A Second Chance- New Com Tech Essay

4. Is the “virtual community” (Rheingold, 1993) a useful way of understanding contemporary online life? Discuss using one example of an online community OR a video game world (Virtual community is not to be confused with a “social network” site).

A Second Chance

By Kylie Holland

“We human beings have often been referred to as social an

imals. But we are not yet community creatures. We are impelled to relate with each other for our survival. But we do not yet relate with the inclusivity, realism, self-awareness, vulnerability, commitment, openness, freedom, equality, and love of

genuine community. It is clearly no longer enough to be simply social animals, babbling together at cocktail parties and brawling with each other in business and over boundaries. It is our task--our essential, central, crucial task--to transform ourselves from mere social creatures into community creatures. It is the only way that human evolution will be able to proceed.”

M. Scott Peck

The Different Drum: Community-Making and Peace (1)

M.Peck made this statement based on the existence of real lifecommunities. In terms of virtual communities, things are very different– if not better. I believe a virtual community can be seen as a man-made heaven in that users are given god-like powers to create and adapt personal relationships with virtual people and objects alike. They are a useful way of understanding contemporary online life as a virtual community creates endless possibilities that the real world cannot present in both online and offline lives.

A man named Abraham Maslow proposed a theory on the basis of human needs called ‘Maslow's hierarchy of needs’. In a triangle from bottom to top he lists the most important needs in a human’s life.

Reingold explains that ‘People in virtual communities do just about everything people do in real life, but we leave our bodies behind.’ Therefore to establish a true representation of the real world, a virtual community would have to include the majority of Maslow’s triangle of needs. Second Life allows a user to experience this life and is an example of a successful virtual community that includes these needs virtually and realistically.

Created by Lincon Lab in 2003, Second Life ‘is the leading virtual world development platform for the creation of virtual goods and immersive, engaging and productive 3D spaces u

sed by individuals, artists, corporations, governments, academic institutions and non-profits.’(2) The name Second Life is a true representation of itself as it offers just that, a chance to start over. The chance to have a new life, a better life. Reingold’s theories of s virtual community are not far from Maslow’s triangle. He states that a virtual community should include three things.

Firstly, individuality where people have ‘perceptions, thoughts, and personalities’ that can be adapted to certain situations. Second Life allows users to choose the look of their avatar, control their actions, buy them property, clothes, and much more. It encourages users to use the Linden Scripting Language, which allows users to personally help develop the virtual world through programming. The sky is the limit. Users can program and animate any object imaginable. They exercise individuality and creativity to create the unimaginable– a stock exchange, virtual clubs, clothing accessories, emotions, create games, London fashion week, businesses and so much more. The expansion of virtual worlds is due to the contribution of worldwide users. Together, they create Utopia.

Secondly, the ‘level of person-to-person interaction where relationships, friendships, and communities happen.’ (1) Second Life encourages users to interact with each other avatars

and explore their surroundings. The platform creates a worldwide interaction opportunity like no other. Avatars can inhabit and interact with each other as they can talk via chat or voice over’s, become friends, flirt, cuddle, join a variety of organizations and be introduced to diverse culture’s from around the world. Simulation programs have been created in Second Life. DeGast-Kennedy explains, ‘Learners

have the opportunity to become much better equipped to handle real life situations and to make more appropriate decisions on matters of urgency because Second Life gives them a tool through which they can develop these skills in a safe yet virtually real environment.’

(3) This learning tool has not only helped improve grades but has allowed learners to interact and explore actual places, landmarks and scenario’s through virtual tours. Historians can see an imitation of the Egyptian pyramids, Avatars can fly up the Eifel Tower, practicing doctors can experiment on virtual patients and Avatars can attend virtual classrooms while their user controls them from the comfort of their own homes.

It has taken Google learning and surfing the web to a whole new level by disregarding traditional learning methods. It has expanded the possibilities and boundaries of learning to a virtual encounter of real situations and scenes that books and the web alone, cannot provide.

Thirdly, a social level must be achieved– ‘a combination of communication and physical power and the role of communications media among the citizenry is particularly important in the politics of democratic societies.’ (1) Second Life has incorporated these qualities in many ways. Users can create and sell virtual good’s inworld for actual money and have full ownership of their virtual creations. ‘A recent report from market research firm Strategy Analytics predicts that the adult social virtual world population will grow from 11.5 billion in 2009 to 32.5 billion in 2015.’(4)

As the number of users continue to grow, so do the figures. Strategy Analytics predict ‘that microtransactions are expected to grow to $17.3 billion in 2015 accounting for approximately 86% of the revenue generated by virtual worlds.’(4) This virtual community is creating money out of thin air– literally. An online user and successful virtual entrepreneur, Chuang, explains ‘"This virtual role-playing economy is so strong that it now has to import skills and services from the real-world economy."(5)

Businesses have the opportunity to enter the virtual world. Live conferences, meetings, PowerPoint presentations and other learning simulations create a business friendly environment for all. They are encouraged to use the advertising advantages of Second Life and the space provided to create virtual goods.

Second Life is a useful way of understanding contemporary online life as it includes social network basics, games, music, education, business development, personal achievements, shopping, entertainment, the power of expansion and an ever growing community. Created with qualities from leading sites– Facebook, Ebay, Skype, Google, MSN and YouTube– I believe this community will continue to expand (with time and better broadband connections) into a true representation of a Utopian-ized idea of life.

Word Count: 1077

References

1.) http://www.rheingold.com/vc/book/intro.html

2.) http://develop.secondlife.com/develop-in-lsl/

3.) http://education.secondlife.com/successstories/case/loyalist/

4.) http://www.strategyanalytics.com/default.aspx?mod=PressReleaseViewer&a0=4745

5.) http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15163036/

6.) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow's_hierarchy_of_needs

7.) http://work.secondlife.com/en-US/

8.) http://education.secondlife.com/whysl/

9.) http://blogs.secondlife.com/community/workinginworld/blog/2009/06/01/the-future-of-healthcare-3-questions-for-dave-taylor-of-imperial-college-london

10.) http://develop.secondlife.com/whysl/

11.) http://secondlifegrid.net/

Week 10 Lecture

Week 10

This week was spent talking about the internet filter and online safety. 'Here in Australia, three telecommunications companies – Telstra, Optus, and Primus have said they will introduce one to block child porn and it will have no impact.' (1)

It is referred to as the clean feed. There is a site protesting against this clean feed by saying:

-The filter will do almost nothing to prevent the people who are willfully making, trading, and accessing child sexual abuse material.
-The filter will not prevent children from accessing inappropriate material.
-The list of material to be banned includes much more than child sexual abuse material.

So if for instance facebook and youtube was included in this banned list what would happen? My 3 main reasons for using the web would be facebook, listening and downloading music and for academic research. If this filter illuminated 2 of my primarily reasons for using the net, it would not be fun. It would only be used for work. And as i generally don't enjoy work, it would be associated of a academic tool and used only when necessary. Also if facebook was banned, i do honestly think i will die. Or at least have to attend rehab of some sort.

China
Dont move there. They have no facebook.
Apparently china 'had already prohibited the use of YouTube and every Google service such as Gmail, Google Apps and Google Talk (all modes of communication) weeks ago. Two of the most popular social networking websites are the latest victims of media control.'
Now facebook and twitter have been prohibited too!

In this way the government has control over what people see from the outside world. They are limited by the media to live in a way the government wants them too. This is good in some ways, bad in others.
'Perhaps they believe that such an action will contain the reports or discussions of the riots or stop them from happening completely.'


The relationship between In-Q-tel and facebook?
In-Q-Tel of Arlington, Virginia, United States is a not-for-profit venture capital firm that invests in high-tech companies for the sole purpose of keeping the Central Intelligence Agency equipped with the latest in information technology in support of United States intelligence capability.
So pretty much its like the CIA. It is a very clever way of keeping track of things, but really creepy for facebook users. I can't believe it!
Look at this: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Inqtel/107816819251423
It really is connected with facebook.

What is the Government's plan?

Minister Conroy has announced that he will introduce “mandatory ISP-level filtering of Refused Classification (RC) –rated content.”¹

• The filter will be based on URL filtering of a blacklist of between 1,000 and 10,000 URLs.
• The list of URLs will be based on the current ACMA blacklist, and will be supplemented by lists from international organisations (probably IWF).
• RC computer games will be excluded from mandatory filtering until the completion of the R18+ review.
• Additional funding will be available to encourage ISPs to offer voluntary filtering systems.

References
1. http://www.computerworld.com.au/article/362341/internet_filter_remains_alive_well_conroy/
2. http://nocleanfeed.com/
3. http://www.smh.com.au/technology/technology-news/internet-filter-wont-protect-kids-20100708-102ap.html
4. http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2010/08/government-finds-uses-social-networking-sites
5. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Inqtel/107816819251423

Course Evaluation

This course has been very interesting and relaxed. The course in itself is a true example of how much easier technology allows us to do things. I found it easy in terms of accessing weekly tasks and lectures. In some ways this is good, in others bad.

Positive feed back

Easily accessible on our blogs

interesting lectures that are relevant to our generation,

fun

helpful advise from tutors, good class discussions were very helpful in understanding tasks

the course encourages us to not be afraid of technology

It is easily adaptable and laid back

Negative feed back

Although the blog allows us to put our work into practice in a 'virtual community', i found it hard to take my work seriously by knowing it is for a blog, whereas a Word document is a more academic layout that i am used to.

Because the course is so relaxed, i felt i didn't really know the extension of research we were supposed to put into our posts. It also made it difficult to know when to stop as technology is so broad.

I feel i have not given my best in this class as I found it very hard to get into new terminology –such as cyberpunk– because I am very restricted in what i research and what i believe. I do have a much more wider outlook on technology and have become a lot more accepting of it and the culture of the online world.I do believe however, that i have learned a lot from this course in terms of understanding the web from behind the scenes for example, learning about internet filters i found very interesting as i do worry about facebook and other sites containing my information and how they will effect me in later years. It has taught me about our culture and how it is widely influenced by technology. Also the history of technology was also interesting, old inventions that were the root of a blossoming garden of new idea's.
What would we be without technology. So much has changed so quickly. The rapid growth of its existence never phases to impress me. When will it stop? If ever!

Time seems to be a large issue in this generation. So many days pass by when i think i don't know how i can keep up with it all. There are so many songs to download and listen too- i want them all. So many movies to catch up on, series shows take ages to watch and theres so many i still havn't seen, constant facebook checks incase somethings changed, update my blog, read new books, magazines, scripts. So many programs to download, games to play, people to meet, blogs to read, unanswered questions to be researched. When does it stop?! I need at least a year to catch up on every type of technology and communication tools.

But it won't stop. As we speak more and more movies, songs, programs and everything else are being produced. People like me are studying to do the exact same thing. To add to the industry. Its all we know and all were focused on. It is the future but also the present.

Week 9 Essay Topic

For the meantime i have chosen topic 4:

Is the “virtual community” (Rheingold, 1993) a useful way of understanding contemporary online life? Discuss using one example of an online community OR a video game world (Virtual community is not to be confused with a “social network” site).

I am aiming at looking at the first successful virtual communities available on the web. I want to focus on MIRC, a chat room program created by Windows. MIRC was the first virtual community i was ever introduced to. All i know so far is that it was created in 1995. I want to know what happened to it and how it contributed to the success of contemporary online life.

I want to know how social networks that include virtual communities –such as 'facebook chat'– have effected MIRC and other primarily virtual communities. I will research the history behind MIRC, its contribution to the social web and how the idea of MIRC has been readapted to many other forms of social networks and virtual communities.

To begin researching this I have started researching the background of Khaled Mardam-Bey– the creator and developer of MIRC. Also the meaning of MIRC– why is it called that? what influenced Windows to create a chat program?. I will then research other chat rooms that were released between 1995 and 2010 and compare them. I will also compare stats and ratings and how they grow over the years. MIRC has reached their 150million download mark, i need to compare this to other virtual communities.

I do believe MIRC is a useful way of understanding contemporary online life. I need to research reasons why i believe this to back up my statements.

References for myself

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIRC

http://www.mirc.com/

http://www.fullcirc.com/community/communitywhatwhy.htm

http://traffikd.com/social-media-websites/

Week 9 Lecture

This weeks lecture was on William Gibson and Cyberpunk.

I explained Cyberpunk in last weeks post so will focus more on William Gibson. In his article 'since 1948' he writes:

In 1977, facing first-time parenthood and an absolute lack of enthusiasm for anything like "career," I found myself dusting off my twelve-year-old's interest in science fiction. Simultaneously, weird noises were being heard from New York and London. I took Punk to be the detonation of some slow-fused projectile buried deep in society's flank a decade earlier, and I took it to be, somehow, a sign. And I began, then, to write.

He created the subgenre of science fiction: Cyberpunk. He mixes real events with science fiction to make a statement. I think cyberpunk is one step up from science fiction. In terms of articles and movies i think this innovative idea of joining reality and illusion together can target a much larger audience than science fiction alone. He has written breakthroughs and best sellers such as The Sprawl Trilogy, Neuromancer, The Bridge Trilogy, The Blue Ant Trilogy and many more!

Our essay assignment allows us to choose the topic of William Gibson and another writer. After researching Gibson, i don't know where to begin. Is there anything this man hasn't succeeded at? His wikipedia page is massive, exploring every achievement and contribution to the technical age known to man.

He even has twitter! You can follow him on @GreatDismal

http://www.williamgibsonbooks.com/source/source.asp

Culture Jam Assessment

Have you seen the Griffith Uni homeless guy?

A man has been seen around the GC campus sleeping in different buildings and attending classes that he is not enrolled in.

This was the rumour we tried to create. Many people actually started to believe it.

My group and I decided to create a facebook group called 'Have you seen the Griffith Uni homeless guy?'. We sent out invitations to our friends telling them it was real. We also encouraged them to write on the wall as if they had seen him to make the news to help the homeless guy we had been 'seeing'.

Alot of the wall posts were created by the group and posted on the group wall by friends we had asked, the majority of the posts are purely created by friends own initiatives. Many of my friends asked me on facebook chat if it was real, arising speculation. Many joined the group in the hopes of seeing the end result of finding the man.

Group members posted comments leading the story. Saying things such as, I wonder what he studies? I wonder where he stays?

Friends were made to comment in relation to these questions giving personalised stories of encounters with the man. This made it a whole lot believable.

A group member also posted a picture on the group to give the homeless guy a real identity. This photo (??????insert picture???) and story was also posted onto CNN's iReport with the description:

Gold Coast Homeless Uni student living on campus

There has recently been speculation about a homeless man attending university on the Gold Coast Australia. It has been said he sleeps on campus and attends lectures that he is not enrolled in. From a Facebook group, many people have seen him and contributed to his background in order to help get him a scholarship or form a way to allow him credit for the work he has done over the last 3 years in order to allow him to graduate.

This was also linked to our facebook group containing 182 members! With over 30 wall posts from different people saying they have seen/heard of/met this homeless guy, the rumour seems a whole lot more believable.

Our group also created a flyer saying 'Have you seen the Griffith Uni homeless man???' with a reference to the facebook group. These signs were put up on the community boards around the campus. Unfortunately they were removed off the notice boards after a few short days :(. However this did lead to 26 new members in the group! The flyers were good to interact with people who had not seen the group and make the rumour more feasible.

Week 8 -Corporate control over society

The 2008 South African Xenophobic attacks have lead to the death of thousands of illegal immigrants, robots, and employee’s. This may be partly due to the critical unemployment crisis. Hundreds of native South African tribes were out to kill, as foreigners and technology continued to work illegally to sustain their employment. Many were victims to killings, beatings, sexual assaults, looting and the destruction of property.

Apparently Amnesty International called the South African government to take all necessary measures to protect the human rights of people that were involved in the attacks. This narrow-minded measure was the direct cause of what was to follow.

Amnesty International protected the rights of the ‘people’ but not the robots. Robots were then seen to be rioting against their dismissal of human rights.

With unresponsive telephones, cell phones, machinery and computers– factories and offices were forced to shut down, thus creating the highest unemployment rate in the world to date. South Africa’s skyrocketing crime statistics are also a result of this failure to acknowledge Robots and their contribution to the economy.

With the entire population at a stand still many still question if the government and Amnesty International can bring the country to a sustainable level without the use of technology.

In a live broadcasted interview– former citizen– Daniel Roth replied to this action by saying, ‘I often wonder if humans deserve human rights. Maybe some competition from the machines may snap the species out of narcissistic slumber. Right now is the best time to recognize robot rights, and..’ This was then followed by an electricity failure.

As resources begin to grow scarce and having no contact or help from first world countries, South African’s are truly all alone. A crumbled economy, an extremely high crime rate and an inexistent employment rate. Where are the ‘robots’ now?

http://www.cyberpunkreview.com/category/movie/essays/

http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/news/south-africa-must-protect-those-risk-xenophobic-attack-20080530