In Monday’s lecture Nigel brought the widely disputed online community Second Life to our attention.
Personally I have never considered establishing a Second Life presence, possibly because I’m already finding it difficult enough to cope with my (let’s call it) ‘First Life’. Two of my very good friends however are keen proponents of the virtual world, without allowing it to take over their life. Let me also assure you that, unlike some people might have thought, both of them are perfectly sane and enjoy a healthy social life (in the real world).
Second Life certainly offers them an opportunity to interact with people on a global scale, something the incredibly dull and mono-cultural village they live in seems to deny them.
I’m actually very tempted to make an unduly comparison here. Second Life for some appears to me to serve the same social function as nightclubs do for others. Rather than having an intimate party with close friends at home, many prefer to mingle (in small groups) with complete strangers in overpriced nightclubs. I’m not trying to suggest that both should be considered equal social activities since I don’t believe they are, not least because clubbing requires one’s physical presence.
This leads me to another interesting question raised in Monday’s class: Is meeting (in the sense of getting to know) people online less safe than meeting people in the flesh?
In my opinion this question is slightly complex. Virtual encounters indisputably cannot cause physical pain, i.e. in the virtual world you certainly won’t be (physically) raped, tortured, beaten, killed, etc. On the other hand, I don’t believe virtual contact prevents you from experiencing emotional pain caused by bullying or other forms of emotional abuse. Considering that in extreme cases this might lead to suicide, the answer to the above question seems less straight-forward. It becomes even more complicated when taking into account that paedophiles for example might use virtual communities as a realm to get to know future victims.
Anyway, I’m digressing. There’s one last thing I’d like to mention in regards to Second Life: the reactions provoked by the idea of people spending money on virtual commodities, be that cars or even a piece of land. Contemplating this idea, it occurred to me that we’re probably all guilty of purchasing items we don’t really need. We live in a consumption-driven society in which status (and maybe even class?) is determined by commodities, so why should online communities be different from that? I’m certainly not going to spend my money on virtual commodities anytime soon, but maybe we can regard these communities as a mere reflection of reality and evaluate our own habits and behaviour accordingly.
If, as Rheingold suggests, some virtual communities indeed operate ‘gift economies’,
‘in which people do things for one another out of a spirit of building something between them, rather than a spreadsheet- calculated quid pro quo’ (Rheingold. 1994: 59),
then perhaps we can even learn from them.
Rheingold, H. (1994) The Virtual Community: Surfing the Internet. Minerva: London (Yes, I still prefer reading print editions to online editions)
Sunday 28 October 2007
Saturday 27 October 2007
(First) Proposal of our Group Project Plan
The following (so far) also appears on our group wiki page
Virtual Communities
In order to look at virtual communities in more depth it first necessitates a definition of the term ‘community’:
What is a community, how do we define a community? What constitutes a virtual community as opposed to a community in real life? How might a virtual community be similar to or different from a community as we experience it in the real world?
Resources we think might be useful in considering the above:
Raymond Williams’ definition of the term ‘community’ in his Keywords (1976), dictionary definitions of ‘community’
Howard Rheingold’s work on virtual communities available here
From the above, the question arises as to whether virtual communities might have changed people's perception of the local-global nexus. We will aim to discuss this relationship between the local and the global in terms of cyberspace. This will require a definition of cyberspace, as well as take into account how cyberspace might have redrawn national boundaries and the consequences this might have.
At last we will explore the possible motivations (such as narcissism, confirmation, etc) of people joining virtual communities (such as Queeruption, MySpace, Facebook, etc). Whilst this will give an account of how virtual communities are often used to market oneself or to gain confirmation, we will also consider Rheingold’s concept of a ‘gift economy’. This will also enable us to assess the pros and cons of virtual communities (possibly by using two to four different virtual communities as case studies).
Conclusion: We will evaluate all of the above and hopefully come to a concise conclusion of how the emergence of virtual communities might have impacted upon our perception of the term community.
Virtual Communities
In order to look at virtual communities in more depth it first necessitates a definition of the term ‘community’:
What is a community, how do we define a community? What constitutes a virtual community as opposed to a community in real life? How might a virtual community be similar to or different from a community as we experience it in the real world?
Resources we think might be useful in considering the above:
Raymond Williams’ definition of the term ‘community’ in his Keywords (1976), dictionary definitions of ‘community’
Howard Rheingold’s work on virtual communities available here
From the above, the question arises as to whether virtual communities might have changed people's perception of the local-global nexus. We will aim to discuss this relationship between the local and the global in terms of cyberspace. This will require a definition of cyberspace, as well as take into account how cyberspace might have redrawn national boundaries and the consequences this might have.
At last we will explore the possible motivations (such as narcissism, confirmation, etc) of people joining virtual communities (such as Queeruption, MySpace, Facebook, etc). Whilst this will give an account of how virtual communities are often used to market oneself or to gain confirmation, we will also consider Rheingold’s concept of a ‘gift economy’. This will also enable us to assess the pros and cons of virtual communities (possibly by using two to four different virtual communities as case studies).
Conclusion: We will evaluate all of the above and hopefully come to a concise conclusion of how the emergence of virtual communities might have impacted upon our perception of the term community.
Planning...
This week involved the first stage in the process of completing our group project: planning – as the title of this entry indicates.
Elom, Karl, Neng and I have now determined the themes we would like to cover in our group project on virtual communities. I won’t go into much detail here in order to avoid being repetitive as I will post the (first) proposal of our project plan as it (at the moment) also appears on our group wiki page later on.
In brief, we have agreed upon covering the following:
1. give a definition of the term ‘community’ and look at what constitutes a virtual community,
2. discuss the local-global nexus in regards to cyberspace,
3. and examine the possible motivations (such asnarcissism, confirmation, etc) of people joining virtual communities (such asQueeruption, MySpace, Facebook, etc).
The summary above might sound a little vague and is explained in more detail in the project plan. I also think some themes will consolidate once we have completed our research.
In order to relieve the work load and thus work more efficiently, I suggested to my fellow group members that we could divide the topics between the four of us. One of my group members however objected to this and pointed out that each of us might arrive at different readings of the same text. This will then enable us to form a more balanced argument on virtual communities. Whilst I recognize the validity of this argument, I fear that the time we have at our disposal might not allow us to do so. We will have to find a plausible solution of how to best approach this problem soon, in particular to avoid all of us concentrating on researching the same topics and as a result ending up with insufficient information on others.
Unfortunately I also have to point out that we already seem to be experiencing communication problems. The attempt to communicate via e-mail so far has proven somewhat problematic. It might therefore be worth picking a day for us to meet in person and exchange our ideas and thoughts on the project that way.
We have also decided to put a picture of ourselves on our group wiki page. I have to say that as yet I’m quite pleased with how easy it appears to be to construct (or rather edit) the wiki page (*touch wood*). Nonetheless, our creative abilities will clearly be challenged. At present I’m not satisfied with the design of our page and, as it was me who posted the project plan onto the page, I am willing to take full responsibility for that.
Elom, Karl, Neng and I have now determined the themes we would like to cover in our group project on virtual communities. I won’t go into much detail here in order to avoid being repetitive as I will post the (first) proposal of our project plan as it (at the moment) also appears on our group wiki page later on.
In brief, we have agreed upon covering the following:
1. give a definition of the term ‘community’ and look at what constitutes a virtual community,
2. discuss the local-global nexus in regards to cyberspace,
3. and examine the possible motivations (such asnarcissism, confirmation, etc) of people joining virtual communities (such asQueeruption, MySpace, Facebook, etc).
The summary above might sound a little vague and is explained in more detail in the project plan. I also think some themes will consolidate once we have completed our research.
In order to relieve the work load and thus work more efficiently, I suggested to my fellow group members that we could divide the topics between the four of us. One of my group members however objected to this and pointed out that each of us might arrive at different readings of the same text. This will then enable us to form a more balanced argument on virtual communities. Whilst I recognize the validity of this argument, I fear that the time we have at our disposal might not allow us to do so. We will have to find a plausible solution of how to best approach this problem soon, in particular to avoid all of us concentrating on researching the same topics and as a result ending up with insufficient information on others.
Unfortunately I also have to point out that we already seem to be experiencing communication problems. The attempt to communicate via e-mail so far has proven somewhat problematic. It might therefore be worth picking a day for us to meet in person and exchange our ideas and thoughts on the project that way.
We have also decided to put a picture of ourselves on our group wiki page. I have to say that as yet I’m quite pleased with how easy it appears to be to construct (or rather edit) the wiki page (*touch wood*). Nonetheless, our creative abilities will clearly be challenged. At present I’m not satisfied with the design of our page and, as it was me who posted the project plan onto the page, I am willing to take full responsibility for that.
Sunday 21 October 2007
Correction
In my entry on open source software I erroneously claimed that PBWiki is open source software. This was kindly pointed out to me by Nigel in a comment (thank you!).
I acknowledge this mistake and have now edited the entry accordingly. Although wiki enables people to add, remove, edit and change content of a wiki page, the software itself doesn’t allow for active participation in its development.
I hope I got it right this time. ;o)
I acknowledge this mistake and have now edited the entry accordingly. Although wiki enables people to add, remove, edit and change content of a wiki page, the software itself doesn’t allow for active participation in its development.
I hope I got it right this time. ;o)
Our first group meeting
My previous entry mainly dealt with open source software, simply because the concept intrigued me. Although I had heard of it before I have never really given much thought to it so I considered it worth an entry.
This entry however will be entirely dedicated to the progress of our group project on virtual communities. So far we have had one rather short meeting, more or less to brainstorm our ideas. Initially we agreed upon exploring virtual music communities in regard to MySpace (see Karl’s entry Week One). Having exchanged our own experiences with, as well as our views and ideas on virtual communities, we now decided on focusing our study more broadly on the themes of narcissism versus confirmation.
In my opinion, virtual communities such as MySpace and Facebook are primarily about selling, promoting, and publicizing oneself. This, I believe, is precisely why MySpace is often utilized by musicians. It certainly is a cheap and easy way to market oneself and establish a following. For non-musicians, that is the talent-less, these virtual communities also offer room for exposure in what to me often seems a rather narcissistic attempt to gain stardom in a celebrity-obsessed world. But virtual communities can also provide a space for individuals to overcome insecurities and help others achieve a sense of belonging, in other words they can give confirmation.
Personally I thought it would also be interesting to consider the way virtual communities offer an opportunity to embrace one’s deviances. Take Armin Meiwes, in my opinion a perfect, albeit slightly extreme example. Meiwes (who has since become somewhat of a cultural icon) used virtual communities to locate a volunteer who’d consent to being eaten. This case is a particularly interesting one, not least because of its controversy.
I am however aware that there are only a limited number of issues we can cover within the time available. In fact, I’m already beginning to feel the pressure of organizing my time efficiently, especially with deadlines for other course work approaching fast.
To end this entry on a good note, I’d like to mention that so far there have been no difficulties within our group. I’m sure we’ll work well together and hopefully produce some good work.
This entry however will be entirely dedicated to the progress of our group project on virtual communities. So far we have had one rather short meeting, more or less to brainstorm our ideas. Initially we agreed upon exploring virtual music communities in regard to MySpace (see Karl’s entry Week One). Having exchanged our own experiences with, as well as our views and ideas on virtual communities, we now decided on focusing our study more broadly on the themes of narcissism versus confirmation.
In my opinion, virtual communities such as MySpace and Facebook are primarily about selling, promoting, and publicizing oneself. This, I believe, is precisely why MySpace is often utilized by musicians. It certainly is a cheap and easy way to market oneself and establish a following. For non-musicians, that is the talent-less, these virtual communities also offer room for exposure in what to me often seems a rather narcissistic attempt to gain stardom in a celebrity-obsessed world. But virtual communities can also provide a space for individuals to overcome insecurities and help others achieve a sense of belonging, in other words they can give confirmation.
Personally I thought it would also be interesting to consider the way virtual communities offer an opportunity to embrace one’s deviances. Take Armin Meiwes, in my opinion a perfect, albeit slightly extreme example. Meiwes (who has since become somewhat of a cultural icon) used virtual communities to locate a volunteer who’d consent to being eaten. This case is a particularly interesting one, not least because of its controversy.
I am however aware that there are only a limited number of issues we can cover within the time available. In fact, I’m already beginning to feel the pressure of organizing my time efficiently, especially with deadlines for other course work approaching fast.
To end this entry on a good note, I’d like to mention that so far there have been no difficulties within our group. I’m sure we’ll work well together and hopefully produce some good work.
Open Source Software
I have always associated open source software with techno-nerds. Being built upon the principle of active participation in its development, open source software to me is (or at least until now was) inextricably linked with expertise. My perception was such that a non-geek like me would never be able to come to terms with such a complex thing as open source software.
It is remarkable though what such software can achieve. I believe the success of Linux is a prime example for this. In August 2006, Becky Hogge of the New Statesman wrote the following:
‘In 2001, it was estimated that 8,000 man-years had been invested in building Linux, most of this voluntarily. Had this feat been attempted by a commercial software company, the cost would have been in excess of $1bn’.
Given the amount of time that is invested in developing Linux, it seems only logical to assume, as Raymond (author of The Cathedral and the Bazaar, who describes Linux as ‘a great babbling bazaar’) does, that bugs are quickly discovered and corrected. It comes as no surprise then that on its website, Linux is described as revolutionary. As great as all this might sound, I still believe I have yet to become more confident with new technology before I consider embracing Linux.
I have however taken on Nigel’s suggestion and downloaded an alternative browser. With the downloading taking less than five minutes and no effort at all, I’m now using Mozilla Firefox without any problems. So far I haven’t noticed much of a difference between Mozialla Firefox and Windows Internet Explorer. In fact, all the websites I usually visit look exactly the same. This leaves me feeling incredibly ignorant and lazy about my previous attitude towards open source software, as well as my unquestioning acceptance and support of conglomerate-controlled software.
Of course I will also get more accustomed to wiki in the next few weeks in the course of our group project (I will consider the progress of our group project in more detail in another blog entry). We have already created our own group PBwiki page, which was fairly easy, and called it dekn, according to the first letter of each of our first names in alphabetical order. Ingenious, isn’t it?
After Monday’s class I might even attempt to use html sometime in the future. Whilst at first it seemed quite daunting, html soon turned out to be not half as difficult as I expected it to be.
Overall I think this week I have firsthand discovered how closed-minded I used to be in regards to new technologies. It is incredible how easy it is to accept conventional norms and go with the flow. I now realise that there are plenty of alternatives to conglomerate-controlled software, most of which is not as difficult to use as one might initially assume. I will certainly try and be more open-minded and above all rely less on my perception of things before I have tried or experienced them myself.
It is remarkable though what such software can achieve. I believe the success of Linux is a prime example for this. In August 2006, Becky Hogge of the New Statesman wrote the following:
‘In 2001, it was estimated that 8,000 man-years had been invested in building Linux, most of this voluntarily. Had this feat been attempted by a commercial software company, the cost would have been in excess of $1bn’.
Given the amount of time that is invested in developing Linux, it seems only logical to assume, as Raymond (author of The Cathedral and the Bazaar, who describes Linux as ‘a great babbling bazaar’) does, that bugs are quickly discovered and corrected. It comes as no surprise then that on its website, Linux is described as revolutionary. As great as all this might sound, I still believe I have yet to become more confident with new technology before I consider embracing Linux.
I have however taken on Nigel’s suggestion and downloaded an alternative browser. With the downloading taking less than five minutes and no effort at all, I’m now using Mozilla Firefox without any problems. So far I haven’t noticed much of a difference between Mozialla Firefox and Windows Internet Explorer. In fact, all the websites I usually visit look exactly the same. This leaves me feeling incredibly ignorant and lazy about my previous attitude towards open source software, as well as my unquestioning acceptance and support of conglomerate-controlled software.
Of course I will also get more accustomed to wiki in the next few weeks in the course of our group project (I will consider the progress of our group project in more detail in another blog entry). We have already created our own group PBwiki page, which was fairly easy, and called it dekn, according to the first letter of each of our first names in alphabetical order. Ingenious, isn’t it?
After Monday’s class I might even attempt to use html sometime in the future. Whilst at first it seemed quite daunting, html soon turned out to be not half as difficult as I expected it to be.
Overall I think this week I have firsthand discovered how closed-minded I used to be in regards to new technologies. It is incredible how easy it is to accept conventional norms and go with the flow. I now realise that there are plenty of alternatives to conglomerate-controlled software, most of which is not as difficult to use as one might initially assume. I will certainly try and be more open-minded and above all rely less on my perception of things before I have tried or experienced them myself.
Thursday 11 October 2007
My first attempt at blogging...
‘As technology advances, it reverses the characteristics of every situation again and again. The age of automation is going to be the age of "do it yourself”’ (McLuhan. 1957/ in McLuhan and Zingrone. 1997: 283).
As this is my first attempt at blogging I have chosen to start with the above quote by Marshall McLuhan, which I believe perfectly sums up the practice of blogging.
Although I never hesitate to debate my views face to face, I have never before considered starting a blog. The reason is probably that I assumed no-one would actually care to read it, thus rendering it insignificant. I also predominantly rely on print and broadcasting media (or credible websites such as bbc.co.uk or newstatesman.com), for news and information. I realise I might show myself conservative in my attitude to new media but I’m expecting this course to challenge this way of thinking.
So far I’m intending to use this blog for the sole purpose of my individual assignment but, who knows, I might brim over with enthusiasm for blogging and continue even after the course is finished.
As for my expectations, I’ve anticipated the module to be more technologically charged. As I would describe my technological knowledge as basic, however, I am not at all disappointed. Whilst I have created a computer game upon completion of a computer-programming course in Delphi language at school about ten years ago, I have recently become less technologically active. I hope the module will reawaken my interest in new media and enable me to explore the different possibilities they offer.
Although I found it difficult to make a decision in regards to which topic I’d like to cover last Monday, I’m excited about the prospect of working in groups. My decision making skills are certainly one area that I’d like to improve. Having worked in groups before, I’m also aware of the importance of time-management and communication within the group. It is still early stages though and I’m sure I’ll get back to this point later.
The group project will undoubtedly be interesting, especially since I have never worked with Elom, Karl, or Neng before. I’m also looking forward to making sense of the group work by considering both Meredith Belbin and Bruce W. Tuckman’s ideas on group psychology, as well as becoming more technologically savvy by playing around with wiki. Rheingold’s The Virtual Community: Finding Connection in a Computerised World may also be worth a look in regards to our chosen theme.
Reflecting on some of the issues raised in class on Monday, one particular concern caught my attention: the inequalities in terms of access to the Internet between the developed and the developing world. This brings me back to McLuhan and his concept of a ‘global village’. One might argue that through the emergence of the Internet and the World Wide Web, McLuhan’s concept (or anticipation) of a ‘global village’, in which
‘we have extended our central nervous system itself in a global embrace, abolishing both space and time as far as our planet is concerned’ (McLuhan cited in Harvey. 1990: 293),
has been realized. As the map below indicates however, this ‘global village’ is predominantly occupied by people from the developed world.
This global digital divide and its consequences is certainly something I’d like to look into in more detail. I will here draw this lengthy and hopefully not too tedious first entry to a close and leave some space for thought.
Essential McLuhan (1997) ed by McLuhan, E. and Zingrone, F. Routledge.
Harvey, D. (1990) The Condition of Postmodernity. Blackwell: Cambridge MA and Oxford UK.
As this is my first attempt at blogging I have chosen to start with the above quote by Marshall McLuhan, which I believe perfectly sums up the practice of blogging.
Although I never hesitate to debate my views face to face, I have never before considered starting a blog. The reason is probably that I assumed no-one would actually care to read it, thus rendering it insignificant. I also predominantly rely on print and broadcasting media (or credible websites such as bbc.co.uk or newstatesman.com), for news and information. I realise I might show myself conservative in my attitude to new media but I’m expecting this course to challenge this way of thinking.
So far I’m intending to use this blog for the sole purpose of my individual assignment but, who knows, I might brim over with enthusiasm for blogging and continue even after the course is finished.
As for my expectations, I’ve anticipated the module to be more technologically charged. As I would describe my technological knowledge as basic, however, I am not at all disappointed. Whilst I have created a computer game upon completion of a computer-programming course in Delphi language at school about ten years ago, I have recently become less technologically active. I hope the module will reawaken my interest in new media and enable me to explore the different possibilities they offer.
Although I found it difficult to make a decision in regards to which topic I’d like to cover last Monday, I’m excited about the prospect of working in groups. My decision making skills are certainly one area that I’d like to improve. Having worked in groups before, I’m also aware of the importance of time-management and communication within the group. It is still early stages though and I’m sure I’ll get back to this point later.
The group project will undoubtedly be interesting, especially since I have never worked with Elom, Karl, or Neng before. I’m also looking forward to making sense of the group work by considering both Meredith Belbin and Bruce W. Tuckman’s ideas on group psychology, as well as becoming more technologically savvy by playing around with wiki. Rheingold’s The Virtual Community: Finding Connection in a Computerised World may also be worth a look in regards to our chosen theme.
Reflecting on some of the issues raised in class on Monday, one particular concern caught my attention: the inequalities in terms of access to the Internet between the developed and the developing world. This brings me back to McLuhan and his concept of a ‘global village’. One might argue that through the emergence of the Internet and the World Wide Web, McLuhan’s concept (or anticipation) of a ‘global village’, in which
‘we have extended our central nervous system itself in a global embrace, abolishing both space and time as far as our planet is concerned’ (McLuhan cited in Harvey. 1990: 293),
has been realized. As the map below indicates however, this ‘global village’ is predominantly occupied by people from the developed world.
This global digital divide and its consequences is certainly something I’d like to look into in more detail. I will here draw this lengthy and hopefully not too tedious first entry to a close and leave some space for thought.
Essential McLuhan (1997) ed by McLuhan, E. and Zingrone, F. Routledge.
Harvey, D. (1990) The Condition of Postmodernity. Blackwell: Cambridge MA and Oxford UK.
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