P2 Vocast - Internet Me vs. Real Me

Team Name: Unidentified

Team Members:

Annabel Yoon: Research (Blog)

Bo-Mee Song: Research and Interviewer (Blog)
Maria Rizvi: Chief Writer and editing, (Blog)
Pearl Desa: Art, writing and editing (Blog)
Therese D'Souza: Filming and final editing.

P2 Context:

The Internet, being multi-faceted and ever-changing, provides an unstable environment to our identity growth, thereby confusing us about who we really are. Our video dealt with this thesis by focusing on the confusion of identity and perception caused by the web. Our research was based on the looking glass self theory which states that a self-image is developed on the basis of the message we get from others, as we understand them. This theory states that “we imagine how we appear to others, we imagine their judgment of that appearance and we then develop some self-feeling, such as pride or mortification, as a result of our imagining others’ judgment”. Our main aim was to see how the web interfered with the development of individual identity. People act differently on the web as opposed to reality and their image is dependent on that behavior. Different sides of a person come out on the web as opposed to reality. Therefore the development of identity in this digital age is highly dependent on the web in various ways especially for the new generation who do the majority of their social networking on the web. The web is becoming a signifier of identity and self perception. The web is used as a technological tool to express the different sides of our personality and at times maybe even confuse them.

Reference:

1) Looking glass self theory
Cooley, C. H. (1902). Human Nature and the Social Order. New York: Scribner’s. Pp. 179-185.

2) Yoon, S. (2001). Culture, Computer Literacy, and the Media in Creating Public Attitudes toward CMC in Japan and Korea in Community informatics: shaping computer-mediated social relations (Eds.) Keeble, L. and Loader D. B. New York : Routledge, 2002

The Future of Digital Technology

Project 2 Proposal

1. Our area of investigation is going to be identity, and how technology has affected it negatively. Our video will include statistics, reviews, and interviews on this topic.

2. The inevitable development of the network society, has demanded in its core, constant innovation and development of communicative methods. Communication had a different meaning before globalization. Communication meant a phone call from a home line or a letter which reached a person 4-8 weeks depending on their location. Since communicative methods were different, it is safe to assume that relationships carried with them a different meaning as well. This has caused isolation of personal identities. Communication has changed individuality. The way we see and represent ourselves has changed vastly. Since there are more methods of expressing yourself, making friends and networks, learning, and engaging in activities with strangers; there is a misconception that communication has reached its peak. Yes communication has reached its peak, but with the loss of personal identity. According to Freud, we all have many different “persona(s)” hidden within us which only come out when a situation requires it. Persona, according to Wikipedia means “A persona, in the word's everyday usage, is a social role or a character played by an actor”. The World Wide Web has given people more opportunities to communicate, but in return develop more personas within themselves. Hence, the network society has brought a loss of identity and isolation of individuals. This global culture is anonymous to personal feelings and the true identities of individuals. In our podcast we would like to target those people who feel that the wireless borders of the Internet have caused them to lose the true essence of face-to-face, emotional, empathetic, emotionless communication, which are requirements of human nature and comfort. The computer has removed the true ways of communication, which have taken place for centuries. We would like to say in this podcast, through various points of views of people who have truly lost/hidden their true identity due to the developments of communicative technologies. We would like to ask people of different ages on how they feel the Internet has brought about a loss of personal identity and true human communication.

3. We will be conducting field research as well as scholarly journals and articles which include recent statistics. We will be referring to journal articles, and citing them. Using statistics and research done previously by scholars and psychologists/sociologists we can back up our claim: loss of identity is perpendicular to enhancement of communication.

4. For our video we plan to use a lot of real life, unscripted footage like interviews with people from different walks of life. The interviews will be broken down into segments that overlap each other and will be an informal questioning about how people act on the web and how they portray themselves on the internet. The concentration will be on how they willingly change themselves when they go on the Internet. And if we find willing participants we might even get people to show us their personal pages and their online ‘personas’ on social networking sites like Facebook. In order to add some diversity to our video we plan to have a few animated sequences or at least a few original cartoon images like thought clouds or speech bubbles at certain points. For instance a possible opening sequence that we’ve thought about includes having a picture of a person divided with one side remaining ‘real’ while the other side is made into a cartoon with different speech and thought bubbles, that show the various identities the person has on the Internet and in their daily lives. As for the sound, since our video is going to be interview based, any background music we add will be kept to a minimum so that the voices can be heard clearly. And to make sure that people understand the words spoken we even plan to add sub-titles for better accessibility. If we do have animated sequences, we will definitely add the required sound effects but we don’t intend to use much in that category as we don’t want to pull away from the interviews.

My Team

Team Name: Unidentified

Team Members:

Annabel Yoon: Research (Blog)

Bo-Mee Song: Research and Interviewer (Blog)
Maria Rizvi: Chief Writer and editing, (Blog)
Pearl Desa: Art, writing and editing (Blog)
Therese D'Souza: Filming and final editing.

Initial Concept:
The loss of identity and the development of multiple persona's in the essence of individuality. The global culture has brought about many different sides of a person, but has hidden what truly lies within them. We would like to research the way in which people have been able to manipulate their true identity into multiple clashing personalities that lay within the cover of one person. The Internet has become a playing field of identities through various communication networks and platforms.

A Review of My Favourite...

My favourite video podcast: Sanctus Real docu-series Ep. 1 We Need Each Other

Sanctus Real, a rock band originally from Toledo, Ohio, has recently started putting together podcasts. Sanctus Real is my favourite band, which may be part of the reason their podcast is my favourite. However, other fans of Sanctus Real would enjoy this podcast as well, as it uses a variety of effective elements that lead to its success.

The podcast is simply a short story that plays upon on the title of their new album, We Need Each Other. The story involves the lead singer telling the bass player that he won't get paid this month, due to lack of funds. The bassist leaves the band. Finally, the band realizes that their bass player is necessary. Thus, they need each other. It concludes with a short live clip of the band performing their title track, We Need Each Other.

Humour was expressed very well through this podcast. It was subtle, but got the point across. When the lead singer told the bassist he wasn't getting paid, he replied saying that he's been eating dog food. In a later scene, the bassist eats the leaves off a plastic tree. Fans of Sanctus Real will find this entertaining as it portrays a different side of the band. Another scene shows a room full of elderly people, where the lead singer implies that those are all of their fans. These little jokes give fans a glimpse of the band's personalities.

Along with the humour, comes the raw footage. The footage gives the viewer a closer look at the band's life on the road. Exclusive shots inside their trailer, backstage footage before the show, and a shot of their sound check all contribute to an interesting podcast for any Sanctus Real fan.

The podcast is also successful at providing information. It helps promote Sanctus Real's upcoming release, We Need Each Other through a memorable and humorous story.

The moving images and text work well together with the audio. The podcast includes short song clips from their yet to be released album. Fans can appreciate this as it builds anticipation for the release of the new CD.

Sanctus Real's podcast is my favourite because of its humour, exclusive raw footage, and its integration of moving images and sound that contribute to its overall success.

Web 2.0 and Podcasting: Where is it heading?

It's first important to understand Web 2.0. Tim O'Reilly explains it in his article, What Is Web 2.0. Web 2.0 is delivered as a service. It uses the long-tail approach to cover the mass majority of the web. The Web is very inclusive. Google AdSense is a prime example of this. It targets the user directly. It uses its related ads on small sites to reach certain niches. Through hyperlinks, the user is taken all over the Web. DoubleClick, another advertising service on the Web, does not follow the Web 2.0 criteria. It presents advertisements on large sites. It only stays at the head. The long-tail method proves more effective, as more people can be reached. The more people making use of Web 2.0, the more it will grow and develop.

More people are entering the world of Blogging and Podcasting. These two methods of communication are exactly what Web 2.0 is all about. Blogging and Podcasting allow the user to contribute their ideas to the Web. Both can be subscribed to through RSS feed. RSS feed notifies the subscriber of any changes made on the Webpage. With the increasing users of Blogs and Podcasting, the Web can only grow in its development. It will advance with a plethora of information. All of this information is linked together. David Weinberger would describe the Web as small pieces loosely joined. This relates to the present state of the Web and what the future Web will look like, only on a grander scale.

My First Video Blog