KCB201 WK6 Tell me more, Tell me more...Information, Education and Work

This weeks reading contained many themes that I could consider in today’s blog. However Castells theory of "timeless time" (Castells 1999, 405) is one I would first like to unpack. Castells hypothesises that the dominant logic of a network society is characterised by a relentless effort to annihilate time (Castells 1999, 405). He further argues that as time is measured by the succession of things the use of technology to compress years into seconds and so on suggests that time becomes an outdated concept within this society. The suggestion that within network society we can live “all our tenses at the same time” (Castells 1999, 405) suggests that time can be eliminated altogether. I agree that networks and new technology can compress the traditional concepts of time and space by connecting people with both, other people, concepts and products. However, I cannot agree that the concept of time can be eliminated by technology. Time is essentially a measurement and while technology may continue to compress more and more content and communication into each fraction of this measurement, it cannot eliminate the concept altogether. Indeed, I believe Castells makes this argument himself when he cites a fundamental societal struggle around “the redefinition of time” (Castells 1999, 406) where society members balance technological advancements with tradition biological concepts of time.

References:

Castells, M. 1999. Chapter 21: An introduction to the Information Age. In The media reader: continuity and transformation, ed. H. Mackay and T. O'Sullivan, 398-410. London: Sage Publications.

KCB201 Week 5 “Vital Signs of Life”: Maintaining Visibility on Social Stage

Social Networking Sites (SNS) are promoted as places to build networks of friends and stay in touch with friends, family and acquaintances. However, the nature of the sites featuring a digitalized presentation of self and a public display of connections lead many users to treat the domain as a performance space. Often, "displays can be done as a way of gaining social capital" (Donath, Boyd 2004, 72) and this is no more clearly displayed than by an analysis of the list of social connections on many users profiles. Many users will deliberately aim to gain notoriety by displaying connections with high profile acquaintances whether or not they have a real connection or relationship with those people outside of an online environment. This performance is not limited though to ones display of social connections. Many users also perform via their behaviour in the online space with "some exchanges, constructed with an awareness of the users beyond the glass walls and play to them, exchanging information and ideas using common signs and symbols" (Pearson 2009). This equally promotes the users depiction of self, rather than the true self that exists away from the online sphere. It is clear then that while SNS provide platforms for users to interact with others and promote online versions of themselves to their extended network, those depictions may be more of a performance piece than a true representation of the user’s identity.

References:

Donath, J and D, Boyd. 2004. Public Displays of Connection. BT Technology Journal, 22 (4): 71-82.

Pearson, E. 2009. All the World Wide Web’s a stage: the Performance of Identity in Online Social Networks. First Monday, 14 (3)

"MyFace" or "Do you know what I did 5 seconds ago"

The fascination by many people in the digital age to project representations of themselves into cyberspace, leads to discussion over what factors contribute to the concept of self. Thompson challenges existing concepts by suggesting "the self is a symbolic project that the individual actively constructs" (Thompson 1995, 210). Thompson argues that unlike structuralist approaches that suggest self is determined by external factors, individuals actively engage with the world to create and nurture their own determination of self. More recently "the communication media has had a profound impact on the formation of self" (Thompson 1995, 211) as individuals increase their online presence and activity. Moreover, the freedom provided by the online environment allows individuals to alter or evolve their digital representations as often as they choose. Unlike the historical painted self portraits of previous generations that provide snapshots of both individuals and cultures of the past, today’s "self-portraits are democratic and digital" (Rosen 2007, 15) and by their very nature pliable. This ability to adapt our online representations to suit our changing attitudes and opinions suggest Thompson’s symbolic project is perhaps more relevant in this democratised digital world than ever before.

References:

Thompson, J. 1995. The Self as a Symbolic Project. In The Media and Modernity: a social theory of the media, 209-219. Cambridge: Polity Press.

Rosen, C. 2007. Virtual Friendship and New Narcissism. The New Atlantis: A Journal of Technology and Science, 17 Summer: 15-31.

KCB102 Week 3 Branding Me: Viral Marketing, Buzz and Word-of-mouth

To many people, online digital representations or Avatars are a foreign concept seemingly common to social misfits who spend many of their waking hours playing computer games and avoiding real social contact. It has also been argued that prolonged sedentary behaviour such as playing video games and interacting in online worlds can have a negative effect on health and wellbeing. Recent studies however have challenged this belief suggesting the "Proteus Effect" (Dean, Cook, Keating, Murphy 2009) is present, meaning "users in online environments may conform to the expectations and stereotypes of the identity of their avatars" (Dean, Cook, Keating, Murphy 2009). The suggestion then, is that it is possible that users who create fit, athletic avatars to represent themselves in an online environment may be having a positive effect on their health and fitness in real life. While Yee and Bailenson's (2007) research did not suggest a causal link between avatar representations and exercise, they did find evidence to support their hypotheses. The preliminary findings that "People who are physically active in SL are also physically active in real life, and people with thinner avatars have lower real life BMIs" (Dean, Cook, Keating, Murphy 2009), perhaps poses more questions than it answers about the relationship between our real lives and our online representations of self. Further research will undoubtedly follow as society continues to become more and more plugged in.

References:

Dean, E. Cook, S. Keating, M. and Murphy, J. 2009. Does this Avatar Make Me Look Fat?: Obesity and Interviewing in Second Life. Journal of Virtual Worlds Research, 2 (2): 4-11.

KCB102 Wk 2 Let me Entertain you

Some technological advancements filter slowly into social consciousness, while others automatically attract a subculture of users and quickly gain popularity to become part of mainstream society. Facebook and Youtube are examples of software applications that fit with the latter concept, while the IPod is a device that has quickly developed an important status for many in 21st century society. However, the widespread acceptance of the IPod has led to it becoming so much more than just a portable music device. Levy (2006, 23), notes that the design of the IPod as a portable device and the transparency of the screen allows users to easily broadcast their music tastes. Theoretically this device was designed to mobilise people's music libraries, however while achieving this it has also has contributed to a sub-cultural movement where one's "playlist is character" (Levy 2006, 5). Media devices then can have a more complex impact on society and individuals than their seemingly simplistic initial design purpose. McLuhan (1965, 8) argues that "the content of any medium is always another medium", which when related to the IPod example suggests that the content, i.e. Playlist, is a medium itself that also sends a message. New media technologies are therefore subject to their own evolutionary process where human creativity challenges the perceived limitations of new devices.


References:



Levy, S. 1996. Identity. In The perfect thing: how the ipod shuffles commerce, culture and coolness, 21-41. New York: Simon and Schuster Paperbacks.



McLuhan, Marshall. 1965. The medium is the message. In Understanding media : the extensions of man, 7-21. New York: McGraw/Hill.

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