To Google or Not To Google?

In all aspects of our media lives, we are bombarded with health issues; from the latest detox craze in women's magazines to the reality television show The Biggest Loser, and of course endorsement after endorsement for diet shakes, pills and vitamins. Except now the emphasis is on the individual. My health, my search, my Google.

Goodbye dodgy waiting room couches, screaming children spreading their germs with every uncovered sneeze and year old magazines. Now I can cradle my soup, tissue box at the ready and get my own diagnosis, all with the click of a mouse. But should I? Although the abundance of information has been said to ensure empowerment of the individual, one thing that is not always ensured is its accuracy (Lewis, 2006).

Although I'm definitely not a fan of doctors' surgeries or hospitals, like Jessica in her blog New Media Musings, I'm not convinced that Google has all the answers. So I'll pick a corner in the waiting room, armed with a good book and hand sanitiser at the ready, and I'll wait my turn.

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References:

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

Shutterstock. "Medical Icons On Computer" Accessed April 10, 2011. http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-60036143/stock-vector-medical-icons-on-computer-keyboard-buttons-original-illustration.html

Just keep swimming...

Poised on the couch with laptop at the ready, a double shot latte and books, papers and magazines galore, you could be mistaken for thinking that this student is about to undertake some serious study. You could not be more wrong. This is me, and this is my afternoon. I am about to write a scene in my Facebook reality. Depending on how my day was, you could be about to consume a romantic comedy, drama or quite possibly a violent horror (depending on how many wedding vendors I've dealt with on that particular day!)

With Deuze (2011) explaining that the media is like an ocean that surrounds us, it could be said that we are no longer sight seeing in our boats, rather, we have jumped ship and dived into the ocean head first. Some might argue that we were pushed, but I think the notion presented by Deuze, that we live inside the media, is more appealing than most people would care to admit.

When else could we write a virtual diary for the world to see, display your entire family life for all to critique and publicly rant and rave about our daily happenings or lack thereof? Not only is our media identity alive and well, it's virtually a social norm to present this 'other' persona for the world to see. This is the media reality, and we are living it.

I like to think of the media as the life jacket we need in this ocean that surrounds us. A life jacket that allows us to blur the lines between real and fake, then and now. A life jacket that will sustain us if we just keep swimming...

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References

Deuze, M. (2011). Media Life. In Media, Culture & Society, Volume 33 (1) pp. 137-148. Accessed April 4, 2011 from http://mcs.sagepub.com.ezp01.library.qut.edu.au/content/33/1/137.full.pdf

Manners No More?

Encompassing so much more than a simple please and thank you, the term manners could be referred to as a broad statement which includes various etiquettes regarding socially acceptable behaviours. However, the introduction of New Media has meant the introduction of a new vocabularly as well as an entire new etiquette for what is considered socially accepted.

Hamelink (2006) reasons that “lies and deceit are important tools in our social and personal communications”, a statement I’m certain would have my Nana turning in her grave. A thought pattern such as Hamelink’s is enabled by the Internet, a means for fostering lies and deceit.

Enter ‘netiquette’, the term given to communication etiquette on the Internet. The ‘Ten Commandments for Computer Users’, referred to by Hamelink (2006) are simple adaptations of what most would consider the moral foreground of our communities, however, this does not necessarily mean they are well received.

Misleading information is only a mouse click away on the Internet, with many articles and reports the carefully constructed the work of PR professionals and those in the journalism industry (Hamelink, 2006).

It would be fair to say that ‘netiquette’ has been introduced and remains, for the most part, an ignored concept. Social behaviours and communications are rarely polite offline, so why would they be any different online?

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References:

Hamelink, C. (2006). The Ethics of the Internet: Can we cope with Lies and Deceit on the Net? In Ideologies of the Internet, K. Sarikakis & Daya Thussu, pp. 115-130. New Jersey: Hampton Press.

https://cmd.library.qut.edu.au/KCB206/KCB206_BK_313947.pdf 

When Old Media Meets New Media...

In the beginning we watched our favourite movie stars on film reels, then on tape, followed by DVD and now we watch them online. Enter New Media, a digital revolution which has changed the way we consume our entertainment.

The Bollywood film industry is successfully meeting the market in this time of New Media as Singh (2008) explains, by simultaneously releasing films online as they are made available to cinemas, production companies avoid missing valuable market share. The charm of yesteryear lives on in the film industry with the popularity of cinemas still prominent, however to ignore media trends and growing rates of piracy and online downloads is to ignore revenue (Singh).

The online revolution that exists in the film industry is here to stay and at some point we will all partake of it, either willingly or unwillingly. Some will embrace the change with open arms, while others will remain hesitant. I am one of the 'others'.

I understand the need for the film industry to remain relevant and maintain a legitimate standing within the online market, I am however slightly sentimental when it comes to a trip to the cinemas. Childhood memories of buckets of popcorn so big my little arms could barely wrap around them, fancy red curtains that seemed so regal as they slowly opened across the screen and sitting on my father's lap because I couldn't quite see, traditions that may seem menial, but not to me. The time will come when I will download my first online movie, maybe I will just have to buy a popcorn maker and fill the biggest bowl I have as a means of compromise. 

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References

Singh, M. (2008).  Bollywood's Viral Video in Time International (Canada Edition), Vol. 171, Issue

           14 . Accessed March 20, 2011 from 

           http://www.time.com/time/nation/article /0,8599,1713342,00.html.

 

A Blurred Image in the Mirror

The topic for week two, Performing Me: Maintaining Visibility on the Social Stage, explores the construction of self and personal identity through the use of New Media. Enabling a creative and often edited version of ourselves, the content we display and share are conversations of ourselves (Leong, 2011). 

Pearson (2009) refers to the online sphere as a stage, a place where we act out our lives. On this stage we are whoever we want to be, ourselves, a portion of ourselves or somebody different entirely. Pearson also explains the role of the audience, both the seeing and the unseeing, those who are participating in our play as silent viewers and those who are providing active commentary. Donath and Boyd (2004) explain that the images we share provide a carefully selected snapshot of our lives, images of things which we believe people would aspire to have. We choose images which allude to the perfect life, perfect partner, perfect holiday and so on.

Sometimes our online persona is living the dream; pictures of the overseas holiday many hope for, updates on the festival others wish they were at and education information that some would be jealous of.  Perhaps then, our online persona is not entirely fake, simply the more flattering and appealing aspects that we deem share worthy. An image of ourselves, albeit a little blurred.

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References

Leong, Susan. “KCB206 New Media: Internet, Self & Beyond: Week 2 lecture notes.”

            Accessed March 13, 2011. http://blackboard.qut.edu.au

Donath, J. and Boyd, D. 2004. Public Displays of Connection. BT Technology

            Journal 22 (4): 71-82.

Pearson, E. 2009.  All the World Wide Web's a stage: the Performance of Identity in

            Online Social Networks . First Monday 14 (3).