Week 9: People Networks

I've been amazed by the content on these blogs over the past six weeks. You've created some amazing narratives. And, hopefully you've had some interesting adventures along the way. Remember to put the skills you've learned (i.e. academic blogging) on your resumes :-)

The portfolio feedback will probably centre around technical stuff  - referencing, grammar, structuring evidence & arguments, etc. Things that will hopefully help when it comes to editing for your case studies.

Speaking of case studies  ...

You will be assigned & sent details of your group for the final assignment this week. The groups need to be based on your case study theme (people, food, nature, stuff).  

You also need to email me a dot point plan of your essay by midnight on Friday 27th sept. For a further 5% of your case study grade.  

Also, ...

Do the Ma Mung (2005) reading and answer the tute quiz questions (located in the week 9 folder on learnJCU).

There are 3 short answer questions that you need to complete. You have two weeks to get it done (it closes at midnight on Oct. 5th and has been opened a week early to accommodate the shift around in the lecture order). 

Quiz Hint: Make sure you look at definitions and types of diaspora when you do the reading.

Finally, ...
  

Watch the lecture and share your thoughts on people networks,  and diasporas (their similarities and differences); use the questions in the tute guide as, well .. a guide .. and let us know what you think. 

p.s. Next week is lecture recess,

so remember to take at least little bit of guilt -free time out from studying.

Blog 6 - Horsen' around - Economy

Pharlap is strictly a non for profit organisation, it has no ties to any multinational corporations or the like. However, even though this group has no links to any financial companies it is interesting to see how finance on a national and global scale effect the group as a whole. 

Occasionally, members are offered the chance to purchase memorabilia as a means to raise group funds. Items offered for sale are usually in the form of a polo shirt, key ring etc that portrays the Pharlap logo. All profits go into a group bank account. These funds are usually used to purchase horses and ponies from markets, with what ever being left over spent on the escalating expenses in travel costs, vet bills and feed expenditures once the horse has been placed within a home. Donations are also greatly excepted and appreciated (these donations are also greatly effected by the economy).Hence, the Pharlap network is linked to real life products through the goods that are purchased and occasionally by what is exchanged between group members, and other rescue organisations.

Dicken (2007) states, '[t]ransnational corporations are the primary movers and shapers of the global economy because of their potential ability to control or coordinate production networks across several countries (Dicken, 2007 p.437). It is in this way that Pharlap is effected by the global economy. When the economy is doing well, the prices of feed and horses at market are relatively affordable and many lives can be saved, however, on the negative side when the economy is doing poorly, feed prices are exceptionally high and as a consequence starved and emaciated horses flood the market, bringing the meat value of a horse down, and therefore allowing the knackeries to purchase a greater quantity of animals. 

This weeks PPT slide by Dr Kuttainen best describes how the economy effects groups such as Pharlap, as previously mentioned above. 

'Natural” Laws of Economics

1.The Law of Demand: The more people want something, the more its price goes up and vice versa. 

2.The Law of Supply: A higher price received for a produced good results in a greater quantity produced.

3. The law of diminishing marginal utility.

     As one obtains more and more of a particular good, eventually the marginal utility (value   per unit) declines'(Kuttainen, 2013 p.5).

While Pharlaps main goal is to rescue and rehabilitate our equine friends, we are unfortunately limited and restricted by many factors. What has been discovered this week is that the economy is the main contributor to our failed attempts.         

References

Dicken, P. (2007). Winning and Losing: An introduction. In P. Dicken, 5th Edition Global Shift (p. 437). London: SAGE Publications Ltd.

Equine, (2013) In Wikipedia. Retrieved September 20, 2013 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equus_(genus)

Kuttainen, (2013, September 15). BA1002: Our Space: Networks, narratives and the making of place, Lecture 8: Stuff.(p.5) Retrieved from: http://learnjcu.edu.au

Image Reference 

Image 1: Dollar bill (2005) Retrieved from: http://worldofequine.webs.com

MONEY AND POWER

 

Experience project is a social networking website created by Armen Berjikly,  focused on connecting people through shared experiences. Originally a support community for multiple sclerosis patients, it has evolved and become a powerful social network allowing everyone to communicate experiences, knowledge,  to connect and share with others interests and things that matter to them. Now with over 31 million users and 24 experience categories, it has become an opportunity and a market place for multinational corporations and advertising as digital technology is changing way we advertise, manufacture and supply products (The Economist, 2012).

Observing the network, I believe the site has shifted from what it was set up to do and that was for individuals to share experiences within a virtual community. However advertising and marketing seems to have taken over the site from EBay to clothing labels. Specifically advertisers have focused some products and markets in relation to the 24 experience categories.

http://www.experienceproject.com/stories/topics/health

An example of this is the category of Health, where pharmaceutical, healthy eating, health care and dating advertising are focusing their attention to the possible consumers. As Kuttainen  (2013) explains with the Natural rules of Economics, at number one is the Rule of Demand, "the more people want something, the more its price goes up and vice versa"(Kuttainen, 2013).

These outside influences of advertising impacts the authenticity of the site and disempowers individuals in this virtual community as the company has shifted its priorities from connecting people to global markets and profit. Despite the positive intentions of the network  it seems the site is just another online shopping network where the power of globalisation and profit has taken precedence over individuals, where there will always will be winners and loser (Dicken, 2007, p. 439)



 

 

References

Dicken, P. (2007). Winning and losing: An introduction, in Global Shift: Mapping the changing contours of the

     world economy (p. 437-453). London, England: Sage.

Kuttainen, V. (2013). BA1002: Our Space: Networks, narratives and the making of place, Lecture 8: Stuff.

     [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from http://learnjcu.edu.au

The Economist. (2012). The third industrial revolution. Retrieved from

     http://www.economist.com/node/21553017

Image Reference

Experience project (2013). Health experiences [Image]. Retrieved from:

    http://www.experienceproject.com/stories/topics/health

Acting Underneath the Economic Radar in Yarn Corner

 

Yarn Corner: We're not a giant yarn store.

It would be lovely to have as much yarn as the picture above; however Yarn Corner is strictly a non-for-profit organization. You'll find no advertisements and no public companies, even though we fit the following criteria of a Laissez - Faire Economic system according to Van Luyn, 2013:

1. The Individual is the basic unit in society (we need many individuals to function!)

2. The individual has a natural right to freedom (we can yarn bomb what we want, but we do have some ground rules)

3. The physical order of nature is a harmonious and self-regulating system

The only way our virtual network is connected to real- life products, goods and exchanges is through the Yarn Bombs we create. Yarn bombs are installed in Melbourne, Australia; however women and men from all over the world mail pieces in for installation. The power of Facebook allows overseas members to sign up for a project with the convenience of mail to send in their pieces. This is a complete turnaround from the current economy, with our method of production described as: the old way of making things involved taking lots of parts and screwing or welding them together. (The economist, 2012) The members of the general public are the winners in this situation; the more varied pieces we receive, the more yarn bombs are installed to inspire them. Without Facebook, such a large amount of pieces wouldn't be available.

Transnational corporations are the primary movers and shapers of the global economy. (Dicken, 2007 p.437) However Yarn Corner has nothing to do with the global economy. We are very small in the greater scheme of things and we do not sell products, nor can you buy them. We work in trading happiness, smiles, yarn shop websites and crochet & knitting patterns!

References

Dicken, P. (2007). Winning and Losing: An introduction. In P. Dicken, 5th Edition Global Shift (p. 437). London: SAGE Publications Ltd.

Patricia Roberts Knitwear (2013)  Yarn2  [Image]. Retrieved from:                  http://www.patriciaroberts.co.uk/yarn2.php

The Economist. (2012, April 21). Manufacturing: The third industrial revolution. Retrieved from The Economist: http://www.economist.com/node/21553017/print

Van Luyn, A. (2013, September 15). Lecture 8: Stuff. Townsville, Queensland, Australia.

 

Stuff Gaming

Blog Six: Stuff Gaming

Storme Black

  Image 1: He was so excited about the GTA5 launch, in gaming. Retrieved from http://i.imgur.com/ckegl39.jpg

Reddit is dominated by gamers; there is even a tab to select all the information that has been uploaded in relation to games. Most games that are mentioned are the games that are popular among western societies, (I say this as I have heard of them among social groups). Examples are shown within both Image 1 and 2; Grand Theft Auto and Battlefield 4. These posts have linked multinational cooperation’s to the information found within Reddit. When I first contemplated the relationship between global trade and exchange with Reddit, I thought the only connection would be the occasional article that related to international news about a company interacting in exploitation of the public, like Google’s connection to the intelligence found within governments.

However at a closer glance I realised that the gaming network had everything to do with international cooperation’s and further, it had everything to do with understanding current power networks. After listening to today’s lecture and noting Dr Victoria Kuttainen’s (2013) points about the uneven distribution of the economy among the world, it occurred to me that most of these users uploading the information about gaming came from the small proportion of the world’s population. The evidence of this is simple; not only do the users have enough money to purchase these products, they also have enough time to play them (and those with access to gaming consoles play for hours, something a person on a $1 a day cannot afford) (Kuttainen, 2013). 

Image 2: Everyone is super hyped for GTAV and I'm just here waiting 'till next month, in gaming. Retrieved from http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/ed/Battlefield_4.jpg

 Reddit has a gold program which allows users to purchase gold; those users are immediately given extra benefits from the site; it states that specials and rewards are given to those clarifying the idea that ‘[n]ow a product can be designed on a computer’ (Economist, 2012, p. 2).  Reddit also allows its users to give gold to other people; people choose after reading or looking at an article whether the submission is good or bad, and as well as be able to give it a thumbs up or down people can give those posts gold based on the personal reaction to it. This exchange further outlines that ‘[n]ew materials are lighter, stronger and more durable than the old ones’, especially considering that they are non physical and once these products enter the virtual world, they can technically never leave it (Economist, 2012, p. 2).

References

Kuttainen, V. (2013). BA1002: Our Space: Networks, narratives and the making of place, Week 8: Stuff. [Powerpoint Slides]. Retrieved from http//learnjcu.edu.au

Logiurato, B. (2013). Business Insider Australia. IT GETS WORSE: Google, Microsoft, Apple Allowed Government To ‘Watch Your Ideas Form As You Type. Retrieved from http://www.businessinsider.com.au/prism-spying-program-nsa-fbi-mine-data-yahoo-facebook-google-2013-6

Reddit: gold. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.reddit.com/gold/about

Reddit: the front page of the internet. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.reddit.com/

Reddit: gaming. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.reddit.com/r/gaming/

The Economist. (2012). The third industrial revolution. Retrieved from http://www.economist.com/node/21553017

Images

Image 1: Fairy_Tales45. He was so excited about the GTA5 launch, in gaming. Retrieved 17.09.2013 from http://i.imgur.com/ckegl39.jpg

Image 2: ryantheabuli. Everyone is super hyped for GTAV and I'm just here waiting 'till next month, in gaming. Retrieved 17.09.2013 from http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/ed/Battlefield_4.jpg

Food for Thought

Blog Five: Food for Thought
Storme Black

 Image 1: The Andromeda galaxy M31 (and its companion galaxies M32 and M110). Retrieved from http://spiff.rit.edu/classes/phys240/lectures/gal_taxon/gal_taxon2.html 

The virtual network Reddit does not circulate much information on food; there is no doubt however, that many of the posts uploaded to the site would have involved alcohol. These posts vary; for example, people talking about occurrences while drinking that are unusual, users submitting questions to consider other peoples drunk experiences and so on. In terms of power, people are commonly uploading various articles that relate to information about cooperation practices and plans that are both good and bad.

Image 2: The "Sombrero Galaxy" M104. Retrieved from http://spiff.rit.edu/classes/phys240/lectures/gal_taxon/gal_taxon2.html 

Overall however, from a lack of food sources, I have decided to focus on food for thought in understanding my network from a food production perspective. I have done this by opening articles that will put my brain into a deep state of thought about the workings of the universe, hence the title food for thought. Humans have long had the desire of curiosity which takes the mind to far places that aren’t comprehensible to the general population, when thinking about curiosity as a ‘’Taste’ [we can see that] therefore, [it] has both physical and social meanings’ (Atkins & Bowler, 2001, 272) within our everyday lives. We will only pursue certain tastes that others will participate in. During the week 7 lecture it was mentioned that the production of food includes exchange, power, reality and community which the networks involving food for thought also in cooperate into their groups (Kuttainen, 2013). Within these groups food for thought has become similar to a source of food which can be seen as ‘more central to their cultural goals, and perhaps even a way of forging some commonality' (Atkins & Bowler, 2001, 283). 

Image 3: Barred spiral galaxies, like NGC 1365, have a straight segment joining the spiral arms to the bulge. Retrieved from http://spiff.rit.edu/classes/phys240/lectures/gal_taxon/gal_taxon2.html

Within this network the users use food for thought to build communities, exchange with other communities, which expands the knowledge within the group to larger communities involving people who may not be knowledgeable in that area, and also experts. Power, does dominate still, those who have more information on a particular thought are able to contribute more food, but may also be able to tamper with that food before releasing the information – community members therefore become uninformed and have less chances of providing food for other users. Dr Victoria Kuttainen said that ‘taste is culturally constructed, it is an expression of our identity’ these questions, blogs and articles are based on a common human incentive for expanding our minds to question the deep mysteries of the planet (Kuttainen, 2013). It is culturally constructed and utilised; within a western world these ideas are unanswerable, but a century ago it was acceptable to create your own version of events to keep yourself satisfied, like cooperation’s ruling food networks, science rules the food for thought networking, stopping the narratives individuals create making the answer process much more complicated. 

 References

 Atkins, P., & Bowler, I. (2001). The origins of taste, in Food in society: Economy, culture, geography (pp. 272-293). London, England: Arnold.
BrickyBrackerKnocRoc. (2013). What's the most exploited human weakness? in AskReddit. Retrieved 11.09.2013 from http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1m4bu3/whats_the_most_exploited_human_weakness/
Kuttainen, V. (2013). BA1002: Our Space: Networks, narratives and the making of place, Week 7, Part 2: Food Networks. [Powerpoint Slides]. Retrieved from http//learnjcu.edu.au
Pafnouti. (2013). Since time is relative, how do we define it when we say that the universe is 13.8 billions years old? in AskScience. Retrieved 11.09.2013 from http://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/1m3yql/since_time_is_relative_how_do_we_define_it_when/
Reddit: the front page of the internet. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.reddit.com/
Ryan. (2011). Of white blood cells and stars, in Fact Stream. Retrieved 11.09.2013 from http://factstream.blogspot.com.au/2011/04/of-white-blood-cells-and-stars.html
Vanessarenee. (2013). What's something that if you think about it for too long it freaks you out? in AskReddit. Retrieved 11.09.2013 from http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1m3k3v/whats_something_that_if_you_think_about_it_for/
Images

Image 1: Richmond, M. The Andromeda galaxy M31 (and its companion galaxies M32 and M110), in Galaxy Taxonomy. Retrieved 11.09.2013 from http://spiff.rit.edu/classes/phys240/lectures/gal_taxon/gal_taxon2.html
Image 2: Richmond, M. The "Sombrero Galaxy" M104, in Galaxy Taxonomy. Retrieved 11.09.2013 from http://spiff.rit.edu/classes/phys240/lectures/gal_taxon/gal_taxon2.html
Image 3: Richmond, M. Barred spiral galaxies, like NGC 1365, have a straight segment joining the spiral arms to the bulge, in Galaxy Taxonomy. Retrieved 11.09.2013 from http://spiff.rit.edu/classes/phys240/lectures/gal_taxon/gal_taxon2.html