Author: j.kolcio

Sexism in GTA V

The Grand Theft Auto has not had a lot of gender problems because of the fair representation of female and male characters in the past series. However, the development of the Grand Theft Auto series to GTA V led to skewed representation of femininity and masculinity. Surprisingly, the GTA V video games represents masculinity as an ideal gender for interpreting the game, with popular protagonists in the video game being male characters and excluding women as possible targets for attack. The masculinity gender values of toughness is represented with how male characters in GTA V are allowed to use all sorts of weaponry to wipe out people which in most cases happens to be women. Interestingly, GTA V comes with the ability to customize gender of the main character. The video game utilizes the use of radio calls and mobile calls in promoting sexist comments. The females in the online game are depicted as weak characters over their protagonist male counterparts, with women allowed to make fun of the male characters, who afterwards pursue the mission of attacking them or simply make sexist jokes against them.

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I don’t think the representation of gender in GTA V reflects a broader social norm. However, this does not underscore the fact that different cultures and societies have different perceptions in regard to gender, with GTA V offering a new understanding of the same. GTA V simply presents the undertones of female stereotyping that may be concealed in our modern world but in the real sense do exist in the manner men perceive women. Additionally, the video games embody the violence against women and objectification of women in the contemporary masculine world.

According to Nakamura, the artificial identity of video games characters is redress the burden of physical “handicaps” such as gender, race, and age (319). This relates well with GTA V console that can enable the gamers to customize the gender of their main character, giving them the liberty to swap genders with time when they deem fit. Notably, the online representation is a choice that one can make in which the opposite gender for the real-life one can be chosen (Schaap 237). Interestingly, Schaap’s assertion resonates well with the reality embodied in GTA V coupled with its additional feature of customizing the gender of the main character, which supports gender swapping.

Questions

  1. If you have ever played GTA V, did you ever change your gender in the game and what could have influenced you to change into an opposite sex?
  2. Do you think that GTA V maintaining a neutral approach to gender could still make it better by avoiding sexism?

What the Digital future holds in store for us regarding digital marketing!

The digital future seems to be growing brighter each day as new advancements crop up every day. Everyone is gradually claiming a digital space and the business world is taking advantage of that for marketing purposes. One of the promises of digital future is digital marketing, whereby the business people will be increasingly utilizing the growing digital platform in marketing their brands. There is no better way of creating the awareness of a given brand other than digital marketing. Digital marketing seems to be an effective tool through which the business people will be competing for in the future for marketing purposes.

The digital future seems to be growing brighter each day as new advancements crop up every day. Everyone is gradually claiming a digital space and the business world is taking advantage of that for marketing purposes. One of the promises of digital future is digital marketing, whereby the business people will be increasingly utilizing the growing digital platform in marketing their brands. There is no better way of creating the awareness of a given brand other than digital marketing. Digital marketing seems to be an effective tool through which the business people will be competing for in the future for marketing purposes.

Through digital marketing, there has been increased availability of various goods and services over the internet. Today I can access a number of stores with online presence and make an order of a given good that I want from their shelves and make payment through various mobile payment apps. I need not travel to my preferred shop in order to have a good share of my favourite pizza, but through digital marketing I can navigate through the internet and visit a number of pizza inns and from the available reviews make an order for a pizza. One aspect of digital marketing that I would love to see develop is customer support and real time response. I believe with the advancement in digital communication in the growing digital society, digital marketing is going to be a big thing in the future, whereby we could be accessing almost everything over the internet.

However, am concerned with the safety of the internet usage in terms of online privacy. I expect our digital society will be much safer as we go into the future at the heart of growing digital marketing. With the development of digital marketing, our dependence over the internet for almost everything is likely to come with a price. With the expansion of surveillance, online privacy is going to be a problem, but we need to more vigilant as we head into the future, as companies are likely to take advantage of us by manipulating our personal information and compromising our online privacy.

Andrejevic cautions us to be more vigilant as we go into the digital future by mentioning that, “commercial surveillance is key in manipulation, alienation, and control attached to the interactive economy” (Surveillance & Society, pg. 279). The many companies we interact with are more concerned in making more profits and their main priorities are their sponsors, advertisers and investors rather than serving our interests. We ought to understand that in digital marketing, many companies are geared towards using our services for profit purpose and not the vice versa.

Questions

Do you think digital marketing will serve all your business needs in the future?

How do you think your online privacy will be impacted by digital marketing?

 

 

 

 

 

Next time remember to read the Privacy terms!

How many times do you bother reading the privacy terms? Do you know that the terms and conditions you didn’t read could be part of your complacency in having your privacy misused? It is time you know that there could be a third eye having a good share of your interaction with the internet. The information contained in most companies regarding terms and conditions could be long and tiring to read but perhaps it could be an intentional ploy to surveil on you. However, you have the power at your finger tips before hitting the “Accept” or “Agree” button by reading the whole privacy terms next time.

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From the documentary it is evident that the economic systems conspire with the system of the government to surveil our interaction over the internet. Many corporate companies such as Facebook and Google are collaborating with the government to have our information shared. These companies purposely make their privacy terms lengthy and in most cases an average person readily accepts the terms without knowing its content. Moreover, the online shops we visit often sell our information to the government against our wish in the name of “threat” to national security. Government agencies are increasingly becoming friendly with the social networks in which they readily collaborate with one another in sharing our personal information.

It’s unfortunate that power is distributed unevenly in this society. The government being the powerful part of this society can afford to persuade companies to sell it our personal information without our consent. We as the ordinarily people we are thrown out of this deal with little power to negotiate for our privacy since the trust we accord those companies is being undermined by the influence of the powerful facets of our society. Hence, with the uneven distribution of power, our well being and freedom is negatively impacted with the gradual loss of our privacy.

Shocking facts from the documentary:

  1. The Tom-Tom has been selling their consumer information in helping the police in Netherlands to set up speed traps, an indication of companies sharing our information with the surveillance agencies.
  2. The installation of Carrier IQ software in every Smartphone that can keep us virtually tracked by capturing every single key stroke, often used by the FBI, which is utterly a violation of our privacy.
  3. The ability of the government to red flag everything we search online such as a writer who was red flagged for searching on ways to develop his show as a potential murderer.

It is really prudent to read diligently to what we are consenting to by ensuring that next time we remember to read the privacy terms with the companies we interact with under the increasing mass surveillance. Nonetheless, it is worrying knowing how our privacy is gradually dying in the face of increasing mass surveillance in this digital era.

Questions

  1. How often do you read the privacy policy before pressing the “Accept” or “Agree” button?
  2. What actions are you going to take in regard to your online behaviour after knowing your information are being shared?

 

Is Your Digital Footprint Worth a Concern?

Digital surveillance is increasingly becoming a double-edged watchdog. To some people, digital monitoring is derailing their privacy, however, to some, digital surveillance is apt in our digital times. Nevertheless, our continued use of the digital media is gradually becoming a source of tracking our every move. Our personal information is being trapped in the digital corridors as we leave behind many digital footprints that can be used to “unravel” us. From Chapter Seven, Athique posits that “In the context of SnS private individuals seeking to serve both audiences simultaneously must take great care of their self-presentation of their public figures” ( Pg,104). Our inevitable digital media consumption is undoubtedly enough to leave behind traces of our personal information. Imagine of the vast personal information we leave behind in the form of comments, posts, tweets, status update, likes, videos, memes, and pictures, all over on Snapchat, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and  App use. All these can communicate our personal information such as our names, gender, date of birth, health status, employment, marital status, education history and even our           finances.

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            Our interactive era has become a perfect avenue for market processing, as market surveillance is increasingly becoming popular in the twenty-first century. However, market surveillance is causing uproar in public regarding the extent it is acceptable for the “consumer profile” to be collected and stored for future use by third parties.  Firms are understood under the concept of market surveillance to be storing the personal data of their customers to better understand them and address their needs. However, the collection and storage of such pertinent information are raising issues to do with privacy. My “consumer profile” can be collated and stored for future use by the third parties in the move to advance consumer choices through an innovative creation of consumer goods that address individual needs and what can be improved in promoting user product loyalty. However, the collection and storage of my “consumer profile” for future use by third parties should not breach my rights to privacy and security. According to Turkle, digital liberation allows people to become multidimensional beings, something more than physical selves (page 127). Nevertheless, my “consumer profile” should be protected to promote consumer confidentiality.

            The state surveillance is gradually turning out as a “disciplinary society” that seeks to instil discipline in the usage of digital media and punish acts that are perceived uncouth.  However, the increased discretion by the state in acting as a prison for its people by curtailing their internet freedom of expression and opinion, and privacy is a matter of concern. However, as much as the state surveillance may try to exercise its disciplinary power, the existence of an “electronic panopticon” is not sufficient enough to reduce the likelihood of crimes and misdemeanors. Nevertheless, the state surveillance to some extent is called for when internet users have to act within the preset laws governing internet use. Personally, I believe that having the knowledge of state surveillance at the back of your mind regarding something tracking your digital movement can deter crime and misdemeanor but equally curtail your freedom of expression and privacy. We should all understand that in as much as freedom is good but an unregulated freedom is dangerous as well. For that case, in as much state surveillance can be construed as a violation of our internet freedom and privacy but to some extent, it can be important in keeping “illegal “activities such as piracy and illegal downloading on the check.

Questions

  1. Are you always aware of your digital footprints while using digital media?
  2. Is state surveillance justified under the right to freedom of expression and privacy of its citizens?

Two-Faced Persona

The frenzy behind social media presence is overwhelming among teens and college students.  Many teens and college students are constantly in a rush to be on the latest social media platform that gives them the best chance to express themselves. However, to many, social media identity becomes a worrying concern as they seek to mask their persona. Hence, many college students and teens would embrace a two-faced persona so as to have a grip on their real them and fake them.

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Terry is one of my favourite friends among the list of my cousins. She is amazing in the manner she embraces life with both hands, given by the fact that she is at that age, teenage. Terry never seems to miss anywhere; she is almost everywhere in the social media. You can find her on Facebook, Twitter, Snupps, Snapchat, Instagram, and Twitter.

Just as it is important to any teenager, college student and overly to anyone who cares about his or her social identity, Terry cares much about her identity on social media.  Social identity is imperative in constructing our self-images regarding how we view ourselves and how we want to portray ourselves to the rest of the world. Social identity is a sensitive matter, especially to the college students and teens. Despite me knowing Terry personally on Facebook and Twitter by her real names, I was amazed to pump into another “Terry” the other day. Surprisingly, in the past one year I accepted a new friend in my Facebook account unknowingly but over time everything about that person looked exciting. Yeah, “Smalls Milton” was that person; the person had a strong sense of humor for life and excitement about almost everything that made me long for her posts. When I talked to Terry about the person, she only laughed cheekily, leaving everything evident that she was the masked Terry behind the very “Smalls Milton.” Terry maintained a two-faced persona by having real accounts and pseudonyms for the fake accounts; her real accounts portrayed the real Terry, a reserved person, and the other fake account portrayed a different person of her, full of humor and fond of life.

Two-faced persona is a construct of our social identity that we seek to relate to particular aspects of our experiences in life. The looking–glass self by Cooley resonates well with having a two-faced person of the “real” us and “fake” us, that pushes us into developing anonymity of the other side of ourselves not known by others by having fake accounts on social media. I believe that Terry’s digital personas help her cope well with the vast experiences of teenage at the same time holding true to the values of her family. Through the fake account, Terry expresses her ideal persona that she seeks to develop regarding her hobbies, interests, and dreams but still holding it private. On the other end, Terry through her real account, she only seeks to affirm to the societal expectation of her.

Two-faced persona on social media resonates well with assertions that the internet has enhanced our thinking in viewing identity as multiplicity.” Through the internet, people can build a self by cycling through many selves” (Turkle 178). The two-faced persona of Terry as a way of appealing to different people can be viewed as a necessity for her in dealing with teenage that comes with the need for exploration of many aspects of life in the face of a compelling society for certain perceived ideal virtues. Additionally, from chapter 5, Antique states, “In the distinctive out-of-body experience of online gaming, the body once again takes centre stage in a symbolic form” (pg. 73). The various symbolic forms that our bodies embody in the digital world are represented in the real and fake social media accounts we maintain. In our real accounts, we will tend to be more responsible for what we portray to the others because of the authenticity in our real names.  However, in our fake accounts, we care less of what others think of us and find it a better way of masking our true identity.

Questions:

  1. Do you have a two-faced persona on social media?
  2. How does real and fake account on social media relate to your life in terms of social identity?

 

 

Risky telegram?

Over the past few years, users of social media applications have become increasingly wary of the security and safety of the social media applications they use. Messenger applications such as Whatsapp have been identified to be insecure. That is why the telegram application was introduced to offer security and enable people to create large groups for effective communication. The article by Heba Soffar,’ the advantages and disadvantages of telegram,’ highlight how this application has become important for users. This application is fast in messaging, offers high security, it has no ads, and most importantly, messages and information shared are shared in cloud, and people will never lose any information shared.

Image by Kevin Rothrock

However, William Turton, in his article ‘why you should stop using telegram right now seems to disagree security of the application. He reiterates that the application has had some security issues. For instance, chats are not encrypted by default, as advocated by the FBI. The author also argues that the application leaks data and information of its users. So, the major question remains whether this application offers the security of the information of its users. There are major contradictions relating to this aspect, as many people have debated about the security of the application. I agree with Heba Soffar on the security of the application, as the secret chats of the users offer end-to-end encryption, making them safe and secure. It has become one of the hottest chatting applications, as many users love the security and safety of their communication.
This new application has some of the characteristics described by Lee Manovich. For instance, you can create an automated bot on this application without coding, and automation is one of the principles of the new media. Secondly, this application has also followed the principle of transcoding. You can get notified through telegram when a user is transcoding. Numerical presentation is also another principle evident in this new technology. Telegram displays a pixel-like array image which has a set of alpha-numeric characters. These examples point to the fact that telegram has adopted these principles of new media in its development.
Questions
1. Does the end-to-end encryption on this application mean that that the chats and conversations of users are completely secure?
2. Should chat and conversations be private and confidential? What if criminal activities and deals are conducted in these messaging applications? What is the appropriate course of action?