Sherry Turkle discusses virtual gender-swapping in “Tinysex and Gender Trouble.” Virtual worlds allow people to be fluid. People can virtually switch their genders and mentally become someone else. There are no strings attached with gender-swapping. You don’t need to shave your legs and beard or have a sex change operation to become a woman. Instead, you can just become one on virtual life. Gender-swapping gives people the ability to have the sense of a gender and identity without actually being that gender. Since you are living the other gender’s mindset, you can fully experience other genders without just observing. Gender-swapping gives you a scope on another gender. It allows you to communicate differently with people when you do this. By virtually becoming another gender, you talk and view things differently as well as using virtual gestures and actions differently.
By gender-swapping, you learn a lot. You learn about another gender and how people treat this gender. In addition, you can test your limits and discover a lot about yourself. Some things you may learn from gender-swapping can influence you to change your behavior. Gender-swapping allows people to express unexplored facets that can’t be expressed in real life. For example, transsexuals are not the mainstream of society. Some people who may be curious and want to experience being a transsexual without anyone knowing, can do this through gender-swapping on virtual life. Gender-swapping is extremely useful for people seriously considering gender change to see if it works for them without investing the money and energy.
When you first interact with someone on virtual life, the first question they generally ask you is your gender. Since many people gender-swap, people use communication clues and the way the other person acts to assume their gender. For example, if you’re a guy, you’ll act much differently than if you are a girl. Guys generally act more aggressive and vulgar than girls. People adjust how they’re acting or behaving to you based on your gender. Guys may cuss more around other guys, but generally not around girls. In addition, when you’re a girl, everyone on virtual life is trying to help you out. Also, girls always get harassed on virtual life.
Gender-swapping didn’t emerge just in the virtual worlds. It has been going on for decades. Many of Shakespeare’s plays are based on gender-swapping. In addition, many forms of media show stories about gender-swapping. One example I read about in this paper written by Amy Bruckman, discussed a Saturday Night Live episode in which the character Pat does not have a gender. People aren’t sure if Pat is Patrick or Patricia. Pat avoids giving out clues or information as to which gender they are. When Pat got a haircut, there was a sign at the shop that had different prices listed for men and women. However, Pat just left a large bill and told the shop owner to keep the change, so they didn‘t reveal their gender. People want to discover if Pat is a man or woman. Without Pat’s gender stated, people do not know how to communicate and act towards Pat. On some MUDs, people can also be gender neutral characters. Bruckman stated that she felt uneasy when she first interacted with a gender neutral character on virtual life. She wondered how she could relate to this person if she didn’t know their gender. After this, she wondered why the other person’s gender even mattered. The reason for this is because “gender structures human interactions,” (Bruckman). People react differently to people of certain genders. They change their expectations and how they are acting or behaving towards someone based on the person’s gender.
This was discussed in detail in Sherry Turkle‘s “Tinysex and Gender Trouble.” For example, when a supposed male finds out that a user is a female, they automatically assume that the female needs help. In addition, supposed males will make sexual advances to supposed females. However, if the “male” finds out that the “female” is a “male,” they will change their behavior and leave their discussion. Turkle explains how when she gender swapped to a male, she felt more free, less threatened, and more assertive. People’s expectations change based on gender. For example, if you are a girl in a virtual world, everyone will try to help you out, thinking you are incapable. The problem with this is that people are becoming so used to the notion that women need help, that they are starting to believe they need it, becoming incapable and not acquiring the skills they should.
Friday, April 25, 2008
"Multi-User Dungeons and Alternate Identities"--Howard Rheingold
In “Multi-User Dungeons and Alternate Identities,” Howard Rheingold discusses MUDs. MUDs are Multi-User Dungeons, which are make believe worlds in computer databases. Through these worlds, people “use and program languages to improvise melodramas, build worlds and all of the objects in them, solve puzzles, invent amusements and tools, compete for prestige and power, gain wisdom, seek revenge, indulge greed and lust and violent impulses,” (149). Through MUDs, people develop an alternate life. This is good for people who are not of high social status in the real world and may not have a “glamorous life,“ but want to. In addition, this is good for people who want to explore features of their personality that can’t be expressed or explored in real life. Through this, they can learn things about themselves that they did not previously know before, causing them to grow. Also, the creation of these alternate identities and the use of MUDs can be used for therapy. For example, a girl who is having relationship problems with her boyfriend because of jealousy issues can go on MUDs and create an alternate identity and interact with a virtual boyfriend. Through this interaction, she can use her alternate identity to experiment with different ways approach her jealousy issues. She can then use this to modify her behavior in real life with her boyfriend. This can be used as a form of therapy for her in that she can have the chance to break out of her bad habits through the use of alternate identities.
Although these may make MUDs seem only beneficial, MUDs also pose some serious threats. MUDding can become seriously addictive. Some people spent 70 to 80 hours a week. MUDding, which can harmfully affect their social life as well as school work. In addition, MUDding increases telecommunications traffic as well as using a lot of computer memory. Lastly, some MUD users lie about their gender and also pretend to be other people in real life. These harmful threats that MUDding has caused, has led to the ban of MUDding in college campuses.
Curious on how MUDding becomes addictive, I read an article about it. In this article, a woman explains how people who are slowly becoming addicted to MUDding spend all of their available time MUDding and even start to cut out activities to spend more time MUDding. The woman discusses how people who become addicted to MUDding can lose their marriage, education, and job. This woman then describes how her husband became addicted to MUDding. She saw the signs of his addiction at the beginning when she knew she had competition with MUDding for his time and attention. The woman was jealous of the time and attention he would spend MUDding. However, she never knew the extent to which it would affect their marriage and lives. The woman then explains how she doesn’t know how she will eventually handle her husband’s addiction to MUDding. His addiction has lasted three years and she doesn’t know if their marriage will be able to last through it.
Although cases similar to this article are extremely prevalent today, MUDding should in no way be banned from anyone. MUDding is used for many positive reasons. In addition to being used for therapy and for personal growth, MUDs are also being used for education. Classes currently are using classes in Second Life for education in real life. MUDs also are being used to acquire skills. I personally have no idea how to use a tool set. So, in real life, I have not been able to develop any building or construction skills. However, on MUDs, I can use tools to build things. Through this, I can acquire these skills, and use them in real life so I can actually use tools and build things.
There are a couple of uses of MUDs that really touch my heart. One of them is to help heal shell shock of soldiers after they come back from fighting in a war. They are able to use these virtual worlds to help work through their shell shock problems they experience when they come home from war. Soldiers who fight wars for our country are extremely brave and noble. I have a tremendous amount of respect for them. The fact that many of them experience negative effects of shell shock, is really sad. This is why it is extremely beneficial that MUDs are able to help heal them of shell shock. Another extremely beneficial use of MUDs is for cancer patients. Certain MUDs allow cancer patients to fight cancer cells online. The more the patients beat them online, the more they feel good about their treatment. This is used as a form of encouragement for them. It will help ease the psychological pain of their cancer and help them feel better about their situation, making them feel happier. One other wonderful use of MUDs is for physically disabled people. Since physically disabled people can’t go out to meet people, they can use MUDs to feel part of the “group” and to meet people. This allows them to experience a more “normal” lifestyle.
Considering all of these positive uses of MUDs, I still do not understand why MUDding was ever banned on college campuses. The numerous advantages of MUDs more than outweigh the few disadvantages
Although these may make MUDs seem only beneficial, MUDs also pose some serious threats. MUDding can become seriously addictive. Some people spent 70 to 80 hours a week. MUDding, which can harmfully affect their social life as well as school work. In addition, MUDding increases telecommunications traffic as well as using a lot of computer memory. Lastly, some MUD users lie about their gender and also pretend to be other people in real life. These harmful threats that MUDding has caused, has led to the ban of MUDding in college campuses.
Curious on how MUDding becomes addictive, I read an article about it. In this article, a woman explains how people who are slowly becoming addicted to MUDding spend all of their available time MUDding and even start to cut out activities to spend more time MUDding. The woman discusses how people who become addicted to MUDding can lose their marriage, education, and job. This woman then describes how her husband became addicted to MUDding. She saw the signs of his addiction at the beginning when she knew she had competition with MUDding for his time and attention. The woman was jealous of the time and attention he would spend MUDding. However, she never knew the extent to which it would affect their marriage and lives. The woman then explains how she doesn’t know how she will eventually handle her husband’s addiction to MUDding. His addiction has lasted three years and she doesn’t know if their marriage will be able to last through it.
Although cases similar to this article are extremely prevalent today, MUDding should in no way be banned from anyone. MUDding is used for many positive reasons. In addition to being used for therapy and for personal growth, MUDs are also being used for education. Classes currently are using classes in Second Life for education in real life. MUDs also are being used to acquire skills. I personally have no idea how to use a tool set. So, in real life, I have not been able to develop any building or construction skills. However, on MUDs, I can use tools to build things. Through this, I can acquire these skills, and use them in real life so I can actually use tools and build things.
There are a couple of uses of MUDs that really touch my heart. One of them is to help heal shell shock of soldiers after they come back from fighting in a war. They are able to use these virtual worlds to help work through their shell shock problems they experience when they come home from war. Soldiers who fight wars for our country are extremely brave and noble. I have a tremendous amount of respect for them. The fact that many of them experience negative effects of shell shock, is really sad. This is why it is extremely beneficial that MUDs are able to help heal them of shell shock. Another extremely beneficial use of MUDs is for cancer patients. Certain MUDs allow cancer patients to fight cancer cells online. The more the patients beat them online, the more they feel good about their treatment. This is used as a form of encouragement for them. It will help ease the psychological pain of their cancer and help them feel better about their situation, making them feel happier. One other wonderful use of MUDs is for physically disabled people. Since physically disabled people can’t go out to meet people, they can use MUDs to feel part of the “group” and to meet people. This allows them to experience a more “normal” lifestyle.
Considering all of these positive uses of MUDs, I still do not understand why MUDding was ever banned on college campuses. The numerous advantages of MUDs more than outweigh the few disadvantages
Dot-com bubble, bust, and future
In “Electronic community: From birth to backlash,” Douglas Rushkoff discusses how the internet once was “a gift economy,” (25). This meant that people used the internet to communicate and share information and programs without the anticipation of receiving money. Internet users worked together for “a shared goal rather than financial self-interest,“ (Rushkoff 26). People got satisfaction out of knowing that what they posted on the internet would be available for millions of other internet users to see. Shortly after, the shared community that people worked together for, developed into one of self-interest for monetary returns. While programs and information on the internet was being shared for free, it eventually became a commodity. This information and content was being sold online. However, this was not successful, so businesses then decided to sell merchandise online. This expanded and developed extremely fast. Numerous businesses adopted this new use of the internet, which made the internet become the “World Wide Web,” (Rushkoff 29). Many business people created their own companies on the internet for this purpose, which became known as “dot-coms” because their websites ended in .com.
Even though creating these online companies became popular, hardly any of them made a substantial profit. Thus, the World Wide Web then transitioned into an “investment platform,” (Rushkoff 30). This “investment platform” allowed people to invest in the stock market through stocks on the internet. According to Wikipedia, this became known as the “dot-com bubble,” in which stock markets experienced a rise in their value from these internet companies. After stock prices rose, they became overvalued and were not an accurate estimate of the company’s fair value. Since customers saw the high value of the stocks of the company, so many of them bought shares in the company’s stocks, thinking they would reap profits.
Internet companies were so concerned with increasing their customers and growing that they did this by all means necessary, spending large sums of money, even before they earned substantial profits, generating losses. For example, some dot-com companies spent over 2 million dollars to have a commercial shown on the Super Bowl XXXIV in 2000.
A company’s stocks can’t increase indefinitely, as they must go down at some point. People who invested in the companies’ kept waiting to receive large amounts of money since the companies stock prices were so high and were of high value. After they didn’t receive these large sums of money, they sold their shares, causing the stock prices to fall significantly. Once the companies’ stock prices fell significantly, a good majority of them were forced to go out of business. A major factor that caused these companies to go out of business was that they were so focused on the traffic of their websites. Instead of caring about increasing their profits and experiencing good financial returns, they were so absorbed with using advertising to increase their customers.
Since this unsuccessful internet transition, the internet is now experiencing a transition into social networking. Rushkoff discusses how the World Wide Web is now being used more so for USENET discussions, blogging, bulletin boards, and other social networks. This is known as the Web 2.0. In order to compete with other websites, more and more businesses are creating a social networking business. According to Pcmag, every business now has some form of a social networking aspect, which will contribute to another dot-com bust. In addition, currently companies are buying out social networking companies of estimated high fair value, expecting that they will increase their customers and traffic . In addition, entrepreneurs are also purchasing social networking companies that have an estimated high fair value, expecting they will earn huge profits.
This is the same type of error that was made in 2000, which was that companies were more concerned with increasing their customers rather than earning profits. A quote in an online article describes how this current situation parallels the dot-com bust in 2000. This quote was said by O'Kelley, the Right Media co-founder, which said that “other entrepreneurs had begun to think that the financing game was best played by avoiding actual revenue, since that only limits the imagination of investors. ‘It's a screwed-up incentive structure, just like you had in the first bubble,’ he said.”
After the bubbles bust, or crash, the many people who are employed by the companies that go out of business, become unemployed. If businesses don’t change their ways and keep making similar mistakes they are going to keep creating these dot-com bubbles, increasing the unemployment rate in the United States. I guess businesses haven’t learned their lesson in 2000, since there is probably going to be another bubble currently, caused by Web 2.0.
Even though creating these online companies became popular, hardly any of them made a substantial profit. Thus, the World Wide Web then transitioned into an “investment platform,” (Rushkoff 30). This “investment platform” allowed people to invest in the stock market through stocks on the internet. According to Wikipedia, this became known as the “dot-com bubble,” in which stock markets experienced a rise in their value from these internet companies. After stock prices rose, they became overvalued and were not an accurate estimate of the company’s fair value. Since customers saw the high value of the stocks of the company, so many of them bought shares in the company’s stocks, thinking they would reap profits.
Internet companies were so concerned with increasing their customers and growing that they did this by all means necessary, spending large sums of money, even before they earned substantial profits, generating losses. For example, some dot-com companies spent over 2 million dollars to have a commercial shown on the Super Bowl XXXIV in 2000.
A company’s stocks can’t increase indefinitely, as they must go down at some point. People who invested in the companies’ kept waiting to receive large amounts of money since the companies stock prices were so high and were of high value. After they didn’t receive these large sums of money, they sold their shares, causing the stock prices to fall significantly. Once the companies’ stock prices fell significantly, a good majority of them were forced to go out of business. A major factor that caused these companies to go out of business was that they were so focused on the traffic of their websites. Instead of caring about increasing their profits and experiencing good financial returns, they were so absorbed with using advertising to increase their customers.
Since this unsuccessful internet transition, the internet is now experiencing a transition into social networking. Rushkoff discusses how the World Wide Web is now being used more so for USENET discussions, blogging, bulletin boards, and other social networks. This is known as the Web 2.0. In order to compete with other websites, more and more businesses are creating a social networking business. According to Pcmag, every business now has some form of a social networking aspect, which will contribute to another dot-com bust. In addition, currently companies are buying out social networking companies of estimated high fair value, expecting that they will increase their customers and traffic . In addition, entrepreneurs are also purchasing social networking companies that have an estimated high fair value, expecting they will earn huge profits.
This is the same type of error that was made in 2000, which was that companies were more concerned with increasing their customers rather than earning profits. A quote in an online article describes how this current situation parallels the dot-com bust in 2000. This quote was said by O'Kelley, the Right Media co-founder, which said that “other entrepreneurs had begun to think that the financing game was best played by avoiding actual revenue, since that only limits the imagination of investors. ‘It's a screwed-up incentive structure, just like you had in the first bubble,’ he said.”
After the bubbles bust, or crash, the many people who are employed by the companies that go out of business, become unemployed. If businesses don’t change their ways and keep making similar mistakes they are going to keep creating these dot-com bubbles, increasing the unemployment rate in the United States. I guess businesses haven’t learned their lesson in 2000, since there is probably going to be another bubble currently, caused by Web 2.0.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Craig's reaction to Listpic
The article “Should Web Giants Let Startups Use the Information They Have About You” was interesting to me because it involved my Uncle’s website Craigslist. The event that was described in this article was a man named Ryan Sit, created a website called Listpic. Through this website, images from my Uncle’s website, Craigslist were taken and put on the Listpic website in a simpler format. However, this violated copyright terms and Craigslist terms of use. Curious about what my Uncle felt about Ryan Sit and Listpic, I asked my Uncle what his reaction was to Ryan Sit and his Listpic site. He said that Listpic was a good idea for a website. However, “it really sucked up server resources.” I was surprised that my Uncle didn’t say anything negatively about Sit or Listpic. If I was my Uncle, my reaction would have been that I didn’t like Sit and was pissed off when he created Listpic.
Business Twittering
The other day I was talking to my Uncle Craig on the phone and he mentioned to me that he just recently opened a Twitter account. I asked him what made him create a Twitter account and he said that he atttended an "unconference" for geeks and nerds called Kinnernet 2008, on the Sea of Galilee, and then went on a tour with them to see local high tech companies. My Uncle’s roommate for the first part of the trip was Robert Scoble, a pretty notable blogger and journalist. He talked my uncle into trying Twitter about a week ago. My uncle said that Twitter has been a good way to get he word out about stuff that he believes in and also has been a good way to keep people updated about what’s going on with Craigslist. Since the first week when he created his Twitter account, he has around 1318 followers. I asked him about how often he Twitters and he said the he Twitters often, but not enough to “understand his own pattern.” My uncle gave me the link to his RSS feed for his twitter. This has numerous posts each day with prices, pictures, and links to new things currently listed on sale on Craigslist. I think that using Twitter for businesses like my Uncle is doing is a good way for a business to profit. It can be extremely useful for its customers.
Using people's Facebooks for other purposes
While reading the “About Facebook” article by Ari Melber in class, I came across the part in the article where it discusses how police use social networking sites such as Facebook to investigate crimes. I instantly thought about a situation that happened last year in high school. A boy in my grade, Joey, had his profile picture set as a picture of himself holding a gun with his hand on the trigger. One day the local police showed up at Joey’s house and searched his house for the gun. It turns out that Joey didn’t have a license for the gun and got into trouble with the police for it. Most people don‘t think twice about who will see their Facebooks when they are posting photos and other things on their Facebook.
This article also mentions how it has been recommended to people applying for jobs to change their Facebook profiles and pictures while applying for jobs. This reminded me of the Recruitment process for sororities. Our Rho Gammas advised us to make our Facebook accounts private so that the different sororities cannot look at our profiles and pictures while the recruitment process was in progress. This is because some things on people’s Facebooks may stop them from being invited back to the next rounds in the recruitment process.
This article also mentions how it has been recommended to people applying for jobs to change their Facebook profiles and pictures while applying for jobs. This reminded me of the Recruitment process for sororities. Our Rho Gammas advised us to make our Facebook accounts private so that the different sororities cannot look at our profiles and pictures while the recruitment process was in progress. This is because some things on people’s Facebooks may stop them from being invited back to the next rounds in the recruitment process.
Top Friends
The other day I was looking at one of my best friend’s Facebook accounts and saw that she changed her Top Friends. She is my second friend on my Facebook account and I used to be her first friend on her Top Friends on her Facebook account. However, the other day when I looked at her Top Friends, I noticed that she moved me to be her 5th friend on her Facebook. I got kind of offended when I realized this. After I saw this, I moved her down to my 5th friend as well.
I started to laugh at myself when I thought about how dramatic I was being about something so stupid as being someone’s number 1 friend on Facebook. This made me think about the “Friends, friendsters, and top 8: writing community into being on social network sites” article that we read in class. This article describes the Top Friends application as “psychological warfare.” The order of people’s top friends starts drama. The Top Friends application shows the relationship of the top friend to the Facebook owner. Generally, the first friend is closer to the Facebook owner than the 12th friend. The reason why I got pissed off that I was her fifth friend was because we have been best friends since we were two years old.
I don’t get why I got annoyed over something so stupid. It makes me laugh about how serious people (like me) sometimes take Facebook without realizing it. I feel foolish for getting annoyed about not being her number 1 friend on Facebook still. I am 19 years old and got a little bit dramatic about the Top Friends application. I can only imagine the drama that Top Friends creates with people who are in middle school and in high school.
Jake Baker case
After we read “A Rape in Cyberspace” by Julian Dibbell, "Multi-User Dungeons and Alternate Identities," by Howard Rheingold, and “Tinysex and Gender Trouble," by Sheryl Turkle, I instantly thought of a court case that I heard about on the news years ago. This court case was about Jake Baker, a student from the University of Michigan who wrote a detailed fictional story about him raping, torturing, and killing one of his classmates. Someone got alarmed when they read this story and notified officials. Public officials then searched Baker’s dorm room and read his e-mails and files on the computer. In one email, Baker talked to another man about a plan to kidnap, rape, mutilate, humiliate, torture, and kill a female. The type of crime that was committed in this case was the communication involving any threat to injure or kidnap another person. If convicted, this person can be fined, and or imprisoned for up to 5 years. Baker was charged with violating this law. However, there were many debates as to whether the Government violated Baker’s right to the first amendment, freedom of speech, or not. Some argued that it was Baker’s right to the first amendment to write these stories, and they could not be considered a crime. Others believed that Baker intended to execute the actions in these stories. Baker’s defense was that he was just role playing and using these stories as a form of therapy instead of actually acting them out.
This court case reminded me of these readings because the student who Baker wrote about in his story was psychologically affected from this incident. The student who Baker wrote about in his story was psychologically affected from it. She needed to seek counseling after the case. Even though she wasn’t actually raped in real life, there was a description of her being raped on the internet. This is similar to “A Rape in Cyberspace” because even though Legba was not raped in real life, she read the description of her virtual character being raped. This made her really upset. Whether being raped in real life, or seeing the scenario on the computer about being raped, you still have thoughts in your mind telling you that it is real. The text on the computer tells your mind that it is real.
This court case also reminded me of "Multi-User Dungeons and Alternate Identities," and “Tinysex and Gender Trouble," because these articles describe how people create alternate identities to explore things that they cannot explore in real life. This was Jake Baker’s defense. He said that he was just role playing by writing this story and using it as a form of therapy to act out his anger through these stories and through role playing instead of in real life.
For more information about the court case, go to this link.
This court case reminded me of these readings because the student who Baker wrote about in his story was psychologically affected from this incident. The student who Baker wrote about in his story was psychologically affected from it. She needed to seek counseling after the case. Even though she wasn’t actually raped in real life, there was a description of her being raped on the internet. This is similar to “A Rape in Cyberspace” because even though Legba was not raped in real life, she read the description of her virtual character being raped. This made her really upset. Whether being raped in real life, or seeing the scenario on the computer about being raped, you still have thoughts in your mind telling you that it is real. The text on the computer tells your mind that it is real.
This court case also reminded me of "Multi-User Dungeons and Alternate Identities," and “Tinysex and Gender Trouble," because these articles describe how people create alternate identities to explore things that they cannot explore in real life. This was Jake Baker’s defense. He said that he was just role playing by writing this story and using it as a form of therapy to act out his anger through these stories and through role playing instead of in real life.
For more information about the court case, go to this link.
Invasion of public space?
This week’s readings focused on Friendster, Facebook, and Myspace. “Identity Production in a Networked Culture: Why Youth Heart MySpace” describes reasons why young teenagers are attracted to Facebook, Friendster, Myspace, etc. One reason which I can relate to is because people who do not have cars or the ability to meet up with each other can hang out through the use of these programs. In addition, many teenagers lack uncontrolled space. This is because society today is much worse and it is unsafe to hang out in the woods or at certain locations without adult supervision. Thus, teenagers are expected by their parents to go home after school or to hang out at friend’s houses. In addition, teenagers who are involved in out of school activities, are still in controlled spaces in those activities because adults supervise and run these activities. So teenagers are in controlled, supervised settings all day in school, after school at their structured activities, and when they get home. Due to the majority of their time being spent in controlled settings, they don’t have time to just hang out with friends in unstructured, settings and places. This is why they use virtual, digital technologies to “hang out” in a setting similar to an unstructured private or public place, when they are in their controlled space at home. Teenagers use instant messaging to “hang out with friends” through a form of a private space, and Myspace and Facebook to “hang out with friends” through a form of a public space.
I used to use instant messaging a lot in middle school and in high school. I used to go to school from 8:15 until 2:55, and then would have either tennis, basketball, or softball practice (depending on the season) from 3:15-5:30. After these sport activities, I would go home, and then go back to school many times at night for different club meetings. Whether I was in school, under teacher’s control, at my sport practices, under my coach’s control, at home, under my parents control, or at club meeting, under teacher’s control, I didn’t have the ability to hang out with friends under uncontrolled settings during the weekdays. This is why at night, I would be able to talk to friends through instant message. We were able to talk about absolutely anything under our own privacy. It was as if we were hanging out. In high school I created MySpace and used this as a way to interact with my friends through a public place, posting pictures, comments, bulletins, etc. Later on, I stopped using my MySpace and created a Facebook, which I used for the same purpose.
My Uncle from California told me how he just reconnected with a distant cousin recently and went out for dinner with him in New York. I had never met his cousin before. However, two weeks ago I got a friend request from this cousin. I wasn’t sure if I should accept or deny the request. I didn’t want to be rude by denying it, or for him to think that I was trying to hide bad things on my Facebook by not accepting his friend request. I felt like my privacy would be invaded if I were to accept him as my friend. I have pictures of myself partying with friends and drinking. My parents know I drink. However, I don’t know this distant cousin and am not comfortable with him seeing pictures of me and my friends partying, seeing my wall posts, my information, or anything about my social life. Facebook is my own public space for me and my friends to interact. It is not a space to interact with adults. I am in controlled settings in classes and when I am home. I use Facebook to interact freely with my friends, without having to worry about doing something that adults would not approve of. If that were the case, my Facbeook profile would be different. It wouldn’t be a true depiction of my identity or personality. It would be molded to be accepted by my family members, or authority.
An article I found on The Boston Globe, describes how now employees, parents, and teachers are creating Facbeook accounts. When students get friend requests from their teachers or parents, or people get friend requests from their employers, they run into uncertainty as to whether they should accept or deny the friend request. Some feel like they have to accept it so they don’t create an awkwardness between the person pending the friend request. This is the same situation I was faced in when my distant cousin requested me as a friend on Facebook. However, I ultimately decided to deny the friend request. I may feel uneasy if I meet this cousin because I am not sure how he reacted to me denying his friend request. Sue Murphy, a manger in a National Human Resource Association trade group has a solution to avoid this problem and uncertainty that people encounter when faced with this situation. This problem is to create two Facebook accounts, one for socializing purposes and one for professional purposes. This is a good idea and is a win-win situation. Through one Facebook account, people can connect and interact with their friends freely, and through the other, they can connect with employers, employees, teachers, authority, etc.
I used to use instant messaging a lot in middle school and in high school. I used to go to school from 8:15 until 2:55, and then would have either tennis, basketball, or softball practice (depending on the season) from 3:15-5:30. After these sport activities, I would go home, and then go back to school many times at night for different club meetings. Whether I was in school, under teacher’s control, at my sport practices, under my coach’s control, at home, under my parents control, or at club meeting, under teacher’s control, I didn’t have the ability to hang out with friends under uncontrolled settings during the weekdays. This is why at night, I would be able to talk to friends through instant message. We were able to talk about absolutely anything under our own privacy. It was as if we were hanging out. In high school I created MySpace and used this as a way to interact with my friends through a public place, posting pictures, comments, bulletins, etc. Later on, I stopped using my MySpace and created a Facebook, which I used for the same purpose.
My Uncle from California told me how he just reconnected with a distant cousin recently and went out for dinner with him in New York. I had never met his cousin before. However, two weeks ago I got a friend request from this cousin. I wasn’t sure if I should accept or deny the request. I didn’t want to be rude by denying it, or for him to think that I was trying to hide bad things on my Facebook by not accepting his friend request. I felt like my privacy would be invaded if I were to accept him as my friend. I have pictures of myself partying with friends and drinking. My parents know I drink. However, I don’t know this distant cousin and am not comfortable with him seeing pictures of me and my friends partying, seeing my wall posts, my information, or anything about my social life. Facebook is my own public space for me and my friends to interact. It is not a space to interact with adults. I am in controlled settings in classes and when I am home. I use Facebook to interact freely with my friends, without having to worry about doing something that adults would not approve of. If that were the case, my Facbeook profile would be different. It wouldn’t be a true depiction of my identity or personality. It would be molded to be accepted by my family members, or authority.
An article I found on The Boston Globe, describes how now employees, parents, and teachers are creating Facbeook accounts. When students get friend requests from their teachers or parents, or people get friend requests from their employers, they run into uncertainty as to whether they should accept or deny the friend request. Some feel like they have to accept it so they don’t create an awkwardness between the person pending the friend request. This is the same situation I was faced in when my distant cousin requested me as a friend on Facebook. However, I ultimately decided to deny the friend request. I may feel uneasy if I meet this cousin because I am not sure how he reacted to me denying his friend request. Sue Murphy, a manger in a National Human Resource Association trade group has a solution to avoid this problem and uncertainty that people encounter when faced with this situation. This problem is to create two Facebook accounts, one for socializing purposes and one for professional purposes. This is a good idea and is a win-win situation. Through one Facebook account, people can connect and interact with their friends freely, and through the other, they can connect with employers, employees, teachers, authority, etc.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Griefers
In Mutilated Furries, Flying Phalluses: Put the Blame on Griefers, the Sociopaths of the Virtual World, by Julian Dibbell, she discusses the term griefers. These people “take pleasure in shattering the world of play itself.” The weird thing is that griefers do not dislike playing online games, but they like making other players not enjoy playing them. Once they get one of their players to log off pissed off, their work is complete. In the 1990’s the term griefing was used to describe “antisocial behavior” in multiplayer games. Since then, griefing has advanced into an entire culture. Griefing has become an organization within its own structure. Griefers crash a sim with a penis. They target high profile events and utter obscenities. They constantly use bad language and hit people with malicious scripts causing people’s avatars to do things you don’t want it to do. Griefers put more and more objects in rooms so the computer has a harder time working, causing the computer to crash because it is unable to cope with the pressure in the room. This is hard for people to stop, similar to viruses.
I find it ridiculous that people spend their times trying to piss users off enough, until they log off. How can someone get satisfaction out of pissing someone off? Do they honestly have nothing better to do with their lives?
Curious about different griefing incidents, I found a really messed up article. This article described an incident in which griefers attacked a non-profit epilepsy foundation. People who have epilepsy have visual triggers that cause them to have seizures. On the epilepsy foundation website, griefers decided it would be a good idea to put up flashing GIFS and links with flashing patterns and lights. This caused people with epilepsy to have migraines and seizures. How could some people be so heartless and stupid as to do this? Griefers really stooped too low to do this. This is morally wrong and absolutely distgusting. People with epilepsy go on the epilepsy foundation website to meet other people with the same condition and to learn things that they can’t learn from doctors, hear experiences, and get support from others with epilepsy. Why would griefers attack such a serious website, as to make people not want to go on this website again to get help for their SERIOUS condition? That is really drawing the line. The internet is serious for health purposes. Are griefers trying to say that epilepsy is not a serious condition? Is giving people seizures and migraines really fun and games? This article really pissed me off. Attacking online game users is one thing, but attacking people who have epilepsy and nonprofit epilepsy foundations is another. Griefers have really crossed the line and there needs to be justice done.
Saturday, April 5, 2008
A Rape in Cyberspace
In Julian Dibbell’s “A Rape in Cyberspace,” Dibbell described a crazy story that brought up a huge debate. This story was about a man, Mr. Bungle, who created a virtual voodoo doll that was programmed to make anyone’s character on virtual worlds type whatever actions he told the voodoo doll to do to them. This is shown when Bungle forced legba to sexually service him and eat his/her own pubic pairs and when Bungle made Starsinger “violate herself with a piece of kitchen cutlery,” (377). One who didn’t experience these things personally would just blow it off and say that it doesn’t seem like that big of a deal. However, it is a big deal if you invested so much time and energy into that character and you see them do these things. It is as if these things are being done to you directly. Legba told someone that “as she wrote those words posttraumatic tears were streaming down her face,” (380). These actions were affecting them emotionally.
This brought up the debate on whether Mr. Bungle should be “toaded,” also known as complete termination of character. In addition, this situation also brought up a debate on whether this “virtual rape” can be considered the same as rape in real life, or whether virtual rape can be considered rape at all. Some arguments were that there were no rules against rape or about anything in MOO. It made people wonder where the body ends and the mind begins. Also, isn’t the mind a part of the body? The body is the mind in Moo. In addition, is virtual rape the same thing as being sexually harassed? In real life you can’t leave if you’re being harassed or raped. In virtual life you can. You can log off of virtual life, however, those things in your mind are telling you that what happened on virtual life are real.
This debate made me curious about if there are different virtual rape cases being investigated or lawsuits currently taking place. After I read washingtonpost.com, I discovered that in Japan, a man virtually mugged people in second life and got arrested. Child abuse in virtual worlds is not illegal in the United States, but is illegal in Europe. In Belgium and Germany, virtual rape cases are now being investigated. This makes me wonder if the police in the United States are going to start investigating virtual rape cases and charging people with committing a crime for virtual rape. Virtual World rape incidents can have impact in Real Life. What courts decide can change our views of reality as to when government should intervene or not.
This brought up the debate on whether Mr. Bungle should be “toaded,” also known as complete termination of character. In addition, this situation also brought up a debate on whether this “virtual rape” can be considered the same as rape in real life, or whether virtual rape can be considered rape at all. Some arguments were that there were no rules against rape or about anything in MOO. It made people wonder where the body ends and the mind begins. Also, isn’t the mind a part of the body? The body is the mind in Moo. In addition, is virtual rape the same thing as being sexually harassed? In real life you can’t leave if you’re being harassed or raped. In virtual life you can. You can log off of virtual life, however, those things in your mind are telling you that what happened on virtual life are real.
This debate made me curious about if there are different virtual rape cases being investigated or lawsuits currently taking place. After I read washingtonpost.com, I discovered that in Japan, a man virtually mugged people in second life and got arrested. Child abuse in virtual worlds is not illegal in the United States, but is illegal in Europe. In Belgium and Germany, virtual rape cases are now being investigated. This makes me wonder if the police in the United States are going to start investigating virtual rape cases and charging people with committing a crime for virtual rape. Virtual World rape incidents can have impact in Real Life. What courts decide can change our views of reality as to when government should intervene or not.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Virtual gender-swapping
Sherry Turkle discusses virtual gender-swapping in “Tinysex and Gender Trouble.” Virtual worlds allow people to be fluid. People can virtually switch their genders and mentally become someone else. There are no strings attached with gender-swapping. You don’t need to shave your legs and beard or have a sex change operation to become a woman. Instead, you can just become one on virtual life. Gender-swapping gives people the ability to have the sense of a gender and identity without actually being that gender. Since you are living the other gender’s mindset, you can fully experience other genders without just observing. Gender-swapping gives you a scope on another gender. It allows you to communicate differently with people when you do this. By virtually becoming another gender, you talk and view things differently as well as using virtual gestures and actions differently.
By gender-swapping, you learn a lot. You learn about another gender and how people treat this gender. In addition, you can test your limits and discover a lot about yourself. Some things you may learn from gender-swapping can influence you to change your behavior. Gender-swapping allows people to express unexplored facets that can’t be expressed in real life. For example, transsexuals are not the mainstream of society. Some people who may be curious and want to experience being a transsexual without anyone knowing, can do this through gender-swapping on virtual life. Gender-swapping is extremely useful for people seriously considering gender change to see if it works for them without investing the money and energy.
When you first interact with someone on virtual life, the first question they generally ask you is your gender. Since many people gender-swap, people use communication clues and the way the other person acts to assume their gender. For example, if you’re a guy, you’ll act much differently than if you are a girl. Guys generally act more aggressive and vulgar than girls. People adjust how they’re acting or behaving to you based on your gender. Guys may cuss more around other guys, but generally not around girls. In addition, when you’re a girl, everyone on virtual life is trying to help you out. Also, girls always get harassed on virtual life.
Gender-swapping didn’t just emerge in the virtual worlds. It has been going on for decades. Many of Shakespeare’s plays are based on gender-swapping. In addition, many forms of media show stories about gender-swapping. One example I read about in this paper written by Amy Bruckman, discussed a Saturday Night Live episode in which the character Pat does not have a gender. People aren’t sure if Pat is Patrick or Patricia. Pat avoids giving out clues or information as to which gender they are. When Pat got a haircut, there was a sign at the shop that had different prices listed for men and women. However, Pat just left a large bill and told the shop owner to keep the change, so they didn‘t reveal their gender. People want to discover if Pat is a man or woman. Without Pat’s gender stated, people do not know how to communicate and act towards Pat. On some MUDs, people can also be gender neutral characters. Bruckman stated that she felt uneasy when she first interacted with a gender neutral character on virtual life. She wondered how she could relate to this person if she didn’t know their gender. After this, she wondered why the other person’s gender even mattered. The reason for this is because “gender structures human interactions,” (Bruckman). People react differently to people of certain genders. They change their expectations and how they are acting or behaving towards someone based on the person’s gender. This was discussed in detail in Sherry Turkle‘s “Tinysex and Gender Trouble.” For example, when a supposed male finds out that a user is a female, they automatically assume that the female needs help. In addition, supposed males will make sexual advances to supposed females. However, if the “male” finds out that the “female” is a “male,” they will change their behavior and leave their discussion.
By gender-swapping, you learn a lot. You learn about another gender and how people treat this gender. In addition, you can test your limits and discover a lot about yourself. Some things you may learn from gender-swapping can influence you to change your behavior. Gender-swapping allows people to express unexplored facets that can’t be expressed in real life. For example, transsexuals are not the mainstream of society. Some people who may be curious and want to experience being a transsexual without anyone knowing, can do this through gender-swapping on virtual life. Gender-swapping is extremely useful for people seriously considering gender change to see if it works for them without investing the money and energy.
When you first interact with someone on virtual life, the first question they generally ask you is your gender. Since many people gender-swap, people use communication clues and the way the other person acts to assume their gender. For example, if you’re a guy, you’ll act much differently than if you are a girl. Guys generally act more aggressive and vulgar than girls. People adjust how they’re acting or behaving to you based on your gender. Guys may cuss more around other guys, but generally not around girls. In addition, when you’re a girl, everyone on virtual life is trying to help you out. Also, girls always get harassed on virtual life.
Gender-swapping didn’t just emerge in the virtual worlds. It has been going on for decades. Many of Shakespeare’s plays are based on gender-swapping. In addition, many forms of media show stories about gender-swapping. One example I read about in this paper written by Amy Bruckman, discussed a Saturday Night Live episode in which the character Pat does not have a gender. People aren’t sure if Pat is Patrick or Patricia. Pat avoids giving out clues or information as to which gender they are. When Pat got a haircut, there was a sign at the shop that had different prices listed for men and women. However, Pat just left a large bill and told the shop owner to keep the change, so they didn‘t reveal their gender. People want to discover if Pat is a man or woman. Without Pat’s gender stated, people do not know how to communicate and act towards Pat. On some MUDs, people can also be gender neutral characters. Bruckman stated that she felt uneasy when she first interacted with a gender neutral character on virtual life. She wondered how she could relate to this person if she didn’t know their gender. After this, she wondered why the other person’s gender even mattered. The reason for this is because “gender structures human interactions,” (Bruckman). People react differently to people of certain genders. They change their expectations and how they are acting or behaving towards someone based on the person’s gender. This was discussed in detail in Sherry Turkle‘s “Tinysex and Gender Trouble.” For example, when a supposed male finds out that a user is a female, they automatically assume that the female needs help. In addition, supposed males will make sexual advances to supposed females. However, if the “male” finds out that the “female” is a “male,” they will change their behavior and leave their discussion.
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