eExtremists…dominating your future, today

eExtremists, hate groups, whatever you like to call them, are setting the world on fire. With expanding groups, with already more than 932 crowds already, these extremists are set to dominate the eLandscape in the future.

Internet being such a way for anyone to connect with anybody from around the world, help these extremist groups with their growing numbers. Being open for anyone to see, extremists websites such as Aryan Nations, and the Australia First Party, allows anyone to join these ridiculous hate groups, creating them to become bigger and bigger. Believe it or not, their strong, unrighteous and immoral views are agreed with people. Whether it is to abolish multiculturalism, or the dislike of Jewish people and their religion, they are often accepted by people, who somehow like to think like this.

One thing that set me back and took me a while to get used to was that fact that there is an extremist group in my home town. It worries me that my friends, family, or even myself may come under the reasoning for their hate group. Knowing that there is an extremist group near my home, makes me feel uneasy and unsettling.

Although, I do take into account that everybody is entitled to their own views and opinions, I often wonder whether these extremists understand that these people they are belittling and activating against are normal people, just like them. They need to understand that if they can have an opinion about a religion, the people they are patronizing and victimizing are allowed to have a view in which religion they believe in and want to follow.

However, despite my opinion, hate groups are furthermore increasing day to day. They are dominating the world of social media as well as the future of eLandscape.

Documentary making- easy as 1, 2, 3

Documentaries are being exposed to society more and more as time passes. Documentary made films are becoming big screen pictures, with the directors and producers becoming very successful. Such films are Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004) and Supersize me (2004). Not only are documentaries big screen successes, but everyday people are making their own documentaries in their own interests.

Makeuseof.com states that when wanting to make a documentary….you should do the following.
• Feel the passion
• Watch good documentaries (and also the bad ones)
• Decide what to document on

And
• Learn about making documentaries.
Then, but completing this step, you should be ready to begin

Certain documentaries, made by successful directors or everyday people, can give you some insight in the country they are living in or visiting in. This is one of the great things about documentaries. Not only do they give insight, but they give the feeling as if you are sitting there in real life, and not just over a computer screen.

Yet, not all documentaries give positive insight and in reality, not all can be. Some documentaries can consist of unpleasant facts and experiences, for example war, abuse, and even torture. A documentary made in India was banned in 2003 of the Gujarat riots in response to the Godhra Train Burning incident. The documentary was called “The Final Solution”, and was never shown.

But despite this, documentaries are at their peak, or ‘boom’ of their existence. Making them is easy (as 1, 2, 3) and allow people to get insight into cultures and experiences. Not only this, but they are a great way to start your career in film making. All you need is a camera, passion, and a topic.

Mobile Phones- The best friend of many Australians.

As the weeks go by, I’m finding more and more of my friends are purchasing the Apple iPhone. For them, going out on the weekend consists of checking the best place to go over their iPhone, checking the tram or train timetable over their iPhone, perhaps checking the weather for that night, of course over their iPhone, having a good night, then checking the last train or tram time, over their iPhone. It seems that the mobile phone screen is turning into the dominant screen of the 21st century. A friend of mine who would take hours to reply to any sort of message, recently purchased an iPhone. And now, with the use of her new phone, messages are sent as soon as she receives them as she will always have her iPhone close by. But does society really need another screen to view the internet, watch movies and take photos with. I must admit, although I do not own an iPhone, I have come to rely on my mobile phone more than I thought I would. Without it, I feel as though I am almost lost without it, and worried that if something happens I won’t be able to get onto anybody to tell them. This comes to show that society it heavily relying too much on their mobile phones, and it is becoming the dominant screen of the 21st century.
The Office for National Statistics states 90% of people aged 15 to 34 in the United Kingdom have owned or used a mobile phone. Although, this proportion declined with age. Mobile phones are a dominating source of social media in society.
I asked my father who is a businessman, what it is like being on holidays and the costs he makes being ‘switched on’24/7. He says, that without using his mobile phone on holiday would make himself, and everyone in the workplace behind in the work. He said that twenty years ago, nobody would have contacted him as mobile phones were not as dominating as what they are now. Now, is it convenient for work members to contact him, knowing that he will have his mobile phone on him.

So, as the years pass, it seems mobile phone usage is increasing more and more. It is becoming the dominant screen of the 21st century, and will have to be replaced by something incredibly new and exciting to stop the usage. The development is now irreversible in the industry and highly impacts social and societal structure.

The Politics of Social Media.

http://www.businessopportunitystartup.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/obama-tube.png





Social Media displays such as YouTube, Facebook and Myspace are influencing the campaigns of political individuals across the Western world: who are utilizing these programs. What is the aim of this? To catch the attention of the younger generation, therefore: creating a larger audience to listen. Having used Facebook and Youtube quite often and not really being into politics myself (although I do have some strong views), I personally do not think that utilizing these programs is helping the politicians with their campaign to reach a younger audience. With all the videos in the world to watch over YouTube, I would not choose to watch John Howard talk about climate change. Although if I wanted to, I would make sure that I watched the news or listened to the radio to listen to the topic of conversation.



Utilizing the internet to help campaigns can be risky business, but how effective is it? The new craze of the social network Twitter has created havoc for politicians for “flaming” or in other words, posting what could be seen as a nasty or disliked messages which at first, were not intended to hurt. As your very own computer screen cannot show expression, the illusion of a message can come across as rude, and some cannot tolerate it. This leaves the politician in a position in which could be seen as bad for their career, and may change people in societies views on them. Despite this, there are a number of politicians who have enhanced their public profile positively to society through social networking. For example, there have been people who believe that Barack Obama won the presidency election in America because of his campaigns over the internet. His efforts created a large amount of recognition and praise from the media and the community of politics for creating a social network to back up his campaign, and shows how effective the use of social networking can be (if you use it correctly of course).

The examples show that there is a growing relationship between politics and these social media programs. Although, YouTube, Facebook and Myspace have been used by the politicians, all having different outcomes, there is a large difference in the effectiveness of it. Despite helping their campaign, issues may be taken the wrong way and could possibly destroy the campaign. Politicians must be careful in how they express their views in order for their use of social networking to be successful and effective.

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.