Van Vo_MDA20009_ 1757725

I have found that I am addicted with all social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram and Tumblr. In virtual communities, I have found that there are many kind of users from the youngest to the oldest. For example, in my family, last 5 years ago, just only my sister, my brother and I use Facebook as social networking sites, where we contact with each other as well as express ourselves without any fear as such scare of my parent knew about our issues. In the previous year, my parent has Facebook, which I am happy when they could join our virtual communities. However, once they went to China, we could not contact with each through Facebook as they could not access to this site. Clearly, China does not use Facebook like Western society. They use Sina Weibo, QQ, Renren and any site similar with Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr.

According to Chiu et.al (2012), it is demonstrated that “different social – media sites attract different kinds of users.” I have found that it is quite interesting idea. As my brother, my sister and I use a lot of social networking sites such as Facebook, Instagram, my parent does not use it because they could not find any interesting while playing it. For us (younger people), we have found it is quite interesting while playing Facebook because we can contact with each other through message, we can post whatever we want, we can upload the photo without any limitation. Instagram is quite interesting site as I like because I could take and upload photos. However, my parent finds that Instagram is not interesting because they could not post just only the text on this site without any photo. Moreover, they did not familiar with taking photo, upload on social networking sites and write some caption about that.

I am not addicted with any kind of games (i.e. online and offline game) but I do play lot of games on my tablet or on mobile phone when I have free time or stuck in the middle of assignment. Compare myself with my brother or other member in my family, I do not play game as much as them. Within this week topic, I will discuss about social gaming influences life through some of games on mobile phone. The reading for this week Zwart (2014) demonstrates the idea that “Every player brings with them to a game a set of…” I aware that some of the games on mobile phones such as Cut the Rope, and Bejeweled are the best examples to examine this idea.

Firstly, Cut the Rope can be understood in the easy way is feeding candy for a frog. Well, sounds very easy but in fact it is does not like you think. The rope is holding the candy, your mission is cutting the rope and the candy falls in frog’ mouth; otherwise, you will lose and keep repeating that level.

As a player on cut the rope, my father and my brother expects the game has to let players spend a bit of time to think the solution. In the relation of the idea that Zwart (2014) explains, I have found the common sense between my father and my brother is mathematics. I can see both my father and my brother achieved very high marks during their life in school. Moreover, the interesting that I have found that most of men like to play this game compare with women. Both my brother and my father found that they could see themselves while playing this game. For example, my brother told me that thinking, solving problem and achieving the gold make himself happy and relax. Furthermore, my brother also points out the idea of addiction. He said he loves to play game but not addicted with it. He knew some of his friends addict with game and lead them go to hospital due to mental illness. Some of his friends because of addicting game, they sale all of things in their house including house to just buy things on the game or even buy the game to play. It is quite insane!

While my brother loves to play Cut the Rope, my sister like to play Bejeweled. Basically, the game is designed for matching three colors in the same line (vertical or horizontal). She told me she loves to play it because she like the games have different colors, sparkling and easy. She does not put solving problem and achieve highest gold as her mission. For her, playing game means relax and not thinking about anything - no matter losing or winning.

At the moment, YouTube, Vimeo, Daily Motion and many more are considered as visual communities websites. It is because those websites are the place, where people could express their interests, their opinions and their feelings by visualizing. YouTube, Vimeo, Daily Motion and so on are played the roles as social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and so on. In this blog, I have some thoughts about video of affinity on YouTube after reading one of the articles for this week’ topic.

During my spare time, I usually go to YouTube and find out some of the clips that I think it is interesting. According to Lange (2009), it demonstrated that “Videos of affinity try to establish communicative connections…” I have found this idea is quite true. There was the time that many people created their video clip (is known as Vlog) and upload on YouTube, I subscribed some of them and watched it regularly. I have found that these people connect together. For example, the most famous Vlogger in Vietnam at that time is JVevermind. He made some of the video clips about some of the issues happen at that time and commented those issues. The funniest thing that I have found at that time was many people have made some Vlogs and talked around those issues (what JVevermind had done) and tried to connect the ideas with him. Even though some of the Vlogs that JVevermind had done, I felt he talked a bit of nonsense; it attracted a lot of people. The affinity in JVevermind’ vlogs is he could act with many roles. For instance, I watched the vlog talked about going to high school in Vietnam. JVevermind had done some roles as he was a teacher, some of students in class. The way he played these roles is different than the others. That is the reason why he attracted a lot of viewers.

After few months subscribed him on YouTube, I have found that he connected with a lot of Vloggers back in Vietnam and they met together to do the Vlog name Movies and real life. This Vlog actually talks about the reality in life and some of the fun facts in the movie. He made this Vlog with some of the famous Vloggers back n Vietnam. Obviously, comedy, interesting is the affinity in this Vlog. Although it is Vlog number 54, it still attracted other people when it released.

In the reading, Lange (2009) points out the idea of choosing a song for doing video clips on YouTube. Choosing appropriate songs are maintained the viewers. Back to an example of JVevermind’ Vlogs, in most of his Vlogs are chosen a lot of interesting songs as well as the latest songs nowadays. In the Vlog “Movie and real life”, he chose the song name “Let it go”, which are the latest and hottest song from the movie named “Frozen.” In this case, the idea of affinity in JVevermind’ vlog is he understood in the case of updating the latest songs, made each of Vlogs have some points interesting and attracting different audiences (sharing his own experiences).

The reading for this week draws around taking information from social media in various methods such as from Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites.

I have been using Facebook many years ago. Most of information about entertainment that I realized is from Facebook. For example, I like Jason Mraz, so I follow Facebook fan page of Jason Mraz to update his upcoming event and his new albums. I believe nowadays people get news, information, politics, and health care from social networking sites. For instance, the world largest rubber duck has been travelling 16 countries around the world. For this year, this rubber duck arrived Vietnam just several days ago. After arriving a day, there was a rumor on one Facebook’ user that this rubber duck fell down. This information has been spreading out around Vietnam. In fact, this information from Facebook was incorrect. The rubber duck is still there and everyone is willing to take the picture with him. Nevertheless, there was a lot of people believe and disappointed about falling this giant duck.

Twitter is one of the platforms for crowdsourcing in the time of crisis. It spreads the information to over the world very fast and quickly. Once, a person post news on Twitter, everyone can access to a person account and “retweet” it if the information is latest, “hot” and useful.

The problem in term of taking information is “verify information using sources on the ground…” (Ford, 2012). In fact, there are many information around an issue. Some might be correct, some might be incorrect. Back to the example of giant rubber duck in Vietnam, despite the fact that it was not falling, many people believe that information is correct without verify information.

I have no idea about a topic around trolling and bullying on social media until I attended to the lecture on Monday.

I have some thoughts about the provocation on social media sites as such about Arab Uprising, flash mob, and some other events. With the blog for this week, I will focus on provocation on social media with various satire clips post on YouTube.

In the reading for this week, McCosker (2013) states that “the work of cultural production in the form of TV satire, satirical….” The term of formation and expression of relational identities that McCosker points out is quite interesting. Social networking sites, where people can honestly express their feelings about particular issue, or giving trolling through some networks like YouTube. The example of trolling come to my mind at the moment is George Bush and Tony Blair sang a song “My love”. This is quite old clip but I think it is still popular in the term of trolling. In the video clip, George Bush sings as a male’ voice and Tony Blair sings as a female’ voice. George Bush supposes to stand up and talk something about political or some particular issues at that time. Tony Blair should do the presentation in front of a lot of people. However, with the aim of trolling, they made the clip based on cut and paste’ techniques that Bush and Blair are singing in the various conferences. I think this example supports for the idea of “commonly understood… with a national state” (McCosker, 2013). Like in US, everyone has their own right to give the opinion/comment, and free to speech. They also allow to do “trolling” video for various purposes as such give comment/ opinion, satire, or even make it for entertainment.

Reminding trolling clips for entertainment, I remember the other example that coming up to my mind about trolling is Rebecca Black and the song named Friday. When the song released couple years ago, I remember thousand people made many “trolling” clips about Rebecca Black as well as said something about the lyric is quite ridiculous and non-sense. For instance, I just found on YouTube the clip named: “Trolling Rebecca Black Friday.” He danced and gave a lot of comments around a singer with the purpose of trolling her song. He created like a satire – Rebecca Black is singing an insane song and published for everyone.

Today, we live in the era of social media not only myself but I also believe that everyone has play one kind of social networking sites such as Facebook, or Twitter or even blog. I use social networking sites for my entertainment purposes such as updating fashion style, food spots, and some of the breaking news.

Social media also allows people to share their expression such as anger, indignation, pride or even happiness in particular situation. For example, when I am happy I update my status on Facebook. However, some of the protester, they assume that social media platform is the place where they can express their political indignation, organize and raise up some of the movements. With the aim of gaining support political and social movements, some people online social networking sites for political expression, symbolic identification for collective actors and further information exchange.

Nowadays, social media platforms are the contemporary equivalent of what newspaper, poster, leaflet or direct email to transfer all of information to the world. It has been essentially responsible for the assembly’s process in the popular movements, to build up public spaces, which simplifies and guides the physical association of highly dispersed and individualized community.

When I mention about social media and political expression, it reminds myself the movement named Arab Uprising, which is represented for a generation of disappointed, often jobless or underemployed, occurred in Tunisia. It was spreading out to some of Arab regions namely Egypt, Syria, Bahrain, Yemen and Libya. This movement is considered as majority of population.

In the reading for this week, Youmans et.al (2012) points out that YouTube has been cited as an important platform in the Arab regions such as Syria, Egypt and so on. Some of countries like Syria, Egypt, Yemen and so on, where they do not have enough professional journalists, the citizens created some of contents to against the government. It included some of offensive contents.

In 2011, YouTube took down a popular video, which showed the battered body of young boy, was reportedly tortured and killed by the authorities in Jiza. This horror content converted new members to collective action efforts. Even though YouTube has removed this video, the impact on behalf of protesters may be diminished by the loss of viewers. The clip may be overtaken by further current events.

The other example in Egypt is an Egyptian posted a video on YouTube a scene that two polices customizing a bus driver. Although YouTube has removed the video and deactivated of the account (a person who uploaded), it still influenced the protesters and activists in the case of overthrow a government.