When told it was time for a free mobile up grade I can tell you now that there was no way I was getting an iPhone or an android. I wanted my old Black Berry.

Only through peer pressure I am now a proud owner of an iPhone. As well as a mac book pro and an iPad.

 So yeah, I guess I am going to be slightly bias in the Apple v’s Goggle debate.

You would have to have been living under a rock to have not notice the rivalry between these two digital technology hot shots. Its not just about mimicking each other, it war over who can push the boundaries of the smart phone.

One thing both agree on is that mobile computing is the way of the future. They only question is, who will win the battle of the best??

While I would like to put my money one Apple. I agree with Roth when he say’s “either way Goggle wins’’. 

Wikileaks and Julian Assange. First hearing these names and of the business they were in, there was no doubt in my mind that what Assange was doing and trying to achieve was what society needed…. total transparency on behalf of governments. This was when Collateral Damage was released.

Since then after the release of other wikileaks projects, it is clear and to no surprise that the government has been methodically trying to discredit and delegitimize the work of Julian Assange. I believe to the need of an independent body like Wikileaks to break the tough stories and ask question that many press mainstream corporations don’t report.  However, Understanding more on this issue I ask the question what good can come from hacking? The hacker’s belief is that all information should be free. Doesn’t sit well with me. 

Pro or faux ?

Ok so citizen journalism is when individuals do essentially what professional reporters do, report information and it’s usually found online. The emergence of the Internet and with it blogs, podcasts, streaming video and other Web-related innovations is what has made citizen journalism possible.  But is this a good thing?  For people to be getting their news and information from those who have no journalistic experience?

The Internet has given average people like you and me the ability to transmit information globally. This was a power once reserved for only the very largest media corporations and news agencies. I understand that our fourth of estate or our ‘watch dogs’ do at times leave a lot to be desired in terms of the quality or pushing views on to it audience. However I am not so sold on the idea of citizen journalism.

I agree that some people who have never studied or practiced journalism are good at it and may be even better than those found in the profession. But like any profession I can image that there are rules, practices and a code of ethics that need to be followed and I’m not quite sure citizen journalist would fulfill these needs.

Citizen journalism does work when readers send pictures, images, tip-offs and more by email or SMS. I just don’t think the gathering; analyzing and distributing news should be done by anyone with the Internet and an iPhone.

AND no I am on a Journalism Major ha-ha.

what they say no longer goes!

If you are a singer/songwriter gone are the days of laying down your tacks onto CD’s and sending them off to as many record companies or producers you can via snail mail. You hope that one of them would like your genre and think you worthy of stardom. Its was what the big guys says goes. Traditionally these record labels held the initial power to some extent as to what was to be heard. However, now its is as easy as up loading your stuff on to YouTube or to a independent site like triple J unearth to for you music to be heard by a wider audience than just the selected few you gave your cd to. I mean Justin Biber did it or if you want to think locally so did Missy Higgins. While both of these artists had the help of producers within the industry their journey to the top wouldn’t have been a quick without the use of the Internet.  I would like to think that we as consumers overall had definitive power who we did or didn’t like and to their success like Christina Aguilera's new album. However, I do agree with Anderson when he argues that the Internet has lead to a drastically different creative climate. The readings by Chris Anderson and Clay Shirky discusses how success is no longer through the popular demand but through specific niche markets. Its is evident within the music industry. No longer are we subjected to listen to what many use to call “mainstream” or “top of the pop” music due to the rise of such niche markets the Internet has bought us.

Not everyone gets their fairytale ending

The little girl inside of me died a little after reading Lessig discussing my much loved Disney as the big bad guys. It was like finding out Santa isn’t real all over again.

I hadn’t critically thought about where Disney got their ideas from, I guess I knew that a lot of them were historical fairytales or stories from other cultures but beyond that I didn’t think past who originally owned these ideas. It surprised me to find out that Disney the idea of Steamboat Willie from an already existing silent film, but how I looked at it was that Disney was re-creating parts, ideas, stories and myths from other cultures to create not only entertainment but to pass on and shares these aspects in a way that can be understood.

While it took me a while to get my head around creative rights, copyright and intellectual property rights .I did come to the conclusion that when dealing with large corporations like Disney not everyone gets their fairytale ending. Lawrence Lessig makes a good point when he says:

"Creators here and everywhere are always and at all times building upon the creativity that went before and that surrounds them now"

 It is defiantly clear to me that its time that these laws were changed. Fair use should be increased and extensions upon extensions of copyright after the creator’s death should be stopped.

Lessig L, 2005, ‘Free Culture: The nature and future of creativity’, Penguin, Sydney

O so dreamy..

 A declaration of the independence of cyberspace…A utopian cyberspace where the users create and enforce their own laws and regulations sounds dreamy, but in reality it’s near impossible achieve pure democracy. Although the physical world and virtual world do have some similarities, I can see that the laws from the physical world would not work when applied directly to the virtual world. The tricky part would be to maintain cyberspace main objectives of freedom of expression, apparent equality, privacy and democracy from those  who misuse and exploit such freedom and lack of parameters.

  It was only last week I had to speak to my sister about the photos and information she was status updating on Facebook. In cyberspace people seem to become “more naive and trusting in their online persona than what they would normally be in the physical world”( Rowland 1998). While cyberspace allows us to assume any persona we may choose regardless of our race or wealth it also allows the same for others who may abuse this. I just wonder whether or not the users of cyberspace can apply and enforce laws and regulations on this issue without the help of governments.

What is the right template for the governance of cyberspace? Taking from Rowland (1998), The laws that have been developed in the physical world by one country or community can not simply be transferred into another without taking account of the social, political and legal issues which have prompted the regulations. It’s the same in the virtual world. One set of Laws and regulations would not work across the virtual landscape of networks among networks.

Rowland D, 1998, http://www.bileta.ac.uk/Document%20Library/1/Cyberspace%20-%20A%20World%20Apart.pdf

HERE'S A HOT TIP:

So we seem to be in a world where workers are encouraged to clock on psychologically 24/7 and where the line between work and play is increasingly blurred. And as we all know it no coincidence that this immersion in work is happening as technology revolutionises the world.

I was under the impression that if you want to win in the corporate world it’s a good idea not to switch off.

While this for some can paint a pretty dim picture on what is now expected of us due the evolution of media and take home “personal space”. It has always been a given that we take work home sometimes, just even more so now that the internet and the mobile phone make it so easy. The problem is that the distinction between time on and off the job is disappearing and leading to the sense that many people are on the job even when not physically present in the office.

 The way some of my colleges and friends act when they announce that they have to reply to a “important email” it appears that to work long hours both in the office or at home is almost like a badge of honour in a society that reveres achievement and susses.

 HOT TIP: Just to make sure your boss knows how enthusiastic and dedicated you are to your work always CC them on any emails you may send after 6pm or on the weekend...it will do wonders for your rep!

The blurred lines also work the other way…technology also allows one to bring play to work. In the office that I work its fine to mix a bit of pleasure between replying to emails and forecasting, as long as you are productive and up to date with your work. It is not unusual to walk past a cubical and see Facebook up on a screen and a group of 3 or four participating in some online shopping in the next.

All in all the blurred line is not so hazy and like anything it’s about taking the good with the bad. People and society adapt to what is expected of them. At the end of the day if it all gets a little too much, there’s always the off button.