New Media: Internet, Self & Beyond

Week 9 - New Media Law, Policy and Governance - Are You Caught In A Loophole?

Privacy and user policies…. Google has one; Facebook has one, and so do many other social media platforms and new media companies. Within most privacy policies and user policies on the Internet, there are loopholes that benefit these organisations. Loopholes are “a technicality that allows a person or business to avoid the scope of a law or restriction without directly violating the law.” (Investopedia ULC, 2012).

What does this mean for users?

• ·      Content you publish might not be kept safe and private.
• ·      Content has the potential to be reproduced by the organisation.

Or

• ·      The organisation will not be reliable for monitoring or taking any punishment if you upload offensive or inappropriate content.

As Vikram Kumar (2012) writes in his article, Have a .com web address? Know the legal risks, if you have a domain name which is .com, your website then is subjected to jurisdiction in the US. Ultimately for users in Australia, this means US jurisdiction can take away your domain if even the slightest complaint is made.

Law, policy and governance within new media are something to watch out for. Users must understand the above two insights and develop commonsense to double check their rights within each website they visit. 

References

Kumar, V. 2012. “Have a .com web address? Know the legal risks”. The National Business Review. Accessed May 6, 2012. http://www.nbr.co.nz/article/have-com-web-address-know-legal-risks-ck-113355 

Investopedia ULC. 2012. “Loophole.” Accessed May 6, 2012. http://www.investopedia.com/terms/l/loophole.asp#axzz1uALGxjDJ.

Images accessed via Google Images

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Comment from Jazz Lawler.

Although robotic advancements cease to amaze me, I personally believe these developments have the ability to harm the maturity and development of children. As I mentioned in my blog post, how are children supposed to differentiate fact from fiction if they are bought up with social interaction through robots? This is particularly concerning if a child has grown accustom and attached to a robot. In response to your question, I think it will limit the creativity of children, especially if the robot has a limited amount of functions. 

Week 8 - New Media Transgressions - Say Goodbye To Your Imaginary Friend

Cynthia Brezeal (2011), an MIT graduate, in her TED Talk The Rise of Social Robots discusses an underlying emotional attachment human’s gain with robots. One of her studies focused on media for young children where a robot would come out of a game from a computer screen for the children to interact with. Results showed that the children’s favourite part of the experience was when the robot came to life. They formed a connection and an interest with the robot.

As humans are social beings its understandable to see a child form an attachment to a robot, just like they would with an imaginary friend. Lisa McElroy (2005, 202) states, “social preschoolers love being with people, and if there’s no convenient playmate around, they’ll often just invent one.”

Yale University has assembled a research team, which will over a five-year period develop “socially assistive” robots. The purpose of these robots will be to help young children with learning to read, get active and overcome disabilities of the cognitive nature. This robot will be a friend to them, which will encourage them and interact with them (2012).

Will these developments harm the future development of creativity amongst young children by taking away the necessity of an invisible friend? 

References:

McElroy, Lisa T. 2005. “Imaginary friends.” Parenting 19 (5): 202. Accessed April 28, 2012. http://search.proquest.com.ezp01.library.qut.edu.au/docview/203321875. 

Cynthia Brezeal. 2011. “Cynthia Brezeal: The Rise of Social Robots.” TEDWomen Talk video, posted February. Accessed April 28, 2012. http://www.ted.com/talks/cynthia_breazeal_the_rise_of_personal_robots.html. 

YaleUniversity. 2012. “Socially Assistive Robots.” YouTube video, posted April 2. Accessed April 28, 2012. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8m65cawkMc. 

Images Accessed via Google Images:

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Week 7 Working In/With New Media – Blogging Until the Dollars Come Home

In today’s society, money is a necessity for survival. Individuals work to earn money in different ways ranging from a professional nine to five occupation to freelance work. Jonathan Zittrain (2009), highlights in his lecture “Minds for Sale” that individuals are turning to the internet to make a few dollars. Zittrain (2009) highlights a few ways in which individuals are able to do so.

Type into any search engine “how to make money online” and you will receive an abundance of results pointing you in several directions of quick and easy ways to make money.

One way to make a profit is through blogging. Hudson (2011, 12) states that “Blogs can be online journals or diaries in which individuals can post entries about the subjects that interest them most.” An article written by AllAfrica.com describes how to make money via blogging; it highlights the initial setup, the importance of creating decent content, producing constant traffic and finding advertising opportunities.

A successful blog example is the v-log Charlieissocoollike, which is a video log, similar to a blog just in video form. Charlie McDonnell the creator of this YouTube channel over the years has turned this once hobby into a profitable job where he has earned enough money to buy his own house (charlieissocoollike, 2011).

References:

AllAfrica.com. 2012. “How to Make Money Through Blogging.” AllAfrica.com, February 25. Accessed April 20, 2012. http://search.proquest.com.ezp01.library.qut.edu.au/docview/923646300/abstract.

Charlieissocoollike. 2011. “Settling In.” YouTube video, posted December 8. Accessed April 20, 2012. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoVB4bwY2v4.

Hudson, David. 2011. Blogging.n.p.: Chelsea House. Accessed April 20, 2012. http://www.qut.eblib.com.au.ezp01.library.qut.edu.au/patron/FullRecord.aspx?p=741608.

Zittrain, Jonathan. 2009. “Minds for Sale.” YouTube video, posted November 29. Accessed April 12, 2012. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dw3h-rae3uo&feature=youtu.be

Images Accessed via Google Images:

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Week 5 - New Media: Health & Wellbeing - Cyber…chondria?

There is no doubt that at one stage in your life, you have come across or know someone that suffers or shows symptoms of hypochondria. “Hypochondria is a belief that physical symptoms are signs of a serious illness, even when there is no medical evidence to support the presence of an illness.” (Hypochondria, 2010).

With the Internet now becoming such an integral part of everyday life, people have turned to the Internet to seek advice and gain more information about health and wellbeing. This adds to the over abundance of health information sources already widely available for individuals (Wyatt, Harris and Wathen, 2008, 1).

Combine this notion of abundant information with signs and symptoms of hypochondria; it is possible for someone to end up suffering with cyberchondria. According to Yellowless (2000, 142) cyberchondria is “a form of internet addiction driven by anxiety.” 

To treat cyberchondria, Doctors need to provide the sufferer with information that is encouraging and precise whilst also encourage them to look critically into the information they found online with their doctor rather than convincing themselves that they have a terrifying disease or illness (Yellowless, 2000, 143).

***For another look into New Media: Health & Wellbeing, I suggest you take a look at Jazz Lawler’s weekly blog. ***

References

“Hypochondria.” 2010.A.D.A.M Medical Encyclopedia . Accessed March 31, 2012. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002216/.

WPRI. 2011. “Doctors seeing more cases of cyberchondria.” YouTube video, posted May 24. Accessed March 31, 2012. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXfcB8z7E7Q. 

Wyatt, Sally. Harris, Roma and Wathen, Nadine. 2008. “The Go-Betweens: Health, Technology and Info(r)mediation.” In Mediating Health Information: The Go-Betwenns in a Changing Socio-Technical Landscape, edited by Sally Wyatt, Roma Harris and Nadine Wathen, 1-12. New York: Palgrave McMillan. Accessed March 31, 2012. http://www.qut.eblib.com.au.ezp01.library.qut.edu.au/EBLWeb/patron.

Yellowless, Peter. 2000. Your Guide to E-Health: Third Millenium Medicine on the Internet. St Lucia: University of Queensland Press. Accessed March 31, 2012. http://www.qut.eblib.com.au.ezp01.library.qut.edu.au/EBLWeb/patron. 

Images accessed via Google Images:

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Week 4 - New Media Beliefs, Politics and Ethics - Who’s Policing Our Media Lives?

Deuze (2011, 138) states, “Our life is lived in, rather than with, media – we are living a media life.” In our everyday lives, authority is constantly monitoring our behaviour. If we run a red light whilst driving, we incur a penalty from the police. If we haven’t completed our homework at school we receive detention from a teacher. With new media becoming so powerful that it has the potential to make political change and give us the opportunity to share our beliefs with a wide audience, the question can be asked of whom is policing us in our media lives? And are they invading our privacy and right of freedom?

In Australia, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) under the Broadcasting Services Act 1992 regulate the Internet, in particular the content published (ACMA, 2011). They investigate into complaints about specific online content, leaving what you publish online safe unless someone has found serious offense against your beliefs.

Shirky (2011) states, “Authoritarian governments stifle communication among citizens because they fear, correctly, that a better-coordinated populace would constrain their ability to act without oversight.” Chinese government is well known for their censorship, where certain topics like Taiwan, Torture, Falun Gong and Tiananmen are all banned from being searched (Mack, n.d). This censorship ultimately takes away Chinese people’s right to internet freedom.

As our government is not an authoritarian government like China’s, Australians have the right of Internet freedom and aren’t subjected to a government invading our privacy.

 ***If you wish to read more about New Media Beliefs, Politics and Ethics, check out Tess Martin’s weekly blog.***

References

Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA). “Online Regulation.” Last modified September 2, 2011. http://www.acma.gov.au/WEB/STANDARD/pc=PC_90154. 

Deuze, M. (1998). “Media Life.” Media, Culture & Society, 33 (1): 137-148. Accessed March 22, 2012. http://mcs.sagepub.com.ezp01.library.qut.edu.au/content/33/1/137.full.pdf+html. 

Mack, Lauren. “Internet Censorship in China.” Accessed March 22, 2012. http://chineseculture.about.com/od/mediainchina/a/Internet-Censorship-in-China.htm.

Shirky, Clay. 2011. “The Political Power of Social Media.” Foreign Affairs, 90 (1). Accessed March 22, 2012. http://web.ebscohost.com.ezp01.library.qut.edu.au/ehost/detail?sid=47f490de-6010-4f46-bd12-4b7d629faaa9%40sessionmgr113&vid=1&hid=113&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=afh&AN=56624549.

Images accessed via Google Images:

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Week 3 - The New Media Amusement Arcade - Not Only For Entertainment, But For Identity & Self Expression

This week’s readings discussed the ideas that new media and technology has opened up opportunities for self-expression, identity and the ability to collaborate in a matter of seconds.

 Levy (2006, 23) suggests that one is able to devise a playlist that depicts a personality not authentic to an individual’s true identity. This idea spans from normative social influence, which is when, “people have the desire to be liked by the social group and therefore conform to the behaviour and attitudes displayed by the majority.” (Brown, 2006, 63). The ability to change identity and present oneself as desired, to be accepted has become effortless with the help of new media and technology.

Star Wars Uncut: Director’s Cut is a 2-hour fan made film of Star Wars: A New Hope. The idea was that individuals and groups would be given a 15 second timeslot of the film, where they then had to recreate that specific part however they pleased. This concept provides evidence of the above ideas specifically through the notion of fandom.

Fandom can be, “defined as an affiliation in which a great deal of emotional significance and value are derived from group membership” (Hirt, Zillmann, Erickson, & Kennedy cited in Dionisio, Leal & Moutinho, 2008). By taking part in this collaborating project, individuals can present themselves as a massive Stars Wars fan and express this through film via an online platform.

References

antisubliminal.2006. “Star Wars – Episode IV – Trailer (Original 1977).” YouTube video, posted July, 15. Accessed March 17, 2012. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gvqpFbRKtQ.

Brown, Carol. 2006. Social Psychology. Unknown: SAGE Ltd. Accessed March 17, 2012. http://www.qut.eblib.com.au.ezp01.library.qut.edu.au/patron/.

 Levy, S. (2006). The Perfect Thing: How the iPod Shuffles Commerce, Culture and Coolness, New York: Simon & Schuster, pp. 21-41.  

 Pedro Dionisio, Carmo Leal and Luiz Moutinho. 2008. “A Phenomenological Research Study on Sports Fandom in Portugal: A Comparative Study of Surfing and Football.” Journal of Euromarketing 17 (3-4): 233-253. Accessed March 17, 2012. doi: 10.1080/10496480802640353.

 Pugh, Casey (2009). Star Wars Uncut: Director’s Cut. Available online at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ezeYJUz-84

Images Accessed via http://www.123rf.com/