References:

Hinton, S & Hjorth L 2013, Understanding Social Media. Sage Publications, London 2013. (Section: pp. 1-31).

Chun, W.H.K 2016, Updating to Remain the Same: Habitual New Media, MIT Press, Massachusetts, United States (Sections: ‘Introduction: Habitual New Media, or Updating to Remain (Close to) the Same’, pp. 1-20.)

Social Media was an exciting topic for me as I have such a big interest in it. It is fascinating to me how much people rely on social media in today’s society, so I really enjoyed discovering its origins.

To begin it is important to note that social media is a part of ‘New Media,’ which involves communicating using digital technologies. New Media is constantly evolving and is often digital and/or online.

After the immergence of Web 2.0, the web became very accessible to everyone, not just ‘tech geniuses.’ This empowered its users to be able to create and produce their own content as well as interact and view with other content creators.

An individual’s ability to discover whatever they desire due to this Web 2.0 is revolutionary and social media accelerates this learning process to other people as it is so easy to spread information to a large following without them even asking for the information themselves.

Learning that as users we are constantly bombarded with advertisements and have our motions tracked to gain insight for marketers to improve their sites was interesting to me as obviously I have experienced it myself but to have it confirmed does make me feel as if I am being stalked.

The readings really emphasised the importance that Web 2.0 has had on the evolution of New Media and as a society I believe that generally people take it for granted that they can so easily stay in contact with distant friends, celebrities and people you don’t even know as a way to continue to consume knowledge about the world and the topics that truly interest you.

References:

Niederer, S 2018, Networked images: visual methodologies for the digital age. Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, Amsterdam. (read pp.1-20)

Lister, M et al 2009, New Media: A Critical Introduction. Routledge, New York. (Sections: Networks, Users and Economics pp 163-169; Wiki Worlds and Web 2.0 pp 204-209; The Long Tail pp 197-200; User-generated content, we are all users now pp 221-232.)

This week we discussed ‘The Network’ and the different areas that impact the Network. To begin the discussion that the Internet is not the Web was interesting to me as I hadn’t considered how they could be separated. The internet is what connects different servers together and the Web is the different sites that are able to form due to the internet.

Information is best distributed when it has multiple connections that communicate with other connections. This is better that a centralised or decentralised mode of information because there are multiple sources making it hard to destroy the information.

While the internet connects everything together, it is not meaningful unless you follow a connection, making both the Internet and the Web essential to each other.

The World Wide Web was a cultural achievement. This achievement was revolutionary because it created positive opportunities for areas such as education or participation in democracy, understand countercultures however, there were also negative impacts such as privacy, copyright and ethical issues. Both the web and the Internet, however, have redeveloped how man works with machinery.

The Web allows creativity to flourish among individuals with many ways for people to express themselves through videos, blogs, photos etc. This can be anonymous which can offer people an opportunity to portray their true selves without judgement, but it also gives people the option to lie and deceive and abuse the anonymity. The World Wide Web also offers opportunities for businesses to thrive, no matter if they are starting out as a big or small business.

Considering the current pandemic currently going on in the world surrounding COVID-19 it has proved how the internet has allowed people to stay educated through online classes, offered information regarding national changes that are being made through the government and also provides a platform for people to hear and understand people’s concerns and anxieties as well as. It also allows individuals to stay in contact with their friends and family, to maintain some social interaction.

While the Network is a complicated idea, once understood I was able to appreciate how far society has come with the developments of the Internet as well as the Web in the ways that it provides opportunities of expression and education that are engaging with me as a user rather than just viewing me as an audience.

References:

Norman, D 1998, The design of everyday things , Basic Book, New York (Sections: Preface vii-xv; Chapter one pp 1-13; Chapter 4  pp 81-87;  pp 177-186)

After reading the first chapter of The Design of Everyday Things, I have discovered that when I struggle to open a door due to not knowing if it is push or pull, I am not intellectually challenged but it is in fact the designers that should be putting some more brain power into their products. They should be designing the affordances so that it is obvious and clear to the user how the product is intended to use for smooth operation.

More often than not, if something goes wrong with a device, it is blamed on human error rather than a manufacturing or software issue. However more consideration should be taken when placing blame as a lot of time there is a problem with the actual design of the device. More consideration for the users should be taken by the designers to what will be the most efficient and easy way to use the device or software.

Norman insists that we not blame ourselves and that we should “blame the designer” (Norman, 1998 p.x). Norman developed three important topics in his text. The first is that it is not the users fault when they have trouble using something. The second being the Design Principles; Conceptual models (an obvious that design that allows the user to easily use the controls correctly and easily), Feedback (demonstrating that the action has had an effect so as to not repeat it), Constraints (Designing constraints allows for little error as it will be impossible for the user to perform the incorrect action by physically not allowing it) and Affordances (Actions that are encouraged are made visible and obvious and actions that are inappropriate are made invisible).  The third topic is the power of observation. To teach his readers to look at the world and how we use it differently, questioning all design elements.

As humans when we encounter a new object we draw upon past experiences to begin to understand how the new product works. The product’s use of affordances allows the user to be guided as to what they should and shouldn’t be doing.

Norman discusses the 4 different constraints with products. The Physical constraints; physical limitations that allow affordances. Ideally these limitations are obvious to prevent a ‘trial and error’ process. The Semantic constraints; The users knowledge of the context in which the product is being used is import when deciding which actions to take with the product. The Cultural constraints; cultural norms influence how the user approaches the product and what actions they want to take. This can include accepted behaviours or guidelines for the users culture. The Logical constraints; Despite other constraints, the answer may naturally be obvious to the user.

As a designer, there are a few steps that you should avoid. The first being making things invisible, not allowing the user to understand how to perform basic functions. Being vague or random when labelling actions and commands. Being inconsistent with functions. Making messages difficult to read or uninformative. Being rude to the user and lastly making affordances risky and dangerous.

Norman has inspired me to think more about how everything around me is designed and how it can be improved.

References:

Khoo E, Hight C, Torrens R, Cowie B 2017, ‘Introduction: Software and other Literacies’ in Software Literacy: Education and Beyond, Springer, Singapore. (pp.1-12)

Week one of Networked Media we explored software literacy, specifically in the form of Instagram. With Instagram becoming an increasingly prevalent part of modern society, it is interesting to divulge behind the interface.

At first thought, software to me was an overwhelming concept. As someone with very limited knowledge about information technology, understanding that software is necessary to perform many, many tasks in my everyday life. Our assigned reading for week 1, Software Literacy Education and Beyond, explores that software is embedded in programs such as Netflix and Facebook but also in organisations that hadn’t previously crossed my mind such as hospitals, schools and global share markets.

As code is developed by humans, no code is perfect but is continually improving since its acknowledgment as a distinct industry in the 1960’s. Although there will always be errors, the more this generally overlooked subject is studied the better it will be for all digital education.

To begin our investigation into the assignment question, we first must understand how the app works and why certain software choices were made. This includes understanding what affordances are. An affordance is “an action possibility or an offering” (McGrenere & Ho, 2000, p.6) which can include physical interaction with the device. Or for example, touching the house icon on Instagram to take the user to their home page where their main feed is found.

Understanding that Software Studies is more than just viewing software programs as applications that allow you to view and communicate within the application or platform and instead realising it is also how you communicate that is also a part of the software. Subsequently this means that to understand software we must look further than the baseline of creation.

As software has developed over the decades, it has been increasingly involved with contemporary media. Design choices are crucial in making software inviting and easy to use for all. Most software is pointless unless it is engaged with by a user.

There are different levels of understanding software literacy as well. The first is a base skill level, being able to apply the key affordances. The second level holds the ability to solve issues when using the software. The final level is the ability to critique affordances of the software.

Overall, this week has taught me that software is essential to our modern day living. It is embedded into our society and is more complicated than first observation. Now that I have an understanding of affordances, understanding Instagram’s affordances such as editing features, hashtags, biographies, verifications etc., it begins to open my mind to how they can impact on how people use the platform and why they use it that way.

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