Reddit, from what I have come to understand, is a website based on popular articles that have been published from all over the internet. I have joined this virtual network under an alias of the opposite sex with the username of Frank_jnr. During my first experience I was involuntarily taken to an article named Earthporn which consisted of photos of nature from various locations. However, without noticing, I was taken to another new virtual network called imgur which made me think of power, how the internet provides the idea of 'freedom'. As Barnes (1997), says 'When one enters the realm of cyberspace, it is without the body and therefore out of the grasp of the rules of physicality' .We as individuals feel in control of our experiences, but within the first minutes of experiencing this site I was taken control of. This brings to the light the issue of 'freedom'; we think these articles are the only subject, but each article has data and controllers who monitor the articles usage. While the flaneur of Paris 'flourished only for a brief period' because 'city crowds had grown to big' (Prouty, 2009), people nowadays seek refuge in alternate realities to perceive themselves as secluded and alone. During the BA1002 lecture, Theresa Petray pressed the point of the importance of what is at the centre of a map. Within this virtual network it is the icons at the top of the page listed as 'hot', 'controversial', 'rising' etc. Here I am controlled, both by the virtual networks map, which limits my selections, and the power behind it. Overall my experience has been new and has raised many new questions for me in regards to virtual networking.
Storme Black.
Prouty, R. (2009). A turtle on a leash. Retrieved from http://onewaystreet.typepad.com/one_way_street/2009/10/a-turtle-on-a-leash.html
Barnes, G.
(1997). Passage of the cyber-flaneur. Retrieved from http://www.raynbird.com/essays/Passage_Flaneur.html
Petray,
V. (2013). BA1002: Our Space: Networks,
narratives and the making of place, Lecture 3.1: Maps: Seeing and shaping the world. [Podcast]. Retrieved
from: https://learnjcu.jcu.edu.au
Image: DoTal. (2013). Crystale Distorsion, Iceland. Retreived from http://imgur.com/HsASkTP
Image: DoTal. (2013). Crystale Distorsion, Iceland. Retreived from http://imgur.com/HsASkTP
Fun fact: Imgur is an image hosting site that was created by a member of reddit to host images for the site (because he didn't like the other image hosting sites that reddit members were using to post images). It's now a network in it's own right, with decent sized community of users and a number of employees.
ReplyDeleteHi Storme
ReplyDeleteThe idea of freedom within cyberspace, I think is difficult to comprehend as with your experience with your network. Individuals like to think these networks provide freedom, power and control, but it seems individuals liberties within cyberspace are being abused by those who control and dictate our usage. As Barnes (1997) explains, cyberspace is a form of prison without boundaries and that we live in a society obsessed with surveillance.
Reference
Barnes, G. (1997). Passage of the Flâneur. Retrieved from:
https://learnjcu.jcu.edu.au/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp