TechnoTalk315

Time doesn’t even fly, it teleports. : (

Reaching this final post was something that once seemed so far away. Rather than analysing or discussing what was taught, this reflective post will be dedicated to recapture what I’ve gained from MCC 315.

Thirteen weeks of lectures and tutorials taught me a great deal.

From the first week, I’ve become increasingly observant to my surroundings that involve new media technologies. This happens more so when I’m using them such as the WWW. In the past, I would totally overlook my reliance or how I deal with new media and IT. Sure, there were nerve-racking times when I experienced writer’s block and was completely clueless on what to write but it was also delightfully enjoyable reading what others shared on their blogs. Plus, I’ve learnt to relate everyday interactions to concepts or theories such as heads-down computing, mobile privatisation, caller hegemony and so forth.

Keeping this short and simple, I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Dr B, Kai-Ti and the rest of the class for the knowledge shared. It’s been a great pleasure.

(Courtesy of Jim Weaver)

This isn’t a parting note, it’s only the beginning to discovering more. : )

Pop culture devotee Kamaruddin made a very solid point on how the net leeches content off the telly. Think of YouTube videos comprising of MTV videos or Family Guy series that received gazilions views. Example number two? Radio programs are disseminated over dot-coms. It’s quite enjoyable observing how new media vs. old media competing for audience attention, really.

A case in point, the net progressively becomes a threat with its burgeoning reality shows that are broadcast solely on websites like Malaysian Dreamgirl or Nuffnang’s Project Alpha via YouTube. Not that the number of watchers I know are significantly worth mentioning… Even when the Internet is said to have a global reach, surpassing the conventional goggle box. A check on the net-based shows’ audience activity also showed minimal hype on MDG’s Facebook and MySpace pages. This shows that the capacity of Internet taking over television can only be so limited.

Contradictorily though, Internet has become an avenue which old media feel so compelled to harbour their domains. I wouldn’t argue if it’s a sign of insecurity or a bandwagon jump but reiterate that it’s more of convergence. “Serving users better”, as Kamaruddin puts it.

Seeing how we are constantly progressing (although debatable) within a process, I wonder when or where will the endpoint be?

Take games for example. From simple outdoor games back in ancient times as leisure activities, society has experienced evolutions on the concept of games. Indoor games can be taken as humans’ adaptation of avoiding bad weather that prevents them from having fun. Electricity came along and the focus was less on inventing physical and conventional form of games. Attention has been diverted towards a digital platform.

It’s quite confining especially in terms of our dependency on electric power. Generally, players are increasingly shaped to be fixed on a spot when gaming in contrast to primitive times. e.g. Playing Guitar Hero on your Xbox 360 at the comfort of your home in contrast to reaching for your tennis racquet, searching for a court, and running around while you try to beat your opponent.

Such games include Brick Games (ala Tetris but played on something similar to Nintendo’s Game Boy, Atari, Tamagotchi, Nintendo DS, Sony PSP, Wii and the rest followed suit.

*Momentarily pauses* Whoa. Way word overload. My original intention was to actually discuss what Web 3.0 could possibly be. :S

O’Reilly who established the Web 2.0 as a transitory shift we are currently at has at least seven main principles distinguishing it from its former.

My take is that this new baby is going to take things to even a less physical level. As absurd as this may sound, that translates to Web 3.0 reading our minds. Well, not exactly mind-reading but it is going to be so much more intuitive.

• Similar to agents

- “Web 3.0 browser will act like a personal assistant”

- “3D interface”

• Semantic web

- “Where machines can read Web pages much as we humans read them”

- “Linked data”

Not to be pessimistic but expectably, let’s brace ourselves for more tangled issues of copyright issues, data smog, information glut, ad infinitum. *sighs*

Dragonica, EverQuest, Ragnarok Online and WoW are examples of massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs). Among the main factors that people indulge in MMORPG is the escapism it offers.

So, you can be a feared magician or a skilled archer in Ragnarok. Cast a spell and enchant. Tell others you’ve died a hundred times. Pawn an entire army of enemies with your guild leadership skills. And many other crazy things you’d only dream of doing in reality ;p

But besides the things that gamers are expected to do, it’s interesting to note the ‘human’ aspect of the game. For instance, the game’s matter of sustenance, that one requires money to barter goods just like real life - more gold in WoW! Or the teamwork demonstrated when defeating enemies as one. What I find more intriguing though, is how real life or social interaction can be messed up by these but at the same time, deeply integrated into these communal games.

The former part refers to e.g. those who suffer social inadequacy upon endless hours glued to the gaming console but my focus is on the latter. Players tend to behave the way they do in reality. An example? Your tendency to co-operate with other gamers virtually reflects how well you’ll fit in a team within working environment.

There’s also this discussion on MMORPG weddings revealing how daily views remain rigid even when the focus is on games. e.g. Same-sex marriage is strictly unacceptable to some even when the (role-playing) game is based purely on an element of fantasy.

Gamers incorporate all sorts of ways their society functions - such as social stratification. Just when you think it’s a playground for them to experiment freely from conformity.

e.g. “I have married someone in game. It was partially a political move (believe it or not…) to get me into a pretty selective high end raiding guild that had closed off its application process.” - from “The Daedalus Project” by Nick Yee. Sounds familiar to reality?

Hmm. Perhaps a cultural study can be conducted over MMORPGs now…

I have probably developed a strong disliking of short titles.

ANYhow.

Do-It-Yourself culture has been around for the longest time ever. Yes, back to generations way before Columbus discovered America. As a child, I remember trying out some of those projects myself too. Those ideas usually came from friends (word-of-mouth), static medium of books or school. With the net today, people get to share and improve even more easily. As Kai-Ti mentions, DIY projects are great ways to unwind. It is also viewed as a counter point against our lives’ deprivation by technology such as less leisure time or information overload. The Web has allowed the transmission of ideas so effectively that you can basically find any solution and simply DIY.

DIY relates to Web 2.0 particularly in the sense of an immense participatory trend by people to share knowledge. “Harnessing collective intelligence” (O’Reilly).

From making Halloween-themed cupcakes to growing a square watermelon, trust Instructables to guide you with ideas provided by DIY enthusiasts.

DeviantArt is an example how illustrators or designers get to showcase their creations and market them by their own. Viewers get to learn step-by-step tutorials and choose to buy the artwork.

And yes, YouTube mustn’t be left out from the list with its plentiful video instructions.

DIY LASIK Surgery Kit

But please, everything has its limits ;D

World current affairs.

Nobodies turning into Somebodies.

Comical spoofs.

Breakthrough for budding songwriters.

DIY solutions.

Girl parading her fashion hauls.

Royalty making positive changes. (The Queen also goes on Twitter!)

These are some of the examples what participatory culture and YouTube come up with. But apart from the aforementioned examples that would at the very least, provide us some real or practical value, such as news or entertainment, what about clips that go online, readily available for unknown strangers to watch? These random clips bring up the two negative ramifications of ‘over exposure’ I’d like to highlight. The first YouTube’s critical implication would be voyeurism (Merriam-Webster, Etymology: French, literally, one who sees).

This practice of surveilling others can be really detrimental. Some viewers tend to form a virtual bond with the characters they watch over time. Take American Idol or an episode of America’s Next Top Model for example. We barely know the participants personally but we’re driven to feel for them whenever they get through the elimination round. Or do you remember the time when Jack died off Titanic? Well, you get the drift. Basically, it is possible to get too immersed with virtual vs. reality. This clip illustrates an uncanny observation how casual watching turns into an addictive practice of voyeurism that involves stalking and trespassing private property!

Then, there’s this clip of Miley Cyrus’ house tour. Perhaps it’s not the best example but it is a case where the individual unwittingly expose herself (and her family) to harm. Being a celebrity already means that locating her house wouldn’t be a problem while watching her video provides any stranger a rough idea of what her house interior looks like. Potential intruders with ill intentions could familiarise themselves with the house structure and plan an illegal entry even more easily. Paranoia? Nahh, these things are possible. Such self-expression through videos combined with ignorance certainly isn’t prudent.

In summation, YouTube video posters, do  take caution and think twice of whatever you choose to share publicly. After all… if “You’re a star, you’re a public property.”

Some days… we just feel like this ;P

An electronic office is one of technology’s enchantments. However, I beg to differ and oppose such prediction. I believe a combination of paper and electronic materials would be better off than solely relying on the latter. This is mainly because digital dependency is prone to cyber threats and/or requires electricity and/or efficient Internet service. Should either one turns defunct, business operations would equally halt to a standstill. One may argue that reading requires light/electricity too but their pros easily overweighs the cons as demonstrated below.

Here are some arguments proposed by Patrick Dixon (the chap above):

+ Paper products have emotional appeal. e.g. you’d keep a note by your colleague but emails just lack the sentimental value.

+ They are practical. e.g. portability, convenience; digital reading requires recharging power.

+ People can read paper more quickly than a digital product. e.g. digital contents are confined to the screen’s resolution.

+ Prolonged viewing of the glaring monitor screen is just plainly uncomfortable.

Besides, statistics reveal 350% increase in US paper consumption in the past three decades!

Also interesting is a comment I read somewhere stating his/her company to encourage utilising multiple-monitors as to increase data consumption per employee. Boy, I sure feel bad for the employers. Spending high costs investing in both computers and employers’ vision check-ups? Yikes!

Web 2.0 logos - Courtesy of Gatzke/Creative Commons

(Refers to the title) Hmm, that explains the ADD in people…

Data smog - Overabundance of low quality information (Shenk, 1997).

The media engulf us with abundant information on a daily basis. Information sources compete with each other to grab their audience’s attention that they stress upon the virtue of live or real time publishing. Publishing pace that grows faster by advanced technology further aggravates the situation.

Such ‘data asphyxiation’ diminishes workplace efficiency. This quote illustrates its severe extent, “A Sunday edition of the New York Times carries more information than the average 19th-century citizen accessed in his entire life.”

This article I’ve stumbled upon proves to be very enlightening in addressing data smog. Do give it a go to read William Winkle’s advice to counter it. It also cites Shenk’s findings of information overload symptoms:

• Increased cardiovascular stress, due to a rise in blood pressure,
• Weakened vision, citing a Japanese study which predicts a nearly universal near-sightedness in the close future,
• Confusion (see below) and frustration,
• Impaired judgement based upon overconfidence,
• Decreased benevolence to others due to an environmental input glut (which may very well account for part of the “brusqueness” which is commonly attributed to big-city dwellers).

The list just shows how pervasive the problem becomes. *Gulps* Is retreating to rural tranquillity the only effective solution? Drat, don’t think I can stand a week of countryside life without technology!

Greetings! A short post here because… the rest of my posts are often wordy? ;P

I’d like to share three highly recommended clips that did great jobs in capturing the essence of social media. Please take your time to watch them

The first one made an apt analogy comparing social media to the punk rock emergence of music scene. e.g. Punk rock is about getting their voices heard, bringing light to atypical issues just like bloggers of social media do!

Next on is an amusing country song revolving virtual social interaction when boy meets girl. It uses terms that would be familiar to frequent social media audiences. Think Twittering, Facebook pokes, flagged blogs - go on, click ‘play’!

And before the curtain calls, I present you this light-hearted sketch on Social Media Addicts Association (SMAA). Hope it makes you laugh and lighten up your day!

Do watch them, they’re all under three minutes each! =)

Games. Gift economy. Generating creative product.

Rachel’s discussion on collaborative media revolves around the tutorial session we had several days ago. Dr B brought up the question of modders, skinners and mappers’ rationales to create games add-ons.

Sheer gratification upon sharing the creator’s personal work can indeed motivate such creations. It is a truly money-can’t-buy experience/feeling when others credit you, showing appreciation and admiration for Your work. In relation to the previous thought, achieved popularity or acknowledgment are also pertaining factors. And because victory is sweet, the challenge of individual creativity with others can be incredibly satisfactory. It’s sort of a way of wounding others’ ego and boosting your self-esteem when you parade your impressive creation to the rest, making them wonder how on earth did you do that? No?

An individual’s personal interest or obsession in the game also fuels the drive. It’s equivalent to having a fanclub when you’re REALLY into something. You try and exert much effort into spreading the enthusiastic ardor you have garnered from the game. The enjoyment from gaming can compel you to “recruiting” new players by upgrading the current version or adding novel add-ons [as a form of support towards the game]. Quote: “We know for certain that modding has helped both Tribes 1 and Tribes 2 survive as long as they have.”

It is also a path gamers tend to tread on to kill game monotony. Zzz. Uh-huh. Totally not fun passing the same level over and over and over and… well, you get my message. ; ) Furthermore, they also hold the ability to increase the relevance of the game’s storyline to their liking. The idea of creating an alternative ending! Whoa, how cool is that?

Besides converting virtual games into a training ground that enhances your skills (e.g. modifying levels, designing maps or animated characters), such practices also establishes one’s  portfolio (as well as boosting your reputation should you be interested in online trading) for future use.

In current times, parents will think twice before discouraging your countless hours on games. The title of this Guardian article sums it up: “Mods are moving from bedroom to bathroom. Whoops - I meant, boardroom!” (Couldn’t resist!) ;P It’s amazing how games can provide you with an income and not forgetting, a job! Well, muchas gracias to the K(nowledge-based) economy we’re in where knowledge and skills are viewed as valuable resources

In conclusion, I’d say that the element of escapism is rather predominant in view of all the factors. Care to add more?