dennisdcfc

NB: This blogpost was originally published on the University of Warwick PhD Life blog.

James Dennis (@dennisdcfc) is a second-year PhD student based at the New Political Communication Unit at Royal Holloway, University of London. His research aims to explore the effect of routine social media use on political engagement. Outside of his PhD James gets distracted by vinyl records, basketball, and the perennial life-destroyer that is Football Manager. For more information on his research visit his research website www.dennisdcfc.co.uk 

Managing your time as a PhD student can be exhausting. As part of the PhD process students often find themselves swamped with a number of time-consuming tasks. Since the start of this academic year my juggling act has included redrafts on my literature review, a number of research skills workshops, preparations for conference presentations, teaching commitments, and external research. Often you’re doing these tasks for the first time and the learning curve only accentuates the pressure. Even for those who are blessed by a productive nature and excellent time management skills, the workload can be a strain. This is acutely felt by those who ‘suffer’ from a near-universal condition,  procrastination. Given the personal freedoms associated with managing your own research and the often harmful working habits contracted during undergraduate study, completing the bare minimum can be a constant struggle. Do not fear though, help is at hand.

Managing online distractions

The Internet is far-and-above my biggest vice. I can easily waste an entire afternoon contemplating a friend’s latest tirade on Facebook or tweaking my fantasy football team. The ideal solution is to disconnect completely. However, this is increasingly difficult given the rich array of resources online and the move to cloud based services. Instead turn off those services that sidetrack you the most. Block email, IM, and social media notifications and revoke access to those pesky sites, like the Daily Mail gossip column (or so I hear…). This article offers an overview of simple tools for this purpose. Personally I use two browsers, FireFox with ‘Leechblock’ for work, and Chrome for play.

A clear, organised, and efficient workspace

Your working environment needs just as much structure as your work itself. Clear the stacks of papers and books cluttering your desk. They can form an intimidating obstruction to productivity. The same applies for your virtual workspace. By reducing the time it takes to search and find the document you need, you will diminish the likelihood of becoming distracted. Try using Evernote, a note storage tool you can access from any device with access to the web. The in built search and tag functionality makes finding the relevant work a breeze. For those who prefer a pen and paper try the ‘Page Camera’ function to convert your handwritten notes into digitally-optimised images. Finally if, like me, you enjoy working in a communal office space but need to send a signal to your colleagues that now is not the time to discuss the shocking revelations on last night’s Eastenders, then don a set of headphones. Even if the euphonious sounds of Slipknot aren’t your idea of a relaxing working environment, headphones without music still display a resolute ‘do-not-disturb’ vibe.

‘All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy’ 

I quickly learnt that pushing yourself too hard can be an isolating and unproductive experience. The key to productivity is a positive state of mind. As with anything in life, you will encounter peaks and troughs during the PhD process. During those periods of dejection it is all too easy to think that the solution is a dose of hardcore, isolated study. As a result you can quickly find yourself staring longingly at a blank page hopelessly willing for some divine inspiration. This can manifest itself in all sorts of unpleasantries. It is therefore essential to embrace procrastination within your schedule, as the time you enjoying wasting isn’t wasted at all. Long days in the library slaving away over your PhD should always be rewarded. Go out with friends and have a beer. Spend some quality time with your favourite TV show. Load up Football Manager and weep uncontrollably as Jeff Hendrick requests a transfer away from your beloved Derby County. The key is to ensure a healthy PhD-life balance.

Feel free to chime in the comments on your best strategies for avoiding procrastination.

I shall be presenting at the Conference of International Broadcasters’ Audience Research Conference 2012 at MediaCity in Salford on Monday 12th November (16:20). The paper is entitled ‘The Olympic Games 2012, the BBC World Service & Twitter’ and is part of ongoing research being conducted by the New Political Communication Unit, Open University, NCeSS and the BBC. For more information please see the abstract below and visit the conference website here. 

 

This session will examine how international news organisations like the BBC World Service (WS) are adapting to social media and integrating it into their journalistic practices. In particular, it evaluates the Twitter strategy adopted by the WS during the London Olympic Games. It does so comparatively through a quantitative and qualitative analysis of a carefully selected sample of approximately 10,000 tweets harvested from the BBC’s Arabic, English, Persian and Russian Services. Our particular concern was to get at the nature of ‘the global conversation’ – who is reacting to who in what way, and in particular how people are reacting to the BBC coverage and its social media output.

 

The project set out to address the following questions: what impact did the WS Twitter strategy have during the Olympic period on reach and/or engagement? Did it generate more followers? Did it allow for greater exposure to WS content? Did increased transparency among broadcasters and audiences attract new followers and audiences? Did its twitter strategy make it easier for overseas audiences to follow and understand the Olympics? To what extent did the BBC’s language services become a hub/centre for discussions of Olympics in Arabic, English, Persian and Russian? Do WS Tweeters exert influence in the Twitter sphere? Do WS tweeters create greater engagement? The panel will examine issues of methodology (our methodology included a coding frame that allowed us to trace gender, national and religious dynamics), as well as the wider implications of social media, like Twitter, for issues of democratising media participation.

 

 

NB: This blogpost was originally published on the New Political Communication Unit blog. 

Are academic researchers being left behind by their commercial counterparts? Is the rigour and transparency of social science being sacrificed in the name of revolution? ‘The Big Data Revolution’ workshop hosted by Innocentive offered an excellent chance to weigh up these questions. The workshop brought together a mix of commercial, academic and government researchers including representatives from Amazon, City University, Royal Bank of Scotland, and the US Department of Homeland Security.

Defining Big Data and Outlining its Problems

Defining big data is no easy feat. The term is often employed to signify low density, high volume information. Popular discourse commonly refers to large collections of social data. However the parameters of ‘big’ are inherently subjective and the content type and richness of data vary immensely. Whilst graduate researchers may grapple with a gigabyte of 140-character tweets, global corporations may amass petabytes of potentially rich data through store cards, web transactions, and other forms of personal information collection.  It is imperative to try and encapsulate the disparity in the use of big data within a standardised definition. Boyd and Crawford (2012: 663) draw on two separate strands: (i) that the data collection process itself is formed by maximising computation power to gather large datasets, and (ii) these datasets are analysed in order to make an assortment of claims. 

The opportunities offered by big data are intuitively quite simple. Datasets collected from social platforms or as a result of organic human behaviour offer potentially large amounts of increasingly rich data. Data is not prone to issues of researcher bias like survey based studies and the content collected may even rival some qualitative research for depth. As such, an idealistic vision has emerged overstating the benefits of big data, especially within marketing circles. As a result the size of one’s dataset is often viewed as more important than the methodological rigour of accumulation and analysis. Boyd and Crawford claim this is cultivating a harmful and pervasive myth that large collections of data offer access to a higher form of knowledge, surpassing the insights that were previously possible through other forms of data collection (2012: 663).

Big data projects using social media data encounter a number of dangers. Whilst data voluntarily produced outside of researcher bias may offer a more accurate and authentic representation of the individual, the motivation or meaning behind the content of the messages are almost impossible to gauge. In order to understand the behavioural context of an individual’s communication then qualitative techniques, such as in-depth interviews, must be employed. Research should embrace and integrate these techniques and not cast them aside in favour of the allure of large datasets (Anstead and O’Loughlin 2012).  Furthermore, the majority of tools that collect social data do so without users’ prior consent of their content being used for research purposes. With the ongoing debates surrounding privacy online, ethics must begin to taken more seriously.

Given the numbers involved with big data projects, researchers tend to rely on one of two approaches, either flawed computational analysis of large datasets, or event-specific analysis. Automated analysis is especially problematic. How do these tools accumulate data? Who regulates these systems and their methods (boyd & Crawford 2012)?  All too often companies rely on problematic technologies that may offer flawed geo-location tagging or sentiment analysis with very poor inbuilt text analytics. The alternate approach, projects based on events, compromise the measurement validity of the research by specifying smaller samples. In both instances the influx of information runs the risk of breeding apophenia, patterns where no significant relationship exists, such as the correlation between the winning team of the FA Cup and political party elected in Britain. How we ensure that the analysis of big data is both valid and reliable is a pressing concern. Innocentive do offer a unique alternative. By combining big data with crowdsourcing, research can avoid both computational flaws and ensure a large pool of willing individuals to structure and analyse the data as to avoid the need to limit analysis to specific cases.

The divide between corporate and academia

The current ecosystem around bid data creates a new kind of digital divide: the Big Data rich and the Big Data poor (boyd & Crawford, 2012: 674)

I am not rejecting the value of big data as a resource for research. My point is that methodological rigor must always take precedence over the attraction of data size and stunning visualizations. Ensuring valid and reliable methodological practice is paramount within academic research. As the pressure for the political use of big data is constantly growing, it is imperative that academic research continues to engage and offer improvements to commercial technologies, especially given the pervasive ‘black box’ nature of a number of services. However, this is not feasible at present given the fundamental problem of access to these technologies for academic research. Research can only be as good as the data on which it is based. The difficulties of access to data, especially data collected from social media platforms, has created a new digital divide: those with money, be they in the commercial sector or a wealthy academic institution, have better access to data; those without money are left with poor data which compromises methodological validity. 

There are some promising developments in bridging the gap between the demand for large datasets with methodological diligence. Demos have recently announced the establishment of The Centre for the Analysis of Social Media. Lead by Jamie Bartlett and in collaboration with the Text Analytics Group at the University of Sussex, the unit aims to draw methodologically valid and reliable inferences from social data for policy and social research. 

Thank you to Innocentive for the opportunity to take part in the workshop.

References:

Anstead, N., & O’Loughlin, B. (2012). Semantic polling: the ethics of online public opinion. Media policy brief, 5. The London School of Economics and Political Science, London, UK.   Retrieved 05/11/2012, from http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/46944/

boyd, d. m., & Crawford, K. (2012). Critical Questions for Big Data: Provocations for a Cultural, Technological, and Scholarly Platform. Information, Communication and Society, 15(5), 662-579.

(Source: 
http://www.asigra.com/blog/big-data-infographic-what-big-data)

I am very pleased to announce that I will be presenting a conference paper at next years International Studies Association (ISA) Annual Convention in San Francisco on Wednesday 3rd April 2013 (08.15-10:00). The paper is entitled ‘Diffusion of Information on Social???Networking Sites within a Participatory Continuum: A Critique of the Utopian / Dystopian Divide 2.0 and Slacktivism’. This will form part of the panel ‘The Media, (H)ac(k)tivism and Transnational Protest’. Paper abstract below. I will upload the full paper in due course. Please visit the New Political Communication Unit website for details on papers by Billur Aslan, Ben O’Loughlin, and Mark Pope. 

 

This paper offers a critique of the artificial utopian / dystopian dichotomy that has re-emerged within academic literature examining the effect of social-networking sites on political engagement, and sets out an alternative approach capturing the nuance of mediated citizenship at varying scales. The prevalence of unsubstantiated generalizations, anecdotal case studies, and a lack of empirical testing is exemplified through the scholarly debate surrounding slacktivism; that low-threshold forms of political engagement online are inauthentic, ineffective, and a distraction replacing more meaningful forms of offline mobilisation. This paper will show a number of deficiencies within this approach. Firstly, the problematic emphasis on the medium itself leads to an arbitrary distinction between online and offline, and subsequently lacks appreciation for the complexity of engagement repertoires. Secondly, conceptual clarity is required in regards to what encompasses participation. Slacktivism offers a narrow perspective, notably end-product, ‘revolutionary’ activism without an appreciation of the key functionality of social- networking sites, i.e. their role as a facilitator for information diffusion through conversations and networking. Finally, a collection of revisions are proposed to reframe the slacktivist critique and construct a model that will systematically examine the effect of routine social-networking usage on political engagement.

 

For more information on the conference please visit here.

Alistair Brisbourne and I are leading up organisation for this years Economic and Social Research Council South East Doctoral Training Centre Politics Postgraduate Conference. The theme for this years conference is ‘Power Revisited: Crisis and Opportunities’. The conference will bring together PhD students from the University of Kent, University of Reading, Royal Holloway, and the University of Surrey, in order to share the high quality research being undertaken within the SEDTC research network. The call is primarily aimed at those PhD students based within these institutions. As we move closer towards the conference please visit the dedicated website here for more information.

 

I am currently working as a research assistant on a project analysing the use of Twitter by the BBC World Service throughout the 2012 Olympic Games in London. The aim of this project is to analyse the extent the BBC fostered wider user participation and engaged audiences in terms of both volume but also, more importantly, the quality of engagement. As per Professor Ben O’Loughlin’s description, ‘by quality engagement, the BBC wants you to be energised by its content, share it with friends, talk about it with your family, and maybe even go out into the world and do something’ (O’Loughlin 2012).

This perfectly encapsulates my own research interests in regards to how low-threshold interactions on social media form part of a participatory continuum that can facilitate actions. Mediated forms of engagement are not simply confined to the crude judgements of slacktivism; ineffective, self-indulgence. Instead they form part of complex interactions between an abundance of mediated and non-mediated exchanges that can shape political attitudes or, in this case, encourage participation in sport.

The project is being conducted by the New Political Communication Unit, The Open University, the National Centre for e-Social Science and the BBC. The project is led by Professor Marie Gillespie of The Open University, Professor Rob Procter of Manchester University, and Professor Ben O’Loughlin of Royal Holloway, University of London.

For more information please visit the New Political Communication website for an overview.

Also see Professor Ben O’Loughlin’s excellent column for Global Policy which asks a fundamental question in regards to the theoretical scope of this research; who benefits from a globally engaged public?

I’ll be acting as discussant later today as part of a conference entitled ‘Olympics and the ‘Isms” convened by Royal Holloway, University of London. The panel I will feature on is entitled ‘Olympic cities and regeneration’ and features papers by Trina Bolton (Carnegie Mellon University, USA), Carol Mei (Bradford University), and Councillor Guy Nicholson (Hackney Council). Further details of the conference and panel are available here.

If you can’t make the conference but are equally fascinated/outraged/ridiculously-excited-to-see-team-GB-basketball-lose-by-20-points-per-game (delete as appropriate), I will be live-tweeting some of the papers throughout the day on Twitter: @dennisdcfc

 

I shall be presenting a paper at the 4th ECPR Graduate Conference, Jacobs University, Bremen. The paper will form part of section 9, panel 38 ‘The effects of globalization on contemporary citizenship studies’ on Thursday 5th July (9-10.30). Other panelists include Nora Siklodi and Claudia Lueders. Paper abstract below.

 

A new global participatory culture? Evaluating slacktivism and evolving conceptions of citizenship

This paper aims to challenge the assumptions of slacktivism as one representation of the nature of global citizenship. The term slacktivism is used to propose that engagement through social-networking sites is inauthentic, ineffective, and replaces meaningful offline participation (Gladwell 2010, Morozov 2011). These conclusions depend on wider, problematic theoretical foundations within the online engagement literature as a whole; namely, a reification of institutionally bound citizenship and ‘voter-centric’ forms of engagement. These frameworks do not give credence to the evolutionary nature of citizenship. This paper surveys this evolution and proposes a more realistic, nuanced framework and agenda for studying the global/local/transversal modulations of on/offline participation. The evolution shall be tracked over three criteria; institutional structures, identity, and methods of participation. (1) The decline of the nation-state and an evolution of the structural makeup of political institutions; the boundaries between states, political issues, and identities have become blurred and interlinked via global, real-time, porous information flows. (2) The development of socio-cultural frameworks; mapping the decline of monolithic national-culture and the rise of tertiary networks, centered around an individual’s own personally-defined identity, within global networks of niche political interest and ethnic and religious pluralism. (3) The convergence of ‘politics’ and popular culture; the entwinement of politics with entertainment and subsequent emergence of new practices of engagement; a hybrid of formal politics and social relationships. The sum effect of these transformations are notably absent from the slacktivist ideal of citizenship and engagement. The paper introduces a combination of hypotheses which can underpin a conceptual framework that reframes slacktivism and allows us to systematically examine the relationship between social-networking sites usage and global citizenship. Conceptually, these hypotheses draw upon an amalgamation of ‘Unbounded Citizenship’ (Cammaerts et al 2005) and ‘The Actualising Citizen’ (Bennett 2008, 2011), and the role discursive engagement can play in relation to identity formulation within a globally networked, hybrid media environment.

 

For more information on the conference itself, the schedule of activities is available to download here. Danke!

Here is another short book review I prepared for the Political Studies Review (to be published in Vol. 11, No. 2, May 2013). It’s a review of Nico Carpentier’s ‘Media and Participation’.

 

Media and Participation: A Site of Ideological-Democratic Struggle by Nico Carpentier. Bristol: intellect, 2011. 405pp.

The relationship between media and participation has over time become obfuscated by vague interpretations across a diverse array of academic fields. Media and Participation: A Site of Ideological-Democratic Struggle offers a rich, interdisciplinary overview in order to amalgamate and address the diverging definitions from democratic theory, spatial planning, development, arts and museums, and communication studies.  In each a struggle is exposed between minimalist and maximalist dimensions of participation; a constant dispute over whether participation is limited to representation within institutionalized systems, or whether it is part of a convergence of the political and social. Carpentier maintains that power dynamics, and the struggle to minimize or maximize equal power positions (p. 11), are ubiquitous amongst the vying conceptualizations. By way of conclusion, Carpentier collates these findings within the Access, Interaction, and Participation Model (p. 130); that access and interaction are crucial components that enable acts of participation, but are differentiated due to the power relationship within a variety of decision-making processes.

In the second part of the book Carpentier empirically examines this definition in relation to a number of structuring elements that play an enabling or disabling role in relation to the participatory process: identity, organization, technology, and quality. A number of mixed-method case studies are employed that mirror the minimalist vs. maximalist theme. For example, within the analysis of media organizations, Carpentier examines the BBC’s Video Nation, an illustration of a power equilibrium between media professionals and citizens, and participation fostered through the sharing and discussion of user generated content in the form of video submissions (p. 246). In contrast, scrutiny of the community radio network Radioswap offers a cautionary tale of how participatory organizational structures can in fact impede citizen influence and replicate embedded, hierarchical power structures (p. 259). 

Fundamentally, Carpentier actively celebrates participation as a concept in flux, that it is precisely the struggle over its definition that encapsulates the constantly evolving power dynamics (p. 352). However, the book is at pains to highlight the importance of definitional constraint, something that itself succeeds in doing through the introduction of the Access, Interaction and Participation Model. The book offers a lucid yet exhaustive account combining both intricate theoretical detail with prudent and informative examples. As a result, the book makes for a thorough, historically contextualized introductory text for emerging scholars, whilst the empirical contributions should entice seasoned academics from a diverse range of fields including political theory, communications and political sociology.

 

On Thursday (24th May) I shall be presenting a paper at the 6th Annual PhD Conference - ‘Convergence, Engagement and Power: Digital Convergence and the Challenge to Global Hegemony’, organised by the Institute of Communication Studies at the University of Leeds. Paper abstract below.

 

“It’s Better to Light a Candle Than to Fantasise About a Sun”: Exploring Slacktivism and the Utopian / Dystopian Divide 2.0

This paper offers a critique of the artificial utopian / dystopian dichotomy that has re-emerged within academic literature examining the effect of social-networking sites on political engagement, and sets out an alternative approach aiming to capture the nuance of mediated citizenship at varying scales. The prevalence of unsubstantiated generalisations, anecdotal case studies, and a lack of empirical testing is exemplified through the scholarly debate surrounding ‘Slacktivism’; that low-threshold forms of political engagement online are inauthentic, narcissistically motivated, and a distraction replacing more meaningful forms of offline mobilisation (The Substitution Thesis).

This paper proposes a number of deficiencies within this approach. Firstly, the problematic emphasis on the medium itself leads to an arbitrary distinction between online and offline, and subsequently lacks appreciation for the complexity of engagement repertoires and organisational structures. Secondly, conceptual clarity is required in regards to what encompasses participation in relation to social-networking site. Slacktivism offers a narrow perspective of what engagement entails, notably end-product, ‘revolutionary’ activism without an appreciation of the informational and discursive stimulants that form part of this process (Carpentier 2011). The utopian / dystopian dichotomy and Slacktivist approach fundamentally miss the key function of social-networking sites as a commercial and entertainment-based medium, i.e. their role as a facilitator for conversations and networking. Finally, a collection of revisions are proposed to re-frame the Slacktivist critique to construct a viable research agenda aiming to systematically examine the effect of routine social-networking usage on political engagement.

 

For more information on the conference, the programme is available to download. 
For details of Billur Aslan’s paper (fellow NPC PhD Student), please see the New Political Communication blog.

Here is a short book review I prepared for the Political Studies Review (to be published in Vol. 11, No. 2, May 2013). It’s a review of Zizi Papacharissi’s ‘A Private Sphere’. In a digestable, less than 140-characters summary: it’s awesome, a must read for those interested in new political communication.

 

A Private Sphere: Democracy in a Digital Age by Zizi Papacharissi. Cambridge: Polity, 2010. 200pp. 

Throughout academic literature there is concern for widespread political apathy amongst citizens in Western democracies; this is despite the omnipresence of political content shared online. A Private Sphere aims to expose this disjuncture as a lack of appreciation for the architecture of contemporary political engagement, and how and where it occurs. Papacharissi blames this on the dichotomy that exists in regards to public and private spaces, and the lack of appreciation for the role of technology and convergence of the social, cultural, and political. It is not that individuals are rejecting the political per se, but rather a growing lethargy exists for the political mainstream and subsequently the public sphere as it is traditionally conceived.

A Private Sphere attempts to conceptualise how digitally enabled, self-motivated, private acts can have a public-political affect. The private sphere is a descriptive theoretical hypothesis that reframes the spatial construction of where political acts occur, and details how public civic engagement can be enabled through media interactions located within an individuals own private, personalised space. The private sphere highlights the unique spatial hybridity of digital media, as it possesses both the familiarity and autonomy of the private space, but with the potential audience of a public act. This is exemplified through a number of mechanisms: The proliferation of social-networking sites has enabled the networked individual to interact with multiple audiences; self-expression through narcissistic blogging contributes to the plurality of political discussions; and social news aggregation (e.g. Reddit) offers a potential challenge to dominant political narratives. It is the combination of these networked activities that provide the basis of a widespread participatory culture; one that Papacharissi suggests may have democratising consequences. Despite this the book does not fall into the utopian trap of many contemporaries. The author weaves a critical eye throughout detailing the limitations of the technologies, such as access inequalities.

Whilst the book often teases the reader in its judgement of what affect this convergence is having on democracy, this does not detract from the unique theoretical framework the private sphere offers for future empirical work. Furthermore, the book offers a fresh, evolutionary approach to the conceptualisation of democracy and citizenship. Seasoned scholars with a pre-existing interest in cultural studies, media studies, and political communication, will find A Private Sphere an innovative approach to the ongoing debates surrounding the democratic value of new media tools, whilst students will appreciate the extensive conceptual overview of citizenship and the public sphere.

 

Follow Zizi Papacharissi on Twitter here 
Buy a copy of the book here 

 

Over the past few weeks I’ve been working on the first chapter of my PhD, a section devoted to Slacktivism, which is…

‘Slacktivism is a pejorative term that has emerged within popular commentary about the Internet and politics. It refers to low-threshold forms of political engagement online, such as signing an e-petition, ‘liking’ a Facebook page, or changing one’s avatar on Twitter in support of a cause. These forms of micro-activism are perceived to have an insignificant effect on online and offline politics because they are characterised not by an ethic of solidarity, or an individual’s pre-existing political ideology and commitment, but merely the simulation of positive deeds, or worse still, inauthentic narcissism.’ 

The Kony 2012 campaign (catchup on todays events here) today has revived the debate surrounding Slacktivism.

Realistically, the majority of individuals posting the video will not participate past the act of sharing the video itself and as such their low effort activism will have little to no direct effect. The authenticity behind why individuals are sharing has also been called into question. Some will be posting to cultivate a certain image, whether that is due to social pressures due to a personal desire to fit in with a trend, or because of the natural instinctiveness of such an evocative and emotive topic (much more probable IMO).

However, using social-networking sites to spread the message has two potentially positive consequences:

a) the viral explosion of the video has increased the pool of individuals who may develop their engagement into something more substantial. Even if the majority do not do anything more than that, the number of genuine activists will increase. 

b) the dramatic increase of awareness provided by the campaigns presence on social networks may potentially contribute to the attention of ‘elites’; elites being the traditional media who still wield a lot of power in framing issues, and policymakers. Social media users in the past have been part of processes that have been part of a significant political effect e.g. Carter Ruck in 2009, and the role social media in exposing the conspicous nature of the Bullygate ‘scandal’ .

A number of tweets/blogposts/facebook rants have today claimed that awareness does nothing. They are of course correct if you examine the relationship between awareness and results directly. However, this is not a case of simple a-b causality. To engage properly with a political issue (be it anything from pressure group activity, to voting in an election) you need to be aware and informed of the topic. The video has provided a valuable, educative function on a topic a large number of individuals may not have been previously familiar with.

What about the cost of misinformation spread via the videos supposedly duplicitous narrative? Personally, what I find most encouraging about the outcome of the campaign is the debate. Regardless of your personal take on the video, the viral explosion of the campaign, the political standing of Invisible Children as an organisation, or the lack of understanding for the complexities of African Politics; acts of Slacktivism have enabled this debate to occur en masse. Acts of Slacktivism have begun a process leading to a variety of online and offline methods of engagement, facilitating individuals the world over to feature in the above debates over the coming weeks.

Anyway, just a few rough, haphazardly put together thoughts. Check out the video below.

… and in facilitating a healthy debate, some thought provoking blog posts below:

Invisible Children – Pretty Dang Visable (Duck of Minerva)
Stop Kony, yes. But don’t stop asking questions (The Independent)
Taking ‘Kony 2012′ Down a Notch (Justice in Conflict)

‘Your timeline is your collection of the photos, stories, and experiences that tell your story.’ (Facebook 2011).

Last month Charlie Brooker unveiled his long-awaited ‘Black Mirror’ trilogy, providing a snapshot of a dystopian future where the convergence of technological developments and social practices had resulted in some rather disturbing events (warning: episode 1 is not one for fans of Babe). Whilst predominantly aimed as a piece of fiction, the three episodes each made a poignant statement. Episode 1 highlighted the evolving power dynamics in the relationship between political elites, mass media, and Web 2.0 environments in an era of porous information flows. Episode 2 featured a number of overlapping messages, including aspects of expanding, obsessive celebrity culture alongside a disturbing lack of clarity between virtual existence and reality. However, it was the finale, ‘The Entire History of You’, that was the most thought provoking. For those unaware, the episode proposed a future where brain implants contained a visual storage facility for life, allowing the individual to obsess over every minute detail. Whilst this is sci-fi fiction at it’s core, the juxtaposition of the show with the gradual public rollout of Facebook ‘Timeline’ was intriguing. 

Timeline is Facebook’s latest flagship design change. It is self explanatory in it’s function; the history of a Facebook user is plotted out on an easily navigable line. ‘Friends’, whether they be your best friend of many years or a new work colleague, can use the side-bar to glance back into your past and admire your past relationships, cringe-worthy status updates, and photos of your purple hair.

Introduced alongside Timeline is a new app ecosystem encouraging ‘frictionless’ sharing of an increasing range of content; from the ‘News’ hub that collates data on every single story you read from a number of news apps, to the monotonous Spotify updates included within the Live Feed. Sharing through Facebook has become passivized, replacing the motivating factors at the core of the decision to share.

With the implementation of the Timeline navigation and ever-increasing demands to ‘share’ personal information within Facebook; the parallels between Brooker’s  sci-fi dystopia became, personally, very real; especially the ease with which a new ‘friend’ would be able to access the entirety of my Facebook content.

This critique in itself is somewhat flawed. Firstly, it has always been possible to do this. An individual could always manually scroll down your Facebook profile and unearth any past lapses of judgement.  However, I personally never comprehended other ‘Friends’ taking the time to manually scroll through; I was blissfully ignorant. In addition, under the barrage of setting menus, one can control who can view tags and also every single post that exists on your Timeline. However, you can only edit posts individually. If you’ve been a member since 2006, that could potentially be a mammoth amount of content. Facebook do not provide an option to limit content en masse, apart from an option to block public content (i.e. content you may have made viewable to those outside your friendship network in the past). 

I’ve not been one to moan at past previous updates to the Facebook service, quite the opposite. I’ve been a strong advocate for the diversification and development of the service up until this point; until now my personal social context, requirements of the service, and personal information demands from Facebook were in relative symbiosis. However, as Facebook evolves and demands more personal information and interaction, it changes the social boundaries that a user originally signed up for. These boundaries between personal sociality needs, and Facebook’s service (and cooperate operations) constantly shift and change in coordination with personal context, and Facebook’s own evolution.

‘At the heart of this boundary flux is deep confusion about what is virtual – that which seems real but is ultimately a mere simulation – and what is real.’ (Baym 2010: 5).

When I first signed up for Facebook I had certain boundaries set up for a) what content I shared and b) who I counted as a Facebook friend; it was a fairly open ‘anything-goes’ policy. This correlated with the circumstances of my self at the time, being 17 my social life and network size was pretty expansive. However, as time progresses my boundaries for content and who I count as a friend have moved and been reshaped; they are constantly fluid and adapt to my social circumstances at a certain point in time. Alongside this, Facebook has evolved as a service. Long-gone are the days when ‘is’ was a compulsory pre-requisite for status updates. As Facebook has expanded its service and commercial arm, it’s demand for personal data has vastly grown. Personally, Timeline and the advent of frictionless apps between many leading online services marks the end of this convergence. I am a strong believer in a certain overlap between what Couldry (2000) maps out as the ‘Media World’ and ‘Ordinary World’, but some of the most recent changes have pushed the boundaries of my compliancy. For example, the option to tag and share the death of a loved-one on Facebook stand at odds of my pre-conceived notion of grieving; it seems immersive mediations are getting in the way of experiences and emotions I felt were never appropriate to engage with virtually. 

Anyway… Just a few thoughts I had floating around my head on Timeline. The rollout of Timeline will be happening shortly, here are a few links of interest.

Links: 

Facebook Timeline Roll Out (Mashable) – http://mashable.com/2012/01/24/facebook-timeline-roll-out/
How Users Would Change Timeline (Mashable) – http://mashable.com/2012/01/27/facebook-timeline-changes-communit
A Guide to Timeline (Entrepreneur.com)  – http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/222425
How to Master Timeline in 5 mins (Wired) – http://www.channel4.com/programmes/black-mirror/episode-guide/series-1/episode-3

References:

Baym, N. K. (2010). Personal Connections in the Digital Age. Cambridge: Polity.
Couldry, N. (2003). Media Rituals: A Critical Approach. London: Routledge.

Just a small blog post on the matter of 24/7 news media’s lack of understanding in regards to digital activism. Firstly, a bit of a background. Around 22.45pm last night online group @lulzsec announced an (ironic) hacking of The Sun’s website (and later News International’s website). The changes were as followed:

 

1) A redirect from the home-page of The Sun homepage to a fake article on the ‘death of Rupert Murdoch’.

2) A redirect from the The Sun homepage, and a PDF on the News International website, to the LulzSec Twitter page.

 

3) Anonymous and LulzSec began to publish the e-mail login details and telephone contacts of a number of News International employees (numbers edited for legal reasons)

My initial instinct was to follow the story on Twitter to see the real time events unfolding and to switch on BBC News to see some critical analysis. However, whilst all these events unfolded the BBC News 24 had no breaking news coverage. A brief mention did arise around 11.30pm (a full 45 mins after the first hack was announced) during the coverage of tomorrow’s newspapers. Alas, I thought FINALLY the BBC were going to report the hack in detail. I was mistaken. Obviously the weather and Darren Clarke’s open win yesterday were more pressing matters.

 

Now don’t get me wrong, I love the BBC as an organisation and News 24 is my first port of call for all breaking news. However, this exposes a huge degree of naivety in regards to digital activism on behalf of traditional media outlets. Had an impromptu protest occurred outside The Sun office I would not have been surprised to see Sky’s infamous ‘Boat Cam’ (click for Charlie Brooker’s awesome coverage of the G20 protests) make an appearance. All the BBC needed in this case was access to Twitter, a tool that almost all of their leading journalists use extensively. 

 

Finally at 00.10am on Tuesday, BBC News 24 decided to include a brief 15 second roundup of the first attack included as part of there news loop. No mention of the e-mail or telephone numbers released and back to the loop. Whilst I understand staffing in a 24/7 news team is sparse throughout the night, this case does show that the relationship between online and offline activism in the eyes of traditional media may not be as developed as we may have thought in the post-’Arab Spring’ era.

 

UPDATE: Just found a clip of Sky News breaking the story (at 23.43pm). Blame the ‘Louise Boat’. Brilliant.

 

Last week a group from the New Political Communication unit went for a tour of the Imperial War Museum.

Check out my thoughts of the exhibits and the personalisation effect (outside of mediatized narratives) below or on the NPC blog here.

 

Walk into the foyer of the Imperial War Museum in London and you may be forgiven for thinking you were inside a ‘Modelzone’, a shop devoted to collectable war replicas. Littered across the atrium are countless examples of British military iconography. The Spitfire hangs valiantly from the rooftop, emblematic of the triumphalism often associated with military success and War in general. However, juxtaposed against these adulated instruments of warfare lies a burnt-out Volvo from Iraq. Simply entitled ‘5th March 2007’, the wreckage was salvaged from a car bomb explosion that took the lives of 38 people in a busy Baghdad market. Resembling little more than a contorted, rusting wreck, the car acts as a powerful image illustrating not only the literal implications of the Iraq conflict, but of War in general.  

 

The museum offers a very different approach to mediatized forms of war reporting or dramatizations. No framing is in operation, no templates of previous conflicts are used, and exasperated Hollywood storylines do not feature. Instead the eclectic mix of exhibits offers scope for personal interpretation. The wreckage overrules the abstract notion of warfare we develop through the dissemination of news content. Often the constant barrage of images depicting violence and the subsequent unfathomable tally of casualties and fatalities make it difficult to comprehend the human cost of conflicts. Instead, here, the broader political relevance of warfare takes priority. Where the Imperial War Museum really excels is through the collections’ ability to deconstruct this discourse and illustrate the realism of conflicts either through symbolism (e.g. 5th March 2007) or through moving personalised narratives, as witnessed within the Holocaust exhibit.  

 

The effect of unmediated communication, directly from a person affected by a conflict to the information consumer, is extremely relevant in the New Political Communication field. Just as the private accounts of Holocaust survivors at the museum caused a much more emotive, tangible interpretation of the traumatic events of the Second World War, social media tools are increasingly connecting personal accounts of conflicts to individuals globally, as seen in recent events in Tunisia and Egypt. This poses an interesting question as to how these direct relationships will affect frame dominance during military action.  

 

Thank you to the Imperial War Museum and Dr O’Loughlin for organising an engaging and informative tour. 

The past few weeks have been blur. In between finishing my PhD proposal and panicking about finishing my PhD proposal, I’ve had little time for blogging. However wedged between my small bursts of productivity were huge bursts of procrastination. Here’s a small collection of whats been distracting me during the last month: 

Pokemon Black

Playing Pokemon as a teenager was frowned upon. Secondary school seemed to be a constant rat-race to see who could become a young-adult faster and thus live the Charlie Sheen lifestyle of booze, drugs, sex and repeat. Unfortunately, like most teenagers, I got caught up in this constant competition to disown any signs of immaturity. The good thing about actually becoming a young adult is the realisation that it’s ok to be yourself. Pokemon is therefore socially acceptable. I’m glad it is too as the 5th incarnation is the most intuitive and experimental since Gold/Silver. Yes you still have to collect 8 badges and defeat the elite 4 BUT Black adds a level of graphical pizzaz, story depth and brilliant inter-connectivity (through Nintendo’s wifi setup). 

Funeral for a Friend – Welcome Home Armageddon

Funeral for a Friend are the last remaining salvo from the post-hardcore class of the early noughties that made me fall in love with music. Unfortunately for me, there last release ‘Memory and Humanity’ diverged wildly from their roots and as a result saw them tumble deeper into the bottomless pit of British rock mediocrity and irrelevance. One minute you’re selling out the Carling Academy in Birmingham, the next you’re filling the daytime slot at a Warwick University ‘festival’. Will the new album make FFAF relevant within mainstream popular music? Not a chance. Does the latest release see a return to artistic credibility? 100%. Now give me a mosh pit, a wall-of-death and some ibuprofen (I’m not as limber as I once was).

iPad 2 launch and Garageband

Dislaimer alert: I love Apple and have an ever-growing apathy for Microsoft products, although this is undoubtedly tainted by the poor job they do on Mac versions of their software. I do try and maintain some objectivity however. I was first-in-line to criticise the price-point of the first Macbook Air and was an iPad doubter for months following it’s release. Like all Apple products however, actually owning the product is the key to understanding it’s broader functionality and why the iPad is magical. The iPad 2 is slimmer, faster whilst retaining the same battery-life. By my reckoning that is tri-winning and thus better than Mr. Sheen and his goddesses. As for ‘Garageband’ at £2.99, it’s an utter steal. I’ve used my fair share of music production software in the past and as a novice, most of them are too complex and have less than desirable results. Garageband on the iPad is fun-ctional: musical noobs and established artists alike can make use of the vast array of features to great effect.

 

Whilst time you enjoy wasting isn’t wasted, you need to draw a line. Often it’s incredibly difficult to do so and really engage with work etc… 

 

Michael Jordan

Life often presents us with challenges and obstacles we fail to take: It’s hard to motivate yourself when you lack the self-confidence to believe you can achieve something. In taking on these challenges it’s often a case of finding inspiration to do so. Inspiration is highly personal, it can come in a wide array of surprising forms. This got me through the triple threat of proposals, essays and job applications.

 

I love social media. I really do.

 

This weekend I ventured up to Blackpool for a night out to celebrate a couple of my friends turning the dreaded age of 22. Whilst we were there I stumbled across a wallet in a taxi complete with an array of cards and cash.  I remember this dilemma being brought up in a PSE class at secondary school; what would you do if you found a wallet with £x? Keep it or attempt to return it via the police? Me; I cut out the middleman.  Thanks to Facebook and the details inside, I was able to contact the owners and arrange a meetup to return the wallet to its rightful owner.

 

Granted some people may see this as a privacy nightmare; that within minutes one person can find someone’s information on Facebook.  However, the privacy storm that is brewing (check out this months Wired) should only exist as a caution of what information you make publically available and a reminder to keep a check on your security settings; not a signal to desert social media altogether.

 

Check out Mashables latest post on advice on how to be more secure using Facebook; here!

 

 

The iPad, loathed and loved the world over. Despite the annoying barrage of adverts, the fact it is just an ‘over sized iPod touch’ and unfortunate similarities in name to certain female lifestyle products; the iPad was the tech success story of 2010.  It’s also the perfect companion for university students and budding academics if used correctly – here’s a run down of the most efficient apps for student-types.

 

Typing on the iPad is a little contentious.  For some the virtual keyboard is as comfortable as flying long-haul with Ryan Air wedged between Andy Gray and Karen Brady. Personally I find it surprisingly ergonomic. Upon first use text entry is a bit of an art form, especially becoming accustomed to the key-spacing, but the spoils awaiting those who conquer the initial niggles and frustration are most definitely worth it. However, where default options for the iPad falter is that they fail to offer serious competition to an actual keyboard, especially given the mobile phone esque switching needed to add punctuation and formatting.  ‘Writer’ solves this by adding an utterly brilliant extra row of tools on the standard keyboard.  Simple editing is made easy via the ability to scroll through your text word-by-word or even by single characters (simplistic so it seems, these additions are fundamental in creating an enjoyable writing experience on the tablet).  Add dropbox functionality (work is synced to ‘the cloud’ for easy access online or from your desktop) and you have an essential word processing app.

 

Writer – £1.19

 

Whilst ‘Writer’ is exemplary for note creation, ‘Notebooks’ is the perfect app for organizing your notes; simply copy your notes across when complete.  ‘Notebooks’ works via the same principles as a physical folder would: you create various notebooks for different courses and within them create further notebooks for different topics. The app is functional with a wide array of file types (all the standards and more – I’ve yet to encounter any compatibility problems) including PDF, meaning you can store, organize and access all of your journals and e-books.  Also included is dropbox functionality; the various different notebooks are synced with your host account, giving you organized access wherever you need it. Essential for the OCD types among us.

 

Notebooks – £5.49

 

One of my most important requirements for any ‘work’ orientated device is that capability to make random notes; not the formal kind that you have the pre-existing intention to make (seminars, lectures) but those late night essay ideas that pop up when you’re watching a naff movie (such as ‘You’ve Got Mail’ – the worst movie of all time) or making a to-do list on the train whilst simultaneously trying to avoid eye-contact with the crazy man stroking your leg.  Evernote is an utterly brilliant note making app with easy to navigate web access and a whole array of mobile and desktop clients.  In addition an add-on is also available for a number of browsers (please don’t use Internet Explorer – every minute you use IE I kill a small, cute, defenseless bunny) to clip web pages for offline access and as a record of the page in the state you accessed it; essential for accurate referencing.  Personally, I like to have separation between my university work and more general notes but otherwise Evernote could plausibly be used as a replacement for ‘Notebooks’ (however for access to the same array of file types you have to shell out for the premium version).

 

Evernote – Free

 

Other apps that are extremely useful include iannotatePDF (the name kinda gives it away… ‘annotating PDF’s’) and documentstogo (for editing word files and the like).  However, one thing I would note is an awareness of when the iPad is productive and when it is definitely a hindrance.  Lecture notes are all fine and dandy but don’t try and write essays on the thing; you’ll end up throwing it out of the window, killing an innocent passer-by, being prosecuted for manslaughter, spending a spell in prison and reenacting the scenes you skip from the Shawshank Redemption. Nobody wants that.

 

The internet has changed the way we live forever. The way I purchase and approach music is an eminent example. Instead of walking into my old local record store (MTM – which is now defunct) browsing through the CD’s, discussing staff recommendations and leaving with music, artwork and the buzz of returning home to critique the record; I’ll simply download a copy. Given the ease of this transaction the value of the record diminishes. The availability of music online unleashes mass choice but at the cost of allowing an album time to grow on you. My favourite album ‘A Song to Ruin’ wasn’t love at first sight; the idea I could be missing out on others of the same ilk is quite saddening.

 

Discussions of this nature are frequent. Political powerhouse Robert Putnam in his seminal work ‘Bowling Alone’ brought the negative impact of technological innovation to ones social well being to the forefront of discussion on the true value of the Internet.  For example social networks have increasingly been attacked for lowering a persons social skills and well-being as virtual relations lack the same emotional connections. However, my personal opinion in this debate has been promoting the positive effects of the Internet and whilst negative repercussions do occur, this is part of an evolving lifestyle that the web facilitates. Society has never been static and commentators should embrace the opportunities that arise through the multi-faceted networks online and not lament the mythical ‘golden-age’.

 

The purpose of this post is to highlight the positive effects a life online can have on offline activity. Personally, during the past 12 months I’ve encountered three significant blogs that have inspired me to try something new, which in turn leads to new opportunities. (Also the links above each description link too  personal twitter page – blog – a rather brilliant example from the blog itself).

 

Niran Vinod – Ying and Yang – Photography

 

I’ve never really been a big fan of taking photos. Fortunately at home and university I had friends who were always at hand to capture those unforgettable (really they are unforgettable, I’ve tried) moments and thus I never felt compelled to pick up a camera myself. This Summer I met Niran whilst working at wearesocial and thus I was introduced to Yin and Yang and photography feature LDN. 365. Basically Niran has been taking photos all over London in an attempt to reach 365 and capture the essence of London in photo form. The collection of photos made me approach photography with a completely different mindset; photos as more than memory stills but as a meaningful art form.

 

 

Bradley L. Garrett – Place Hacking – Exploration

 

Exploring has never really been my cup of tea; I’ve never really embraced that natural inquisitiveness; instead settling for the safety of books, documentaries and not incurring the wrath of my Mother. However, I guarantee that after reading this blog you will feel inspired to explore everything you see. Instead of my first trip to Berlin consisting of a cycle of bar – hangover – bar, I made sure I explored as much as possible within the city. While I’m not breaking into abandoned subways any time soon, the way I approach a city has changed indefinitely.

 

 

J.E. Skeets and Tas Melas – The Basketball Jones – Basketball

 

Being taller than the average bear, basketball was thrust on me as a child rather than a sport I adopted through choice. As such my interest in professional basketball was always one of reluctant disinterest. During the tortuous 2nd year exams in May ’09 – in a desperate attempt to avoid revision, I stumbled across The Basketball Jones; a basketball podcast featuring JE Skeets and Tas Melas. The comedy-infused approach to basketball was a perfect remedy to salvage my interest. Subsequently, much to the displeasure of my sleep pattern, I’ve come to love basketball to the same obsessive degree as football. It’s just unfortunate I chose the Indiana Pacers as my team of choice.

 

 

January 2011 marks the start of a New Year and the mandatory resolutions; lose weight, spend less time on Facebook etc. Instead of setting a negative one, try reading a new blog, be insprired and start something new. That’s the real social value of the Internet.

 

Following a week of debauchery in Berlin and a resulting four days of horrible food poisoning (German Salami – don’t do it kids) the blog posts have taken a rather hefty hit.  Unfortunately, this isn’t about to change.  For the next few weeks I shall be investing all my time, efforts and remaining brain cells in crafting a couple of essays; so blogging is on the back burner.  However this may not be the case due to a few changes coming to the blog… the return of completely random, utterly awful blog posts.  I just cannot contain my elitist opinions on music, sports and questionable thoughts on society; so in tandem with the regular features (which as you’ve noticed by now are in fact irregular…) expect some rather random claptrap.

 

Anyway before I depart to hibernate in the depths of the libraries at Royal Holloway, here are a few links to keep you entertained:

1. The Facebook-book: Love the new Facebook photo-memories feature taking you back to times of old?  Wishing all those memories were more easily accessible than simply clicking on view photos and scrolling within a few seconds? Then get them printed in a book!!!…. Despite my ill attempt at scepticism this is actually a brilliant idea that immortalises the important conversations and photos that all too often get lost in the digital sea of X-Factor status updates; – check it out (plus it’s hosted by a rather wonderful Tom Harvey – brilliant blog and a dreamy looking guy. If you’re into Bieber lookalikes that is…).
2. @theashes: I love the Ashes.  I love confused Americans with unfortunate Twitter names even more.
3. Mashable Hands-On with Diaspora
4. Simon Collister on the Student Protests: The student protests (if you watch 24/7 news channels) are apparently more controversial than the Iraq War and perpretrated by protestors worse than Hitler. This was emphasised by the repetition of the ‘police van carnage’, a completely organic act yeah? Maybe not… 

 

Again apologies on the brief-ness.

A slight problem with the ‘Weekly Web’ this week.  I’m not actually in the UK.  I’m currently probably banged up in some Cuban jail somewhere (watch the linked video – classic)… So due to my already shambolic attempts to maintain regular updates and the fact I haven’t been online all week, here are some online delights from the week previous.

 

1. Back to the Future, the game; Back to the Future is the greatest trilogy of all time, OF ALL TIME. However, it’s release conincided with the infancy of the video games industry and as such the only games that emerged from the franchise were awful… I mean douse yourself in fuel and light yourself just to avoid playing it bad.  Fortunately the guys at Telltale games (see Tales of Monkey Island) are developing a strategy title dropping this Winter and it looks AMAZING.  Top of my Christmas list.

2. Flippant Commenter; cheers to @jackakatramp for this.  If you haven’t been keeping up-to-date with the #twitterjoketrial this week then you’ve missed out.  Catch up here.  Basically – a man tweeted some comical musings to a friend, the judicial system took it seriously and apparently free speech doesn’t exist online.  Yes I twisted it somewhat but the whole scenario is utterly ridiculous.  Flippant Commentator compiles the most threatening tweets online.  Lets see if they all get hauled into court too.

3. Call of Duty Black Ops Commerical – ‘There’s a Soldier In All of Us’; The next game in the billion dollar series is on sale now and has been pronounced as the cause of a devastating virus leaving millions of workers incapcitated the day after release…  This ad’s from the US release and appeals to this notion that COD isn’t just for the young, single 20-something males living in their parents house alternating between hentai and chilling on Xbox Live with 13 year old boys; instead it’s something everyone can enjoy.  Lovely.

4. Thelma; The intersection between blog and the traditional magazine form is something that is increasingly being tested, especially with the increasing availability of e-readers and tablets allowing for a virtual magazine experience.  Unfortunately most of them are as impressive as a BA degree.  Thelma changes that – blog meets magazine meets awesomeness. (Kudos @charliface).

5. The Manchester Derby…; The only good thing to come from the Mancherster Derby.

 

Oh and I know I’m not doing a music blog anymore but if you’re not listening to the new Kanye album and Frank Turner’s – ‘I Still Believe’ then I’m gonna come react like this (Sir Ian Holloway – what a legend, listen to this outburst; it’s brilliant).  Just like that.

Have a good week people.

 

Facebook is evolving at an incredible pace at the moment.  From ‘Places’ to the new Groups interface, the Facebook experience is transforming from the traditional wall and news feed interface to an expansive, amalgamation of different forms of social media.  Messaging is next up for a tune up – following the announcement on Monday (15th).

Whilst Facebook haven’t delved into e-mail as analysts expected, the messaging system has evolved into something wedged between e-mail and real time conversation (similar to Chat or Skype).  Facebook are trying to position this as organic digital conversation; gone are the formal practices of e-mail that were half-heartedly integrated within the old messaging interface.  Now messaging is continuous (with a history of all interaction between users) and also accessible form the usual phone and Facebook access points but now via e-mail with Facebook dishing out @facebook.com addresses.  So if, like me, you refuse to become ‘friends’ with your parents online but would like the conversations integrated within the Facebook messaging structure, let them send you an e-mail and read / reply just as you would a normal message.  Facebook has also launched ‘The Social Inbox’; basically you can create settings to allow only ‘friends’ to contact you rather than the annoyance (as with traditional e-mail platforms) of spam and the like.

The standout feature for me is the correlation of the numerous platforms within the new interface.  Whether by e-mail, Facebook chat, SMS or just via the Facebook inbox; all your conversations are stored together.

Click here for a link to the FB blog or check out the introductory video below.

What you should be using now… Facebook Groups

 

Facebook’s most recent innovations have been a little underwhelming to say the least.  Facebook Questions, following in the footsteps of Yahoo, was a complete failure with low adoption rates and a service crucially lacking the comical element that made Yahoo so endearing.  Facebook Places jumped on the geo-location social networking bandwagon. However, the fairly basic implementation of Places has so far failed to materialise in the service becoming integrated within the ‘standard’ Facebook experience; users seemingly drawn to dedicated services such as Foursquare, Gowalla and Yelp.  The recent changes to Facebook Groups however breaks this trend.

 

 

The new Groups are essentially their own social network.  Retained from the old groups are the ability to have a group wall, discussion board etc.  However, two new additions have left me as excitable as this kid on christmas morning when he received his NINTENDO 64:

1. Chat; fire up the Delorean as its time to head back to 2001 as Groups enable users to chat with groups members; imagine MSN but with even more people.  

2. Docs; groups allow for document creation and editing.  A god-send for anyone doing group work at university.

 

 

What you will be using in the future… HealthReport

 

People love to set themselves targets to improve their well-being.  A whole industry exists for weight loss and fitness; often many techniques fail.  Personally I’m awful at meeting my self-improvement targets.  I always make them almost unattainable and end up failing, resulting in a day of me sitting in my pants, playing on my Xbox and stalking you on Facebook.  Fortunately for me, Health Report has changed that.

 

Now, whilst it isn’t for everyone, if you do love your social networks and attend to them religiously, Health Report could be a big deal.  It sets you targets per month that you try to keep too.  Fail a target and you lose one of your ten lives.  Your targets are tracked via a points system so you can see what days you’re most productive.  Privacy is an issue (everything is public) so don’t go making personal targets and then blaming me when people find out you’re trying to curb your addiction to scat porn.  Finish a month with your lives intact and you get a Foursquare badge too.  So far Its helped me keep up to date with work, keep my Facebook obsession down and even attempt to turn my Peter Crouch body into something more akin to Brock Lesnar…

 

Check out Health Report for a more detailed run down on how it works. 

 

 

Techno-Lust… San Francisco

 

The San Francisco smart phone is an absolute steal.  Boasting screen quality to rival the iPhone 4 and Samsung Galaxy S and specs not too shy from them either, the San Francisco offers a £400 package at the cost of just £109; reduced further if your a student or existing Orange customer.  If you’re inept at keeping to a contract and need the flexibility of Pay as You Go but don’t want to sell your liver and virginity to pay for a decent phone; this is for you.  It does come with some rather ugly Orange software but, thanks to an active dev community, it’s easy to install a custom ROM and have the stock Android setup.  Link here for more information.

 

Right Sunday means the first instalment of the (probably ill-fated) weekly web.  Basically, a small collection of some funny, arty and just brilliant bits from around the web you may have missed.

 

1. What the fuck has Obama done so far; yes this week were the US Mid-Terms and yes the Democrats lost control of the House.  Still Obama can be pretty chuffed this website exists.

2. USB stick… in a wall…; Gizmondo reported this week of a rather awesome building feature – a communal USB stick within an external brick.  Take your laptop and share your music, poetry and naked photos of your ex with the world. 

3. RoHo Notes; an utterly brilliant concept at my very own university.  RoHo Notes sees the placement of post-it notes around campus featuring uplifting quotes and quirky designs.  A nice online/offline mashup.

4. The Banksy Halloween costume; I didn’t dress up for Halloween because I’m lame.  This guy did however, as a piece of Banksy’s work.  Best. Halloween. Outfit. Ever. (Followed by NBA guard Rajon Rando’s take on Tiger Woods).

5. Dropbox Wallpapers; if you’re not using Dropbox then you’re missing out.  The best way to keep your documents safe and the best way to share your documents.  This collection of wallpapers is not only a great example but also… just a great set of wallpapers.

 

Comment on what takes your fancy over the next 7 days (literally anything) and I’ll include them next week. 

 

Cheers to Jack for linking me to most of these!

 

How to access the blog

 

Also you may have noticed but the blog isn’t based on my website but Posterous.  To subscribe to the RSS feed or to comment or view the list of other vastly superior blogs you should be reading, check out this link.

 

Warning – the first paragraph is boring theoretical discussion – read further on for the good stuff

 

The charity sector displays the unique benefits of the Internet in providing enhanced networking opportunities.  The Internet has played two fundamental roles in the current success and overwhelming potential for charities online.  Firstly, the web plays an awareness function by allowing a vast increase in numbers to engage with a topic; thus allowing for individuals within the self-expressive virtual word to become ‘issue entrepreneurs’ (see James Stanyer). Instead of institutionalised charities dictating awareness to mass audiences, activists online offer a fragmented approach to issue understanding, allowing expose for more niche cause.  Secondly, the community components of web 2.0 allow individuals to discuss and engage with issues in a global context.  With the development and ease of use of online transactions this has lead to a revolution in e-campaigning for the charity sector.

 

Now, boring course related jargon over, the reason I’m all-big on charities online this week is due to this the launch of Movember on Monday.  Movember is simple; guys begin November with a shave then let their moustache grow for an entire month.  Why do this (apart from the hilarity of having a moustache – see this Family Guy episode and a rather amusing dictator)?  This is all in aid of prostate cancer.  Prostate cancer has a difficult stigma attached to it; guys just hate talking about it (cue another hilarious Family Guy sketch).  Whilst breast cancer has an incredibly effective ‘pink’ campaign, prostate cancer has been lagging in terms of establishing an awareness campaign that both encourages the discussion of the disease amongst men but also boosts contributions to help discover a cure.  Movember is the answer.  And it’s awesome.

 

So keep a look out some ridiculous moustache’s in the next few weeks and donate some of that beer money to these fine fellows:

 

Dan Harston

Tom Harvey

Lee Shaw

 

 

Last season Wayne Rooney and Lebron James embodied everything I loved about sports.  Rooney epitomized passion with his performances for both Manchester United and England; chasing every lost ball, endlessly trying to force a breakthrough and topping it all off with goals aplenty, before injuries hit in the latter part of the season.  Lebron is of the same ilk.  Check out the Cavaliers highlights from the 09/10 season and you will see the complete player, not only excelling both offensively and defensively but performing with a level of maturity and leadership beyond his years.  Both were at the top of their respective sports and with it held a vast array of lucrative endorsements; poster-boys for their clubs, leagues and even sports.

 

Fast-forward to October 2010 and the image of both superstars faces a lengthy rehabilitation.  Lebron left his hometown in Cleveland live on national television, the club that drafted him back in 2003, to join Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh at the Miami Heat.  Wayne Rooney refused to sign the latest contract offering from Manchester United, signalling a move, before backtracking and signing a 5-year deal.  Both claimed to be moving for ‘ambition’ but numerous commentators have launched a scathing critique highlighting the financial factor involved in both decisions.  Their actions have resulted in the worst bout of negative publicity within their promising careers and thus a subsequent drop off in their ‘image’.

 

Obviously the most important factor to address the negativity is through their performances.  However, marketing and social media both offer unique opportunities for transforming popular perception.  The significance of the control of the player’s image and overall ‘message’ is evident with the positioning of their respective announcements and the repercussions of these.  Lebron’s team tried to turn his free agency into a mass media event; utilizing the disastrous live TV announcement the ‘Decision’, whist Rooney’s agent released a statement not only announcing his contract intentions but also criticizing the club’s ambitions and quality of his own team mates.  Without interference from their agents, both players would have received much more positive press.

 

Lebron has already began on his path to redemption and his uptake of Twitter and his latest Nike Commercial have made great strides at painting a picture of an ‘honest’ and ‘genuine’ Lebron.  Whether this is merely a marketing ploy is down to personal interpretation.  Personally, the Lebron Twitter feed has shown some excellent insight into Lebron’s lifestyle; highlighting his determination to succeed in spite of the negative criticism, implicit regrets on the way he left Cleveland and an illustration of the large number of forces that place pressure on both his career and him as a person.  His interaction and honesty have made great strides in my return to the pro-Lebron camp.  The Nike ad acts as a culmination of the discussion Lebron has initiated via Twitter; an excellent advert highlighting the whole saga from a personal perspective.   This change of tact from one of the public watching from afar to being an actively engaged party within the Lebron saga through the twitter feed and moving advert will only help Lebron’s case.

 

 

For Rooney, he obviously plans to take a different route.  With Rooney constantly complaining about media intrusion into his personal life (despite having no qualms in accepting large advertising endorsements); it seems unlikely that he will utilize any forms of social media.  Whilst uptake of Twitter within the Premier League is a far cry from the levels of interaction in the NBA, the likes of Robbie Savage highlight that even the most vilified sports personality can positively affect their image through social media. 

 

The Lebron example highlights the positive impact social media can have within the sphere of sports (especially with fan engagement).

 

More on the debate on whether it’s appropriate for sports players to use social media in a fortnight.

 

What you should be using now… Foursquare

 

Foursquare has a bad reputation amongst non-users.  A common criticism is this idea it’s a dream for burglars.  First off, that is absolute tosh.  Facebook’s lax attitude to privacy has resulted in all social media having a bad name.  Foursquare are the kings of privacy.  You can easily control what information is public and the ease of access for your profile.  You don’t have to broadcast your whereabouts and one would probably be a fool if they did… *cough*…

 

Whilst Foursquare isn’t for everyone, It does possess some rather brilliant game mechanics; the quest to get badges and the mayorship of your local gets some people pretty competitive.  Plus being the Mayor can have some nice little advantages at certain locations; Wetherspoons pub’s offer discounts on drinks and food for their Mayor.  The badges also invoke a ‘Pokemon’ esque psyche; I recently unlocked the first UK Superwarm badge at a Foursquare meetup.  Yes, I am THAT cool. 

 

What you will be using in the future… Instagram (iPhone only)

 

Everybody likes to think they have the potential to be a photographer; just look through your Facebook feed.  The standard mix is single people who find solace in their alcohol and couples who ensure every single photo is of them and their partner; here’s me and my boyfriend on the beach, eating breakfast, taking a shit etc.  However, it’s rare you’ll stumble on someone with genuine talent (such as the brilliant Matthew Elliott and Niran Vinod – both deserve lots of your attention).  Well for the artistically inept amongst you, Instagram is your saviour.

 

Instagram is a photo sharing social network – similar to a Twitter for photos rather than 140-characters of Justin Bieber crap.  You take a photo, easily add one of a number of snazzy effects and immediately you become an artistic genius.  The social networking element comes in via the ability to follow friends and keep a feed of all your friend’s ‘works of art’ (so more baby photos – just with sepia).  Check out some of mine below.  To top it all off it is currently free in the app store – So go get downloading.

 

 

 

Techno-Lust… Beats by Dre – Studio Headphones

 

As a budding audiophile, I approached the Beats by Dre with caution.  The cynic in me immediately questioned the product given it’s popularity amongst ‘the young folk’ and my suspicion of products that use a celebrity, rather than the actual product, to sell.  I finally caved and let the image conscious 13-year old ghetto boi in me take over and got a pair.  Overrated?  Not in the slightest.  The Beats look awesome (in a last grasp at trying to retain some sense of teenagedom way) but the sound quality is out of this world.  I expected bass heavy given their market but was pleasantly surprised by the delightful attention to detail paid to the mids; giving songs a much fuller sound and allowing you to dabble in a bit of The XX, Ludovico Enaudi – anything, and still enjoy the aural experience.  Concerns about build quality and battery use (for the sound exclusion – which is deadly, prepare to have a few near misses when crossing the road) aside, if you’re interested in some elite headphones and willing to splash the cash, you could do no worse than a pair of Beats.