Ok, I know I am in a midst of my final examinations. The make and break of this semester. But hey I need to let out my frustations!!! The weather has been shitty these past few days and with the exception of my Marketing exam, so has the past 2 papers i have encountered. Nutrition 109 and Com125. ARGHZZZZ, prior to this exams, I was overjoyed and filled with unquestionable emotions over my grades so far. For the first time since May 05( Start of first semester) a pontential GPA of >3.1 was possible. I was on As for 2 subjects and A minuses for 2 subjects. With the exclusion of Nutrition, doing well for these exam was going to definetly skyrocket me to infinity and beyond.
Sadly, as I emerged from the cold examination room this morning, the only ironicly comforting situation I was facing, was that my everone of my peers wore the same look. The look likened to that of being hit by a sledgehammer or maybe worst a few sledgehammers. F@#k !!! What the hell was that??? A paper which everyone was so confident of, suddenly became the paper that made some feel the confidence of jumping our 5 storey school building. Even the elites of the class came out shaking their heads and for the first time, we all did not make it to Hollywood.
Okay i guess its back to Com 242, please please please, may things get better. I want that A.
"Tomorrow is another day, another boxing round to play, Already I lost an A and if God helps me maybe I can smile again"-----Derek
About Me
Wednesday, April 25, 2007
Friday, April 6, 2007
Bonus Mission #2--The New World
I’m sure most of you have played a game some time in your life. Be it a board game or a video game, the most important characteristic of playing a game would be the achievement of an objective. In the world renowned board game Monopoly which has been around since 1935, a player wins once he/she has dominated the entire game’s market. (Monopoly (game), 2007) In the online game World of Warcraft (WOW), players control a character avatar within a persistent game world, exploring the landscape, fighting monsters, and performing quests on behalf of computer-controlled characters. (World of Warcraft, 2007) As you would have probably realized both games although from different eras, share similar objectives which is to eliminate other players.
In today’s age, online games such as “WOW” provide a virtual environment whereby gamers are given the opportunity to interact with one another. As one user describes “Warcraft is the new golf, I actually closed a deal with a company I met through WOW.” (Levy, 2007) As such a game such as “WOW” without a doubt provides people to live a virtual life online. Using avatars and nicknames as a form of identity, players in this virtual world trade with one another ad forge relationships which in the past would only be available in an offline context.
Second Life (SL) is an internet-based virtual world which became prominent during late 2006. In it, individuals who register accounts are called residents. Once inside this virtual world, elements of the real world come into play. For instance, residents are able to work in order to earn Linden money. This of which could be earned through a variety of jobs from “camping” whereby one’s character sits at a spot, to even acting as another virtual character’s bodyguard. The interesting thing with regards to this virtual currency is that one can actually purchase Linden money with real money. Though the exchange rate fluctuates, as of February 2007 it has remained reasonably stable at around L$ 270 to US$1. (Second Life, 2007)
In this virtual world, residents travel to different places via teleportation. Within the realms of a certain place. The most common mode of transport would be by walking. However, certain functions such as flying also enable users to travel from point to point. Besides these means of transport, users are also able to ride bikes, drive cars and even fly hot- air balloon. With the exception of walking, all the means of transport in Second Life may seem hard to achieve or even physically impossible in the real world. However, with the creation of Second Life, there are no boundaries to what one can do in the virtual world.
Although Second Life does share similar characteristics to games such as WOW whereby individuals are able to choose, personalize their own avatars and then interact with other players from around the world, the main reason as to why I would not consider Second Life a game would be based on a few reasons. Firstly unlike most games, Second Life does not enable its users to save a certain setting. That means that once a user decides to log out, the virtual world would not wait for him/her. Things can change while the user is offline. For instance, new buildings may be constructed and the surroundings may be upgraded.
Secondly as mentioned above, in a normal game, gamers are most often tasked to work towards a greater objective. However in Second Life, there is no objective. Users are able to do anything they want to do without having to go through various steps. They could take a stroll down a virtual beach or even party at a virtual club. In other words, the only most likely objective in the virtual world would be to interact with the thousands of other users.
However although greatly different, Second Life still share a few similar characteristics of any other game in terms of interaction. Although, users do not necessarily have to work with others towards a main objective, communication between one another helps foster friendships and relations which eventually would develop into another kind of world which we live in.
References:
Levy, S (2007). World of warcraft: is it a game?. Newsweek Technology, Retrieved April, 5, 2007, from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14757769/site/newsweek/page/3/
Second Life. (2007). In Wikipedia [Web]. Retrieved Apr 5, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_life#Parody
World of Warcraft. (2007). In Wikipedia [Web]. Retrieved April, 5, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_of_Warcraft
Monopoly. (2007). In Wikipedia [Web]. Retrieved April, 5, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monopoly
In today’s age, online games such as “WOW” provide a virtual environment whereby gamers are given the opportunity to interact with one another. As one user describes “Warcraft is the new golf, I actually closed a deal with a company I met through WOW.” (Levy, 2007) As such a game such as “WOW” without a doubt provides people to live a virtual life online. Using avatars and nicknames as a form of identity, players in this virtual world trade with one another ad forge relationships which in the past would only be available in an offline context.
Second Life (SL) is an internet-based virtual world which became prominent during late 2006. In it, individuals who register accounts are called residents. Once inside this virtual world, elements of the real world come into play. For instance, residents are able to work in order to earn Linden money. This of which could be earned through a variety of jobs from “camping” whereby one’s character sits at a spot, to even acting as another virtual character’s bodyguard. The interesting thing with regards to this virtual currency is that one can actually purchase Linden money with real money. Though the exchange rate fluctuates, as of February 2007 it has remained reasonably stable at around L$ 270 to US$1. (Second Life, 2007)In this virtual world, residents travel to different places via teleportation. Within the realms of a certain place. The most common mode of transport would be by walking. However, certain functions such as flying also enable users to travel from point to point. Besides these means of transport, users are also able to ride bikes, drive cars and even fly hot- air balloon. With the exception of walking, all the means of transport in Second Life may seem hard to achieve or even physically impossible in the real world. However, with the creation of Second Life, there are no boundaries to what one can do in the virtual world.
Although Second Life does share similar characteristics to games such as WOW whereby individuals are able to choose, personalize their own avatars and then interact with other players from around the world, the main reason as to why I would not consider Second Life a game would be based on a few reasons. Firstly unlike most games, Second Life does not enable its users to save a certain setting. That means that once a user decides to log out, the virtual world would not wait for him/her. Things can change while the user is offline. For instance, new buildings may be constructed and the surroundings may be upgraded.
Secondly as mentioned above, in a normal game, gamers are most often tasked to work towards a greater objective. However in Second Life, there is no objective. Users are able to do anything they want to do without having to go through various steps. They could take a stroll down a virtual beach or even party at a virtual club. In other words, the only most likely objective in the virtual world would be to interact with the thousands of other users.
However although greatly different, Second Life still share a few similar characteristics of any other game in terms of interaction. Although, users do not necessarily have to work with others towards a main objective, communication between one another helps foster friendships and relations which eventually would develop into another kind of world which we live in.
References:
Levy, S (2007). World of warcraft: is it a game?. Newsweek Technology, Retrieved April, 5, 2007, from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14757769/site/newsweek/page/3/
Second Life. (2007). In Wikipedia [Web]. Retrieved Apr 5, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_life#Parody
World of Warcraft. (2007). In Wikipedia [Web]. Retrieved April, 5, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_of_Warcraft
Monopoly. (2007). In Wikipedia [Web]. Retrieved April, 5, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monopoly
QotW10: My holiday in Second Life
DJMark Straaf originally known as Rek DaggerIn Second Life, I took up the avatar name DJMark Straaf after deleting a previous account due to technical gliches. Although I did not manage to find a one particular place which I really liked, travelling around to a variety of places enabled me to learn more about the different rules and practices in different places of Second Life.
The main area in which I spent most of my time at was Lion City. It was here where I met Mr Alvin Loo, who through IM gave me some tips and pointers as to where I should go for particular special interests and how should I go about snapping pictures. However I would like to mention that our initial meeting was not by freak chance, rather it was because he warned me about breaking certain rules.
The main area in which I spent most of my time at was Lion City. It was here where I met Mr Alvin Loo, who through IM gave me some tips and pointers as to where I should go for particular special interests and how should I go about snapping pictures. However I would like to mention that our initial meeting was not by freak chance, rather it was because he warned me about breaking certain rules.
In the real world, Singapore Law states that her citizens should not own any firearms. Therefore the minute i could play around with my reality, I was roaming the streets of this virtual arena with a machinegun. Before long, Mr Alvin Loo approached me, warning me of my cyber crime.
Posing with a Virtual Black Mercs
Posing with a Virtual Black Mercs
A Posed pic with Singapore builder, Mr Alvin Loo
Commiting a "crime", this land I shall "Protect"
Flying around with wings which i got free
However, although it was interesting to be able to observe how people interacted with one another in this virtual world, I was quite shocked at how some have taken this "second life" of theirs abit too far. As I explored the most popular places in Second Life, one place which caught my attention was the "Free Sex Orgy" place. As my avatar ventured around, I noticed 3D characters engaging in certain activities which less then a decade ago would be considered impossible. Virtual Sex. I mean honestly what thrill is there in watching your avatar have sex with someone elses. Being camera happy, I decided to snap a picture in order to share with others the extent of which the virtual world of social interaction has evolved into.
Amazing ways of social interacting
Anyhow as I carried on venturing the world of Second Life, I came across sports shops where soccer posters were placed up for sale at 20 Linden dollars. Being a fan of Manchester United, my trip to this virtual shop could not have been finished without a picture with the club's badge.
Ain't a Chelsea supporter, I rather stick with Man Utd
Basically, that was my entire trip around the virtual world. Now some of you who know how I look like in real life might be wondering why do I suddenly resemble a neo-nazi skinhead. Well the reason behind this dressing derives from a variety of reasons and not because of a sudden urge to worship Hitler. Here they are.
1) I am bald because my lap top lags so much, that instead of seeing myself with a baldspot, I rather see myself bald.
2)I got the Leather jacket for free. plus since I could not make a Leather trench coat, I might as well stick to the next coolest thing.
3) The tight faded jeans was cool too. Since I had the rebel/ punk/ skinhead look. Hey!! Why not go all the way?
Now lets discuss about my avatar's body. Yes it may appear to some that I have over done the muscle bit. In the real world, I have a pack, in the virtual world, I have 6. But hey , if i could create a dream self why not right? Anyway, I believe that the only resemblence that I shared with my avatar, is the burning cigarette, oh and not forgetting the same gender.
Friday, March 30, 2007
QotW9: A New STOMPing Ground
The advancement of technology has enabled people to actively take part in the dissemination of news and information. With the usage of image capturing devices found conveniently in everyday appliances such as mobile phones, people are now able to further their ability to bring news and reports to others. No longer is news reporting restricted to the media but opened for all.
Citizen journalism, also known as "participatory journalism," is the act of citizens "playing an active role in the process of collecting, reporting, analyzing and disseminating news and information". (Citizen Journalism, 2007) As mentioned above, the role of news gathering and sharing is an activity that anyone be it educational level or age can participate in. Even the aunties and uncles who gossips at coffee shops are able to consider themselves as participants of this new form of journalism.
So what benefits does citizen journalism bring about? In the past, people who were not of the journalistic profession, simply received information from press companies. Their individualistic point’s of view was completely ignored thus rendering them to be voiceless. With this new form of journalism, the ability of anyone to make the news will give new voice to people who’ve felt voiceless—and whose words we need to hear. (Gillmor, 2004) In countless episodes of societal events, the credibility of newspapers and the media are most often questioned because of the fear that a story might be biased. The rise of citizen journalism reassures the voiceless that stories and news which they receive originate from ordinary folks such as themselves.
Citizen journalism, also known as "participatory journalism," is the act of citizens "playing an active role in the process of collecting, reporting, analyzing and disseminating news and information". (Citizen Journalism, 2007) As mentioned above, the role of news gathering and sharing is an activity that anyone be it educational level or age can participate in. Even the aunties and uncles who gossips at coffee shops are able to consider themselves as participants of this new form of journalism.
So what benefits does citizen journalism bring about? In the past, people who were not of the journalistic profession, simply received information from press companies. Their individualistic point’s of view was completely ignored thus rendering them to be voiceless. With this new form of journalism, the ability of anyone to make the news will give new voice to people who’ve felt voiceless—and whose words we need to hear. (Gillmor, 2004) In countless episodes of societal events, the credibility of newspapers and the media are most often questioned because of the fear that a story might be biased. The rise of citizen journalism reassures the voiceless that stories and news which they receive originate from ordinary folks such as themselves.
STOMP also known as “Straits Times Online Mobile Print” (STOMP (online portal), 2007) enables Singaporeans to interact and engage in local current affairs via three platforms; online, mobile and print. Recently as I explored it, I realized that unlike the conventional method of news reporting, STOMP included in its news, everyday events such as illegal parking, arguing parties in public and even reports of April Fool Hoaxes. Also, in comparison to regular news paper reports which would normally require a reporter to be present at an event, the news from STOMP were as you can say “taken off the streets”. However, although this may seem to add credibility to the reports, many critics of citizen journalism may find it as an invasion of privacy.
An example of this would be about ugly commuters in the train. The sender of the article took a photo depicting how a passenger couple obstructed the door and in the process preventing others from entering an exiting with ease. In my opinion, although the sender of the picture and story was merely voicing her views, I would consider it a paparazzi-styled report rather than an important and useful piece of news which instead of benefiting the general public, seemed to cause embarrassment to those involved.
Although STOMP allows its citizen journalist to report about practically anything as I have mentioned before, there are still limitations to it. Politics and sexual matters are examples of such. As citizen journalism requires the view of topics to be covered from all angles of the previously voiceless, it is important that freedom of expression should not be compromised. Therefore to improve the site’s function of citizen journalism, I feel that no matter what topics are discussed, there should not be any filtering of information.
In conclusion, STOMP clearly demonstrates itself as a good example of citizen journalism. However although this is the case, with the present filtering of certain information, the main aim of being a voice to the voiceless would clearly be compromised.
References:
Gillmor, D (2004, July). We the media Grassroots Journalism by the people for the people. Retrieved March, 27, 2007, from http://download.nowis.com/index.cfm?phile=WeTheMedia.html&tipe=text/html
Citizen Journalism. (2007). In Wikipedia [Web]. Retrieved March, 27, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_journalism
STOMP (online portal). (2007). In Wikipedia [Web]. Retrieved March, 28, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STOMP_(online_portal)
STOMP. Retrieved on March 30, 2007 from http://www.stomp.com.sg/
References:
Gillmor, D (2004, July). We the media Grassroots Journalism by the people for the people. Retrieved March, 27, 2007, from http://download.nowis.com/index.cfm?phile=WeTheMedia.html&tipe=text/html
Citizen Journalism. (2007). In Wikipedia [Web]. Retrieved March, 27, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_journalism
STOMP (online portal). (2007). In Wikipedia [Web]. Retrieved March, 28, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STOMP_(online_portal)
STOMP. Retrieved on March 30, 2007 from http://www.stomp.com.sg/
Friday, March 16, 2007
QotW7: Online Twitters
Do you have an account with Friendster? If so, isn’t it a great place to look for your old friends and keep updated with their whereabouts, or even better, to find friends of similar hobbies? What about IRC? Yes the site which gives you a variety of rooms to choose from depending on your interest or age group. If you have used any of these examples before, well I have good news for you. You have been involved in an online community. So what exactly is an online community? An online community otherwise known as a virtual community can be used loosely for a variety of social groups interacting via the Internet. (Virtual Community, 2007)
Ever since the founding of the Internet, people have taken a shift in communicating with one another primarily in the ‘real’ world to communicating with one another via the virtual world. Since the 1980s, there have been a steady incline in ways which help foster such a relationship. From the email, to present day online community sites such as Friendster and MySpace. Internet users have overcome geographical and time boundaries which have always obstructed face-to face interactions.
Besides such basic advantages, online communities provide other advantages such as greater control over timing and content of self-disclosure, organized by shared interest instead of place, higher level of willingness to help and also helps foster contact with others who are different. (Wellman, Gulia, 1996)
However, with respect to online community sites, the key most important advantage would be that Internet users no matter how distant they are from one another are grouped together according to interest. For example a car enthusiast from America would be able to share his knowledge and ideas with another car enthusiast from across the globe. With the development of online forums, people who share similar interests may trade ideas and comments with others outside of
their usual community. In a way, this can be seen as an example of the global village which was often discussed by Marshall McLuhan.
For this blog entry, the class was required to sign up for Twitter, an online community site which allows its members to inform each other about what they are doing and their thoughts. (Twitter, 2007) Members who have added one another to their profiles are then able to constantly update their entries via SMS or through instant messaging.
I feel that Twitter can be considered an online community in fact I believe that it can be likened to a combination between two other forms of online communities. One of blogging and the other is that of Instant Messaging. Reason behind this would be similar to that of blogging, Twitter enabled me to share my thoughts with others and receive comments from them. However unlike blogging, the recipients of my updates and thoughts were limited to only people whom I had added on my “friends” list. After receiving updates on myself which I had posted, those who chose to comment on anything which I had mentioned could just reply with the pace of Instant Messaging. Because of this speed, a few of my course mates including myself were astonished at the speed in which Mr. Kevin Lim replied to our conversations, making it seem as if we were all within the same room when we were all spread out in different areas.
Besides an example such as this, Mr. Kevin Lim pointed out that we could actually use Twitter in order to post and discuss questions with regards to his class during class time. Alas another characteristic of an online community where by people connect with one another because of similar interest can be seen.
An example of Twitter members lending a helping hand
cheillalala @mandycola: how can you do it? teach meeee.... :) about 13 hours ago from web in reply to mandycola
mandycola @cheillalala: click on "Badges" at the top, then copy and paste the html code into your blog template. about 13 hours ago from web in reply to cheillalala
cheillalala @mandycola: i tried but i failed :( about 13 hours ago from web in reply to mandycola
In conclusion, following my experience with Twitter, I felt that it would probably be an outstanding example of an online community. To summarize it, we as students were able to update others about our whereabouts (ie: which class we were in), similar interest or topic (ie: questions to be raised in class or how boring certain classes were) and even communicate with others who were not physically close to us. With this in mind, although critics have argued that the advancement of technology has rendered our ability to be human. It has in fact brought us closer together.
“The term virtual community is more indicative of an assemblage of people being "virtually" a community than being a real community.” (Fernback, Thompson, 1995)
References:
Fernback, J, & Thompson, B (1995). Virtual Communities:Abort, Retry, Failure?. Retrieved March 15, 2007, from http://www.rheingold.com/texts/techpolitix/VCcivil.html.
Wellman, B, & Gulia, M (1996). Net Surfers Don't Ride Alone:Virtual Communities as Communities. Retrieved March 15, 2007, from http://www.acm.org/%7Eccp/references/wellman/wellman.html.
Virtual Community. (2007). Virtual Community. In Wikipedia [Web]. Retrieved March, 15,2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Online_communities
Twitter. (2007). Twitter. In Wikipedia [Web]. Retrieved March,15,2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twitter
Ever since the founding of the Internet, people have taken a shift in communicating with one another primarily in the ‘real’ world to communicating with one another via the virtual world. Since the 1980s, there have been a steady incline in ways which help foster such a relationship. From the email, to present day online community sites such as Friendster and MySpace. Internet users have overcome geographical and time boundaries which have always obstructed face-to face interactions.
Besides such basic advantages, online communities provide other advantages such as greater control over timing and content of self-disclosure, organized by shared interest instead of place, higher level of willingness to help and also helps foster contact with others who are different. (Wellman, Gulia, 1996)
However, with respect to online community sites, the key most important advantage would be that Internet users no matter how distant they are from one another are grouped together according to interest. For example a car enthusiast from America would be able to share his knowledge and ideas with another car enthusiast from across the globe. With the development of online forums, people who share similar interests may trade ideas and comments with others outside of
their usual community. In a way, this can be seen as an example of the global village which was often discussed by Marshall McLuhan.For this blog entry, the class was required to sign up for Twitter, an online community site which allows its members to inform each other about what they are doing and their thoughts. (Twitter, 2007) Members who have added one another to their profiles are then able to constantly update their entries via SMS or through instant messaging.
I feel that Twitter can be considered an online community in fact I believe that it can be likened to a combination between two other forms of online communities. One of blogging and the other is that of Instant Messaging. Reason behind this would be similar to that of blogging, Twitter enabled me to share my thoughts with others and receive comments from them. However unlike blogging, the recipients of my updates and thoughts were limited to only people whom I had added on my “friends” list. After receiving updates on myself which I had posted, those who chose to comment on anything which I had mentioned could just reply with the pace of Instant Messaging. Because of this speed, a few of my course mates including myself were astonished at the speed in which Mr. Kevin Lim replied to our conversations, making it seem as if we were all within the same room when we were all spread out in different areas.
Besides an example such as this, Mr. Kevin Lim pointed out that we could actually use Twitter in order to post and discuss questions with regards to his class during class time. Alas another characteristic of an online community where by people connect with one another because of similar interest can be seen.
An example of Twitter members lending a helping hand
cheillalala @mandycola: how can you do it? teach meeee.... :) about 13 hours ago from web in reply to mandycola
mandycola @cheillalala: click on "Badges" at the top, then copy and paste the html code into your blog template. about 13 hours ago from web in reply to cheillalala
cheillalala @mandycola: i tried but i failed :( about 13 hours ago from web in reply to mandycola
In conclusion, following my experience with Twitter, I felt that it would probably be an outstanding example of an online community. To summarize it, we as students were able to update others about our whereabouts (ie: which class we were in), similar interest or topic (ie: questions to be raised in class or how boring certain classes were) and even communicate with others who were not physically close to us. With this in mind, although critics have argued that the advancement of technology has rendered our ability to be human. It has in fact brought us closer together.
“The term virtual community is more indicative of an assemblage of people being "virtually" a community than being a real community.” (Fernback, Thompson, 1995)
References:
Fernback, J, & Thompson, B (1995). Virtual Communities:Abort, Retry, Failure?. Retrieved March 15, 2007, from http://www.rheingold.com/texts/techpolitix/VCcivil.html.
Wellman, B, & Gulia, M (1996). Net Surfers Don't Ride Alone:Virtual Communities as Communities. Retrieved March 15, 2007, from http://www.acm.org/%7Eccp/references/wellman/wellman.html.
Virtual Community. (2007). Virtual Community. In Wikipedia [Web]. Retrieved March, 15,2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Online_communities
Twitter. (2007). Twitter. In Wikipedia [Web]. Retrieved March,15,2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twitter
Saturday, March 10, 2007
QotW6: Be prepared for an Invasion
In recent times, with the development of picture taking as a function in mobile phones, the ability for one to invade another’s private space has greatly increased. Unlike the mobile phones of the yesteryears, where the only addition which cured boredom was basic games such as “Snake”, most of the phones in the market nowadays are equipped with cameras for users to capture special moments without the inconvenience of having a proper camera with them. However, although this special function may serve us in the desired way most of the time, the development of it has also acted as the gate way to one’s personal hell.
Recently, a local polytechnic student called Tammy was the subject of newspapers’ headlines and online discussion forums because of a sex video which her boyfriend and her made. Unfortunately, someone stole her phone and uploaded its intimate contents onto the Internet making it one of the most downloaded videos. Newspapers were reporting it on a regular basis and although some members of online discussion boards were praising her and prompting her to make more of such videos, many were not pleased and criticized her for being an embarrassment to her family. So let us take a moment to think, did Tammy actually do any
wrong? I certainly do not think so. She certainly did not expect somebody to steal her phone, much less upload her personal videos online. The only mistake she probably did was not to leave her sexual videos at home. Because of this, she became the victim of someone who craved the controversy which would certainly damage another’s life, someone who had no respect for another’s privacy.
“Privacy is the ability of an individual or group to keep their lives and personal affairs out of public view or to control the flow of information about themselves”. (Privacy, 2007) In the case mentioned above, Tammy’s privacy was invaded. Not only was hers’ was invaded, but others such as those whose pictures were either taken from their personal networking sites ie:Friendster or those who were simply trying on clothes at local departmental stores. Recently, pictures of a friend of mine appeared in a website called “SG Girls” wearing just her beach wear. Coincidentally, the pictures were the same as those she had uploaded onto her Friendster account. Just like Tammy, someone had invaded her privacy simply by “grabbing” her photos and posting them up for others to see.
As noticed, social networking sites such as Friendster could contribute to the act of “invading” ones’ privacy. It is hard to update others on your life without the threat that someone might just use your pictures without any good intentions. So what have such sites taken to ensure that privacy is maintained? The answer can be found under account settings. Users are able to customize how much information of themselves they would like to share with others. They can choose to set their profile as private, whereby only with the acknowledgment of the individual , can others view their page. However, it is important to note that not only strangers can damage your life. According to some, it is rumored that the person who stole Tammy’s phone was indeed a friend who was jealous of her. So really, is there any way whereby which one can protect his/her privacy especially when it concerns personal images? Yes my advice is simply by not uploading such pictures on to the Internet. Remember, “the internet complicates our ability to negotiate the boundary between public and private, making it hard to recover a private self that has been voluntarily exposed.” (Rosen, 2004), so if you are willing to be featured on websites such as “SG Girls” then, be prepared to take the risk.
Although it is easy to speak against the invasion of privacy and how it constitutes to affecting one’s life, there are some good points which may come about from this. Ever since 9/11, government agencies around the world have been on constant alert for the threat of terrorism. According to an article by Bob Sullivan, Technology correspondent of MSNBC.com, the United States federal government allegedly compiles a database of telephone numbers dialed by Americans, and eavesdropping on U.S. callers dialing international calls without obtaining court orders. In this case, it is obvious that with the invasion of people’s privacy though not ethical, could sometimes prevent hundreds from being killed. Another example would be from an article found in the “Newpaper” where a camera caught a police officer punching a teen in the United Kingdom. Quote “the video footage shows Ms Comer then 19, wrestling with Constable Anthony Mulhall outside the club reported the Guardian newspaper, Soon after the first punch was thrown, she was pinned downed by two police officers and two nightclub staff and hit another five times”.
The invasion of one’s privacy may be unethical at times, however without surveillance, how can a police suspect be caught? How can events such as 9/11 be prevented? How can unfaithful partners be caught cheating? With the events which have shaped people in society to be untrusting of one another, the invasion of privacy may sometimes be necessary however it should never be used for the wrong reasons. Like everything else resulting from technology, there is no black or white just grey.
Recently, a local polytechnic student called Tammy was the subject of newspapers’ headlines and online discussion forums because of a sex video which her boyfriend and her made. Unfortunately, someone stole her phone and uploaded its intimate contents onto the Internet making it one of the most downloaded videos. Newspapers were reporting it on a regular basis and although some members of online discussion boards were praising her and prompting her to make more of such videos, many were not pleased and criticized her for being an embarrassment to her family. So let us take a moment to think, did Tammy actually do any
wrong? I certainly do not think so. She certainly did not expect somebody to steal her phone, much less upload her personal videos online. The only mistake she probably did was not to leave her sexual videos at home. Because of this, she became the victim of someone who craved the controversy which would certainly damage another’s life, someone who had no respect for another’s privacy.“Privacy is the ability of an individual or group to keep their lives and personal affairs out of public view or to control the flow of information about themselves”. (Privacy, 2007) In the case mentioned above, Tammy’s privacy was invaded. Not only was hers’ was invaded, but others such as those whose pictures were either taken from their personal networking sites ie:Friendster or those who were simply trying on clothes at local departmental stores. Recently, pictures of a friend of mine appeared in a website called “SG Girls” wearing just her beach wear. Coincidentally, the pictures were the same as those she had uploaded onto her Friendster account. Just like Tammy, someone had invaded her privacy simply by “grabbing” her photos and posting them up for others to see.
As noticed, social networking sites such as Friendster could contribute to the act of “invading” ones’ privacy. It is hard to update others on your life without the threat that someone might just use your pictures without any good intentions. So what have such sites taken to ensure that privacy is maintained? The answer can be found under account settings. Users are able to customize how much information of themselves they would like to share with others. They can choose to set their profile as private, whereby only with the acknowledgment of the individual , can others view their page. However, it is important to note that not only strangers can damage your life. According to some, it is rumored that the person who stole Tammy’s phone was indeed a friend who was jealous of her. So really, is there any way whereby which one can protect his/her privacy especially when it concerns personal images? Yes my advice is simply by not uploading such pictures on to the Internet. Remember, “the internet complicates our ability to negotiate the boundary between public and private, making it hard to recover a private self that has been voluntarily exposed.” (Rosen, 2004), so if you are willing to be featured on websites such as “SG Girls” then, be prepared to take the risk.
Although it is easy to speak against the invasion of privacy and how it constitutes to affecting one’s life, there are some good points which may come about from this. Ever since 9/11, government agencies around the world have been on constant alert for the threat of terrorism. According to an article by Bob Sullivan, Technology correspondent of MSNBC.com, the United States federal government allegedly compiles a database of telephone numbers dialed by Americans, and eavesdropping on U.S. callers dialing international calls without obtaining court orders. In this case, it is obvious that with the invasion of people’s privacy though not ethical, could sometimes prevent hundreds from being killed. Another example would be from an article found in the “Newpaper” where a camera caught a police officer punching a teen in the United Kingdom. Quote “the video footage shows Ms Comer then 19, wrestling with Constable Anthony Mulhall outside the club reported the Guardian newspaper, Soon after the first punch was thrown, she was pinned downed by two police officers and two nightclub staff and hit another five times”.
The invasion of one’s privacy may be unethical at times, however without surveillance, how can a police suspect be caught? How can events such as 9/11 be prevented? How can unfaithful partners be caught cheating? With the events which have shaped people in society to be untrusting of one another, the invasion of privacy may sometimes be necessary however it should never be used for the wrong reasons. Like everything else resulting from technology, there is no black or white just grey.
Point to Note: Rumor has it that Tammy was expelled from her school as a result of the controversy. A life ruined for nothing.
Special mentions: I apologize for inserting a picture of Tammy however, I feel we should see what others have done by inserting a text such as that.
Citations:
1) Privacy. (2007). Privacy. In Wikipedia [Web]. Retrieved 03, 07 , 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Privacy
2) Rosen, J (2004, 7, 19). The Naked Crowd. Spiked Essays, Retrieved 03,07, 2007, from http://www.spiked-online.com/Printable/0000000CA5FF.htm
3) Sullivan, B (2006,10,17). Privacy Lost:Does anybody care?. MSNBC.com, Retrieved 03,07,2007, from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15221095/print/1/displaymode/1098
4) Cop caught on tape punching teen in UK. (2007,03,09). the new paper,
1) Privacy. (2007). Privacy. In Wikipedia [Web]. Retrieved 03, 07 , 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Privacy
2) Rosen, J (2004, 7, 19). The Naked Crowd. Spiked Essays, Retrieved 03,07, 2007, from http://www.spiked-online.com/Printable/0000000CA5FF.htm
3) Sullivan, B (2006,10,17). Privacy Lost:Does anybody care?. MSNBC.com, Retrieved 03,07,2007, from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15221095/print/1/displaymode/1098
4) Cop caught on tape punching teen in UK. (2007,03,09). the new paper,
Thursday, February 22, 2007
QotW5: A paradox of identity
An online identity is an identity one uses as a mean in which people in the network would be able to recognize him. Some may use their real names, however, individuals may sometimes prefer to use nicknames for others to know them by. In some online contexts, they may also engage in the usage of avatars to act as their character.
In today’s society, due to the heavy usage of the internet, as others interact as an established online identity, it acquires a reputation which enables them to decide whether an identity is worthy of trust. (Online Identity, 2007)
So what are the benefits of having an online identity? One can argue that even in modern day’s society, people are constantly judged by the color of their skin, age, gender and sometimes even their educational achievements. “Part of the attraction of CMC is that it allows participants to separate their physical selves from their writing and actions online. In an idealistic sense, this can be viewed as a true “marketplace of ideas”, where ideas are measured by their own merits.” (Lackaff,2003)They may sometimes be unable to escape the stereotypical views which society might have on them. However, with an online identity, these may be modified. An individual may conceal their true identity and thus earn a reputation for who they really are rather than what they are. An example of this could be seen in a video depicting a chat room. A man poses as a woman in an effort to establish a relationship with someone of the same gender. Because of society’s traditional views on homosexuality, he may have resorted to the internet to express his true self.
An online identity which I would be most familiar with would be in the world of gaming. As a player of Counterstrike; an online shooting game, many a times, I have come crossed players who have earned reputations of being good in their skills. This could be seen during gaming matches, also known as Klan matches when prior to one, members of one Klan would be warned of the skills of their opponents, very much similar to that of a regular sporting match. Unlike other sporting arrangements, the intriguing part of such reputations, is physical appearance is not necessary. As mentioned earlier, in the online world, race, age and gender holds no boundaries.
One example which I can recall, would be in a “match” which I took part in, my team had been told of a particular opponent called “Kyosho” who was an extremely talented player who was skillful for his extremely fast reflexes. Now, it would be easy to imagine that such a player would probably be an older teen or an adult who has had years of experience in the game, hence his skill. Besides this, judging from the language he displayed online, it seemed obvious that he would be older. To my surprise, “Kyosho” was only a kid around the age of 12- 13 years.
“Kyosho” was not the only of such a player who did not fit the category I expected. In many of such gaming worlds, a player may not seem to be who he/she really is. Henceforth, the maintenance of an individual’s reputation is of the extreme importance as this is what makes others recognize them. Unlike many other online games, Counterstrike lacks an identity-protection system which we can see in many online games. Thus the only mean of identifying a particular individual would be through their nicknames and other forms of identification in the game such as “spray paints”.
As the maintenance of reputation is crucial in the gaming world where others know you as the way you play and not for whom you are, it is important that one’s identity is limited to solely him/her. However, like all other online contexts, identity theft is still sometimes common in games such as Counterstrike. Speaking from experience, jealous opponents may sometimes hijack nicknames simply so as to tarnish another player’s reputation. According to (Dorath, 1996), compared to the physical world, it is relatively easy to pass as someone else online since there are relatively few identity cues.
To combat this, different groups or klans use special computer symbols to make known their authenticity. They may sometimes incorporate numbers to replace alphabets in a nickname to make identity theft harder. For example, when I used to play Counterstrike on such Klan basis, my particular nickname was =`[KM]’=M@cH1n3GuN. The first few alphabets and symbols were used to depict the Klan’s name, while the rest of it was to identify myself. Although one may think it isn’t too hard to steal a nickname, as mentioned before, other methods to identify authenticity such as “spray paints” were used within the game itself. As all spray paints were usually the same and could also be used by a hijacker, minor markings would be made to it. For example, bullet marks in certain parts of the spray would serve as an extra mark of authenticity.
Online identities serves as a paradox of a person’s self. Although it may be a reflection of the person’s inner being, it can also be used as a mask to foster criminal activities such as sexual crimes. It is thus important that an identity in the virtual community be treated with as much caution as that of the real world. Besides serving a positive purpose of removing societal norms and boundaries, it like all other technological developments has its’ cons which if not in check could prove devastating for society.
References:
Donath, J (1996,11,12). Identity and Deception in the Virtual Community. Retrieved 02,20,2007, from http://smg.media.mit.edu/people/Judith/Identity/IdentityDeception.html
Online Identity. (2007). Online Identity. In Wikipedia [Web]. Retrieved 02,19,2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Online_identity
Lackaff, D (2003). Norm maintenance in online communities: A review of moderation regimes . Retrieved 02,20,2007, from http://lackaff.net/node/20
Other References:
Youtube Video from Com125 Wordpress site. http://com125.wordpress.com/
In today’s society, due to the heavy usage of the internet, as others interact as an established online identity, it acquires a reputation which enables them to decide whether an identity is worthy of trust. (Online Identity, 2007)
So what are the benefits of having an online identity? One can argue that even in modern day’s society, people are constantly judged by the color of their skin, age, gender and sometimes even their educational achievements. “Part of the attraction of CMC is that it allows participants to separate their physical selves from their writing and actions online. In an idealistic sense, this can be viewed as a true “marketplace of ideas”, where ideas are measured by their own merits.” (Lackaff,2003)They may sometimes be unable to escape the stereotypical views which society might have on them. However, with an online identity, these may be modified. An individual may conceal their true identity and thus earn a reputation for who they really are rather than what they are. An example of this could be seen in a video depicting a chat room. A man poses as a woman in an effort to establish a relationship with someone of the same gender. Because of society’s traditional views on homosexuality, he may have resorted to the internet to express his true self.
An online identity which I would be most familiar with would be in the world of gaming. As a player of Counterstrike; an online shooting game, many a times, I have come crossed players who have earned reputations of being good in their skills. This could be seen during gaming matches, also known as Klan matches when prior to one, members of one Klan would be warned of the skills of their opponents, very much similar to that of a regular sporting match. Unlike other sporting arrangements, the intriguing part of such reputations, is physical appearance is not necessary. As mentioned earlier, in the online world, race, age and gender holds no boundaries.
One example which I can recall, would be in a “match” which I took part in, my team had been told of a particular opponent called “Kyosho” who was an extremely talented player who was skillful for his extremely fast reflexes. Now, it would be easy to imagine that such a player would probably be an older teen or an adult who has had years of experience in the game, hence his skill. Besides this, judging from the language he displayed online, it seemed obvious that he would be older. To my surprise, “Kyosho” was only a kid around the age of 12- 13 years.
“Kyosho” was not the only of such a player who did not fit the category I expected. In many of such gaming worlds, a player may not seem to be who he/she really is. Henceforth, the maintenance of an individual’s reputation is of the extreme importance as this is what makes others recognize them. Unlike many other online games, Counterstrike lacks an identity-protection system which we can see in many online games. Thus the only mean of identifying a particular individual would be through their nicknames and other forms of identification in the game such as “spray paints”.
As the maintenance of reputation is crucial in the gaming world where others know you as the way you play and not for whom you are, it is important that one’s identity is limited to solely him/her. However, like all other online contexts, identity theft is still sometimes common in games such as Counterstrike. Speaking from experience, jealous opponents may sometimes hijack nicknames simply so as to tarnish another player’s reputation. According to (Dorath, 1996), compared to the physical world, it is relatively easy to pass as someone else online since there are relatively few identity cues.
To combat this, different groups or klans use special computer symbols to make known their authenticity. They may sometimes incorporate numbers to replace alphabets in a nickname to make identity theft harder. For example, when I used to play Counterstrike on such Klan basis, my particular nickname was =`[KM]’=M@cH1n3GuN. The first few alphabets and symbols were used to depict the Klan’s name, while the rest of it was to identify myself. Although one may think it isn’t too hard to steal a nickname, as mentioned before, other methods to identify authenticity such as “spray paints” were used within the game itself. As all spray paints were usually the same and could also be used by a hijacker, minor markings would be made to it. For example, bullet marks in certain parts of the spray would serve as an extra mark of authenticity.
Online identities serves as a paradox of a person’s self. Although it may be a reflection of the person’s inner being, it can also be used as a mask to foster criminal activities such as sexual crimes. It is thus important that an identity in the virtual community be treated with as much caution as that of the real world. Besides serving a positive purpose of removing societal norms and boundaries, it like all other technological developments has its’ cons which if not in check could prove devastating for society.
References:
Donath, J (1996,11,12). Identity and Deception in the Virtual Community. Retrieved 02,20,2007, from http://smg.media.mit.edu/people/Judith/Identity/IdentityDeception.html
Online Identity. (2007). Online Identity. In Wikipedia [Web]. Retrieved 02,19,2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Online_identity
Lackaff, D (2003). Norm maintenance in online communities: A review of moderation regimes . Retrieved 02,20,2007, from http://lackaff.net/node/20
Other References:
Youtube Video from Com125 Wordpress site. http://com125.wordpress.com/
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