.com/post/120210821694/remember-the-man-who-was-bullied-for-dancing-a-few

A social media troll, by definition, is someone who creates conflict on sites like Twitter, Facebook and Reddit by posting messages that are particularly controversial or inflammatory with the sole intent of provoking an emotional (read: angry) response from other users (The Huffington Post, 2017)

Digital citizenship is usually concerned with ethical behavior in online environments and takes aim at problematic or aberrant forms of participation. Troll histories and sites, trolling events and behaviors have caught the attention of mainstream media and have begun to feature in ethnographic scholarship. Burgess and Green state that the use of YouTube by young people is often associated with the relative lack of constraints placed on posting videos or commenting (McCosker , 2014). The Internet’s folk wisdom for trolls says: ‘Do not feed them!’ This remedy rests on a belief that response and interaction are the barest matters of subsistence in an attention economy. To call out a troll is thus to recognise who ought or ought not to speak or be listened to. The way that we talk about trolls and trolling as a spectacle of post-Internet culture places us in a wider, longer fight over the ethos, the history, and the politics of the digital (Bergstrom K,2011).

In 2013, Independent Senator Nick Xenophon called for a social media ombudsman. It was argued that schools have programs intact and that Facebook is responsive in answering information to Police.The article can be read here http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/digital-life-news/cyber-bullying-latest-election-battleground-20130905-2t6z3.html

(http://65.media.tumblr.com/dd90a07c1c6a9e18e45d0ec53e112c6a/tumblr_inline_nhzyvzLU4e1t4mj65.jpg

The ombudsman site NSW has a fact sheet that provides guidance on monitoring, assessing and responding to the anti-social use of social media and the internet. Unfortunately, this fact sheet has not stopped the amount of cyberbullying occurring and the suicides and cases we do not even hear of from happening. In my opinion, stricter rules and a social media ombudsman would be a deterrent to offenders and may save some lives. The office of the Children’s safety commissioner is the government’s safety website for children. Numerous focus is given to trolling within the school environment. It seems to be forgotten how many celebrities and adults are affected by this too. The question we need to ask ourselves and think about is whether the benefits of social media outweigh the hurt and problems caused by trolling. In my opinion and from stories that I have read, the approach to governing online behavior and social media practice is a work in process.

References:

Bergstrom, K 2011, ‘“Don’t Feed the Troll”: Shutting down the debate about community expectations on Reddit.com’, First Monday vol. 16, no. 8, viewed 5 January 2017  <http://www.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/3498/3029>.

Bullying Statistics. (2017). Bullying Statistics - Bullying Statistics. [online] Available at: http://www.bullyingstatistics.org/content/bullying-statistics.html [Accessed 6 Jan. 2017].

eSafety 2015, viewed 6 January 2016, <https://www.esafety.gov.au/>.

 McCosker, A 2014, YouTrolling as provocation: Tube’s agonistics publics, Convergence, vol. 20, no. 2, pp. 201-217.

 Nilan, P 2015, ‘Youth, Social Media and Cyberbullying among Australia youth, SAGE Journals, vol 1, issue no.2, pp1-6.

Before we get started I would like to offer a word of advice to my fellow students. No matter how good of an idea it may seem at the time, never try and move house in the middle of a teaching period and expect it to go smoothly - because, naturally, it won’t. Fumigation, lack of internet connection, and electricity disruptions later here we are ready to kick the final 6 posts of this term over the bar, or into the net or wherever you like to see it go in your preferred sporting code.

In week 6 we looked at the role social media and digital communities play in aiding activism & protesting. With the sheer enormity of the online world it is impossible not to see the benefits of this medium - one which has exploded in recent times. An early example of this digital activism renaissance can be seen in the infamous Kony 2012 documentary which brought the medium of digital activism to the forefront.

While the digital community is the ideal way to spread a message to a mass audience it would be foolish to think that it can in anyway make a real difference without substantially backing from;

Accredited not for profit bodies

Government assistance

Substantial funding from independent backers

What it can do, however, is create the spark which could ignite any of these three powder kegs into beginning significant action. 

Perhaps the biggest downfall of promoting activism in this way is the ‘social justice warrior’. A casual observing, nonchalant member of the digital community (or slacktivist) who feels that by ‘liking’ and ‘sharing’ superfluous articles to their friends they are making a difference to society as a whole - when really they are doing nothing more than justifying their own social beliefs to themselves in a thinly veiled attempt to appear up to date on current affairs. This is not to discredit their intentions but the manner in which they are conveyed is often irrational and this can be detrimental to the cause that they are trying to promote. An example of this can be seen in the irony of Anti-Trump supporters protesting, and promoting violence against their opposition, for fear of said opposition acting in the way that they are themselves. An irony which seems to be lost on many of these individuals. 

Activism 

“The policy or action of using vigorous campaigning to bring about political or social change” (Oxford Dictionaries 2019).

How activists communicate has expanded to an uprising of new media activism ‘Clicktivism’ - a way for activists to use the internet to support a political or social cause. While some believe that this has brought more opportunities to spread a message and support a movement. It has also brought to activism a sense of passivity - “acceptance of what happens, without active response or resistance” (Oxford Dictionaries 2019).

A real-world example of this passivity is the campaign of warlord Joseph Kony ‘Kony 2012’. Kony was a movement by non-profit organization Invisible Children was created to raise awareness about Joseph Kony and stop Kony and his violent militant army. The video became a huge viral sensation with over 100 million views and 1.3 million likes. 

You can view the Kony 2012 video below, warning video contains upsetting images.

So, what happened to this campaign? In the end, the viral sensation died to be replaced by the newest craze in social media. Invisible Children did not achieve their objective with Uganda’s military ending its pursuit of Joseph Kony in 2017. 

But really what was their objective?

According to Invisible Children, “KONY 2012 was an experiment” (Invisible Children 2014). To the people who suffered at the hands of Kony and the people who got on board the movement, many believed there was a much more profound sense in what they were trying to achieve. However, if you go on to the Invisible Children website to try access the video it says the film “no longer exists”. Between an experiment and a video that no longer exists, it becomes apparent why there is so much criticism around clicktivism. 

Some argue that the current disparaging utilisation of word clicktivism does not do justice to the concurrent advancement of creating innovation and modern-day methods of participation (Halupka 2014, P.116). Furthermore, Invisible Children (2014) argue that the Kony campaign still served its purpose which was to make him famous enough to get world leaders to act against the Lord’s Resistance Army (Invisible Children 2014). 

So, what of the well-known form of activism culture jamming. The aim of culture jamming is for society to see their messages and adopt a social movement towards change. This is done through sabotage advertising and consumerism by introducing noise into transmitters to a receiver, invest ads, newscasts, billboards and other media artefacts with subversive meanings (Dery, M 2010). Why is there more criticism towards clicktivism when graffiti, a form of culture jamming, cost the Australian government 1.5 billion of dollars annually for its removal?

Culture Jamming is getting people consciously involved, ego’s aside.

When I ask people if they knew that clicking the like button on a movement on social media meant they had become an activist; they all said no!

For an interesting view into Clicktivism read Activism or ‘Slacktivism’? Can the #IceBucketChallenge really change the world? 

References

Dery, M 2010, Culture Jamming: Hacking, Slashing, and Sniping in the Empire of Signs, Shovelware, viewed 3 January 2018, <http://markdery.com/?page_id=154>.

Halupka, M 2014, “Clicktivism: A Systematic Heuristic”, Policy & Internet, vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 115-132, viewed 3 January 2019, <https://onlinelibrary-wiley-com.ezproxy.lib.swin.edu.au/doi/full/10.1002/1944-2866.POI355>.

Kony 2012, Invisible Children, 5 March, viewed 3 January 2019, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4MnpzG5Sqc>.

Kony Meme 2019 [IMAGE], Clicktivism/Slacktivism, viewed 6 January 2019, <https://reflectionsoncampaigning.wordpress.com/2014/11/20/clicktivismslacktivism/>. 

Oxford Dictionaries 2019, activism | Definition of passivity in English by Oxford Dictionaries, viewed 3 January 2019, <https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/activism>

Oxford Dictionaries 2019, passivity | Definition of passivity in English by Oxford Dictionaries, viewed 3 January 2019, <https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/passivity>.

Slacktivism Meme 2019 [IMAGE], Slacktivism: Image Gallery, viewed 6 January 2019, <https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/slacktivism/photos>.

I really like the point “when I ask people if they knew that clicking the like button on a movement on social media they had become an activist; they all said no.” It’s so true. I think we have this romanticised idea that activism is protesting in the street, chaining yourself to a tree, or participating in sit-ins – we don’t recognise that we are activists by supporting an online cause. We get swept up the hype around movements like the ice bucket challenge and Kony, but we don’t really take the time to understand what exactly it is that we are supporting – half the people who participated in the ice bucket challenge did it for social media promotion. No longer is activism recognised as a powerful social or political movement; it’s become so commonplace that the word itself is losing its potency. 

This week’s ideas around politics and civil culture showed a broad insight into how politics, more closely politicians, have adapted and utilised sites like Facebook and Twitter to broaden their scope and connection with audiences.   Social media has proven to be both useful and detrimental to their campaigns and public image.   Our week 6 group presentation brought some extremely important points to note regarding politics and how their campaigns have shifted from using traditional media to reach a more fragmented online audience;  

Access to voters & potential voters

Enables direct contact

Engages young voters

The presentation also highlighted the ever-impending downfall of politicians using social media

Amateur political comments and criticism

Failure to listen and respond appropriately

On January 16, 2019 Clive Palmer received a huge backlash online after his party sent out unsolicited text messages to voters urging them to vote for the United Australia party.  

Unimpressed recipients took to Facebook and Twitter, using screen shots with their own commentary to display their dismay, most commenting about a breach of privacy. They used the #auspol and #ClivePalmer to follow the uproar. 

However, the text messages worked somewhat in favour of Palmer’s United Australia party as their website received over 160,000 visits since the messages were sent out (Truu, 2019).   This is just one of many examples where politicians can find themselves confronting an online onslaught due to their campaigns, comments or personal lives. It’s like social media plays devil’s advocate for the Australian audience that was once not able to share their thoughts. Social media has opened a two-way communication which can make or break a person in the limelight.  

It’s important to note that online audiences are far more fragmented than the audiences of traditional media over 20 years ago. The audience now makes up of general users who come from many diverse, educated and geographically located backgrounds. This includes the media, amateur blog users, everyday users, academics, intellectuals and passionate political followers. This is something that Young (2010) points out in the 2004 elections the internet leveraged not only electoral updates but online polls, satire sites, university lead commentaries and independent political blogs. Not only was the internet used to promote campaigns yet it also had an uprising of platforms that were used to critique the candidates.  

I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that politicians lack the foresight to see, when they do something somewhat silly in the public eye, they will be ridiculed on social media. I guess I have to remember that are usually from a generation that was not brought up around the internet and social media from an early age. I guess they will have to hire a better PR team. 😏

References

Licht, M, [image] ‘We Can Blog It’, in #iwd2013: 50 female innovators in digital journalism, journalism.co.uk  <https://www.journalism.co.uk/news/50-female-innovators-in-digital-journalism/s2/a552338/>

Truu, M, 2019, ‘'Unsolicited election trash’: Clive Palmer’s texts prompt outrage’, SBSNEWS, 16 Jan,   <https://www.sbs.com.au/news/unsolicited-election-trash-clive-palmer-s-texts-prompt-outrage>

Week 5 - Politics and Civic Culture

Throughout the 20th century, many social media platforms were introduced to us, but it was not until the 21st century did we see the enhancement of growth within social media platforms and how each of them impacted our daily lives. The addictiveness of social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter can affect the way one may behave, react and even think of themselves or one another. However, how does the use of social media platforms impact the political realm and raise important issues and messages? 

Many Australian Politicians have become a part of the social media world. Twitter and Facebook are platforms that many politicians use to broadcast from and raise important issues to the world. Moreover, are politicians always going to try to control their message or listen to their audience and go to where the people are? (Jericho 2013) 

In my opinion, i always thought the use of social media supported the political realm. It was a great way of advertisement and raising important issues because a voice could be heard. For example, the 2008 Barack Obama election is just one example that stood out for voters. During the year of 2007, following the lead up to the presidential election. Barley Political’s video “Obama’s Girl” got uploaded onto Youtube. Although it was not a benefit of political communication or democracy, it attracted millions of viewers, especially the under 30s demographic (Barley Political 2007). 

 Another example is the attention that Tina Fey’s Saturday Night Live impersonation of Sarah Palin received. Many media commentators believed that Palin had no chance of winning after the impersonation was uploaded on to Youtube as it gained more viewers than any of Plain’s youtube videos ever did. 

10 years on, to the year we are living in at this moment, 2018. Tina Fey takes on the role of Sarah Palin once again, this time focuses on headline-makers such as Stormi Daniels reminiscing about the regret for what they did for President Donald Trump. 

I’d like to refer these examples to our Australian Politicians, has the use of social media affected them the same way it did through the platforms used by celebrities during the lead up to the 2008 presidential election? Although social media is an essential way for issues to get raised and messages to be sent across one another the number of followers, viewers and likes do not translate directly into voted all the time, which is an import key concept to remember. We see this through the example of Fairfax’s use of social media platforms photograph “Social Media Stakes: Rudd vs. Abott” (The Sydney Morning Herald 2013) 

References

LexisNexis,’The Politics of Social Media’ [image], in Google, viewed 12 December 2018, <https://www.google.com.au/search?hl=en&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1366&bih=657&ei=AoARXMTaKo7orQH7rrKIBQ&q=politics+and+social+media&oq=politics+and+social+media&gs_l=img.3..0j0i24l5.314.3486..3621…0.0..0.227.3757.0j20j4……0….1..gws-wiz-img…..0..0i5i30.Ldr-0PZHDzI#imgrc=6Tz7oBzN-wf0VM:> 

Saturday Night Live 2008, Gov. Sarah Palin’s Press Conference- SNL, September 23, viewed 13 December 2018, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0vVKZL-Z7I> 

SBS, ‘Recap: The last five years in Australian Politics [image], in Google, viewed 12 December 2018, <https://www.google.com.au/search?hl=en&biw=1366&bih=608&tbm=isch&sa=1&ei=5YARXKG2GpuoyAONmYWoCA&q=australian+politicians&oq=australian+politicians&gs_l=img.3..0i7i30l5.6859.8115..8228…0.0..0.175.1480.0j10……0….1..gws-wiz-img…….0i8i7i30.UN5ShgHkt5k#imgrc=k74U-2BVITHHIM:> 

The Key of Awesome 2007, Crush on Obama, 13 June, viewed 13 December 2018, <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKsoXHYICqU> 

Week 5 focuses on politics and civic cultures and how social media is changing the landscape. 2008 US elections has been a prime example and case study which have been analysed and re-read many times as it was also known as the “Facebook election”. 24 year old, Chris Hughes left Facebook and joined the Obama campaign as chief digital strategist. Through use of blogs, social media, SMS and mass user database generated during the campaign, Obama could communicate with voters directly and get his message across. The social media platform allowed a two-way communication which meant it was not just about the leader but about the voice of individual voters and their individual concerns. #Yes We Can and #Change were the hashtags used during the campaign to garner support and gain momentum for the campaign which they eventually won.

Today, social media is part of every political campaign. We saw this once again in the recent US elections and Donald Trump’s prolific use of twitter to keep in touch with voters and get his opinions out there. In a recent interview, Donald Trump expressed that it was his use of twitter that kept him in the forefront of voters’ mind and eventually led him to victory. “Frankly it’s a modern day form of communication,” Trump said about Twitter (Little 2016). Regardless of some of the comments he made on twitter or how he used it to get ahead and win the race, it clearly shows how people in society connect today and how ideas are spread.

Lately it seems social media is the platform of choice for us to receive up to the minute details on any election campaign (Young 2010). As seen in Australian politics, it sometimes feels more of a promotional platform than a platform to participate and engage with every day people (Jericho 2012). However, it can be said that it is a large public platform where people can express their views and opinions and weigh in on the topic. It empowers the voters and allows them to connect with the leader directly, hear their views and express their concerns through multitude of social media channels.

References

Jericho, G 2012, ‘How many votes are there on Twitter?’, in The Rise of the Fifth Estate, Scribe, Victoria, Australia.