Notes and Tutespark week 6

In week six lecture we talked about media in forms of new media and social media.
We started out by once again defining technology which the lecturer defined as; “the scientific study of mechanical arts and their application to the world”, which includes physical objects and the knowledge of their function.
When we talk about media we talk about technology used as a medium for communication.
When studying media, and social media, we often study the two terms. First, ‘virtual community’; a group of people who communicate via the internet (social network sites, chat, blogs etc), and second ‘Individual Identity’; how people try to express who they are via the internet (personal profiles, Myspace, Facebook, blogs etc).
Both of the above terms include the creation of an ideal self, and to communicate with whomever you want, also people you normally (in real life) wouldn’t communicate with. Whereas focus earlier was on creating networks with people of same interest, or with things in common with you, the focus is now on you; you as a individual is the common thread.
Whilst the web as we first new it was a ‘read-only-web’, people can now contribute and be a part of the creation of the web. In other words, we are no longer only consumers but also partly creators.

With this in mind the tutespark this week asks us..
- Who owns the content you put on the internet on various sites?
- The content on a social networking site - do you own it?
- Who has the right to use your creations?

The following statement is taken directly from FB's right and responsibilities site:

Sharing Your Content and Information

You own all of the content and information you post on Facebook, and you can control how we share your content through your privacy and application settings. In order for us to use certain types of content and provide you with Facebook, you agree to the following:

1.For content that is covered by intellectual property rights, like photos and videos (”IP content”), you specifically give us the following permission, subject to your privacy and application settings: you grant us a non-exclusive, transferable, sub-licensable, royalty-free, worldwide license to use any IP content that you post on or in connection with Facebook (”IP License”).
2.This IP License ends when you delete your IP content or your account (except to the extent your content has been shared with others, and they have not deleted it). When you delete IP content, it is deleted in a manner similar to emptying the recycle bin on a computer. However, you understand that removed content may persist in backup copies for a reasonable period of time (but will not be available to others).
We always appreciate your feedback or other suggestions about Facebook, but you understand that we may use them without any obligation to compensate you for them (just as you have no obligation to offer them)
(http://www.facebook.com/terms.php)

In other words, the content you choose to put on facebook is all your, however, facebook or others have full rights of using this content as long as their still online, and you havent deleted them or your account. With tags and shared albums, this is basically impossible for you to controll.

Week 5 Spark

Culture Jamming

Mark Bery wrote about cultural jamming in his article for the New York Times;
‘media hacking, information warfare, terror-art and guerrilla semiotics all in one. Billboard bandits, pirate TV, radio broadcasters and other vernacular media wrenchers who intrude on the intruders, investing ads, newscasts and other media artifacts with subversive meaning are all cultural jammers’

In other words, cultural jamming is about parodies, lying and recreate; Fake ads, fake newspaper articles, pastiche– shocking, surprising, unexpected or provocative.

Culture jams are often used to expose questionable political assumtion behind comercial culture, and if suuccesful, it will cause damage to blind belief. This recreated ad for Nike is an example of such cultural jamming;

This ad describes the working conditions at the Nike factory in indonesia, and encourage you to think globally before you decide it's so cool to wear Nike - or not wear it at all.

Another culturejams can be created simply for the sake of attention, like the famous 'balloon boy'. On the 15. October 2009, the parents of Falcon Heene claimed that their hellium ballon was sent a drift - with their son in it. A massive search, following the balloon for several miles ended about 2 hours later, finding the boy hiding in his own house - where he had been the whole time. Eventually the truth came out, and both Falcons parents admitted their little 'prank'. Charged for attempting to influence a public, he boys father, Richard Heene, was sent 90 days in jail, and had to pay $36,000 in restitution.