Sunday, March 28, 2010

Blog #9 - Proposal

As I answered the mid-term question on identity tourism, I realized I’ve know some people who have played different roles on games, switching gender, ethnicity, or whatever they wanted, and it seemed acceptable. Yet, I’ve also know people who have been very hurt by people pretending to be someone they were not in an online chat or other online community. What makes the situations so different? That is what inspired me to think about the different situations and explore more about how identity tourism and its role in virtual communities.

For my paper I am interested in researching and discussing identity tourism in virtual communities. I will look at what virtual communities accept and even expect identity tourism, and how other communities see identity tourism as a lie and inappropriate, to say the least.

My argument is that; even though Identity tourism is the same whether in chat rooms, communities such as facebook or twitter, or online gaming, it is only acceptable in some communities. Online gaming is one place in the virtual world where identity tourism is deemed ok, maybe even encouraged. However, when in a chat room or similar community people generally expect you to represent yourself in a real manor; they expect you to be true to yourself.
Maria Bakardjieva’s talks about online relationships, and how different people use them in different ways. I will use this article to talk about how some online relationships are real and portray the real people and how others do not, and the attitudes and feelings that these relationships cause.
Lori Kendall discusses online communities, specifically that of BlueSky, and how identity tourism works in a community such as this. People generally accept people for who they are in real life and expect people to portray a real version of themselves.
In Nakamura’s article “Race in/for Cyberspace: Identity tourism and racial passing on the internet” she discusses role playing in spaces such as LambdaMOO. Nakamura states that in LambdaMOO people are required to create an identity and the requirements there of. From this I will touch on the acceptable liberties within creating an identity in a space such as this.



Works Cited
Bakardjieva, Maria. "Virtual Togetherness: An Everyday-Life Perspective." The Cybercultures reader. Ed. David Bell and Barbara M Kennedy. 2nd. New York: Routledge, 2000. 237-253.
Kendall, Lori. ""Oh No! I'm a Nerd!": Hegemonic Masculinity on an Online Forum." Vol. 14 (2). Sage Publications, Inc., April 2000. 256-274.
Nakamura, Lisa. Digitizing Race: Visual Cultures of the Internet. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2008.
Nakamura, Lisa. "Race In/For Cyberspace: Identity tourism and racial passing on the Internet." The Cybercultures Reader. Ed. David Bell and Barbara M Kennedy. 2nd. New York: Routledge, 2000. 297-304.
Turkle, Sherry. "Looking Toward Cyberspace: Beyond Grounded Sociology Cyberspace and Identity."

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Ada Lovelace Day: Celebrating women in technology and science - EC#1

There are countless women around the world that deserve recognition for their contributions and achievements in both technology and science. One woman who stands out in my mind is Marie Curie (1867-1934).

Marie Curie stands out for a couple of reasons. Marie Curie was a woman in science in a time when it was still very highly dominated by men. In spite of this she made some significant contributions to science and was recognized for it. She was the first woman that was given a position of Professor at the University of Paris (also known as Sorbonne). She was the first to receive two Nobel Prizes, and more than that, they were in two different areas of science. The first Nobel Prize was in the area of physics and the second in chemistry. She was also given the honor of being the first female Nobel Prize winner to have a daughter also win a Nobel Prize (in 1935, after Marie Curie’s death).

During her years of work, Curie coined the term radioactivity, and named Polonium. (She named Polonium after Poland, the country of her parents and her home country even though she was a French citizen.) Curie was honored with several honorary degrees science, medicine and law. She made major advancements in the area of radioactivity, which eventually lead to her cancer and death in 1934, at the age of 67.

Marie Curie was considered by some to be an icon in the scientific realm, and it’s not hard to see why.

To Marie Curie and all the other women who have made contributions to science and technology, are currently making contributions, or will someday contribute to science and technology… This is for you!

Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t achieve great things!

Monday, March 22, 2010

Blog #8 Identity Tourism in virtual communities… In what communities are alternate identities deemed okay?

As I answered the mid-term question on identity tourism, I realized I’ve know some people who have played different roles on games, switching gender, ethnicity, or whatever they wanted, and it seemed acceptable. Yet, I’ve also know people who have been very hurt by people pretending to be someone they were not in an online chat or other online community. What makes the situations so different? That is what inspired me to think about the different situations and explore more about how identity tourism and its role in virtual communities.

For my paper I was interested in researching and discussing identity tourism in virtual communities. I would like to look at what virtual communities accept and even expect identity tourism, and how other communities see identity tourism as a lie and inappropriate, to say the least.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Blog #7 - A Positive Role Model?

In the article "Does Lara Croft Wear Fake Polygons?" There is a section about Lara being a positive role model to girls and women. Many of the games or other media for female depict a frilly little world where no wrong is ever done and everything is perfect. However this is seldom the case in real life. These types of interactions don’t help females to learn from these experiences or practice problem solving skills. It is said that in games such as Tomb Raider there are puzzles to solve and situations that require getting out of. Therefore the players are required to problem solve in order to continue in the adventure.

Personally I never did spend much time playing computer or online games, but I have seen some of these frilly “girl” games they are talking about. These are games about Barbie’s Fashion show, Slumber Party, or some other seemingly ridiculous and meaningless theme. What is the point of putting different clothes or completing a make-over on virtual dolls? Does it somehow teach them to dress better? And if it does, does that really matter in the real world?

When I played board games or card games I enjoyed games with a challenge. Games that make you think are always the most rewarding (in my mind). I think that we are doing females such a disservice by only encouraging them to play games with little to no educational value. I don’t always agree with the theme of the games that boys are playing now days and I don’t think that games are the only way to learn or that they should be played all the time. I do however think that if we are going to provide problem solving games that appeal to boys we should do the same for our girls.

I believe that one of the reasons why women are known across the board as having less computer knowledge than men is partially due to the fact that boys were more drawn to computers as kids, giving them more experience with computers even on a basic level. Do I think women are less able to thrive on computers than men? Not at all. I do however think that we need to give our girls just as many opportunities as we give our boys so that they have a better chance of succeeding.

Friday, February 19, 2010

BLOG Assignment #6

Looking Toward Cyberspace: Beyond Grounded Sociology

By Sherry Turkle


This article is about how cyberspace has altered our relationships as well as our own personal identity. Turkle explains that we become learn to adapt to a virtual world, connecting with people in a whole new way. Some people integrate well into this new world with little to no effort, other feel anxiety and a sense of “fragmentation.” With technology it’s possible to live multiple lives, or play multiple roles, at the same time. When connected to the internet on your computer you can be connected to Facebook, MySpace, MSN messenger (as well as multiple other messengers), twitter, and a plethora of chat rooms all at the same time … playing a different role in each of these social networks. It’s not even unheard of for people to play the role of someone of the opposite gender, or a completely different age. With the help of cyberspace it seems that we have been able to redefine how we look at identity and our self images. We need to not look at ourselves so much as one person as our parent’s parents did but as multiple selves expressed through different means.

I find it to be very interesting how people take on multiple selves when online. I knew several gamers that would have multiple “players” on one game, each having its own personality. Many of the male gamers would have at least one female character, and often it was their main character. I also know how easy it is to portray a different self when you are around one group of people vs. another. How much easier is it then to portray a different self online? And to have the capability to play multiple roles or be multiple selves all at the same time is truly amazing. We really have come a long way with technology. I think you’ll find how common place this really is in today’s society. How many of you have experienced this first hand or know of someone that does?

Sunday, February 14, 2010

SUPERUSERS ...

Apologies to my group for being behind this week ... hopefully my first, last, and only offense


When reading pages 123-125 of Digitizing Race, Nakamura discusses how the white males (Mr. Anderson and Detective Anderton) in both Minority report and the Matrix Trilogy are able to interact with technology at a higher level than their non-white comrades.

In the 2003 movie Paycheck, Ben Affleck plays a role where he is skilled in reverse engineering. This White male’s job involves taking current technology and improving it giving him some sort of empowerment and authority in the area of technology. During the movie he is depicted using a transparent technology to disassemble and reassemble the product that he is working with.

Like Mr. Anderson (Neo) and Detective Anderton, Michael Jennings (Ben Affleck) is a “superuser”. He is able to interface with technology in a way that not everyone can. Jennings is called out to do a job because he is skilled in reverse technology giving him an advantage over others. Nakamura talks about how Mr. Anderson and Detective Anderton, like Mr. Jennings interface at a higher level while their counterparts interface with technology as lesser users requiring analog interface via things such as keyboards or other hard-wired communication devices.

Paycheck also depicts the lack of non-whites as technological authorities in the vast number of technologically advanced peoples portrayed in the movie and the lack of appearance of non-whites. This shows that the whites are technologically superior to non-whites whether they are physically present or not. There is a non-white agent in the movie Paycheck, Agent Dodge. Agent Dodge is portrayed as a working class male trying to understand and get to the bottom of what Jennings has done, but doesn’t have the technological advantage that Jennings has, putting him at a obvious disadvantage. This correlates to the natural disadvantages of Link and Jad in the Matrix Trilogy and Minority Report.

Friday, February 05, 2010

Codes of life: identification codes and the machine-readable world

The article I choose to read was Codes of life: identification codes and the machine-readable world by Martin Dodge and Rob Kitchin.

I was initially intrigued by this article because of the vertical lines forming a rectangle, similar to that of a universal product code (UPC) barcode we are all somewhat familiar with.

Codes of life: identification codes and the machine-readable world talks about many different types of codes that are assigned to people, objects, locations, as well as others. As it turns out these codes are generated using mathematical algorithms. Though the concept had been around 30 years prior, it was not developed for use until the 70’s. The first item to have a UPC barcode was a package of chewing gum; it was first used in Troy, Ohio on June 26, 1974. About two years later three-fourths of US supermarket goods had their own barcode. Barcodes became very important in making the checkout process more efficient.

Some codes are used to increase workplace production and efficiency, some to provide security, while others are used to monitor the employee’s performance and whereabouts. Codes can be used to make calculated decisions eliminating human error and in some cases replacing the need for human workers.

With the advancement of technology we can now track things closer than ever before. We have GPS units that tell us where in the world we are (or where someone else is). We have transaction codes that aid us in purchases with things like credit cards and ATM cards. We have territorial codes that help track and manage populations and businesses. The ability to continually track a person’s activities and movements is getting increasingly easier and more affordable with advances in computer storage.

Life has certainly become more “efficient” and “continent” but at what cost? Do we have any privacy left, and if so for how long?

Thursday, February 04, 2010

Article for this week

I am working on Codes of life: identification codes and the machine-readable world... More coming soon

Friday, January 29, 2010

From Cyber to Hybrid

The passage that I have chosen to discuss by de Souza e Silva is from the section titled, Hybrid spaces as connected spaces: Hybrid reality versus virtual, augmented, and mixed realities (CR Pg 759)

As I read this passage I came to understand a little more about how and where reality meets the virtual world and various ways they intertwine.
This section opens by discussing the growing mobility of the internet and how it is more readily available to carry with you essentially where ever you may go. In some places, like in Japan, the first time teens or young adults were introduced to the internet it was not called the internet and it was by means of a cellular phone. For this group of people the applications and uses for the internet are vastly different simply based on when/how it was introduced. As a mobile device it is much easier to use the internet to look up travel information, or do things on location. In affect we are shading the divide between “real” and “virtual.” Making it more and more muddy and unclear as to where one ends and the other begins.

It’s true that as I grew up computers, pagers, PDAs, and cellular phones were growing in popularity. I knew a time when to have a cell phone meant that you were important, at least in my mind. Now days it seems that almost everyone has a cell phone. Anyone from ages 1-91 and even beyond have these devices. People on many different socioeconomic groups have cell phones, iPods, or other devices that connect them to the virtual world.

In connection with the people in Japan (or other places) who have never used a computer to connect to the internet … I know people that I talk to here in the states that say they use computers, but they use their iPhone, Blackberry, or some other mobile device to do most of their online interactions. “Oh I can look it up right here, it’ll be faster” I hear my friend say as we discuss where to go for lunch, and how to get there.

Another example of connecting at a mobile level are GPS units. These little tools are quite useful. You can look up attractions, stores, restaurants, movie theaters (and play times), gas prices and much more. Not to mention the wonderful feature that automatically adjusts your route according to traffic delays.

The way we think about the internet is changing, whether we realize it or not. The internet is becoming much more mobile as well as more convenient to connect to. In fact in many cases we are constantly connected whether we think about it or not.

This divide between what we think of as real space and virtual reality is disappearing before our eyes. We are losing the distinction. Try watching a movie in the theater … what parts are real? What parts are computer generated? Sometimes it’s hard to tell … it’s not like Mary Poppins or Blue’s Clues anymore, where even when the realities were “blended” it was easy to distinguish which reality was which.

Thursday, January 21, 2010

My Virtual Communities

When first looking at this assignment I thought of several virtual communities in which I felt I am/was a member. There is Skype, MSN Messenger, Yahoo Messenger, Facebook, and Myspace, to name a few. However, after our class discussion I had to rethink this. Sure I am part of all these communities. However, I only have friends on these that I know from other places. I started MSN to communicate with my family that lived far away. I had friends that wanted to communicate during times when we weren’t together so I started using Yahoo Messenger. When distant relatives suggested that I add Skype to my list of communication devices I happily obliged. Now, where it is seemingly easy to gain internet access and set up an account on any one of these networks/channels, I personally don’t add people to any of my chosen communities that I don’t already know from elsewhere. Sure I’m one out of millions of people that use these programs, but without my permission (or hacking) they don’t have access to my small community or me. I guess you could say that I’m a bit apprehensive when it comes to putting my information on the internet. When performing a Google search of my name, I came up with a few websites listing my academic achievements … now if that isn’t creepy I don’t know what is! So I guess I’ve never been inclined to meeting new people via the internet, or talking to people I don’t know online.
I know plenty of people that play role playing games (RPGs) online and can get really into it and express how these people from who knows where are their only “real” friends … I often hear things like “they understand me like no one else.” Perhaps this is true for them, but anonymous or not I don’t feel like I need to open up to complete strangers. I also know of people who have “fallen in love” over the internet in different types of communities. Some turned out well, others turned out similar to Sandy’s story. Do I think it’s wrong? … No, but I also don’t think it’s for everyone, myself included. Now don’t get me wrong, I think that the communities we can form/or keep going in the face of adversities and great distances are great! I have gotten to keep up with family and friends that I seldom see.

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Cyberspace

Cyberspace is not something that I’ve ever really contemplated before. There is now doubt that cyberspace has been in my vocabulary from a young age, and yet I never fully understood what it meant. So naturally when I was assigned to choose one out of a list of descriptions or definitions of what cyberspace is, I was a little overwhelmed with the daunting task. So I went with what I understand to be true.

With that in mind the definition that stuck me the most was the third:

“Cyberspace: Accessed through any computer linked into the system; a place, one place, limitless; entered equally from a basement in Vancouver, a boat in Port-au-Prince, a cab in New York, a garage in Texas City, an apartment in Rome, an office in Hong Kong, a bar in Kyoto, a cafĂ© in Kinshasa, a laboratory on the moon.”

So the one thing that I do understand is that with today’s technology you can link to this thing called cyberspace. Once connected to cyberspace you can transfer data to, from, and between electronic devices. There are many internet providers offering many different levels of connection speeds. There are wireless connections, cable connections, connections over the phone line and who knows what the future may hold. With all these differences, one thing remains the same … the information. No matter how much you pay for a connection to cyberspace it still hold the same information, the same data, the same set of 0’s and 1’s. You can be anywhere in the world or even out of this world, and connect to this vast amount of information. Sure in some places, like China, some information is blocked or filtered presumably for the protection or other reasons, but all the same information is still there. It’s all one big pool of information that can be accessed from any number of locations. Which brings me back to the definition above; one place, one source, accessible from virtually anywhere.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Introduction

Hello,

My name is Jennica.

I'm currently living in the Tri-Cities. However, I am originally from central California and no matter how much Washington grows on me, I will probably always consider California to be home. I still have family in CA and visit whenever I get a chance.

I love to travel. So far in my lifetime I have been to about 1/4th of the US States as well as two African countries. I hope to visit many more places, including but not limited to, Japan, Australia, as well as more of the US and Africa. But for now college is demanding most of my time and attention.

I'm new to blogging so this should be interesting...

~J