The age of the Cyborg, if we were not cyborg’s before the introduction of the mobile phone then we are today. Personally my mobile phone experience begun when I was 16, before this time more than most of my friends had a mobile phone and needless to say having a mobile was the only way to be “cool”. As more and more of my friends got mobile phones for birthdays, Christmas, dance recitals and the like I consider myself a rebel for not having one. My older sister “grew out” of her old phone in a matter of speaking, thus a demon was born. I now have had a phone ever since and would consider myself a prolific user. I send hundreds of text messages every month and make dozens of phone calls, however I consider my mobile phone use as merely helping me to facilitate the life I now lead. My current mobile phone, can make phone calls, send texts, take photo’s, can access the internet and has a mobile friendly, facebook, twitter and myspace application, it is affordable and easy to use. Last week I left my mobile at home for the first time in a long while, and I wouldn’t be home for more then 8 hrs that day. The feeling I had was one, that I was missing out on something and this is when I decided that my mobile phone is far more central in life than I realized. The most surprising thing to me was I did not “need” it at all.
The iPhone has taken the lead in providing the information that we apparently so desperately seek available all the time. Inside outside, near and far the iPhone has again revolutionized what was already a very refined piece of equipment. It is user friendly it is relatively cheap and it is unbelievably popular the world over. Levinson (2009) disagrees and says at a few hundred dollars an iPhone isn’t cheap. Considering the iPhones popularity it price isn’t an issue, and one can sign a contract to pay off the iPhone with a month by month payment on top of their existing plan, this is available on most cellular providers in this country. This one touch screen had become the most influential screen of the 21st century in my opinion and it’s less then 3 years old. The mobility of social medias allows instant access to the information super hwy it makes freedom of speech ever more powerful. The most intereting notion Levinson is that this type of media has made what he calls “useless places” into useful places. Like sitting in a doctors office endlessly waiting for you appointment, or stuck in a jammed elevator… these static places have no become useful places because of the connectivity of a device so many of us rely on.
We are cyborg’s, phones are the most influential screen in the 21st century and with time, these things only become more powerful and more influential. Is there a point where verbal communication wont be the primary way of communication?
Monday, May 31, 2010
Politics and New New Media
Social Media has without doubt revolutionized the way humans, both communicate and formulate relationships. With the likes of Facebook boasting more the 400 million regular users worldwide it is not hard to see that social media such as these have changed the way we communicate for good. Although it is not only the social world that is altering, these new media’s have had a lasting impact on the political landscape aswell. The ability of social media’s like: Twitter, Facebook, Myspace and youtube, to be available on mobile phones makes them forever accessible. As internet speed and connectivity improves everywhere all of the time, it may only be time that tells how primary these lines of communication can become.
Politics and its finer points are often lost on the common man. New new media has allowed for medium where the common man can 1. Have a reason to have an interest in politics and 2. Have access to it. Everyone has a vested interest in politics but most are too consumed in their own lives to ‘make their vote count’ if you will. During the 2008 presidential campaign saw the introduction of youtube, where CNN selected questions for the candidates that had been submitted via the video streaming website giving the American citizens a voice, a power they hadn’t seen before. Needless to say the questions were carefully selected, and some submitted were rumored to have been posted by people affiliated with the campaigns (Levinson, 2009). This made for compelling viewing of an otherwise boring and non significant event on most Americans calendars.
Chief of ‘The Huffington Post” Arianna Huffington (2008) suggested that Barack Obama won the presidency because of the Internet. More specifically the “new new media” that have become the major players in presidential campaigns. The highly interactive campaign website run by the Obama camp has been given a lot of credit for the election win. With hundreds and thousands of hits everyday during the campaign it’s not hard to create a clever website with power beyond its creators belief.
Politics and its finer points are often lost on the common man. New new media has allowed for medium where the common man can 1. Have a reason to have an interest in politics and 2. Have access to it. Everyone has a vested interest in politics but most are too consumed in their own lives to ‘make their vote count’ if you will. During the 2008 presidential campaign saw the introduction of youtube, where CNN selected questions for the candidates that had been submitted via the video streaming website giving the American citizens a voice, a power they hadn’t seen before. Needless to say the questions were carefully selected, and some submitted were rumored to have been posted by people affiliated with the campaigns (Levinson, 2009). This made for compelling viewing of an otherwise boring and non significant event on most Americans calendars.
Chief of ‘The Huffington Post” Arianna Huffington (2008) suggested that Barack Obama won the presidency because of the Internet. More specifically the “new new media” that have become the major players in presidential campaigns. The highly interactive campaign website run by the Obama camp has been given a lot of credit for the election win. With hundreds and thousands of hits everyday during the campaign it’s not hard to create a clever website with power beyond its creators belief.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Reflection on Sex in Cyberspace
The Internet today has become a near necessity of many peoples existence. From even 5 years ago the Internet has become more accessible, fast and user friendly then ever before. The information age has taken the world by storm and the ability of more and more people young and old to access the internet has made it the Information super Highway, however as great as it is, its not without flaws.
Most would agree the largest problem with the internet is the way it fadelessly caters for all sorts of predators. This goes hand in hand with the multi-billion dollar pornography industry facilitated over the Internet. Some suggest, with growing support, that Internet pornography is the “new crack cocaine” (Singel, 2004) – “leading to addiction, misogyny, pedophilia, boob jobs and erectile dysfunction.” The internet is the perfect delivery system of information, thus pornography manufacturers can ride on the back the merit that is the “Information super highway”. Likening internet porn use, or addiction is extreme however it remains to be seen, the lasting psychological effects of heavy and continuous internet pornography use. Singel (2004) quotes Mary Anne Layden, co-director of the Sexual Trauma and Psychopathology Program at the University of Pennsylvania's Center for Cognitive Therapy… according to Layden internet pornography addiction is harder to recover from then addiction to cocaine. The notion here is, cocaine users can be completely rid of their substance abuse problem for good, in the sense it is no longer in their body, whereas images in the mind can remain forever. A major concern is the ability of younger and younger users to have access to such explicit material. The senate inquiry that Layden was a part of, heeded the warning and suggested that federal funded studies should be conducted in to the Physiological effects of pornography.
Largely it would be considered that men would be the core recipient of the “internet porn addict” label, however Marnie Ferree (2003) suggests, that women are not at all exempt. Ferree goes onto to propose, in society standards for women’s behavior limit their expression, especially sexually, and women’s participation in internet pornography or cybersex and the like is way outside those stereotypical boundaries many would expect. Considering the money spent on forms of cybersex exceeds the total amount spent on computer hard-and-software, it is ignorant to ignore this as a growing problem.
Considering these two references were both from more than six years ago, one can only imagine the implications of little to no education to the public, as writing this blog is the first I have ever heard about internet pornography addiction. Furthermore the silent nature of the addiction makes this somewhat insidious industry and problem forever troublesome for psychological professionals in the event of serious implications. The way this activity on the internet harbors the very things in society most of us frown upon makes this in the future a real epidemic worry. I think education for parents and a lot more awareness of the problem is essential, because most internet porn addicts wouldn’t see a way out. Psychological professionals have their work cut out.
Most would agree the largest problem with the internet is the way it fadelessly caters for all sorts of predators. This goes hand in hand with the multi-billion dollar pornography industry facilitated over the Internet. Some suggest, with growing support, that Internet pornography is the “new crack cocaine” (Singel, 2004) – “leading to addiction, misogyny, pedophilia, boob jobs and erectile dysfunction.” The internet is the perfect delivery system of information, thus pornography manufacturers can ride on the back the merit that is the “Information super highway”. Likening internet porn use, or addiction is extreme however it remains to be seen, the lasting psychological effects of heavy and continuous internet pornography use. Singel (2004) quotes Mary Anne Layden, co-director of the Sexual Trauma and Psychopathology Program at the University of Pennsylvania's Center for Cognitive Therapy… according to Layden internet pornography addiction is harder to recover from then addiction to cocaine. The notion here is, cocaine users can be completely rid of their substance abuse problem for good, in the sense it is no longer in their body, whereas images in the mind can remain forever. A major concern is the ability of younger and younger users to have access to such explicit material. The senate inquiry that Layden was a part of, heeded the warning and suggested that federal funded studies should be conducted in to the Physiological effects of pornography.
Largely it would be considered that men would be the core recipient of the “internet porn addict” label, however Marnie Ferree (2003) suggests, that women are not at all exempt. Ferree goes onto to propose, in society standards for women’s behavior limit their expression, especially sexually, and women’s participation in internet pornography or cybersex and the like is way outside those stereotypical boundaries many would expect. Considering the money spent on forms of cybersex exceeds the total amount spent on computer hard-and-software, it is ignorant to ignore this as a growing problem.
Considering these two references were both from more than six years ago, one can only imagine the implications of little to no education to the public, as writing this blog is the first I have ever heard about internet pornography addiction. Furthermore the silent nature of the addiction makes this somewhat insidious industry and problem forever troublesome for psychological professionals in the event of serious implications. The way this activity on the internet harbors the very things in society most of us frown upon makes this in the future a real epidemic worry. I think education for parents and a lot more awareness of the problem is essential, because most internet porn addicts wouldn’t see a way out. Psychological professionals have their work cut out.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
“Shared experiences create a sense of reality”
It is hard for me to fathom the concept of a Second Life. Life would, for most anyway, distinguish one from the dead, experiencing, actively participating, achieving in real things is the cornerstone of life. Second Life for instance, provides thousands of people with a virtual reality... with some arguably realistic elements. The available exchange of second life money into trade-able currency in the real world is its most amazing innovation. Not to mention the ability for business to grow within the virtual world and for people to run business ventures from their studies at home.
Experiences are the utmost REAL thing you can feel, touch, taste, see, hear and interact with. They are what makes us all unique, they are what teach us our lessons (or sometimes not), They are what make us learn, grow and evolve. A virtual reality created by humans can merely be exactly that..... Virtual, So the question is, can experiences in a virtual world like Second Life ever truly replace real experiences? Real life experiences are what makes life exciting, depressing, forever changing and never stopping until the end. Nothing in a virtual world could ever truly compare to the real thing.
Perhaps interactions over a world wide virtual network like Second Life embody what we consider to be similar to reality, but on a computer, however this is just simply a way for one to interact. The fact that virtual money can be exchanged in to trade able currency around the world makes it realer then it seems. Moreover it just seems like a way of escaping from a reality that perhaps you never really had any control over. When you are on Second Life you are not Joe Blow from Timbuktu... you are what ever you want to be... literally. When one is on Second Life, they can embody whomever they want, lie about where they are from and what they do. Lies like these in real life tend to catch up with you pretty fast. One cant live a life and pretend to be something their not, it tends to come crashing down.
Time magazines Kristina Dell suggests Second Life is a way of exploring self expression in different ways. From different forms of cybersex, to virtual activism, Second life provides an avenue for users to express themselves in ways that maybe are too risky in real life. However, freedom of expression is one thing, but using the site to cater for what are otherwise illegal activities, is wrong. The FBI in 2007 prompted Linden Labs (creators of second life) to shut down online casino's as online gambling is illegal in the US. Also European police have been monitoring the distribution and trading of pornographic material of real children on the site, shutting down and taking action if necessary. Many European Governments are not all too happy that adult Avatars can in fact have sex with child like Avatars. Since the outrage Linden has banned and controlled much of this lewd content on the site. Furthermore Linden Labs has lawsuits against them constantly regarding the terms and conditions of the ownership of virtual Real Estate and so forth. Considering up to $7-8 million (figures from 2007) changes hands nearly every month and the site apparently is only growing in popularity, Linden has much more of this to look forward to. Moreover, "griefers" are running rife through the site as there are no penalties to deter them from harassment.
It would seem despite creating some sort of euphoric atmosphere within the constraints of the internet, Linden Labs, in the beginning anyway forgot that people are capable of anything. Unwittingly they created a medium for crime to be committed, and at least for now anyway, they are taking the steps to remedy this.
The simple fact of the matter is that Second Life is not reality, it is not a kin to what we have in the here and now and it will never replace it. For Meadow's to say "this tells me there is something real happening here" is absurd. Real is tangible, real is the First and only Life one is privileged to enjoy. Perhaps what Meadows is trying to say is "reality is what we make it" and if you want your reality to be contrived, controlled and manipulated by a computer networking company... then, as the old adage tell us "each to their own", but if you ask me... you're missing out man!
It is hard for me to fathom the concept of a Second Life. Life would, for most anyway, distinguish one from the dead, experiencing, actively participating, achieving in real things is the cornerstone of life. Second Life for instance, provides thousands of people with a virtual reality... with some arguably realistic elements. The available exchange of second life money into trade-able currency in the real world is its most amazing innovation. Not to mention the ability for business to grow within the virtual world and for people to run business ventures from their studies at home.
Experiences are the utmost REAL thing you can feel, touch, taste, see, hear and interact with. They are what makes us all unique, they are what teach us our lessons (or sometimes not), They are what make us learn, grow and evolve. A virtual reality created by humans can merely be exactly that..... Virtual, So the question is, can experiences in a virtual world like Second Life ever truly replace real experiences? Real life experiences are what makes life exciting, depressing, forever changing and never stopping until the end. Nothing in a virtual world could ever truly compare to the real thing.
Perhaps interactions over a world wide virtual network like Second Life embody what we consider to be similar to reality, but on a computer, however this is just simply a way for one to interact. The fact that virtual money can be exchanged in to trade able currency around the world makes it realer then it seems. Moreover it just seems like a way of escaping from a reality that perhaps you never really had any control over. When you are on Second Life you are not Joe Blow from Timbuktu... you are what ever you want to be... literally. When one is on Second Life, they can embody whomever they want, lie about where they are from and what they do. Lies like these in real life tend to catch up with you pretty fast. One cant live a life and pretend to be something their not, it tends to come crashing down.
Time magazines Kristina Dell suggests Second Life is a way of exploring self expression in different ways. From different forms of cybersex, to virtual activism, Second life provides an avenue for users to express themselves in ways that maybe are too risky in real life. However, freedom of expression is one thing, but using the site to cater for what are otherwise illegal activities, is wrong. The FBI in 2007 prompted Linden Labs (creators of second life) to shut down online casino's as online gambling is illegal in the US. Also European police have been monitoring the distribution and trading of pornographic material of real children on the site, shutting down and taking action if necessary. Many European Governments are not all too happy that adult Avatars can in fact have sex with child like Avatars. Since the outrage Linden has banned and controlled much of this lewd content on the site. Furthermore Linden Labs has lawsuits against them constantly regarding the terms and conditions of the ownership of virtual Real Estate and so forth. Considering up to $7-8 million (figures from 2007) changes hands nearly every month and the site apparently is only growing in popularity, Linden has much more of this to look forward to. Moreover, "griefers" are running rife through the site as there are no penalties to deter them from harassment.
It would seem despite creating some sort of euphoric atmosphere within the constraints of the internet, Linden Labs, in the beginning anyway forgot that people are capable of anything. Unwittingly they created a medium for crime to be committed, and at least for now anyway, they are taking the steps to remedy this.
The simple fact of the matter is that Second Life is not reality, it is not a kin to what we have in the here and now and it will never replace it. For Meadow's to say "this tells me there is something real happening here" is absurd. Real is tangible, real is the First and only Life one is privileged to enjoy. Perhaps what Meadows is trying to say is "reality is what we make it" and if you want your reality to be contrived, controlled and manipulated by a computer networking company... then, as the old adage tell us "each to their own", but if you ask me... you're missing out man!
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
The Australia first party has extremist views on many things... but as a recognised democratically elected body it cannot be extremist group in the conventional sense. The even Proclaim that "All nationalists and patriotic Australians now have a political vehicle"... The whole "new world order" cant help but remind us all of those wild malitia groups.
Also the apparent hate campaignes are closely alligned with Australians Against Further Immigration... and considering how proud we are of our apparent Multiculturalism and the Australian League of Rights, these views seem extremist
It's disappointng from my point of view that AFP (Australia First Party), recognises that only their vision is right, but more importantly that Asutralia doesnt have identity, freedom and idependance in the way that it should. Whereas I feel our national identity and freedoms are as strong as ever. Australians are proud to be Australian and work hard to make Australia live up to it's lucky country tag.
An extremist group would be apart of some kind of heavy demonstration or rebellion agaisnt the norm. However it would seem that the political of AFP views evolve around "We demand that YOU the people should be represented in the parliaments and not be the victims of cynical, corrupt, and foreign-loyal party machines"... As far as most of us know, we just passively believe and continue to swallow what politicians continue to feed us... I think it's not such a bad idea to have a more extremist type watchdog of the "corruption" that's supposedly going on inside the walls of parliament. Despite Politicians being democratically elected they can't always be representative of their whole public. Most of the public may disagree with reforms to policies or changes to different systems, or maybe even wasteful spending (Hello MyKi - Victorian Government), but they would never do anything about it in an active way. In a way the Australia First Party caters for the people who are willing to have a voice on these topics and work towards reforms inline with their vision of Australia.
The Australia First Party Although to me (as a severly rigt wing politcally minded) seem somewhat primitive and preachy in their views, I can't help but admire their inititive to introduce..."the Implementation of Citizens' Initiated Referendum and Voters' Recall of parliamentarians, so that you the people can propose the laws and get rid of unresponsive parliamentarians" This is interesting, in the sense that imagine the power placed back into the publics hands. Although it would not be inequitable if used all the time, or as a knee jerk reaction but as another form of Checks and Balances to the supposed "free wheeling" government could only be a good thing.
The Australia First party has extremist views but they are not running around burning flags of bashing homosexual people. They are a legitimate political body that has taken extremeist views to the parliament and allows its followers representation. Wanting a better Australia is everyones dream, but who is to say whose vision of this better Australia is right.
The Australia First party has extremist views but they are not running around burning flags of bashing homosexual people. They are a legitimate political body that has taken extremeist views to the parliament and allows its followers representation. Wanting a better Australia is everyones dream, but who is to say whose vision of this better Australia is right.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
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