Topic Three: Alphaville

Lecture

We started our lecture with a short discussion about We were shown a DVD of the film "Alphaville" which was made in 1965. I felt a real connection to the film, as it is a genre I am interested in. It introduced topics such as mind control and the repression of feelings and impulses. The film was difficult to watch for many, and some started to annoy me as they were being rude and obnoxious while the film was playing because they didn't like it. I discovered that many of the films i have watched in the past had obviously been influenced by this film. Even the other films that we will be watching for the rest of the semester, Blade Runner and Existenz.

Tutorial

Our tutorial for this week started with a discussion about Alphaville. We talked about its themes of control and repression. The film depicted a world governed by computers, much like our own. We do not however live in a Utilitarian society like the one shown in the movie, but it can be seen as a scary potential forecast of future. After our discussion we moved onto our blogs and updating them for the week. We networked our blogs with each other in order for people to see each others blogs an comment them. From there we moved onto our reading for the week. The reading for the week posed the question of how we used new communication technology to communicate with friends an family. It made me think about how much i rely on myspace and other new technologies such as mobile phones.

Topic Two: Is email dead?

Lecture

Is email dead? This is the question we delved into during our second lecture. The main focus of the class was to firstly answer this question but to also consider other forms of communication technologies that we come into contact on a constant basis. Last week we completed a survey that included questions ranging from what kinds of technologies we use and how frequently we use them, to our reliance on technology over human contact as a way of communicating with each other. The survey showed us that email certainly is not dead and in fact it plays a vital part in communicating with friends and colleagues.

We were shown that one of the downsides of using email is the constant attack from internet savvy companies or individuals that focus on infiltrating our personal email accounts in order to make profits. They send as many emails as possible to as many people as possible in order to gain optimal exposure. These unwanted emails, or spam, are widely considered a major inconvenience. These emails are designed to either market a product or are a skillfully created scam that is designed to trick consumers into investing their money by enticing people using monetary incentives or by using scare tactics. Phishing is the technique used by ‘spammers’ to gain a person’s email details in order to send the recipient the desired information.

Weblogging, or ‘blogging’ as it is commonly referred to, is another topic that was discussed in the lecture. Blogging is an increasingly more frequently used communication technology tool in today’s society. It allows people that have access to the internet to post their views on the world or current information or personal information that interested parties may view and leave comments about. It has become a tool of concerned citizens to broadcast their views on establishments and governments however as there are no codes of ethics when they publish this information for the viewing public, the credibility and validity of these posts are constantly in contention.

Tutorial

In our second tutorial we were able to discuss the above topics and how they relate to us as consumers. We all agreed that spam is certainly undesirable, annoying and an unneeded communication technology by-product. We agreed that email is essential to the way we communicate, and does not look like being obsolete for some time to come. Blogs are becoming quite common to internet and technology savvy individuals or groups looking to voice their opinions or views about topics. It is a tool for free speech that in turn can be used negatively. It does how however allow same minded individuals to share their ideas and internet communities are common.

We set up our own blog towards the end of the class by visiting the ‘blogspot’ website. The blog is linked to my email account and allows me to post information at any time and as mentioned before allows for comments back about the information or views I have posted. I believe blogging is relevant as it allows information that might have otherwise been hidden or destroyed by governing bodies to reach the public. One must be aware though that the information presented in a blog may not be of truth in all cases, so diligence is required.

Topic One: Overview & Second Life

Lecture

Steven Stockwell introduced us to the subject in the first lecture. He covered the course outline and other information important to the course. The start of the class was very basic but the second half of the class was the most entertaining and thought provoking. There was a screening of a Four Corners feature story named “You only live twice” on the gaming phenomenon Second Life. Second Life is a game where the gamer is able to interact with people all over the world by using a personalised character and inserting this character into simulated environments and engaging in acts with other users of the game. The game is not ruled by ethics instead it revolves around impulse and desire.

Tutorial

Our first tutorial allowed us to discuss the impacts from a game such as “Second Life”. It was very interested to see how many people escape into this artificial world. There were a few major points raised about the reason behind so many people being interested in escaping into this artificial world created in “Second Life”. I believe that the main selling point behind the game is that one can escape their reality and live an idealistic life controlled by their desires instead of their responsibilities towards society. Their animated character, or Avatar, as they are known enables the gamer to represent themselves in a glamorised or idealised version of themselves which in turn allows the gamer to not be restricted by the confines of reality. The gamer is able to live a ‘life’ that they wouldn’t necessarily be able to live in the real world. Their actions are uninhibited and their actions have no real world consequences. This technology is seen by some as being able to connect people but in my opinion it disconnects people from the outside world. The gamer doesn’t understand accountability and loses touch with reality by living a simulated life instead of a personal and interactive life in the real world.