iPhones

This is the video I made for my assignment on new communication technologies. It's about all the different ways I like to use my iPhone Dave.

The Video Gaming Debate

Over the past 30 years, video games have emerged and captured the minds and imaginations of today’s youth (Funk 2005, p. 395). As technology continues to grow and develop, and video game enthusiasts dive further and further into the simulating world of gaming, concerns have arisen regarding the effect this poses to young people. This essay will argue that extensive use of video gaming impacts the health of the young generation in both a positive and negative way. It benefits kids by providing innovative and effective learning development, enhancing creativity and can encourage pro-social behaviour. However, video gaming also triggers aggressive behaviour and desensitization towards violence, negatively affects school performance, and is linked as a cause for obesity and many other physical problems. With both arguments taken into account, a recommendation will be proposed as a solution for concerned parents and young people.

Video games possess many different objectives such as entertainment, problem solving, and education, and the educational aspect of video gaming has proven to be very effective for young children (Gentile 2005, p. 10). The appealing visualizations and interactive nature of games provide an engaging platform, which Professor James Gee asserts, "trigger deep learning that is itself part and parcel of the fun" (cited in Funk 2005, p. 396). Video games naturally teach children many high-level thinking skills such as problem solving and logic, hand-eye coordination, fine motor and spatial skills, multitasking, quicker decision making, developing reading and mathematical skills, memory, and strategizing (Tumbokon 2011). Interestingly, research indicates that children who engage in educational video games have fewer attention problems, and a higher school GPA than children who do not (Hastings, Karas, Winsler, Way, Madigan & Tyler 2009, p. 646). Research suggests that video games also help to enhance creativity, by stimulating a positive mood and high arousal levels (Hutten & Sundar 2010, p. 294). This leads to young people excelling in the areas of arts and other creative activities. Although video games are often criticised for inducing anti-social behaviour, research conducted by Tobias Greitemeyer and Silvia Osswald suggests that games can promote either anti or pro-social behaviour, and children who engage in pro-social video games are more likely to socialise and help others (2011, p. 121). Likewise, Manali Oak suggests that children who suffer from a lack of self-confidence and social skills benefit from playing games because it gives children a sense of participation and achievement, thus building their self-esteem (2011).

On the other side of the argument, extensive video gaming has proven to be detrimental to the health of young people. Firstly, violent video games cause an increase in aggressive thoughts, feelings and behaviour (Funk 2005, p. 405). Exposure to violence in video games causes long-term aggressive behaviour as a result of the changes in cognitive processing, and also relates to a decrease in empathy and stronger pro-violence attitudes, which is a huge concern considering that 90% of video games contain some form of violence (Funk 2005, p. 405). Retired Lt. Col. Dave Grossman, former tactical trainer and Army Ranger, states that violent video games are “actively training children to kill”, and kids learn to use weapons and shoot sharply in simulated games the same way soldiers improve their precision through simulation (Hoerrner & Hoerrner 2006, p. 13). Desensitisation to violence is another by-product of constant exposure, which can be defined as “the reduction or eradication of cognitive, emotional, and ultimately, behavioral responses to a violent stimulus” (Funk 2005, p. 406). The behavioral outcome to this is decreased conviction and failure to stop violence, and an increase in aggressive responses (Funk 2005, p. 406). Although pro-social video games can help education, addiction and the excessive use of any type of video game also has a negative effect on the academic performance of children, adolescence and adults (Prot, McDonald, Anderson & Gentile 2012, p. 651). The displacement hypothesis can be used to explain this relationship, where time spent video gaming replaces the time that should be spent studying, which ultimately effects academic performance. Statistics that support this theory is clearly demonstrated in a study that showed that gamers spend 34% less time doing homework in comparison with non-gamers (Prot, McDonald, Anderson & Gentile 2012, p. 651). Simply put, time spent gaming has a negative correlation with school performance (Gentile 2005, p. 11). Lastly, the excessive use of video gaming has been linked with obesity and many other physical health conditions such as musculoskeletal disorders, video-induced seizures, cardiovascular problems and carpel tunnel syndrome (Gentile 2005, p. 11). Obesity is particularly evident, seeing as though children are replacing time spent outdoors exercising for time spent gaming. A study by Stattler and colleagues in 2004 showed that there is nearly a two-fold risk of obesity per hour per day spent on video games (cited in Brown 2006, p. 188). This should spark major concern considering that the average child spends 37 hours in front of an electronic screen every week, whilst the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children should spend no more than 1 – 2 hours per day, or 7 – 14 hours per week, playing video games (Gentile 2005, p. 11).

In conclusion, video games themselves are not the issue; it is however the amount of time spent and the content of the games that cause adverse health impacts on young people such as aggressive behaviour, desensitisation, decreased academic performance, and physical conditions such as obesity. If parents actively moderate the video gaming habits of their children, and encourage the use of educational and pro-social video games, children will reap the benefits of greater learning development, enhanced creativity and pro-social behaviour. It is therefore recommended that parents should restrict violent video games, encourage educational and pro-social games, and moderate the amount of time their children spend on video games down to 1 – 2 hours per day, whilst encouraging them to get active and enjoy the great outdoors.

Reference List

Brown, D 2006, ‘Playing to Win: Video Games and the Fight Against Obesity’, Journal of the American Dietetic Association, vol. 106, no. 2, pp. 188-189, viewed 21 September 2012, via MD Consult Australia database

Funk, JB 2005, ‘Video Games’, Adolescent Medicine Clinics, vol. 16, no. 2, pp. 395-411, viewed 21 September 2012, via ProQuest Central database

Gentile, DA 2005, ‘The Effects of Video Games on Children: What Parents Need to Know’, Pediatrics for Parents, vol. 21, no. 6, pp. 10-11, viewed 21 September 2012, via ProQuest Central database

Greitemeyer, T & Osswald, S 2011, ‘Playing Prosocial Video Games Increases the Accessibility of Prosocial Thoughts’, The Journal of Social Psychology, vol. 151, no. 2, pp. 121-128, viewed 21 September 2012, via Taylor & Francis Online database, DOI 10.1080/00224540903365588

Hastings, E, Karas, T, Winsler, A, Way, E, Madigan, A & Tyler, S 2009, ‘Young Children's Video/Computer Game Use: Relations with School Performance and Behavior’, Issues in Mental Health Nursing, vol. 30, no. 10, pp. 638-649, viewed 21 September 2012, via Informa Healthcare database, DOI 10.1080/01612840903050414

Hoerrner, M & Hoerrner, K 2006, ‘Video Game Violence’, Children’s Voice, vol. 15, no. 1, pp. 12-14, viewed 21 September 2012, via ProQuest Central database

Hutten, E & Sundar, S 2010, ‘Can Video Games Enhance Creativity? Effects of Emotion Generated by Dance Dance Revolution’, Creativity Research Journal, vol. 22, no. 3, pp. 294-303, viewed 21 September 2012, via Taylor & Francis Online database, DOI 10.1080/10400419.2010.503540

Oak, M 2011, Positive Effects of Video Games, viewed 21 September 2012, <http://www.buzzle.com/articles/positive-effects-of-video-games.html>

Prot, S, McDonald, K, Anderson, C & Gentile, D 2012, ‘Video Games’, Pediatric Clinics of North America, vol. 59, no. 3, pp. 647-658, viewed 21 September 2012, via MD Consult Australia database

Tumbokon, C 2011, The Positive and Negative Effects of Video Games, viewed 21 September 2012, <http://www.raisesmartkid.com/3-to-6-years-old/4-articles/34-the-good-and-bad-effects-of-video-games>

Video Games - Good or Bad?

As I have been researching this topic, I have been overwhelmed by the vast range of both positive and negative impacts that video games have on young people. I used Bubbl to assist me with mapping out the arguments that I am going to focus on, which I have found are the most relevant of the many arguments I have come across. This is the overall map of my arguments;

Positive impacts of video gaming include a range of benefits such as development in learning skills including memory, cognitive skills, and quicker decision making (Prot, McDonald, Anderson & Gentile 2012, p. 652). It also enhances creativity in children (Hutten & Sundar 2010, p. 294), and opens a gateway for future opportunities through the skills gained through understanding technology and the huge market demand for video gaming (Tumbokon 2011).

Negative impacts of video gaming include an increase in aggressive thoughts, feelings and behaviour (Funk 2005, p. 402) to the point where video games are "training children to kill" (Hoerrner & Hoerrner 2006, p. 13), and causing desensitization and a decrease in social empathy (Funk 2005, p. 400). Video games can be detrimental to school performance because kids spend time playing rather than doing homework (Hastings, Karas, Winsler, Way, Madigan & Tyler 2009, p. 638). Lastly, video gaming is also linked to obesity because kids spend more time indoors on technology than outdoors excercising (Gentile 2005, p. 11).

There is so much more that I have found, and I am full of ideas for this essay, so stay tuned for a riveting essay on the controversial and intricate topic of video games and health!



Reference List:

Funk, JB 2005, ‘Video Games’, Adolescent Medicine Clinics, vol. 16, no. 2, pp. 395-411, viewed 21 September 2012, via ProQuest Central database

Gentile, DA 2005, ‘The Effects of Video Games on Children: What Parents Need to Know’, Pediatrics for Parents, vol. 21, no. 6, pp. 10-11, viewed 21 September 2012, via ProQuest Central database

Hastings, E, Karas, T, Winsler, A, Way, E, Madigan, A & Tyler, S 2009, ‘Young Children's Video/Computer Game Use: Relations with School Performance and Behavior’, Issues in Mental Health Nursing, vol. 30, no. 10, pp. 638-649, viewed 21 September 2012, via Informa Healthcare database, DOI 10.1080/01612840903050414

Hoerrner, M & Hoerrner, K 2006, ‘Video Game Violence’, Children’s Voice, vol. 15, no. 1, pp. 12-14, viewed 21 September 2012, via ProQuest Central database

Hutten, E & Sundar, S 2010, ‘Can Video Games Enhance Creativity? Effects of Emotion Generated by Dance Dance Revolution’, Creativity Research Journal, vol. 22, no. 3, pp. 294-303, viewed 21 September 2012, via Taylor & Francis Online database, DOI 10.1080/10400419.2010.503540

Prot, S, McDonald, K, Anderson, C & Gentile, D 2012, ‘Video Games’, Pediatric Clinics of North America, vol. 59, no. 3, pp. 647-658, viewed 21 September 2012, via MD Consult Australia database

Tumbokon, C 2011, The Positive and Negative Effects of Video Games, viewed 21 September 2012, <http://www.raisesmartkid.com/3-to-6-years-old/4-articles/34-the-good-and-bad-effects-of-video-games>

Upcoming Essay...

For this course, I am required to write an essay on an approved topic. I have chosen: "Does the extensive use of computer/video games have an adverse impact on the health of young people. What are the most recent papers? Clarify what all sides of the argument claim and only then offer your reasoned opinion based on facts".

The reason I have chosen this topic is because after seeing family and friends become obsessed with video games, I have watched first-hand the negative affects that it has such as anti-social behavior and less outdoor activity. Being the health freak that I am, I find it distressing when people replace the goodness of exercising and being outdoors for television, computing and gaming. Therefore, I am choosing this topic because I would like to delve more into the facts and broaden my knowledge of the health impacts of video gaming so I can nag my family and friend a little more with some hard-hitting facts.

'Clean-Feed'?

The federal government's decision to implement internet censorship has been met with much controversy throughout the Australian public. The idea is to 'clean up' the internet in order to make cyberspace safer for children, by requiring Internet Service Providers to block all material that is deemed prohibited by the Australian Communications and Media Authority, such as pornography and other inappropriate websites (Travaglione 2009). Although the idea of making the internet a safer place for children sounds like a good idea, it is drawing criticism from the public who believe that this form of censorship is on par with the regimes of China and North Korea, because it may curtail the internet activity of adults on websites that contain information regarding other controversial and politically sensitive topics such as euthanasia and abortion (Fell 2008).

This 'clean-feed' is also a very costly project that will interfere with internet speed, slowing it down by up to 86%, and critics argue that it will not solve the problem that it has supposedly set out to do of eliminating child pornography. ISP providers will not be able to stop peer-to-peer networks, which is one of the main distributors of offensive material, and websites such as youtube and facebook that contain the most common form of child abuse will not be able to be filtered out, so it hardly seems like there is any point at all (Travaglione 2009).

Personally, I think that the millions of tax-payers dollars would be better spent educating children on internet safety, and also shutting down abusive material at it's source. I do not agree with a system that imposes on the freedom of adults to learn about topics such as abortion and euthanasia, especially when we live in a democratic country, where citizens are supposed to have the freedom to decide what affects their lives, and where citizen's rights to free speech are accused of being violated by such a system.

References

Fell, N 2008, Internet 'Clean Feed' met with stern opposition, viewed 7 September 2012, <http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2008/s2404848.htm>

Travaglione, K 2009, Internet Censorship in Australia - a 'clean feed'?, viewed 7 September 2012, <http://www.mannkal.org/downloads/scholars/internet-censorship-in-australia.pdf>

E-Petition

I have just signed a petition that protects marriage in it's traditional form. Just to clarify, I don't actually have an opinion when it comes to gay-marriage; I think gay couples should be allowed to do as they wish, the act of them marrying does not affect anybody. I just signed this particular petition because it's the only one I know anything about.

That aside, I think it's fascinating that individuals and communities can advertise and raise awareness of what issues are happening in Australia over an online petition. The amount of people that can have their input is far greater than traditional ways of signing petitions, and it was also extremely easy! It took me all of 1 minute! So if I ever have a bone to pick with the government, I will surely consider making a petition for whatever it may be!

Week 5: Social Media

After reading Paul Sheehan's article, 'Internet giants can earn with ease, it's the churn they must fear', it got me thinking about how quickly society swings between social media platforms. I remember it only being 5 years ago that I thought myspace and MSN were the coolest things ever, but now I do not know one person who still actively uses either. And now facebook, my current social media addiction, which I use to communicate with most of my friends, is being predicted to fall within the next 5 to 8 years... Personally, I could never imagine this happening! I rely on facebook for countless things, and I know most of my friends do too. But professional analysts are quick to support their argument with hard-hitting proof: on May 17 this year, facebook became a public company, and at that point in time their market value was US$104 billion. It had only been 3 weeks after this date that facebook market value halved to US$55 billion, and analysts are finding this comparable to the destruction of Yahoo Inc. - still a profitable company today, but only 9% of the value compared to its peak in the year 2000.

The internet giants are now faced with a constant battle: to keep up with the ever-evolving trends of technology, communication and social media. 'Adapt or die'. Google is fighting to get it's claws into people through Google+, another social media site, as it's share price has stagnated for four years.

And that is the key - adapting, or treading the water. It's like high school really; if you don't conform, you get left behind. So now as we are entering the 'mobile' generation, where applications such as Instagram will take the spotlight for social media, expect to see the web giants attempting to infiltrate their way into your smartphone. They will find a way - they have to, or they will become history.

SurveyMonkey

I recently created a survey in order to analyze the perception that my friends and the general population on facebook have regarding social media.

These are the questions: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/82QDN7W

The responses I received were somewhat disappointing, yet humorous. It turns out that there are certain individuals out there who use social media because "everyone crowds there like sardines" and to "tune bitches". All responses were quick to admit that they rely on social media and use it everyday, because they "flipping love it". 60% of the participants believe that social media is not safe, especially when "holding onto a tree with one hand", but on a more serious note, because even privacy settings can't always protect you. The other 40% of the participants did not feel threatened by social media; one reasoned that "there is very little chance it will impregnate me", whilst another (somewhat to my concern) saw himself as more of a threat to social media, than social media to himself. The youtube clip didn't change anybodies opinion on their perception of the safety of social media, due to the fact that one participant does not believe that google will change the chances of him being impregnated and therefore his safety is not compromised, another participant admitted that he "couldn't be bothered" to watch it, and most interestingly, because another believes that he is the antichrist - not google. Lastly, 100% of the participants had previously had a myspace and/or MSN account, but have all discontinued using them because they feel as though these social media platforms are "ghey", "outdated", and "annoying".

In conclusion, perhaps surveys are not too successful when used in the realm of social media, and I think it is unlikely that these responses will help me with my assignment.

Week 4 Lecture: Cyberspace and Cyberpunk

Cyberwhat!?

Prior to this weeks lecture, I had never heard of the term 'cyberpunk'. So I decided to dig into the topic a little, and learn more about this futuristic style of communication. The term was originally coined by author Bruce Bethke who used it as the title of his 1983 novella. The name suggests a fusion between two things: cybernetics and punk. Cybernetics, as defined by professor Michael O'Callaghan, is;

"The science of communication and control. It maps the pathways of information by which systems may either be regulated from outside, or regulate themselves from within. The science thus has two main branches: the first one deals with the control of machines, and led to the development of things like computers, automatic navigation systems for spacecraft, guided nuclear missiles, and so-called "smart" weapons. ... The second branch deals with the more complex control processes through which self-organising biological and social systems regulate themselves and adapt to the environment on which their survival depends" (as cited in Umpleby 2000).

Punk, on the other hand, is a loud, fast and anarchist-advocating style of music with a "seize the day" approach to life, represented in bands such as Pussy Riot and Sex Pistols. With these two elements combined, cyberpunk came as a shock to audiences who were used to the sheltered and predominantly safe storylines of "space opera", such as Star Wars (Stockwell 2012).

The uniqueness of cyberpunk is found through the gritty aesthetics, technologically advanced material, questionable morality, and its amalgamated genre that combines detective fiction, film noir, sci-fi and literary postmodernism (Stockwell 2012).

Although I am still new to this concept of cyberpunk, I can appreciate it as a science and an art form. I like that it challenges the ideologies of its viewers, and also the systems within society. It is good to keep this generation on their feet, questioning their surroundings, government, and standards that they live by (although I do not necessarily agree with the morality portrayed in cyberpunk). But what I do agree with is the cyberpunk notion to always search for the truth, which is evident in movies such as The Matrix. Striving to find truth in this world that is a labyrinth of lies, manipulation and deceit is an asset that is becoming increasingly rare; just look at the newspapers... We should all know by now not to take what is written, especially about celebrities for example, at face value...

References

Umplyby, S 2000, Defining Cybernetics, viewed 6 September 2012, <http://www.asc-cybernetics.org/foundations/definitions.htm>

Stockwell, S 2012, A Brief History of Computing and the Internet, Griffith University Lecture, unpublished

5 Key Moments in the History of Cyberpunk

This is a timeline I created to give some insight into how cyberpunk evolved:

http://www.timetoast.com/timelines/key-moments-in-cyberpunk--7

CyberReality

As technology continues to advance, the tangible world is slowly seeping into a 'virtual reality' - an artificial means of transmitting reality (Strickland 2007). I remember as a kid loving to go outside and play soccer, but nowadays, it's probably more popular to play soccer as a video game. Everybody in the Western world uses a computer, and the days of pen and paper are becoming more and more extinct. Video games, computers, phones, television, radio and basically any technological platform used to communicate information is a virtual reality, and its popularity growth has been exponential in the last century, especially the last decade (Strickland 2007).

Cyberspace is a factor that exists within virtual reality - it refers to the realm of computer networking and metaphorically "gives the sense of a social setting that exists purely within a space or representation and communication" (Slater 2002).

William Sherman and Alan Craig's book 'Understanding Virtual Reality' explains the confusing relationship between the two much more clearly. Cyberspace, he explains, is "a location that exists only in the minds of the participants, often as a result of technology that enables geographically distant people to interactively communicate" (2003, p. 17). Cyberspace is therefore a social interaction that requires mental immersion between people, whereas virtual reality is a sensory immersion that is "not necessarily among multiple people, but rather between a person and a [computer-mediated] virtual world (which may not include other people)" (Craig, Sherman 2003, p. 23).

However, these elusive concepts are becoming more real in western culture and everyday life. Everyday life used to consist of the 'mundane' and the 'traditional', and cyberspace and virtual reality was an exciting new world that was apart from reality... But now, cyberspace has shaped and become our reality for communication, and western culture would not have advanced without it.

References

Craig, A & Sherman, W 2003, Understanding Virtual Reality, Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, San Fransisco

Slater, D 2002, Social Relationships and Identity Online and Offline, viewed 6 September 2012, <http://www.dourish.com/classes/readings/Slater-SocialRelationshipsIdentity.pdf>

Strickland, J 2007, How Virtual Reality Works, viewed 6 September 2012, <http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/gadgets/other-gadgets/virtual-reality.htm>

Week 3 Lecture: A Brief History of Computing and the Internet

Apple Inc. is the company that has revolutionized the world of computing technology. It is famous for it's product lines such as the iPods, iPhones, Macintosh computers, and most recently the iPad. As of 2011, the annual revenue for Apple Inc. is over $100 billion, and it is the largest technology firm in the world (Dernbach 2011). So how did it become so successful?

Before Apple came into existence, IBM had produced the first commercial computers in the 1950's; large, expensive and unwieldily machines for military, government and corporate work. Computers were not exposed to the public until the Xerox PARC released the Altair 8800 in 1975; still a highly dysfunctional computer that was only adopted by tech-savvy hobbyists with a large degree of commitment (Stockwell 2012). At this stage, co-founders of Apple Inc., Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, created the first Apple computer in 1976 in their garage. Their dream was to create and sell the first self-contained PC for people who weren't tech-savvy, and that they most certainly did. After the production of the Apple II in 1978, dealers and distributors were marveled at the design and engineering of what would soon skyrocket and encapture 50% of the consumer market share (Stockwell 2012). Since then, Apple went through a rocky period in the market when Steve Jobs left the company in 1985 to start his own, but since his return in 1996, and his brilliant adaption of his own invented software into the technology, Apple has been an unstoppable force within the market because of it's sheer innovation, brilliance, and ease of use.

So are we to thank Steve Jobs for all these advances in technology? Or was there bound to be another creative genius around the corner? Steve Wolfram, founder of and CEO of Wolfram research in America, alludes to the idea that we are to thank Jobs for where technology is; “At the high end of innovative human achievement, the details never repeat; that’s what defines the innovation”. However, he goes on to state “that in at least a fair fraction of civilizations, people with these attributes will occasionally emerge,” suggesting that every once in a while, another Jobs will rise up and change the course of technology advancement (as cited in Van Grove 2011). Personally, I can't wait to see what is in store for civilization next...

References

Dernbach, C 2011, Mac History, viewed 4 September 2012, <http://www.mac-history.net/computer-history/2011-01-24/the-history-of-the-apple-macintosh>

Stockwell, S 2012, A Brief History of Computing and the Internet, Griffith University Lecture, unpublished

Van Grove, J 2011, Will There Ever Be Another Steve Jobs?, viewed 6 September 2012, <http://mashable.com/2011/10/08/another-steve-jobs/>

Goodbye Napster

Napster was an internet peer-to-peer file sharing service, that specialized in sharing audio MP3 files, especially music. It provided a platform where users could easily share their music and download other people's music directly between each other (Cross, Wilson, Walsh, Coen, Smith 2003). Music-lovers regarded it as a music search engine, because it's popularity meant that it had nearly every song in existence. Its main attraction was to college students, who would use it to download music for free. Napster peaked in February 2011 with 26.4 million users. Shortly after, however, it was shut down by court order due to copywrite violations, and many bands and artists like Metallica and Dr Dre pursued legal action also (Lipsman 2001).

Although Napster was shut down, its legacy continues to live on because of its huge influence on the way people use technology to download music for free. Michael Gartenberg, research director at Jupiter Research, said that "Napster may be gone but the legacy that it left behind was millions of users who were exposed to the concept of P-to-P networks. The genie is out of the bottle" (Pruit 2002).  It was the cornerstone for peer-to-peer music sharing, and since it's time, even more formidable music sharing platforms have arisen, such as Kazaa and Limewire. Kazaa emerged in March 2001, and has survived all the way until it's shutdown last month. With a total of 140 million users around the world, and its ability to share not only mp3 files, but also movies, videos and entire CD box sets (Pruit 2002), it is clear that Napster has paved the way for the future of free media on the internet.

References

Cross, S; Wilson, E; Walsh, A; Coen, D; Smith, C 2003, Napster, viewed 1 September 2012, <http://ntrg.cs.tcd.ie/undergrad/4ba2.02-03/p4.html#ANapsterTimeline>

Lipsman, A 2001, Global Napster Usage Plummets, But New File-Sharing Alternatives Gaining Ground, Reports Jupiter Media Metrix, viewed 1 September 2012, <http://web.archive.org/web/20080413104420/http://www.comscore.com/press/release.asp?id=249>

Pruit, S 2002, Napster's Legacy Lives On, viewed 4 September 2012, <http://www.pcworld.com/article/104762/napsters_legacy_lives_on.html>

Week 2 Lecture: Are We Communication?

It's interesting to see how the definition of communication has evolved. Two and a half thousand years ago, communication, as defined by Aristotle, was a simple model: "The speaker produces a message that is heard by the listener". This model however assumes several things; the speaker himself creates the message that is heard, the listener receives the message first-hand (face to face), the listener interprets the same meaning as the speaker, and that communication is audible only. Two and a half thousand years later, we have discovered communication to be something vastly complex and constantly evolving. Nowadays, communication has been intricately modeled as, "The speaker produces an effect on the transmitter which sends a message (which is degraded by the noise of the transmission process) that is intercepted by the receiver which converts it into an effect that is heard by the listener" by Shannon and Weaver in their book 'The Mathematical Theory of Communication'. This model takes into account the complexities of intersubjectivity and intertexuality; where the listener's interpretation is beheld to the parameters of his own experiences (Glynn, 1998), and where all messages sent by the communicator gain their meaning from past texts that relate, therefore no message is ever complete in itself (Chandler, 1994).

Just when you think that the definition of communication can't possibly get any more complex; I would unfortunately like to suggest that indeed, it does. There are several factors such as tone, body language, and context that can completely change the meaning of something being communicated (Krow, 2012). Even the words we say over facebook can carry a tone, with our manipulation of grammar to do so. Talking to friends in person as compared to over facebook and texting has taught me how easy it is for messages to become misinterpreted through technology. However, as the Shannon and Weaver model suggests, we do not have control over the interpretation that the receiver deciphers, therefore we constantly need to make wise choices and learn to communicate everything with clarity to try avoid misinterpretation that is so common with these new communication technologies.

References

Chandler, D 1994, Semiotics For Beginners, viewed 15 August 2012, <http://www.aber.ac.uk/media/Documents/S4B/sem09.html>

Glynn, S 1998, Identity, Intersubjectivity, and Communicative Action, viewed 15 August 2012, <http://www.bu.edu/wcp/Papers/Cult/CultGlyn.htm> 

Krow, S 2012, Factors That May Affect Effective Communication, viewed 30 August 2012, <http://www.ehow.com/info_8131861_factors-may-affect-effective-communication.html>

My Experience With Communication Technologies

I am constantly using communication technologies to stay in contact with friends and family. The most popular ways for me is calling and texting on my iPhone, through facebook and on skype. I've been using my phone since about 2006, and social media since about 2008. At the beginning, my main motive to having these things was because all my friends had them, and I wanted to follow the crowd. But now, I use these things because I have to, they are absolutely essential to my daily life.

Websites such as facebook have revolutionized the way we can stay in contact with friends, and it has also provided an innovative platform for business marketing. This, however, has sparked a plethora of issues. Privacy issues is the most dangerous at the moment concerning facebook users. The information uploaded by users is tattooed onto the database, and many businesses can access every piece of information we upload and then target users accordingly. Even employers can track facebooks and fire staff if they find displeasing information. And what is most concerning to me is the fact that user-deleted content is never erased from facebook itself; there will always be a server-sided copy on the cache system that facebook has the rights to pass on to any of its partners for business purposes (Whittaker, 2010). See for yourself; upload a picture on facebook, copy the URL for that picture someplace, delete the photo, and although the picture may not appear on your profile, the URL still takes you straight to that photo.

Therefore, I strongly advice that people use more discernment when using sites that require personal information. I love facebook and being able to keep in touch with all my friends, but it is also so dangerous, and can lead to things like scamming, cyber-bullying and privacy invasion.

References

Whittaker, Z. 2010. 'Facebook does not erase user-deleted content'. http://www.zdnet.com/blog/igeneration/facebook-does-not-erase-user-deleted-content/4808 (accessed 10th August 2012)

The Future of Technology

This video is a window into what the future holds for technology. I find it so interesting because just when I think that technology has reached its limits and cannot possibly advance further, I find that 'automotive design glass' has already been developed, something that would have seemed impossible a decade ago. And now, as demonstrated in this video, it is quite possible that this new technology can override pretty much any kind of traditional way of communicating, such as physical bus timetables for public transport travelers.

Who Am I?

Well, my name is Jemma. I'm completely Australian, although I am constantly being told that I look like an interesting combination of Lebanese, Greek, Asian and Brazilian. I'm 18 years old, and I graduated from Emmanuel College last year, with no intention of going to University, and no clue about what to do in life. Ironically, here I am, sitting in my first class of my second semester at Griffith University, studying a bachelor of business and communications. At this point in time I have decided to major in marketing and public relations so that I will be able to work for charity organisations one day and hopefully inspire change in Western society.

Writing is something that I have always had an interest in. I enjoy being creative and expressing myself through odd and eccentric ways. This is perhaps why I also enjoy almost anything artsy, especially music, art, drama and fashion. I play guitar, love sketching anything and everything, and my latest hobby seems to be going for long, torturous runs on the beach. However, I probably spend most of my time with friends embarking on all kinds of spontaneous shenanigans. Either that, or working for Foxtel by harassing the locals at shopping centres to sign up. Or studying, occasionally. I'm also a Christian, so my life's mission is to simply love Jesus and love others the way He loves.

I'm excited to study new communication technologies, because living in an age where technology has nearly become paramount to breathing, it's really important to harness what the latest technology has to offer, especially because my future career will involve communicating effectively to multitudes of people.


So this is me in a nutshell; stay tuned for more exciting posts and fun facts about technology.