Digital Networks are still quite a confusing and difficult concept, but this week, I was blown away. The Internet of Things made my mind spin and I found myself wanting to learn more and more about the concept and what this could mean for technology in the future.
The idea that objects, INANIMATE objects, can be connected to the Internet with a sensory capacity, ability to store and process as well as independently initiate action is both exciting and terrifying at the same time. It would be reliant on sensors and this is the only way the Internet of Things would be successful. So when we look at the Internet of Things as the next big thing, it is important to acknowledge the importance of sensors and how they are different to just regular machines. The following video, similar to the ones showed in the lecture, demonstrates the possibilities of this kind of world where everyday things can control and assist you.
Do you think that this kind of world is going to occur in the near future? We are already heavily dependent on technology but this takes it to a whole new level.
This week we looked at the attention economy and the long tail effect. Below is my podcast on the topic, exploring the idea of why we need the long tail effect and comparing the attention economy to the so-called information economy of cyberspace.
Media regulation is a product of fear. Just like some people fear heights and spiders; the media has become such a powerful influence in people’s lives that it has become a significant source of anxiety. The media world is an expanse of space, stretching out further than the human eye can see and invading the far corners of the online universe. Of course this is a scary concept to imagine. And with this, rules and regulations must be in place to ensure the safety, efficiency and happiness of everybody.
When I was younger, the television was never on in the morning before school and there were limits as to what we could watch in general. These home regulations were enforced by my parents and further established through the use of the parental locking system on the television set. Although the motives behind these restrictions were purely to eliminate distractions when getting ready and prevent us from being even later than we normally were, they were still there to protect my brother and I. The amount of controversial content available is continually expanding and there are numerous regulations attempting to protect us. An example of this is the sexualisation of children in the media and the concept of corporate paedophilia.
Many parents are concerned about the increased sexual and violent content apparent in music videos. Watching the music channels on [V] and MTV, I am amazed that the classification for the vast majority of their music video shows are rated MA15+. Is it just me or is this ridiculous?
In a survey of over 1500 website members, Netmums, 82% said that their children had repeated sexual lyrics without knowing the meaning of them. As a gymnastics coach of young children, I experience this regularly at work. I overhear children aged 4-7 singing lyrics like “my anaconda don’t want none unless you got buns hun” and this is extremely disturbing, especially as it is not a rare occurrence. Children look up to these figures such as Miley Cyrus (Hannah Montana) and Nicki Minaj as idols and it is troubling to think that 75% of those same mothers believe the industry teaches girls that they will be judged on their looks and not achievements or personality.
It’s not just the celebrity idols that are being a distinguishing influence, but images of sexualised children are becoming increasingly common in the media, especially advertising and marketing. Corporate paedophilia is the metaphor used to describe advertising and marketing in the media that sexualises children by making them dressed, pose and made up in the same way as sexy adult models.
Looking at all my Disney favourites from when I was younger, it enforces the point that sexualisation in the media is constantly prominent.
Companies continue to make money from corporate paedophilia and this is one of the reasons why it continues in today’s society. There is a risk that corporate paedophilia will lead young children to spend a large proportion of their time, mental energy and in particular money on conforming to sexual stereotypes that they see in the media. Companies take advantage of this, targeting these children through advertising and marketing.
There is yet to be a sustained public debate on corporate paedophilia and this may partly be due to the lack of a strong coalition of child-focused organisations with the specific role of putting the issue on the public agenda. Young Media Australia currently plays the role of advocating for children with respect to media issues. This organisation would be the most obvious candidate for coordinating a strong coalition of child-focused organisations, yet more funding would need to be provided for that strategy to work effectively. More research into the aspects of corporate paedophilia and the sexualisation of children would enable a better-informed public debate in the public sphere and a higher possibility of action taking place.
According to the Australian Council on Children in the Media, there has been very little action by Governments in Australia. This is despite two Senate Inquiries (2008 and 2011), which recommended governments take action due to the increase in community concern. Free TV Australia reviewed its Code of Practice in 2009 yet took no action.
The AANA (Australian Association of National Advertisers) amended its Code of Practice on Advertising and Marketing Communications to Children in 2008. Although amendments were made, they had little practical effect. The AANA also added the Practice Guide: Managing images of children and young people. There are also a number of international efforts that attempt to address the issue and ultimately eliminate it completely. However, without the support and action of the Government, the issue of corporate paedophilia will continue to be a concern and put children at risk.
It is believed that the way to tackle corporate paedophilia is to regulate your child’s exposure to the media. Many believe that the issue isn’t really an issue as it is the responsibility of the parents to ensure that their children aren’t subjected to images in the media that will negatively affect them.
Corporate paedophilia is still occurring in TV shows such as Dance Moms and Toddlers and Tiaras as well as in magazines. ‘Dance moms’ consists of young girls and their mums and is watched by younger children, particularly girls, who have an interest in dance. Is it ok to let children have exposure to this type of content, allowing them to think this is an appropriate way to dress, behave and perform at this age?
This week in class we were given the task to isolate the times that we are focused on one activity only. At first, I thought this would be simple and that my list would be exceptionally long. Boy was I wrong! When I started thinking about different activities that I do, I realised that everything is complimented with one or more other activities. Just like this kid…
Multitasking is the process of dealing with more than one task at the same time and is something that everybody does on a daily basis. We don’t even think twice about pulling out our phone at the gym or eating while watching television, as it has become the norm to do multiple things at once. Who on earth has the time to allocate time to different, specific tasks? Not me that’s for sure. But when does this become a dangerous problem?
Studies show that if you are driving while on your mobile, then your performance is going to be as poor as if you are legally drunk. This is extremely troubling, as although I myself don’t use my phone while driving, I know many people who do, despite the laws preventing it.
“Most research suggests that as the brain receives more inputs, or demands to multitask, there are more potential risks for individuals to fail to complete the tasks at hand with a high degree of proficiency (Grinols 2014)”. Multitasking can be both subconscious and conscious, depending on the situation. When driving, the driver is focused on holding the wheel, assessing their surroundings and keeping the car in control. As the driver starts using their mobile phone, the conscious mind focuses on the device while the unconscious mind is in charge of driving the vehicle safely (Grinols 2014). This is worrying and makes statistics surrounding texting while driving even more important.
The National Safety Council estimated that 24% of traffic accidents involved drivers talking or texting on their mobile phone (Grinols 2014).
The increasing sophistication and development of smartphones means that a new level of multitasking has become more popular in today’s digital age.
When driving, people often go into an automatic mode where they fail to remember specifics. This is called automaticity and reveals how multitasking can be done in the car, but with devastating consequences.
Looking at my driving habits, I ensure that I do not use my mobile phone while in the drivers seat. I do, however, blast the radio, sing a long and often eat while driving and this multitasking is just as distracting.
What are some of your multitasking habits and what sort of effect do they have on performance quality and your life in general? This automatic response to multitask is constantly occurring and it isn’t until we question our self when we realise the enormous impact this has on our lives.
References:
Grinols, A and Rajesh, R (2014), ‘Multitasking With Smartphones in the College Classroom’, Business and Professional Communication Quarterly, March 2014, vol.77, no.1, pp. 89-95.
Technology has taken over our lives. We live inside our phones and fail to look up and embrace the world around us.
This was evident after going out for dinner with my family last week. While sitting in the restaurant, my father brought our attention to the table beside us. On it was a family of 4, waiting for their meals, all on their own personal devices. Not a word was spoken between them as they were emerged in their own little world, the only conversation being between the screen and the person staring intently at it.
Sadly, this is not uncommon.
What we think of as a public space has shifted immensely from something that can be described as “open to or shared by all the people of an area or country” to one that is far more complex and complicated due to the increasing influence of technology. So what does it mean to be in a “public space”?
Smart phones have given people the false impression that they have privacy, with researchers saying that they have created “portable private personal territories”. Although people are physically in a public space such as a park or university, they are mentally elsewhere and this is assisted through those tiny little screens that fit in our pocket.
In a previous post, I explored Sherry Turkle’s notion of Alone Together, where people, although technically together, are alone and this is facilitated through technology. This is also evident at things such as music concerts and festivals. Earlier in the year I attended Splendour in the Grass at Byron Bay and was amazed at the astonishing amount of people who were constantly on their phones, recording the bands and taking countless photos. I am definitely guilty of this for sure, however, I made a conscious effort to limit the amount of photos I took as I wanted to be fully immersed in the experience.
A common occurrence at live music events
The amount of variety of opinion on this topic is immense. If you are interested in this topic, you can find further information on the impact of technology on public space in the links below.
A few weeks ago, a storm struck our neighbourhood and we were left with no power for a number of hours. It is times like these when you realise your true dependence on technology and online connectivity. Walking around the house with candles and twiddling our thumbs, we decided to sit down as a family and play the controversial game of monopoly (something we hadn’t done in years). After many tantrums and cheat moves the power finally returned and we continued on with our lives, staring at the countless screens throughout our home.
Technology is incredible. It connects us to people, enriches our knowledge and entertains us. This will be even more convenient with the introduction of the new National Broadband Network (NBN). The NBN has been a hot topic of debate in politics and the media but what really is this phenomenon that is changing Australia’s digital face so significantly?
The National Broadband Network (NBN) is “committed to closing the digital divide by providing access to a minimum level of broadband services to homes and businesses across Australia”. It includes enhancements in health, education, well-being, sustainability and wealth. It has, however, been received by the public with mixed responses.
My household, consisting of my mum, dad and 17-year-old brother, is bursting with technology. Not currently eligible for the NBN, we have a broadband connection that is reasonably fast and seems to get the job done on the most part. When talking to my father about the NBN he looked at me with a confused expression. Having heard of the NBN on the news, he knew that it is “something to do with the Internet” and that it is supposed to be “better and faster”, however, this was the extent of his knowledge. Technology is where the generational gap becomes painfully obvious. After some quick research he got excited as we contemplated the absence of waiting for YouTube videos to load and instantaneous access to the wide world of the web. Talking to the rest of my family solicited the same response, with my brother particularly excited about the idea of streaming television shows with ease instead of constantly waiting for that little wheel to finish buffering. The NBN will not be seamless but the prospect of better access is still promising. Having over 10 devices that connect to the Internet, our household will definitely benefit from the new network that is heading our way.
The NBN is coming our way!
Technology doesn’t only change what we do, it changes who we are. Sherry Turkle, a psychologist who heads the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Initiative on Technology and Self, makes a number of claims in her Ted Talk ‘Connected- but alone?’. She introduces the idea of being Alone Together, a concept that looks at how people want control over the things they pay attention to and the amounts of interaction they have with others.
Turkle argues that people can’t get enough of each other as long as they can have each other at a distance and in amounts that they can control. Calling it the ‘Goldilocks Effect’, the idea is that people don’t want to be too close or too far but just right, and technology provides this happy medium. While talking to my family, these concerns were raised and dismissed as they believe that the positives outweigh the negatives.
It can also be argued, however, that such technology is extremely beneficial for people connecting with friends, family and co-workers who may be far away. Jenny Wortham, a writer for the New York Times, describes how the constant and continuous interactions enabled by technology can help people feel physically close, even if they happen through a screen (Wortham 2014). Sherry Turkle maintains, “Using an application in place of real world, face-to-face interactions is having a detrimental effect on how we prioritise offline communication (Wortham 2014)”. In comparison, Wortham claims that this is not in fact true. Using her own circumstances, she argues that the pervasiveness of technology in her life has heightened her desire for actual real life one-on-one contact, with people acknowledging that communicating online is only the appetizer for the main meal that is social interaction in the real world (Wortham 2014).
Long distance relationships benefit from technology ❤
An interesting study conducted by the Pew Research Centre’s Internet Project titled, ‘Couples, the Internet and Social Media’ (2014) has investigated the way in which American couples use digital technology to manage different aspects within their relationship. The findings discovered that 74% of adult Internet users report that the Internet has had a positive impact on their relationship, 21% have felt closer to their partner because of exchanges they had online or via text message and 41% of 18-29 year olds in serious relationships have felt closer to their partner because of online or text message conversations. These statistics provide substantial evidence that, although technology does have negatives as Sherry Turkle points out, it can also be used to enhance communication in and outside the home.
After talking to my father, he revealed that his main Internet usage is for Internet banking, research and his beloved soccer tipping game. According to statistics from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, in 2012-14, over ¾ of Australia’s 15.4 million Internet users made a purchase or order online. The two most popular activities at the same time period were paying bills/online banking and social networking. The NBN will significantly enhance both and make technology and the Internet even more dependable. But are we too reliant on the Internet or is it acceptable in today’s society? That decision is entirely up to you!
References:
Wortham, J 2014, ‘I Had a Nice Time With You Tonight… On the App’, New York Times, Late Edition (East Coast), New York Times Company, USA.
THIS DIGITAL AGE 