Smart Mobs and smart phones

Though you can't actually click on Habit Burger in Davis commons and leave a met/data, tag infused opinion on the restaurant itself, YELP and plenty of other user generated review site, all accessible from a smart phone, easily change my decision of whether I actually patron the establishment. I don't have to vocally hear from a friend that they recommend the restaurant, or have to suffer through the poor service on my own. These aren't even my close friends posting these virtual bills of (dis)approval, they are relative strangers but, their opinions, and the hundred of concurring ones, all accessed within seconds, can't be that far off.

Another example of the constant connection to the vital data that drives my life is between public transpiration and my cell phone. Unitrans has employed NEXTBUS, a service that tracks every bus via GPS, and using its location and speed on it's route, I can text my bus stop number to NEXTBUS to get an exact time of arrival. While my phone dose not have GPS capabilities, I have MacGyvered a gps bus tracking devise, the microprocessor of my phone's texting capability communicating with NEXTBUS' GPS data.

Blog 13--Who owns the Media

After reading SmartMobs introduction, Reingolds perspective on changes in media is very apparent in my own current life. For example my brother right now is over in South Korea, and before leaving he was informed that his American cell phone would not work over there, because they are on a higher frequency for cell phone, and essentially his cell phone was too “old” to run off of it. However, because of computers my brother although without a cell phone for the time being has been able to skype with me via our computers. Reignold discusses how intercommunicating devices are becoming increasingly useful to individuals. Ten years ago, this type of communication was probably non-existent, and now it is as easy as checking email. This change in media has helped me stay in touch with my brother on a daily basis, where before it wouldn’t have been this easy.

Another is example is when Reingold discusses how in Japan he witnesses an interaction among five people, while the younger people share a text message amongst themselves, they do not with the older people. I can relate this back to my own current life by when I am out to dinner with older people (my parents, their friends) they find it very rude when I take my cell phone and text message, but when I am with people my own age, people not only don’t mind, but don’t even seem to notice it. This demonstrates that over the ages how much technology is more accepted upon a younger generation because we don’t know much else.

Viral VIdeos Extra Credit

In reference to Second Life, Burgess’ discussion of viral videos can be connected through the idea of group participation—to culturally participate in terms of promoting communication rather than simply for entertainment or commercial gain. Rather, the idea of being able to share and communicate amongst the masses is something that both Second Life and Viral Videos seem to share the purpose of expressing/communicating via a particular medium. Second Life is a means for individuals to live out or act out their interests and opinions in a virtual environment. Second Life becomes a forum of discussion, in essence, a Public Sphere in which ideas and opinions can develop. Thus, the innate need for humans to culturally participate is something that both drives the creation of viral videos, and communities like Second Life.

Viral Videos

Jean Burgess’s article is about the construction of viral videos and how cultural participation are what build up to make what we now consider to be a viral video and networking site. Bernhard Drax’s Second Life videos contribute to Burgess’s idea of the viral video and networking sites because that is what you are able to do in Second Life. Without the contribution from the people, a virtual world would not be possible. In one’s life, we are always judged by what we wear, how we look, how we speak, and even by what our sex is. Drax shows us that none of this is of any importance when you are in you Second Life. He mentions that there are all sorts of people there and no critiques of how they look. Second Life is a place for everyone to come together without having all of the criticizing. Both Burgess and Drax make it clear that viral videos and networking sites are not places for critique, but rather places for everyone to be at peace with oneself without worrying about what the other people are thinking.

Blog 12 - Second Life and Burgess (EC)

Burgess' article discusses viral videos which relate to the ones that Drax makes in Second Life. Burgess describes how viral videos are viewed to culturally participate rather than for marketing which people can use as a way to actively contribute and engage in cultural conversation. Burgess also describes the viral video as a producer of culural value where it acts as a place for a wide range of people in the social network to communicate. That is precisely how Drax is using Second Life to mediate the real life and the virtual life. By being the messenger he brings together people of the real world to people who are unable to do it in real life. This brings together people around the world and others who simply cannot be there in person for events like Obama's campaign. He also brings together people with disabilities or other people who are exceptions like republicans for Obama. Second Life also explores different aspects of real life that people may now be able to explore like Guantanamo Bay.

Extra Credit: Viral Videos/Second Life

According to Burgess, cultural participation plays a major part in the foundation of mass video culture & networking or social sites. Drax's videos further affirms this idea by showing and visually explaining that second life lets users participate and discuss feelings thoughts and ideas about certain cultural, social, and economical situations happening in day to day life. The pressure of who you are, what class you relate with, what gender you belong to etc., doesn't matter in this "life". It becomes a means of communication among several masses surrounding the world, where users also get to experience parts of the world they are not familiar with.

Viral Video and Second Life

Jean Burgess’ article discusses the nature of viral videos while the videos of Drax revolve around the virtual world Second Life. The article states that videos are not concrete messages but rather techniques for communication and mediation among the masses. This applies to Drax’s work because of the way Second Life allows mediation on a virtual level. The online participants of Second Life come from all over the world with different political and social backgrounds where they are able to come together in this virtual world to not only discuss matters of society but to also experience different virtual locations, like Guantanamo Bay. This idea of the viral video and virtual community support Habermas’ idea of the Public Sphere because of the way both encourage conversation and debate over important topics.