NEW MEDIA EMPLOYMENT.

As a young person I use new media. As a media student I use new media. And as an employee I use new media. I literally can’t see myself having it any other way. My entire lifestyle is based around the concept of new media and I can’t see that reverting to anything else anytime soon. 

As Ms Gill says, every new media relationship begins informally (2007, 25). I find this especially relevant to my existing career path. I currently write for an online events website that covers Brisbane. I was offered this opportunity because I was introduced to a friend of a friend of a friend’s boyfriend. In the past there was no way this kind of offer would have been given to me purely because of my lack of university degree and experience. These days, purely because I have a Tumblr blog of my own, am studying a degree that contains relevant content and have connections, I am now a fully published writer with an ABN of my own without even graduating.

In terms of my future career I don’t see anyway that this won’t change due to public relations involvement with new media. Every class I take discusses how current practioners are adapting campaign strategies to include such new media inventions as Facebook, Twitter and Blogging… just to begin with. New media and the 21^st century are so integrated with each other that I don’t believe there is anyway to separate them.

REFERENCES:

Gill, R. (2007). Informality is the New Black. In Technobohemians or the new Cybertariat? New Media work in Amsterdam a decade after the web. Amsterdam: Institute of Network Cultures: 24-30 & 38-43.

The Internet; world's largest drug dealer?

Myself, along with the majority of people my age and older turn to the Internet immediately after suspecting they are ill with something (522, 2006). The vast cyber world is sprawling with information waiting for us to self-diagnose. It’s undeniably a valuable resource as long as it’s accessed in conjunction with actual medical help.

Unfortunately there is an arising trend of people diagnosing themselves and then ordering their own medication online.  I’m in two minds on this topic. On one hand, if people can buy whatever pharmaceuticals online they want there is a grave danger for this whole venture to turn into the largest black market ever. Where people can purchase and resell drugs not necessarily needed for themselves. But on the other hand, for medicines that are commonplace and regularly given to patients with extended scripts I can see the benefits.

The technology new media has created always opens up new opportunities regardless of the topic. And as Nielsen and Barratt say, in this case there will have to be vast improvements to make sure the technology aids the right groups of people (84, 2009). Personally, I hope these changes happen soon because I’m sick of travelling to the Doctor and chemist every time I need a refill.

References:

 Lewis, T. (2006). Seeking health information on the internet: lifestyle choice or bad attack of cyberchondria? In Media, Culture & Society, volume 28, issue 4: 521-539.

Nielsen, S. and Barratt, M. J. (2009). Prescription Drug Misuse: Is Technology Friend or Foe? In Drug and Alcohol Review, volume 28: 81-86.

ONLINE ALWAYS

Deuze’s reading this week really spoke to me. The world we live in today is so totally consumed with media that it is almost impossible to do anything without using in some way new media (2011, 137). This has had two effects on me, which I would hardly cause positive.

Firstly, I find it extremely hard to do one thing at a time. Having a Smart Phone I am used to constantly having access to my messages, phone book, emails, BBM messages, Facebook, Tumblr, the internet, a GPS and so on and so forth. I also have a laptop with me most days at uni making it easy for me to always be online. Unfortunately I am now unable to sit still and read a book, which causes me a lot of upset.

           

And secondly, I often find myself doing things in “real life” purely to put it on an online format. This relates especially to outfit photographs. It’s frequently a struggle to justify the point of wearing new clothes if no one will see them. I’m certain this kind of attitude is not healthy and for that I blame new media.

References:

Deuze, M. (2011). Media Life. In Media, Culture & Society, Volume 33, issue 1, pp. 137-148

PIRACY; IT'S A CRIME?

In Hamelink’s reading this week, he discusses the ten internet commandments. Of them, thou shalt not use a computer to steal (2006, 122) is the most interesting topic up for discussion due to people’s lax views.

There are many different forms of stealing however piracy is the most common. According to the Australian Federal Police “Around 2.8 million Australians download music illegally via file sharing networks every year. Of these, three quarters claim to download every month” (2011).

This practice costs the entertainment industries excessive amounts of money and it hurts the artists that we obviously like (enough to download their work anyway). Yet we still partake in it regularly.

We’ve all seen the advertisement above whilst watching movies and most probably laughed at its ridiculous comparisons. However the points it makes are valid if not presented in an awful manner.  Unfortunately these go straight over our heads due to what Hamelink describes as moral distance (2006, 117).

Basically we participate in illegal, unethical activities like piracy, or cyber bullying as Rosie discusses, because we consider ourselves to be far away from the act or retribution. This is an unfortunate part of the new media world and will need to be monitored in order to maintain a level of moral modicum in the future.

REFERENCES:

Australian Federal Police. 2011. “Technology Enabled Crime.” Accessed March 20, 2011. http://www.afp.gov.au/policing/e-crime.aspx 

Double, Rosie. 2011. “Sticks and stones may break your bones... but online taunts will haunt you,” Rosie’s New Media Reflections. March 27. Accessed March 28. http://rosiesnewmediareflections.blogspot.com/

Hamelink, C. 2006. “The Ethics of the Internet: Can we cope with Lies and Deceit on the Net?” Ideologies of the Internet 115-130.

“Piracy It’s a Crime.” Youtube video, posted December 4, 2007. Accessed March 18, 2011. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmZm8vNHBSU 

SORRY; TOO BUSY BEING ENTERTAINED.

Apologies if this blog post seems disjointed but I’m currently flicking back and forth between my favourite forms of new media amusement. Where I once would have been able to concentrate on one thing at a time, new media convergence (Leong, 2011) has changed my entire lifestyle. Instead of working simply on an assignment, I’m currently engaged in music, video, socialising, reading and observing, all through my computer.

New technologies have given me the ability to access all my favourite entertainment formats in new ways, all at the same time, turning me into an extraordinary multi-tasker.

For example, I once would have listened to music on the radio only, and although I still do this occasionally, I’m presently downloading the latest music that I’ve found in triple j hitlists, and through recommendations on Facebook, and in the ‘most bought’ section in the iTunes store. Once these are downloaded I’ll probably read up on the artists on Wikipedia, check out the film clips on Youtube and post it on my Tumblr.

And that’s just one of the activities I’m currently partaking in. So again, apologies but quite frankly we have noone but new media to blame for my inability to concentrate

REFERENCES:

Leong, Susan. "KCB201 New Media: the Internet, Yourself and Beyond - Week Three Lecture Notes." Accessed March 19, 2011. http://blackboard.qut.edu.au 

The perils of a Glass Bedroom.

What is the point of maintaining an online presence? Why do we while away our hours recording every minute detail of our lives instead of living them? Why do we establish and carry on friendships online instead of in person? Originally, using the internet for a social stage seemed so convenient but could the world’s favourite pastime be secretly ruining our lives?

As discussed in “All the Wide World Web's a Stage” (Pearson 2009) and further discussed in Dr Leong’s lecture (2011), people’s use of online socialising can often be described as a glass bedroom. That is to say, people open up and reveal details (be it in photo, word or movie form) about themselves that previously would have been considered far too private. I believe that the internet’s format allows glass bedrooms to happen all too frequently, that users are naïve in thinking they are protected and that these two elements can combine to ruin lives.

For example, when applying for a job, and even once you have it, it’s commonplace for employers to scour the internet looking for any trace of your life; and photos from weekends past aren’t going to lend you any favours. Friendships can also be ruined via overactive online socialising. You may have thought your blog whining about your friend’s new boyfriend was a secret between you and the internet, but word of mouth combined with Google are an unbeatable combination. On top of that, being in charge of your own online empire can turn even the nicest of people into a big-headed narcissistic beast, keen to capture every detail of their life sure that their audience can’t survive without it.

Every online networker should therefore think about the bigger picture every time they visit their glass bedroom, because as Pearson says so clearly;  “this disruption of a clear split between…private and public, has ramifications for network formation and interpersonal relationships...” (Pearson, 2009).

REFERENCES:

Leong, Susan. "KCB201 New Media: the Internet, Yourself and Beyond - Week Two Lecture Notes." Accessed March 13, 2011. http://blackboard.qut.edu.au 

Pearson, Erika. 2009. "All the World Wide Web's a stage: the Performance of Identity in Online Social Networks" in First Monday, Volume 14, Number 3. Accessed March 10, 2011. http://blackboard.qut.edu.au/webapps/blackboard/content/contentWrapper.jsp?content_id=_3612480_1&displayName=Week+2+Readings&course_id=_74007_1&navItem=content&href=http%3A%2F%2Ffirstmonday.org%2Fhtbin%2Fcgiwrap%2Fbin%2Fojs%2Findex.php%2Ffm%2Farticle%2Fview%2F2162%2F2127.