ESSAY

At the end of the essay please view my comment.

I constructed my own question:

Do Facebook, MySpace and other social networking sites (SNS) allow individuals to create an identity, and a sense of security that they may or may not have offline? 

  Facebook and other SNS allow their users to construct an identity. This construction is created through applications, status updates, photos, customized profiles (MySpace) and accumulating ‘friends’. Parents and media bring up security issues constantly, in terms of Facebook and MySpace; however social networking site users do have control over their profiles privacy and security. SNS allow individuals a chance to express themselves and provides a medium between online and offline communication.

 SNS such as Facebook and MySpace allow users to express themselves and create an identity, which is presented on their profile.  Nicole Ellison states just this in her essay: “The Benefits of Facebook ‘Friends:’ Social Capital and College Students' use of Online Social Network Sites” “…Facebook and MySpace allow individuals to present themselves, articulate their social networks, and establish or maintain connections with others.” (Ellison, N. 2007, article 1) As Ellison is stating, these sites are merely tools in which individuals can manipulate to their creative advantage. MySpace is a prime example of this, on creation the site left open a technological loophole; this loophole allows individuals to customize and create their profiles however they wish, (Boyd, D. 2007, p.16) maximising identity construction. Facebook on the other hand, allows users to take part in quizzes and add applications to reflect their personality. As these sites emerged (both founded in early 2004) (ChurchBase. 2007, 20.10.09) they have provided individuals (teenagers and youth in particular) with a sense of community, identity and communication. (Henderson-Janie, D. 2008) However, SNS have received a lot of bad press regarding online verses offline communication. Concerns have been raised over the affects Facebook and MySpace have on their users offline communication skills. Pavica Sheldon argues that anxiety and loneliness are the two key components that drive teens to use Facebook. (Sheldon, P. 2008) These concerns are simply paranoia due to a lack of knowledge on the sites. SNS are a place to ‘hang out’ and socialize with friends. Many who join Facebook and MySpace do so to communicate with friends and share their values with others, as these sites have a strong sense of community. ("But Are We Really Friends?” 2008) These sites should not be treated with discouragement and suspicion as they allow individuals the freedom to creatively express themselves, which integrates into their offline social life and provides them with a broader social network. Despite SNS providing positive social attributes, security and privacy issues are considered to be the sites main weakness.

 SNS allow users to feel secure in their social communities and networks; however it is important that users are aware of how to maintain the privacy of their profiles. Facebook and MySpace make it very easy for their users to forget about security issues. Most Facebook users would not know that installing an application not only gives the company that developed that application access to all their personal information, but also all of their friends personal information too! (Marwick, A. 2009) Users get caught up in making social ties and constructing an identity they forget to check their profiles privacy. A lot of teens believe that Facebook (Facebook Privacy Policy, 20.10.09) is more security conscious than MySpace; (MySpace Privacy Policy, 20.10.09) however most users are unaware that by joining ‘networks’ (such as schools or neighbourhoods) they are giving anyone who is also a member of that network immediate access to their profile. (Boyd, D. 2007) The security users feel when logging onto their profile is not the same as being aware of what private information is being presented to the public. More so now, than when MySpace was first introduced, users are urged to set their profile to ‘private’ allowing only their friends and friends they ‘accept’ to view their information. (Boyd, D. 2007) When first creating your profile most users are unaware that your profile can be set to private or public (public allowing anyone to view your information). SNS need to be more open about security factors on their sites; in doing so they will educate their users and allow them to make an informed decision on how they want to deal with the privacy of their profile. Users simply need to take more of an interest in security and privacy, that way they can be aware of what audience is viewing their information. SNS are a new medium in allowing individuals to communicate with others, (especially in a University environment) (Boogart, M.R. 2006) however this new phenomenon needs to be used with knowledge of security and privacy.

 SNS allow users to construct an identity that is both part of their online and offline communication. Facebook and MySpace allow users to express themselves through profile construction. These SNS are tools of creativity and should be valued in terms of creating a social medium for all users. Although identity construction is a major part of these sites, users must also be aware of security and privacy. Although users feel safe and secure in their social networks, having a broad knowledge of their profiles privacy, and protecting themselves in terms of information exposure is an important aspect when using these sites. Facebook and MySpace provide a new social medium between online and offline communication, as they blur the lines. These SNS are prefect examples of giving power to worldwide individual expressionism in a creative, (and when used properly) safe and social environment.

List of Sources:

 

Journal Entries:

 Boogart, M. R, (2006) Uncovering the social impacts of Facebook on a college campus.

 Henderson-Janie, D. (2008) ‘Welcome to Facebook: Changing The Boundaries of Identity, Community And Disclosure’.

Sheldon, P. (2008) ‘The Relationship Between Unwillingness-to-Communicate and Students' Facebook Use’.

"But Are We Really Friends?": Online Social Networking and Community in Undergraduate Students (2008) Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations.

 

Websites:

Boyd, D. (2007)  ‘Why Youth (Heart) Social Network Sites: The Role of Networked Publics in Teenage Social Life.’ MacArthur Foundation Series on Digital Learning – Youth, Identity, and Digital Media Volume (ed. David Buckingham). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. Found: Boyd, D. ‘Danah Boyd, Who am I?’ http://www.danah.org/ viewed: (20.10.09)

CrunchBase: ‘Facebook and Myspace Creation’ (2009) http://www.crunchbase.com/company/facebook viewed: (20.10.09)

Ellison, N. B. (2007), ‘The Benefits of Facebook "friends:" Social Capital and College Students' use of Online Social Network Sites’. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 12(4), article 1. Found: Ellison, N.B, Steinfield, C., & Lampe, C. (2007)  http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol12/issue4/ellison.html viewed: (20.10.09)

‘Facebook Principles’ (Nov, 26. 2008) http://www.facebook.com/policy.php?ref=pf viewed: (20.10.09)

Marwick, A (2009) ‘There’s No Hiding on Facebook’ http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2009/oct/05/facebook-privacy-beacon-lawsuit viewed: (20.10.09)

‘Privacy Policy’ (Feb, 28. 2008) http://www.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=misc.privacy viewed: (20.10.09) 

Evaluation!

In Regards to the lectures I have found most of them very interesting. I have liked the alternation of speakers and lectures, as I think that mixing things up a bit allows us to experience different perspectives and opinions. Some of my favourite lectures have been: “Media, New Media and Internet Studies”, The week nine (utopia) and “Mobile Content: Production and consumption”. These lectures opened my mind to the every day technologies I use (and take for granted).

As for the tutorials I have also found them interesting and interactive. I like the fact Adam shows us videos and used lots of examples when to comes to helping us understand a certain topics.

However I have found the New Communications section of learning@Griffith to sometime to be a little over welling! The page is just busting with pages and pages of information and links. I know they are all probably very interesting and insightful but with all my other subject and text books I need to keep up with and read every week I find covering these internet pages very hard. If the subject were to change anything I would love for the New Communications page to be a little less ‘crowed’ as I just can’t cover everything in it.

But overall the subject has been very insightful for me and very different to what I expected. It has helped me understand the magnitude of technology and how it is constantly growing and evolving and how that invloved me! All the lecturers and my tutor Adam have been very helpful and extremely approachable.

WEEK NINE: Lecture Review

THIS WEEKS LECTURE WAS THE BEST SO FAR

I think everyone was a little blown away by the lecturer, he definitely brightened up my day.

BUT

that wasn't his soul purpose he was also very educational.

He focused mainly on the concept of 'utopia' and how this is represented on the web. He explained that when the web first started up companies just threw money at it thinking they would be making a massive gain but instead everything fell apart. As the web is constantly changing, which is good but very bad in a business sense as everything you/they built up will just be brought down or people will move on (myspace) Chaotic. (pet shop online example!) Everyone is searching for utopia but the key is to target specific groups (such as elftown).

All his examples such as the 'dot com' crash, pirate bay and the anti-wikipedia were wonderful and were really interesting to discuss and view. I also thought his website mixing poetry and technology in a game environment was very interesting and I need to go back and have a closer look.

In conclusion he said that the web works best and most effectively when individuals continuously work and produce interesting material.

I totally agree.

WEEK NINE: Tute Task

I found five journal sources (as it was very hard to find any decent books/ hard text sources) relating to my 'topic'/question regarding facebook and social networking. At the moment I am not sure what the actual construction on my question will be, this research has helped me gain an few ideas. I have also put in an abstract of each of the journals to give you an idea of what the articles are all about. I have then added in a response, which is my reflection on the source.

ABSTRACT: This study investigates the use of online social networking web sites by undergraduate students as it relates to their sense of community on college campuses. Using a case study method, an audit trail was created to study how undergraduates perceived online social networking web sites like Facebook.com as it relates to their sense of shared values and norms of behavior, extended relationships of caring, and sense of obligation to the greater good of that community. Six undergraduate students were interviewed on three separate occasions to develop deep understanding of how the participants viewed themselves, their campus community, and the relationship of Facebook.com to their own sense of community. The case studies were analyzed using a framework drawn from the research literature related to communitarianism, computer-mediated communication, and face-to-face communication.

Response: The key argument of this source regards the community feel that facebook provides. This source is very simular to other sources I have found as they are all interested in comparing computer communication vs. face-to-face communication. This source has been useful in my research as it has helped me develop further questions to research, such as: Is facebook (social networking) replacing face-to-face communication? This source has also been helpful as it analyses students in a campus environment.

"But Are We Really Friends?": Online Social Networking and Community in Undergraduate Students (2008) Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations

ABTRACT: Online social networking sites seem particularly well-suited to forming the loose connections between diverse social networks, or weak ties, associated with bridging social capital, but is using one site the same as using another? This study explores the user and usage characteristics of two popular social networking websites, Myspace and Facebook, and then investigates the relationship between online social networking and bridging social capital using survey data from 929 university students and faculty members. Myspace users tend to have less education and be more racially diverse, have lower incomes, and focus more on forming new social ties online. Conversely, Facebook users tend to be better educated, have higher income, and focus more on maintaining relationships with their existing offline ties. A positive association exists between the degree of online social networking and bridging capital, although there was no meaningful difference in bridging capital between those who used Myspace only and those who used Facebook only. However, the results indicate that the use of Myspace in conjunction with Facebook significantly increases bridging capital and moderates the effect of race, income, and degree of usage. Together, this evidence suggests that online social networking is a useful tool for enlarging and maintaining a diverse social network, but that the examination of online social networking in the aggregate may hide distinctions among sites. Different sites are used in different ways, and thus using more than one site might provide the greatest benefit in terms of increased bridging capital.

Response: This source is mainly focusing on the concept of social capital and bridging social ties and how social networking sites such as facebook and myspace contribute to that. This source is slightly different to other sources as it uses facebook and myspace to research further the concept of social networking in terms of social capital. The source also has some interesting facts about facebook: such as the users are educated, with a higher income and look to maintain offline relationships! Interesting. This source has been useful as it outlines as facebook increases social capital as it promotes and maintains social networking.

Adkins, Angela M.
Myspace, Facebook, and the Strength of Internet Ties: Online Social Networking and Bridging Social Capital( 2009)

ABSTRACT: A survey with 172 students was conducted at a large southern research university to examine how unwillingness-to-communicate in interpersonal communication influences gratifications sought and gratifications obtained from Facebook use. The study investigated the relationship between two dimensions of unwillingness-to-communicate (approach-avoidance and reward) and different motives of Facebook use. In addition, it examined the relationship between unwillingness-to-communicate and the behavioral and attitudinal outcomes of Facebook use (e.g., the number of hours spent on Facebook, duration of use, the number of Facebook friends, satisfaction with Facebook). Results of multiple regression analysis revealed that respondents who felt anxiety and fears in their face-to-face communication used Facebook to pass time and feel less lonely more than other respondents, but they had fewer Facebook friends. Overall, this paper finds evidence that people who are involved in online relationships are those who are willing to communicate in real life, rather than the opposite. Such results seem to justify the rich-get-richer hypothesis, which states that the internet primarily benefits extraverted individuals. Our results are in contrast to findings that socially anxious individuals are more likely to form relationships online.

Response: This was a very interesting source! As it is unlike any of the others. This source is mainly focusing on the negative repercussions on social networking especially facebook. The source also analysis's such things as how many hours are spent on facebook and the concept of online 'friends' and how this contributes to lack of offline communication skills. It has come to the conclusion that the internet benefits certain individuals and socially anxious individuals are more likely to form online relationships as to avoid real life confrontation. Very interesting!


Sheldon, PavicaThe Relationship Between Unwillingness-to-Communicate and Students' Facebook Use.
(2008)

ABSTRACT: This paper examines the online social networks, and the negative implications that have surfaced as a result of misunderstanding the purpose of the website. Using the concepts of identity, community, and disclosure, three real-life Facebook situations are described, discussed, and analyzed. The film, The Net is incorporated as a foundational template in discussing the similarities and warnings about the potential risks of online social networks. In addition, this paper examines how Facebook is redefining the areas of communication, identity and community.

Response: This source is very similar to other sources I have found as it focuses on the negative implications of social networking. This source however focuses on three main points: communication, identify and community. It also examines how facebook is redefining the concept of communication. This source has helped my argument as it has given my three points to focus on when researching social networking, this could be very helpful to my essay.


Henderson, Janie D. Welcome to Facebook: Changing The Boundaries of Identity, Community And Disclosure (2008)

ABSTRACT; With the creation of Facebook in 2004, colleges and universities across the United States have been playing catch-up with students. This new technology carries much weight as a new medium for students to build social connections and grow as members of their institutions. However, this new technology also brings negative implications such as lowered GPAs with greater use.Research was conducted at four major institutions across the country exploring how residence hall students use online communities and the impact it has on their physical world experience on campus. Most students use Facebook as a tool for staying connected to friends from high school, but there is a small population of students who are using it as a tool to make social connections they could not find in person.This study explores the impacts Facebook has had on a college campus. University administrators are urged to use this data to take a proactive approach to using these technologies to enhance the overall campus experience.

Response: This source has an interesting perspective on facebook. This study was conducted in America and it seems that the author is concerned that facebook may be taking over the college experience! The source outlines that facebook is a useful tool when keeping in touch with old friends but facebook may also be taking over from making new friends in real life. The source is focusing on combating the take over of facebook on campus. It has been useful to me as it outlines the importance of facebook to students and how universities are taking this into account.

Vanden Boogart, Matthew Robert Uncovering the social impacts of Facebook on a college campus (2006)

WEEK EIGHT: Lecture Review

Well as there was no lecture this week my review will be reasonably short!
I thought I would give a quick summery on my thought on the pages posted on learning@griffith regarding politics.

I must also admit I didn't read the whole thing but I DID read most of it! From what I read I think Steven Stockwell wanted us to focus on politics on the net vs. politics in real/ everyday life and is there a distinction between the two. I also think he wanted us to analysis what our relationship with our computer and how this related to politics...

When I think of politics on the net I think of news bulletins and campaign pages. I can't say that I have done much digging for politics (although this weeks task helped out). The concept of edemocracy: as a internet society based around cyber politics was pretty interesting.

I now realise that politics surrounds the web environment and researching my beliefs/ the theory and practice of politics is only a finger click away.

I also have a completely new way of looking at hackers!

WEEK EIGHT: Tute Task

I found this tutorial task a hard one. Mainly because I am not sure what my political beliefs are… The question asks: “…What opportunities can you find for political participation via the internet. How many of the following can you achieve while sticking to your political beliefs?”

Well I am unsure of what my beliefs are… I am a 19-year-old and I have only just become officially enrolled (as I just gained Australian Citizenship). I must admit I am still getting the hand of understanding Australian Government and what my role in politics is. I know for a fact I would be able to find out what Barack Obama is up to today as he pretty must has a celebrity following after him. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was on twitter! Sure enough it was easy to find Obama’s everyday schedule as tones of bloggers are posting things about him everyday: I found this one that gave me an insight to what he would be doing and what is making political headlines in America. http://ochairball.blogspot.com/ (21.09.09)

Finding out who my local, state and federal representatives was a little harder than I thought… I found that Scott McConnel is the LNP Ashgrove representative… and Kerry Jones also from Ahgrove is a representative... But again I have NO IDEA what my beliefs are so I’m not sure who MY reps are.

As for responding to a professional blogger at a major news site I thought I would have a browse of one of the newspapers I read regularily: so I chose the courier mail: I had a look at the “comments” page and found “blogs” a lot of them were slightly trivial but I found this one called the green space by Graham Readfearn.
It is all about being green! It had tones of info and seemed very interactive and sure enough I could have a say on some of the issues if I wanted. So I think it would be very easy to have your say on a major news site. http://blogs.news.com.au/couriermail/greenblog/

As for my opinion on theory and practice of politics check out my lecture review for this week!



http://www.blackbookmag.com/ee/images/uploads2/blackbook-obama-fairey.jpg (13.09.09)

WEEK SEVEN: Lecture Review

Free Culture, Free Society.

This lecture was really interesting in terms of identifying what is 'free' software and what is classified as proprietary software. I used to think a computer is just a computer and if it asks me to pay for an extra feature I do, as I didn't know any different. Adam helped me realise I do have a choice! And there are probably plenty of alternatives to expensive programs.

An example of one of these free programs is CC (creative commons) which I checked out (and loved) I actually ended up downloading a few tacks as well as using one of the tracks on my three min video. I also had no idea that there is an entire community on the web dedicated to finding and promoting free software. Of course copyright is a massive deal but I never thought individuals (such as Richard Stallman) would go out of their way to find a way around copyright and come out successful!

As for homework I didn't realise I had been using free software! We have firefox on our 'home'/ main computer! So I have been using free software without realising. I see no difference between firefox and other Internet systems so it just proves how successful free software is!

Its all about COMMUNITY, COLLABORATION and SOCIETY

WEEK SEVEN: 3 min video

Here is my three min video!

I chose the subject of 'running' and I have a narrative along with the clip so that explains the importance of running in my life. I have also used music, videos and pictures, along with credits. Enjoy!

(make sure you turn the volume up and double click if you want the bigger version on youtube)

WEEK SIX: TUTE TASK: One Minuet Video

Here is my one minuet video!
I chose to cover the subject of boarding school as it is very close to my heart and one of the things I know most about. I have used photos that belong to me and were taken with my camera and I have used my own voiceover as a narrative. It was also the first time I uploaded anything to youtube! Very excited. Enjoy.

Also if you are only getting part of the clip double click and it will take you to youtube and you can see the full thing!

WEEK SIX: Lecture Review

This week's lecture was awesome! I really enjoyed it. Even though I arrived late (due to minimal parking spaces in Griffith) I still was able to understand and take in the lecture.

Although the lecture was based on Mobile Content: Production and Consumption the lecturer focued a lot on the internet and again played with the concept of consumer vs. producer. His examples were great, he took us to "http://www.thetrailermash.com/ www.thetrailermash.com which showed everyday people messing with clips and trailers from movies to creater their own version of the movie or trailer. Someone had made 'The Shinning' look like a feel good movie! genius. I had a browse later on in my own time, through the website, and some of the stuff on there is amazing!

The question 'are we the consumers or the producers?' really got me thinking and I loved the fact that we can flick between the two, the lecturer really opened my eyes to the possibilities of production. The whole idea that all this information is available to us on our mobiles is insane, our private space is becoming public/ shared.

I hope the up coming lectures are as insightful! I loved this one.

WEEK FIVE: 3D worlds...

During the week five tute I experienced a 'third world' chat room for the first time. 

I must admit it was a little creepy. I've only ever used MSN and facebook chat, where I know who I am talking too, as they are MY friends and I have 'added' them or they have 'added' me and I have accepted. 

With the 3D world, you can be anyone you want. You can choose your character and name and become someone completely different. I can totally understand how some people become so involved with this world they forget who they are in reality, or become so obsessed with their character in '2nd life' that they hate who they are in real life! You always hear about those people who become so involved in their 2nd life they ask for divorces in their real life as their partners cheated on them in '2nd life!' it's ridiculous. 

But for the first time I could see how addictive 3D worlds can be, its so easy to use, and like I said, you are able to take on a whole new identity and chat with people around you. It's like 'The Sims' just with actually people controlling the characters. 

I much prefer the 'old school' way of chatting. (MSN or facebook chat) as I am able to know who I am talking to and I am not trying to pass myself off as someone else and neither is the person I am talking to. 

The 3D world seems like a lot of fun, but if not used appropriately, or in small doses it can be very addictive and even dangerous... 

Week Five: Lecture Review

The lecture this week was an interesting one. 

The topics that were focused on where: web 2.0 and social media

Adam then delve into these two topics in more depth by exploring new media: visual community/ individual identify and Internet studies: web 2.0/ social media.

Although the lecture focused on topics I was unfamiliar with I found the lecture to be very interesting and I felt I had learnt a lot when it was over. I was most taken with the concept of identity play and the ego-centric social network and how the focus of 'shared interests' has been lost to self-exhibitionists. 

I thought the concept and phenomenon of web 2.0 was fascinating and it was covered and explained well in the lecture. I was left with the constant thought of: 

'are we the consumers or the creators?'

Extra Questions

• How do search engines rank the stuff they find on the internet?

  I researched this question via none other than google and I came along some interesting sites that explain the ranking system a lot better than I could. This is what www.boutell.com had to say:

  Google ranks by how frequently other sites link to you, not by what you do or don't say on your site, although they do of course use what is on your site to determine whether your page is of relevance. When Google arrived, there was a "honeymoon period" of several years during which searches were extremely effective, because the Google rank of a site was essentially based on its true popularity, as measured by the number of sites that thought it worthwhile to link to it. At the time, no one had figured out a way to trick Google into artificially raising their rank.
  

• who, or what, makes one page (that you might get in your search results) more useful than another one, so that it is put at the top of your search results?

  I'm not sure about this question so I am just going to answer it off common knowledge. I assume that the more information I put into the search then more refined and detailed the results will be. I'm not sure if that answered the question!

• what are some of your favourite search engines? why do you like one more than others?

  I only use google. It is always the first thing to pop into my head when I need to find something out. The term: 'google it' is used well in my house! I like it because it is quick, easy and has tones of information and choice! 

WEEK FOUR: Scavenger Hunt Questions

Try to answer these questions without using Google or Wikipedia. There are no right answers. You gain marks for the most interesting ways of finding answers and your reflections on the mutability of facts. There are some notes in the Tutorial Folder at Course Content that may help. I have also put up lecture notes on the Language of the Screen - Josh Nicholas will be covering this material at the lecture on Wednesday while also reflecting on the shift of production focus from the big screen to the very small.

1.    What did Alan Turing wear while riding his bicycle around Bletchley Park?

A: A brown suit and gas mask

2.    On what date did two computers first communicate with each other? Where were they?

A: October 20th 1969 at UCLA

3.    What is Bill Gates’ birthday and what age was he when he sold his first software?

A: He was 17 years old when he sold his first piece of software for around $4000. He was born on the 28th of October 1955

4.    Where was the World Wide Web invented? 

A: The World Wide Web was invented at CERN

5.    How does the power of the computer you are working on now compare with the power of a personal computer from 30 years ago? 

A: A computer in 1979 had a 8088 8-bit processor, a computer in 2009 has a 2.60GHz 800FSB, 2MB processor I have no idea what that means but that's all I could find on it. 

6.    What is the weight of the largest parsnip ever grown? 

A: 2.3 Kilograms

7.    When did Queensland become a state and why is the Tweed River in New South Wales?

A: Queensland separated from New South Wales and thus became a state in 1859.

8.    What was the weather like in south-east Queensland on 17 November 1954?

A: There had been flooding in Southeast Queensland on the 17th of November 1954, it was raining. 
9.    Why is is Lord Byron still remembered in Venice?

A: He wrote some of his most famous work in Venice. Including: Don Juan

10.    What band did Sirhan Chapman play in and what is his real name?

A: Sirham Chapman played keyboard and did the lead vocals in The Black Assassins. He is none other than my lecturer for New Communication Technologies. I found this question very hard to answer so I did a little poking around in other students answers and I found this one! haha. 

CONCLUSION:

This was SUCH a hard task as I were not allowed to use google. I admite I still used a number of search engines including: ask.com, yahoo.com, altavista.com and answers.com These engines offered me answers but I still think they are nothing compared to google! It was so hard not to use google but I think overall I have answered the questions to the best of my ability. 

WEEK THREE: PART ONE: b) Youtube

Description:

This is just a silly youtube clip making fun of how much technology is advancing in the modern era. 

The three characters have phones installed in their fingers and noses, 

poking fun at how advance technology is becoming. 

The clip is a funny take on technology and makes you wonder how

much more advanced and sophisticated can technology become?

Week Three: Lecture Review

This lecture on Cin-speak was great!

I really enjoyed it. The first part of the lecture was focusing on different aspects of film. A lot of which I had learnt in the subject 'Introduction to Screen Analysis' which I completed last semester. But it was so interesting seeing and hearing terms like size shots and the 180 rule. All of which I could identify with. 

This lecture was so good because it intertwined my love for film/ screen with new media and technology. I found the whole thing so interesting. I was so happy to see these terms used in a new semester in a new and completely different subject. 

The lecturer was very enthusiastic and easy to listen too, I hope all the lectures to follow are like this one. 

WEEK THREE: PART TWO

Write a post about how you use new communication technologies to communicate with your friends and family.

I use facebook to keep in touch with my close friends, by sharing when we should meet up, what they are doing ect. But I also use it to keep in touchwith friends overseas. facebook allows me to view photos of them and keep up-to-date with events they have attended. It is fast and so easy to use. I check it nearly everyday.

I keep in contact with my family through email, text messages, phone calls and skype. My dad is currently overseas and skype is perfect when trying to chat to each other. It is free and you get to see them (via webcam). My mum has only just grasped the concept of text messaging and now she sends me a text every now and then to see how I am.

How long have you been using these communication technologies?

I got my first mobile phone when I was 13 and I probably had an email address at the age of eight. I went to boarding school at a young age and email was a perfect form of communication. I used to look forward to checking my emails in the morning after breakfast to hear how my family was.

What influenced you to start using these particular technologies? How did you find out about them?

My school introduced me to the concept of email. I'm sure my first email address was a school based one. Like I said emails were a big part of my life as it was a fun way to keep in touch with family.

Is privacy an issue for you when using new technologies?

Yes, privacy is an issue when dealing with technology but I feel that I wouldn't be able to control it. Even though I have my facebook profile on private I'm sure hackers could access anything they wanted whenever they wanted. I think my phone is pretty secure, but how would I even know?

Do you have friends whom you know only from the Internet and have never met in person?

No.

Is this different to people that you know in person?

yes it is, because I only accept 'adds' from people I know and people I want to keep in contact with.

The other side of this might be that you don't use new communication technologies for such trivial things as socialising. Explain why you don't use them. Is it a very conscious choice? Under what circumstances do you think you would consider using them?

I would say that I use communication technology purely for socialising. I also use the Internet and my uni email for uni work but I would say the bulb of my technology use is based on friends and family.

Week Two: Lecture review

I found this lecture very hard to take in. I mean there was a lot of information presented and I found most of it too much. Although the lecture was focusing on the internet, I found the history part of the lecture very boring. I don't know why, but I just couldn't seem to focus on it and wrap my head around it. 

I did find the section on the web interesting, the main thing that stuck in my head after the lecture was the phrase: it is important to understand that the internet is not the same thing as the web. Also the section on cyperspace was interesting but the history part just didn't seem to register with me. 

I hope in the next lecture I will be more 'in-tune' with the topic. 

Week One: Lecture review

So week one lecture one. I really didn't know what to expect when I found out that New Communications Technology was my compulsory subject for this semester. I had a read of the 'course overview' on the website and I basically got the idea that this subject would be teaching me how revolutionary ipods have been and how much facebook is changing the world... I really didn't think there would be much depth to the subject. 

HOWEVER

The first lecture was interesting. Afterwards I really reflected on how fast and how advancing technology/ new media has been over such a short period. When it was all presented to me in the lecture I was able to take in the enormity of the feat that is: technology. 

I later watched the clip: cocaine jesus and loved it! It was so basic and simply. I mean it was just white words flashing onto a black background yet I was held in suspense. I thought it was a great example of the simplicity of new media yet also exhibited the sophistication of it at the same time. 

I came out of the lecture with a new idea of what this subject will involve. I don't think its just about ipods anymore. It will be interesting to see how the lectures progress. 

My First Post

This is the first time I have ‘blogged’ and I am learning to do it in/ at University! I never thought that would happen. I am finding the whole experience interesting. I mean; technology is constantly advancing and leaning to blog and involve myself in the web and Internet as much as possible will only help when when I am finding my feet in a career.
Although I was hesitant when I first saw that New Communications technology was going to be a compulsory subject in Semester Two, I now feel more at ease, as I am able to relate to the subject in a personal way. For example facebook, google and myspace have come up in tute conversation and these sites I use everyday, constantly.

By posting two blogs a week – possibly more, I think it will allow me to fall more and more into the realms of the Internet/ web/ technology. I sometime find myself avoiding problems when it comes to computers and my mobile and palm them off to my dad or friends who seem to have a knack for solving technical problems.

I hope this subject will educate me in the possibilites of techologies and open my eyes a little more to what’s going on, and where this techology is heading in years to come. Because I know, whether I like it or not, techology is and will always be a major aspect in my life.

Alex