So we are at the end of semester again...
I really enjoyed this course, though it was thoroughly annoying that I was unable to buy the course reader in the bookshop. However the tutorials made up for that as I found the content we discussed very relevant to real life, so it was great to be able to discuss the content in relation to our lives and the situations we had encountered in regards to online behaviour and technology.
I was thinking about the cyborg question, and I guess in some ways, without technology I would find it extremely difficult to socialise. Maybe back when I was a child, I was comfortable just rocking up at a friend's house to see if they were home, but as an adult I would prefer to call before I do out of politeness. Without socialising, life would be very boring. I find Facebook a good way to catch up with old friends who you wouldn't normally talk to, so in that way I agree that it facilitates rather than hindering social interactions in real life. In that, I find myself a social cyborg, with technology an extension of my social communication self. That said, I could live without technology, so the logic that a cyborg would not live without its technological part would mean that I am not a cyborg.
I enjoyed the blog, but found the Webliography difficult, as I had never written anything like it in the past. It was useful to see exactly how many of the internet's websites are not credited to any author, or to any references, and how many sources I may have used in past assignments that could have been written by any average Joe.
In regards to feedback on the lectures, I found the lectures that Tarsh did where the notes on the slides were a summary of what she was discussing much easier to follow than lectures by Alison where I had to just listen to the content.
This is a very interesting unit, if you enjoyed some of the parts about the body, I would encourage you to do the unit The Body In Art. Some of the lectures surround feminist art, Stelarc, and Orlan, discussing extensions of the body through technology and the body as obselete and essential.
Cheers for an amazing tutorial semester guys. Really enjoyed our discussions and hope you all do well in your research essays! :)
Monday, October 25, 2010
Week 10 News Story Reflection
Apologies for the lateness of this news-story reflection. Week 10 !
SEPTEMBER 8TH 2009
ONLINE NEWS STORY
Reference Details:
Facebook rescue highlights 'ongoing struggle'
By News Online's Clayton Bloom
Relevance:
This news story is relevant because it highlights an alarming switch of first response in emergency situations to communication on Facebook, rather than to 000 Emergency Response. This article indicates how it is potentially dangerous, delaying help from emergency services. The news story highlights an ongoing struggle of public education campaigns to deal with social networking sites and their increased role in our lives, especially in educating people about who to call in emergency situations.
What
The news story is a follow up to a previous article called “Trapped girls call for help on Facebook”, by the same news company, reiterating the need for Public Education Campaigns to target the use of Facebook, and Emergency Services, after two girls posted on Facebook that they were trapped down a drain, instead of calling 000 for Emergency Services.
Issues
The main issue raised was that there is an increasing transference of everyday activity onto online social networks, but now it seems to have transgressed into people alerting Facebook before they alert emergency services. This could have dire consequences as delay of Emergency Service response can impact largely on the success of the rescue mission.
Use in forming argument:
The article could be used in forming arguments surrounding the use of online social networking sites, and its increasing impact on real life situations. The argument could be formed that with the increased use of social networking sites, there is an increased risk that Emergency services could be delayed so much that someone does not receive help in time. This is a risk that we cannot take, so it must be ensured that everyone is educated about how to call and when to call emergency services, and when Facebook is just not appropriate.
Critical Evaluation:
Upon critical evaluation, this article seems a reliable source of information as to the current state of Facebook interaction amongst youths. While this would not be every young person's reaction to an emergency situation, any situation where this happens is too many.
Character
The character of this article is reliable. It has noted sources, and refers to a reported event, with scholarly interpretations of the implications of that event. The writing style is scholarly, referencing real issues with Communication and Media to highlight social problems that social networking can entail.
Currency
This article is only a year old, published in ABC News Online on the 8th of September 2009.
Intention
This article is credible, ABC News is one of the most established journalism networks in Australia. They are usually less commercially intended in their publishing. The author wrote this article with the intention of highlighting an alarming trend in today's society, especially in youth population. His sources include a Professor from Queensland's University of Technology, as well as a member of the Metropolitan fire service. His intention in using these sources are to highlight the connection between Communication and Media and real life situations that social networking can have huge influence on. The audience this article was intended for is most likely parents, as well as teenagers who might have a Facebook themselves. It is not only intended to inform community of the need for increased public education, but to act as a public education statement in itself, reminding Facebook users to keep it in its place, and use Emergency Services appropriately.
Authority
The author is reliable, as he is published in ABC News Online, a well established news station in Australia. Clayton Bloom has been working at ABC News for 6 years. His sources are well identified, with one of them being scholarly, and his article refers to a report on the incident that was published a day before.
Kate Lowe
SEPTEMBER 8TH 2009
ONLINE NEWS STORY
Reference Details:
Facebook rescue highlights 'ongoing struggle'
By News Online's Clayton Bloom
Relevance:
This news story is relevant because it highlights an alarming switch of first response in emergency situations to communication on Facebook, rather than to 000 Emergency Response. This article indicates how it is potentially dangerous, delaying help from emergency services. The news story highlights an ongoing struggle of public education campaigns to deal with social networking sites and their increased role in our lives, especially in educating people about who to call in emergency situations.
What
The news story is a follow up to a previous article called “Trapped girls call for help on Facebook”, by the same news company, reiterating the need for Public Education Campaigns to target the use of Facebook, and Emergency Services, after two girls posted on Facebook that they were trapped down a drain, instead of calling 000 for Emergency Services.
Issues
The main issue raised was that there is an increasing transference of everyday activity onto online social networks, but now it seems to have transgressed into people alerting Facebook before they alert emergency services. This could have dire consequences as delay of Emergency Service response can impact largely on the success of the rescue mission.
Use in forming argument:
The article could be used in forming arguments surrounding the use of online social networking sites, and its increasing impact on real life situations. The argument could be formed that with the increased use of social networking sites, there is an increased risk that Emergency services could be delayed so much that someone does not receive help in time. This is a risk that we cannot take, so it must be ensured that everyone is educated about how to call and when to call emergency services, and when Facebook is just not appropriate.
Critical Evaluation:
Upon critical evaluation, this article seems a reliable source of information as to the current state of Facebook interaction amongst youths. While this would not be every young person's reaction to an emergency situation, any situation where this happens is too many.
Character
The character of this article is reliable. It has noted sources, and refers to a reported event, with scholarly interpretations of the implications of that event. The writing style is scholarly, referencing real issues with Communication and Media to highlight social problems that social networking can entail.
Currency
This article is only a year old, published in ABC News Online on the 8th of September 2009.
Intention
This article is credible, ABC News is one of the most established journalism networks in Australia. They are usually less commercially intended in their publishing. The author wrote this article with the intention of highlighting an alarming trend in today's society, especially in youth population. His sources include a Professor from Queensland's University of Technology, as well as a member of the Metropolitan fire service. His intention in using these sources are to highlight the connection between Communication and Media and real life situations that social networking can have huge influence on. The audience this article was intended for is most likely parents, as well as teenagers who might have a Facebook themselves. It is not only intended to inform community of the need for increased public education, but to act as a public education statement in itself, reminding Facebook users to keep it in its place, and use Emergency Services appropriately.
Authority
The author is reliable, as he is published in ABC News Online, a well established news station in Australia. Clayton Bloom has been working at ABC News for 6 years. His sources are well identified, with one of them being scholarly, and his article refers to a report on the incident that was published a day before.
Kate Lowe
Saturday, October 23, 2010
hey guys, well i guess this is the end. .
I really likened to the idea of using blogs as a part of this unit. I think it's very relative to the unit, and allowed people to share interesting sites and information. However, I do think that the blog turned out to be more a place for submitting assignments, instead of what it was intended for. And as it has already been mentioned in previous reflections . . Im part to blame. It's hard juggling uni, work and assignments. Time got the better of me when it came to my contribution with the blogs, and regrettably I didnt participate with the blogs as much as I would of liked - besides being compelled to submit the recommended work. I think the blog would have worked better if we didnt have to submit the reflection on the news story, but instead were perhaps asked to share our ideas on cyborgs or things we found interesting that related to the unit (and i know we were encouraged to do so, but I also think that it needs to be taken into consideration the time factor, especially when it came to doing some of the assignments). So if I had to make a statement on whether or not the blog worked for me, I'd say it didnt really have a huge influence due to my lack of involvement, time factor, and that it felt more like a place to submit assignments, rather than a blog.
In regards to whether I consider myself a cyborg or not in terms of Haraway's definition - I'd say no. Although I use a mobile and the internet, I wouldnt consider it crucial to my existence or living. Take it away from me and I'd still survive. I dont classify these as a part of my construction of my identity either - and I dont have any reliance on technology for health reasons, which I suppose for me, makes me a non-cyborg. However, that is not to say that I dont believe that they exist.
What I liked most about the unit, was the ideas behind the unit, the tut discussions and presentations. People brought interesting views to the class and it allowed for me to widen my perspective within the units ideas and notions. Though - it would have been nice to have some lecture slides, as this keeps me engaged more and less distracted - though that may just be me haha.
Thanks to all, n hope the essays go well :)
And now for my last trick...
Sup.
Well then, wasn't this fun?
I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the blog. It was an interesting twist to normal assessments and really enriched the course for me. I don't usually like to write things down (tangible and recorded evidence of my stupidity etc.) but i really enjoyed sharing random sites and reading others' posts. I was a little disappointed with the lack of engagement with the blog. I was hoping for something a little more in way of comments ard free posts unrelated to assignments. I feel like most of this blog is formed on the necessity to post for assignments, not want to post for fun. However I did appreciate the summaries...
A cyborg?? Mmmm no. Not really. Though my little shameless nerd heart skips a beat at the prospects. The idea of 'cyborg' still holds a feeling of a being so intertwined with technology that it overshadows their title of 'human', corporeally that it (mentally is a whole other kettle of fish). However I did take interest in the idea of glasses, medicine etc contributing to cyborg humans. Like everyone else I will tip my hat to my obsession with facebook the internet phones tv etc and how I am probably more 'cyborg' than those that have come before me but being true to my star trek heart I can't yet consider myself apart of the collective...
I have to say I liked the tutorials the best. We managed to talk about topics relevant to myself so it was really interesting, and it was just darn good fun. The other students in my tutorial were engaging, intelligent but not intimidatingly so, open-minded, just the right amount of talkative, well-informed, HILARIOUS and just down right nice charming people. Tarsh included. She was a fantastic tutor. It was great hearing everyone's diverse opinions and thoughts on each topic. All of this contributed to my new love of Tuesday mornings. You fabulous people you. :D
Dislikes would be the webliography confusion and the late distribution of essay topics and such.
Em.
Blog Reflection
I liked the idea of a blog as a teaching tool, it was part of what made me choose this unit. However, I have to say I was a little underwhelmed at the actual execution of it. I loved reading people's posts, I followed the links (and have bookmarked a couple for further interest!), but I guess I'm used to a blog with comments being a lively, engaged, evolving forum of personalities. I would have loved to see more interactions via comments, and I would have loved to see more random, just-because posts. I guess I am to blame for this as much as anyone, because I sat back and kind of waited for it to be this way so I could join in; in practice if everyone does this it doesn't happen, duh. I also had some technical issues where the page wasn't loading properly for me, the posts weren't previewing the way I expected, or my writing wasn't showing up (Probably a PEBKAC). It's hard to establish technology as a mainstream teaching medium where it has the potential to be unreliable. In summary, I still love the idea, I think that like any new form of teaching or communication tool it takes some getting used to before comfortable familiarity with the medium is achieved.
Am I a cyborg? Well, I have grown up immersed in science fiction, and surrounded myself with people who revel in "speculative fabulations". In short, I'm pretty nerdy and this nerdiness has formulated an understanding of cyborgs that is kind of at odds with Haraway's postulations. I don't see cyberspace having freed us from our bodies or significantly rewritten social rules. I see the digital technology we have now as the result of a series of logical, believable, microevolutionary steps, beginning when some ancient ancestor first used a tool and then told another person about it. These things have shaped human beings along the way, but no one of them has made us a new species by itself. Did we become cyborgs when the telescope was invented, or did we earthbound beings merely use all our understanding built up to that moment to interpret the fact that there was more out there? Society adapted in some ways because of that, and some old assumptions had to change, but much more stayed the same. Digital stuff is just another instance like that. In my humble opinion ;)
I'm tempted to define the cyborg as those people (animals?) who are fused in a more permanent way with artificial enhancement, not just because they use the internet or a mobile phone. In this way I probably am a cyborg because I am asthmatic and rely on a culmination of medical research to keep me alive, but I feel a tad ripped off because I don't have metal bits or lasers. I guess that's what you get for being drawn into romantic notions rather than mundane facts. In conclusion, any definition is problematic, and reading all the material in this unit is enough to make me question what I thought I knew and desire to read more before definitively applying it to myself.
Am I a cyborg? Well, I have grown up immersed in science fiction, and surrounded myself with people who revel in "speculative fabulations". In short, I'm pretty nerdy and this nerdiness has formulated an understanding of cyborgs that is kind of at odds with Haraway's postulations. I don't see cyberspace having freed us from our bodies or significantly rewritten social rules. I see the digital technology we have now as the result of a series of logical, believable, microevolutionary steps, beginning when some ancient ancestor first used a tool and then told another person about it. These things have shaped human beings along the way, but no one of them has made us a new species by itself. Did we become cyborgs when the telescope was invented, or did we earthbound beings merely use all our understanding built up to that moment to interpret the fact that there was more out there? Society adapted in some ways because of that, and some old assumptions had to change, but much more stayed the same. Digital stuff is just another instance like that. In my humble opinion ;)
I'm tempted to define the cyborg as those people (animals?) who are fused in a more permanent way with artificial enhancement, not just because they use the internet or a mobile phone. In this way I probably am a cyborg because I am asthmatic and rely on a culmination of medical research to keep me alive, but I feel a tad ripped off because I don't have metal bits or lasers. I guess that's what you get for being drawn into romantic notions rather than mundane facts. In conclusion, any definition is problematic, and reading all the material in this unit is enough to make me question what I thought I knew and desire to read more before definitively applying it to myself.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Hey guys
I have found the blogging experience this semester super fun! I was pretty sceptical at the start of the semester as I am extremely technically inept. But I thought it was a really great means of expressing our ideas to an extent that is not always possible during tutorials. I also really liked having the opportunity to contemplate other people’s tutorial presentations as I think it provided for more insightful discussion within the tutorial group.
I liked that this unit was very different from all my other units, the issues discussed this semester related to everyday situations which made participating in this unit actually useful. I feel that studying women studies and the representations of gender empowers women, in a way that provokes a critique of societal structure and the way gender is constructed within it.
As to whether I believe myself to be a cyborg? I do not. I am not denying that cyborg, a hybrid of human and machine, is not an interesting concept. However I do not consider myself to be in any way part machine. Whilst I don’t deny that a significant part of our lives revolves around online interaction, I feel that this does not give rise to the idea that therefore the computer is an almost virtual limb. I believe that human and machines are separate, and although Donna Harraway’s “cyborg” is interesting notion, I think it is one that is purely that, a notion, not a reality.
I have found the blogging experience this semester super fun! I was pretty sceptical at the start of the semester as I am extremely technically inept. But I thought it was a really great means of expressing our ideas to an extent that is not always possible during tutorials. I also really liked having the opportunity to contemplate other people’s tutorial presentations as I think it provided for more insightful discussion within the tutorial group.
I liked that this unit was very different from all my other units, the issues discussed this semester related to everyday situations which made participating in this unit actually useful. I feel that studying women studies and the representations of gender empowers women, in a way that provokes a critique of societal structure and the way gender is constructed within it.
As to whether I believe myself to be a cyborg? I do not. I am not denying that cyborg, a hybrid of human and machine, is not an interesting concept. However I do not consider myself to be in any way part machine. Whilst I don’t deny that a significant part of our lives revolves around online interaction, I feel that this does not give rise to the idea that therefore the computer is an almost virtual limb. I believe that human and machines are separate, and although Donna Harraway’s “cyborg” is interesting notion, I think it is one that is purely that, a notion, not a reality.
Hey guys
I have found the blogging experience this semester super fun! I was pretty sceptical at the start of the semester as I am extremely technically inept. But I thought it was a really great means of expressing our ideas to an extent that is not always possible during tutorials. I also really liked having the opportunity to contemplate other people’s tutorial presentations as I think it provided for more insightful discussion within the tutorial group.
I liked that this unit was very different from all my other units, the issues discussed this semester related to everyday situations which made participating in this unit actually useful. I feel that studying women studies and the representations of gender empowers women, in a way that provokes a critique of societal structure and the way gender is constructed within it.
As to whether I believe myself to be a cyborg? I do not. I am not denying that cyborg, a hybrid of human and machine, is not an interesting concept. However I do not consider myself to be in any way part machine. Whilst I don’t deny that a significant part of our lives revolves around online interaction, I feel that this does not give rise to the idea that therefore the computer is an almost virtual limb. I believe that human and machines are separate, and although Donna Harraway’s “cyborg” is interesting notion, I think it is one that is purely that, a notion, not a reality.
I have found the blogging experience this semester super fun! I was pretty sceptical at the start of the semester as I am extremely technically inept. But I thought it was a really great means of expressing our ideas to an extent that is not always possible during tutorials. I also really liked having the opportunity to contemplate other people’s tutorial presentations as I think it provided for more insightful discussion within the tutorial group.
I liked that this unit was very different from all my other units, the issues discussed this semester related to everyday situations which made participating in this unit actually useful. I feel that studying women studies and the representations of gender empowers women, in a way that provokes a critique of societal structure and the way gender is constructed within it.
As to whether I believe myself to be a cyborg? I do not. I am not denying that cyborg, a hybrid of human and machine, is not an interesting concept. However I do not consider myself to be in any way part machine. Whilst I don’t deny that a significant part of our lives revolves around online interaction, I feel that this does not give rise to the idea that therefore the computer is an almost virtual limb. I believe that human and machines are separate, and although Donna Harraway’s “cyborg” is interesting notion, I think it is one that is purely that, a notion, not a reality.
Hey guys
I have found the blogging experience this semester super fun! I was pretty sceptical at the start of the semester as I am extremely technically inept. But I thought it was a really great means of expressing our ideas to an extent that is not always possible during tutorials. I also really liked having the opportunity to contemplate other people’s tutorial presentations as I think it provided for more insightful discussion within the tutorial group.
I liked that this unit was very different from all my other units, the issues discussed this semester related to everyday situations which made participating in this unit actually useful. I feel that studying women studies and the representations of gender empowers women, in a way that provokes a critique of societal structure and the way gender is constructed within it.
As to whether I believe myself to be a cyborg? I do not. I am not denying that cyborg, a hybrid of human and machine, is not an interesting concept. However I do not consider myself to be in any way part machine. Whilst I don’t deny that a significant part of our lives revolves around online interaction, I feel that this does not give rise to the idea that therefore the computer is an almost virtual limb. I believe that human and machines are separate, and although Donna Harraway’s “cyborg” is interesting notion, I think it is one that is purely that, a notion, not a reality.
I have found the blogging experience this semester super fun! I was pretty sceptical at the start of the semester as I am extremely technically inept. But I thought it was a really great means of expressing our ideas to an extent that is not always possible during tutorials. I also really liked having the opportunity to contemplate other people’s tutorial presentations as I think it provided for more insightful discussion within the tutorial group.
I liked that this unit was very different from all my other units, the issues discussed this semester related to everyday situations which made participating in this unit actually useful. I feel that studying women studies and the representations of gender empowers women, in a way that provokes a critique of societal structure and the way gender is constructed within it.
As to whether I believe myself to be a cyborg? I do not. I am not denying that cyborg, a hybrid of human and machine, is not an interesting concept. However I do not consider myself to be in any way part machine. Whilst I don’t deny that a significant part of our lives revolves around online interaction, I feel that this does not give rise to the idea that therefore the computer is an almost virtual limb. I believe that human and machines are separate, and although Donna Harraway’s “cyborg” is interesting notion, I think it is one that is purely that, a notion, not a reality.
Hey guys
I have found the blogging experience this semester super fun! I was pretty sceptical at the start of the semester as I am extremely technically inept. But I thought it was a really great means of expressing our ideas to an extent that is not always possible during tutorials. I also really liked having the opportunity to contemplate other people’s tutorial presentations as I think it provided for more insightful discussion within the tutorial group.
I liked that this unit was very different from all my other units, the issues discussed this semester related to everyday situations which made participating in this unit actually useful. I feel that studying women studies and the representations of gender empowers women, in a way that provokes a critique of societal structure and the way gender is constructed within it.
As to whether I believe myself to be a cyborg? I do not. I am not denying that cyborg, a hybrid of human and machine, is not an interesting concept. However I do not consider myself to be in any way part machine. Whilst I don’t deny that a significant part of our lives revolves around online interaction, I feel that this does not give rise to the idea that therefore the computer is an almost virtual limb. I believe that human and machines are separate, and although Donna Harraway’s “cyborg” is interesting notion, I think it is one that is purely that, a notion, not a reality.
I have found the blogging experience this semester super fun! I was pretty sceptical at the start of the semester as I am extremely technically inept. But I thought it was a really great means of expressing our ideas to an extent that is not always possible during tutorials. I also really liked having the opportunity to contemplate other people’s tutorial presentations as I think it provided for more insightful discussion within the tutorial group.
I liked that this unit was very different from all my other units, the issues discussed this semester related to everyday situations which made participating in this unit actually useful. I feel that studying women studies and the representations of gender empowers women, in a way that provokes a critique of societal structure and the way gender is constructed within it.
As to whether I believe myself to be a cyborg? I do not. I am not denying that cyborg, a hybrid of human and machine, is not an interesting concept. However I do not consider myself to be in any way part machine. Whilst I don’t deny that a significant part of our lives revolves around online interaction, I feel that this does not give rise to the idea that therefore the computer is an almost virtual limb. I believe that human and machines are separate, and although Donna Harraway’s “cyborg” is interesting notion, I think it is one that is purely that, a notion, not a reality.
Ta da! Blog Reflection!
Heya!
So, the final post. Dun dun duuun!
I have rather enjoyed the blog experience. It's made this unit interesting, interactive and different. Of course, there are some problems such as I had no idea what to put on the blog and found that people were not terribly interactive but I can understand that it was rather daunting and a little awkward even.
Now the fun question, am I a cyborg?
My body is not. I am totally biodegradable and have not been made part of the Borg collective. However, through technology people have created a space that is totally virtual. I don’t just mean the Internet, I also mean through telephones and television. And I cannot deny that I am, like everyone else, part of this space or at least part of me is. We are all part of a system, and can be thought of as part of a cyborg.
This unit has presented interesting ideas about the world we live in currently. My aim problem with it was the timing of the handouts. I think the research essay questions and what was expected of us out if the blog and webliography could have been given much earlier and would have made for a better unit.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Blog Evaluation
Heyyy
I chose this unit because I had done womens studies before and thought it would be another enjoyable unit to take. At first the idea of the blog seemed very daunting as I had never read or took part in any sort of blogging before. I looked at all the blog requirements and assignments and considered not staying in the unit as it was different from the typical english unit where you have to write 2 essays. Once I got the hang of it, I actually grew to like the idea of a blog, and am interested in starting my own one now, maybe in fashion? haha
I found the blog really interesting and useful for this unit and think it could be useful for any unit really. Posting tutorial presentations were useful because not only did it force me not to start it the night before but also it was a way for everyone in the tute to engage with the topics and have discussion. It was great how things discussed in the lectures and tutes could be posted up for everyone to see. I had done an annotated bibliography before so I liked having the chance to do the webliography as it was good practice for researching scholarly material online rather than books. I think that this unit has been beneficial and improved my research skills, technical skills and also knowledge of the internet. The topics were not only interesting and informative but they were very relatable to everyones lives ie(social networking/ethics). The readings and discussions were also really interesting.
In reference to the "Do I regard myself as a cyborg?" I don't think I do. I spend a lot of time on the internet and on sites like facebook, but the term cyborg holds connotations of a hybrid of human and machine, and I don't think of myself like that. In one of the earlier tutes we were talking about technologies like glasses and contact lenses . I don't think these artificial technologies make one a cyborg either, so in response to this question I do not regard myself as being a 'cyborg'.
I really enjoyed this unit :)
Thanks everyone!!
I chose this unit because I had done womens studies before and thought it would be another enjoyable unit to take. At first the idea of the blog seemed very daunting as I had never read or took part in any sort of blogging before. I looked at all the blog requirements and assignments and considered not staying in the unit as it was different from the typical english unit where you have to write 2 essays. Once I got the hang of it, I actually grew to like the idea of a blog, and am interested in starting my own one now, maybe in fashion? haha
I found the blog really interesting and useful for this unit and think it could be useful for any unit really. Posting tutorial presentations were useful because not only did it force me not to start it the night before but also it was a way for everyone in the tute to engage with the topics and have discussion. It was great how things discussed in the lectures and tutes could be posted up for everyone to see. I had done an annotated bibliography before so I liked having the chance to do the webliography as it was good practice for researching scholarly material online rather than books. I think that this unit has been beneficial and improved my research skills, technical skills and also knowledge of the internet. The topics were not only interesting and informative but they were very relatable to everyones lives ie(social networking/ethics). The readings and discussions were also really interesting.
In reference to the "Do I regard myself as a cyborg?" I don't think I do. I spend a lot of time on the internet and on sites like facebook, but the term cyborg holds connotations of a hybrid of human and machine, and I don't think of myself like that. In one of the earlier tutes we were talking about technologies like glasses and contact lenses . I don't think these artificial technologies make one a cyborg either, so in response to this question I do not regard myself as being a 'cyborg'.
I really enjoyed this unit :)
Thanks everyone!!
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Tute Presentation
Sorry for the late posting :(
Speculative Fabulations for Technoculture's Generations: Taking Care of Unexpected Country By Donna Haraway
Patricia Piccinini is an Australian artist concerned with exploring the world that exists between technology and nature, creating works that are hard to define as either “living or non-living, organic or technological, promising or threatening”. Donna Haraway’s essay uses Piccinini’s art and Deborah Bird Rose’s reports of Australian Aboriginal “country” and the custodial role humans play in it, to ask about the responsibilities and accountabilities we have when creating the land she calls “technoculture”.
Haraway draws on particular pieces of Piccinini’s to illustrate her point- Still Life with Stem Cells, Young Family and a pair of Nature's Little Helpers: Bodyguard (for the Helmeted Honeyeater) and Surrogate (for the Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat).
Haraway reminds us of the species introduced into Australia by settlers, such as the cane toad and the dingo, and the “unexpected country” that arose from these introductions. Piccinini’s Nature’s Little Helper series are speculative introduced creatures designed to help care for species at risk, often at risk because of introduced species. The possibility of unexpected consequences arising from these creatures too is apparent.
Haraway suggests the best way to understand the technocultural landscape is in a non-linear time model consistent with Aboriginal practices and ideas, rather than the colonial idea of a past running directly, linearly, into a future. This “flourishing present” allows people to practice “ongoing and effective care that stays alert to many sorts of history.”
I have formulated a lot of questions about this, but divided them into 2 broad discussions, with the aim of stimulating talk rather than directly answering the questions I have posited.
1st discussion
Haraway’s and Piccinini’s ideas of caring for these results of technology are seductive, but are they realistic? Is it possible to look in this non-linear fashion, or to regard the byproducts of science as our charges, our responsibilities? Can you think of some current examples of “unexpected country” in regards to technological advances affecting people? Given our track record with current, existing byproducts, what is the likelihood we will recognise these outcomes as our responsibility?
Examples: The discarded embryos in IVF, the 26 “failed” embryos and 2 dead infant lambs that preceded Dolly the sheep, Thalidomide, corn fields being used for ethanol fuel instead of food.
2nd discussion
“Looking after imperfect, messy, really existing, mortal beings is much more demanding-not to mention playful, intellectually interesting, and emotionally satisfying-than living the futuristic nightmare of techno-immortality.”
When we have thought of cyborgs or technology thus far it has been more about a fusion of digital or metal with flesh, or sometimes replacing flesh. What are Piccinini and Haraway’s take on this? Does this reconcile with Haraway’s Manifesto?
Post script
It is interesting to note that images of The Young Family circulated via email after it’s first exhibition, often with the sensationalist title “Human-dog hybrid!” (or human-pig) and dire warnings of how scientists are operating without ethics, playing “God”. The scene of this evil laboratory is often placed in non-Western “other” places, like Africa, China, Israel. Websites posting this picture are accompanied by reader comments such as “gross”, “disgusting”, “sick”, “unsettling”, “disturbing”, “ugly” and “sad”. Why such emotional responses? Why did the circulation for what appears to be shock value, without the message Piccinini intended, go viral? What does this visceral response say about the way we view, or will view, imperfect results of technology? How does this relate to the way we view imperfect results of nature? Do humans really prefer the “messy” job of caring?
Reflection
In response to the first question, I both liked and disliked certain aspects of the blog, which I would guess is probably similar to how most others felt. I thought it was a really good idea in theory and was complementary to the course material. I also liked the fact that the blog provided another way for me to express my ideas; I am not completely comfortable with talking in tutorials, and sometimes I need time to mull over a topic and my ideas about it before I can formulate a response to it. I'm of two minds about the fact that we were asked to submit our assignments on to the blog - I think it clogged it up and made it harder to read. Also I guess I'm a little shy about my work and I'm not sure that I liked putting it out there for everyone to see, although probably no one actually read it and since I knew I had to post it in public I probably put more effort into it, haha. As for learning purposes, I think the blog wasn't as good as tutorial discussions for actually learning about the course material, but I did find that I gained a bit of insight into the ways in which blogs work, which I suppose is relevant. I also liked the introductory posts where we shared a website we liked, because it was fun looking at what everyone posted - there was something different from everyone and I love finding out about cool new things like that.
Hmm.. Whether I consider myself a cyborg. Well I guess my understanding of what a cyborg was from courses I've previously taken was not a literal combination of body and machine, flesh and metal, but a more abstract idea that includes having a kind of oppositional consciousness that Haraway talks about and also taking part in a convergence or 'monstrosity' of different views, opinions, voices, etc. So in that case I would consider myself a cyborg, because in that sense I think anyone can be one really, if they want to. Even though I use a phone and have a computer and a Facebook and whatnot, I don't necessarily view those things as extensions or parts of myself - I could live without them. But I guess if simply using technology is considered being a cyborg, then I would say I definitely am - who isn't these days?
In general, I found the unit and the material we covered to be really interesting. It's so much easier to learn when you're actually interested in what someone's telling you. I also thought the work we did in the workshops was relevant to the lectures and demonstrated what we'd just learned in an interesting way. The reasons why I took it were because my home university doesn't offer anything of the sort, and I thought it would be interesting and different than the women's studies I've done at home, and in those respects I definitely wasn't disappointed.
See ya! :) - Emily
Hmm.. Whether I consider myself a cyborg. Well I guess my understanding of what a cyborg was from courses I've previously taken was not a literal combination of body and machine, flesh and metal, but a more abstract idea that includes having a kind of oppositional consciousness that Haraway talks about and also taking part in a convergence or 'monstrosity' of different views, opinions, voices, etc. So in that case I would consider myself a cyborg, because in that sense I think anyone can be one really, if they want to. Even though I use a phone and have a computer and a Facebook and whatnot, I don't necessarily view those things as extensions or parts of myself - I could live without them. But I guess if simply using technology is considered being a cyborg, then I would say I definitely am - who isn't these days?
In general, I found the unit and the material we covered to be really interesting. It's so much easier to learn when you're actually interested in what someone's telling you. I also thought the work we did in the workshops was relevant to the lectures and demonstrated what we'd just learned in an interesting way. The reasons why I took it were because my home university doesn't offer anything of the sort, and I thought it would be interesting and different than the women's studies I've done at home, and in those respects I definitely wasn't disappointed.
See ya! :) - Emily
Blah Blah Blogs.
As a blog for learning purposes, I suppose under this classification, the blog worked perfectly. However personally I am a bit deterred when it comes to having to update a blog as a part of a unit. I thought it worked well as an outlet for some students in this class, but I think that for me it was all a bit too formal. When I think of blogs, I don't think of "annotated webliographies" and essay style writing such as we have used in this blog.
All of my blog posts were written in a very structured, formal matter.
I think that if there is a way to make it less formal and perhaps more engaging then students might genuinely enjoy reading the blog. At the moment it seems very rigid.
Negatives aside, this blog was an easy outlet for assignment submission, (love online submission!) and it helped me better understand that there are many uses for online blogs.
I have definitly enjoyed playing with hyperlinks and font and all those fun things.
And since using this blog I have discovered a world of cooking blogs (woah!) which I now regularly check for tasty treats.
I'm getting off track now...
As for whether I see myself as a cyborg...
I agree with the following definition of a cyborg.The term cyborg is used to designate an organism which is a mixture of organic and synthetic parts so designed to enhance its abilities via technology.
Subsequently I do not feel at all linked to being a cyborg, as no part of me is synthetic. Technicalities out of the way, it has been interesting to compare myself to being a Cyborg as I understand how the ridiculous nature of technology in our culture is beginning to transform us this way. I fear for those whose lives have now become one with technology. It is those in danger of retreating into their own world of fantasy instead of engaging in the real world of relationships and concrete objects.
This unit has had a large impact on the way I position myself and technology. Every weeks tutorial has made me think more about our increasingly 'digital' world, and how I am largely a bi-product of it. It is sad how much time I spend online when I am bored, how some days I log into Facebook multiple times. But dwelling on these things wont do anything - understanding why our lives are this way has helped me find new ways of looking at technology.
No longer is it a threat to my personal security - it is instead a way for me to buy, sell and stay in contact with family overseas.
I think it is easy to get caught up in the doom and gloom surrounding the growth of the internet - but it is important to look at the positives before you find the negatives.
Peace! Emily x
All of my blog posts were written in a very structured, formal matter.
I think that if there is a way to make it less formal and perhaps more engaging then students might genuinely enjoy reading the blog. At the moment it seems very rigid.
Negatives aside, this blog was an easy outlet for assignment submission, (love online submission!) and it helped me better understand that there are many uses for online blogs.
I have definitly enjoyed playing with hyperlinks and font and all those fun things.
And since using this blog I have discovered a world of cooking blogs (woah!) which I now regularly check for tasty treats.
I'm getting off track now...
As for whether I see myself as a cyborg...
I agree with the following definition of a cyborg.The term cyborg is used to designate an organism which is a mixture of organic and synthetic parts so designed to enhance its abilities via technology.
Subsequently I do not feel at all linked to being a cyborg, as no part of me is synthetic. Technicalities out of the way, it has been interesting to compare myself to being a Cyborg as I understand how the ridiculous nature of technology in our culture is beginning to transform us this way. I fear for those whose lives have now become one with technology. It is those in danger of retreating into their own world of fantasy instead of engaging in the real world of relationships and concrete objects.
This unit has had a large impact on the way I position myself and technology. Every weeks tutorial has made me think more about our increasingly 'digital' world, and how I am largely a bi-product of it. It is sad how much time I spend online when I am bored, how some days I log into Facebook multiple times. But dwelling on these things wont do anything - understanding why our lives are this way has helped me find new ways of looking at technology.
No longer is it a threat to my personal security - it is instead a way for me to buy, sell and stay in contact with family overseas.
I think it is easy to get caught up in the doom and gloom surrounding the growth of the internet - but it is important to look at the positives before you find the negatives.
Peace! Emily x
blog evaluation
using this blog for learning purposes was a new experience for me, and one that i am quite neutral about.. It provides a different way to move through the unit yet i didn't see too much benefit to it.
almost everything on here we discussed in lectures and tutorials, except for points of interest that people found throughout the week. i guess it was just like using webct, just in a different environment. so i think it probably works for some, and not for others, but for me it was just a different way to keep updated on goings ons in the unit.
whether i regard myself as a cyborg or not, interesting question... when i think of cyborg i imagine a half being, half robot, like on the front of the unit outline but when i really think about, i guess we all kind of are cyborgs. in a technological sense, there is no way we could survive without it. if my phone dies/leave it home, i feel lost for the whole day- i feel out of the loop and like im missing a part of me (which really sounds quite sad). same with the internet, if my internet is down for the day, i find myself constantly checking its status to see whether its up or not! so in that sense, yes i think we are all cyborgs.
i found this unit to be pretty interesting, it raised some points that really made me think hard and consider different view points. i enjoyed the discussions we had in tutorials, i found everyone really engaged with them and all viewpoints were welcome.
now, to get back to this essay... ciao :-)
almost everything on here we discussed in lectures and tutorials, except for points of interest that people found throughout the week. i guess it was just like using webct, just in a different environment. so i think it probably works for some, and not for others, but for me it was just a different way to keep updated on goings ons in the unit.
whether i regard myself as a cyborg or not, interesting question... when i think of cyborg i imagine a half being, half robot, like on the front of the unit outline but when i really think about, i guess we all kind of are cyborgs. in a technological sense, there is no way we could survive without it. if my phone dies/leave it home, i feel lost for the whole day- i feel out of the loop and like im missing a part of me (which really sounds quite sad). same with the internet, if my internet is down for the day, i find myself constantly checking its status to see whether its up or not! so in that sense, yes i think we are all cyborgs.
i found this unit to be pretty interesting, it raised some points that really made me think hard and consider different view points. i enjoyed the discussions we had in tutorials, i found everyone really engaged with them and all viewpoints were welcome.
now, to get back to this essay... ciao :-)
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
So This Is It.
Being brutally honest, I have some trouble with the idea of blogs for learning purposes. I found that this blog worked exceptionally well. Everyone has contributed, and most beyond the required blog posts. Posts would be interesting to have a look at, and many raised interesting ideas or directed the reader to articles or web pages of interest. However, while it was an enjoyable experience, I struggle to see the learning purpose embodied within the blog. Besides providing an alternative environment to submit a copy of a tutorial presentation or an annotated bibliography/webliography, it did not seem to offer any substantial learning purpose. Some of the tasks, such as writing a reflection on newstory or blog came across more as busy work rather than a learning exercise.
I appreciate that the skills that are involved with reflecting on newstories, blogs, academic writing are very important to academic life. However, a blog is, to my mind, a more casual and relaxed atmosphere in engaging with ideas or thoughts. The way one writes a piece of academic writing (ie an essay) is substantially different to the way they might approach a blog post. I found that it was when people engaged with the blog with an interesting site they found or a thought they had that the blogging experience was most rich. Trawling through endless webliographies and newstory reflections detracted from the overall blogging experience. While the blog was an interesting and unique aspect of this unit, I did find there was, at times, a lack of learning purpose to the blog. It appears to be caught between, on the one hand, being a forum for ideas and interesting websites, and on the other being a way of submitting academic work. Blogs are an informal way of communicating, and it was when they were used as an extension of the tutorial space that the blog was most effective.
While we live in a technologically rich and dependant society, I still struggle to see myself as a cyborg. I, as much as anyone (if not more), engage with technology frequently. I am heavily reliant on my laptop, I always have my mobile phone with me and so forth. Technology is definitely part of my daily lives. However, I still (like to) think that I hold primacy. Neither my body nor existence is dependant or predicated upon technology. I do not have an cyborg arm that is controllable by someone (or something) else like Stelarc. I am capable of closing my laptop or turning my phone off without life stopping. I find that the concept of the cyborg is more of a theoretical or academic construct. Haraway’s Manifesto is just that, a manifesto. It does not offer any solutions or outcomes. Discussion of the cyborg is fascinating and thought provoking. However, it really inhabits a purely theoretical or academic realm for me.
I found this unit overall to be a really interesting and enjoyable unit. The lecture/workshop set up worked really well. Instead of being bombarded with content for 2 hours a week, having an hour to discuss and look over the finer areas of the course content made for a more engaging experience. The tutorials similarly worked really well. The tutorial presentations that facilitated discussion meant that there was always something to be said and there was never any silence that can be typical of other tutorials. Occasionally there tended to be a bit of overlap between the lectures – things like the visible human project and Stelarc kept popping up all the time and that was sometimes a bit repetitive. However, overall it was an interesting and thought provoking unit.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Week 12 Presentation
Flesh & Metal: reconfiguring the mindbody in virtual environments
- Focus on the idea of relation and posit (to assume the existence of) as the dynamic flux from which the body and embodiment emerge
- Relation:
• embodied experience arises from the constant engagement of our embodied interactions with the environment – change in environment = change in embodiment
• Technologically and information rich environment brings shifts in habits, postures, enactments – changes within our dynamic lifeworld
- Kinds of changes:
• Habits: proprioception-internal sense that gives us the feeling that we occupy our bodies, rather than possessing them
• i.e. computer game players: body boundaries intermingled with technological affordances- joystick is an unconscious extension of the hand
• Cognition: smart environments-cognition should not be seen as taking place in the brain alone.
• Extended mind-a characteristic of humans is to enroll objects into their cognitive systems
• We are cyborgs- human technology symbiots. Mind and selves are spread across biological brain and non biological circuitry
- Relation as enactment
• “the embodied mind” – Varela, Thompson and Rosch
• Living beings and their environments stand in relation to each other through mutual specifications
• Enaction: dynamic interplay between self and world
• Discussion of Virtual Reality environment: “Traces” -Simon Penny
Avatar interface- escape our bodies and move into transcendent spaces where we can avoid the ravages of time
• Connections to intelligent machines that enact the human-machine boundary as mutual emergence
- Relation as perception
• “the brightness confound” – Massumi
• Perception is ‘a singular confound of what are described empirically as separate dimensions of vision” - they are absolute
• Someone experiencing a hallucination would be unable to distinguish it from reality
• Discussion of Virtual Reality environment: “Einsteins Brain” project, Alan Dunning–the brain as a physical object considered in isolation from the world cannot account for the richness of human experience
- Relation as enculturation
• Discussion of Virtual Reality environment: “nØtime” – Victoria Vesna
• Insists on the distributed cognitive collaborations that construct it, especially the global community (internet)
• Simultaneously insists on importance of local interactions and proximity
• Idea: create avatars that could take over portions of our lives while we’re busy doing other things
• Enacts the human body as an emergent phenomenon coming into existence through multiple agencies: desires, social interactions
- Relation as the Posthuman
• VR artworks: realise the importance of emergent rationality in mind and body-transforming into the mindbody which is embedded in our relations with the techno world
• We do not exist in order to relate, rather, we relate in order that we may exist as fully realised human beings
- Focus on the idea of relation and posit (to assume the existence of) as the dynamic flux from which the body and embodiment emerge
- Relation:
• embodied experience arises from the constant engagement of our embodied interactions with the environment – change in environment = change in embodiment
• Technologically and information rich environment brings shifts in habits, postures, enactments – changes within our dynamic lifeworld
- Kinds of changes:
• Habits: proprioception-internal sense that gives us the feeling that we occupy our bodies, rather than possessing them
• i.e. computer game players: body boundaries intermingled with technological affordances- joystick is an unconscious extension of the hand
• Cognition: smart environments-cognition should not be seen as taking place in the brain alone.
• Extended mind-a characteristic of humans is to enroll objects into their cognitive systems
• We are cyborgs- human technology symbiots. Mind and selves are spread across biological brain and non biological circuitry
- Relation as enactment
• “the embodied mind” – Varela, Thompson and Rosch
• Living beings and their environments stand in relation to each other through mutual specifications
• Enaction: dynamic interplay between self and world
• Discussion of Virtual Reality environment: “Traces” -Simon Penny
Avatar interface- escape our bodies and move into transcendent spaces where we can avoid the ravages of time
• Connections to intelligent machines that enact the human-machine boundary as mutual emergence
- Relation as perception
• “the brightness confound” – Massumi
• Perception is ‘a singular confound of what are described empirically as separate dimensions of vision” - they are absolute
• Someone experiencing a hallucination would be unable to distinguish it from reality
• Discussion of Virtual Reality environment: “Einsteins Brain” project, Alan Dunning–the brain as a physical object considered in isolation from the world cannot account for the richness of human experience
- Relation as enculturation
• Discussion of Virtual Reality environment: “nØtime” – Victoria Vesna
• Insists on the distributed cognitive collaborations that construct it, especially the global community (internet)
• Simultaneously insists on importance of local interactions and proximity
• Idea: create avatars that could take over portions of our lives while we’re busy doing other things
• Enacts the human body as an emergent phenomenon coming into existence through multiple agencies: desires, social interactions
- Relation as the Posthuman
• VR artworks: realise the importance of emergent rationality in mind and body-transforming into the mindbody which is embedded in our relations with the techno world
• We do not exist in order to relate, rather, we relate in order that we may exist as fully realised human beings
Blog Evaluation Wk12
Hey guys,
Here is my week 12 post - the evaluation of the use of blogs for learning purposes.
First and foremost, I personally like the whole use of these blogs for learning purposes. The main reason for this is that it allows for class discussion outside of class time. During the tute’s each week, we have a short amount of time and it’s hard to cover everything in 45mins. These blogs allow us to share our thoughts as soon as we think of them, without having to wait until next week and forgetting them or thinking “damn I should have said that last week”. The blogs also encourage participation from everyone. For some people who are quiet and have a more reserved personality in class, the blogs act as a forum for them to express their opinions and speak up. The anonymity (well to an extent) of the blogs makes people feel more comfortable when expressing their ideas and thoughts. With everyone contributing to the blog, it becomes more interactive and interesting than class time, where the same people usually speak up. So all in all, I think the blogs are a great form of both learning and expression and I personally got a lot out of them because of this.
Secondly, in regards to whether I consider myself as a cyborg or, the answer is no. A cyborg is a being with both biological and artificial parts, and I do not possess the latter of these qualities. I don’t consider the computer/internet/blog to be a part of me, rather a tool that I use to explore, express and learn. I am an avid facebook user, but don’t consider facebook a part of me, I can go days at a time without logging in. So, yeah, I consider myself a user not a cyborg.
And lastly, the thing I liked most about the unit in general was, surprise surprise, the interactive nature of the online blogs. They added another element to the unit, making it available 24/7 rather than once or twice a week. In a way it become more exciting and involving. Seeing everyone come out of his or her shells throughout the blogs was also interesting.
So, the general gist of my evaluation is blogs are good. I can’t say that the use of them in this unit has inspired me to start my own blog, or even continue with blogging, but I did enjoy the process and though the unit, in general, was great.
It was great being part of your blogging community lol
Here is my week 12 post - the evaluation of the use of blogs for learning purposes.
First and foremost, I personally like the whole use of these blogs for learning purposes. The main reason for this is that it allows for class discussion outside of class time. During the tute’s each week, we have a short amount of time and it’s hard to cover everything in 45mins. These blogs allow us to share our thoughts as soon as we think of them, without having to wait until next week and forgetting them or thinking “damn I should have said that last week”. The blogs also encourage participation from everyone. For some people who are quiet and have a more reserved personality in class, the blogs act as a forum for them to express their opinions and speak up. The anonymity (well to an extent) of the blogs makes people feel more comfortable when expressing their ideas and thoughts. With everyone contributing to the blog, it becomes more interactive and interesting than class time, where the same people usually speak up. So all in all, I think the blogs are a great form of both learning and expression and I personally got a lot out of them because of this.
Secondly, in regards to whether I consider myself as a cyborg or, the answer is no. A cyborg is a being with both biological and artificial parts, and I do not possess the latter of these qualities. I don’t consider the computer/internet/blog to be a part of me, rather a tool that I use to explore, express and learn. I am an avid facebook user, but don’t consider facebook a part of me, I can go days at a time without logging in. So, yeah, I consider myself a user not a cyborg.
And lastly, the thing I liked most about the unit in general was, surprise surprise, the interactive nature of the online blogs. They added another element to the unit, making it available 24/7 rather than once or twice a week. In a way it become more exciting and involving. Seeing everyone come out of his or her shells throughout the blogs was also interesting.
So, the general gist of my evaluation is blogs are good. I can’t say that the use of them in this unit has inspired me to start my own blog, or even continue with blogging, but I did enjoy the process and though the unit, in general, was great.
It was great being part of your blogging community lol
Damien's E-learning and Digital Cultures Blog
Damien's E-learning and Digital Cultures Blog: "‘…the boundary between science fiction and social reality is an optical illusion’"
Great video of a N. Katherine Hayles lecture...
Great video of a N. Katherine Hayles lecture...
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Week 11 Tute Presentation: " ... Flexible Female Labour ..."
Hi everyone,
For this week’s tutorial I will be presenting Melissa Gregg’s article, “The Normalisation of Flexible Female Labour In The Information Economy”. In this discourse, Gregg discusses on the concept of flexible work commitments for women thus giving rise to the assumptions and stereotypes surrounding the ‘flexible’ working women.
In most of her discussions, Gregg has synthesized her theories based on her findings from advertisements associated with the Information Technology (eg. Microsoft Office programmes and telephone service providers). I find this aspect particularly appealing as it helps to illustrate her ideas clearly.
For this presentation, I would like to focus on these arguments: a) Flexibility as a double-edged sword, and the effects it has on family life, and b) the class factor of the female workforce.
As mentioned in her article, Gregg seems to suggest that there is a double standard in terms of the expectations of the flexibly working middle class women. The ‘freedom’ in the mobility of working anywhere, anytime is a double-edged sword as the increased convenience and contactability would imply a greater amount of work. Since the work-life distinction is blurred by the interception of public sphere into the private, do you think that there will be an even greater compromise of the family dynamics and quality of family life? For instance, a woman can be successfully working from home but at the expense of say, her family’s dinner – a KFC takeout for example because she doesn’t have enough time (due to the blurred distinction) to prepare a healthy meal for her children and husband.
In addition, Gregg’s viewpoint is that ‘middle-class women’s “choice” to work … is a choice reliant upon the very different form of flexible labour performed by women in other parts of the globe’ (p. 287), because things like household chores and caring duties are ‘increasingly being shuffled down the class hierarchy’ (p. 287). Do you think it is just that ‘flexible’ labour is a privilege enjoyed by those in the middle class, the ones who ‘can afford not to work full-time’ (p. 291), and at the expense of working women from less developed countries offering ‘manual’ labour? An example of this would be hiring a domestic worker (often from countries such as Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Myanmar, Philippines etc.) because the working mother has decided to focus more on her career thereby indicating that the work-life balance is not an ideal concept.
Another burgeoning question that came to mind as I was reading the article, who are the people behind the advertisements mentioned in Gregg’s article? The bunch of “creative” people – are they women? Are they mothers? If there really are mothers and women amongst them, do they adhere to the work-life concept since they belong to the creative industry? How are they coping with that lifestyle? Just a random thought!
Thank you all! xx
ps. If you are interested at all, Melissa Gregg has a blog! And from the clever title (Uncreative workplaces: home cooked theory) I'd say, it makes for an interesting read.
Monday, October 11, 2010
From Quake Grrls to Desperate Housewives
From Quake Grrls to Desperate Housewives: A decade of Gender and computer games (2008) Henry Jenkins and Justine Cassell.
This was an interesting article, about the progress of what the authors call the 'Girls Game movement' since their conference, organised in 1998 called 'From barbie to Mortal combat: Gender and Computer Games..'(later leading to their book also called this.) I will provide a quick summary of the key points!
The authors discuss the main goals and expectations that the girls game movement took shape around:
1.Economic -as a way for game companies to expand their market.
2.Technological -the shift from console games (nintendo etc) to home pc
3.Entrepreneurial
4.Aesthetic
5.Political -some argued in order to shift the computer from being coded as masculine, computer games might hold the key to getting girls engaged with computers at an early age. (I agreed with point five to some extent, however as the authors further develop this theory I was not so sure...but back to this later.)
Next the authors discuss the games that have been designed specifically aimed at the female market, such as 'Barbie Fashion Designer' and the 'Desperate Housewives' game and they ask if 'girls games where just another tool with which to construct a gender divide' rather than as a tool to enable equality for females in gaming culture.
They go on to discuss 'the Sims'- a game which may have represented a significant turning point in the relations between gender and computer games..as its female fanbase largely contributed to its top selling status, and they say it could fit into the gender-neutral catagory.
So that was a very brief summary..and these are some issues I was considering after reading and some questions:
There is not any reference to multi-player games like second life..and although I have not played these I would assume they may fit into the same category as the Sims in being 'gender neutral...' or is there even a potential for games to be completely gender neutral- both in terms of target audience and creation? (as the authors note the game design industry is also mostly dominated by males and in the 10 years since their conference they have seen no huge shift in this.)
Back to the point on computer games being a way to lure girls onto computers to become more teach savy..the authors discuss the theory that 'if girls could be interested in computer games and thereby in computers, they might be more willing to stay engaged with Science and engineering as they grow older.' I was thinking that this is quite an extreme assumption...and those girls who do chose to play games would already be tech savy, and the ones who where not tech savy may be more likely to learn computer skills via social networking sites and general websurfing than via computer games..?
The authors talk only of a western gaming culture, mainly the US…so what about Japan/asia etc? They note that 'Girls in Japan embrace games as another source of content that interests them, as they flows organically from one medium to the next…the game could be an ‘additional episode’ offering new insights into the characters and introducing new situations into the story.” My interpretation of this part of the article was that in Japan the Gender Gap in games culture is much smaller, because of the strong presence of anime and manga games in Japanese pop culture..is the authors Western view more representative of the global trend of gender and computer games? or is it possible that in fact females familiarity with games due to the idea of 'flowing organically from one medium to the next' could potentially apply to us too?
This was an interesting article, about the progress of what the authors call the 'Girls Game movement' since their conference, organised in 1998 called 'From barbie to Mortal combat: Gender and Computer Games..'(later leading to their book also called this.) I will provide a quick summary of the key points!
The authors discuss the main goals and expectations that the girls game movement took shape around:
1.Economic -as a way for game companies to expand their market.
2.Technological -the shift from console games (nintendo etc) to home pc
3.Entrepreneurial
4.Aesthetic
5.Political -some argued in order to shift the computer from being coded as masculine, computer games might hold the key to getting girls engaged with computers at an early age. (I agreed with point five to some extent, however as the authors further develop this theory I was not so sure...but back to this later.)
Next the authors discuss the games that have been designed specifically aimed at the female market, such as 'Barbie Fashion Designer' and the 'Desperate Housewives' game and they ask if 'girls games where just another tool with which to construct a gender divide' rather than as a tool to enable equality for females in gaming culture.
They go on to discuss 'the Sims'- a game which may have represented a significant turning point in the relations between gender and computer games..as its female fanbase largely contributed to its top selling status, and they say it could fit into the gender-neutral catagory.
So that was a very brief summary..and these are some issues I was considering after reading and some questions:
There is not any reference to multi-player games like second life..and although I have not played these I would assume they may fit into the same category as the Sims in being 'gender neutral...' or is there even a potential for games to be completely gender neutral- both in terms of target audience and creation? (as the authors note the game design industry is also mostly dominated by males and in the 10 years since their conference they have seen no huge shift in this.)
Back to the point on computer games being a way to lure girls onto computers to become more teach savy..the authors discuss the theory that 'if girls could be interested in computer games and thereby in computers, they might be more willing to stay engaged with Science and engineering as they grow older.' I was thinking that this is quite an extreme assumption...and those girls who do chose to play games would already be tech savy, and the ones who where not tech savy may be more likely to learn computer skills via social networking sites and general websurfing than via computer games..?
The authors talk only of a western gaming culture, mainly the US…so what about Japan/asia etc? They note that 'Girls in Japan embrace games as another source of content that interests them, as they flows organically from one medium to the next…the game could be an ‘additional episode’ offering new insights into the characters and introducing new situations into the story.” My interpretation of this part of the article was that in Japan the Gender Gap in games culture is much smaller, because of the strong presence of anime and manga games in Japanese pop culture..is the authors Western view more representative of the global trend of gender and computer games? or is it possible that in fact females familiarity with games due to the idea of 'flowing organically from one medium to the next' could potentially apply to us too?
Title: BLOG DISCUSSION on Culture Jamming
MARK DERY, “Culture Jamming: Hacking, Slashing and Sniping in the Empire of Signs.”
Summary: Mark Dery popularised the term “culture jamming” in 1993. His 2004 blog entry essentially provides a history of “culture jamming” and how it has evolved over time. The blog is split into two halves: signs and culture jamming. It is the second half of the blog which has the most relevance to the unit. He explains we all have the potential to be culture jammers. An example, is using your own camera recorder to document police brutality or government corruption. There are just so many examples. In Australia once a week on the ABC we have the short program Media Watch which disseminates all media outlets for the quality of information they provide.
Mark concludes by saying that many of us in the western world exist in an artificial environment which “culture jamming” has had to adapt to. Essentially, the desire of “culture jamming” is to create a dream community which is based on more than just luxury goods which are controlled by corporate organisations. He emphasises that “jammers insist on choice” which is not controlled by the corporate media.
Relevance: This blog has great importance to this unit WOMN2205. Especially, in which 9 when there was a huge emphasis on “culture jamming”. It takes a slightly different historical approach of jamming compared to the week 9 reading by Christine Harold “Pranking Rhetoric” by providing more of a history lesson. I would use both sources as they complement each other using many of the same examples like Joey Skaggs “Cathouse for dogs” example of culture jamming.
Credibility: The credibility of this blog shows in the excessive use of endnotes which is great for an academic source. Mark Dery provides a source for all the points in his article which shows he has done in depth research for this blog. He provides a consistent endnote bibliographic style which shows he understands the importance of consistency for referencing. At the end of the blog he thanks Bill Mullen, a professor at Youngstown Unveristy, which shows he has had at least one objective reader review his work. Also, Mark is a well known scholar he has lectured all over the world, even in Australia, on this idea of “culture jamming” and the new media. He continously writes articles for academic journals and edits books. At one point he was a professor in the Department of Journalism at the prestigious New York University. Essentially, he is an expert in this field of journalism and jamming. He would be a reliable source because of his long academic record which proves he has dedicated his career to researching jamming and media culture.
REFERENCE:
Dery, Mark. “Culture Jamming: Hacking, Slashing and Sniping in the Empire of Signs.” Mark Dery’s Blog, October 10 2004. http://www.markery.com/archives/books/culture_jamming/(accessed 8 October 2010).
MARK DERY, “Culture Jamming: Hacking, Slashing and Sniping in the Empire of Signs.”
Summary: Mark Dery popularised the term “culture jamming” in 1993. His 2004 blog entry essentially provides a history of “culture jamming” and how it has evolved over time. The blog is split into two halves: signs and culture jamming. It is the second half of the blog which has the most relevance to the unit. He explains we all have the potential to be culture jammers. An example, is using your own camera recorder to document police brutality or government corruption. There are just so many examples. In Australia once a week on the ABC we have the short program Media Watch which disseminates all media outlets for the quality of information they provide.
Mark concludes by saying that many of us in the western world exist in an artificial environment which “culture jamming” has had to adapt to. Essentially, the desire of “culture jamming” is to create a dream community which is based on more than just luxury goods which are controlled by corporate organisations. He emphasises that “jammers insist on choice” which is not controlled by the corporate media.
Relevance: This blog has great importance to this unit WOMN2205. Especially, in which 9 when there was a huge emphasis on “culture jamming”. It takes a slightly different historical approach of jamming compared to the week 9 reading by Christine Harold “Pranking Rhetoric” by providing more of a history lesson. I would use both sources as they complement each other using many of the same examples like Joey Skaggs “Cathouse for dogs” example of culture jamming.
Credibility: The credibility of this blog shows in the excessive use of endnotes which is great for an academic source. Mark Dery provides a source for all the points in his article which shows he has done in depth research for this blog. He provides a consistent endnote bibliographic style which shows he understands the importance of consistency for referencing. At the end of the blog he thanks Bill Mullen, a professor at Youngstown Unveristy, which shows he has had at least one objective reader review his work. Also, Mark is a well known scholar he has lectured all over the world, even in Australia, on this idea of “culture jamming” and the new media. He continously writes articles for academic journals and edits books. At one point he was a professor in the Department of Journalism at the prestigious New York University. Essentially, he is an expert in this field of journalism and jamming. He would be a reliable source because of his long academic record which proves he has dedicated his career to researching jamming and media culture.
REFERENCE:
Dery, Mark. “Culture Jamming: Hacking, Slashing and Sniping in the Empire of Signs.” Mark Dery’s Blog, October 10 2004. http://www.markery.com/archives/books/culture_jamming/(accessed 8 October 2010).
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Title: ‘Clementi Tragedy: ‘Tech Teens’ Lust to Expose Isn’t Same as Gay-Bashing’
Author: Sandip Roy
Citation: Roy, Sandip, ‘Clementi Tragedy: ‘Tech Teens’ Lust to Expose Isn’t Same as Gay-Bashing’, New America Media, published 01-10-10, accessed 09-10-10
Type: Opinion Piece, online newspaper
Author: Sandip Roy
Citation: Roy, Sandip, ‘Clementi Tragedy: ‘Tech Teens’ Lust to Expose Isn’t Same as Gay-Bashing’, New America Media, published 01-10-10, accessed 09-10-10
Type: Opinion Piece, online newspaper
Summary
This article deals with the suicide of Tyler Clementi, an American freshman college student. His roommate, Dharun Ravi and Ravi’s friend Molly Wei filmed him during a ‘sexual encounter’ with his boyfriend and broadcast the encounter on the internet without Clementi’s consent. While most articles on the subject detail as best they can the sequence of events, or the homophobia that they presume motivate Ravi and Wei’s actions, this article considers the possibility that it was a desire to publicise their lives and a lack of consideration for the significance and consequences of their actions that enticed them to act. In essence, Roy seems to believe they were playing a game. Clementi’s last message to his family and the world was posted on his facebook page – “jumping off the gw bridge, sorry”.
Relevance
Importance (update, new)
This article has two main areas that I think make valuable contributions to our discussions about blogging and internet culture. The first is the importance of the social sphere’s extension into the internet and the impact of the internet and cyber-bullying back into everyday life. The second is how difficult it can be to negotiate the two.
Key Phrases
“A sort of online game of showmanship and truth-or-dare with ever higher stakes. Privacy meant nothing. It was just a game and they needed to outfox Clementi to get to the next level.”
“It’s as if we get more points in our virtual worlds if we catch our friends in flagrante delicto. We are perpetually on candid camera, playing gotcha with our webcams.”
“They were not even trying to out him. They just wanted the world to see him online with his pants down. They wanted to tweet about it.”
“It's just life in the online world where everything is fair game and privacy is just a Facebook option”
Issues
Some of the issues raised by this post include those around sexuality, race, privacy, breach of privacy, consent, and the ‘game’ aspect of Ravi and Wei’s conduct.
Some of the issues raised by this post include those around sexuality, race, privacy, breach of privacy, consent, and the ‘game’ aspect of Ravi and Wei’s conduct.
Use in forming argument
The way the social lives of the ‘characters’ (for lack of a better word) in this article, like many other young people, are intermeshed with the internet seems to me an example of a modern take on a cyborg. In an essay, I would take this as an example of internet culture and use it to show how people who’ve grown up with access to the internet struggle with boundaries between public and private, RL and internet life. However, when reading this article it’s important to keep in mind that the ‘characters’ were one month into their freshman year of college and that environment and social pressure probably also helped to blur those boundaries.
Critical Evaluation
Character
Edition/revision – 1st (blog/opinion piece)
Bibliography – N/A (blog/opinion piece)
Evidence – Opinion piece (isn’t really evidence based)
Writing – largely emotive – the author is speaking about a subject close to his heart
Currency
Date – this article was published on the 1st of October this year, making it very current.
Links – the website the article is hosted on is updated regularly
Location – The article is hosted on New American Media, a media outlet which focuses around news and issues which concern non-white ethnicities. As far as I can tell it does not print a paper copy. They work with the community through youth development programs, seminars and so forth.
Intention
The intended audience of this article seems to be people from a similar racial background (given the balance of news stories) – and potentially sexuality – as the author. The article does not seem to be aimed at young people, given that the language is critical without directly addressing the message to them. The article also seems to be aimed at consumers of mainstream media who attribute the attack to homophobia.
Authority
Author
Roy is an editor of New America Media and hosts and comments on radio shows.
His work has appeared in multiple newspapers across the world as well as a number of anthologies. He is of Indian extract and gay which makes him uniquely qualified to comment on this topic.
Publisher
New America Media is a popular rather than academic source. See above under ‘location’ for more.
Reflection of a Blog
Ellis, Lindsey. 2010, Playing God, 20 August 2010, Nostalgia Chick, Available from:
Relevance:
Importance: The video blog Nostaliga Chick is available through the website That Guy with the Glasses and is very popular on the Internet. Ellis, as the Nostalgia Chick presents several ideas from the world of science fiction that has relevance to the unit but also is a relevant character herself. Similar to JenniCam Ellis has a presence on the Internet that could not be reached on the same level if she was another faceless blogger and is a female character is a mainly male dominated space, not only the site but also the Internet in general.
What: The blog outlines some of the most widely used themes in science fiction and how mostly they seem to be things that are, or would be, avoidable which leads to the helpful list of how to survive in a science fiction movie. Through this Ellis brings up good points about speculative science fiction. It also outlines how there are different types of science fiction and they each create different representations of science. This brings up some questions that Elli does not address such as; why do we seem to contradict our representations of science? Why has no one yet figured out the steps to survive and incorporated them into a movie?
Issues: I agree with what Ellis says however I think she could have gone into each of her points as far as she does with the final argument about the representations of robots with souls. There doesn’t seem to be a final point made.
While I understand that this is an emotive and entertainment blog, rather than an article, it would make Ellis a more creditable source if she included a reference list and not just her twitter account.
For Forming Argument: Ellis is a primary source and is an interesting example of Internet phenomena. Jokes aside, she does raise a number of good points about the typical plot conventions used in science fiction. Not only could her blog be used as an example and source, the character Nostaliga Chick created by Ellis would also make an interesting example to use in an argument about technology and people’s relationship with it. The entire series is done more for entertainment then any real intellectual critiquing. However, it is important to note that the website it is on is very popular and receives visitors from all over the Internet so what is being said is being listened to by a lot of people and could be very influential.
Relationship to other references: While there are no secondary sources mentioned in the blog there are a number of films given as examples including I, Robot, The Hulk, Blade Runner and Ellis even mentions the classic literature version of Frankenstein rather then just the film. I have to admit, it does rather remind of the readings from week 3, especially Campbell’s “Future Sex: Cyborg Bodies and the Politics of Meaning” (a link to Emma's summary in case you've forgotten) and as mentioned above I think there are some similarities between JenniCam and the Nostalgia Chick, possible due to both being presence on the Internet since the two have very different contexts.
Critical Evaluation:
Character:
Title- Playing God
Type- Video Blog
Secondary Source, but should be used as a primary source due to lack of sources and references used to support argument.
No bibliography other than the names of the movies mentioned.
Comments are majority in agreement.
Style is emotive.
Currency: Date: 20/10/2010. Very current, even mentions the recent movie Spliced (which only had a wide released in 2010, June 4).
Location: That Guy With The Glasses, popular reviewing website.
Intention:
Author: Lindsay Ellis.
The audience intended would have to be people who use the Internet as an informal recreational tool and be interested in the science fiction genre. While science fiction is more universal, I think it's a safe assumption that the majority of Ellis’s audience would be reasonable young adults.
Authority: Although there isn't a lot of information on the website, Ellis’s always posts a link to her Twitter account at the end of her videos and from there it’s easy to find her other website, which is more of a traditional blog. Ellis is a master’s student at University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts so it can be assumed that she already has some formal education about cinematic. However, most of what Ellis mentions in the video blog is her personal opinion.
Publisher/source: That Guy With the Glasses is very popular on the Internet but it is a pop culture website. It is run by Doug Walker, known on the site mostly as the Nostalgia Critic.
Note: This blog contains an interesting view of the world of science fiction and what affect it has on the scientific community but it should be treated with skepticism as it is not a scholarly site. It’s an interesting place to start from and the people who write/create videos for the site are just as fascinating as what they write about. However, I would claim that Ellis, by far, provides the most intellectual videos.
Week 10 Blog Reflection
Hussey, Tris. Read Opera Manga, Now on Your iPhone Posted on Oct 06th 2010 http://thenextweb.com/ca/2010/10/06/read-opera-manga-now-on-your-iphone/ (accessed 08/09/2010)
Relevance:
Why did I choose this? During my research on the racial representations of Cyborgs for the Webliography, I constantly encountered websites and journal articles about Manga due to the regular inclusion of cyborgs in Japanese Manga films and comic books. This particular blog entry discusses the creation of online Manga versions of Opera shows performed at Vancouver Opera, and the introduction of a new iPhone app especially for these. Although brief and informal, it touches on a few themes that I considered relevant-especially the switch from print text to screen text (manga comics being produced for viewing online rather than in comic book form) It also coincidently refers to ‘Madame Butterfly’ –discussed in the beginning of semester.
Key words or phrases: ‘Opera Manga’ ‘bringing the manga to the small screen ‘iPhone app’ ‘app that is being offered for free’
Issues (agree/ disagree?): I think the possibility to preview an opera that has not only been translated into cartoon, but also made available to read via mobile phone may be very exciting for many people, and is able to introduce fans of Manga to Opera and vice versa.. Maybe as an addition to watching the opera rather than as an alternative! The author acknowledges this as he admits to having seen the original opera twice already..as justification for looking up the manga version online.
Use in formatting argument: Hussey poses questions for the readers to consider however does not explore too deply the issues with the topic that potentially could be discussed, or argue strongly for any one side. He brings up themes worth researching further.
Critical Evaluation:
1. Character : The Source title is ‘TNW Canada’ (The Next Web Canada) which is an online blog. The writing style is informal, and information provided is mainly factual. The author briefly expresses his opinion on the topic however does not provide readers with a complex analysis of these facts.
2. Currency: Published on the 6th October 2010 in Canada making it very current. This blog is updated with new articles almost daily, and a link to view tweets on the article.
3. Intention: This blog is addressing an audience who is interested in ‘technology news, review and analysis, with a focus on startups and Internet companies.’ While the author of this particular article is writing for the intention of a more select group of readers who may be interested in Opera, Manga, and the use of this new iPhone application.
4. Authority: The author introduces himself as 'Author, speaker, teacher, & Internet rogue. Author of Create Your Own Blog, Using WordPress, & Teach Yourself Foursquare in 10 Minutes.' While the source- via the home page of the Next Web Canada- claims to be 'part of the ever-growing and ever-more popular The Next Web network of global tech blogs.' Anone can apply to contribute to The Next Web although the current contributors seem to be mainly authors and journalists.
Notes: The author notes that he has not read one of the Mangas to this point… ‘because of having to read it on screen on my laptop. Now with it on my iPhone (and iPad!) I’m going to give this a read...’ implying that the new iPad is serving its purpose in replacing traditional print texts. I must admit that I watch the new iPad advert quite critically because personally Im not yet ready to make the shift to reading magazines and books from the screen of an iPad or iPhone, no matter how convienient these new technologies might be, however this article reminds me people who share my view are becoming more and more in the minority!
Relevance:
Why did I choose this? During my research on the racial representations of Cyborgs for the Webliography, I constantly encountered websites and journal articles about Manga due to the regular inclusion of cyborgs in Japanese Manga films and comic books. This particular blog entry discusses the creation of online Manga versions of Opera shows performed at Vancouver Opera, and the introduction of a new iPhone app especially for these. Although brief and informal, it touches on a few themes that I considered relevant-especially the switch from print text to screen text (manga comics being produced for viewing online rather than in comic book form) It also coincidently refers to ‘Madame Butterfly’ –discussed in the beginning of semester.
Key words or phrases: ‘Opera Manga’ ‘bringing the manga to the small screen ‘iPhone app’ ‘app that is being offered for free’
Issues (agree/ disagree?): I think the possibility to preview an opera that has not only been translated into cartoon, but also made available to read via mobile phone may be very exciting for many people, and is able to introduce fans of Manga to Opera and vice versa.. Maybe as an addition to watching the opera rather than as an alternative! The author acknowledges this as he admits to having seen the original opera twice already..as justification for looking up the manga version online.
Use in formatting argument: Hussey poses questions for the readers to consider however does not explore too deply the issues with the topic that potentially could be discussed, or argue strongly for any one side. He brings up themes worth researching further.
Critical Evaluation:
1. Character : The Source title is ‘TNW Canada’ (The Next Web Canada) which is an online blog. The writing style is informal, and information provided is mainly factual. The author briefly expresses his opinion on the topic however does not provide readers with a complex analysis of these facts.
2. Currency: Published on the 6th October 2010 in Canada making it very current. This blog is updated with new articles almost daily, and a link to view tweets on the article.
3. Intention: This blog is addressing an audience who is interested in ‘technology news, review and analysis, with a focus on startups and Internet companies.’ While the author of this particular article is writing for the intention of a more select group of readers who may be interested in Opera, Manga, and the use of this new iPhone application.
4. Authority: The author introduces himself as 'Author, speaker, teacher, & Internet rogue. Author of Create Your Own Blog, Using WordPress, & Teach Yourself Foursquare in 10 Minutes.' While the source- via the home page of the Next Web Canada- claims to be 'part of the ever-growing and ever-more popular The Next Web network of global tech blogs.' Anone can apply to contribute to The Next Web although the current contributors seem to be mainly authors and journalists.
Notes: The author notes that he has not read one of the Mangas to this point… ‘because of having to read it on screen on my laptop. Now with it on my iPhone (and iPad!) I’m going to give this a read...’ implying that the new iPad is serving its purpose in replacing traditional print texts. I must admit that I watch the new iPad advert quite critically because personally Im not yet ready to make the shift to reading magazines and books from the screen of an iPad or iPhone, no matter how convienient these new technologies might be, however this article reminds me people who share my view are becoming more and more in the minority!
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Reflection: "Facebook hacker jailed after falsely accusing boyfriend of rape"
Date: 6 May 2010 Type: Newspaper article accessed online through Telegraph.co.uk
Reference Details:
Bloxham, Andy. “Facebook hacker jailed after falsely accusing boyfriend of rape”,Telegraph.co.uk. 6 May 2010, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/facebook/7685381/Facebook-hacker-jailed-after-falsely-accusing-boyfriend-of-rape.html (viewed 8 October 2010).
Relevance
Importance (why):
This article is relevant to a few topics in the units such as virtual ethics as well as online communities. With the recent tutorial discussion regarding ‘Facebook rape’ following on Dibbell’s article “A Rape in Cyberspace…”, this newspaper article seems to offer both meanings of ‘rape’: first being sexual assault, and second being ‘the access of a Facebook account by a third party, unknown to the account's owner, which alters and adds humiliating or otherwise derogatory words to the account's profile for the purpose of a prank. The act usually takes place between friends after one leaves their Facebook account logged in’ (urbandictionary.com).
What (key words or phrases):
In this article, Bloxham reports on an English woman, Zoe Williams, who had falsely accused her ex-boyfriend of rape, and had ‘Facebook raped’ his account on the social network to bolster her complaints when the police failed to take grave action.
“she tried to set up her ex-boyfriend … accused him of raping her several times after the end of their five-year relationship,”
“She felt the police were not taking seriously the complaints of rape she made … so she decided to invent this message and sent it to herself … strengthen her complaint.”
“the false allegation was very serious … gave an impression that a potential defendant was interfering with a witness involved with a charge of rape,”
Issues (agree/disagree):
With any other type of fakery, I agree that this was a very serious form of accusation which could prove to be detrimental to the welfare of her ex-partner. I would also have to agree that even though ‘Facebook rape’ is known to provide entertainment among friends, most of what is altered on the victim’s account are equally untrue, and the whole idea of hijacking someone’s account should not be taken lightly as there is a possibility of harming someone.
On the other hand, I was taken aback to find out that what had fuelled Williams’ action was because she felt that the police department had not looked into the matter carefully. Had the allegations been proven true, this would highlight the ineffectiveness of the police. If they have had investigated the matter earlier, and with more aggression, the ‘Facebook rape’ would not have happened.
Use in formatting argument:
Support + example
This article would prove useful in the discussion of virtual ethics, and the issue of privacy as well as in discussing virtual networks and the social issues surrounding them.
Relationship to other references:
Support + example
As mentioned in the above, the information found in this article could be used to support Adam’s claim in the article “Cyberstalking: Gender and computer ethics” with regard to the escalating electronic invasions of privacy.
In addition, the ‘Facebook rape’ issue could be linked to Dibbel’s article on “A Rape in Cyberspace…” where the virtual body is assaulted and should therefore be taken into grave consideration, since virtual body is an extension of the physical body. A Facebook account is not merely an avatar, but a representation of who a person is.
Critical Evaluation
1. Character
Reliable: Yes – Andy Bloxham is a news reporter and assistant news editor of the Daily Telegraph UK
Source Title: "Facebook hacker jailed after accusing boyfriend of rape”
Type: Online newspaper article
Writing style: Informative with emotive quotes from Judge
2. Currency
Date: 6 May 2010
Location: Published by the Telegraph Media Group Limited which is based in the UK, where the event took place.
3. Intention
Credible: Yes
Author: Bloxham reports the account in an unbiased and informative fashion so as to provide factual evidence instead of sensationalizing the event. However, the exemption of the word ‘ex’ from the term ‘boyfriend’ in the title as well as the description of Williams, the charged, as ‘a young mother’ seem to invoke a negative pre-conceived idea of Williams and her actions.
Audience: Internet users, readers of the online newspaper.
Source: Telegraph.co.uk, the online format of the Daily Telegraph UK – a daily broadsheet newspaper available in the UK and internationally.
4. Authority
Reliable: Yes
Author: Andy Bloxham
Credentials: Bloxham is news reporter and the assistant news editor for the Daily Telegraph UK.
Expertise: Bloxham writes on both local and international issues, but specializes on breaking international stories.
References: He has written several articles in the newspaper, and also has a twitter account which he regularly updates with breaking news.
Institution: N/a
Address: N/a
Cited by: N/a
Publisher/Source: Telegraph.co.uk
Credentials/Expertise: Telegraph.co.uk is the online format of the UK-based broadsheet newspapers the Daily Telegraph and Sunday Telegraph, both of which are distributed in the UK as well as internationally.
Reliable: Yes
Notes
I found this article really interesting and it caught my attention amongst many other newstory and blog entries on ‘Facebook rape’. I particularly like it as it demonstrates the varied meanings of ‘rape’, although as with many other people I seem to think that invading someone’s Facebook account while they are away from the laptop and posting inappropriate status updates should not be represented with the ‘rape’. It did however, give me an alternative viewpoint on how ‘Facebook rape’ is a serious issue and should not be taken for granted – that is as a pure and immature form of entertainment.
Friday, October 8, 2010
Women fuel $4bn casual games industry
Reference Details:
Maryann Wright (2010), Women fuel $4bn casual games industry, News.com.au, <http://www.news.com.au/technology/women-fuel-4bn-casual-games-industry/story-e6frfro0-1225935831836> (viewed 8 October 2010)
Relevance
Importance: The games industry is considered to be traditionally a male domain. The article asserts new personal technology and new genres of games have boosted women’s participation in gaming, and developers have recognised the importance of targeting women when developing and marketing games. The article demonstrates updated information regarding women’s increasing participation in gaming, but supports old information regarding gender stereotyping.
Keywords/phrases: stereotypes; technology; computer games; female audience; casual gamer; hardcore gamer.
Issues: While it may seem an important step towards gender equality to have seemingly equal numbers of men and women accessing recreational technology, the underlying assumptions about gender remain. The article’s author and the people consulted assert women are more interested in “cooperation, negotiation, problem-solving, and reflection”, and are overwhelmed by “flashy content” and “pressure-filled situations”. Many game titles referenced demonstrate inherent gender-stereotyping: Bejewelled, Sally’s Salon, Diner Dash, Dream Day Wedding. One of the interviewed gamers was “hardcore” before having children, thus pointing out the article’s major flaw - that women do participate in non-casual games.
Use in forming argument: This article serves to show that games developers believe women play more “casual” games than “hardcore” games. From the point of view of games developers and potential profit, it makes sense to create gendered games and market them to women. This article could be used as an example of the interference of market forces in the pursuit of gender equality through technology, as marketing to women via stereotypes also reinforces them. It could also be a critical analysis of interpreting the internet news and the assumptions of gender it portrays to a non-critical audience. Many of the comments on the article are also useful, as they provide a sample of public reaction to the information. As of my viewing of this article, 8 out of 18 comments refuted the information in some way.
Relationship to other references: The article cites no references. The article quotes statistics regarding growth and worth of industry and user numbers of Farmville, but does not say how or where these were obtained, merely “Source: Supplied” at the top of the text. That women are casual and not hardcore gamers seems to be supported by articles such as this one from 2006, which provides links to several studies. However, a newer study by Nielsen showed that in 2008 over 38% of World of Warcraft players aged between 25-54 were females, and that the top 6 titles played by both genders in this age group were casual. This article appears selective in it’s presentation of data.
Critical Evaluation
1. Character:
- Title- Women fuel $4bn casual games industry.
- Type - Online news article.
- Secondary source.
- Initial edition of news story - not a revision of a previous version.
- No bibliography, although the names and position of authority of the people quoted are stated. No links to source of data.
- Scarce evidence provided, working on assumptions. Position refuted by commenters.
- Writing style is not scholarly. Style is journalistic, opinion based, biased, contains stereotypes that may be considered outdated. (commenter 1 of 118, “Who thinks most gamers are teenage boys? Only people who live under a rock...”; see also the Nielsen study)
- Date is current. Location not specified, although one person quoted is a Sydney University lecturer. Website is Australian news company. Location is not very important to this topic.
- The links on this website are current.
- The author has no links provided on the article.
- The audience are perusers of internet news, possibly with an interest in technology as that is the subheading this article falls under. It is not intended for a scholarly audience.
- The inclusion at the bottom of the article of a link to “news.com.au’s new games section” suggests this article doubles as an advertisement.
- The author’s twitter account states “Media and communications student at the University of Sydney, junior journalist at news.com.au”. The author is not a particularly notable or credible authority on the subject.
- News.com.au is a widely read, general, popular news website. It contains articles reprinted from many local and international news corporations and sources. It does not generally contain referenced, peer-reviewed, scholarly articles, although some other articles have provided links to credible sources. It often does not provide authors or sources for its articles.
Notes
This article is best viewed with skepticism. From a scholarly point of view, this article says more about the newsmedia’s presentation of the subject than it does about the actual subject, and could be used as an example of such. I have chosen this article to highlight the dangers of indiscriminately using news articles as a source of credible information.
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