New media: We want YOU!

Careers within new media are fast becoming the ‘it’ job for workers. The need for being an ‘all rounder’ is paramount for a successful career within the new media sector. As Leong (2011) states, technical, business and synthesising skills are the tools needed to work within the new media and internet industry. On top of possessing a plethora of skills, many new media networking platforms such as Linked in and Facebook are needed to maintain business contacts. The corporate world is now going online to conform to the trends of business practices. Job positions and role (s) have also shifted significantly.

As stated in Leong (2011), worker positions have shifted from ‘wage slaves’ to ‘flexi workers’, thus it can be seen that new media and internet technologies have improved corporate structures immensely. As well as internet programs, other, more efficient concepts have been implimented. A perfect example of an improvement within the workplace is a ‘hot desk’- desks that workers utilise on a temporary basis- which in turn saves the company money due to the company not needing the spend money on permanent offices, eqiupment and extra staff. Due to shift in technologies, work times have also shifted. As mentioned in Hannah's blog, work/life balances have switched from a traditional ‘nine till five’ to a '24/7' schedule . New technologies have helped companies; however, they have hindered workers. Gone are the days of "Honey i'm home!', welcome to "Shhhh. I'm on the laptop!" Life's a bit-ch, then you shutdown.
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Reference list


Leong, S. KCB206 New media: Internet, self and beyond: Week six lecture. 2011. http://blackboard.qut.edu.au/

Competition time. War poster(visual aid). Little bird decor. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2011. http://www.littlebirddecor.com.au/blog/competition-time/


Links

"Bit - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2011. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bit

"Platform nine and three quarters." Week 7. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Apr. 2011. http://generationrepulic.blogspot.com/

Google a day keeps the Doctors at bay.

Health and wellbeing information is readily available, in a vast range of platforms. Recently, there has been a sudden surge of individuals maintaining their ‘health biographies’ (Lewis (2006, 522). According to Leong (2011), health and wellbeing advice and information has switched from public to private responsibility. So what does this mean for us?



People are now at great risk of internet misinformation, due to the plethora of information online. Also, due to the availability of health and wellbeing products online, such as prescription drugs, people are now taking their health into their own hands. As mentioned in Tess’s blog, health information is a valuable resource in conjunction with medical health. Although, this doesn’t mean the sudden availability of health information and products should create ‘internet junkies’, however, we do need to wonder if this ease of access helps or hinders society’s overall health and wellbeing. Should government agencies start to monitor health and wellbeing websites and information? Or should we all continue on the path of health and wellbeing information liberation?
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Reference List


Leong, S. KCB206 New media: Internet, self and beyond: Week six lecture. 2011. http://blackboard.qut.edu.au


Lewis, T. (2006). Seeking health information on the internet: lifestyle choice or bad attack of cyberchondria? In Media, Culture & Society, volume 28, issue 4: 521-539.


New Congressman soon shows he’s out of touch from voters. Doctor speechless (visual aid). American Review. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2011.
http://americanreviewmag.com/blogs/out-of-touch

Welcome to planet media- The land of Branding.

Bruises fade, Internet history doesn't.

Gone are the days when journalists and editors were the gatekeepers of information. We now have the power to create our own media world. We have the ability to create, design and share the online information we want. Empowerment allows us to gain control over our lives. However, personal empowerment can sometimes make it possible for some to commit immoral acts so fast that one hardly notices (Hamelink, 2006, p. 118).

As seen in Rosie's blog, Cyber bulling has been prevalent amongst internet users for years. However, more recently, with the creation of SNS it has become easier for torment and harassment to occur from the privacy of a computer. Online torment can be far worse than traditional forms of bullying due to the fact that torment via a computer creates a moral distance (Hamelink, 2006, p. 118) between the perpetrator and the victim, and from that distance comes more frequent occurrences of attacks. Cyber bulling is detrimental to everyone. The advancement of social media platforms now allows the gutless to attack behind a screen.Having a moral distance from a victim deceives people into thinking it is okay. A punch in the face, a punch on a keyboard- bruises fade, internet history doesn’t.
CHOSEN POST.

Reference List

Hamelink, C. (2006). The Ethics of the Internet: Can we cope with Lies and Deceit on the Net? In Ideologies of the Internet, K. Sarikakis & Daya Thussu, pp. 115-130. New Jersey: Hampton Press. Available on CMD.

WiredKids, Inc. “Stop cyber bullying.” Accessed March 26, 2010. http://stopcyberbullying.org/

Playlist Privacy- The naked truth.

Why are people so apprehensive to show others their playlist’s? The world is filled with closeted ‘playlistesbians’ whom hide in the dark shadows of buses, trains and libraries, so ashamed of their musical predicament they shy away from prying eyes. To some, exposing one’s playlist is likened to exposing one’s body, which to me, is a bit extreme. I freely admit to the music I have in my playlists, from Beyoncé to the Beatles I enjoy them all. Our iTunes libraries are supposedly an incriminating reflection of a person’s psychological state (Levy, 2006). So if this is this case, what type of music would evoke a normal psychological state? One aspect of being normal is to conform (Merriam-Webster, 2011) so if we are listening to the music everyone else is listening to we must be normal?

However, if I listen to mainstream music as well as non-mainstream, does this mean I should start taking lithium to combat my playlist bipolar? Playlistesbians should not be afraid of society’s judgment! Due to the fact that playlists are a rich, personal narrative (Levy, 2006, p. 27) someone with a diverse range of music in the their playlist’s could be seen as well rounded citizens.




Reference List

Gaga, Lady. 2011. “Lady Gaga up for naked interview”. Image. Accessed March 19, 2011. http://www.i-naked.info/files/2057.html

Levy, S. (2006). The Perfect Thing: How the iPod Shuffles Commerce, Culture and Coolness, New York: Simon & Schuster, pp. 21-41. Available on Course Materials Database (CMD) via QUT Library website.

“Normal.” 2011. In The Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary. Accessed March 19, 2011. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/normal

Privacy policy. 2011. “Privacy”. Image. Accessed March 19, 2011. http://powerbockingportal.com/about/privacy-policy/

Social reconstruction- Is it worth it?

Constructions of identity and conformity can be found on many platforms. Whether it’s online or in social groups, some of us have reconstructed ourselves to conform or seem more appealing. Pearson explains a particular theory known as identity- performance and compares the process of self-presentation to an actor superficially constructing the personality of a character (Pearson, 2009). The glass bedroom is fast becoming a popular habitat to many people. SNS enable us to construct ourselves into anyone.

However, is online social conformity that different to ‘keeping up with the Joneses’? Before SNS, social conformity was rampant. Take certain suburbs for instance, in Ascot BMW X5’s, Mercedes ML’s and Range Rover’s are abundant...coincidence? I think not! Most Ascotians drive particular cars, wear particular brands and eat particular foods to be accepted into a particular group they desire to be in. - And if you are moving there, Botox that brow, burst that blister and bronze that baby!

Due to the fact that SNS can trivialize friendship (Leong, 2011) is social reconstruction needed? If you have thousands of friends on SNS, how many would help you move house? Real friends would help, most Facebook friends wouldn’t. Yet, at some point online, we have changed or reconstructed something about ourselves only to add another number to the list.




Text Reference

Leong, Dr. Susan. (2011). Week 2: Performing me: Maintaining visibility on the Social stage. Available online at: http://blackboard.qut.edu.au/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_tab_group_id=_2_1&url=/webapps/blackboard/execute/launcher%3Ftype%3DCourse%26id%3D_74007_1%26url%3D.

Pearson, E. (2009). All the World Wide Web’s a stage: the Performance of Identity in Online Social Networks. First Monday, volume 14, Number 3. Available online at: http://firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/2162/2127

Image Reference

privatefleet.com.au. 2011. http://www.privatefleet.com.au/newcars/rangerover/rangerovervogue/ (accessed March 13, 2011).

thecuttingedgenew.com.2011.http://www.thecuttingedgenews.com/index.php?article=1041&pageid=28&pagename=Sci-Tech (accessed March 13, 2011).