| Subcribe via RSS
Roblin Blandford had this great idea to input his CV into Wordle to create a tag cloud - which is a visual representation of the most commonly found words in a piece of text. In mine you can clearly see that the most dominant word is Psychology. You can click it for a bigger version. Elly has created one too.
As part of the Darklight Festival over the weekend a number of symposiums were held to discuss and debate various popular topics related to the online world. I was invited to be a member of the audience by the organisers and found the experience to be rather… interesting.
Daniel Solove, author of “The Future of Reputation: Gossip, Rumor and Privacy on the Internet” (available for free here) opened this discussion with various anecdotes pertaining to the negative effects of personal details being shared online, either on purpose i.e. through your personal blog, or without the person’s consent e.g. the Star Wars Kid. Coming from a background in law, Solove suggests that the only way to curtail personal details being posted online without your consent is by the threat of legal action being more heavily employed.
“Be responsible”
Solove suggests that allowing anonymity online is irresponsible as it removes any control we have over our personal data (e.g. intimate personal details being posted online without consent) and that the law can only do so much to provide protection. For example, while it may be possible for a photographer to have an unapproved photo removed from an unlicensed website, the individual in the photo has no legal standing. This is because copyright law is much more powerful than privacy law.
“Intertwined with the lives of others”
Solove described how we all have expectations of privacy and anonymity in public, despite always being exposed and how this notion of privacy is mistakenly expected online. Claiming that 50% of bloggers were under the age of 19, he described these Internet users as “Generation Google” – individuals that have had their lives chronicled online, leaving behind fragments of their past that are pervasive and destructive to their future.
I disagree with Solove’s judgment that anonymity is irresponsible on the part of ISP’s and websites that encourage and allow it. Anonymity online has always provided Internet users with a constructive means for liberal expression and play, without the risk of social impairment. Though anonymity provides users the facility to post lies online without any apparent risk (except in a serious case where your IP address might be used against you), the power of an anonymous message is certainly not as strong as a message coming from a reputable source.
“Generation Google” is something that I myself am a part of, but it is a heavily constructed and thought out self, which is something anyone reading a blog or a social networking profile needs to consider. Using google search results as a basis for a decision on a job or college applicant is something that I would consider irresponsible, and lazy. Nothing we post online is a 100% true reflection of ourselves, imagine a youthful, boastful comment left on a friend’s social networking profile that might actually be sarcastic or part of an in-joke. It’s all about context, and if the context is unknown then the information is invalid. It is lazy to think otherwise.
Following this keynote address was a panel discussion chaired by Caroline Campbell, featuring Jim Carroll, Cormac Callanan, Niall Larkin (read his thoughts on this symposium here) and Damien “almost blogs for a living” Mulley. Daithí Mac Sithigh was also in the audience and has written up a great summary of the panel discussion.
“Whatever goes on the Internet stays on the Internet”
The most prevalent message from this one-sided discussion was that everything you do online is being used to build behavioural profiles for marketing and advertising. On Facebook (and probably other social networking websites) your actions are logged and combined with your profile information for contextual marketing and advertising. Sophisticated data mining tools are used in Gmail and other free online services. Law enforcement in the US use these data mining techniques to track down possible terrorists and it was suggested that all of these combined could lead to surveillance and stalking by commercial and non-commercial companies for negative reasons, debt-collection is an example used by a member of the audience.
Privacy in this instance is not about the actual collection of the data, it’s what happens to it afterwards. Suggestions were made that it would be preferable to have access to this profile and to be notified when your data is being accessed and by whom. However, when Mulley asked the audience “Who actually cares?” a minority raised their hands.
In my opinion, many of the members of the panel seemed to be scaremongering the audience. It would have been a more interesting discussion if even one of the members of the panel was under 30 (correct me if I’m wrong). All of them seemed quite outraged by the idea that their personal details and behaviour online could be used to help companies make more money. I would argue that there are many positive things about this type of data mining, for example, attempts (unsuccessful so far) at contextualising advertising on websites such as Facebook.
Contextual ads make advertisements entertaining and informative. Personally, I’d rather this than being bombarded with irrelevant ads (like when I watch television). However, this does not mean that the advertising is more successful because of this. Despite the fear of behavioural profiles being sold to marketing and advertising executives, these sets of data are in no way accurate at predicting human behaviour. Behaviour changes on a daily basis and can’t be actualised using selective pieces of information we ourselves post into the likes of social networking websites. Our reactions to advertising and products can change based on far too many variables for a behavioural profile to predict.
Websites like Facebook and Google give us a service and our payment to them is our content. Without our content these websites are completely useless and no-one would be willing to pay for them. It’s naive for anyone to think that you can get something for nothing online and if you’ve nothing to hide, why be so afraid of a little data mining? How does this even affect your every day life? I would argue that it doesn’t. It’s a pity the panel were so strongly of the opinion that it was 100% negative. I do however agree that users signing up to these services might need to be informed more readily of the fact that their data might be used in this manner.
The question is - Do you care? (Take a second to Take the poll or leave a comment below).
Dun Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design & Technology (IADT) are in the process of recruiting for the fifth year of the Create Digital Media business training and mentoring programme. Create seeks to train and mentor 10 entrepreneurs/employees of small companies on a part-time basis, for one day every month. It’s a 12-month government-financed programme that will train participants in further developing their digital media companies and they are particularly interested in individuals involved in e-commerce, online advertising, mobile media and social media.
Create also offers incubation desk space at the Media Cube on the IADT campus or at the Digital Hub in Dublin City Centre and each selected individual will be assigned an average of €10,000 for customised training and mentoring in business skills related to digital media development of companies, services and products. For more information, visit www.createireland.ie.
Having studied at IADT for 5 years I can’t recommend it enough to prospective students. I’ve always found the college overflowing with highly skilled, extremely engaging and approachable lecturers, who make the learning process effortless. IADT also offer a part-time post graduate programme in Digital Media, the MA/MSc in Digital Media which is currently taking applications.
Loving learning Yoga poses on the Wii Fit (video). I’ve always had an interest in yoga but was wary of it’s pseudo-spiritual side. Yoga on the Wii Fit removes the unnecessary parts and concentrates on deep breathing and stretching. The balance board that comes with the game tells you if you are in the right position, to make it as effective on your muscles as is possible. The Wii is teaching me well, because I’ve even started doing some of the poses without it, just to relax. I’ve also been enjoying the really fun balance games and exhausting aerobics. Hating how I managed to pull a muscle in my leg by overdoing it in the muscle exercises section, clearly I haven’t gotten to that stage yet.
Loving taking artsy Polaroid photos with the packs of film my GF got me. I’ve been trying to turn each and every picture into a mini work of art for my bedroom wall. There’s something very pure about Polaroid photos, it’s almost as if they are the antithesis of digital. With my digital camera I can take 1000+ photos and it’s fine if a high percentage of them are a waste. But with a Polaroid camera you must compose the picture so carefully, because the film has become so rare and expensive, so taking great photos is far more difficult, yet much more satisfying. Next, I’m going to start scratching to create even more art. Hating that Polaroid is no longer producing the film and that I might have to give up this new hobby sooner than I’d like.
Loving writing stories and notes into moleskin notebooks. Ever since I bought a Filofax last year I’ve been enjoying the freedom of jotting down random useless thoughts (and some useful ones) onto paper, rather than typing them out. I’ve gone a step further and further into geekdom by picking up some moleskin notebooks, they remind me of school copies, but cool. I wrote a small draft of this post in one. Just like taking a Polaroid there is something so wholesome about the act of putting pen/pencil to paper. I also love the slightly cut off corners, it makes the paper feel unworldly. Hating how expensive they are, astronmically expesnive in comparison to standard notebooks.
Whilst doing a late Spring clean this evening I decided to finally organise my overflowing bookshelf - which earlier today consisted of 3 squashed and disheveled shelves of books, 1 shelf of music/games and 1 shelf of DVDS. So, I put all my music/games in storage, which has given me a 4th shelf for my books to finally breath. During this reorganisation, I made a pile out of the books that I’ve not had the chance to read yet (or started reading and put aside).
Since the start of the year I’ve been reading nothing but journal articles and books for college, and since college ended term I’ve been indulging in a lot of fiction (Jeff Lindsay and Kathy Reichs in particular - don’t read into that too much!) but every single time I’ve looked at these books on my shelf individually, I’ve wanted (very much!) to start reading them, I just lack that extra motivation.
To motivate myself to read them all - I’ve set them aside on one half of my new 4th shelf (which just happens to be at eye level), and I plan on making sure that I get through all of them by the end of the Summer. They won’t be joining their comrades until they are read, so it’ll be like a Book Inbox, currently 11 unread books, and since there is nothing worse than a full inbox, I’m hoping these will be read quite soon.
What’s in your Book Inbox?
Feminised gadgets - An eye for the ladylike: This article from the Telegraph Online opens with an interesting statistic, that women now spend more money on gadgets than on shoes. This is followed up with some fascinating insights into the “feminisation” of technology design and closes with an even more remarkable statistic, that two-thirds of Nintendo DS users are female. Related Link: Shiny Shiny
Vivity Labs launches online brain fitness platform: This recently launched website will draw comparisons to the Brain Training game on the Nintendo DS. Basing the platform online, however, allows for a much broader appeal. For example, by providing the ability to play against other users, a higher level of motivation to return to play is likely to be achieved, especially for the highly competitive amongst us. Related Article: Video games can make us creative if spark is right.
iReport: Online Terror & Hate: The First Decade (pdf): This report by a Jewish Human Rights group indicates that since 2007 there has been a 30% increase in the number of problmeatic hate (racist, anti-gay, anti-religious etc.) and terrorist websites. The historic roots of online hate-sites is outlined and numerous examples are highlighted. Related Article: A rallying cry against cyberbullying.
Mac users don’t like people touching their technology: A survey was conducted by Cognitive Daily to investigate how willing people were to let others try out their new gadgets. They found that there was a dramatic difference between how much PC and Mac users let friends try out their new devices. Related Article: Bad BlackBerry Manners On the Rise.
Your Blog Can Be Group Therapy: This CNN.com article highlights some examples of the positive aspects of personal blogging, with some interesting commentary from both bloggers and psychologists. Related Article: The Internet and Suicide ; Related Link: The Lives of Others.
If anyone has anything they’d like to contribute to the next digest, or related articles for this volume, feel free to drop me a comment or an e-mail - Sinéad.
Volume 1
Volume 2
Volume 3
Volume 4
There were some interesting questions raised during the Virtual Worlds Panel held at 3Dcamp at the weekend that I wanted to discuss more fully, from a social and developmental Psychology perspective.
Altering your digital self presentation, your avatar, in a 3D environment is as easy as applying make-up in the physical world. Unlike the physical world, however, making precise and dramatic changes to self presentation can be instantaneous rather than laborious e.g. losing weight. By putting an individual in total control they are free to create an avatar of their actual self (how they currently are), ideal self (how they would like to be) or their ought self (how they think they should be). Studies have indicated that users of online multi-player games will create a representation of themselves that reflects and approximates an idealised version of themselves, the ideal self. However, there are individual differences e.g. personality, goals etc., that can influence self representation online and thus there are users that deviate from the norm.
For some individuals the gap between their ideal self and actual self can be quite far apart and this can have a dramatic impact upon the individual’s evaluation of themselves. These users are particularly likely to create an avatar that is a highly idealised version of themselves, especially individuals suffering from low self esteem and/or depression. Recent research by the Virtual Human Interaction Lab has suggested that users can be influenced by their virtual world counterparts. For users that suffer from low self esteem this might suggest that socially interacting online with an idealised version of themselves could build confidence for real world interactions. (Related Article: How Second Life Affects Real Life)
As the body develops from childhood, through adolescence and into adulthood, so too does your sense of self. Your identity formation involves two aspects – exploration (experimentation) and commitment (decision making). Studies have suggested that the Internet can be an important aid for young people as they search for an adult identity, especially when an individual is experiencing high levels of exploration but low levels of commitment. 3D environments in particular are helpful by providing the individual with the ability to experiment with self image combined with low levels of real-life consequence. (Related Article: Adolescents’ Online Self-Disclosure and Self-Presentation)
The draw of 3D environments to younger users is due to a combination of factors. The ability to experiment with self identity - as discussed above. High levels of familiarity and accessibility from a very young age to 3D graphics through animated television shows, movies and through gaming. The desire for non-passive visual and cognitive stimulation, in comparison to passive forms of entertainment such as TV. Though it is true that an individual’s attention span can shorten through constant and immediate stimulation, the positive effects are an increased ability to multi-task and higher levels of motivation to complete tasks.
I’m heading down to Limerick tomorrow, once again, for a conference. Though, I’ve been told that this particular one should be referred to as an “un-conference”. 3Dcamp is a variation on the BarCamp idea of holding user generated conferences - where the attendees provide the content of talks, workshops and demonstrations, unusually focusing on upcoming technologies and developments. The focus of 3Dcamp is “essentially the internet beyond the 2D browser”.
A talk related to culture and sociability within the virtual world of World of Warcraft .
A demonstration of physical controls for virtual environments, highlighting the use of inexpensive hardware and open source software.
A ubiquitous computing talk outlining interaction design approaches to technologically-enhanced physical environments – e.g. interactive media in public spaces.
A talk focusing on augmented reality – using technology to insert objects into real environments. Brings to mind holograms and a (15ft tall Bill Gates!, but the applications of these future technologies are endless.
Design guru Sabrina Dent will be discussing how to make money from Second Life. I assume this will be through designing and selling 3D objects.
The M.Sc in Cyberpsychology course coordinator (Dr. Grainne Kirwan) will be discussing some of the current research in Cyberpsychology at 3Dcamp. If anyone is interested in a student perspective of the IADT masters course, there will be 3 of us from the class attending 3Dcamp.
I’m really looking forward to seeing the famous Pedestrian Living Bridge at University Limerick. Fingers crossed the current Iarnród Éireann dispute doesn’t de-rail my plans!
I’m constantly coming across academic journal articles, news stories and blog articles that are directly related to Cyberpsychology that are incredibly interesting, controversial, questionable and are often a source of inner debate. Therefore, I’ve decided to start sharing them here in the hopes of highlighting the importance of applying psychological research and theory to various technology related fields. I’m planning on making this a monthly post and if anyone has anything they’d like to contribute, or even related articles, feel free to drop me a comment or an e-mail.
Can Grand Theft Auto improve social skills?: Some media attention was given to this story and at first I was quite skeptical, that was of course until I read the original article on the University of Sunderland website. Chris Whitehead, the final year Psychology student, points out how previous research has focused on the adverse effects of violent video games on children, when such games are actually targeted towards adults and can have positive effects upon their intended audience. Related article: Link between online gaming and violence killed off
Early Sexual Experiences: The Role of Internet Access and Sexually Explicit Material: This study reports that participants who had access to the Internet during the ages of 12 and 17 reported engaging in sexual intercourse at a younger age than those that did not have Internet access.
Mobile Phones are more important than Wallets and Keys: Nortel have conducted some extensive survey based research into global uses of communications technologies. The most interesting information derived from this is how survey respondents indicated that the one item they would choose to bring with them when leaving the house for 24 hours or more would be their mobile phone, choosing their mobile phone over their wallet or keys.
Exploring the Role of the Reader in the Activity of Blogging: Most research on the topic of blogging has focused on sociability (i.e. the blogosphere). This study investigated the behaviour of blog readers, discovering that blog reading often becomes similar to e-mail checking – i.e. less content orientated and habitual. Also of note is the conclusion that readers put pressure on themselves to produce worthwhile comments. An interesting study, however, a small criticism - the majority of participants were also blog writers, would be far more interesting to see this study applied to non bloggers. Related article: Are You Educating Your Readers About Blogging?
Being Human: Human Computer Interaction in the Year 2020: Findings from a HCI conference hosted by Microsoft which gives recommendations for the future of HCI to ensure that human values inform future development. For example, educating young people on the impact of technological advances and recognising the importance of specialists from other disciplines (e.g. psychology, sociology, arts) whom can offer more insightful perspectives. The report also argues for the need of proper monitoring and assessment to ensure that we individually and collectively stay in control of ourselves and the world around us. Related article: In a User Centric Web I get to control my data
If anyone has anything they’d like to contribute to the next digest, or related articles for this volume, feel free to drop me a comment or an e-mail - Sinéad.
Volume 1
Volume 2
Volume 3
Volume 4
Damien points out today that a number of Irish gay discussion sites are blocked by 3 Ireland when you try to access them via 3G on one of their handsets. Curiously enough their argument for doing so is because these websites are deemed unsuitable for children. However, as noted back in 2007, when 3 took down it’s “walled garden” to allow full Internet access from your handset they introduced a policy of only allowing Internet access if you registered with them and if you were over 18. So there is no need for this at all because children can’t access Internet from their handsets full stop.
Also, another point - you can infact access plenty of “unsuitable” content from your 3 handset. It’s simple really, turning off the “safe search” in google image search will bring up all the pornography you could want on your tiny 2inch screen.
3 Ireland need to remove this ban immediately or face a massive backlash from not just the gay community, but from the blogging community too.