Producer or ProdUSER? Produced or ProdUSED?

Axel Bruns, author of such things as Blogs, Wikipedia and Second Life, believes there is an absence of producers, distributors and consumers, and a presence of users creating content to a piece of work already formed by improving it. Also known as ‘produsers’, these groups or individuals take a content already developed, and produce or create a new content …but are they seen as creative? Or seen as ripping something off? But, are these forms of art being produced or prodused. Is it a matter that they cannot think of their own ideas to create something better than the peice of work they are potentially about to ruin?


Bruns has explained and shown a diagram of the producer method as a circular form, where content is created, and the produced into a new form or content.
German-Austrian film ‘Downfall’ is a victim of its own work being prodused through YouTube. Produsers have used the one same scene from the film to show the different reactions from Hitler when the new Vegemite was released, or the new iPhone leak (in which of course may have been on purpose). Yet, these issues make the reaction of Hitler in this scene humorous and comical to see such a man angry over these matters. But are these produsers ripping off this Oscar nominated film? This produsage has led to more and more people wanting to watch the original film, although film makers have urged for their film to be taken down from YouTube.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3al_4HSteyE

Not all produsage can be seen as ripping something off. In the past, there have been artists or songwriters who have taken content from an original song and have used it in their own work. Although myself, I do not enjoy listening to these original songs having been prodused, but there are people in society who do enjoy it, and therefore this type of work can be seen as creative and something new from an original piece of work.


So to conclude, produsage can be a type of creative work, or can rip an original work of art off. Yet becoming a regular occurrence, produsage can be used by anyone and everyone, for laughter, or for money.

Cybersex- The new simulated experiece?

http://danpankraz.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/kate_moss_cyborg1.jpg


Cybersex, computer sex, internet sex. Are you a victim of this online simulated experience? Ferree (2003) describes cybersex as healthy sexual expression used for meaningful relationships, used by individuals who are often isolated from the world. This not so unusual experienced is now often used by young teenages from the age of 13- through to the elder ages, where society at that age has access to websites such as sassysensiors.com. At the age of 13 onwards, teenages have websites aimed at their age group, such as MSN messenger, Myspace and Facebook…but are these websites always safe? Is the person on the other end of the computer the person they say they are?


There has been a recent uproar in the amount of young teenage girls accessing pornography over the internet, and engaging in cybersex. There is a shocking truth behind internet usage within teenages. Statistics have shown that by a poll completed by more than 800 Australian teens aged 12-18, more than 40% had been asked to post naked or half naked photos of themselves via the internet. This is potentially giving child predators ‘easy’ pornography, and, through harassment these predators will definitely get their way.

Is hyperreality a place for an ‘easy way out’ for those afraid of real engagements and emotions with the real world? Farrell (2010), tells the story of Rebecca. Although not being sexually active, she is with the men (or so called men) she meets online. Many times she has engaged in cyber sex –but, she has not engaged in physically having sex since using the internet provider. Now, being tied down to her computer, Rebecca can now be seen as a type of cyborg, living half through the real world and half through computer. This story leads to one question, will even newer advancements in technology lead people to have sex lives on their computers rather than in the real world?

Being called the “most concerning thing to psychological health”, porn is described as the new crack cocaine and addictive by Ryan Singel in his article Internet Porn: Worse than crack?. This not only includes adult, but child pornography as well. This consists of young individuals allegedly producing pornographic images of themselves to others over the internet.

Whether you are a victim of the cybersex saga over the internet or not, it is becoming a common feature of the technology world. Used by various people of various ages, there will always be a website open to you for use, whether you want to use it or not. Although often seen as the wrong thing to do, it is becoming more common in society. Will you become a victim?

Sense of reality… or sense of futility?

http://webpages.scu.edu/ftp/dcaswell/secondlife_main_485.jpg


As I sit writing this on my real computer at home… in my real house… in my real study… in the existing town in Melbourne, I have begun to wonder how technology can replace such a form of reality. I have started to ponder my thoughts on how individuals could spend their time living life through virtual worlds, such as The Sims and Second Life, rather than in the real world of fresh air, ranging weather conditions, and natural light.


Having only heard about Second Life about two months ago, it shocked me that such a program existed. I couldn’t get over the fact that people were falling in love and getting married…over an internet site. I found it intriguing that a majority of Second Life users look nothing like their virtual avatar, and will even pay real American dollars to make themselves more attractive. Although- I must admit I do own the first edition of The Sims in which my friends and I played many a time in grade six. We found it fascinating, as we watched our Sim characters starting their own kitchen fires, while we deleted the stairs from our pool so they would drown. Cruel….I know, but it was slightly entertaining as we knew it was not real life, but futility and pointless. How one gets so obsessed living through a virtual character is beyond me.


The thing that frustrates me with the virtual world of Second Life is not being able to see the real person behind their avatar. What brings these people to play this game of having another life? Are they not happy with their real lives? Are they afraid of what society will think of them? I asked my dad, a 53 year old business owner whether he would ever use such a program. It was no surprise to me and as stubborn as he his, he flatly replied no as he couldn’t find the point of creating a ‘second life’ over the computer. Having never really been into technology, let alone not even being able to use the microwave, he just couldn’t understand the whole concept.

Meadows (2008:51) quoted: “People in virtual worlds build things, use them, sell them, trade them and discuss them. When another person confirms what I am seeing, places value on it, spends time working to pay for it, buys it, keeps it, uses it, talks about it, gets emotional about it, and then sells it – this tells me there is something real happening. The suspension of disbelief has become a grounding of belief”. Although in a way this quote is true, I find it difficult to understand how these real individuals living through these virtual people can become emotionally attached to items, without the senses of touching, smelling, or even tasting the valued possession.
Although these virtual worlds are used by many, for me it will never compare to the reality of my life in which I can walk outside, breathe in the fresh air and life live properly.

Extremists….what did anyone do to them?

http://latino-talk.com/wp-content/fotos/2008/03/klan-hate-crime.jpg


Extremists or hate groups…why not call them both? Being described as radicals putting forward drastic ideas into society,I never even knew they still existed. Hate groups are recruiting new people to protest their own ‘correct’ views. Although not always correct, majorities of people are still joining these extremist groups with the numbers increasing. Chiang, Gerstenfeld and Grant (2003) explain extremists as groups who express their racial feelings. With radical and spiteful policies, the Australia First Party can be described as an extremist group, who utilise the internet to spread messages about their thoughts and policies, and try to recruit new members.

The Southern Poverty Law Centre (2010) name the US extremist groups. Here are just a few:
• Free Your Mind Productions- racist group
• Hammerskin Nation- violent neo-Nazi Skinhead group
• Konfederation of Klans- racist group
• Resistance- neo-Nazi National Alliance
• Skinhead Forum- racist group


Among these extremist groups are Aryan Nations and Storm Front. These hate groups are racial realists, who seem to have not moved along with the rest of the world with their racial movements. Seen as hate groups, Aryan Nation and Storm Front (along with other hate groups) can be compared to the Australia First Party. With similarities in which are argumentative and can be disputed, are these extremist groups going to far?

One of the Australia First Party’s policy, states that the Australian country should “abolish multiculturalism”. Yet what does this extremist group suppose we replace it with? The Australia First Party focus more on the cultural differences of ethnic groups, rather than the amount of racism which has been expressed through this extreme policy. Trying to meet this expectation of abolishing multiculturalism restricts the AFP in other different topics. Does this mean the Australia First Party will reject gays and lesbians? What else will they want to abolish?
Their positive quote “We are fighting for the future of Australia” and “Make a difference” formulates a discussion and makes me wonder whether they really are making a difference to the country of Australia, and if they are fighting for the future of Australia in a positive way.

An article found on the AFP website called “The Asianisation of Australia”, makes me wonder why there was any doubt that they were not an extremist group, and why the question was asked. This article shows that the AFP think that Asian people will eventually take over the Australian society, and that in the governments ‘simple mindness’, Australia must become and Asian country. Sounding ridiculous, this is part of the reason why the Australia First Party can be seen as an extremist group.

This discussion leads me to ask the question, what did anyone ever do to these extremist groups? Why are they so against racial differences? As a result from radical policies and articles which can be highly disputed, the Australia First Party is seen as an extremist group, who are in fact afraid of the differences between cultures. It will be interesting to find out what they come up with in the future for the Australian society- they think they seem to know best.