Blogging as Global Media

http://blogs.worldbank.org/publicsphere/files/publicsphere/Duncan%20Blog%20pic.jpg

To begin with, I found the task of writing a blog, about blogging, quite perplexing.

I had never really thought about the various uses for blogs and how important they can be.
Sure, I've heard of people who have become famous from their blogs, but they're usually quite quirky and different. 

It was through this study of blogs that I came to understand the full variety of uses for every day citizens, students, and even for  the tracking and mapping of media stories.

http://adfi.usq.edu.au/starlog/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/blogmap2.jpg

I had never thought of blogging as a form of 'self directed learning' (Robertson, 2011) until this week. The idea that students, such as myself, given the task of blogging, which includes planning, evaluating, and re-evaluating, are "learning how to learn" (Robertson, 2011). As university students it is important to develop independence and thinking skills in order to be able to cope with future studies, and this is what blogging emphasises, with a supportive audience to share ideas with. It also opens the possibility of coming into contact with other viewpoints other than the dominant media, which I believe is crucial in developing critical thinking skills as not just a student, but as a consumer and a citizen. 

The use of blogs is also common among employees who express 'employee cynicism' (Richards & Kosmala, 2013). They use this "work blogging" as a platform to vent things that they could not ordinarily say at work, for fear of being seen as a "whinger" and it is the only place they can go to when they are fed up with management. The use of a blog offers them a voice. Although still dedicated employees, the use of a blog gives them a sense of power and control against the corporate culture initiatives (Richards & Kosmala, 2013).

There have been a number of studies which have attempted to map the Australian blogosphere and how information is spread from blog to blog (Bruns, et al 2011). It became apparent that bloggers with interest in Australian politics were consistently addressing current affairs (Bruns, et al 2011). As noted in the video below, it can take newspapers days or weeks to print a story, but blogs are instantaneous; A constant supply of new information from a variety of sources. There has been a significant change in the way that we choose to communicate in our every day lives, and this is represented in the expansion of social media platforms, such as blogs, Facebook, and Twitter (Bruns, et al 2011). 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCY2ZKrsUuE

Resources;

Bruns, A., Burgess, J., Highfield, T., and Nicolai, T. 2011 ‘Mapping the Australian Networked Public Sphere’, Social Science Computer Review, vol. 29, no. 3, pp. 277-287.

Richards, J., and Kosmala, K., 2013 ‘In the end, you can only slag people off for so long’: employee cynicism through work blogging’, New Technology, Work and Employment, vol. 28, no. 1, pp. 68 – 77.

 Robertson, J. 2011 ‘The educational affordances of blog for self-directed learning’, Computers and Education, vol. 57, pp. 1628 – 1644.

Identities and Uberveillance

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S33Xx01yIm8

In today's society we are not simply producers or consumers, but ever more becoming 'prosumers;' a combination of the two. Through the technological advances of the internet (in particular web 2.0) and the rise of Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and many other websites, the power is given to the people to 'produce' the information, content and features of these outlets, at the same time as 'consuming' or using them.

We are able to choose and manipulate the information we share, altering or enhancing our identities as we choose, and even the identities of others.

George Ritzer (2008) coined the term 'McDonaldization' of society, in which every day citizens are being put to work more and more as the producers of their services, in societies in which consumption is increasing and production decreasing. eg USA.
Some examples include, DIY renovations or small building tasks, pumping your own gas, checking  yourself in electronically at the airport, self serve at supermarkets, and the list continues (Ritzer and Jurgenson, 2010).

Through this new wave of prosumers, the age of capitalism will shift, as there will be little to no control in shaping individuals actions to the extent that once was. It is becoming even harder to exploit prosumers, as they are often the ones who shape the services they use, and with technology becoming more and more available world wide, there is a constant availability to a large audience (Ritzer and Jurgenson, 2010).

With this constant availability to information, both private and public the use of surveillance, or even "Uberveillance" comes in to play. Not only can this refer to governments identifying persons who may be threats to the nation or particular people, but also to the use of CCTV in towns. For instance this morning as I walked to work in the CBD I noticed a security camera and continued to spot them as I went. I began to question how much of this was about safety and security, and how much was simply an invasion of privacy?

Although I do not agree with all the lyrics of the below clip, I think it raises some interesting points.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yiu26WFnY-A

Reference; Ritzer and Jurgenson  2010, ‘Production, Consumption, Prosumption,’ Journal of Consumer Culture, University of Maryland, USA, pp. 13-36

Ownership and Regulation of Ideas

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmZm8vNHBSU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALZZx1xmAzg

The issues of ownership, copyright, and regulations have become of major importance in relation to file-sharing by p2p (peer-to-peer) users. With the music industry in particular in a constant battle, since the development of the internet and MP3 files, against the 'pirates' and 'thieves' of the cyber world who 'rob' them of the money once earned in traditional CD sales. However, what is seen is injustice by one person, varies greatly from another. Many claim the industry is robbing them of musical creativity, and as a type of revenge against overpriced CDs, concert tickets and other media restrictions.

(Martin, Moore and Salter, 2010)

There are five methods used by the music industry to discourage file sharing;

- cover up the action

- devalue the target

- reinterpret what happened by, lying, minimising, blaming, framing

- use official channels to give an appearance of justice

- intimidate or bribe the people involved

(Martin, Moore and Salter, 2010)

Although all five are based upon the music industry using their power, money, and resources against individuals and smaller targets, I will focus on the tactic of 'covering up the action.'

Through the rise of Napster and other file-sharing outlets, the number of users grew world wide and the ways in which they operated, in order to avoid prosecution expanded as well.

Although Napster made it easier for users to share files and demonstrated the advantages of file-sharing, it also brought upon greater attacks from the music industry. Through the use of campaigns and ads, such as the first video clip I have included, users, every day normal people, are portrayed as criminals and thieves, which ties into the tactic of 'devaluing the target.' I remember as a kid I saw these clips every time I watched a movie and thought negatively about people who might be file-sharing. It wasn't until when I became older, had friends who did it regularly, and didn't really see much harm in it on a large scale, that my attitude towards file-sharing changed.

However, the music industry also covers up their actions. It would be a lot different if the expenses of the industry became more transparent to the public, such as their returns to artists, companies, and retail outlets. They also attempt to cover up their actions of tracking users or take the step of 'seeding' virus-infected copies of files, in an attempt to deter file-sharers.

The use of file-sharing, whether music, video, or otherwise, allows the media's to be shared globally with the click of a mouse. There is no need to wait for 'release dates' in your country when it is at your fingertips. These developments reflect the technological flows of globalisation and carries both pros and cons.

(Martin, Moore and Salter, 2010)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0U3RE_NB0EA

Resources; Martin, B, Moore, C and Salter, C. 2010, ‘Sharing music files: tactics of a challenge to the industry’, First Monday, vol. 15, no. 12, [available:http://firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/2986/2680]. 

Post Modernism, Post Colonialism and Empires.

In order to understand 'Empires' and the changes they have undergone due to the advances of media and globalised technologies, it is crucial to understand the movements that have led up to such changes.

As described by Giddens, A 1998, 'Modernity' and 'Modernism'(1875-1975) originally expressed as an art theory, brought up new attitudes towards the world, and how society's should progress. Moving away from the 'Enlightenment' to a time where thought was governed by rationality and reason, with a strong push for technological innovation, creating a culture aimed at the future unlike any other. These pushes then led to Constructivism, which linked these science and technological advances to the media, which developed Fordism and Consumerism.

source; http://www.sauer-thompson.com/junkforcode/archives/Japanese%20Modernism1.jpg

However, Post-modernism, was built up on thoughts which were against those of Modernism, believing the ruling and the dominant were exploiting and oppressing other people and countries, often through slavery, in an attempt to progress themselves.      

The term 'Colonialism' refers to the expansion of nation states through the use of colonies. A prime example is the expansion of the British empire through the colonisation of Australia. Colonialism also depicts the transplantation of culture from one part of the globe to another.

source; http://antinuclearinfo.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/nuclear-colonialism-2.gif?w=432&h=445

However, Post-Colonialism, refers to the destabilizing of these powers. For example, the British royal family has very little influence over the everyday happenings of the average Australian in today's age. Post-Colonialism also allows for the growing acceptance of other forms of culture, a kind of hybridization.

Through globalisation certain empires have diminished while others have flourished. In the time of Modernism and Colonialism, Western Empires were the dominant entities that ruled the globe.The difference comes in today's age, that empires which rely on physical boundaries of nations and laws, lose their power to the Media Empires,  who do not have such limits and can cross internationally, to any part of the globe, in seconds, a kind of 'borderless world' (Nederveen, P 2004). 

The growth of these technologies allows for the globalisation of finance, mobility of capital and exports, transnational communication, travel and migration, and general civil society interactions through social media such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube etc. 

Perhaps the Modernists did not perceive the new ways in which this technology could be used in the future, in a way that perhaps overthrows the power they once held, and is instead put into the hands of the people.                         

source; http://www.pammarketingnut.com/wp-content/uploads/like-me.jpg

References; Nederveen Pieterse, J 2004, ‘Globalization: consensus and controversies’,Globalization and culture: global mélange 2004, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Lanham, Md, pp. 7-21