Social Media Connecting People Around

            Photo / Video sharing social media is no longer a stranger to most of us, especially in this new era with ubiquitous network around, people can easily access to the them. Hence, it is also known as online networking. As the use of social media is becoming more mature, they will expect for more enhancement. This is the time where tons of online services and applications appearing, providing a lot new features which make these social media becoming more interesting. Social media even assist in solving the social awkwardness by providing new connections virtually. These new ways of connection are like stepping stones that allow the users including the introverts to communicate with others.

            The evolution of social media has brought the connection between people to a whole new level, ranging from content sharing on Facebook, tags on Twitter, photos on Flickr, to locations on Foursquare. Each of these new services or applications plays the role in building meaningful relationships among us. Moreover, due to the recent advances in cellular system, most of the mobile phones come together with a decent camera. As a result, the photo or video related of social media are rapidly growing too.  When a person use Youtube to share interesting videos on the web, all of his or her subscribers will be notified through Youtube and Email; this is the advantage how we benefits from the social media as we will be connecting with others.

            In addition, besides video, photo sharing has become a norm. It has almost become a practice where people tend to take photo of everything including their foods and share them through social media. People are accepting social media as part of their lifestyle.

            As the community in social media is increasingly growing, companies have stopped looking at social media as merely a medium for communication. They tend to use social media as marketing tools instead of the main motive; “to connect people around”.

             Long lost friend? Long-distance relationship? Siblings studying abroad? Not a problem anymore. These social medias are there for you! Upload your recent photo of having a vacation or a video for long-distance birthday wishes. Now, this is a big spidey web that we all like. <3

Recently, there is hype around the world on Asians. 9GAG is a popular humor photo sharing sites. In this site, people all over the world upload a funny photo of their creation and share it. If the photo is funny enough, the photo will stay on the trending site so that people can view it over and over again.
However, most of the funniest post stirs around provocative issues such as racial stereotyping, gender bias/stigmatization, religion issue or post that strive to humiliate others.

Funny or provocative?

According to Fitzmaurice et al. (2007), insults will be interpreted as jokes if the receiver shared the same culture and context with the sender. However, if the receiver did not share the same culture and context as the receiver, jokes will be interpreted as insults and this might hurt the relationship between the sender and the receiver. In 9GAG, most of the time, the people who saw the picture post feel the post is funny because internet has blurred the lines of culture thus making internet user to have the same cultural value. But, not all post are considered as funny even though they have the same cultural value. 

However, not all photos are provocative. Some are to create awareness and some inspirational.

Funny or not, 9GAG are here to stay. The popularity of 9GAG is spreading all over the world and we hope that when a provocative post did come up, there will be no World War III happening in the internet.


Sources.
Fitzmaurice, S. M., & Taavitsainen, I., (2007). Methods in Historical Pragmatics: Topics in English Linguistics. Berlin: Mouton De Gruyter

There is a lot of things that we can do in Youtube. Some use it as a place to launch their career, be it as an entertainer, make-up artist or chef and some use it as a place to spread their agenda. This is what most of the HIV/AIDS agency did and we think that they are smart. Once a video went viral, it will be played on and on and soon enough, an awareness is created in at least 1 out of 10 people who watch the video.

Through Youtube Non-Profit Program, non-governmental organization can spread awareness and create advertisement for free, something that is impossible to do before the social networking era. Using this program, the organization can highlight their video under the "Promoted Video" section. The organization can also learn on how to use the service by using the tips given by Youtube.

Here is some of the videos of HIV/AIDS awareness video channel.

UNAIDS

No Hiv, Ni Aids- Stop The Disease

True enough, using this method, awareness can be spread but question is how long can it last? The awareness can be spread as long as there are people sharing it. If the people stop sharing, the video will just become an exhibition tool.

As interesting and enticing video sharing is, if there is no publicity to hype up the video, the awareness will not be spread. Sharing video is seasonal and once the season is over, people will just leave and move on. Only those who have the motivation will stay and support the program.

This is a review of Technoscopy article entitled HIV/AIDS awareness through Youtube.

Photo sharing sites also becomes a popular tool to upload and evaluate students’ assignment. This is because it recognized as convenient way to upload and at the same time easier to view others’ works and comments (Using photo sharing for assessment, n.d.). Especially photography or publishing subjects, students need to apply different techniques to capture photos, design a poster and editing.

Through this social media tool, they can share their works and judge each other projects. As stated by Boettcher and Conrad (2010), this way of assessment with upload students’ assignment to social networking site can be a discussion forum as it enable each student upload their works that required by lecturer and then each of them can  view and comment others’ works. It can be a critical learning process for students. Others’ comments or opinions may motivate and challenge each other to create a more quality work.

            In the Communication Design subject assignment, for example, students are required to use Flikr which is a photo sharing site to upload their assignment. In this five individual assignment, they have to take a number of photos and select the best photos for each project and share to their Flikr account. These five projects cover five types of photographic techniques such as lighting, colour, movement and so on. They also need to give comments for other three students’ works. Their comments also will be evaluated and given mark. It aims to encourage students involve in critical thinking and improve their analysis skills.

            Indirectly, it becomes communication tool between lecturer and students. Besides evaluate for the students’ works, lecturer also give guideline on how they should improve their works or create a more quality work.

            No only images; video also can be uploaded to the photo sharing websites like Facebook and Twiiter. The video can be the students’ assignment or performance of students that recorded by lecturer and share to photo sharing site. Every user can view and criticize the videos as they join the group. In addition, they can vote by clicking “Like” if they recognize that student’s work is good. As an example, the following video is about one of the group performance that recorded by Healthy Lifestyle lecturer.

http://www.facebook.com/groups/138794892911157/permalink/138812449576068/

               

            Students those who are taking Healthy Lifestyle subject have to create a health dance which is a high mark assignment. Then, lecturer will upload the students’ performances that have been recorded to Facebook for voting. Those who receives more number of “Like”, they can get more mark. However, it is unfair evaluation way as they can ask more people to vote their works but their works do not logically evaluated. Thus, it is  unjust for those who has low vote but their works are better than others.

    

References    

Boettcher, J. V., & Conrad, R. M. (2010). The online teaching survival guide: Simple and practical pedagogical tips. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Using photo sharing for assessment in a Communication Design subject: A case study. Retrieved (10 Jun, 2012) from: http://web2assessmentresources.wikispaces.com/2.8.+Using+photo+sharing+for+assessment+in+a+Communication+Design+subject

   

I simply love Youtube.  This video sharing website is simply amazing.  I remember back in the days when I had to look up books, articles, newspapers and even dictionary to search for something so trivial.  Now, I rely much on Youtube.  It makes life much more simple and easy. Why?

A few years ago, I had always wanted to take up make up courses.  However the 'ka-ching' factor is mainly the reason why I never took up one until now.  It was until I discover the wonders of video sharing websites.  Just key in "M-A-K-E-U-P-T-U-T-O-R-I-A-L" and the results are tumultuous.  You get all sorts of tutorials from simple, natural, sexy, summer to emo, gothic and the list goes on and on.  In fact, video sharing websites provide us with all the convenience and it is hassle free as well. 

Internet, computer or laptop are all you need to get going.  Most of us are not aware that we can get almost anything possible over Youtube. Don't believe me? Just try it out yourself.  From something as simple as cooking recipes to gaming cheats, this video sharing website is bound to become the next GOOGLE!

Yes, Google is a search engine but Youtube is certainly becoming a hit among online users especially among the younger generations.  It is interactive as well as user-friendly.  The major perk of Youtube is that it gives us constant access to information via videos.  Who wants to read articles and journals when we can just view videos which are far more interesting?  

The next time you want to search something, you can always look up Youtube.  You can always choose to differ but Youtube is by far the best and most interactive sharing sites to google (search) information, in my opinion.  Just my two cents.

          "Lalala lalalala lalala lalalala" The rhythm of the intro is still fresh in my mind right now. I was exposed to this funny violent cartoons series- Happy Tree Friends when I was around 18 years. Yes, I was too old for watching such cartoons during middle adolescent time but nothing weird, I had a lot of fun watching it but seriously it still terrify me until now. I followed the trend of watching since it had been shared crazily around by my friends through the social networking sites but initially "addicted" to it when I first viewed on Youtube. With the childish appearance and the cute name, everything seems like fairy tale telling you the happily ever after stories of three friends. BUT WHAT YOU SEE IS NOT WHAT YOU GET! The truth is horrifying. Out of any of my expectation, the show is extremely violent with almost every episode featuring massive of blood, pain and grim death! For which I couldn't stand to see were the portrayal of their death was so clear in mind as its vividly graphic and exaggerated. Watch the video below and you will know how exactly i feel when i was watching this! Cutting eyeballs and squeezing the blooooody eyeball "juice" to make drinks? It really disgusting. It's definitely a blowout on Youtube for many people especially since 5 years ago and surprisingly now established an official website for Happy Tree Friends (See here). 

           

          The video series content was strictly forbidden for children under 12 because it denotes too much violence and blood which for sure making some kids pee in their pants after watching. From the media perspective, this video is gory,ultra-violent, cynical and black-humored. Knowing that unlike us in the past, having our first social networking site account in early 15, children nowadays they set up account for Youtube, Facebook, Twitter and etc in early childhood since learning information technology is like fingertips for them. Hence, the possibility of them encountering this kind of violence and brutality featured video shared vigorously online is rather high. With the featuring of cute name and adorable appearance, children and early adolescent are the main consumer of violence in this case since they are more attracted to it. 


           Regardless of whether the violence is rewarded or punished, who is the perpetrator is, and what is the motive of the violence, it was found that violence affects the likelihood of the video viewer in learning the aggressive behavior form the violent content (Dowd, Singer & Wilson, 2006: 185). An interesting characteristic of this brutality denoted video is the innocence after violence and murder committal. Seems like it conveyed a false message of violence and murder committal is not a wrongdoing but an accident which happened coincidentally. 

There's no real proof of violent featured video will causes the children or adolescent engage in aggressive behavior but there is a likelihood of being brutal just like what we seen in picture above. Cuddly character but gory in nature. Wondered who still loves it. =) 

Reference: 
Dowd, N.E., Singer, D.G. & Wilson, R.F. (2006). Handbook of Children, Culture and Violence. Retrieved from    Google Books. 

         Things of people disclosed in their social networking sites like Facebook never fails to surprise us. People are too willing to share their private details and let the whole world to see. Amusingly, they share it because they wanted the whole world to see. Whether somebody like it or not, with or without consent, Facebook photo sharing has go beyond control because some has already violates the human rights on the ground that the photo and description attached insulted or misled public about oneself. Privacy in photo indeed is an emerging issue which challenge Facebook, somehow the censorship of their policy has raise some disputing voices. 


          


In a recent event in the early of year 2008, it was the very first time Facebook had became the mommy's enemy protested widely by 80000++ angry mothers after banning their breastfeeding photographs from their online profiles. They had strongly claimed that breastfeeding is not obscene. But Facebook had another said. The management site stressed they have only act upon on the photo because it was brought to controversial discussion and complaint. Blocking the photo which "deemed" to be violate the decency code is hardly acceptable, what's more it complicates the situation when Facebook management cancelled their personal account. ( See here). 


Interestingly after the protest and public criticism, Facebook restored the photo, not wanting to ignite any further controversy. But, it seems like Facebook is only a deception. Censorship is the restriction of what people may say, hear, write, read or see. (Day, 2001). Public opinion has a large role in considering what is acceptable and hence people are opposing the action taken by the management. Sometimes it can be confusing since the decency code has a blurring barrier between pornography and breastfeeding in terms of the criteria set. So it's better ever to say to hold on to self-censorship. Self-censorship is "self imposed in anticipation of public backlash (ibid). Come to think again, wouldn't it be very self -constraint if every single small decision, minor changes or some breakthrough ideas seems to challenge the public perception? Yes, i would say. Yet it is still necessary for avoiding inappropriate dissemination of information. 


In this case, I see nothing wrong about it and begun to question the deception of Facebook, the rules or codes set seemingly brought to confusion of what a person should or should not share on the social media.  It's an old issue and since Facebook has escalate the quality control for every single photo shared online in their social networking site. But to all the peeps out there, next time if you see something like this appeared when you tried to view your or other's people content; DON'T FREAK OUT! See how far you or others would protect the rights to expression if nothing seems to violate the rules. 

Have a safe journey in sharing your photo! 






Reference: 
Day,N. (2001). Censorship, or Freedom of Expression. United States: Twenty-First Century Books.