Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Content creators and users of the future!!
Web 2.0 has opened many windows for everyday citizens to not only view content but create it. A term used to describe people actively using and producing content is ‘Produsage’ coined by the famous Axel Bruns.
With the combination of web 2.0 and the various programs and shareware available to its users, Produsage and collaboration is just a fingertip away. Bruns (2007, 1) describes the technological shift of collaboration from “…static to dynamic content, from hierarchically managed to collaboratively and continuously developed material, and from user-as-consumer to user-as-contributor.” With the establishment of programs such as Flickr, YouTube, Myspace, wikis and many more, people have been given the ability to create their own news and information.
Zetter (2007) states that “Much has been made of the new wave of citizen journalists and their ability to capture on camera phones dramatic events like the massacre at Virginia Tech long before mainstream media arrive at a scene.” Technology today has given people the ability to record moments and incidents that would not normally be captured. News and information provided by online new services, television and radio seem to only provide what is deemed necessary by its journalists. More often than not our news is gatekept and important facts and issues are omitted. However with the flick of a wrist an everyday person can record an important event taking place on a mobile and stream it to websites such as YouTube for all to view.
"...News bloggers and citizen journalists have shown persistence and determination both in uncovering political and other scandals, and in highlighting the shortcomings of professional journalism as it investigated and reports on such scandals" (Bruns 2007, 1).
Produsers not only create news but collaborate with many other people on different information sources such Wikis. A wiki’s content is controlled by its producers. They decide on the nature of the content, changes to be made, updates, etc. There is no higher power or authority figure involved. It seems everyone gets an equal say in content and can change what others have written. Wiki’s are “…based on the collaborative engagement of (ideally large) communities of participants in a shared project” (Bruns 2007, 3).
Web 2.0 and collaborative programs have driven Produsage which would not have been possible if not for Generation C. This new generation of users have the skills, abilities, interest and enthusiasm to use the technologies available which has facilitated in the success of Produsage (Bruns 2007, 1).
References:
Bruns, A. 2007. News Blogs and Citizen Journalism: New Directions for e-Journalism. http://snurb.info/files/News%20 Blogs%20and%20Citizen%20Journalism.pdf (Accessed April 23, 2008).
Bruns. A. 2007. The Future is User-Led: The path towards Widespread Produsage. http://snurb.info/files/ The%20Future%20Is%20User-Led%20(PerthDAC%202007).pdf (Accessed April 23, 2008).
Zetter, K. 2007. Kent State Recording -- Citizen Journalism Before YouTube. http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/
2007/05/kent_state_reco.html (Accessed April 23, 2008).
Friday, April 18, 2008
Is The Establishment of P2P Programs Killing the Music Business?
Today’s music industry is extremely competitive. Many fear that the introduction of digital music and piracy are killing the industry (Jobs, 2007). I don't believe this to be entirely true. There are many positive outcomes as a result of music piracy and peer to peer programs.
Peer to peer (P2P) programs such as Kazaa and Bearshare have become a growing concern for music companies as these technologies enable people to copy and distribute music easily without permission from record companies, producers, etc. There is much emphasis put on the digitization of music that many forget that there are other forms of piracy going on where performers sing copyrighted songs without permission whilst profiting from the performance.
There have been many concerns about the fast growth of technology and that it may be ruining the music business on a financial scale. However financial statistics show that the music business is booming. Record sales may have decreased however they are being replaced by online purchase of digital music. “To this day, the record companies continue to collect royalties from consumers who purchase the album, perform the song, or quote its lyrics” (Abramson 2005, 2). The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (2007) states that there has been “a significant shift in consumer preference towards obtaining singles in digital formats…and although the value of the wholesale market for physical products declined during the year, that decline was significantly offset by the growing digital market.” The music industry is also gaining from the profitable and increasingly popular mobile phone market.
These P2P programs don't damage the music industry and don't decrease sales. In many cases they leads to legal purchases of music and music products from both in-store and over the internet (for example Bigpond and iTunes online). Many people choose to download music rather than through purchasing in-store. Online purchases are made mainly because of availability, convenience and price. P2P (peer to peer) music exchange is the preferred option of the customer as music is simply a click away (Piracy, 2007). Free and flexible music sharing within “fair use” guidelines is essential to a healthy music culture. “If we were to have to deal with the music oligarchs directly, the experience would be so toxic that 100 percent of the world would turn into Kazaa downloaders in 30 days” (Doctorow 2005). Napster, a program which allowed users to download music illegally, actually improved album sales. Instead of only pirating music, many people felt motivated to go and legally purchase the album (Abramson 2005, 29).
One major issue consumer’s face is the Digital Rights Management system. A large proportion of the recording industry has not been happy with the usage limits imposed on users and wish to diminish the flexibility with which individuals can use digital music (Baruh 2006, 67). However I believe that tightening the Digital Rights Management is certainly not a suitable solution to piracy. If music sharing becomes too difficult, consumers will be forced onto illegal channels where there are no restrictions on music downloads.
P2P programs such as Kazaa, Bearshare and Limewire are certainly not a major cause for concern in the music industry. The sale of music is still on the rise in digital form despite the decrease in single sales. Downloading music on the internet has also led to the legal purchase of albums both in store and online. I believe these programs are essential for a healthy music culture and the music business.
References:
Abramson, Bruce. 2005. The Computer Ate My Industry in Abramson, Bruce, Digital pheonix, Massachusetts: MIT Press, pp.203-240.
Baruh, L. 2006. Music of my own?: the transformation from usage rights to usage privileges in digital media. In Digital media : transformations in human communication, ed. P. Messaris and L. Humphreys, 67-78. New York: Peter Lang Press.
Doctorow, C. 2005. Sony's EULA (End-User License Agreement)is worse than their rootkit. Boing Boing: 1 page. http://www.boingboing.net/2005/11/09/sonys_eula_is_worse_.
html (accessed 18 April, 2008).
Jobs, S. 2007. Thoughts on music. http://www.apple.com/hotnews/
thoughtsonmusic/ (accessed 18 April 2008).
Piracy, KCB102. 2007. Queensland University of Technology, Online Learning and Teaching Web site: http://ltfiledown.qut.edu.au/
download.asp?rNum=3684969&pNum=4138&fac=CI&OLT
WebSiteID=KCB102&dir=sec&CFID=32063&CFTOKEN=
53200348 (accessed 18 April 2008).
The International Federation of the Phongraphic Industry. 2007. What is piracy? http://www.ifpi.org/content/section_views/
what_is_piracy.html (accessed 18 April 2008).
Peer to peer (P2P) programs such as Kazaa and Bearshare have become a growing concern for music companies as these technologies enable people to copy and distribute music easily without permission from record companies, producers, etc. There is much emphasis put on the digitization of music that many forget that there are other forms of piracy going on where performers sing copyrighted songs without permission whilst profiting from the performance.
There have been many concerns about the fast growth of technology and that it may be ruining the music business on a financial scale. However financial statistics show that the music business is booming. Record sales may have decreased however they are being replaced by online purchase of digital music. “To this day, the record companies continue to collect royalties from consumers who purchase the album, perform the song, or quote its lyrics” (Abramson 2005, 2). The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (2007) states that there has been “a significant shift in consumer preference towards obtaining singles in digital formats…and although the value of the wholesale market for physical products declined during the year, that decline was significantly offset by the growing digital market.” The music industry is also gaining from the profitable and increasingly popular mobile phone market.
These P2P programs don't damage the music industry and don't decrease sales. In many cases they leads to legal purchases of music and music products from both in-store and over the internet (for example Bigpond and iTunes online). Many people choose to download music rather than through purchasing in-store. Online purchases are made mainly because of availability, convenience and price. P2P (peer to peer) music exchange is the preferred option of the customer as music is simply a click away (Piracy, 2007). Free and flexible music sharing within “fair use” guidelines is essential to a healthy music culture. “If we were to have to deal with the music oligarchs directly, the experience would be so toxic that 100 percent of the world would turn into Kazaa downloaders in 30 days” (Doctorow 2005). Napster, a program which allowed users to download music illegally, actually improved album sales. Instead of only pirating music, many people felt motivated to go and legally purchase the album (Abramson 2005, 29).
One major issue consumer’s face is the Digital Rights Management system. A large proportion of the recording industry has not been happy with the usage limits imposed on users and wish to diminish the flexibility with which individuals can use digital music (Baruh 2006, 67). However I believe that tightening the Digital Rights Management is certainly not a suitable solution to piracy. If music sharing becomes too difficult, consumers will be forced onto illegal channels where there are no restrictions on music downloads.
P2P programs such as Kazaa, Bearshare and Limewire are certainly not a major cause for concern in the music industry. The sale of music is still on the rise in digital form despite the decrease in single sales. Downloading music on the internet has also led to the legal purchase of albums both in store and online. I believe these programs are essential for a healthy music culture and the music business.
References:
Abramson, Bruce. 2005. The Computer Ate My Industry in Abramson, Bruce, Digital pheonix, Massachusetts: MIT Press, pp.203-240.
Baruh, L. 2006. Music of my own?: the transformation from usage rights to usage privileges in digital media. In Digital media : transformations in human communication, ed. P. Messaris and L. Humphreys, 67-78. New York: Peter Lang Press.
Doctorow, C. 2005. Sony's EULA (End-User License Agreement)is worse than their rootkit. Boing Boing: 1 page. http://www.boingboing.net/2005/11/09/sonys_eula_is_worse_.
html (accessed 18 April, 2008).
Jobs, S. 2007. Thoughts on music. http://www.apple.com/hotnews/
thoughtsonmusic/ (accessed 18 April 2008).
Piracy, KCB102. 2007. Queensland University of Technology, Online Learning and Teaching Web site: http://ltfiledown.qut.edu.au/
download.asp?rNum=3684969&pNum=4138&fac=CI&OLT
WebSiteID=KCB102&dir=sec&CFID=32063&CFTOKEN=
53200348 (accessed 18 April 2008).
The International Federation of the Phongraphic Industry. 2007. What is piracy? http://www.ifpi.org/content/section_views/
what_is_piracy.html (accessed 18 April 2008).
Thursday, April 17, 2008
The Wonderful Wiki
Wikis are an extremely useful tool with high potential and are constantly being viewed and updated by many users around the world. A wiki as described by Leuf in 'The Wiki Way' "...is a freely expandable collection of interlinked Web 'pages', a hypertext system for storing and modifying information - a database where each page is easily editable by any user with a forms-capable Web browser client" (Cunningham and Leuf, 2001). As wikis allow its users to freely create and update information one has to question how reliable this information actually is and who monitors what is being added and deleted?
A wikis success all depends on "...whether there's an active, diverse, and sufficiently intelligent community of users" (Bruns, 2008). At a glance there are three main issues that coincide with wikis: wrong information, vandalism and marketing entries.
In many universities, students are not allowed to use wikis as part of their research as the articles on the site are not of a scholarly nature. Although this is true there is good information out there of sites such as Wikipedia. Daniel Nations (2008) is a program specialist who believes wikis “…can be a great form of quick reference, but before you rely too much on an entry, it can be a good idea to verify the information.” Many contributors can post information both unintentionally and intentionally and one must be careful with the use of the information provided by wikis.
The wiki is inherently democratic and allows web collaboration without accounts or passwords. This all seems too easy however editing wikis in this fashion causes your IP address to be recorded publicly in the edit history. Creating an account conceals this information. This has created a way to stop vandalism on wiki web pages. "Anyone can play... Only good players have the desire to keep playing" (C2, 2003).
Wikis can also be used for displaying information on not only historical facts and figures but is also used as a marketing strategy for some artists/celebrities. Entries on stars or politics seem to be very biased and omit particular information. This is an issue when trying to gather as much information as you can, both good and bad.
Many of these issues deter people from using wikis as a source of information however that fact that anyone can change or shape an entry is the very thing which makes a wiki a wiki. Reliable information is an issue however even experts can be wrong. I don’t think we embrace wiki’s or use them to their fullest potential; instead we tend to focus on the negatives which I believe is a shame. Collective knowledge is definitely better than the opinion of one or two professionals.
References:
Bruns, A. 2008. Wonderful wikis?. http://snurb.info/node/797 (Accessed April 17, 2008).
C2. 2003. Why Wikis Work. http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?WhyWikiWorks (Accessed April 17, 2008). Cunningham, W. and B. leuf. 2001. The Wiki Way: quick collaboration on the web. Boston: Addison – Wesley
Nations, D. 2008. The Downside of Wikis. http://webtrends.about.com/od/wiki/a/wiki_downside.htm (Accessed April 17, 2008).
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Online Communities - Do we share too much?
Whether I'm trying to start an assignment, complete one or research for it, my mind always seems to be distracted and I find myself checking Facebook for the latest gossip, photos and upcoming events. It seems to have become a very habitual thing in my life, an addiction if you like. When Facebook first came out I was very hesitant to become a member as I tended to use the Internet as a form of procrastination and this would just exacerbate the situation. However despite my concerns I ended up joining the social networking website - if you can't beat them, join them. Although it has become a form of procrastination to some extent, it also allows me to interact and connect with people I wouldn't normally speak to on a daily or weekly basis.
Along with Facebook’s (and many other communities) ability to connect you with others, one has to question in online communities...do we share too much? Photos and personal details can be accessed by anyone from prospective employers to stalkers and there has been expressed concern about the potential abuses of social networking technology - abuse by participants and the media.
One particular story in the news which deals with the media’s abuse of Facebook is the recent publicity on Australian swimmer 'extraordinaire' Stephanie Rice. Her Facebook page was a hot topic of conversation as the content she had created and posted (pictures of herself in costume) was deemed inappropriate for a representative of Australian Swimming. The Daily Telegraph stated that "HAPPY snaps of Stephanie Rice partying have been deemed too raunchy for Swimming Australia, with all of the swimmers ordered to block public access to their Facebook pages" (Saurine 2008). A few harmless photographs shared with friends, family and the public were turned into a commotion overnight.
Privacy is a major issue online that many users face. The storage and use of the information is also a cause for concern. According to Vallance (2008), once users deactivate their account on Facebook the information still remains accessible on Facebook’s computer. The content is still available until the user goes onto his/her page, logs in and deletes all profile content. This is quite useful if you were to reactivate your account but why would you want to if you were going to delete it in the first place? Not many people are aware of this process of deletion and who can really be bothered? If you think about all the information that is posted hourly/daily/weekly etc there is too much to delete. Information on other people’s profiles still remains there even after you delete your profile and who wants to go through all their ‘friends’ pages and delete it?
The case of the controversial Beacon advertising program also seemed to be a heated discussion in 2007 where the broadcast of users’ online purchases was available to friends in their networks (Greenberg 2007).
There are many privacy issues that are yet to be resolved. Users of the Facebook networking site (and many other online sites) must ensure they take into consideration what they are allowing others access to. Information is power and can be very dangerous in the wrong hands. I believe that many users assume that posting personal details and content online is a harmless activity. I am of the opinion that many are too nonchalant and that we do post too much personal information online.
References:
Greenberg, A. 2007. Facebook’s Overblown Privacy Problems. http://www.forbes.com/technology/2007/12/05/facebook-beacon-opt-tech-internet-cx_ag_1205techfacebook.html (Accessed April 12, 2008).
Saurine, A. 2008. Stephanie Rice's Facebook pictures censored. http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,23468911-5001021,00.html (Accessed April 12, 2008).
Vallance, C. 2008. Facebook faces privacy questions. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7196803.stm (Accessed April 12, 2008).
Along with Facebook’s (and many other communities) ability to connect you with others, one has to question in online communities...do we share too much? Photos and personal details can be accessed by anyone from prospective employers to stalkers and there has been expressed concern about the potential abuses of social networking technology - abuse by participants and the media.
One particular story in the news which deals with the media’s abuse of Facebook is the recent publicity on Australian swimmer 'extraordinaire' Stephanie Rice. Her Facebook page was a hot topic of conversation as the content she had created and posted (pictures of herself in costume) was deemed inappropriate for a representative of Australian Swimming. The Daily Telegraph stated that "HAPPY snaps of Stephanie Rice partying have been deemed too raunchy for Swimming Australia, with all of the swimmers ordered to block public access to their Facebook pages" (Saurine 2008). A few harmless photographs shared with friends, family and the public were turned into a commotion overnight.
Privacy is a major issue online that many users face. The storage and use of the information is also a cause for concern. According to Vallance (2008), once users deactivate their account on Facebook the information still remains accessible on Facebook’s computer. The content is still available until the user goes onto his/her page, logs in and deletes all profile content. This is quite useful if you were to reactivate your account but why would you want to if you were going to delete it in the first place? Not many people are aware of this process of deletion and who can really be bothered? If you think about all the information that is posted hourly/daily/weekly etc there is too much to delete. Information on other people’s profiles still remains there even after you delete your profile and who wants to go through all their ‘friends’ pages and delete it?
The case of the controversial Beacon advertising program also seemed to be a heated discussion in 2007 where the broadcast of users’ online purchases was available to friends in their networks (Greenberg 2007).
There are many privacy issues that are yet to be resolved. Users of the Facebook networking site (and many other online sites) must ensure they take into consideration what they are allowing others access to. Information is power and can be very dangerous in the wrong hands. I believe that many users assume that posting personal details and content online is a harmless activity. I am of the opinion that many are too nonchalant and that we do post too much personal information online.
References:
Greenberg, A. 2007. Facebook’s Overblown Privacy Problems. http://www.forbes.com/technology/2007/12/05/facebook-beacon-opt-tech-internet-cx_ag_1205techfacebook.html (Accessed April 12, 2008).
Saurine, A. 2008. Stephanie Rice's Facebook pictures censored. http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,23468911-5001021,00.html (Accessed April 12, 2008).
Vallance, C. 2008. Facebook faces privacy questions. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7196803.stm (Accessed April 12, 2008).
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Technocultures
Technoculture: The interactions between, and politics of, technology and culture.
Still to be finished.
Still to be finished.
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