Network Society

This is an section from the book 'Communication Power' By the theorist Manual Castells. It explains what a culture is made up of and how these values can be applied to network societies. The 'network society' is not restricted by race or culture and it is a global culture which enables 'communication between different cultures on the basis not on shared values but of the sharing of the value of communication' so social groups in this network are do not all share the same values but communicate in the same way.     

Constructions and Reconstructions of the self in Virtual Reality

 

 

These are extracts from an article by Sherry Turkle in Cyber_Reader.

The article talks about identity's within virtual games. She uses three example of people who played online games and their identity within them. I found it incredibly interesting looking at these three very different people and their use of these online identity's.

The firs person was a girl called Jess who's mother 'denies her existence' so she used the game to work out her own issues about her mother and have the conversations she was never able to have in real life. The second person is a guy who is completely isolated by health. He is more of the stereotypical vision of a game player, someone who gets to live a life the way her would like, complete with virtual girlfriend. And the last a guy who was able to get over emotional issues during collage but stopped gaming when he left and went on to get a good paying job. He says the game 'kept him form having suicidal thoughts.'

 

This article looking at these three people gives an interesting incite to the way that people use online inanity's and virtual self's in these kinds of games and virtual reality's.

Book publishers report record sales

The book's not finished yet

How is the digital revolution affecting the book trade?

If you travel on trains packed with commuters staring at tiny mobile phone screens rather than books, or wander along high streets now devoid of bookshops, you might think it was in a sorry state.

But the Publishers' Association annual statistical digest, published today, seems to paint a different picture.

The industry had a record year for sales, up 4% to £3.3bn. 2012 was the year when the digital revolution really took hold, with sales up 66% to £411m and fiction e-reading growing even faster, up 149%.

As for the physical book, long thought to be under threat from all those Kindles, Kobos and Nooks, reports of its demise may be premature. Sales fell just 1% to £2.9bn, and in some genres, notably children's books, sales actually rose.

The figures also show that the pace at we're switching from physical to digital books varies according to the type of title. Apparently, 26% of fiction sales are digital, whereas for non-fiction books the figure is just 5%, and for children's titles, 3%.

Why? Well perhaps for fiction it is only the words that matter, and they can be rendered as well or better in digital form, whereas for something like a glossy cookery book or an illustrated children's book, the physical object still delivers a much better experience.

Nigella Lawson: withstanding the digital threat?

What does this mean then for the pace of publishing's digital revolution and its impact on readers and authors?

A few weeks ago Michael Serbinis of the e-reader maker Kobo told me he reckoned that 90% of reading would eventually be on digital devices.

“Start Quote

I've got a Google alert and every day it tells me about a new torrenting site offering free copies of my book”

End Quote JoJo Moyes, author

You won't be surprised to hear that Richard Mollet of the Publishers' Association is betting on a lower figure - somewhere between 30% and 50%. But however rapid the shift to e-readers, publishing seems to be weathering digital climate change better than some other media industries.

But what about authors? I was surprised to hear from JoJo Moyes - a bestselling writer of women's fiction - that nearly half of the sales of her latest book were in a digital format. And each digital sale earns her a few pennies more than the royalty she gets from a physical book sale purchase.

Mind you, not all authors are happy - they point to the much lower costs of producing digital books and wonder how publishers still justify taking such a large cut.

The publishers' response is that they have to spend large sums defending authors from the threat of piracy.

My report for the One O'Clock News

Book publishers report record sales

 

JoJo Moyes has some sympathy with that argument: "I've got a Google alert set up and every day it tells me about a new torrenting site offering free copies of my book. I pass them on to my publisher to deal with. "

Still, neither publishers nor authors seem to have seen their incomes damaged significantly by either piracy or the wider digital revolution. Readers, meanwhile, have a wider choice, and perhaps the prospect of lower prices - although many will grumble that e-books should be a whole lot cheaper.

For bookshops the news is not so good. Independent book stores continue to close, as readers turn to online giants like Amazon for both physical and digital books.

That is making our high streets just a little less interesting, so it's a vicious circle where going out and browsing for books or anything else becomes less attractive than sitting at home and shopping online..

But overall, 2012 seemed to show that the British public still loves books in all their variety, and is prepared to pay to enjoy them.

We hear plenty of doom and gloom from the old media industries about the ravages of the digital revolution - but publishing seems determined to look on the bright side


This news report was published today about 30 minuets ago on BBC News . Thought it was interesting in relation to Katy's earlier post about the death of print.

Illegal Portrait Of The Internet

'SOMEONE HACKED ALMOST HALF A MILLION DEVICES AROUND THE WORLD. WHY? THEY WANTED TO SEE WHAT THE INTERNET LOOKED LIKE.'

This is a portrait of internet usage around the world created illegally by a hacker who accessed nearly half a million connected devices, simply by using the 'root' password to the devices which in general we don't change. He used the data of devices which were online to create this infographic map, where red represents peak usage and blue the lowest.

Some people would find it unethical that someone has 'hacked' them however it wasn't to cause any harm and created something really interesting!

http://www.fastcodesign.com/1672187/infographic-hackers-create-an-amazing-illegal-portrait-of-the-internet  

Experiment

Ran a little experiment to see how many times I went on social medias in one day. In total, i went on Facebook 21 times, mainly in the evening at home as a distraction.

Marshall McLuhan - The Global Village

(interview starts at 3.00)

This interview is from 1960, Marshall explains about how the role of the book is changing as new electronic media is starting to emerge. He talks about how the world is becoming connected through television and radio and how the world seems 'smaller' because of this. I think it's interesting to look at their predictions and compare it to the vast amount of media and technology we have become reliant on now.

The term global village is defined as: : 'the world viewed as a community in which distance and isolation have been dramatically reduced by electronic media (as television and the Internet) 

(http://www.merriam-webster.com)

could this the the starting point of creating a new identity online?

http://www.fakenamegenerator.com

According to David Phillips its very hard to create a new identity which is probably the opposite of what i thought, Phillips says that the its hard because the real person will start to emerge

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/newsnight/8929854.


skip to then end.

Developing an online identify is something that is created largely through what people wright about themselves. Reading more on identity Sue Barns who I've posted some bits from earlier points out whiles talking about emails, that people develop a certain style through typing.

 

A person defines them self through what they wright, so a person must create a certain style of writing to express themselves. But the written text can lac emotion and things can easily be miss interpreted.

The death of Print?

http://www.technologyreview.com/view/420329/predicting-the-death-of-print/

'That predictions for the “death of print” changed so drastically in the span of just two years tells us something about where we are on the hype and/or adoption curve of e-readers and their ilk. Which is to say: we are coming up on an inflection point, beyond which rates of adoption explode, feedbacks and network effects kick in, and total market penetration becomes inevitable. How long will it be before it becomes unprofitable to continue to operate huge printing plants when a majority of your customers get your product through the Internet, and for whom your distribution costs are essentially zero? We’re about to find out.'

This short article talks about how long print can last against the new digital ways of printing media can last. Today there are app's for everything, including magazines, books, news papers so why would people go out to find these in shops when they can instantly download them from the comfort of their own homes, in some cases for free. These advances in technology will definitely effect designers as more work will have to be produced purely to be viewed in pixels rather than print. 

How important is the Internet

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zf7ea8qnB5E

Find it hard to believe that more people don't think they could survive without the internet rather than water

Experiment

I'm planning on running a little experiment over the weekend, counting how many times I use social medias and which ones in one day.

How the internet has changed Graphic Design

Technology has had a huge impact on graphic design, designers have had to 'rethink' and 'embrace' new ways of working. The internet has had both positive and negative impacts on Graphic Design. 

Designers showcase their work through websites, blogs, online portfolio's which can be seen by people all over the world, instantly. This has changed the way designers can contact and communicate with clients and, for students today, the most practical way to contact potential employers is initially via email. 

However the internet is open to the good, bad and ugly of design. There are countless websites and portfolio's that offer 'cheap' design where the offer seems too good for clients to turn down. The article below describes design on the internet as being 'a jungle out there.'

'In pre-web days, designers worked on hourly rates (or quoted projects based on the number of hours projected) and while hourly billables are ultimately better for the designer (they get paid for how long they work) and often times the client (they can choose how much time, and effort, goes into the development of their corporate identity) at the end of the day, this isn’t a practical approach to pricing services via the Internet.'

http://www.thelogofactory.com 

Sense of Self

 

 

Whilst looking at cyber cultures one areas that I have found interesting is the idea of identity on the internet. I've been doing some reading on it and I think the beginning section of this article asks and interesting question. It points out that when cyber communities are created they treat the meeting place like a 'public space' yet eliminating the face to face contact. Yet we apparently need this physical contact with people and objects to develop a sense of self. So how can we achieve that on the internet and how do we present ourselves to others on the internet?

Cyberbullying

With the rise of cybercultures and social medias, cyberbullying is becoming more common and a real threat to young people online. Cyberbullying was becoming a real problem at our school just before we left.

I found some really interesting and worrying facts about cyberbullying.

1. Nearly 43% of kids have been bullied online. 1 in 4 has had it happen more than once.
2. 70% of students report seeing frequent bullying online.
3. Over 80% of teens use a cell phone regularly, making it the most common medium for cyber bullying.
4. 68% of teens agree that cyber bullying is a serious problem.
5. 81% of young people think bullying online is easier to get away with than bullying in person.
6. 90% of teens who have seen social-media bullying say they have ignored it. 84% have seen others tell cyber bullies to stop.
7. Only 1 in 10 victims will inform a parent or trusted adult of their abuse.
8. Girls are about twice as likely as boys to be victims and perpetrators of cyber bullying.
9. About 58% of kids admit someone has said mean or hurtful things to them online. More than 4 out 10 say it has happened more than once.
10. About 75% have visited a website bashing another student.
11. Bullying victims are 2 to 9 times more likely to consider committing suicide.  

http://www.dosomething.org/tipsandtools/11-facts-about-cyber-bullying

Hacktivist

I've seen a documentary on the hacking group called 'Anonymous,' couldn't find it to post on here! I remember not being able to workout whether I was for what they were doing or against it, either way they are an interesting group who are as a result of cyberculture.

There's an article here which discusses whether Anonymous are taking things too far. http://www.channel4.com/news/anonymous-ethical-hackers-or-cyber-criminals

Cybersubcultures

I wondered if there were any subcultures which were created as a direct response to cyberculture in

'Cyberculture: The Key Concepts by David Bell' 

I found an interesting extract which explains there are two types of cybersubcultures. Firstly groups which use cyberspace and culture to their advantage such for example fan groups or campaigners, where they can use the internet to express their views and create groups.

The other type of cybersubcultures is a 'direct reponse' to cyberculture. These are groups such as hackers who engage in technology to see what they can do and use it 'outside of mainstream' contexts.

Cyberidentities

Little section from 'Cyberstalking' by Paul Bocij, this part explains how we might want to have different identities online for different reasons. I think this is similar to 'in real life' identities where our identities change depending on who we are talking to and how we want to be perceived.  

Richard Kahn and Douglas Kellner, 'Blogs, Wikis and social networking

 

 

 

 

 

This is a section from an article by Richard Kahn and Douglas Kellner titled TechnoploItics and Oppositional Media. These section that these scans are from are titled 'Blogs, Wikis and social networking.'

This section od the article about some of the positive aspects of social networking such as "...creating linkages and testimonials between friends and family members." The article dose go on to mention some of the downsides.

 

Cyberculture and Identity

This section caught my eye in the book 'Critical Cyberculture Studies' by David Silver. It states about how cyberculture can have an effect on identity. Virtually information about cultures and identity can be shared, so we now have access and opportunity to find information which could re-define or influence our identities. 

Young Americans Are the Dumbest Generation

This video is about Mark Bauerlein and his book The Dumbest Generation,

" Mark Bauerlein argues that "the digital age stupefies young Americans and jeopardizes our future" by turning out hyper-networked kids who can track each other's every move with ease but are largely ignorant of history, economics, culture, and other subjects he believes are prerequisites for meaningful civic participation." This was taken form the video descriptor, he puts across some interesting points, worth reading the comments for this video.

This is a link to the website for his book where there are some articles available that he has written.
http://www.dumbestgeneration.com/articles.html

Connected but Alone

Sherry Turkle explores the relationship between technology and the effect it has on our lives. She has written many articles on the topic related to cyberculture. I found this 'Connected but alone' talk interesting, I feel that she doesn't solely label technology and using mobile phones or the internet as a negative way to communicate, however that it should be used in moderation, and not be something which we are dependant upon.

I also read about Sherry Turkle's interest in 'MUD' (multi-user-domain) where people can construct an online identity which can become their 'reality'. Turkle studied the world of MUDs for her book 'Life on Screen.'  

Here's a section from the 'Wired' article below:

"What has she found? That the Internet links millions of people in new spaces that are changing the way we think and the way we form our communities. That we are moving from "a modernist culture of calculation toward a postmodernist culture of simulation." That life on the screen permits us to "project ourselves into our own dramas, dramas in which we are producer, director, and star.... Computer screens are the new location for our fantasies, both erotic and intellectual. We are using life on computer screens to become comfortable with new ways of thinking about evolution, relationships, sexuality, politics, and identity."

(http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/4.01/turkle.html)

Internet Anonymity

I think it's interesting how communicating through the internet can give people more confidence or act differently to what they would in the 'real world'

I found this quotation interesting in 'Cyberactivism' edited by Martha McCaughey:

'Anonymity on the internet presents itself as a double-egded sword in terms of communicative action. On one hand, it means that those perhaps too shy or otherwise inhibited will feel more confident about expressing their opinions, against someone who might be physically intimidating'

'Further to this, profession, class, accent, body language, gender, ethnicity, religiosity, physical stature, speech impediments and so on act as potential obstacles to 'real world' face to face discussion, but are not as apparent online'  

So when communicating through the internet physical factors are not taken in to account a person can create a whole new identity, which most of the time wouldn't be questioned.

Impact of Facebook Usage on Students’ Academic Achievement: Role of self-regulation and trust 

Introduction.

The paper provides a preliminary analysis of the effects of Facebook usage by

undergraduate students at Luleå University of Technology in Sweden. The proposed research model

tests the perceived effect of personality traits, self-regulation, and trust on students’ achievements.

Based on flow theory, the model suggests negative mediating effects of the use and cognitive

absorption on Facebook, concluding that a decrease occurs in students’ academic performance but a

positive effect on satisfaction with life that would limit this undesirable effect.

Method.

 Paper and pencil survey was run with undergraduate students from Luleå University of

Technology and data from 239 students was used to test the model. SmartPLS software was employed to test the proposed structural equation model.

Results.

 Results indicated an extensive use of Facebook by students with extraverted personalities

leading to poor academic performance. However, students who are more self-regulated more

effectively control their presence on these platforms. Trust in people does not affect their presence

and interaction on this platform. Yet students’ cognitive absorption with Facebook is only regulated

by their self-control and their personality traits, which determines how much time they spend on

Facebook. Multitasking skills moderate the effect of cognitive absorption on academic achievement,

but they do not impede the time spent, frequency, or nature of use or their effect on academic results.

Although students’ satisfaction with life significantly declined due to cognitive immersion into

Facebook, it appeared not to play an effective role in the students’ academic achievement. However,

their performance goal orientation was shown to be a crucial determinant of their university

accomplishments, which would limit the critical effect of their presence on the Facebook platform.

Discussion and Conclusion.

Results support in part earlier conclusions about personality traits that

rule the presence on Facebook. Trust does not impede on Facebook usage as it determines surfers’ use

of Internet. Self-regulation and performance goal orientation characterized the students who are more

in control of this social activity. In turn, this prohibits the apparent negative effect on their academic

performance. Results help students to understand the preliminary consequences of their extensive

usage of Facebook and to better manage their social activities on this platform

This is an extract from a journal I found on Quest, it was published in 2011 by

Sana Rouis1, Moez Limayem 2, Esmail Salehi-Sangari 3

 

 

 

If this group gets...

Looking at websites for how to quite Facebook I found this:
http://en-gb.facebook.com/pages/If-this-group-gets-1000-members-my-mom-will-quit-smoking/237088222255

I find it interesting how people make these groups to gain support, yet put a target number for group members. I recently saw one that was if the is group gets 10000 members they'll do a sky dive.
For this to happen the group created surly must relay on random people to either care about the group or just join out of interest?

Sorry i havent posted yet, there has been many problems with trying to join the group!


I thought it would be interesting to post this link up to a documentary called "Catfish"
this could really touch apon certain ideas and questions such as has cyber culture started to over influence peoples decision making in the "real world"






this is the trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hq_Ha99qXdc



this is the full film

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kv4UBv5CaIg

How to quit Facebook

Sorry, I haven't posted for a week or so, i've been in Germany.

I've come across a few websites with tips on how to quit Facebook. This is showing that people are worrying about the amount of time they spend on social media and it's becoming more of a nasty habit rather than a website to browse.

http://www.wikihow.com/Quit-Facebook

'The World is Obsessed with Facebook'

This little infographic has some interesting facts about Facebook and how much it is used, it states (in 2011) one in every 13 people have a facebook account, that seems huge, Facebook seems to continue to grow!

Just a thought for doing Primary research we could record our own time spent on Facebook or ask others how they spend time on it etc?  

Faebook Misuse

Donna Wright sentenced for claiming to be Katrice Lee Miss use

 

A woman who claimed to be a missing toddler on Facebook has been handed a suspended prison sentence.

Donna Wright, from Spennymoor, County Durham, admitted harassing relatives of Katrice Lee, who went missing from a shop near an army base in Germany in 1981.

Wright, 33, sent repeated messages to family members in Gosport, Hampshire.

The judge imposed a restraining order restricting her Facebook use and banning her from contacting the family.

Wright was sentenced to 12 weeks in prison, suspended for 18 months, after pleading guilty to a Section 2 offence under the Protection from Harassment Act at Newton Aycliffe Magistrates' Court.

District Judge Martin Walker also banned her from posting on Katrice's Facebook page, setting up a new account or making public comments about the missing girl or her family.

He told Wright: ""It (the harassment) stops today for the sake of the family.

"It stops so you can focus on your own life rather than those of somebody else."
'Filled with dread'
The court heard how the defendant, who has been diagnosed as bi-polar, had believed she was the missing girl and had made contact with the family.

When a DNA test proved she was not Katrice, Wright continued to send messages online.

Katrice's mother Sharon, from Gosport, and father Richard Lee, from Hartlepool, believe their daughter was snatched and could still be alive.

She went missing close to the base in Paderborn where Mr Lee was serving.

Katrice's sister Natasha Lee, 39, wrote a victim statement which described Wright as "pure evil".

She said: "I am filled with dread every time I log on to Facebook in case I have a message from her.

"It is the first thing I think about in the morning and the last thing I think about at night."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-21841929

Here are more story's in the news about Facebook
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-21874643
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-isle-of-man-21846661

Facebook growth

http://www.nathaninfocus.com/2011/01/social-networking-phenomenon/facebook-growth-chart/ (26/3/13)

Facebook

Culture And Media

Egypt: 'Italian child' appears in Cairo after 22 years

Rome, 8 Dec. (AKI) - An Italian child allegedly kidnapped by his father when he was five years-old has resurfaced in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, after 22 years living under a different name. Alex Anfuso reappeared via the internet social networking site Facebook looking for his Italian relatives.

"My name is Alex. I am looking for my family. I am looking for my mother," wrote Alex Anfuso on Facebook, in a bid to find his relatives.

On 17 March 1987, the father of the then five year-old child Alex Anfuso reportedly asked a friend to kidnap his child from Guidonia, a town on the outskirts of Rome, and to bring him to Egypt, where the father lived.

At the time of the kidnapping, his mother, Silvana Anfuso was in Rome's Rebibbia prison jailed in relation to drug-related crimes.

Before going to jail, the child was left in the house of one of Silvana's friends, who also ended up in jail a short time later.

At that time, Anfuso was transferred to the brother of Silvana Anfuso's friend, who then took legal action in a bid to adopt the child. He disappeared a few days later when he was playing in the street outside.

"One day, a man comes and tells me: I am your father, someone will come and pick you up. Follow them," Alex - now called Ali Mohammed - told an Italian TV show on Monday.

Alex was picked up and driven away. He was given a new hairstyle and new clothes and taken to Cairo.

He then met a woman whom he calls 'Grandma' who took care of him and he began speaking Arabic. He later fell out with his father.

Alex - who does not have an Egyptian birth certificate or residency in Egypt - is now 28 years old.

Alex decided to search for his Italian relatives by searching on Facebook for anyone with the last name 'Anfuso'.

He sent a message to many people, including Pino Anfuso, a TV technician who works for state broadcaster RAI in the southern city of Reggio Calabria.

Although Pino Anfuso is not a relative of Alex, he decided to share the story with the popular TV show "Chi l'ha visto" or "Who has seen them?" and Alex went on air to tell his story.

According to inquiries conducted by the show, Alex's mother Silvana died before she could see him again.

http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/CultureAndMedia/?id=3.0.4083351836 (26/3/13)

David Bell

" Cyberspace: A new universe, a parallel universe created and sustained by the world's computers and communications lines. A world in which the global traffic of knowledge, secrets, measurements, indicators, entertainments, and alter-human agency takes on form: sights, sounds, presences never seen on the surface of the earth blossoming in a vast electronic light." (David Bell)

Interesting quote defining cyber cultures. I think David Bell is basically saying that he believes that cyberspace is a new world in which ideas can become reality. 

Electronic Media

I found this quotation in a book called 'Design Anarchy' by Kalle Lasn, I thought it was quite relevant to the topic of cyberculture.

This quotation states that we are the first generation to be heavily influenced by electronic media. This shows how much technology has changed in recent decades, the development of computer technology and the internet have had a huge impact on our lives. Personally I think it looks at techology in quite a pessimistic way by, suggesting that we no longer live in the 'real world' we live our lives based around a 'fantasy.'

No space in cyber space

Found an interesting quoate saying that vittual spcace is not a tru space but a collections of sepertat objects, futher on in the book it gose on to say that the space in the web  is a "collection of numerous files,hyperlinked but without any overall perspective to unit them."
Lev Manovich, 2002. The Language of New Media (Leonardo Books). Edition. The MIT Press. p.253.257

Reading list

5 key texts

• Cyber Reader, 2006 by David Bell
• The Language of New media by Lev Manovich 
• Cyber_Reader edited by Neil Spiller
• Cyberactivism: Online Activism in Theory and Practice by Martha McCaughey and Michael D. Ayers
• The Emergence of Cyberculture, Literacy, Parading and Paradox edited Stephanie Gibson & Ollie O.Oviedo 

Defining Cyberculture

• Cyberculture is a community mediated by technology 
• Encompasses the emergence of new technologies and ideas
• Allows for instant networking of information, without being restricted by geography 
• Is the nurturing of the virtual world which society has created
• Allows for the expanding of ideas 
• The term cyberculture has strong roots within science fiction.  
• Also allows for the creation of ideas which would normally would not be developed using conventional tools.
• It has changed the identity of the designer and has opened up new areas within design

Cyber culture is constantly changing, it could be considered as being in a state of flux - what we see today may have changed by tomorrow and certainly cyberculture in the past has dramatically from what we know today.