Wednesday 20 April 2011

(Inter)Networking

  "Its not what you know but who you know"
                                                                                                          (Gill, 2007)


In my desired industry of Film and Television this rings true to me more then any other academic reference. After what felt like millions and millions of anonymous emails to HR girls at Seven, (eight) Nine and Ten and no responses I really felt like that was it. BUT THEN.. like a rainbow on a cloudy day, a lolliepop after the dentist or a drink with Rebeca Black on Friday came a contact my mother went to school with who worked for Packed to the Rafters.

 Oh so casually she offered me a Week's work exprience. I was gobbsmacked. Gill discusses the idea of "Informality is the new black" wherby Work place opportunities are attainable by social media outlets and friends of friends. 

Is this fair? Not sure. Katie Dunn seems to have the right idea, if its all about networking and socialising
"Why Am I even going to Uni?" (  Best not tell Katie about the end of the world: 2012!)


Just inhale and exhale and count and the stress will leave you








Reffo's:

Leong, Susan. “KCB206 New Media: Internet, Self & Beyond: Week 7 Lecture Notes”. Accessed April 18 2011. http://blackboard.qut.edu.au/.

Gill, R. (2007). Informality is the New Black. In Technobohemians or the new Cybertariat? New Media work in Amsterdam a decade after the web. Amsterdam: Institute of Network Cultures: 24-30 & 38-43. Accessed  April 18, 2011 from http://www.networkcultures.org/_uploads/17.pdf

Monday 11 April 2011

Hi Everybody - Hi Dr Nick!

This week's topic has so far been my favourite! Why you ask?


(prompted) You: Why Kyla?


Me: Because I am a self confessed hypochondriac and don't deny it. It's taken me some courage but I now (finally) have My doctor bookmarked! I must be a quack like Megan Hausler's mother. However don't giving me the crazy eyes so quackly.




Here me out - I found myself spending a small fortune going to see my real doctor  nearly every other week. So instead typed my symptoms into Google to put my mind at ease the online way.


 No Megan, I don't take it literally. It could some 13 year old in Switzerland who's father works for Bayer feeding me false information but I don't care. My mental heath is at ease. I understand that if pain persists I should seek medical advice, but I love the immediate answer of why I have a headache (lNote to reader Lack of water, Consume 2 Litres per day). 


Dr. Online helps me to recognise the problem immediatly and move on from the problem immediately. It is the idea of every answer being at tip of my keyboard which makes my heart beat normally for this cost effective medical advice. 


Smart phones have the ability to save lives  surely that has to amount to some sort of recognition? These websites can make one think they are 24 hours away from a flatline but  as you may have sensed I don't take the Internet too seriously. I think it's Quacktasitc. 






HOWEVER....


Like many things such as:

  1. Relationship Updates
  2. Does my Butt look big in this unitard?
  3. A Stale bag of Chips
  4. Long toenails 
  5. Feature Walls
  6. Socks and Sandals 
  7. Killing Ants
  8. Pigeon impersonations 
Always seek a second opinion. 




Sunday 3 April 2011

Branded Entertainment?

"Our life is lived in Media rather that with Media"
(Deuze, cited in Deuze 2011, p. 138)

Our New media: Internet myself and beyond class is guiding me to become more aware about the term 'New Media' and how the Internet is affecting life today. At first I found it really interesting or maybe it was just an extended stalk, either way I was comforted by the fact that like myself, many others also rely on the Internet for entertainment, education and socialisation. But then things got BORING. After all, I am GEN Y and I only have the attention span of a goldfish. Get with the demographic peoples! I use the internet, I love the internet and one day my marriage certificate will be ON the internet. In other words, when a song is played too much I change the station.



These academics such as Bell (2004) need to stop pointing the finger at us Gen Y lab rats - "The thumb generation". I think you made a mistake Dr. Bell its the middle finger generation. Don't box me, graph me or stat me. I understand that the Internet is a  phenomena and changing ways of communication as we know it -  but SO? Just like evolution, our World was made to change and grow.  Surprise Surprise! That means we've stopped talking through paper cups and moved into Internet Cables. This is reality, me sitting typing on my computer is reality. Create all the 'Visual Worlds' you like, but I wont be escaping to them. Well not until they invent online tanning. Since starting this subject I have used the Internet less. Be entertained and Laugh. That's what I believe it's there for.


My latest obsession, Die Antwoord. Whatever man. 


References:


Die Antwoord Clip. Zef Slide. Accessed from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_pS46YRMIQ


Deuze, M. (2011). Media Life. In Media, Culture & Society, Volume 33, issue 1, pp. 137-148.  Available on CMD via QUT Library.


Bell, G. (2006). The Age of the Thumb: a Cultural Reading of Mobile Technologies from AsiaKnowledge, Technology, & Policy, Summer 2006, Vol. 19, No. 2, pp. 41-57. 
Also available on CMD via QUT Library.








Monday 28 March 2011

Revolution 2.0


Week fours reading “the political power of social media” discusses the publics new found abilty to coodinate mass political protest through instant forms of communication. This notion of being able to stimulate the power of the people has governments no longer controlling the people but the people controlling the power. It inspires the view of one voice making dramatic change.  Our opions are not only expressed through social mediums such as Facebook or twitter but it allows us to share common thoughts and collaborate together for change.  We can connect with friends about this weekend, next weekend and last weekend but also about our political prefence or institution backlash. It takes the freedom of speech to a new level. We can say what we feel, when we feel – to everyone. The internet is the crux of the new media world, it is changing the way we communicate, express and share without restriction. Something governments are scared of. For example Egypt’s recent facebook fueled riot.




I believe everyone has the right to freedom of speech these revolutions and uprisings would have happened anyway, its just the internet allowed them to happen faster.






Referencing;

Video from Youtube:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWvJxasiSZ8, Accessed on March 24th

Monday 21 March 2011

Going Going Going?

The blank face of a commuter often says so little about their personality. I find myself becoming infatuated by their mysterious blank faces with those famous white cords hanging from their ears. How many hidden punks or classic jazz fans hide behind their melancholy faces while secretly having a party with their tapping toes?
How much could I find out about these strangers just by looking at their screens? "Exposing a Ipod Screen to an observer can make an otherwise private device a potential broadcaster of one's taste" (Levy, 2006).

Raymond (1974)  discusses unified social intake, by stating portable media devices have allowed social networking, Ipods and downloading to become mobile privitasiation. We design our own world through new media. We now have endless amounts of choices, We can download, upload, steam, buy, tweet and chase whatever genre of entertainment we seek and all while never taking our eyes off our Iphones. If we only ever need the internet to connect whats going to happen to all the other mediums? This is a question that clouds my future in the film industry. The Indian Film Industry is already pushing for  a preferred online distribution for  it's Bollywood films (Singh, 2008). So like radio or television will going to the cinema also be a thing of the past? I really hope not. 

References:

Levy, S. (2006). The Perfect ThingHow the iPod Shuffles Commerce, Culture and Coolness, New York: Simon & Schuster, pp. 21-41. Available on www.blackboard.edu.qut.au

Singh, M. (2008).  Bollywood's Viral Video in Time International (Canada Edition), Vol. 171, Issue 14 . Available online at:http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1713342,00.html 

Williams R, 1974, p. 21. Retrieved from Week three lecture slides, Available on www.blackboard.edu.qut.au

Sunday 13 March 2011

To Infinity and Beyond

As a kid I would look up to the nights sky and think about the endless portals our universe could contain. That black nothingness which goes on forever containing millions of pieces of useful information. Today my modern equivalent of star gazing is now web surfing. Hello My name is Kyla and I am addicted to the Internet. When capable I search the endless depths of the world wide web for hours, gazing at websites from all over the globe being mentally teleported into Topshop's latest summer/spring collection.

 I think if Dr. Bell were to examine my Internet behaviour I would fit very much into her findings of  'wanting connection' (Bell, 2008).  Her presentation interested me, I found her talking about me as her lab rat even though I've never been in a glass box. I guess I'm not alone in my addiction. I wont lie. It shook me,  forced me to take one small step for Kyla and one even bigger step for my Facebook profile. I disconnected.  Half a deck of cigarettes, a bitchy phone call to my best friend and a twitching eye later I returned. Yes I only successfully completed five hours of restraint but with four new notifications my return was warranted.

Dr. Bell commented on people's desire to also disconnect whereby they take holidays to complete 'dead zones'. For me this would not be possible. I admire those brave souls, but I have a feeling that demographic would be in the age bracket of my mum and dad, trying to escape not only their ringing mobile phones but just mankind in general.

I am a social astronaut and always have been. Dr Bell made me feel guilty for my reliance on the internet. This angered me. She was trying sabotage my relationship with Percy (my lapdog laptop) But No!  Just like Charlie Sheen I don't feel the need to conform to anti social media propaganda. YES I will write my grandmother letters and YES I will play outside, but NO I will not turn off my laptop or disconnect from my online universe.


Referencing:
 Bell, G. (2008). Digital Economy Forum Presentation retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oE6QWUKIP5M


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