Read:
E.J Westlake (2008).
Friend me if you Facebook: Generation Y and performative surveillance. The Drama Review 52(4), 21-40. (Electronic databases)
Fun article about Facebook and how people perform themselves through digital media.
Comment:
"Because Facebook was founded as a way to enhance face-to-face contact on university campuses, it has virtual and physical life unique on the internet. Contrary to prevailing attitudes of Baby Boomers and Generation X-ers that Generation Y is somehow socially and politically disengaged because of technology, the opposite is true.2 Studies show, in fact, that while young people spend more time on the computer (Fox and Madden 2006), they are more connected than ever in large part because technology facilitates contact in ways unfathomable even 10 years ago (Boase 2006). The gloomy scenario of a Baudrillardian dystopian life of the hyperreal has largely become irrelevant as the members of Generation Y perform (that is, modify their behavior for a specific imagined audience) on the web to build community and to communicate in ways that will forever alter, for better or worse, the ways in which people relate in person."
In a conference paper that I recently submitted to the Comm Unity online conference, I made the same point: Many Baby Boomers and Generation Xs do not understand the way in which Generation-Y communicates. It seems as if communication happens hidden away from the non-Generation-Y society, in a space that this part of society seems to have limited access to and limited understanding of. Generation-Y spends more time on computers because they communicate more intensely by using social media on the Web. This is decribed by Harper in more detail as follows:
"Perhaps what makes Facebook often unintelligible to some comes down to preferred modes of communication for people of different generations. The generations of people older than current college students—known as the “silent” generation (1925–1942), the Baby “Boomers” (1945–1960), and the “thirteenth” generation (1961–1981), according to William Strauss and Neil Howe’s Generations (1991)—do not have the same perspective on the internet as a means for social networking as the generation that is just beginning to graduate from college. In both Generations (1991) and Millennials Rising (2000), Strauss and Howe call this younger generation the Millennial Generation; American Demographics called them “Echo Boomers” (Miller 1995). The generation was dubbed “Generation Y” by marketing consultants following the media tendency to refer to the “thirteenth” generation as “Generation X” (Stanley 1995). The crucial generational difference with regard to reading Facebook turns on the need to engage with its more active forms of communication, such as messaging and other users’ Walls. Otherwise, Facebook appears static. As one Generation Y user wrote: “Maybe they [people born before 1982] don’t know that it’s also for communication? I know some people think Facebook is just sort of a reference guide” (Shelly 2006). While older internet users are more comfortable with email or the telephone, the young people of Generation Y are at home with chatting, text messaging, and continually altering the content of their profiles (Fox and Madden 2006). For Generation Y-ers, writing, or “texting,” is an act, and Facebook provides a forum for both immediate and asynchronous social interaction, creating a collaborative, interactive, and performative text."
Obviously older generations than Generation-Y seem to regard Facebook as some kind of Website with pages full of user profiles to look at. But this is the passive approach to Facebook, which might be related to the older concept of Websites, in which static pages would provide the visitor with information, but limited means for communication. To interact using Facebook also means that users need to be active. As with many other social media platforms, the user needs to actively engage with other users - as dana boyd describes it: writing themselves into community. It doesn't work to simply send a message to an undefined crowd of online users. To be recognised, those who want to engage need to create awareness for themselves, generating likeminded followers (friends) or followers with similar interests. Only then, communication will be recognized. These basics are valid for Facebook, Myspace, LinkedIn, Twitter and many other social media platforms.
For example, Thomas Wells Brignall III and Thomas Van Valey fear that:
If individuals move to use online forms of interaction as the primary way to communicate, the rules of online communication will begin to compete with and perhaps dominate those of face-to-face social interactions. For contemporary adults, this should not be problematic. They should have sufficient face-to-face interaction skills for them to move among the different modes of communication. However, this may not be the case with some cyberkids who have not properly developed their face-to-face interaction skills. Consequently, they may have problems when engaging in real face-to-face interactions. (2005:341)
I regard it as complete nonsense to claim that some cyberkids will experience social problems because they have not properly developed their face-to-face skills. I started to develop my face-to-face skills when I started learning to speak. To think that an average teenager will not have enough face-to-face communication skills prior to first working with a web enabled device is quite an interesting position. There might be some temporary problems with older generations as they lack the level of technology savvy that Generation-Y has gathered, but all following generations will have at least the same level of understanding about communicating via electronic device, across the Web. Social media is part of the ongoing development of communication technology. If older generations cannot adapt to this development, this is not the problem of Generation-Y or any other future generations. From my experience, those who already have problems with face-to-face communication are the ones that spend more time communicating with technology (programming, Host/Server administration, isolated work environments) than interacting with human beings. But Generation-Y is communicating with Generation-Y and all others. The means have only become more versatile.
Baby Boomers and many Generation X-ers have difficulty understanding the public nature of the online performance of self. For this reason, they fail to see the normative nature of these forms of social networking. Boomer journalist Robert J. Samuelson derided Generation Y’s desire to perform through social networking sites:
Call it the ExhibitioNet. It turns out that the internet has unleashed the greatest outburst of mass exhibitionism in human history. Everyone may not be entitled, as Andy Warhol once suggested, to 15 minutes of fame. But everyone is entitled to strive for 15 minutes— or 30, 90 or much more. We have blogs, “social networking” sites (MySpace, Facebook, YouTube and all their rivals). Everything about these sites is a scream for attention. Look at me. Listen to me. Laugh with me—or at me. (Samuelson 2006:A25)
Is it really exhibitionism? Or is it craving attention? People want to attract attention, because attention is instant gratification for my actions. This starts when we are kids, trying everything to make mum, dad, brothers, sisters and friends aware of us. It continues when we become teenagers, trying to attract those we have a crush on or whom we want to like us (search epic fail on Youtube). But in the days before the World Wide Web (Web) the opportunities were limited to our geographical reach and to the real world community that we belong to. Andy Warhol was active before the Web. Putting this into consideration, he was absolutely right though sarcastic, claiming that everyone should have 15 minutes of fame. Wouldn't everyone love 15 minutes of attention from a whole crowd of people? I find it hard to actually get 15 seconds of attention in the real world without somebody talking over me or being distracted. Generation-Y is the first generation that can actually perform in an attention seeking way (which might include exhibitionism), because the Web and specifically social media provides the platform to do so. Also, nobody can talk over you and people are forced to listen or to read without the chance of interrupting you. So my view is, that seeking attention is in all of us, but since social media emerged, the opportunities to engage in attention seeking have increased dramatically.
Unlike older people, Generation Y-ers may not understand the purpose of public protest and are not likely to march in the streets to voice their views. But they have demonstrated that they do care, and they have demonstrated that they will take action on issues that matter to them. Some of the largest Facebook groups, including “Abolish the Patriot Act Now!” with over 30,000 members,13 are devoted to educating each other and taking action on political issues. They also have ways of networking around issues that are not immediately visible to people who aren’t part of their online social network. Indeed MoveOn.org’s pioneering work with email and blogs has taught the new generation of political analysts that they can’t ignore these networks. That political campaigns are launching applications in Facebook’s new platform reveals that political professionals are adapting to the habits of a new generation of voters who are a deeply responsive population.
Just like people had to ride a horse, because there were no cars, people had to publicly protest in the hope to gather enough media attention to be considered and to put the issue into the news, because there was no social media. Public Protests will certainly remain a part of everyday life for quite a while, but creating awareness is easier online as it reaches more people and engages a larger audience as long as the online community regards the issue worth while. As outlined above, Facebook is one example of political activism online - Australian Republic is just one other example. But there are also activist blogs such as GetUp or the above mentioned MoveOn. Rather than printing flyers and trying to attract people to come to the protest, online activism only requires a few mouse clicks to get the discussion and further actions going.
Watch:
TED talk – Evan Williams
on Twitter
Bring: Learning Portfolio entry
Reflection on my own use of messaging, facebook, and twitter concerns or fears I may have and economic opportunities I might recognise.
In regard to messaging, I hardly ever use my mobile phone at all. Messaging only happens when I have to notify somebody urgently. If I can avoid it, I don't use my mobile phone. Though text messaging is the more polite way to engage with others via mobile phone, I find these devices very disruptive. People call you with nothing to say, or simply telling you that they are on the way to the golf course and "just wanted to say hello". Although there is certainly no bad intention behind this behaviour, it implies that I am available when people call me. Repeatedly calling me and not having me at hand, a significant number of friends began feeling offended by my non-use of the mobile phone. Rather than respecting my privacy and realising that their behaviour is disruptive they felt disregarded. From my perspective the Me-culture emerging from Twitter, Facebook and other social media outlets result in an exaggerated perception of the self. The individual is demanding more and more attention, giving too much importance to the own existence. In the end everybody will remark, "...everybody is all about themsleves. Nobody is interested in me..."
Before starting with my BA (Internet Communication), I regarded Twitter as the most retarded way to engage with other people. I couldn't understand that people thought it was important to tell the world that they just had a bole of cereals or that they had run out of mustard. I only became aware of the potential of Twitter through Tama Leaver and Sky Croeser at Curtin, who demonstrated the use of Twitter by relating to a specific online community. Rather than popping out every single thought that goes through our minds to the world, Twitter can be used to gather a well selected group of people (online-IDs), inform them in terms of news, scholars, or any other material that will spark their interest and to gain confidence from these connections. Realising that I have something valuable to share with the online community, People will point others to you who will be interested in the topics that you concentrate on. Working in Higher Education and engaging with graduate employers, I regularly use Twitter to point my peers (others working in similar roles, recruiters, employers) to interesting reads or videos (TED, SlowTV, YouTube) and to spark discussions.
In regard to Facebook, I loved it right from the start. For me Facebook is more of a playground. It can be incredible fun to engage with people from all around the world and to stay in contact with those who are hard to come by, face-to-face. I have made friends in Germany, Switzerland, Argentina, Brazil the US and regularly engage with them. I am a great fan of popular music, photography, film, design (furniture, household articles, cars) and architecture. Facebook gives me the opportunity to engage directly with artists, other fans of the same artists, and people finding interest in the same things as I do.
Although there are ongoing discussions about ethical issues with Facebook (eg. tagging), I also believe that the experiences with Facebook belong to a learning curve for those who engage with others online. In general Web users need to realise that it is totally up to them to decide what goes online and what doesn't. With the Web being totally free and unregulated comes a huge responsibility for everybody involved, to act ethically and to make decisions that would normally be made by authorities on behalf of the individual. On the Web there are no borders and there is no sense of time. Some country's Governments still trying put measures in place to regulate the Web, it indicates that they haven't understood the issues with applying real world measures in a virtual world. Rather than a Government claiming to act in the name of the people, the people now have the opportunity to act in their own name, but they also have to stand by their decisions.
Most of what I regard news is available on LinkedIn - the professional Social Network Service. It customizes the blogs and news articles to my profile and to my professional background. As a result, the news is often relevant and interests me. Also, some of my connections have linked their Twitter account to their LinkedIn account, which is another source of information as they often link to further information across their tweets. The only other communication channel for information and news that I use is the ABC breakfast news. But here I only watch for about 20 minutes. Most of the times there is a politician on, blaming the opposition for something or they discuss failures in the private lives of other politicians, which in my books is the reason for so many people dismissing Australian politics. I then watch the sport news and the weather, before I make my way to work. At work I check my Email for news from professional associations and blogs. I only listen to community radio (PBS FM) as there is no interruption through advertising and they purely engage in playing music. The only other information that I regard worthwhile is that from science series like Catalyst on ABC TV and SBS documentations.
How does this differ from older generations / family etc?
My mother just turned 80. In the past she regularly read the newspaper, especially on weekends. Meanwhile she has turned completely away from newspapers. First of all she claims that there is nothing of essence in there anymore and secondly most of what is discussed was on TV and radio news the day before. Why regugitate it. She entirely relies on TV news. She doesn't make use of online news outlets as she actually fears the Web. I asked her for the reason and she responded that using anything else but her email account, people would be able to get their hands on her address and account details to empty out her bank account and use her identity for fraudulent actions. The only thing she uses her computer and the highspeed broadband connection for is communicating via email and playing Solitaire.
Many people belonging to my generation (Baby Boomers) are still completely overwhelmed with using the Web and in particular understanding social media.
Group activity:
Reconstruct a series of tweets into a Standard English news story. Discuss what does this do to the way we convey meaning? What is lost? What is gained?
Share your examples of communications used during the unit. Which have been most useful? Why? What would you like to see more of?
Most of all I enjoyed engaging with other students through blackboard. Using facebook was ok, but there is a lot of disruption by random posts sent from the individuals to their Facebook friends, which would automatically end up in fellow student accounts as well. Also, using Blackboard, students are more focused on the current topics and on each others discussion contributions.
Discussion Questions:
Discuss kinds of communication media used – what is old what is new – what is the balance? Why? What are the benefits of each type?
How has the concept of privacy shifted in terms of media subjects and media users?
What happens when communication and other forms of media merge?
Group Work
work in small groups / pairs to share outlines / drafts of ass. 3 and provide feedback
Assignment Guidelines
Look at the marking criteria for Assignment 1 (Learning Portfolio and Reflection)
Discuss the appropriate form, content and style for the reflection
NB Assignment 1 Full Portfolio due this Friday
