Week 4 blog
‘Social networking sites connect families, classmates,
friends, co-workers and even lurkers in a digital community’ (McNeill, 2013, p
102). The popularity of these sites
demonstrates that they address user demands for social connection, allowing
individuals to participate in “everyday autobiography” (McNeill, 2013). The
Townsville Free Stuff network on the Facebook page connects friends and
strangers within the Townsville area who wish to recycle or reuse various
items. Items exchanged on the page must
be free.
This network appears to have both men and women in the
membership, with the occasional company included. The group is restricted to people residing in
the Townsville for the convenience of swapping items without cost (or with minimal
cost). English (along with pictures) is the only language utilised to
communicate on this page. If you go by
profile pictures, the majority of people appear to be of Caucasian descent with
a few other ethnic groups filtering through.
However, there does not appear to be any power play over cultural groups
except for the exclusion of those who do not reside in the Townsville
area. The items available for free on
this page are quite diverse, ranging from kids toys and clothes, to kitchen
wares and barbeques, through to free legal advice and community fitness
groups. This page definitely addresses
the needs of the users as described by McNeill.
Access for Townsvillians is appears to be equitable. The administrator
does pull rank a little to remind members of the rules. I will discuss identity later in the blog,
but I have notice the administrator has omitted to attach a photo. One wonders if the administrator is remaining
partially anonymous will asserting some power.
The network map of this page would be restricted to the
Townsville area. However, four of the
4045 members are also a part of my global Facebook network. These members are also co-workers and
friends. The power would be for the
administration of the page to exclude those not residing in the Townsville
region. There is room to increase your
own network, with the page containing links to suggested other pages.
The
identity of members needed to be created by creating your identity for
Facebook. So, if one utilises Facebook’s creator Mark Zuckerberg’s claims about
Facebook members’ identity as being real and authentic, then the member’s
identities are real and authentic. According to Zhao, et al (as cited by
McNeill,2012), Facebook has the belief that authenticating credential of the proper
name, users must sign up using their real names, verified by birth date and
e-mail address, creating a “nonymous” environment. Facebook founder Mark
Zuckerberg has been quoted, declaring that “You have one identity;” “Having two
identities for yourself is an example of a lack of integrity” (Kirkpatrick, as
cited by McNeill, 2012). Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg also announced, “You
can't be on Facebook without being your authentic self” (Kirkpatrick, as cited
by McNeill, 2012).
McNeill
argues that while insisting that identity is singular and “authentic,” Facebook
fails to question the limitations of that concept or its foundations (who
determines "authenticity"? Who has access to it?), and instead
reproduces its ideologies. Identity is
not singular, but can remain authentic.
This would be true in the case of people utilising the shortened form of
their first name or others using their maiden names as opposed to their married
name (or vice versa). These identities
would remain authentic. In the virtual
world, including Facebook, there is room to create an alias, or nicknames,
which may or may not be authentic. Who
is to judge if these decreases the integrity of the user? I would suspect there would be a few users of
this page that has not utilised their full and proper name to become a member,
but is most likely not any less authentic, real or lacking in integrity. Pictured below is a few of the members that
one could start mapping out the network but also example of people who could
have shorten their name.
As
discussed in week four’s lecture and in McNiell’s (2012), one also has to
wonder about the full authenticity of the identity when the human subject
engages with software such as Facebook and its guidance which constructs lives,
concepts and contexts that builds a person’s identity and narrative. How true to reality are these identity one
must consider. As discussed in the
lecture, aspects of peoples lives that do not always match the norm do not fit
into all that is available in the drop down boxes. An example given was
relationship status, the only option for outside the normal is ‘it’s
complicated.’
The
role of the community is to provide the opportunity to give away/recycle/ reuse
items that you may no longer need but may be useful to others. The aim is to keep the cost down to being
free. Services such as legal assistance,
community fetes, community fitness clubs are also posted on the network.
Non-for-profit individuals and communities or organisations thrive on this
network. Businesses making money are not
welcomed and those who request items are reminded of the rules. Reminders of the rules are put out as a
generic posting without naming and shaming individuals who break the rules.
Songlines
and virtual communication networks have similarities and differences. They are both a bit abstract from reality but
are integrated into the real world.
Songlines is the Aboriginal peoples concept of creation of the world,
people, way of life and behaviour and is integrated into Aboriginal peoples
lives. To me, looking from the outside,
this seems to me a bit abstract but like the reading I can relate it to
Genesis. Virtual communication networks
too are a bit abstract for me in that it is a different way or form of
communication. The difference is that
humans have created this virtual world, which in turns has influence on us as
humans and the way we see each other in various contexts. It too does have a set of rules to abide by,
but they were human created not created by the network. This virtual world has
been integrated into many people’s lives.
Reference
List
Chatwin,
B. (1987). The Songlines. London: Jonathan Cape LTD
McNeill,
L. (2012). There is no “I” in Network: Social networking sits and posthuman
auto/biography. Biography, 35 1,
101-118
