Finale

On reflection, Net Communications has taught me that there is far more to the Internet than I initially thought.

I realized that there has been immense effort put in to make the Internet what it is today, in the form that our world tends to take for granted, and this subject has opened my eyes to this and numerous other issues that we, as a society, should probably be more aware of.

Practically instantaneous information at your fingertips – about anything, anyone… the Internet has the capacity to find an answer for almost any question you throw at it, and this makes it an invaluable resource for which we could be more thankful for than we currently are. Being able to “google” something, find something on Wikipedia, or “stalk” people on Facebook, we are not only able to get answers, but we are inundated with choice for how we go about it.

When I told my dad about this subject and my intended Media major, he decided to call it “University 2.0”, and while at the time I thought of it as just another dad joke, I understand some of his reasoning. The study of the Internet is a different type of subject to those with science, history and numbers-based content. It is both subjective and objective at the same time, constantly changing, and yet intrinsic to the way in which we live today.

So, daggy as it may sound, Net Communications may just be part of the beginning to a new generation of uni subjects that teach us about the Internet, things that should really become general knowledge for those of use who use it every day of our lives.

 

Thanks for reading!

Week 7 Blog Topic (B): Blogs to Manage the Self

Lovink (Reader, page 222) also argues that: “No matter how much talk there is of community and mobs, the fact remains that blogs are primarily used as a tool to manage the self”.
Discuss giving an example of a blog.

Lovink argues that “blogs lead to decay” (Lovink, 2007; p5) and that they are simply tools used “to manage the self” (Lovink, 2007; p28), and I can see his point. Blogs tend to be used to self-promote (take famous young fashion blogger Tavi), with bloggers posting photos of themselves, along with musings about their own experiences, beliefs, opinions and myriad individually focused things. One may argue, as Lovink does, that this is done as “the nihilist impulse” (Lovink, 2001; p1), a rejection of moral principles and in the belief that life is meaningless – I would, however, argue that bloggers see their lives as meaningful, and interesting enough for others to want to read about, thus I would describe it as more narcissistic and self-centred than nihilistic.

The popularity of blogs can be somewhat attributed to the inherent human inclination to read others’ diaries and find out about their deepest thoughts, feelings and experiences. Blogs give us, as Lovink terms it, “exhibitionist insights” (Lovink, 2007; p28) into the minds of the bloggers, and we enjoy reading them because of this. People often make a travel blog, rather than keeping a travel diary, so that they may stay in contact with friends and family with little effort, and have a record of their experiences as a keepsake once they return home. In this sense, although they are online and thus part of new media, blogs have a tendency towards hierarchy due to some blogs being read more than others and as a result are reminiscent of old media. For example, a famous blog like The Sartorialist is read by many, however Scott Schuman, the writer, would only read a select few blogs himself – in a way, this allows him to manage himself through blogging’s capacity for celebrity.

Another lure of blogging is that it is possible to connect with like-minded people who blog about things that interest you. Niche blogs focus on interests ranging from common, like fashion and design, to obscure, like blogs with photos of animals alongside stuffed animals. This is part of what gives blogs a communal atmosphere – people with similar interests have the opportunity to comment on these blogs, opening the door to online conversations with people from all over the world. In this sense, blogs function as a replacement for the online forums that were once popular. However, as Lovink claims, there is the option on most blogging services to disable the comment function on their posts, which if used makes the blogs significantly more one-sided and introspective, more self-centered. Comments on blogs can be offensive to bloggers and other readers, with anonymous and uncensored posts making it easy to embark upon cyber-bullying and harsh criticisms without consequence, so even though it may detract from the communal sense of the blog, taking away the comment function can be an act of self-preservation.

In a way, blogs are an avenue for managing oneself, as Lovink says, due to “the need to structure one’s life, to clear up the mess, to master the immense flows of information” similar to what occurs in PR and promotion (Lovink, 2007; p28). This type of PR and management of the self through blogging can result in personal gain. Take design blogs like madebygirl, which started as a simple blog based on the writer’s likes and experiences regarding design, and has grown into a well-known and visited site which has various advertisements on the sidebar, which no doubt means a financial and commercial gain for the blogger.

I cannot help but agree with Lovink that blogs are primarily used to self-promote, although I don’t see it in such a negative light. Even though blogs remain quite self-indulgent, the community of the blogosphere is an important and thriving aspect of online life.

References:

Lovink, Geert. (2007). ‘Blogging, the Nihilist Impulse’, in Zero Comments: Blogging and Critical Internet Culture. Routledge: London.

http://www.thestylerookie.com/

http://thesartorialist.blogspot.com/

http://madebygirl.blogspot.com/

http://animalswithstuffedanimals.com/

Week 6 Blog Topic: WordPress

WordPress “masks the database and creates a continuous blogging experience within the browser” (Helmond in Reader, p. 180), yet the database is rigidly defined and categorised. Discuss how this shapes the way we interact with the World Wide Web through blogging and how it affects user agency.

As one of the most popular blogging platforms in the world, WordPress offers a user-friendly interface that “masks the database” (Helmond, 2007; p53) and creates a seamless system of uploading, viewing and editing. Behind the scenes, however, there is a far more rigid database than you may expect, categorized and defined through complex coding, that limits user agency and adheres our blogs to certain standards.

The form of the database behind a web page such as WordPress is “a structured collection of data because it consists of several elements that are defined by HTML” (Helmond, 2007; p49). This means that although what we see, as users, is a customizable and easy-to-use service, there are actually many hidden limitations in place to ensure that the site only allows us, the “produsers” of content, to create posts and blogs within their pre-set values and core coding of WordPress.

In effect, WordPress masks the database with HTML and coding that maintains aesthetically pleasing graphics, pre-set links and buttons, themes, widgets, headers, footers, fonts and so on. When adding a post to your blog, “writing posts in the graphical user interface of WordPress is less complex than directly writing posts in the database” (Helmond, 2007; p53) so using the dashboard, links and text boxes provided make the entire process far simpler for the majority of users that would not necessarily otherwise have the skills or knowledge needed to create a blog themselves.

This “continuous blogging experience” (Helmond, 2007; p53) of WordPress thus incorporates both the technical, coded database and the graphical, user-friendly façade into a service that can be accessed online and used freely (in contrast to paid-for packaged software). This does, however, shape and limit the way we interact with blogging as there are a limited number of themes and pre-set widgets, with minimal scope for personal changes. All blogs on WordPress conform to a pre-set standard that is encoded into all the themes, limiting user agency by making all users have similar looking blogs.

It is interactive online mediums such as blogging platforms and social networking sites in which users add value to the websites and their respective services. The more information a user gives, or blogging they do, the greater value that interactive medium has in comparison to others of a similar nature. Additionally, that WordPress is linked to popular social networking sites, with options under a post to “like” it on Facebook or “re-tweet” it on Twitter, boosts WordPress’ accessibility and ease-of-use.

When looking at WordPress’ “continuous blogging experience” that Helmond speaks of, we must also be aware of the different ways one may now access the blogging service. Not only may I create, view and edit my blog and corresponding posts on my laptop or computer, but with the increase in popularity of smart phones and tablet computers, I now have the ability to blog from portable devices. On my iPhone and iPad (yes, I’m an Apple convert…) I am able to view my WordPress blog with either the typical web browser graphic version, or (by default) with a mobile version of the site with more basic formatting and a default theme. This shows that WordPress has done more than simply to mask the database of its service, as it has implemented more than one ‘mask’ so that even on other devices the blogging experience remains simple.

 

References:

Helmond, A. ‘Software-Engine Relations’, in Blogging for Engines: Blogs Under the Influence of Software-Engine Relations. MA Thesis. Amsterdam: University of Amsterdam. 2007.

Week 5 Blog Topic: Online Sharing

Analyse critically the following statement by Mark Zuckerberg while comparing it to privacy issues raised by online social networking collaborative practices: http://www.tubechop.com/watch/146252

One of my friends doesn’t have a Facebook profile. Yes, it’s true. A nineteen year old Gen Y-er who has grown up with the Internet doesn’t use Facebook. Or any other social networking sites, for that matter. You won’t find her on twitter, she doesn’t use flickr, blogger, bebo, linkedin, and she never even had a myspace – you know, back in the olden days. She says it’s because she want to maintain her privacy.

Once upon a time this sort of young adult, the type that like to keep their life private, was the social norm. But in todays burgeoning Internet society, driven by online social connectivity and sharing, this type of person has become a shadow of society. Someone’s having a party? They create a Facebook event and invite all their online friends. There’s a flash sale at your favorite store? Chances are that store has a Facebook page alerting its fans to the event. Our offline friends are becoming alienated, just because it is now normal to have a social networking account. There is no escaping that, as “the world becomes more open and connected”, there are those being closed off at the same time. I don’t know about you, but this seems to me like one of “biggest problems” we will have to face, and it won’t be solved through increased online sharing.

Zuckerberg’s comment that people are “comfortable sharing more” when they “have control over what they share” may ring true in that people tend to be more willing to give out personal information freely if they believe they control how it will be used and who will have access to it. But take a glance at the sidebar of your Facebook homepage and you will see advertisements specifically chosen for you based on the information the website has about you. This raises the question of whether you signed up for a social networking site, or for a personalized online infomercial directed at your interests, age, gender, location, etc. That websites are using our personal information for financial gain makes you wonder why it is that we are giving this information away freely for the benefit of large companies – another problem formed as a result of online sharing, rather than something to be resolved by it.

Additionally, due to the increased levels of online participation and sharing by people all over the world, it is becoming far easier to find where people live, study, work, and so on. That you can type a name into Google and find out so much information about someone – information that has the capacity to become a danger to that individual and those around them if found by the wrong person – is another facet that incites fear into those of us aware of the accessibility of our personal details. Even the vernacular surrounding issues of privacy has changed,  for example the once negative connotations associated with the word ‘stalk’ have decreased with the practice of ‘stalking’ people on Facebook a common activity amongst networked communities.

Although his statement has some truths behind it, Zuckerberg has simplified the issue of privacy and control in such a way that it hides some of the most important problems facing today’s society. Relating to privacy, the line between private and public life is steadily becoming more and more blurred as a result of online social networking collaborative practices, leading to more dangers and problems rather then less.

Week 6 – Flickr Photo

Some rights reserved by Fräulein Schiller

Mark Zuckerberg’s Comment on Sharing (start at 0:26 – stop at 0:39)

Net Communication Web TWO POINT OH!

What features can you identify in WordPress that define it as a Web 2.0 application?

Users add value:

• Bloggers add content to the site
• Some users pay for the use of the site
• Cooperate, don’t control
• WordPress is a network of cooperating data services
• Supports lightweight programming models that allow bloggers to easily update their blogs without having to know HTML or other programming languages

How does it manage to be a sustainable model while also empowering “produsers”?

• WordPress acts in a reciprocal way, that benefits both community and company as the companies produce the platform for users to be able to produce content

By Rachel, Brodie and Jess