Tag: integrated

Social Media and Society

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Us Now (Gormley, 2009) in this week’s flip lecture paints social media as inspiration to what is described by one of its experts as the “unbundling and reconstituting of what is a government.” The idea the film focuses upon is that a part of human nature is the urge to socialise

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and connect; key concepts in the development not only of society, but social media. Sites such as Mumsnet, Couchsurfing and thepeoplespeak emulate a ‘community spirit’  that was once available freely to human beings before we became attached to technology. The idea is for people who share similar characteristics and needs to be given a forum to speak to one another and share answers. Mumsnet in particular, allows mums from all over the world to communicate with one another on matters related to maternity and childcare, some leaning towards trust on fellow mothers more than their general practitioners. Not only is the site accessible and mostly quick in response, one would have access to a variety of people who have experienced or have knowledge of their predicament.

Couchsurfing, unlike Mumsnet, draws on Week Two’s Understanding Social Media‘s proposal that media networks on the Internet are grounded in the real world. Although there might be doubt with the form’s authenticity, the author claims no reduction despite the virtual distance between its users. Couchsurfing’s purpose of drawing travellers and potential ‘couch hosts’ leads one to seeing a devaluation of privacy, but builds a stronger relationship based on trust. This idea of having social media draw people together for at least a night of ‘couch surfing’ or ultimately, sleeping at a stranger’s house, brings a tangible economy between them by relying on people’s natural collaborative nature.

We are Legion

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This week’s flip lecture on activist organisation Anonymous illustrates the power of the Internet in creating communities of similar interest, as well as inspiring participation in events through various social media. It is made clear in this documentary that a congregation of individuals with a similar purpose can conceive greater action than a single hacker. In this case, the hijacking of virtual reality world Habbo Hotel by userswith ‘black men in suits’ avatars, conveyed ultimate frustration and eventual deterioration of the particular phenomenon.

The Internet is a tool in providing people the opportunity for expressiveness through the promise of anonymity. Often, a common enemy or a common goal is conceived to attract people who take action, as seen in the conflict between Anonymous and Scientology. Though the fragility of privacy on the Internet undoubtedly dictates an invasion of identity. One’s ‘internet identity’ is easily tracked to their ‘real identity’ and can be used as a form of weapon against sects like Scientology. Besides ‘trolls’ who performs vulgar acts of annoyance for their personal entertainment, all hackers are considered political for their use of garnered information is based on opinion.

It is interesting to hear that in today’s modern world, taking down a site is considered a ‘legitimate form of protest’ in Germany.

Back to school

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This week’s (and year’s) first Integrated Media readings look into the concept of I-Docs or Interactive Documentaries. The authors list four different modes of existing I-Docs, each one affording the user a different construction of reality.

These are: Conversational, between the user and creator,  Hypertext, which leads the user to different pages with a single click, Participative, or “collab-docs” that stage a conversation between the producer and the user community, and Experiential content depending on the location of the participant, allowing them to interact with physical space.

If one is to return to Bill Nichol’s three part definition of documentary as “involving a community of practitioners within a particular institutional context, familiar modes of documentary representation and a set of assumptions and expectations of audiences”, it is to be concluded that the technology of the 21st century allow “digital documentaries” to garner direct (if not even democratic) participation from then passive audiences. However, this must not be confused as a mere “digital revolution”, rather as a remediation (Bolter and Grusin) of old and new media.

As of current, it is also mentioned that there are two broad dynamics at play. Firstly, the integration and transformation of digital technology in documentary as a cultural form precedes. There is also a convergence of documentary’s discourse and aesthetics into participatory contexts such as online cultures. However, the overall concept in I-Docs are transformed (for the better) in its distribution, accessibility for users, and proliferation of user-generated content.