Emotional Ending

42 posts and its over. cannot believe how quickly this year has gone by maybe because of the blogging! But i have been able to take from this that technology is always expanding and improving and who knows where it will end up, if there is an end to the advancements that can take place. The digital world has been exciting to be a part of! even though there has been tensions! I should of commented more on others blogs to become a technophile of blogging! and i probably would of become more emersed within this digital society! But i have enjoyed the highs and lows of blogging from not knowing what to say to being able to fill up a bottomless website with ideas. If i had something to blog about then i would probably carry on because i have enjoyed being able to express myself publicly because i like to give my opinion! But this has been a great experince!

You Dirty Technophile

A technophile is someone the literally is obssessed with technology and every form of it, including, mobiles, tv's, sound systems, computers and dvd players. We live in the age of the iphone and HD television. So in 2020, who can even imagine what technology we will be surrounded/almost supressed by! With the emergence of Web 3.0 or the semantic web and most probably the development of Web 4.0, i can only imagine that our phones wont be phones but chips inserted into our brains storing our information and becoming one with our brains! With all this technology being at your finger tips, a technophile with literally have a techno-orgasim!

Neo-Luddite

A Neo-Luddite would hate University in the modern day. Because for we as students have such a dependency on technology to succeed in student life. For example, we use the computer to go through the library catalogue, we use the computer to read e-journals, i am using it now to describe why a neo-luddite would hate being at university in the present day. So the daily frustrations of a neo-luddite would be plentyful. being surrounding by technology they would go insane!

The Youngest Digital Immigrant I know and a person who most threatens the notion of native/immigrant in digital culture

This would have to be my Dad. He is a man fascinated by technology and likes the 'new' best thing that could enhance your experience in, tv watching, music listening and internet surfing! My mum sees it as a waste of money but he constantly reassures her that she needs the newest 'stuff' to keep up with the changing world. Although she says that once you buy it, it is already out date! He is a very clever man though having a masters in some aspect of social sciences, not to sure what it is specifically. So he can understand cultural affect that technology and the digital world has.

Week 9 an 10 Question 5

5) What is the 'semantic web'?
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"The semantic web is a vision of information that is understandable by computers, so that they can perform more of the tedious work involved in finding, sharing, and combining information on the web." The notion that we as human beings have stopped need an inanimate object to dredge through the mondainness of the internet, so that we can relax an enjoy more of the world wide web. The semantic web will enable a more virtual use of the web because it will make things easier, Tim Berners-Lee believes, "Humans are capable of using the Web to carry out tasks such as finding the Finnish word for "monkey", reserving a library book, and searching for a low price for a DVD. However, a computer cannot accomplish the same tasks without human direction because web pages are designed to be read by people, not machines. The semantic web is a vision of information that is understandable by computers, so that they can perform more of the tedious work involved in finding, sharing, and combining information on the web."
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SOURCES:

• Berners-Lee, Tim; Fischetti, Mark (1999) Weaving the Web. HarperSanFrancisco. chapter 12.

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6) How does it differ from web 3.0?

Isn't web 3.0 the semantic web and vice-versa, giving the computer a brain, allowing the computer link every single aspect of our digital world. "Nova Spivack is an evangelist of the next phase of the web's development - what Silicon Valley, with its expansionist zeal, has taken to calling Web 3.0, or 'the semantic web'." Times Online
October 24, 2007.

Week 9 and 10 Question 4

4) Is there a potential problem being stored up for people if 'education' is tailored to fit into their cultural and personal preferences?

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I believe that there would be a problem because i do not believe that the educational system can with stand or adapt to such a change! "And therein lies the rub. The current pressure on schools to perform well in the national curriculum tests and on the 5 A*-C's at GCSE measure, will make flexibility of assessment hard to achieve." Although it would be good to have a change from the mondain settings of an hour long lesson with a teacher that could be the most un-appealing person in the world! Coming from me a person with ADHD, i believe that this would be a very good change because at secondary school you could probably imagine that i was a handfull for some teachers, being the hyper bugger that i am, and this was due to me not being able to concentrate in some classes because of the appeal of the teacher and the content of the lesson. However, i was able to concentrate within classes that interested me on a clutural and personal level, i didnt realise this at the time because i was in a world of hyperness!

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Its not that i dont agree with the changes and improvements that personal learning could bring to the students, i just dont believe that the national system for schools could with stand such a change. I feel that students could take the change because children are not as "set in their ways" as the teachers that could range from 25 to 70. Children are more adaptable to change. So this 'problem' building up would be for the teachers and how flexible they are to sucha dramatic change.

Week 9 and 10 Question 2

A)To socioeconomically related access issues within a society?

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The socioeconomic issues can affect someones resources with technology. For example, someone from a high socioeconomic background are more likely, compared to a low socioeconomic background, to have access to things such as computers, the interenet, ipods, radios, televisions and more availabilty of paper based materials. "The term digital divide refers to the gap between people with effective access to digital and information technology and those with very limited or no access at all. It includes the imbalances in physical access to technology as well as the imbalances in resources and skills needed to effectively participate as a digital citizen. In other words, it is the unequal access by some members of society to information and communications technology, and the unequal acquisition of related skills. The digital divide may be classified based on gender, income, and race groups, and by locations." Rice, 2002.

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b) To global access issues across countries and regions?

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The digital divide does not just effect the socioeconomic classes of developed countries/Continents such as The UK, US and Europe but it effects everyone on a global scale, including third world countries such as Africa and India. "People in the developing world are getting more access at an incredible rate - far faster than... in the past," from a report by th UN, but they have stated that the divide is still "very real". It is thought that the internet and digital technology can take a students thought miles beyond the classroom because of the access to an abundance of information!!!

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What difference to all this might the 'digital divide' make?

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So to conclude. The digital divide can effect someones ability to learn to the best of their ability. " E-government is revolutionizing the way government agencies interact with citizens. E-services improve the responsiveness, efficiency and transparency of the public sector. Unfortunately, these benefits may not be realized by the entire population. A digital divide exists in society, both from an access point of view and from a skills point of view. This study explores the potential effects of the digital divide on e-government by surveying a diverse group of citizens to identify the demographic characteristics that impact use of e-government services. The results indicate that income, education, age and frequency of Internet use significantly impact the use of e-government services. We discuss the implications of these findings and provide suggestions for future research." Belanger, F.; Carter, L. 2006.

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Sources:

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_divide#cite_note-B.26M577-19
• http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/Xplore/login.jsp?url=http%3A%2F%2Fieeexplore.ieee.org%2Fiel5%2F10548%2F33364%2F01579452.pdf&authDecision=-203
• http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4296919.stm

Oldest Digital Native I know.

The oldest digital native i know would be my sister, 22, who is a facebook addict, she is half way around the world in malaysia at the moment on her travels (I am not jealous). Even half way around the world she takes time to find an internet cafe to technologically socialise! She had a myspace which then led to a facebook as she saw it as old technology! When she was back home at work they had a computer in the back room and she would use it during work hours, no wonder she got fired. She is around the generation where digital technology was really coming into its element with such things as the cd player and the emergence of mini disc.

Week 9 and 10 Question 3

3) Should education 'stretch a person do you think? (What do you mean by 'stretch'?)

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What do I mean by stretch?- well to stretch is to enlarge or expand, for example, to stretch someone's imagination, in oder to make them believe something that was never thought possible.

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This is education is it not? education should stretch one's imagination whether young or old, to learn is to define the aspects of life that remain unsolved, it can help us understand they world in which we live, for example, taking MCC!

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However, can education have a negative affect socially?? For example, if you are educated does this make you better than someone? Or give a sense of supperiority? Someone with a degree is more educated than a person with a vocation such as building and plumbing, but could that educated/degree blessed person build a house?

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So I put to you, does education STRETCH socioeconomical and class boundaries, for the worse?

Week 9 and 10 Question 1

Wenger's communities of practice would relate to prensky's notions of learning through technology would relate in a few ways.

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It relates because of a community of practices need to learn, they are constantly learning and will always as long as there is intent from the in habitants of a certain community, for example, a school with technology learning.

"Learning involves a deepening process of participation in a community of practice"-http://www.infed.org/biblio/communities_of_practice.htm

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An example of a community of practice from the website link above was, "a clique of pupils defining their identity at school." Prensky wants technology to teach, this could be on school grounds or at home or anywhere, but this means that the pupils and techers will have to create communities of practice in order for them to learn. So this is another way in which the two notions relate. Because we are constantly learning and have a need to find new "enterprises" in which to learn from.

Week 8 Questtion 5 and 4

ABRSTRACT 1:

This first article is by Brigitte Vittrup, 2009. And is a part of the, Journal of Children and Media, Volume 3, Issue 1.

This article discusses the mediation that the parents have on their childrens television habbits and how they perceive their interaction with this mediation. It also discusses how different the different socioeconomic backgrounds of the families change their attempts at mediating their childrens viewing of television. The article also finds out that low income or low socioeconomic status families do not mediate as much as high socioeconomic families and that low (SES) parents do not see that non-age suitable television can affect their children. Again the high (SES) see this as a problem.

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ABSTRACT 2:

Journal of Children and Media, Volume 2, Issue 3, Jo Aldridge; Simon Cross.

This article discusses the contradicting influence that government policy and the media have on children of todays "youth" society. Going into depth about how in the UK media there is a great emphasis on the "youths" and "hoodies" of todays children. Also how the government place laws to protect but also control children and goes on to discuss the affects on childrens social interaction with the law and feeling they should be treated as equals. This attempt at freedom from the law inevitable ends up becoming another page 10 article for the sun.

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ABSTRACT 3:

Underpinning the paradoxes in the artistic fields of MySpace: the problematization of values and popularity in convergence culture by Hiesun Cecilia Suhr.

This article disccuess and raises questions about social networking and its affect on musician break through, using myspace as a prime example the article discusses many points such as myspace music being a participatory media with links to the mainstream so it is also creates a convergence culture. The article questions sites like myspace music, for example, are independent artists using participatory media simply to have their work viewed, or are they seeking mainstream media exposure?

This does not directlt link to children but who are the more digitally native musicians? chuildren are.

here is the link to this article: http://nms.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/11/1-2/179?rss=1

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ABSTRACT 4:

The virtual geographies of social networks: a comparative analysis of Facebook, LinkedIn and ASmallWorld by Zizi Papacharissi

This article discusses four main points, "the private/public balance present in each social networking site, styles of self-presentation in spaces privately public and publicly private, cultivation of taste performances as a mode of sociocultural identification and organization and the formation of tight or loose social settings." The article then goes onto discuss how different sites have different restrictions which would appeal to different audiences for example, the more restricted sites such as, LinkedIn and ASmallWorld, would appeal to an older audience, whereas facebook would appeal to a younger audience because of its looser values and spontaneous activity.

Here is the link for this article: http://nms.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/11/1-2/199?rss=1

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ABSTRACT 5:

Growing Up Coporate: News, Citizenship and young people today. By Cynthia Carter

This article discusses how the coporate and consumer world that we live in has changed the way children interact with society, saying,

The culture in which children are invited
to participate is becoming increasingly individual and commercial and less social
and civic. The language spoken is of the market and its demands for profit rather
than of democracy and the political rights and responsibilities of citizens.

The article also goes onto discuss how there is no social responsibilty to deliver news to teenagers aged 13 to 17 but there is newsround on the BBC for 8 to 12 year olds.

Here is the link to this article: http://tvn.sagepub.com/cgi/reprint/10/1/34?rss=1

Week 8 Question 1

A digital immigrant is someone that was born in a generation where there was no such thing as digital technology, for example, digital cameras and mobile phones. These immigrants were used to technology such as analogue television and radio (not DAB).

"as digital immigrants learn — like all immigrants some better than others — to adapt to their environment, they always retain, to some degree, their 'accent', that is, their foot in the past." Marc Prensky in 2001.

This quote puts forward that the immigrant will always remember how things used to be, but also that they, as immigrants, will never be as "digitally smart" as a digital native. A digital native is someone that was born in a generation that is interactive with digital media. This brings to us that even though a digital native is younger than a digital immigrant, the native will have more experience with digital technology! Although, Richard Wood from the times thinks that we have to be accepting of the digital media in order for it to affect our status in the digital hierarchy. "Where is it all leading? Only one thing seems clear: changes propelled by the digital world are just beginning. Indeed, one of the markers between the natives and the immigrants — it’s not simply a question of age — is the intuitive acceptance of rapid digital change." Woods, 2006.


http://www.blogscholar.com/content/view/72/0/ - This was my main reference

http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/article683193.ece

http://reviews.cnet.com/4520-6450_7-5622055-1.html

Week 7: The Future of E-Learning in India by Megha Banduni.

http://www.expresscomputeronline.com/20051114/market03.shtml Blogger does not seem to create this as a hyperlink so you will have to type it in to view the website.

This website discusses the use and development (because it is still a developing nation) of e-learning within India.

Here are a few points i jotted down whilst reading this article:

• Adoption of e-learning has been slow.
• E-learning was worth 6 billion dollars in 2003, by 2005 India would only be receiving 7 to 9 million dollars. So the market for e-learning is small.
• "e-learning permits the delivery of knowledge and information to learners at an accelerated pace, opening up new vistas of knowledge transfer."
• The reason for the slow intake of e-learning is that India's market is not substantial enough.
• E-learning is most successful in the corporate sector because it helps to develop and infuse the employees.
• Cheaper than building Universities.
• Very positive of what e-learning can do for the nation as a whole, however there is a lack of course content and lack of English-language content.
• Does not beat classroom teaching but reaches the masses.
• This article sees the corporate sector as more important for this e-learning boom.
• Maybe this is the way forward, giving people a job and then developing their skills whilst working. This helps educate the masses and also stimulates the economy.
  

Week 7: Education during a Health Emergency – Is eLearning a Solution?

This post is on an article on the internet about elearning within Zambia, Africa. Is it a solution?
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The closure of schools has a negative effect on students that could be taking exams and is unfair to the students that attend schools that have been closed compared to the students that can still attend theirs.

The government should be prepared for out breaks such as cholera or disaster such as floods. So Elearning would seem to be a suitable solution for these disasters. However, in a developing country such as Zambia the financing for a suitable elearning environment would be hard to come across because this means there would have to be the supplement of suitable conditions (new buildings) and half decent technology.

The article states that every rainy season there is an outbreak or a disaster, so i raise the question, WHY HAVE THE GOVERNMENT NOT UTILISED RADIOS OR TELEVISION SETS TO EDUCATE THE STUDENTS??? Prof Thomson Sinkala seems to have the answer (apologizing for my sarcassim) "in such a situation, technology-enhanced learning would come in handy." That is sort of a no brainer. Are these the words of a concerned man? he already has his education.

Brain box Sinkala came up with another amazing quote, ""Pupils would not have to miss their lessons as they would access their teachers’ lessons through either an Internet cafe or from home or any convenient place arranged for that matter". This is a third world or developing country he is talking about. Not everyone has the internet at home or access to an internet cafe! And how is an internet cafe a suitable learning environment for young students!!!

He also goes onto state that if they were taught online by using elearning then they would be able to learn about cholera and how to prevent it, but surely they should of been taught this anyway! Is he blaming the citizens for the cholera outbreaks?

"Homework for submission on return." How are they supposed to do the homework if they have not been taught what it is about, unless elearning is provided.

Downloading would be a great idea, because kids are fascinated by technology so why not abuse this obssession in a good way. Although there is a certain expense that comes which technology such as ipods etc. this expense maybe to high for certain families and not so for others. so why not use the radio which is cheap and present in most homes including the more rural areas of the country.

Ict remains still remains low within Zambian education. this is not good for a developing country when the rest of the developed world has a huge emphasis on technology within their societies.

It was shocking to read by the side of the main article that primary education can be attended by choice. and that 2.8 million attend primary school but then only 136,000 go through to secondary education and then only 2 percent goto university.

Week 7: China: Its Distance Higher Education System

This post is about China's higher education through distance learning. These are a few things that i found from the article by Zhao Yuhui:

http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=60274016268&h=u_f6s&u=pcjWf

• Media is used for distance learning within China.
• It was one of the first countries to use radio and tv for higher education.
• The first TVU (television university) was set up in Beijing.
• 1960-1966 8,000 people graduated from the Beijing TVU.
• 50,000 graduated with single studies through teaching programmes, these students were needed for development in industrial and agricultural industries.
• this however was interrupted by the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976).
• After this revolution, the Socialist Modernization Project was introduced which included the modernization of industry, agriculture, national defence and science and technology, so these TVU's were needed to educate the masses quickly and efficiently.
• At this stage China's primary and secondary education was at a higher level than most developing countries.
• Although enrollment into higher education was limited, in 1975 it was less than 2 percent of the populous.
• This could of been put down to a persons geographical location, in other words, they may be to rural for distance learning to affect their lives.
• In 1978 CRTVU's (Central Radio and Television Universities) were founded, this was due to the fact they needed to teach mass amounts of people rapidly.
• PTVU's (Provincial Radio and Television Universities) were also founded in order to teach the people of more rural areas, Provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions.
• These CRTVU's and PTVU's had specific and more general courses
• 1,291,833 enrolled but only 590,941 graduated.
• In 1981 there was the introduction of the sixth five year plan. "There will be considerable expansion of higher education through radio, television, correspondence and eveing courses. students taking these courses will number 1.5 million by 1985".
• In 1986, these courses began to be trabsmitted by satellite every night at 4.50pm till 11pm.

• There are five levels of distance learning within China:

1. CRTVU highest level, direct leadership of the state education commission
2. PTVU second level ran by the provincial governments
3. Branch schools third level
4. Work stations fourth level - these are to do with industries.
5. Teaching and Learning classes are the last level.

• TVU- multi-media with television, radio and printed materials.
• Use of lecturers as presenters to ensure a high standard of education is given.
• However, face to face is needed for both students and lecturers because presenters/lecturers cannot answer students questions directly or immediately and there is no immediate feed back for the presenters so that they can change their approach or change something on the course.
• The World Bank Project was introduced in order to create 85 study centers, these were for remote areas so that there could be equal resources for rural and more developed parts of the country.
• These courses are very independent and is on the students to do the learning.
• There was a Drop-out rate of 31 percent.
• The courses have to be more flexible and open so that the ones who have graduated can help the economically deprieved areas of the country.
• And vocational education needs to be improved.

These courses are a great way to educate a developing country, especially when the populatin of that counrty is around 1.29 billion, which is around a fifth of the worlds population. However, their needs to be improvemnets in the interactivity of the course because students cannot discuss their views with their peers and lecturers. So will this processs of distance learning ever be as good as conventional universities???

Website Analysis For Week 6

For my website analysis i have chosen to look at http://www.youtube.co.uk/ .

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To analyse this website i will look at the areas; Community, Produsage and Interactivity, Openess, Trust and Technology in Society.

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When you come onto the home page of youtube there is in fact a community tab at the top of the page along with the main tabs for the website. And once clicked on there is a list of why it is a good idea to become part of this online community and one of the reasons is, " This is the place where YouTube Guides can announce new YouTube features, important community concerns and reminders and other information." http://www.youtube.com/community . A website firstly designed for viewing and producing videos has become an online community, that between the dates of October '05 and August '06, had 23.7 million users in the U.S alone! (http://blog.compete.com/2006/10/05/youtube-googlevideo-site-lonelygirl15-traffic-growth-2006/). These users/produsers can communicate to each other by commenting on videos, maybe inviting a response from other youtubians.

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The website obviously has the word 'you' in it, which promotes that the user has to become a produser, a certain responsibility, so that the website can sustain itself. When looking at the area of produsage, it was clear that there is a real sense of interactivity that the produser has with the website. They can create profiles and sign upto the website, i have a youtube account but have not posted any videos, so I am a lurker of youtube culture! But where i fall short others will pick up the slack, showing that youtube has strength within its community.

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Their is a realm of trust surrounding youtube. With the creators trusting their produsers to upload material that is not to offensive, however there are some rude things on the site! This trust has created a structure of heirarchy, with the administrators controlling the produsers and the content that they upload, and the produsers creating or posting the material that is for the lurkers (like me). And this circle of trust has created an open community. However, how can you trust the people that you meet online? they could of lied to you about their identity, in the form of the videos they upload. When face-to-face and not screen-to-screen you can confirm someones identity and can do such things as read their body language when they are in front o you which helps you determine the trust you have for this person! (Week 6 Lecture).

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Youtube has become apart of the overwhelming technology that is in our society. People that are armed with camera phones, digital cameras and handy cams etc. can upload material onto youtube. Up and coming musicians can post videos, or if you think it will be watched or of interest to people. For example, the most viewed video on youtube is "The Evolution of dance" which has had 114, 815, 836! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMH0bHeiRNg&feature=PlayList&p=C9257EC78BA69D64&index=0 . Another example of produsage, i have discovered the video and have produced it for you to use. All working towards the technology that is in our society.

Task 1 Week 5

d) Para 18 Is open news quality news?
e) Para 19 Can open news ever be completely open? Do people take different (possibly unequal) roles in collaboration?
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I have put these two questions together because i feel that the following paragraph answers both!
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After reading paragraph 18, it is possible to see that open news, where anyone can post, is not always good or quality news. This is due to the fact, pointed out in para 18, that the posts on open news websites may not be researched correctly and therefore the 'online journalist' is giving the reader an incorrect opinion on the news. As stated in para 18 the open news websites have become more mediated. But I think that if it becomes more mediated then it is not open news. It is becoming more like the corporate news structures such as the BBC.

Task 1 Week 5

c) Paras 14-15 Are those who want to make DIY news online, best thought of as part of an alternative culture (that also exists offline) or is it more diverse than that? Think of examples beyond Indymedia
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When reading this I was struck by the quote, "I belong to the blank generation". I take this as Meikle takes it. I feel that the "blank generation" is ever expanding due to the internet and the different forms of new media. The blank generation means that you can create your own self and your own culture/sub-culture. So this is an alternative culture, of open minded thinkers, creating and accepting different types of opinion. But as i said in the previous blog it is opinions building opinions. Stated earlier the "blank generation" is expanding, but expanding into what? It has the possibilty, because of new media, to expand not to another generation but to a level where a 'blank' world is created.

Task 1 Week 5

b) Para 9 Are there ‘new kinds of journalist’ online? If so, how so?
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I feel that there are new kinds of journalists online, in the sense that, it is the journalists from the well known papers such as the independent, the guardian and the times. These, more trusted, journalists have had to change the way they construct their news because it will not only be on the material of paper but also on the world wide web. This new media effect has changed the journalists themselves. I also believe that someone cannot be a journalist without a qualification, such as a degree. Because with an educated view on current events it is possible to see past the obvious (sometimes mirage) and into the real. It is all well and good for people to be expressing news online but, because they do not have to stick to the restraints of an editor or controller, they are giving a more opinionated view on the news they are discussing. I am doing it now on this very blog, giving my own opinion on another person opinion (that is not news).

Task 1 Week 5

a) para. 7-9 What do you think constitutes ‘news’ on the Web?
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Looking at these two paragraphs, it is possible to see that Meikle is talking about the evolution of news, as an internet based medium. This evolution is taking place because of the relationship between the users and creators of the news. The users would look to the more mainstream discourses of the BBC, Channel Four and Sky news. These news creators only distribute the storys that they feel will shock the user or fit in with their stations personal discourse, in other words their style of news telling can be very mediated. Whereas, on the internet their is an abundance of sources for news, giving the user a wider range of discourses, to find these different sources the users must become reserchers, "audience members are transformed into reserachers."(paragraph 8). The evolution of the user, in becoming researchers. Also the user can create their own news/discourses, through the internet. They can do this by setting up websites or even a blogg such as this, becoming produsers. So the news has become a wider medium due to the internet, with more opnions on current events, does this mean that the news has become a well rounded medium? and has more opportunity for the producer to offer more to the user.

Taks 3 Week 4

a) How do filesharing, online downloading and the ‘networking’ of new material change the way music is consumed?
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The ability to consume music through the internet changes the way we consume this medium. It changes the social interaction that music can create, for example, when going to a record store there is the interaction with the sales assistant who may have an opinion on the music that you are buying, this interaction, whether good or bad, can give you an idea of the sub-culture that you are in. But when file sharing it is possible to chat to the person sharing the file so there is still that sense of communication through music.

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b) How and why could any band ‘make it’ through social networking/content sharing sites?
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A band or musician can 'make it' through social networking sites because of the user interaction with the band, if the band make their music accessible to the masses, on websites such myspace music, then it is possible for them to be discovered. If their music is on the internet then its is accessible for the whole world (or anyone with an internet connection) to hear them, compared to a band that hands out demos in their home town. It is also possible to tell their fans when their gigs are so that people from anywhere can go and see them.
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c) Has/will this change popular music?
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There will always be more popular musicians/bands than others, so in this sense popular music wont change, but the way the music is distributed will change there will indefinitely a move to mp3's being the main form that music is listened to, just as the cd took over form the vinyl, this is what the mp3 will do to the cd. so this means that anyone wanting to distribute music can do this through the internet.

Taks 1 Week 4

b) p. 177 Does the Net provide a ‘public sphere’ where citizens can engage with each other? If so, how, and are there any limitations?
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Yes the Net does provide a 'public sphere' where citizens can engage with each other. Lister et al. show how the news/press has created a public sphere for people to discuss. For example, "Newsgroups, bulletin boards and email groups all have the facilitation of group communications" Lister et al. There used to be limitations within public sphere communications as Lister et al, discuss the work of Shultz, and how there are limitations within this sphere of the public. The limitation comes in the form of the reader (of the newspaper) and the journalist, and how the journalist had little communication in the forums with the reader. This lack of communication left the reader feeling, "no more represented than in pre-online publication." This leads to limitations with the reader feeling disconnected from the journalist.

Taks 1 Week 4

a) p. 174 What do you think of the notion that online community can be empowering/disempowering?
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I feel that it can be both, because of the different risks and rewards available to the user. It can be empowering in the sense that people that may struggle to communicate with people in a real social situation can become a completely different person (gender, sex, race). This notion of being able to create another 'self' is very empowering! This different self or selves is then free to join online communities that fit that certain self, and there is the possibility of acceptance, which this person may not have in the 'real' world. However, this could back fire and this person could become even more alienated from both 'real' and 'virtual' communities which would be dis empowering. This therefore raises the question, Is virtual belonging good enough? Again this question poses a dilemma, because theorists can say that virtual belonging is only text based ideologies, in other words not real, but these perceptions could be different to the real social effects that these online communities can have for the user. For example, "At the level of emotional affect, there are material consequences for online communication" (Lister et al.). If the user has an emotional connection with the online community then does this not make it real? Therefore empowering.

Reading For Week 3

Identity:
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Taking from the reading it is possible to see that identity in the realm of new media is constantly changing, this is due to the advancements in technology, for example, MUD's, Chat rooms, Virtual worlds (Lamdamoo). These facilitate the user with the tools to create new personalities that sometimes would not be allowed or frowned upon in 'normal social reality'. This cyber-world of never-ending possibility is amazing but can create 'real' social problems eg 'Julie Graham'. So this raises the question, does the internet need more control? if so who by? as it is seen in the case of Lamdamoo, they had to create their own rules and regulations due to a certain incident. So in sense they had become a self-governing body of cyber-identities.

Task 1 Week 3

d) p. 168 Do cyber-identities constitute an alternative to ‘normal social reality’?
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They can constitute an alternative to a normal social reality by offering the user tools of experimentation. Having a cyber-identity also allows the user to reconstruct their identity, for example, the case study of the online cross dresser, Sanford Lewin, who was male therapist in 'normal social reality' and he created a cyber-identity pretending to be a female therapist called Julie graham he did this for two years. However, after reading on, it shows how the cyber-identity is still not completely seperate for the 'real' world because the female patients he treated were affected emotionally in normal social reality by the cyber-identity of Sanford Lewin.

Task 1 Week 3

b) p. 166 Do you think that assuming an online persona (via screen name/handle/avatar etc) encourages people to play with the identity they present online and take risks in the ways they express themselves?
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Yes i think people do take risks in the way they express themselves whilst on the net, for example, Lister et al state, "We can experiment with other parts of ourselves, take risks or express aspects of self that we find impossible to live out in our day-to-day 'meatspace'." It is the ability of not being witnessed face to face expressing your views that makes the user more inclined to be more radical with their views.
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c) p. 167 What do you think of postmodern views which stress the fluidity of online selves and their apparent disembodied status, which has been argued frees people from being represented through signs of their race, gender, class etc?
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This apparent disembodied status whilst being on the net offers the user a whole world of opportunity, of self discovery. In my opinion this is a good thing, for example, it could allow someone to express a different gender/sexuality, as an example, through an avatar. It allows, persona play and experimentation. Lister te al, state, "interaction with no physical codes to locate gender, race or class is the basis for arguing that the internet facilitates the development of different experiences of identity and different experiences of group belonging." So here shows one way the inernet allows change, it is because you have no physical interaction with someone so they will never know the other selfs of your identity whilst displaying one self on the net.

Task 1 Week 3

a) p. 164 In what ways can the Net be thought of as an ‘open architecture?’
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The net can be seen as an open architecture because it allows the users to network on an unprecidented scale, with millions of computers connected to one another sharing and accessing information almost instantly. One way it can be seen as an open architecture is how it is different to other forms of media, for example, tv, film, newspapers, which all three are closed forms of mass media which have a place of creation (e.g studios, warehouses) and a place on consumption (newpaper stand, the home or cinema) there is no communication with the producer outside of these areas, whereas on the net it is possible to contact the producer through products of the net, such as, e-mail, forums and bloggs.

Taks 1 Week 2

d) p.12 Is there a clean break between analogue and digital media (cf. Bolter and Grusin’s concept of ‘remediation’)? Can you identify any commonalities? For example, is email based on the language of ‘letters’ and ‘the postal service’ because we have tried to fashion its communication functions in terms we are already familiar with?

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Analogue media is different to Digital media in the sense that analogue is distributed to the masses, no real involvement in the process that media takes to be delivered to the user, it is just there at your disposal. Whereas digital media creates a sense of involvement or interactivity. It can, as Lister et al. state, offer, "New textual experiences [which include] new kinds of genre, textual form, entertainment, pleasure and patterns of media consumption". In conjunction with the satement is e-mail like nthe postal service? It is clear to see that there are some commonalities between the two, some of these are that they are the written word just produced in different formats and that the receiver of the letter or e-mail can consume the information anytime they want once they have received it. However, there are differences, mainly due to the technology within the e-mail. E-mails are received almost instantly, they can contain information linked to the world wide web (available at the click of a button).

Task 1 Week 2

f) p. 21 What do you make of Lunenfield’s concept of ‘immersive interactivity’? What could we apply it to?

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Looking Lunenfield's concept of 'immersive interactivity', it is possible to see that new media has created realms of existence for its user, as Lunenfield looks at the 3D game tomb raider. This ability to control a character in a 3D world makes the user feel as if the are actually experiencing the spacial and visual effects created by this new media, immersing the user in the games surroundings and making them feel as if the they are interacting with the virtual world. This aspect of creating immersed interactivity for the user within games can also be taken into consideration for the game, 'World of Warcraft', this online game takes immersed interactivity within 3D games to another level. It does this by again allowing the user to interact with the virtual 3D world, but also because it is an online game with millions of users, you have the ability to talk and interact with others experiencing the immersed interactivity of the virtual 3D world.

Task 1 Week 2

c) p.11 Are new media a source of ‘progress’ in the sense that they enhance things we do in spheres of social activity – business, education, shopping, democracy etc? Could we say that such a proposition involves an ‘ideology of progress’?

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New Media is a realm of possibility. Where nearly anything is possible, for example, looking at ebay, there is not only the possibilty of shopping online and getting its delivered to your doorstep but there are people who make a living buying and selling on the website, people have created ebay stores becoming entrepreneurs, place of commerce, so within one website there is consumption and distribution. All possible because of the New Media.

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New media has also helped the evolution of education, Learn Direct is an organisation that provides you with courses to help educate and further your skills. You learn from home either by getting the materials sent to your door or you can do the courses over the internet. So with new media there is the ability to progress with in education.

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New media does produce an 'ideology of progress' by creating these realms of availability for the consumer, whether it be the possibilty to further your educational skills, or whether it be changing your consumption habbits by buying off the internet and even becoming a business through the internet (a realm of new media).

Task 1 Week 2

a) p. 2 With Windows Vista replacing XP and Office 2007 replacing Office 2003, (and so on), what is ‘upgrade culture’ all about? Is some new media change just consumerism thought up by big business?

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'Upgrade Culture' is a word that is used to summarise the ever changing technological realm of new media. This process of change can be said to of started in the mid 1980's when there was the emergence of early "image manipulation software". In terms of big businesses using new media to create more consumption of their products, there are two ways of looking at it; 1, is that the ability to create better technology, such as, vista compared to XP and Office 2007 to 2003, has taken time because the ability to create this technology simply wasnt there. 2, synics can look upon this and say that the big businesses already have new and better technology to distribute but what is the point of them releasing the very best when they can earn more money by releasing it slowly.

Task 2 Week 1

I have chosen to focus on the Joseph Gobbels speech as my task for this week.

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A) Gobbels states, "The old regime was content simply to fill empty offices or change the faces, without however changing the spirit and content of public life. We on the other hand intend a principled transformation in the worldview of our entire society, a revolution of the greatest possible extent that will leave nothing out, changing the life of our nation in every regard." showing that in their political agenda they were not just concerned with changing peoples lives within work and the home but by changing their social experience of living under the Nazi regime, using the radio as "Volksempfänger" which is German for the 'people's receiver'.

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B) Gobbels' views would have been seen as normal, because we in society today are always being astounded by the 'new media' that is given to our society, whether it be, ipod, iphone, HD tv, DAB radio. He was certain that radio in the 20th Century would be the printing press of the 19th Century. For example, "The radio will be for the twentieth century what the press was for the nineteenth century. With the appropriate change, one can apply Napoleon's phrase to our age, speaking of the radio as the eighth great power."

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C)The Internet has allowed social change, in the sense of interacting with others. We can have our shopping delivered to our door step, talk to our friends through e-mail and social networking sites such as facebook and work from home. So the internet has given us the ability to live our lives without leaving our houses. This was seen as a utopian state but now can be seen as a moral panic.

Reading For Week 1

Interactivity is a key word within new media. It has a cultural significance in th form of mass consumption, "Being interactive means that we are no longer the passive consumers of identical ranges of mass-produced goods, whteher intellectual or material." (Lister et al). This ability to break away from the mass produced ideological products of todays society allows differnt classes to access the lives and means of different class structures.

Reading For Week 1

'New media' has broken away from the the 'old media' and into our everyday lives, it has "captured our imaginations" and because it has become such a phenomenon, "it shows little sign of becoming redundant".

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From page 10 of New Media: A critical introduction, Lister et al suggest that 'new media' is unsettled and is in a state of constant change compared to 'the media' which is far more controlled and in a settled state of equillibrium. New media has had such a cultural and economic effect on the society that we live in today with it changing constantly, key terms such as globilisation, modernity and post-modernity are used to explain how new media has effected the economic structure and how society has changed in order to adapt to this shift. New media has also created a 'post-industrial' age (Catells, 2000), where in western socities the main commerce is now to produce "goods to service and information industries", (Castells, 2000). The post-industrial society has created jobs that require better skills and better education to cope with the shift in employment. This is because the industrial age has been passed onto eastern socities where production of goods is cheaper so that the post industrial business can invest more and gain more profit.

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Strating My Blog

This is my first blogg that i have ever had, so the idea of blogging is still ne wto me. But with the help in the workshop form Dave it has been easy to start the process of blogging.
I know that from the lectures and seminars i have to be blogging at least three times a week posting my ideas and thoughts about the reading material, 'New Media: A Critical Introduction', my first post about this will follow on from this post.
Dave went over certain principles of blogging with me and the group. One principle was the idea of using 'Rincy' on colleagues work to show that you have read it but have no comment to give at this time. We also learnt that bloggs sometimes struggle to seperate parargraphs so for this we should use five XXXXX's to break up our work.
With this stated I feel that I am equiped to tackle the aspect of blogging.

first time for everything

Hi everyone, this is my first blog, i dont know what i am doing yet!

label is 'first blog'

this is fun...fun times...

Love
Ali