Cyberspace flaneur

“Cyberspace is an alternate geography that needs to be seen, witnessed, and experienced in order to exist. The flaneur is a suitable metaphoric vehicle for the 'witnessing' of this space because 'the flaneur moves through space and among the people with a viscosity that both enables and privileges vision”  (Barnes, 1997)

 

For this experience of being a flaneur in a virtual network in cyberspace I have retained my own identity and have chosen to observe the network I joined called Townsville Free Stuff on Facebook.  This is a closed group that allows anything that can be recycled or reused for the Townsville population.  I joined to observe but also there may be something there I could use especially with unpredictability of being a foster parent and someone may join my family at any time.

 

My experience with travelling through tis space was better than expected. I did feel free to travel throughout the site. I expected free stuff was going to be furniture, toys and similar things.  But there were pets, fitness clubs family days links to grants, opening my eyes to what is available to people in Townsville. Members can click on the link of other members to view profiles.  Members include local groups such as Aitkenvale Selling, selling various items.  There is one link to an external site to save the Townsville Cultural Festival - http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/save-cultural-fest/

 

Maps are descriptions of the way things are (Wood, Kaiser & Abramms, 2006).  The way that the designer maps the sight is through five tabs at the top, labelled: Townsville Free Stuff, About, Events, Photos, Files.  The Files tab is where you can find the rules.  On the right hand side is a link to view all the members.

 

I have not yet worked out if this world empowers or disempowers me but there is obvious that there is administrator with some power.  The administrator has had to remind members on several occasions to remember the rules.

Reference List

 

Barnes, G. (1997). Passage of the Cyber-Flanuer Otago U/niversity

Wood, D., Kaiser, W. L., Abramms, B., (2006) Seeing through maps: Many Ways to See the World. Oxford: New Internationalist Publications

Facebook; the reality of the future

I am almost certain that all of you would be aware of the social networking site; Facebook. Created in 2004, initially membership was limited to Harvard University students. Gradually expanding, Facebook is now home to over one billion active users (Wikipedia).

To gain membership, users must be 13 years old.  This is something Facebook's creators lost control over long ago.  I refer to the May 2011 edition of the Consumer Report, which states that there are currently 7.5 million children, under 13 years old, with a Facebook profile.  It is reported that these under-aged users are unsupervised by parents, which exposes them to the threats of cyber predators and bullying.  This gives at least one example of how Facebook disempowers both the user and the creator.

Facebook can also be empowering, hence its 1 billion users. It was mentioned in our recent lecture  when speaking of the Politics of Cartography, "In our society we subconsciously equate size with importance and power" (T.Petray, 2013). I have observed this on Facebook. The more friends or likes users have, the more popular or powerful the users profile is perceived to be.  More friends means more users to share your choice of information, opinions and experiences with.  This gives users power to share with people that they mightn't otherwise have in the physical world.

Facebook has changed the way we live our lives. Users are able to access Facebook almost anywhere, anytime. Users are regularly checking their notifications, browsing news feeds or updating their statuses.  When reading the Passage of the Cyber-Flanuer, this quote "Cyberspace is an alternate geography that needs to be seen, witnessed,  and experienced in order to exist" (G.Barnes, 1997) reminded me of something I have heard often; 'Unless it's on Facebook, it's not official'.  Facebook has become an extended reality; even when we are not online we find ourselves talking about our cyber experiences or merely waiting for the next opportunity to jump online.

Reference List:

Barnes, G. (1997). Passage of the Cyber Flanuer. Retrieved from http://learnjcu.edu.au


Consumer Report, May edition 2011. Retrieved from http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/new/2011/five-million-users-are-10-or-younger/index.htm


Facebook In Wikipedia. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Facebook


Petray, T. (2013). BA1002, Our Space, Netwoks, Narrative, and the making of Place. Lecture 3.3.3
Retrieved from http://learnjcu.edu.au


Image Credits:

Image 1: We are not your Friends. Retrieved from http://www.radioclash.com/archives/2012/10/24/we-are-not-your-friends-facebooks-premote-scam/

Peering through the keyhole

Between the Bars (BTB) was created by two students as a university project and has been sustained by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.  Inmates in US prisons submit hand written blog posts to the University, which are scanned and uploaded to the site.  The creators hope this process will encourage communication and build relationships outside prison walls.  They also aspire to "improve prisoner's lives, and help to reduce recidivism" with this network. http://betweenthebars.org/

BTB is mapped openly which welcomes participators, providing them with a sense of empowerment in the layout of space (Allen, 2003. p11).  The home page offers endorsements and a pause at the prison gates before committing to walking into individual cells.  The site offers the 'Cyber Flanuer' the opportunity to embrace the spectacle of prison life without having to participate (Barnes, 1997) although when you do, the outcome is quite unexpected.

My persona remains authentic within this network out of respect for those who disclose personal contemplations.  Bloggers appear to view this site as a privileged opportunity to reach back into the world that excluded them, in an effort to re-engage a community identity, while aspiring to develop self-identity.

Power is a very central theme throughout this network and appears to empower those who participate.  Dr Petray (2013b) argued "Power is not always oppressive, it can be open" and although many posts are raw and confronting, bloggers share willingly, inviting the reader in.  As this post does, questioning the power of love.  http://betweenthebars.org/posts/13187/love

Figure 1. Mahaffey, Johnny (2013)

As the Small World Mystery revelas, we all share a connectedness (Buchanan, 2002), our lives are all under surveillance and detainees live very literally in a modern day panopticon (Petray, 2013b and Turkle, 1995.).  They are sruveilled ceaselessly, yet freedom is procured through this network.  The Stanford Prison experiment asked 'what happens when you put good people into an evil place?' (Petray, 2013b), perhaps this site illustrates the reverse, revealing how people residing in an evil place intuitively reach for something better, desiring to contribute outside a network of negativity.

References
Allen, J. (2003). Lost Geographies of Power, Blackwell Publishing.

Barnes, G. (1997). Passage of the Flaneur.  Retrieved from http://www.raynbird.com/essays/Passage_Flaneur.html

Buchanan, M. (2002). Small Worlds and the Groundbreaking Science of Networks. W.W. Norton & Company, New York.

Mahaffey, Johnny (Artist). (2013). The Novelist Portent. [Image of Drawing]. Columbia, SC; Between the Bars.  Retrieved from http://betweenthebars.org/posts/13063/

Petray, T. (2013a). BA1002: Our Space: Networks, Narrative and the Making of Place, week 1. [Audio Recording]. Retrieved from http://learnjcu.jcu.edu.au

Petray, T. (2013b).  BA1002: Our Space: Networks, Narrative and the Making of Place, week 1. [Audio Recording]. Retrieved from http://learnjcu.jcu.edu.au

Turkle, S. (1995). "Panopticon'. In Life on the Screen: Identity in the Age of the Internet. Simon & Schuster, New York.

The peculiar case of Mrs Petray

I was more than a little surprised to discover the subject of our readings this week. I have the sensation that I'm being watched. I am a Flaneur you see. I park my car (or bicycle) at a central location and drift around the city and through it's arcades, of which Cairns still has many. I promenade. I melt into the crowd and become anonymous. I see and I am seen. I become a piece of the phantasmagoria of public space, (Prouty, 2009). I saunter past the boutiques and specialty stores in my snappy streetwear, without any real interest in purchasing from them, and certainly without any urgency. I am merely residing in my home, (Benjamin,1928).

Image 1: Cairns CBD

This is a pastime which I have cultivated for a considerable time and in many different places, so I was not daunted to engage cyberspace when it emerged from the ether. I merely extrapolated my experience of the actual world to discover the virtual. However my wanderings on the internet far outdistance my urban excursions. I visit many, many locations. Looking. Learning. All without leaving my seat. As Barnes (1997) proffers, 'cyberspace offers to the cyber-flaneur an unrestricted flânerie'. For instance, I have petitioned to join (membership pending) a Facebook group dedicated to Democratic Socialism, as that is an ideology that appeals to me. Although I am familiar with the concept I am no expert and I hope by engaging with this group I will become more knowledgeable of the doctrine. I have not used a pseudonym as I am a great believer in honesty and transparency.

"Yes, yes," I hear you say, "but what of Mrs Petray?" In her lecture (Petray, 2013) Theresa Petray investigates mapping, and more specifically 'mapping from below' or sousveillance.  "Who has this information and what are they doing with it?" she asks, alarmed. Theresa goes on to quote her mother, "I'm not doing anything wrong so I don't care if they see me," It is this lack of concern which is peculiar to me and no doubt to Theresa Petray. Although Mrs Petray is not concerned about the state watching her, there are many eyes observing that aren't those of law and order. The electronic footprint we leave behind can also empower the predatory and the criminal, as exemplified here: Smartphone pictures pose privacy risks. So as Wood, Kaiser & Abramms (2006) illustrate, two people sitting in the same place at the same time can perceive completely different events.

Reference List

Barnes, G. (1997). Passage of the Cyber-Flaneur. Retrieved from http://www.raynbird.com/essays/Passage_Flaneur.html

Benjamin. W. (1928) One Way Street [Einbahnstrasse], Rowohlt, Berlin.

Petray, T. (2013). BA 1002: Our Space, Networks, Narrative and the making of Place, Lecture 3: 3.3 Maps http://flashstream1.jcu.edu.au

Prouty, R. (2009). A Turtle on a Leash. Retrieved from http://www.onewaystreet.typepad.com/one_way_street/2009/10/a-turtle-on-a-leash.html

Smartphone pictures pose privacy risks. (2010). In Youtube. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2ARzvWxwY

Wood, D et al. (2006). SEEING THROUGH MAPS: Many Ways to see the World. New Internationalist Publications, Oxford.

Image Credits

Image 1: Cairns CBD. (2005) Retrieved from http://www.waywardwandering.com/20050629/sights-of-cairns/#6

Buy, Swap and Sell your Online Power by Havva Murat

Image 1: St Kilda Flaneur

Virtual networks are sources of power for those who control them. The Facebook group, ‘Atherton Buy, Swap, Sell and Giveaway,’ is the virtual network I have chosen to comment on due to the interesting social interactions and power plays I have witnessed on its feed. As with all virtual networks, the virtual terrain for this group has been mapped out by the moderators within the constraints of the Facebook platform. Rules on what you can and cannot post give power to the moderators over the contributors. Some contributors also seek to strictly uphold the rules and discipline others who may be unaware or non-compliant. Interestingly enough, even the choice of an Australian flag as the banner of this group speaks volumes about who exactly is in control and who might feel more at home in this group.

Turkle (1995, p 247) discusses Michael Foucalt’s ideas on ownership and power in virtual networks and states that “power in a modern society is imposed not by the personal presence and brute force of an elite caste but by the way each individual learns the art of self-surveillance.” The act of self-surveillance is made apparent in the posts of contributors who are carefully polite and go out of their way to indicate they are not trying to jump the queue.

As an observer of this group (a lurker who does not contribute) I am taking on the role of the cyber-flaneur. Barnes (1997) also discusses power and surveillance in virtual spaces and writes how a cyber-flaneur "knows they are also objects of a continuous scrutiny … creating an internalised sense of powerlessness.” I accordingly feel that to contribute to this page would lead to scrutiny by those who frequent the site more often. This lack of anonymity as a contributor to any Facebook group has lead Morozov (2012) to argue that the cyber-flaneur is dead and that the Facebook platform helped to kill him/her.

It is clear that by watching this group closely you need to map out the territory of contributors before jumping in, just as Dr Theresa Petray had to do with Trigger Fish while diving on the reef in PNG (Petray 2013). Wandering around too freely in this group could see you get bitten.

Reference List

Barnes, G. (1997). Passage of the cyber-flaneur. Retrieved from http://www.raynbird.com/essays/Passage_Flaneur.html

Morozov, E. (2012). The Death of the Cyber-Flaneur. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/05/opinion/sunday/the-death-of-the-cyberflaneur.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

Petray, T. (2013). BA1002:  Our Space: Networks, narratives, and the making of place, week 3 notes [Powerpoint slides]. Retrieved from: https://learnjcu.jcu.edu.au/bbcswebdav/pid-1239821-dt-content-rid-951966_1/courses/13-BA1002-TSV-EXT-SP2/maps%20podcast.pdf.

Turkle, S. (1995).Panopticon, in Life on the screen: Identity in the age of the internet (pp. 246-249). New York, NY:  Simon & Schuster.


Image Credits

St Kilda Flaneur [Image]. (2011). Retrieved from: http://stkildaflaneur.blogspot.com.au/2011/05/what-is-flaneur.html

Week 2: The Power of Virtual Networks

I spent a lot of time looking for an "academic" video for this week.

I wanted something that would communicate the power of virtual networks and give you a bit of insight into why we are making you explore and analyse them for the next couple of weeks. I found some great videos & a TEDTalk by Sherry Turkle (the lady who wrote "life on the screen"). I'll post it on the facebook page for anyone that wants to have a look. However, all the videos I watched seemed to be lacking something.

The academic analysis of these networks is really important - don't get me wrong! Virtual networks exist at the indices of sociality and technology; they are re-shaping our social worlds and the way we interact (for better and for worse). They are changing our understandings of freedom, privacy, democracy, and ownership; as well, as the way we do business and educate ourselves. And it's super important to study all this, from all sorts of disciplinary perspectives  - psych., sociology, economics, law, criminology, education, politics ... the lot.

But for me, as a so-called "cyber-anthropologist" (it's a thing guys trust me!), the most interesting things about virtual networks are the people within them. How they interact, how they form relationships and communicate, and how they create a sense of community and place online. Basically, how the sprawling global-digital-networks that we are part of influence our lives (online and offline).

And, out of all the videos I watched, I don't think anyone managed to express the power of virtual networks quite as well as this guy in the first few minutes of this youtube clip.

Your task for this week is to find a network (there's more info on that in the tute vid). And from next week (wk3), till week 8, I'm handing the blog over to you guys.

But for now, ....

What are your thoughts on virtual networks/social-networking?

1. Is it important to study them/it?
2. How does power operate in virtual networks? Who has the power? And how is it used?
3. Do you think we rely too much on online interactions - do they enhance our relationships or  alienated us from each other?
4. And, what about surveillance? Who's watching and why?  

Check out the readings and the lecture.
And, then let us know what you think in the comments ... 

- Rhian

References:

Turkle, S. (1995). Life on the screen: Identity in the age of the internet. New York: Simon & Schuster

Tutorial Video 2

This video takes you through the initial steps of Assessment 1: The Blog Assignment.

 BA1002: Tutorial video 2

There are further instructions on learnJCU (under assessment) and on the BA1002 libguide here: http://libguides.jcu.edu.au/ba1002