Somewhere in the near future... the 'second' time around

Over the past few weeks, I've given commentary on topics from Extremists to the Futures of Mobiles. This week however there is no topic, however a look or even more prediction of what the future holds for Second Life?

I've commented on the idea of Second Life and whether its real or not. But now its to whether Second Life has a another life in the future. Like many websites Facebook and MySpace they started up small, with only a few members. However with the combination of time and word of mouth Facebook has accumulated over 400 million members* in its five years of operation. Second Life like facebook is another potential social networking site. A mix of gaming graphics and a chat like socializing, Second Life is a more active and fantasy orientated site. I think that with my powerful equation of time + word of mouth, Second Life has the potential to be like Facebook having over 200 million of its members active online everyday*

(*Sourced from the Press Room of the Facebook Website)

Second Life lacks in areas, which are common reasons why the site isn't so popular. Not to sound like a controller or anything, but from being classified in the general age group/generation of people who utilize social networking sites I think I have something to say:

• Graphic Quality & Loading - Pixelated and slow loading (it's commonly known that in Second Life avatars load quick than their clothes), the Second Life platform isn't aesthetically efficient. Understandably with its current members and the features offered lagging can occur, but it works against them. Especially since people get impatient with loading times, thus the move from the over the top Myspace to the simple and quick Facebook.
• Target Audience - Second Life is currently associated with a particular audience. The older, (thought rude) unsuccessful and generally 'weird' adult is generally thought of when thinking of the audience for the site. If Second Life targeted a more receptive and growing audience like teenagers and other young adults
• Simpler Concept - MySpace was the first wave of social networking sites. It's ability to have personalized web profiles was exciting. Moving forward came Facebook which offered more of a simple universal profile which was highly popular. For Second Life to be popular and grow, it needs to be streamline and easy to use. Having experience using the site it offers so many things, which can be confusing and overwhelming even for the most savvy facebookers.

Second Life can become the 'next best thing', but to be that it needs to be appealing to the people who ultimately choose them. A little reshuffle and maybe in a few years like previously people will move on from Facebook to Second Life resembling the same switch from Myspace to Facebook.

Documentary 101

Documentary Then: Boring (Youth Perspective), Lacking in mainstream importance, Lacking funds

Documentary Now: Video On Demand, Spanning Worldwide, Becoming Important

New new media has opened the door for anyone to vocie an opinion in an open platform. As we all aren't michael moores or Morgan Spurlock we don't have financial backing nor the leisure to use our own money to fund such projects of passion. By using sites like youtube which contain more than 120,000,000 of videos and services two billion videos to users each day*, documentaries can find their space in the online world.

Documentaries are commonly found on the television, with commissioned pieces and the 'odd music or celebrity-related documentary was considered for mainstream theatrical distribution' (Vicente, 2008). In 2002 and onwards documentaries peaked having documentaries like Bowling for Columbine, Fahrenheit 9/11, Touching The Void and Super Size Me finding mainstream box office acclaim. However with the growing topical issues with documentaries such as licensing, political issues and cultural sensitivity have led to documentaries to become considered more 'independent' in release. 'There is little doubt of the existence of many untapped audiences that occur due to a lack of exposure or access to the product' (Vicente, 2008)

With all of these pressures, the documentary industry has taken a hit. But with the internet and its video streaming capabilities through sites like youtube and pay video on demand documentaries can reach their niche audiences all over the world. Documentaries allow the middle man and the average woman to speak up and send a message. Not just with words but with a visual aesthetic which communicates to a larger audience. Working in the same direction as blogs and websites, documentaries offer another medium of communication, which at times are more interesting and attractive than written forms. Documentaries are changing in more ways than one. From the film documentaries becoming more adaptive to reach their audience, but also the homemade local documentaries created to

LGBT Rights Part 1

Above is a homemade 4 part documentary created by the Youtube user Insomninja explores Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual and Transexual rights. Her documentary, though not of the standard of a film documentary still informs but most importantly brings a need for action and awareness on the issue. Online documentaries expand the capabilities and the amount of content spread around the world, working to help complement other documentaries both film and homemade. It helps to lower costs, the need for licensing and trademarks and makes it easier and more inviting to create and share ideas.

The Cellutoid Closet

Comparing the Insomninja Documentary with a snippet from the Cellutoid Closet, they both offer insights to LGBT rights and the injustice of prejudice complementing each other.

Mobile Me Much?

Mobile 2002: Voice Calling Device

Mobile 2009: Internet, Music, Movie, Picture, Camera, Office, Conferencing, Video Calling, Calling Device

When I was young, life was simple. I had a game-boy, television with a VCR and a Desktop Computer.

I'm 19 and now I've got a mobile, a bigger television with a DVD player, a game-boy with two screens and a laptop.

In the 21st century screens have become increasingly common, with at least one in each room in my house it’s hard to say you can ever live without them. In particular the mobile phone has evolved, from the classic brick phone with an antenna to more high tech devices with much bigger screens.

My Previous and Current Phones

2002 Nokia 3200 | 2007 Motorola V3x | 2009 Nokia E63

In my childhood up to the age of 13 I never owned a phone. However when I became 14 I was exposed into the new world of mobile phone culture. From starting off with the classic ‘second hand’ Nokia 3200, it had a 1 inch screen and polyphonic ringtones. Then when I got older I got my first brand new mobile, the Motorola V3x. It was a flip phone with two screens, mp3 ringtones and a 2 megapixel camera. Welcoming in 2009 I got my first smartphone, the Nokia e65. A with a full QWERTY keyboard, Camera, Internet, music player and a screen which trumps all of the previous phones I’ve ever got.

This trip down memory lane has got me thinking (in conjunction with this week’s topic) it got me thinking, what’s next with the mobile phone?

Having replaced the standard landline the mobile phone aims to replace more and more forms of hardware currently in existence. This is achieved because the mobile has evolved to the point where it’s more than my 2003 phone. Incorporating attributes from other gadgets like television shows, radio, games, movies, etc… the term mobile phone seems to be an understatement to what the mobile phone 2.0 can really do.

With all of this new technology crammed into these bite sized phones, its hard to ignore these screens. the advantage of having multiple applications and physical features. Phones have opened the door to an obsessive consumption of mobile data. As mentioned before its hard in my house to avoid a screen as everything nowadays regardless of if it’s needed has a one. Furthermore in public as well its hard to avoid screens because in reality there is always on in your front pocket. The mobile is arguably an efficient tool to multitask even in the most unlikely areas.

‘A stalled elevator, a car stuck in a traffic jam, a seat in a doctors office when you’re waiting endlessly for an appointment – a wireless device, whether a cell phone, blackberry or iPhone, makes all of those formerly useless places useful’ (Levinson, 2009)

Going back to my comparison between my previous mobiles and gadgets and my new ones, it’s hard to grasp that in only a short amount of time technology has advanced. When it comes to whether mobiles will be dominant in the 21st Century I agree that mobiles have become more than just simple calling devices. Welcome to the age of the touch screen iPhones and QWERTY Keyboard Nokia Phones. Which will lead us into the of phones like:

Future Phones Concepts

Pomegranate Phone | Nokia Aeon | Nokia Morph | HTC Touch HD

Poly Wanna Social Cracker?

Vlog: Video Blog

Satire: Poking fun

Social media has become an integrated part of people's lives. With 200 million people on Facebook alone it's hard to ignore this latest social trend of online networking and communication.

Since sites like Facebook, MySpace and Twitter offer the opportunity to communicate to a mass audience in a viral way, and it is slowly being adopted by businesses, artists and even dare I say politicians.

From the standard and boring video posts of Prime Minster John Howard addressing Australia on policies to videos created to support Barack Obama and his presidential campaign entering into the social media world though a worth wild opportunity can be a double edged sword.

You'll never know with the Media and there of.

Youtube is the new online equivalent to television. From a one time only television address,now there is more permanent and viral way of communicating messages online via Youtube and other video streaming sites. By utilizing online videos, politicians can voice key ideas and messages to target publics/areas. (e.g.: Obama posting on Youtube to add emphasis to his proposed healthcare plans in 2010)

There are 3 main ways in which Youtube can be used in politics:

Voicing Key Opinions and Messages

- Key Address to a public audience by the heads of parties. Strong, fact relaying delivery form with a focus on persuasion and influence.

Barack Obama Address [http://www.youtube.com/user/barackobamadotcom?blend=1&ob=4#p/c/D6B5840B179F041E/29/_WWBgN1vq9w]

Negative Political Tactics

- Videos can be created and spread virally to exploit faults in campaigns or ideologies.

Hilary Clinton - 1984, Apple inspired Ad [ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6h3G-lMZxjo ]

Barack Obama's political camp created this advert, mirroring the Apple Super Bowl Ad that focuses on imagery in 1984. A d

Unintentional Satire

- Using Youtube once again in a negative and/or satirical way, parties can create and stream popular videos to poke fun at political figures. The main reason is to poke fun at content and behavior displayed by politicians. Two examples of this are the Kevin Rudd's 'Ear Wax' incident and Tina Fey's SNL Sarah Palin skit. (I thought I'd upload these videos just because they are hilarious!)

Tina Fey Sarah Palin Interview Skit

Kevin Rudd Ear Wax Incident

With these different ways of utilizing video stream websites like Youtube, the question arises 'Does the pros outweigh the cons associated with Youtube and video streaming?

I think that its a positive step to adopt a more popular medium of communication to address a particular public group. Though on the flip side all actions which are deemed funny and embarrassing have the potential to spread like fire online.

Produser, and yes I spelt it right...

Original: Fresh, New, The Origin

Copy: Reproduction

Produsage is the art of taking in content, interpreting it and then resending that content. Like a cycle, think chinese whispers as a message goes in one ear, it'll usually start to alter with everyone's different interpretations of the message.

“There is an absence of producers, distributors, or consumers, and the presence of a seemingly endless string of users acting incrementally as content producers by gradually extending and improving the information present in the information commons, the value chain begins and ends (but only temporarily, ready for further development) with content.” (Bruns, 2006)

With a greater reliance on what has already been created, the concept of originality is fading into the background. That there are more people reinterpreting material than creating something from scratch. Why is there this new trend of reproducing material? How does it particularly work?

Just another question for the Media and there of.

Produsage comes in different forms, from the light artistic musical renditions to the informative databases used to cultivate information from collective minds. Both cultural and informative produsage have advanced, especially with the development of the media introducing the internet and the new new medias increase the spread of the produsage.

Below are a few examples of produsage in various industries:

- Musical Produsage

Madonna's 2005 hit song 'Hung Up' contained a sample of the popular ABBA song 'Gimme Gimme Gimme'. Featuring a the sample visibly throughout the song, the song relies on the sample's popularity to generate familiarity with music listeners tapping into their love for the ABBA song, translating that forward to love for the new song.

- Film Produsage

Currently another industry, the film industry recently has become more and more reliant on reproducing past cinema films. James Bond's Casino Royale, Alice and Wonderland, Bourne Identity, Cheaper by the Dozen and Fame are movies which have been remade. Some featured the same story with a new cast, while others like Alice in Wonderland offer a continuation or even another perspective of the story.

- Information Produsage

Wikipedia, though it's a more of an information database is a form of produsage, People collaborate their knowledge and continually interpret it and edit to better the information given.

- Fan Fiction Produsage

And finally fan fiction, where people take current stories or characters and further the story and life of the character chosen. Popular fan fiction topics are mainly sci fi with Star Wars, Star Trek and Lord of the Rings being very popular.

Whether produsage can be considered creative and new or unoriginal is subjective. When industries like the music and film utilize produsage it does come off as unoriginal, as the real reason for using the original concepts and stories is to exploit the sample's popularity which will transfer to the latest produsage song or movie. It is typically known that in these industries, the amount of reliance on past material is very common, leading to the questionability of whether there any original artists present.

I find however though an interpretation of a previous story, fan fiction/fandom I believe is a more creative and original form of produsage. Fans create stories and the like to further the longevity of the series (e.g: Star Wars) ensuring that it lives on even without the official creators of writers.

Originality is something that is no long important in current day society. In every industry you have one original idea, and instead of others coming up with a new idea to counter it they create a copy.

The purpose of the produsage I believe determines the originality and creativeness of the material created. If a produser uses something for commercial success I find it less original than other produsers who use it for a more personal or passionate gain. To achieve commericial sucess it to simply exploit what something has to offer. As to continue something you love is more creative because it's not about a material gain.

Who said you need to get a room?

Sex (noun) - Sexual intercourse

Sex (verb) - Engaging in Sexual Intercourse

Online Sex - ??

Sex, and with these three letters the room goes silent. The topical issue of sex isn't necessarily discussed with such a keen eye so to speak from an education perspective. Though I do find myself in the thick of it trying to nut out the result of the equation SEX + INTERNET = ??. And can cyber sex really be considered as sex?

This probably isn't the best topic for the dinner table...

This is some kind Media and there of.

Sexual culture is pretty simple; in reality. Two people (or more) engaging in acts in a sexual nature. That's the most G rated definition I can come up with. However if we add the internet into the mix, then it gets a whole lot complicated. The internet allows people to access online sexual content whether it be porn, online chat rooms or even utilizing a second life account in a sexual way. This adds another level of complexity to the notion of sex. For instance can a sexual relationship through a virtual chat room be considered engaging in a sexual act? Or even using your second life avatar to engage in a more visual sexual act, is that sex? And does this new sexual environment lead to new ventures as well as issues?

Cybersex culture opens the door for an increase of pornography generation, online chat rooms and other new avenues for sexual content and communication. A problem though due to the easy nature in which people can access this content and environment means that issues of control and open access. In an article "Internet Porn: Worse than Crack", Ryan Singel compares the use of internet porn with crack addition. Singel however points out that the use of porn can actually be even worse than having a crack addiction as 'the internet is the perfect drug delivery system' (Layden, 2004). Having efficient access 24/7 without much or any fees and having the ability to be anonymous when viewing content, there is nothing deterring the use of porn.

By participating in the cybersex environment, does it make sense to define it as actually having sex? Having cybersex doesn't involve any physical interaction only the exchange of emotions and fantasized feelings. Putting it in context, avatars having sex on Second Life is only a transmission of emotions with the avatars having the somewhat 'physical' contact. I personally don't believe that cybersex can be considered as real sex. Sure they both have 'sex' in there name however, to me real sex is about a more physical connection and one containing love than lust. I think that lust is what fuels cybersex and the reasons why people do these activities. Second Life for instance sells sexual anatomy parts and other tools which help to satisfy this lust.

We're not talking about the Blue Ones.

Avatar: A digital representation of one's self

With the internet comes great power and with great power comes with great responsibilities. Having the ability to create whatever you want with the help of the internet and help sites like the simple facebook and neopets to the truely escapist Second Life, it's hard to know what can be considered real and cyber. How can we say that the love we have for a neopet isn't real? How can we say that marrying someone on second life isn't the start of a new romance?

[Meadows (2008:58)] “People in virtual worlds build things, use them, sell them, trade them and discuss them. When another person confirms what I am seeing, places value on it, spends time working to pay for it, buys it, keeps it, uses it, talks about it, gets emotional about it, and then sells it – this tells me there is something real happening. The suspension of disbelief has become a grounding of belief”

This is Media and there of.

Second Life, created by Linden Labs is an online world where people can live basically an ideal life. Think the sims but without the restrictions and the sim language. A growing enterprise, the average Second Life user is in their mid 30s-40s which would explain why I've never really heard of this internet craze before. The appeal of this site is that people can logon and create an avatar, a representation of one's self. It doesn't necessarily have to be an exact replica, because in Second Life you can be whoever you want to be and do whatever you like. And when I mean whatever I mean whatever. Sex, conceiving children, flying, plastic surgery it's all there ready for you at a click of a button. This fad undertaken by thousands of adults leads people to exchange their own money for 'Linden Dollars' to be used to purchase things like land, clothing and even dare I say the ideal penis.

At this point where I stand to judge the reality of the situation. Are people really getting something out of this site that is real? Are the feelings created real? Can they be really justified by what they do online?

Personally I've never really been a fan of games where you control the life of someone again like the Sims. I find it boring and it makes me feel that I'm neglecting my own life while maintaining the ones in the little computer screen. I've never had a connection of a character created nor had a relationship with another character.

Putting myself in another person's shoes I can understand why some people use these sites. As said before the average people who use Second life are in their older stages in life. And being general they would be people who haven't necessarily achieved what they wanted in life. So I see Second Life for them as exactly that, a way for them to be what they wanted to be and more without doing it in their own reality.

However all of these things done while in Second Life or any platform with a virtual reality isn't real. I don't think that if you get married online that you are or that if you buy something online that you own it in some way. I think it's a way of making the world more complicated. When we dream, at times some of our greatest dreams can come true. You can be with the love of your life or do the unthinkable. Does that make it real because you did it in another world? No, once again it's something that was done in another world besides reality. Sure we develop feelings when playing these games but as humans be tend to develop connects and feelings with anything like dreams. The feelings are real but the creator of those feelings is fake. I could sit here and think of a nice burger and even go to the lengths of going on to Neopets and purchasing one, that might make me feel better or closer to that burger, but it's not real.

We are blurring the lines with what is real in reality and what is fake. Some can argue because the online world is created that means that the things created are somewhat real, however the fact that they are 'somewhat' real make them incomplete and thus not real in my books