As the semester comes to an end, I realize that this course has changed how I view the concepts and effort behind online collaboration. In viewing my own blog posts, I also realize that my understanding of these theoretical frameworks has improved greatly.
I can also see a marked improvement on the understanding of course concepts within my classmates. Though I have been working with the same group all semester, we were all still able to aid each other in furthering our educations throughout this course. I particularly liked keeping up with the blogs of my team members. Here are a few blog posts that can help you understand the frameworks and social changes due to social media we have covered in class:
Karen Lizarraga: On Online Collaboration
Noelle Woolway: On Open Source Software
Ana Salido: On Publics and Counterpublics
My posts, such as my own post of Open Source software, are not necessarily the same view of these ideas that I have now. Our discussions, activities, and quizzes have altered the way that I think about "open source" and the concepts of ownership and authorship. I was particularly changed when I realized the societal reception of authorship and ownership has changed just before my own lifetime. In being exposed to readings such as Vaidhyanathan's critique of changes in normalcy based on ideas of ownership and membership in Open Source Culture- Culture as Open Source, I now realize that these concepts of freedom and open access are deeply ingrained in what humans view as ideal versus the protective ownership that is actually put in place on works.
In addition, I have been exposed to ideas of social media and communities that are present even in the lives of those with eating disorders. In my blog post, The Pro-Anorexia Conundrum, I attempt to examine what really constitutes a community. Does a community have to be inherently positive? Or can negative spaces, such as those suicide watch subreddits, be communities based on their shared experiences, feelings, or connections in online spaces? Though these questions are still up for debate, I believe that these ideas are important to grasp for any understanding of this course, almost exclusively surrounding the ideas of membership, community, and online connection.
I also was able to see, through Lily's class discussion, how the ideas of community are not concrete. I believe that communities, just as publics, are self defined. Should someone not consider themselves a part of a certain group or community, one cannot expect them to function within that group the same as another that is more fully invested and committed to their membership to a community.
My favorite lesson, however, was the discussion of Spreadable Media. I had not considered how memes and other social objects truly became popular until this reading and the following class discussions. I had not even considered how the ideas of objects being spreadable would be translated into every day life, but I was able to connect the spreadability of objects to politics within the United States. With the above linked blog post, I can see that between then and now, I have an even better understanding of this material and how ideas and memorable objects are spread throughout a society. Being able to apply a theory such as this will aid me in my continued education as well as my examinations of future social movements. How are groups using these ideas of spreadable media to their advantage? How can I use spreadable media to further a cause that I am passionate about?
This course has also warped my ability to collaborate with others. In each of the readings, activities, and group projects, I have grown as a team member and a leader. I had never considered myself a team player until taking this course, as the first week we examined what makes a good member of a team or group, and how different types of groups are formed and continue to work well together. I know now that I have the capability of being a valuable team member, and I also greatly appreciate some of the amazing teammates that I have had the honor to work with throughout this semester.
Thank you in particular to Karen, Ana, Myles, and Noelle for making the group projects of this course so stress-free and even enjoyable to be a part of, and to Prof. Daly for making this course such a fantastic learning experience and for facilitating a sense of community within her classroom.
Thursday, December 1, 2016
Tuesday, November 29, 2016
PassTheBaton: Ideas, Tasks, and Reflections
Today, our group centered around the hashtag #HydroFlaskGivesBack, a social object of our own creation. This object is calling on owners of a Hydro Flask water bottle to look at the bottom of their container and enter the five digit code into the Hydro Flask website, where the company gives five percent of every purchase back to charities, of which there are twelve to choose from. Ideally, this is something easy that owners of a Hydro Flask can do without taking too much of their own time from other charitable activities. In addition, encouraging the purchase of these water bottles as gifts during the holiday season will expand the range of our cause, and enable Hydro Flask to give back more once the season is over. Our tasks for the next few days are as follows:
As a group, I feel that all of us were generally aware of how to use social media in order to gain attention. Our tasks were not difficult, nor should they be in order to facilitate true technical coordination for an easy social call to action like this. These activities that we are encouraging consumers to do are not difficult, which aided in the cause we are supporting feeling actionable and engaging to many, not just ourselves.
In addition, one drawback was and will continue to be the size of our group. There is not much that three or four people can do with our interface, and there is not much to be said about three people using a hashtag. With how this project was laid out, the use of our hashtag is going to be limited to those in the other group, as we cannot complete our own tasks. What was truly needed is for all of our group to use these hashtags on social media as well, in order to have more of a noticeable presence as a whole. Along with this, having ten or more of us post on social media would allow our posts to reach a broader audience full of both weak and strong social ties facilitated through online social networking sites. I believe that in the case of a cause such as this, awareness to a public that owns these water bottles would come with numbers. Twenty kids on social media sites using the same hashtag is more noticeable and relevant to others than three or four.
It was also difficult to know that I was powerless to do anything in order to help our tasks come to fruition. Leaving my project in the hands of another was difficult, especially knowing they would be less invested and engaged in the cause. I was nervous about leaving these tasks up to a group that didn't know our intentions or share in our earlier conversations. If I am passionate about something, I am usually not afraid to say something about it on social media like was intended with this campaign. However, there are a number of members, and as a fellow member of this group it is important to not only follow the rules of the assignment but also to leave some of the campaign up to the public we are trying to reach. We do not own this task. We don't own the hashtag. These are common social goods, now, and we were tasked to treat our objectives like those of a real social movement would be treated by their creators: in a hands off fashion.
In having to work toward another cause, I was less than impressed with the efforts they thought we should put in. Online activism should be easy to accomplish, regardless of how many people are in a group. The difficult tasks that the Hope Phones group had us engage in were less than engaging, and were not at all public. The only public task we did as a group was to create a single post on social media. Emails, infographics, and text chains are hard to get around to a large group of people.
However, suggesting a phone drive on campus was an interesting take on this exercise. Though the idea would have originated online, the bulk of the effort would have been attracting campus students in a face-to-face world. Then again, so much online promotion would have to be done before this drive could ever take place. Who carries around an old phone with them anyway, if they already have a perfectly good phone to use?
I think this activity was interesting as well as informative. It opened my eyes to how truly difficult it can be to get others to listen and understand why a social movement can be squashed within days of its inception. Activism online is a relatively new platform with both advantages and disadvantages, and will only bring a vision into fruition if the tasks required are agreeable and simple to accomplish,
- Use the hashtag #HydroFlaskGivesBack on social media to raise awareness
- If you own a Hydro Flask, register it on the website and choose one of the 12 charities to donate to.
- Give a gift that keeps on giving and share a Hydro Flask with family and friends and encourage them to #GiveBack
- Post a picture with your Hydro Flask and caption it #HydroFlaskGivesBack and write why you donated to that charity. also include the website https://www.hydroflask.com/donate so it can be easily reached.
- Encourage a conversation outside of social media to help raise awareness for the cause and the charity you are passionate about.
As a group, I feel that all of us were generally aware of how to use social media in order to gain attention. Our tasks were not difficult, nor should they be in order to facilitate true technical coordination for an easy social call to action like this. These activities that we are encouraging consumers to do are not difficult, which aided in the cause we are supporting feeling actionable and engaging to many, not just ourselves.
In addition, one drawback was and will continue to be the size of our group. There is not much that three or four people can do with our interface, and there is not much to be said about three people using a hashtag. With how this project was laid out, the use of our hashtag is going to be limited to those in the other group, as we cannot complete our own tasks. What was truly needed is for all of our group to use these hashtags on social media as well, in order to have more of a noticeable presence as a whole. Along with this, having ten or more of us post on social media would allow our posts to reach a broader audience full of both weak and strong social ties facilitated through online social networking sites. I believe that in the case of a cause such as this, awareness to a public that owns these water bottles would come with numbers. Twenty kids on social media sites using the same hashtag is more noticeable and relevant to others than three or four.
It was also difficult to know that I was powerless to do anything in order to help our tasks come to fruition. Leaving my project in the hands of another was difficult, especially knowing they would be less invested and engaged in the cause. I was nervous about leaving these tasks up to a group that didn't know our intentions or share in our earlier conversations. If I am passionate about something, I am usually not afraid to say something about it on social media like was intended with this campaign. However, there are a number of members, and as a fellow member of this group it is important to not only follow the rules of the assignment but also to leave some of the campaign up to the public we are trying to reach. We do not own this task. We don't own the hashtag. These are common social goods, now, and we were tasked to treat our objectives like those of a real social movement would be treated by their creators: in a hands off fashion.
In having to work toward another cause, I was less than impressed with the efforts they thought we should put in. Online activism should be easy to accomplish, regardless of how many people are in a group. The difficult tasks that the Hope Phones group had us engage in were less than engaging, and were not at all public. The only public task we did as a group was to create a single post on social media. Emails, infographics, and text chains are hard to get around to a large group of people.
I think this activity was interesting as well as informative. It opened my eyes to how truly difficult it can be to get others to listen and understand why a social movement can be squashed within days of its inception. Activism online is a relatively new platform with both advantages and disadvantages, and will only bring a vision into fruition if the tasks required are agreeable and simple to accomplish,
Saturday, November 26, 2016
#NetNeutrality and the Open Internet
Net Neutrality is a serious issue that is discussed in Congress periodically, and has the ability to affect a large number of Americans. Organizations that fight for diverse voices in the media could be silenced, protest and social movements that have an internet presence could be ignored by an interested public. But why is this important? How could voices be silenced and movements crushed underfoot by the internet?
Imagine, for a second, that both you and your neighbor order the same object off of Amazon. You both pay for the same time period for shipping. Both of you are eagerly awaiting your orders.
You notice that your neighbor has received their package one morning, and the UPS guy is standing at your front gate. Just standing there. You see that your package is in his hands, and that he is thinking about something. What could it be? You saunter up to him and ask if you can have your package, but he seems taken aback.
"No. I'm going to keep it for a little while longer."
But he's right there. He's at your gate, almost on your property. Why isn't he giving you your package? You ask again for your order, and explain that you can sign for it right there, but he just whisks it away and walks back to his delivery truck. You go back inside your nice home, livid.
That whole day you notice that same UPS guy in the same delivery truck driving down your block every couple of minutes. This guy it just adding insult to injury. A few days later, you notice that your package is at your doorstep, waiting for you when you return home from work. Why didn't that delivery man just give you your package two days ago like he did with your neighbor?!
This is a simple way to explain net neutrality. ISPs, or Internet service providers, can't prioritize any one bandwidth request because of its content or method of delivery. Don't you wish that you could have gotten your package when your neighbor did? Yeah, I would too.
If you are interested in learning more about Net Neutrality. its effects on social movements, and the importance of the Internet's regulation as a utility and not a luxury, you can watch an informative 8 minute video that my classmates and I have created in order to inform the public of these social issues. You can watch the video HERE, and feel free to share it around to friends or family that may be affected by Net Neutrality laws as well.
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Image: http://loveurns.com/media/wysiwyg/delivery_guy.jpg
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Image: http://loveurns.com/media/wysiwyg/delivery_guy.jpg
Tuesday, November 22, 2016
Golda Velez and Cooperation.org
Cooperation.org, created by Golda Velez and inspired by her colleagues, is a tool for online collaboration and social object creation as a response to the recent presidential election. Golda and her colleagues thought it was an appropriate time to create a site in which people can connect in an effort to mobilize those looking for their voices to be heard, political or otherwise. This site is meant to bring people together to take action for the causes they are passionate about, or otherwise bring people together for communal action.
One framework Golda used in her discussion today was the idea of feedback and accountability. The basis of this framework is that people do more meaningful work when they do it for others' approval. For example, I am more accountable when I have a specific goal set out to me by my supervisor at work , because I know that I am expected to finish any one task by the end of the day. Individuals are, in general, more productive if they are held accountable by a person counting on them specifically. In this case, many forums on the site are holding members to small tasks in order to further their attempted social change.
I am excited to use this space for the "hack-a-thon" class periods, as this website seems like a great tool for online collaboration and other social connections made around passionate individuals. I particularly liked the idea of the "Teaspoon Space", where members are encouraged to do a small, concrete act toward a cause they are passionate about every day. Global Citizen outlines a more complete overview of this idea here, in the article entitled Changing the World one Teaspoon at a Time. This site is particularly encouraging for those that feel they can't truly make a difference without a social backing, whether it be trough friendships or other popular social objects.
This is not a site to make public social objects. This is a site for social and technical coordination, for mobilized individuals to get feedback and ideas for their emerging social movements. Cooperation.org is not optimized for social media like connections, yet is still going to be a valuable source to further examine how others in an area are able to work toward social changes, no matter how small.
One framework Golda used in her discussion today was the idea of feedback and accountability. The basis of this framework is that people do more meaningful work when they do it for others' approval. For example, I am more accountable when I have a specific goal set out to me by my supervisor at work , because I know that I am expected to finish any one task by the end of the day. Individuals are, in general, more productive if they are held accountable by a person counting on them specifically. In this case, many forums on the site are holding members to small tasks in order to further their attempted social change.
I am excited to use this space for the "hack-a-thon" class periods, as this website seems like a great tool for online collaboration and other social connections made around passionate individuals. I particularly liked the idea of the "Teaspoon Space", where members are encouraged to do a small, concrete act toward a cause they are passionate about every day. Global Citizen outlines a more complete overview of this idea here, in the article entitled Changing the World one Teaspoon at a Time. This site is particularly encouraging for those that feel they can't truly make a difference without a social backing, whether it be trough friendships or other popular social objects.
This is not a site to make public social objects. This is a site for social and technical coordination, for mobilized individuals to get feedback and ideas for their emerging social movements. Cooperation.org is not optimized for social media like connections, yet is still going to be a valuable source to further examine how others in an area are able to work toward social changes, no matter how small.
Tuesday, November 15, 2016
The Importance of Collaboration: Public Protests
In light of the recent Presidential Election, the nation has erupted into a mass of hate crimes, protests, and citizens in varying realms of disarray. I'm choosing, this week, to explore a little bit the effects of publics and counterpublics on the reception of this outcome and how online collaboration has been playing into the general atmosphere of social media and these public spaces as of late.
"Such a public also has a sense of totality, bounded by the event or by the shared physical space,"
Warner, Publics and Counterpublics.In the case of the election, many, including myself, were bound
by the event of the reveal of the popular and electoral votes. Many were shocked as well as elated by
the results. This public event may have changed how many viewed the history and future of their
country. That night, the DOW dropped by more than 700 points. However, upon the end of this
election the "public" as defined by this event was gone. The public then had to be redefined. According
to Warner, the public at any given time is self organized and thus onlyexists as long as long as this
public is directly addressed or enveloped in their shared experience. Strangers were connected through
technology and their common interest and emotion over the results. Through this event, this public
was engaging with one another, posting on social media, sharing their emotions with their loved ones
as well as strangers, and creating a common discourse that connected them throughout the duration
of this chaotic and surprising elective outcome.
was engaging with one another, posting on social media, sharing their emotions with their loved ones
as well as strangers, and creating a common discourse that connected them throughout the duration
of this chaotic and surprising elective outcome.
I thought of the protests happening because of the election all across the country as a kind of public as
well. These individuals were feeding into their own, shared, common discourse. These groups are
collaborating through what Warner defined as spin-offs of "conversation, answering, talking back,
deliberating." These groups are connected online and in person, as they are using online protest tools
such as CrowdVoice and WeTheProtesters to connect with others that were as empassioned by the
election as they were. However, these protesters could also be considered a counterpublic. Not
necessarily that they do not understand the election process, but that these protesters are active and
wanting to change the outcome for their own well being and the well being of their friends and families.
These individuals are using online and personal means to attempt to change the course of the election
up to this point. I, personally, find this amazing. I see that they are passionate and able to attempt
to change public opinion of the current President-Elect, and thus are engaging in their own discourse
and conversation to work against what they see is a White Supremacist mobilization by Trump and his
followers.
necessarily that they do not understand the election process, but that these protesters are active and
wanting to change the outcome for their own well being and the well being of their friends and families.
These individuals are using online and personal means to attempt to change the course of the election
up to this point. I, personally, find this amazing. I see that they are passionate and able to attempt
to change public opinion of the current President-Elect, and thus are engaging in their own discourse
and conversation to work against what they see is a White Supremacist mobilization by Trump and his
followers.
Tuesday, November 8, 2016
What it was Really Like to Vote in my FIRST Presidential Election: The Social Media Extravaganza
Social media has also played a role in otrs views of complex social issues that have been present since before women were even able to vote in elections. Less than 100 years ago, women could not vote. That is, white women coud not vote. The 19th Amendment did not extend the right to vote to women of color, unsurprisingly enough. Yes, it is amazing that just 96 years after the passage of the 19th Amendment we are able to vote for a white woman to be President. However, social media has become aware of this fact- that Hillary is white. The famous suffragettes were only lobbying for the right to vote for white women. I'm hoping to use these social media posts that I have seen on my own social media feeds that follow to further draw attention to the disparitites that existed long after women like me gained the legal right to vote, and how votes are still being effected by the racism, sexism, and xenophobia of a now mobilized white America.
Kayla, Facebook. California. Black.
@RedBeKnowing, Twitter. Louisiana. Black."I will cut off this right arm of mine before I will ever work or demand the ballot for the Negro and not the woman." - Susan B. AnthonyHappy Election Day
Any stickers left on the grave of Fanny Lou Hamer who addressed the 1964 DNC & was erased for her role in securing the vote for Blacks?Nick F., Twitter. Arizona. White.
This is how it must feel to be facing a natural disaster: knowing you can't stop it and trying to keep up your spirits but you can't.@K_A_DD, Twitter. White.
Trump will be on trial for child rape in December
Pence advocates for electro shock therapy on gays
This is who you voted for@Amanditalks, Twitter. Black.
The elected officials of North Carolina SAID OUT LOUD THAT they were INTENTIONALLY suppressing the black vote, and look what happened.
Happy Election Day, everybody.
Thursday, November 3, 2016
#HilaryforPrision: Why Trump Supporters are Being "Censored"
It's really no question that Trump and his supporters are seen as racist and xenophobic, but also have egos similar to those of their chosen Presidential candidate. It may be the case, in the recent accusations for Twitter censoring Trump supporters' tweets, that Trump supporters are simply thinking they are more important than they actually are. Many are accusing Twitter of having blocks up on the traditional hashtag #HillaryforPrison, because they are trying to take attention away from Trump associated hashtags. Twitter, however, has had a longstanding reputation of shutting down potentially harmful political trends on its website. This threat to their perceived "free" racist, anti-feminist, and often xenophobic speech is what some may deem a favor. "Pro-Trump accusers came to the conclusion that Twitter was sabotaging the hashtag from trending when the F.B.I. surprisingly confirmed further investigations into Clinton’s controversial emails and did not see it have any effect in the Twittersphere," (Ojo-Medubi).
Others argue that Twitter is being partially governed by algorithms, and these hashtags are not trending because, simply, no one is really interested in what Trump supporters have to say anymore. Twitter has since denied to comment on this potential censorship, but instead has directed news sources to "a section of its FAQ that stresses: “Trends are determined by an algorithm and, by default, are tailored for you based on who you follow and your location,” (Lowe). In this case, the algorithm that is actually determining what individuals are seeing as trending may outline that Trump his supporters, and his opinions, are not as popular as these egoistic individuals may believe.
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Lowe Source: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/why-is-supernumberhillaryforprision-trending-on-twitter/ar-AAjEKbf
Ojo-Medubi Source: http://www.inquisitr.com/3663352/why-did-typo-hillaryforprision-trend-on-twitter/
Tuesday, October 25, 2016
Social Media, Spreadable Media, and the Political Atmosphere
A study published two years ago by the Pew Research Center shows that there has been a huge increase in the amount of older people that follow political figures and their campaigns on social media. Campaigns are being transformed digitally, just as the rest of the world is adapting to an increasingly digital age. To stay relevant, political figures are forced to have a solid and favorable presence on the internet and various social media sites. I believe that many of us can see this through our own recent social media experiences, whether our connections be to our families or others form the "older" generations. The public is growing more comfortable, regardless of age, with social media outlets as a place to utilize the one-to-many information relationship that these types of sites are providing to users. Alternately, one can think of this shift in the way of Jenkins in Spreadable Media, that social media has changed social interactions and has normalized sharing in such a way that social media users are able to change, adapt, and re-spread ideas freely, even in a political context.
The most surprising increases, to me, have been from 30-49 year olds and 50-64 year olds. I remember when social media was first emerging, and my relatives were complaining that screen time with phones and computers were taking away from face-to-face interactions, particularly in those my own age. At this poit, it seems like an adage to be told not to allow the screen to become your antire life. With these widespread attitudes of disdain toward my genereation from elders and our use of the digital atmosphere, it is surprising there was not more push-back in the use of mobile social media by these older dempgraphics.
However, social media is not a fad. It's not "going out of style" anytime soon. At this point, I find it hard to imagine all social media disappearing. Social media use has warped society in such a way as to so fundamentally change the way we communicate as humans. Social media has changed the atmosphere of the digital age and as facilitated instantaneous sharing, and in some cases, oversharing. However, this sharing can be used in political senses as well as in the sense of everyday life. Hashtags on twitter in response to different contemporary political comments include #DumpTrump and #CrookedHillary.
Jenkins again explains in Spreadable Media that individuals have to choose to share this media, otherwise it isn't spreadable. Simple enough, right? The use of social media, in this case, was most likely spreadable in nature. These individuals of the more reluctant older generation that use social media outlets probably shared their interactions and opinions on these outlets, and others took their opinions into consideration when deciding whether or not to make accounts. How meta.
In cases of spreadability, I wonder if the same could be applied to politicians and their campaigns? Was Trump's rise to infamy due to the inherently (in my opinion) embarassing nature of his comments? What made his followers take him seriously? In addition, what kind of impact has social media made on thsi rise, in comparison to the campaigns of 2012, or even in local elections of 2014?
Social media has become a widely utilized outlet for political campaigns due to its demographic: younger people, as seen in the graph as the spread of political connection through social media for 18-29 year olds. These connections to news outlets and other sources for political campaigns have essentially "burnt out" one third of social media users in a much more recent study by the Pew Research Center. I believe this is particularly obvious, even in our own classroom. Many of the women in this very 211 class are reluctant to talk about anything political when we discuss social media news, though the news surrounding the election is completely relevant and even important to discuss in a scholarly setting.
Being exposed to opinions, even those that differ from your own, is important, as we have touched in our brief discussions of the internet's "filter bubbles" in class, However, that is a discussion for a different blog post.
Tuesday, October 18, 2016
Copyright, Creative Commons Licensing, and Open Source
To me, for content or software to be truly open, it must be accessible without any type of restriction to my obtainment of the medium. It can't cost money or require a membership to view it. I believe open access information, to be considered such, must have content that is truly really free and has no "copyright" or other policies regarding its use by other internet users.
I do believe that copyright law needs to be reformed within reason in order to incorporate the ever changing world of the internet. I don't think that a reform should call for every piece of produced content to be free to use in any way the public sees fit. Instead, I believe that a majority of the content that is to be produced should be licensed under Creative Commons licensing in order to facilitate the use of content, while still being able to respect the wishes of the creator
.
I do believe that copyright law needs to be reformed within reason in order to incorporate the ever changing world of the internet. I don't think that a reform should call for every piece of produced content to be free to use in any way the public sees fit. Instead, I believe that a majority of the content that is to be produced should be licensed under Creative Commons licensing in order to facilitate the use of content, while still being able to respect the wishes of the creator
.
Generally, the Internet is an interface in which most people would not consider the re-post or other reproductions of copyright protected content to be a breach of copyright law. Instead, fan communities post the copyright content in order to spread and advertise their love for their favorite shows, brands, or comics. I don't think that fan created content such as .gifs or other types of edits are plagiarizing, but instead a type of labor that the fans decide to take part in in order to show how much they enjoy the copyrighted content that is produced by these companies or other artists. These companies' fans are providing their services without a thought of compensation on their part. Most companies and artists will allow the re post of their work within reason, and often if asked in a formal fashion. This is a step toward a Creative Commons license, as the creator and owner of the licensed good is able to have their content used under their discretion.
In addition, the use of original content on the Internet is hard to police. Many artists create original works, but find it hard to prove they are the original creators in order to have re-posts eliminated or otherwise find it difficult to see where their creations are being used. When browsing a website such as Tumblr, you see many artists on their posts asking for the other users to give them credit for the creation, or to ask for permission to re-post the work to another site. This, I believe, is an informal type of creative commons license. However, it is understandable that artists are outraged if they do not receive credit for their work. Their wishes are often being ignored when others re post their art or other works on different websites. many times, it is even the same site that the art originally was posted on, but some just choose not to "reblog" or attribute their love to the original. If the creator does not wish for their work to be published or otherwise used elsewhere, it is the responsibility of the consumer to ensure that their work is used in accordance to their wishes and to not contribute to the problem ourselves.
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Thursday, October 6, 2016
The Pro-Anorexia Conundrum
First off, Lili Steffen defined the pro-ana "community" as more of a support network than the pushing of a certain lifestyle. But this didn't mean that individuals in this community were not living with this illness. However, this attempt at amateur recovery from an eating disorder is not mediated through health professionals, but instead is seen through regular human experiences that accumulate online and on online platforms.
One important aspect of the pro-ana phenomenon was the ability to share the experiences of the survivors and those struggling with both anorexia and bulimia. This sharing of experience translates into the "Sense of Community" reading, when McMillan revamped his arguments in 1996 to include the Sense of Belonging aspect as well as Emotional Safety. Other than these two defined community aspects of pro-ana, I would emphasize the emotional support aspect of these online connections. There is some sort of freedom of expression present, in both positive and negative ways. Positively, some could be celebrating some type of success in real recovery. Alternately, there could be others that are still celebrating their "successes" in losing weight as an anorexic individual. In addition, there is contrast with the other communities such as the Suicide subreddit, where there were health care providers and individuals not effected that could mediate the community in order to promote healthy eating habits or mental recovery form this illness.
Backlash to these online "communities" has come in many forms. Tumblr has banned certain blogs with this content or that otherwise promote anorexia as a way of life. Also, in France individuals that post pro-anorexia content on the web face jail time as a punishment. Tumblr has also used altercasting as a form of promoting health to its users searching for pro-ana content. Altercasting, as explained and defined by Lili, is the practise of projecting ideas of what someone else is through ones own behaviors toward them. Tumblr is thus stereotyping users that search for these pro-ana posts in pro-ana tags as anorexics themselves, and are treating them as if they need to be taken care of or otherwise coddled into recovery.
This "community", if we can call it such, also combats the marginalization of the members of the group. Discounting the value of sharing experiences with one another in an online setting in order to possibly recover in the future could not be the answer that these girls that search for a pro-ana community need. These groups of online anorexics probably wouldn't exist without the Internet, because individuals that are suffering and struggling with this illness aren't connected in person with others sharing their struggle. These pro-ana blogs and other resources for those that are affected by anorexia allow for a type of connection to others that understand and can relate with the experiences of others.
Often, mental illnesses that are associated with eating disorders are stigmatized in society, and the stigmatization can only be seen further when regarding those with other mental illnesses like bipolar disorder and depression. Anorexia is largely regarded as an issue of feminism and of the body image issues that society has placed upon the "normalized" female body: tall and extremely slender. These issues in particular in relation to anorexia and the ideals of obtaining a thin body through the absence of food disproportionately effect women.
Tags in particular are taken over by anti-pro-ana individuals in the fight of further demonizing pro-ana groups. These anti-pro-ana individuals argue that the presence of pro-ana pages and other types of gatherings of anorexic individuals to share their experiences are only triggering others into relapse when they are trying to recover from this illness. This also a very complex issue. Who are non anorexic individuals to say that these "communities" online aren't helping some to recover from their anorexia? This also brings up issues of the pro-ana community and personal identity: anorexia within these groups is seen as a lifestyle or otherwise something about oneself that they have to live with. It is not simply boiled down to a disease.
There is a type of value in being free to talk about one's personal struggles without judgment. From Lili's explanations, these women don't want to be defined by their illness. They want instead to talk about experiences in a community where its not treated as a disease but as a part of daily life. In addition, these pages and communities are started by the members and not mental health professionals. This, in fact, points to a need for online spaces where recovering and struggling anorexics are able to express themselves in a safe and judgment free environment. I believe that the need for these communities is worth exploring in the future, as well as the continued track of the progress of individuals within these online spaces that we can possibly consider an online community.
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One important aspect of the pro-ana phenomenon was the ability to share the experiences of the survivors and those struggling with both anorexia and bulimia. This sharing of experience translates into the "Sense of Community" reading, when McMillan revamped his arguments in 1996 to include the Sense of Belonging aspect as well as Emotional Safety. Other than these two defined community aspects of pro-ana, I would emphasize the emotional support aspect of these online connections. There is some sort of freedom of expression present, in both positive and negative ways. Positively, some could be celebrating some type of success in real recovery. Alternately, there could be others that are still celebrating their "successes" in losing weight as an anorexic individual. In addition, there is contrast with the other communities such as the Suicide subreddit, where there were health care providers and individuals not effected that could mediate the community in order to promote healthy eating habits or mental recovery form this illness.
Backlash to these online "communities" has come in many forms. Tumblr has banned certain blogs with this content or that otherwise promote anorexia as a way of life. Also, in France individuals that post pro-anorexia content on the web face jail time as a punishment. Tumblr has also used altercasting as a form of promoting health to its users searching for pro-ana content. Altercasting, as explained and defined by Lili, is the practise of projecting ideas of what someone else is through ones own behaviors toward them. Tumblr is thus stereotyping users that search for these pro-ana posts in pro-ana tags as anorexics themselves, and are treating them as if they need to be taken care of or otherwise coddled into recovery.
This "community", if we can call it such, also combats the marginalization of the members of the group. Discounting the value of sharing experiences with one another in an online setting in order to possibly recover in the future could not be the answer that these girls that search for a pro-ana community need. These groups of online anorexics probably wouldn't exist without the Internet, because individuals that are suffering and struggling with this illness aren't connected in person with others sharing their struggle. These pro-ana blogs and other resources for those that are affected by anorexia allow for a type of connection to others that understand and can relate with the experiences of others.
Often, mental illnesses that are associated with eating disorders are stigmatized in society, and the stigmatization can only be seen further when regarding those with other mental illnesses like bipolar disorder and depression. Anorexia is largely regarded as an issue of feminism and of the body image issues that society has placed upon the "normalized" female body: tall and extremely slender. These issues in particular in relation to anorexia and the ideals of obtaining a thin body through the absence of food disproportionately effect women.
Tags in particular are taken over by anti-pro-ana individuals in the fight of further demonizing pro-ana groups. These anti-pro-ana individuals argue that the presence of pro-ana pages and other types of gatherings of anorexic individuals to share their experiences are only triggering others into relapse when they are trying to recover from this illness. This also a very complex issue. Who are non anorexic individuals to say that these "communities" online aren't helping some to recover from their anorexia? This also brings up issues of the pro-ana community and personal identity: anorexia within these groups is seen as a lifestyle or otherwise something about oneself that they have to live with. It is not simply boiled down to a disease.
There is a type of value in being free to talk about one's personal struggles without judgment. From Lili's explanations, these women don't want to be defined by their illness. They want instead to talk about experiences in a community where its not treated as a disease but as a part of daily life. In addition, these pages and communities are started by the members and not mental health professionals. This, in fact, points to a need for online spaces where recovering and struggling anorexics are able to express themselves in a safe and judgment free environment. I believe that the need for these communities is worth exploring in the future, as well as the continued track of the progress of individuals within these online spaces that we can possibly consider an online community.
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Sunday, October 2, 2016
Group Project #1- Reflections
We have recently turned in our first group project of the semester, and looking back on this project I would say my group had tremendous success! I am very proud of the way that we delegated tasks, worked together, and were able to create an aesthetically pleasing and information filled site about the rise after the demise of Harambe.
I think that learning about the different players that made this topic so spreadable over social media was particularly interesting, as the spread of "memes" through human interaction is sort of similar to the spread of diseases that Nicholas Chriatakis outlines in his TED Talk, "How Social Networks Predict Epidemics". This type of content spreads through the interaction of individuals on social media, and the inherent human aspect that each sharer puts on this content is interesting to see. With Harambe, we really saw how new "memes", such as the "Remembering Harambe Through Song" and "Dicks Out For Harambe" gained interest because they were influenced by something that was already popular and relatable for many in their consumption of media on interactive and personal sites. Human contact with media changes it, and as more and more people began to jump on the Harambe bandwagon, the meme gained new facets and could then spread to more people through these social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter.
If you want, you can check out our fabulous website here! A special thank you to my group members: Ana, Myles, Noelle and Karen. You were a joy to work with!
Photo Cred: The Edd666 on Instagram
I think that learning about the different players that made this topic so spreadable over social media was particularly interesting, as the spread of "memes" through human interaction is sort of similar to the spread of diseases that Nicholas Chriatakis outlines in his TED Talk, "How Social Networks Predict Epidemics". This type of content spreads through the interaction of individuals on social media, and the inherent human aspect that each sharer puts on this content is interesting to see. With Harambe, we really saw how new "memes", such as the "Remembering Harambe Through Song" and "Dicks Out For Harambe" gained interest because they were influenced by something that was already popular and relatable for many in their consumption of media on interactive and personal sites. Human contact with media changes it, and as more and more people began to jump on the Harambe bandwagon, the meme gained new facets and could then spread to more people through these social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter.
If you want, you can check out our fabulous website here! A special thank you to my group members: Ana, Myles, Noelle and Karen. You were a joy to work with!
Photo Cred: The Edd666 on Instagram
Thursday, September 1, 2016
Silver and the "Quagmire" of Online Connections
To Silver, online connections are somehow inferior to connections made through face to face experiences. In his article, Silver references Robin Dunbar and his work with social media. "The Dunbar Number" refers to how many true friendships any one person can maintain at one time: 150. The flurry of social media makes it nearly impossible to forge any real, meaningful friendships for both of these men.
Though I agree with Silver and Dunbar in some respects, I would argue that social media has been used to forge meaningful connections with others. With the use of social media, I do not believe that Dunbar's Number holds true. Now, social media users have the ability to stay in contact with as many people as they see fit to hold close. Online relationships can only be labeled inferior should the users not commit to forging these strong connections with one another.
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Image 1: https://www.facebook.com/
Image 2: http://blogionista.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/shutterstock_2426143333.jpg
However, 'friendship' may not be the right word to describe the interactions we tend to have on today's social media. "In truth, and I credit LinkedIn with popularizing this term, they are connections," (Silver). These connections are fleeting. To Silver, thousands of Facebook friends, or "connections" mean little to nothing in the context of a person's life because a true friend is someone that cares about you, not just that you exist. In many cases, this is true. I am guilty of not being "friends" with every person on my Facebook friends list. However, I do value the potential connection that I could have with these people, should I choose to act upon it through social media.
Silver offers little to no perspective from the other side of his argument. How many of us have forged a relationship through social media? Online dating has become normalized in the last five years, but that is a fact that Silver ignored in his article. According to a study by the Pew Research Center, five percent of Americans in seriously committed relationships admitted to meeting their significant other online. Though online dating is not the same as social media, the connection made is still present. It was not caught up in the madness of social media. These relationships are real and strong while still being forged through the digital world.
By ignoring the potential of social media in impacting the real connections made, Silver makes himself sound like- to put it blundtly- an old man resistant to change. He can't really understand that younger individuals use social media to connect with real friends and to stay in contact with old ones. "Those of us who are inundated in social media tend to carry over that casual attitude when we meet new people, whether they be quick encounters or new co-workers," (Silver). To Silver, there is a kind of informality toward strangers that is inappropriate, all because of social media. This carries over form his attitude toward the connections on social media. They are quick, fleeting, and casual. There is little to no effort that has to be put into online connections, and that has affected how social media users are interacting with others in the real world.
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Image 1: https://www.facebook.com/
Image 2: http://blogionista.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/shutterstock_2426143333.jpg
Thursday, August 25, 2016
Week 1: Introductions, "Collective Intelligence", "What is Collaboration Anyway?" & Nextdoor
Hello all!
I created a description on my blog, but just in case some of you are unable to read it, my name is Klaudia and I am a Junior currently studying Information Science and eSociety here at the University of Arizona. I'm from Casa Grande, just an hour or so north of the University. I am a member of The Academy Drum and Bugle Corps' color guard in Tempe as well as the Treasurer of Wildcat Dancesport Ballroom Dance Club here on campus. I am looking forward to having a great semester!
This week we were tasked to read "What is Collaboration Anyway?" and "Collective Intelligence". Two concepts that stuck out to me in particular were the ideas that collaboration must be intentional and the egalitarian ideals of collective intelligence.
Collaboration can not always be intentional, as "What is Collaboration Anyway?" suggested. In Surowiecki's TED Talk, he mentioned the people affected by the Thailand tsunami in 2004. Many took it upon themselves to create videos, photos, and blog posts of the action.
These individuals that posted up videos, rumors, and updates from the disaster contributed to a collaborative documentation of the scope of that tsunami. It is unreasonable to assume they intentionally sought each other out before any new information was posted. Any individual that contributed probably did so of their own accord. However, does that make their unintentional collaboration any less meaningful than updates from a reputable news source? No. I don't feel as if those people had to have intentionally communicated with each other to have created a solid view of the events that actually transpired that day. Their collaboration was still valuable to the rest of the world as spectators, and the users still shared a common goal of providing information to those that could potentially be in danger or otherwise concerned for their well being during that serious time. These individuals still collaborated despite not meeting all of the criteria that the reading had set out.
In class we discussed that prominent users within online communities are not necessarily the most intelligent or best educated individuals. When reading "Collective Intelligence", I noticed Levy used language that almost equated the inequalities of intelligence to a type of poverty. In particular, Levy says "collective intelligence must not be confused with totalitarian projects involving the subordination of individuals." In this way, collective intelligence as discussed is a more egalitarian model of aggregate intelligence. Any one person has as valuable a stake in the collective as another, regardless of their formal education. Even those that are using informal English and may be seen as "unintelligent" otherwise are still a part of the generally intelligent collective. I see this to be a value system in a way. Instead of only "valuing" those that are seen as smart and belittling those that aren't, each member of the community is valued nearly equally, and all are free from ridicule and other judgment. No individual is seen as below the rest in the collective.
The last article we were asked to read was the article regarding racial profiling in real neighborhoods through an online resource.
The developers of this social network, Nextdoor, decided to combat racial profiling through the requirement of two or more valuable descriptors of perpetrators of suspicious activities or crimes. I definitely think that this was a step in the right direction for this type of network. It is typical to latch onto just one aspect of a person in passing. However, race is a small part of what is asked for when filing a police report. Having been trained in how to handle robberies in particular with my job as an accountant, more often than not the police are going to ask about birthmarks, tattoos, and the types of shoes that a perpetrator was wearing. Birthmarks and tattoos are not easily shed after a crime, and changing shoes would slow the criminal down. It is hard to pinpoint exactly what racial profiling is, but requiring community members to latch on to other information that simply a person's race can help give the police actual information should a real crime be committed by the black man that someone within the neighborhood thought was "suspicious".
In the optional reading, "Cyberhood v. Neighborhood", Barlow mentions that a crucial aspect of his ideal community would be "most importantly, shared adversity" (Barlow 53). This struck a chord with me, as he mentions in the introductory page that minority communities can't be considered real "communities" mostly because they are not defined by a single shared physical space. These communities do not share a specific space in the real world. However, I disagree. I believe online communities are as real as having a community within your own subdivision, particularly in the cases of those groups that feel they cannot share their identities in person for fear of discrimination.
I created a description on my blog, but just in case some of you are unable to read it, my name is Klaudia and I am a Junior currently studying Information Science and eSociety here at the University of Arizona. I'm from Casa Grande, just an hour or so north of the University. I am a member of The Academy Drum and Bugle Corps' color guard in Tempe as well as the Treasurer of Wildcat Dancesport Ballroom Dance Club here on campus. I am looking forward to having a great semester!
This week we were tasked to read "What is Collaboration Anyway?" and "Collective Intelligence". Two concepts that stuck out to me in particular were the ideas that collaboration must be intentional and the egalitarian ideals of collective intelligence.
Collaboration can not always be intentional, as "What is Collaboration Anyway?" suggested. In Surowiecki's TED Talk, he mentioned the people affected by the Thailand tsunami in 2004. Many took it upon themselves to create videos, photos, and blog posts of the action.
These individuals that posted up videos, rumors, and updates from the disaster contributed to a collaborative documentation of the scope of that tsunami. It is unreasonable to assume they intentionally sought each other out before any new information was posted. Any individual that contributed probably did so of their own accord. However, does that make their unintentional collaboration any less meaningful than updates from a reputable news source? No. I don't feel as if those people had to have intentionally communicated with each other to have created a solid view of the events that actually transpired that day. Their collaboration was still valuable to the rest of the world as spectators, and the users still shared a common goal of providing information to those that could potentially be in danger or otherwise concerned for their well being during that serious time. These individuals still collaborated despite not meeting all of the criteria that the reading had set out.
In class we discussed that prominent users within online communities are not necessarily the most intelligent or best educated individuals. When reading "Collective Intelligence", I noticed Levy used language that almost equated the inequalities of intelligence to a type of poverty. In particular, Levy says "collective intelligence must not be confused with totalitarian projects involving the subordination of individuals." In this way, collective intelligence as discussed is a more egalitarian model of aggregate intelligence. Any one person has as valuable a stake in the collective as another, regardless of their formal education. Even those that are using informal English and may be seen as "unintelligent" otherwise are still a part of the generally intelligent collective. I see this to be a value system in a way. Instead of only "valuing" those that are seen as smart and belittling those that aren't, each member of the community is valued nearly equally, and all are free from ridicule and other judgment. No individual is seen as below the rest in the collective.
The last article we were asked to read was the article regarding racial profiling in real neighborhoods through an online resource.
In the optional reading, "Cyberhood v. Neighborhood", Barlow mentions that a crucial aspect of his ideal community would be "most importantly, shared adversity" (Barlow 53). This struck a chord with me, as he mentions in the introductory page that minority communities can't be considered real "communities" mostly because they are not defined by a single shared physical space. These communities do not share a specific space in the real world. However, I disagree. I believe online communities are as real as having a community within your own subdivision, particularly in the cases of those groups that feel they cannot share their identities in person for fear of discrimination.
Online LGBTQ communities provide resources for their members, or just those looking for help. Transgender suicide hot lines, online support groups, Internet based queer book clubs, clothing exchanges, and pretty much any other resource you can think of has been adapted to reach as many LGBTQ individuals as possible. These individuals all share an identity and common goals to provide safe and welcoming places to youth looking for acceptance and reassurance that they are not alone. I believe this is as good of a community as any other, regardless of the absence of a shared physical space.
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