Aural-Flâneurs

There have always been flâneurs, however its definition varies with time and place. throughout time they have been seen and shown throughout the time of the renaissance watching the civil war breakout to the flâneurs of the cyber-age watching things online and stalking the web without leaving a footprint or trace. The "cyber-flâneurs" wander through social medias they cant stop moving and watching the crowds of people flock from one idea to the other. "The cyber-flaneur's exploration of virtual spaces is achieved through their natural propensity for movement; they wander anonymously within the boundaries of virtual space." (Barnes 1997, p.1)

Anonymous hearing. (2017)

In this week's lecture we discussed and learned about flâneurs and how they impact society by doing nothing, flâneurs have evolved into being something different from the flâneurs of the past, they have adapted to become in tune within the cyber communities, they lurk throughout the internet watching, but never having an opinion. They judge and never tell. “They want to see, as much as to be seen”, noted by Kuttainen (2017) in our lecture today. Don't you always have that one friend on facebook who is always online but never seems to share or post anything, and hardly ever talks? Chances are they are a cyber-flâneur, a style of observation that is becoming more popular. Within spotify, there are listeners who can share their favorite music and create their own public playlist and share their tastes in genres to the world.

Flâneurs within this “Spotify world” sit back and listen to other people's playlist without really creating their own playlists, they are always in the shadows just listening daily but never really commenting or sharing their feelings through music. not much is known about Flâneurs they keep to themselves online they never share anything personal with them, you almost never see anything attached to their name but almost almost always see them online listening to your music or other playlists.

Overall, The idea of the Flâneurs being the watchers of this day and age within the cyber world is quite scary and has opened my eyes to within the cyber community to find who is a Flâneurs. Before this lecture the idea of people being a Flâneurs was obsolete because it appeared to me that there wasn't many of people like this until i realized they are more dominate in on the internet.

Barnes, G. (1997). Passages of the Cyber-Flanuer. [Web Blog]. Retrieved from https://learnjcu.jcu.edu.au/

flâneur - definition of flâneur in English | Oxford Dictionaries. (2017). Oxford Dictionaries | English. Retrieved 25 August 2017, from https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/flaneur

Kuttainen, V. (2017). BA1002: Networks, narratives and the making of place, week 4 notes [PowerPoint slides]. College of Arts, James Cook University, Townsville, Australia.

Stephen, B. (2013). In Praise of the Flâneur. The Paris Review. Retrieved 25 August 2017, from https://www.theparisreview.org/blog/2013/10/17/in-praise-of-the-flaneur/

(2017). Encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com. Retrieved 25 August 2017, from https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSoDaXExTYx0ecuBVNc_Iy8oJdzg3OQtjDWdQIohQcZmdRad5xZ

What's in a word

photo credit:herdingcats

The words, language and stories we use tell the world a great deal about us and this in turn is linked to how some words and the way we use them are valued more than others. The way we present ourselves to the world is valued by some more than others. When it comes to something like work and looking for work how we present ourselves verbally and how we use language on our resumes carries a great deal of weight. So by this it would mean that LinkedIn, which is essentially an online resume, would place a high value on words and the value attached to those words. In Tuans (1991) paper they state that the ‘geographer’ is the one that sets the language of the ‘map’, in this case the geographer is the social network user and the map is the social network.

Although the language is set by the user the value is not, as mentioned in an earlier blog one key aspect of LinkedIn is listing what skills and achievements you have attained similar to how it would be in a traditional resume. Although in a traditional resume the worth of it is attained through generally two references, this can lead to a question over if your skills have any true values as it can be difficult to ascertain the truth behind the words and even the references. With LinkedIn people can attest to the skills you list, the intention being that any prospective employer can look at who has been reference to your skills and can also view their skills and achievements and so on.

Words are what make up stories and the stories are what make up the virtual maps that form our lives and our networks. These stories in turn help us shape our spaces and places (Kuttainen, 2017), which in this context applies to how the words we use shape our stories, lives and our networks. Depending on how you phrase and word things on your LinkedIn profile determines how people see that part of your life and also by extension how other parts of your life function such as work.

Tuan, Y. (1977). BA1002: BA1002 Our space: Networks, narratives and the making of place, week 5: (Readings), Retrieved from http://learnjcu.edu.au

Kuttainen, V. (2017). BA1002: Our Space: Networks, narratives and the making of place, week 5 slides [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved fromhttps://learnjcu.jcu.edu.au/

herdingcats, (2008), Word Map, retrieved from http://herdingcats.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/07/word-map.html

Clare Whitmell,The Guardian (2014), How to word your CV for maximum effect

, retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/careers/careers-blog/how-to-word-your-cv-for-maximum-effect

"Difference in Language, past and present" by Paige Payne

If language helps determine a “place” whether, it’s physical or virtual then the “space and place” around us and which we are a part of has certainly changed.

Language along with the idea of “space and place” has changed as humanity changed.

In the past, language was elegant, poetic and wordy and every story, whether or not, it was news or just a fairy tale was oral and has the human mind began to think and evolve, language became not just the spoken word but also the written word in the form of manuscripts.

As the language advance so did the means of keeping it; books, newspapers and other forms of print became a way of communication or spreading news.

In Tuan’s reading, people who study linguistics often start with “the nature of language itself” (Tuan. Y, “Approaches to Linguistics Place-Construction”, “Language and the making of Place; A Narrative-Descriptive Approach”, “Annals of the Association of American Geographers” 1991) to better understand what “object” or “place” is being emphasized. 

http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/2563430.pdf?refreqid=excelsior:a5abeb7f4e44335a846c6c8ace66ec42 

The modern language is I think a lovely challenge because not only has the online world has its own language, for new people to social media it is a challenge to know what the words mean;

“LOL” once meant “Lots of love” and it means “Laugh out loud”, “IDK” means “I don’t know” and within group chats have their own secret code words. 

References 

Tuan, Y, “Language and the making of Place; A Narrative-Descriptive Approach”, “Annals of the Association of American Geographers” 1991) 

Week 5 Lecture; "Stories of Place; Story-Line" "Our Space: Networks, Narratives, and the Making of Place" Slide Title "Transitions in Communication Technology"  

Diverse Language by Nikita Lynton

Instagram Updates App With New Filter. (Perez, 2012, http://www.ubergizmo.com/2012/12/instagram-updates-app-with-new-filter-support-for-25-languages/) 

Language is a fundamental method of human communication. It can be either spoken or written, however in relation to Instagram, a new form of language is portrayed in the form of hashtags. This has made me reflect on how important language is in our day-to-day lives. Instagrams hashtag language is not direct, but more of a visual communicator. Furthermore, a photo and groovy caption will catch your attention faster and easier than a written paragraph. However, the hashtag language can also be adapted as different countries speak different languages, therefore adapting the hashtag language to their countries language/slang. Other social factors of language include individual communication skills, being raised differently, same culture but different clan, etc. This evidently creates a platform in which people who speak that language can build friendships and virtually hang out. Thus referring back to Tuan's (1991) concept of language, of how it can “build a home”. 

Because technology is vastly evolving and is becoming the center of our own universe, a transformation in technology automatically creates a transformation in culture (Kuttainen, 2017). For example, in the Dreamtime, Indigenous Australians would use songs as a way of mapping and communicating. Provided you knew the words to the songs, you’ll always find your way back home (Chatwin, 1987). A transformation in technology, in this case, is evidently the evolution of songs from the Dreamtime, as they had to be adapted to new landmarks such as railway tracks introduced from the European settlement, for the song to still be used as a way of communicating and navigating. Thus creating a transformation in culture as a new culture was introduced and both had to evolve and adapt. 

Instagram is a more personal platform, as you only see the images or videos that interest you, whereas Facebook, in contrast, shows you anything and everything, so you don’t really get to pick and chose what is viewed in your newsfeed. Therefore, I believe that Instagram users can interact more closely, thus creating another form of language to be used within the Instagram realm. The hashtag language is a new development in online communication. It allows users to find posts specifically related to their interests. This is shown as Instagrammers connect through a hashtagged caption, creating a link to other photos or videos that have the same hashtag, therefore sharing the hashtagged object to people with the same interests. Instagram allows its users to completely express themselves, thus providing them with a place that is entirely and uniquely theirs. 

Before the introduction of social media in the late 90’s, telegraph, newspapers and books were the only way a person or organisation could communicate. However, written text has their own unique way of transforming reality (Tuan, 1991). Equivalent to how photos and videos on Instagram have their own unique way of transforming reality to the user. Furthermore, when social media was popularised it created a new reality, where the hashtagged word became the new source, a new language. 

References 

Chatwin, B. (1987). The Songlines. London. 

Hendricks, D. (2013). The Complete History of Social Media: Then & Now. Retrieved from https://smallbiztrends.com/2013/05/the-complete-history-of-social-media-infographic.html 

Kuttainen, V. (2017). BA1002: Our Space: Networks, narratives and the making of place, week 5 notes [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from https://learnjcu.jcu.edu.au/ 

Perez, D. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.ubergizmo.com/2012/12/instagram-updates-app-with-new-filter-support-for-25-languages/

Tuan, Y. (1991). Language and the Making of Place: A Narrative-Descriptive Approach. Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 81(4), 684-696.

Sound Space

Language is more than just systems of thought-transference. Language is the medium of literature. Dr Victoria Kuttainen expressed in this week’s BA1002 lecture that the ‘newly sighted’ need language to organise space before they can make sense of it. Ideas of the world are all filtered by language – the language of images, words, symbols, and icons. Language has a strong metaphorical power that affects individual words, sentences and larger units to impart emotion and personality, which results in high visibility to objects and places (Tuan, 1991, p.685). The words we constantly use to describe our actions on the Internet reflect and shape our ways of imagining virtual space.

Imagine 1: Word (2015)

‘Cyberspace’ is a common word used to characterise the use of electronics and the Internet. It is the new medium of communication that is replacing the more traditional methods. Like physical space, cyberspace contains objects (files, graphics, etc.) and different modes of transportation and delivery. In effect, cyberspace can be thought of interconnection of human beings through telecommunication, without regard to physical geography. Cyberspace may have other definitions, as discussed in this Cisco Blog. There is a spur of cyberspace which is ‘virtual reality’ where humans can ‘enter’ and ‘move through’ a cyber environment while interacting with both the computer and other human beings. We can imagine cyberspace to be an imaginary, intangible, virtual-reality realm.

In the social sound world of SoundCloud, the most common word used is ‘upload’. The definition of ‘upload’ is the ‘transmission of a file from one computer system to another, usually larger computer system’ (Rouse, 2013). The main purpose of SoundCloud is to create sounds and share them with anyone else in the space. To ‘share’ your creation, it is crucial to ‘upload’ it onto your account first and share the link around.

Tuan states that naming is power – the creative power to call something into being, to render the invisible visible, to impart a certain character to things (1991, p.688). When I first created an account on SoundCloud, I had to choose a ‘username’ that other people would recognise me as. A ‘username’ was an identification used by a person with access to a computer, network, or online service. Playing with my own initials, I created the name ‘seedyCD’. The community of interesting usernames in SoundCloud was fascinating, with my favourite artist naming himself ‘XXXTENTACION’. Tuan argues that giving something a name significantly enhances its distinctiveness, making it stand out from others that are less imaginatively called (1991, p.688).

Through my recent explorations in the world of SoundCloud, I was able to identify the concepts of power, maps, and language. These concepts defined a sense of space and place in my new-found community. 

References

Kuttainen, V. (2017). BA1002: Our space: Networks, narratives and the making of place, lecture 5: Power. [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from http://learnjcu.edu.au

Rajnovic, D. (2012). Cyberspace – What is it?. Retrieved from https://blogs.cisco.com/security/cyberspace-what-is-it

Tuan, Y. (1991). Language and the Making of Place: A Narrative-Descriptive Approach. 81(4), 684-695. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org/stable/2563430

Communities Formed by Communication

Communities Formed by Communication

Communications is a fundamental key in everyday life, and are essentials that drive everyday life. Communication is what organises reality and is the most important part of human interactions and shapes the way everybody interacts (Kuttainen, 2017). Being able to use communicative skills in a polite and respective manner is what powers the everyday users of the internet. Without the skills to be able to communicate, internet sites such as Imagine Games Network (IGN) would be useless. The IGN forums are the ideal focus for communication as everybody is needing to talk to each other through text to fully express emotions and ideologies.

The online forum known as IGN uses this basic form of communication to connect people around the world to discuss matters in the gaming world. The ideas from the book The Songlines can be related to the IGN website when conversing on the ideologies of games that have stories and meaning, how knowing the game may have no meaning until the ‘songlines’ are ‘sung’ to make meaning of the that game (Chatwin, 1987).  The IGN forum is a special place that ties all the gaming community together to pull apart stories and discuss the feelings they experienced while they were traversing the game.

The Conversation.com explores the ideas and traits of game writers and highlights that to completely submerse your audience in a game the story must be exceptional. This is where IGN comes into play, a place where games can all express the heartfelt emotion of the games and collaborate with one another to obtain a deeper understanding of the stories expressed by game writers. The IGN website is a place where people from all languages can connect, both the written and spoken parts of language are in use.

The two core skills of language; the written and the spoken both play a key role in the way forums work. Written language on the IGN website is the most commonly used and although there are different types of colloquial terms throughout every language the gaming community has developed its own colloquial terms. Colloquial terms developed by the gaming community are most commonly used and can be hard to understand if general knowledge of video games is not known. Spoken language is not very common among the users, although the employees of IGN tend to post videos to interact with the vast community. Although this is great way of communicating with the community, it can also be a pivotal downfall as the main language is English. Although this is a minor downfall IGN have been able to setup multiple websites for all different languages combatting this issue. While this may be disempowering to some the IGN team has combatted this issue well.

Figure 1. The Basement (https://theconversation.com/explainer-the-art-of-video-game-writing-60376)

References

Chatwin, B. (1987). The Songlines. London, UK: Robert Hartnoll Ltd

Kuttainen, V. (2017). BA1002: Our space: Networks, narratives and the making of place, lecture 5: Power. [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from http://learnjcu.edu.au

The Conversation. (2016). The Basement [Image]. Retrieved from https://theconversation.com/explainer-the-art-of-video-game-writing-60376

The Conversation. (2016). Explaining the art of video game writing. Retrieved from https://theconversation.com/explainer-the-art-of-video-game-writing-60376

Do We All Sound the Same?

Do We All Sound the Same?

by Susan Hilbourne

(Image credit - Google Images)

Just as cultural languages have adapted, developed and in some cases disappeared altogether, the language of the internet is evolving every day.

Remember when you were first introduced to the “hashtag”?

For me it was a weird symbol on the keyboard I used if I couldn’t be bothered writing out the word “number”...but now it has an entirely new meaning in the online language.                                                     

We use words such as “cyberspace”, “phishing”, “cyber-bullying” and “sexting” when we talk about activities and virtual space online.

Words that we wouldn’t usually use in everyday face-to-face conversation (unless talking about on-line networks 😉).

The Post Traumatic Stress Disorder – The Wives’ Side (PTSD-TWS) page has its own language based heavily on military jargon. The soldiers speak their own unique language which they bring home to their wives’ and children. Everyone in their family network is influenced. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gufGY5omNlY (Rintoul, 2015).

Words, phrases and acronyms such as VA (Veteran’s Affairs), DVA (Department of Veteran’s Affairs), “State-Side”, “post-deploy”, “pre-deploy”, “recon”, “going-bush” and “flashback to the ‘Ghan” are all frequently used in the network.

By the collective group using this common language, to a certain degree the members feel a sense of self and community identity.

Someone not aligned with the military world, would not understand this language and would not be able to navigate this network effectively.

As Lechte (2003) describes, “We should note that inner experience opens the subject to the outside; this is the force of a loss of self. All those experiences (ecstasies) which we might have thought were absolutely private, personal, intimate and internal….become the basis of a oneness in the community.”

This is demonstrated in the PTSD-TWS network when one member divulges information of a demeaning, personal or graphic nature, the remaining community feels safe to share (using the same language) as well.

Tuan (1991) says “The power of words is exercised daily in the private sphere…Public places too are made a sustained by language…language is important – indeed central – because humans are language animals, and language is a force that all of us use every day to build, sustain and destroy.

This is where the real and virtual realities of social media overlap into our conscious and unconscious minds. 

Am I second-guessing myself? Do we all sound the same? Are my problems as bad as theirs? Am I allowing them to project their opinions onto me? Or am I just mirroring their problems because I am so immersed in this majoritivly negative network? IT’S A CULT!!!! (Joking)

But it is easy to become all-consumed in this virtual world and lose your own identity.

Like emerging from a drug-fuelled haze – getting clean, logging-off and embracing reality is sometimes the best medicine.

References

Tuan, Y. (1991) Language and the Making of Place: A Narrative-Descriptive Approach: Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 81(4), 684-696. Retrieved from http://jstor.org/stable/2563430

Rintoul, Meg. (2016). PTSD, A Silent Battle – TedxTownsville. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gufGY5omNlY

who are you? or should I ask…who am I? [Image]. (2014) Retrieved from Google Images

Lechte, J. (2003). Key Contemporary Concepts from Abjection to Zeon's Paradox. London, England: SAGE Publishing.