Week 5: Our precious media life..

There is no doubt that as of 2011, we are obsessed with the media. If we’re not on our phones, we’re online. If we’re not online, we’re watching TV. If we’re not watching TV, we’re shuffling music on our Ipods. Deuze (2011) puts this all in perspective by stating how “our life is lived in, rather than with, media – we are living a media life.” Hannah states how “People don’t live in the moment, they live online” which is a great reflection.  I’m definitely living a media life, spending hours a day consuming and using media in every possible way, and I love it. However, I am cautious about my online behavior and what I leave of information, as we all know we’re leaving traces behind in everything we do online, which Amy reflects on further. This could potentially harm us later, especially considering how common it is to be “Googled” for a potential job.

Isn’t it interesting how we react at those who don’t have a profile on Facebook? Those who never updates their status, posts a photo or writes on their friend´s walls? They have become the antisocial people, as it is more accepted to announce every single move, thoughts and actions on Facebook, rather than not. 

Is this how you want´t your tombstone to look like? Get offline! 

I’ll actually rather be a bit more antisocial online, leave fewer traces behind and concentrate on my life offline. My real life. Confirm?



References: 


Deuze, M. 2011. “Media Life”. Media, Culture & Society 33 (1): 137-148.

Hannah. 2011. "Week 5, " Platform nine and three quarters. Accessed April 4, 2011. 
http://iamtheswanqueen.blogspot.com/2011/04/week-5.html

Mahoney, Brian. (2010). "How To: Prepare For Your Online Afterlife". Image. Accessed April 4, 2011. http://www.maximumpc.com/article/features/how_prepare_your_online_afterlife


Maynard, A. 2011. "A Personal Brand Audit for Dummies, " New media, a blog by Amy Maynard. Accessed April 4, 2011. 
http://amyonnewmedia.blogspot.com/2011/04/personal-brand-audit-for-dummies.html

Week 4: Mirror, mirror on the wall, who's the biggest bully of all?

Doesn’t it seem strange how internet etichs seems to be valued less important than real world ethics? Even though it is in fact easier to get away with bad behaviour online, It should be taken seriously however. Very seriously.

Over the last decades, escpecially with the rise of social networking sites, bullying has reached a new level. Long gone are the days where bullying only happened face to face. Now, with the relative anonymity of social media, “it makes it possible to commit immoral acts so fast that one hardly notices” (Hamelink, 2006,  p. 118). Things you would never say to someone in person, has become easy to say with a click of a button.

Voe, a 15 year old top blogger from Norway, recently shut down her blog due to months of cyber bullying. She earned thousands of dollars every day on her blog, but gave that up as she couldn’t handle the bullying anymore. That say’s a lot about how much cyber bullying affects people. Rosie’s great headline describes this perfectly; “Sticks and stones may break your bones, but online taunts will haunt you.”

I personally can’t stand some people’s online behavior. It seems too easy to justify bad online behaviour simply because they’re hiding behind a nickname or a fake profile.  Grow up!

And stop sending me “I hate…“ groups on Facebook. Ignore.

 

References:

Emilie Nereng, 2011. Voe's blog. Accessed March 28, 2011. http://voe.blogg.no/

Facebook. 2011. “I HATE JULIA GILLARD”. Accessed March 28, 2011. http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/I-HATE-JULIA-GILLARD/113650705351539

Hamelink, C. (2006). The Ethics of the Internet: Can we cope with Lies and Deceit on the Net? In Ideologies of the Internet, K. Sarikakis & Daya Thussu, pp. 115-130. New Jersey: Hampton Press. 

Rosie’s New Media Reflections.  2011. “Sticks and stones may break your bones... but online taunts will haunt you” Rosie's New Media Reflections, March 27. Accessed March 28, 2011. http://rosiesnewmediareflections.blogspot.com/2011/03/sticks-and-stones-may-break-your-bones.htmlbreak-your-bones.html

Sheen. 2010. "The Harsh Effects of Cyber Bullying: A Call to Action Now!". Image. Accessed March 28, 2011. http://thedelanoobserver.blogspot.com/2010/07/harsh-effects-of-cyber-bullying-call-to.html#axzz1HsSdvIFL

Week 2: Value your privacy, don´t expose it all...

In today’s society and the online culture, people chose to share and post thoughts and actions that would have been considered far too private only a couple of years ago.

Particularly Facebook has become an arena for people to display themselves for the better and expose private and revealing details and content that should not be online, public for everyone. With the growth and development of social media, comes a myriad of discussions about the privacy of social networking sites.

Pearson (2009) argues how people are using social networking sites as a stage for online socialising and performance, and relates this to the metaphor of the glass bedroom. What should be private and exclusive of everyone has become visible for all to observe through photos and conversations. Everyone can view each other’s life and self-presentations. Why are most social networkers willing to share, express and communicate details and information through their glass bedroom, when in person we often reveal private thoughts and feelings only with our closest friends and family?

In today’s society, access to information is a key element of status power (Donath & Boyd, 2004). It seems like the more you expose yourself and your privacy, the more interesting you become for other people online. There is always a risk with online exposition. Privacy and self-presentation online should be just like when we try on clothes in a fitting room. Would you leave the door open, so everyone could see you?

Donath, J. and Boyd, D. (2004). Public Displays of Connection. BT Technology Journal,Volume 22 (4): 71-82.

Pearson, E. (2009). All the World Wide Web's a Stage: The Performance of Identity in Online Social Networks. First Monday, 14(3),

 

Photo Agency. 2009.  “Cassie Sumner Shopping In London”. Image. Accessed March 14, 2011. http://www.zimbio.com/pictures/TypnfZ1QtUE/Cassie+Sumner+Shopping+London/3vJ9cWIrAd0/Cassie+Sumner