Self.Net -- Tuesday, 2pm Tutorial

The End of the Course as we know it...

2004-11-12T14:48:00.000+08:00

Okay, the major essays are all marked and can be collected from me in room G.07. I'll be in my office most of next week (Nov 15th - 19th), so please do come and pick your essays up.

Also, can I take this opportunity to thank you all: firstly, for your reflective posts which will be very useful in evaluating the course (and thanks for the kinds words about your tutor, too!); and, secondly, and most importantly, can I thank you all for your participation in the many facets of Self.Net. It has been a real pleasure running this course and being your tutor and participating in some fascinating conversations about all things digital which, I'm sure, will continue long after the course has faded in your memories!

I hope your increased critical awareness of digital culture serves you all well in the future, and with any luck I'll see a number of you in other courses, or doing Honours (since so many of you are writing at a level which would see you do very well in an honours program).

Byebye.

reflective post

2004-11-03T11:23:00.000+08:00

I think the use of weblogs for leaning purposes, are excellent. They are a very efficient and effective way to communicate. I like the fact that we can access our classmates work and read their opinions. Unlike the discussions in tutorials, the weblog system provides are record of opinions so students can revisit the discussions. The only criticism I have, is that whenever I clicked on the 'publish post' button the next page could not be displayed and I lost all my text. I had to copy my work each time to prevent losing it, but it was quite annoying when I forgot to.

Am I a cyborg? No I don't think I am. I am not 'totally' dependent on technology. I believe I could survive in the wilderness with only natural tools, however I guess my knowledge on how to survive involves using technology to create weapons, shelter etc. Depending on which definition one uses to define a cyborg, I may be considered one, however in my own eyes I’m not.

The aspect I liked most about the course, was the variety of teaching methods. As opposed to the standard two lectures and a tutorial, I enjoyed the lecture, the interactive workshop and the tutorials. The use of weblog as described earlier was also very effective.

reflections

2004-10-29T16:23:00.000+08:00

I think the use of weblogs was a good idea. I had never used one before, and as such did not really understand them for the first few weeks. However, once I got the hang of it, I found it very beneficial as I was able to read other peoples takes on particular articles, as well as the workshop responses. The only criticism I have about the weblogs is that it often became quite difficult to find particular posts, especially after a designated workshop response.

I agreed with Haraway’s assertion from the beginning of the unit, and still do. I think, as other people have suggested on here, that a lot of the resistance to accept the notion of being a cyborg is the negative connotations associated with the word ‘cyborg’. It seems to apply a loss of humanity, or a dominance of technology, that would likely unnerve many people.

This unit was interesting and unlike any English unit I have done at uni. I like the way the course was divided into sub-sections, all of which complimented each other. Workshops also encouraged participation and therefore a greater involvement in the unit.

Thanks!

Reflections -To blog or not to blog

2004-10-27T17:26:00.000+08:00

This unit has proven to be the most controversial and yet stimulating module of this semester. Initially, the segment on Haraway's cyborg manifesto and the cybernetic theories made me feel like i was in a parallel universe and that my fate in this unit was to be a doomed one. However, as I started to grapple with the various ideas and concepts that were discussed I realised that it is more relevant than i thought it would be.

The Blogging process was a significant element in my learning journey in this course. I definitely feel that it complimented tutorials and workshops and it gave me a space to read, reflect and analyse the issues that were debated on, in my own time. I also learnt a great deal through the blog entires, as they exposed me to a variety of opinions and beliefs. "Tuesday 2pm" soon became a new community that i became familiar with. Strangely, i'm still unsure of some online identities(i.e. Im not sure who's who) and perhaps i have been treating them seperately from their offline idenities.

Well, at the start of this course I though i was a full fledged cyborg in compliance to Haraway's description. I am in every way intertwined with technology, ranging from the withdrawal effects I get when the tv is off or my genuine hysteria when the internet connection suddenly ceases. However, as many of us are, I am still uncomfortable with the implications of being a cyborg as it implies a certain degree of detachment from being "natural" and perhaps this synthetic dependence makes us vulnerable. I would rather view us as human beings who are thriving in an era which requires us to learn and pick up the technological skills we know in order to live comfortably and efficiently.

On hindsight, this unit was an enjoyable one with a good mix of academia, current affairs and interactive engagement. To everyone in the tute, you guys were great fun!:)

Reflections

2004-10-27T11:05:00.000+08:00

I found this unit really interesting in the way it promblematised the differences between the virtual and real and what happens to things like identity, the body and ethics in the movement from one to the other. Personally, I always thought of the virtual world and digital technology as a mere extension of what already exists and therefore never questioned differences between the two spheres. Before this unit I was unaware of what a blog was and although I was familiar with Haraway's cyborg manifesto, never analysed so carefully with both the past and present involved, rather locating it as a future possibility.
The blog, whilst useful and a relevant way of communicating for the unit, is not my ideal mode of communication as I prefer face-to-face interaction, however, it was convenient and complementary to the course. The unit has presented a number of very thought-provoking ideas that have caused me to view technology and digital media in a new light.

post-self.net perspectives

2004-10-27T05:19:00.000+08:00

I must admit that at the very beginning of this unit, I was not at all receptive to the idea of being a cyborg. It was a bit daunting to have Haraway as the very first reading for the unit although now, via the power of retrospect, I realise that her manifesto for cyborgs, as well as the other related ideologies that we have come across in the duration of this unit set the foundation for the framework of what this course aims to teach: communicating identity in the digital age. If one does not learn to embrace the idea that technology and the self are virtually (and in many ways) invisibly intertwined in this present age, there would be no point in studying the effects/impact that the Internet and digital technologies have on people's lives, because to begin with we cannot accept, admit, or reconcile ourselves to the idea that a lot of what we do/talk about/use concerns a great deal of the Internet and technology.. so if we cannot fulfil the latter, we are greatly limiting our understanding of our identities for what they are in this millenium. Therefore, I am now receptive of the idea that I am a cyborg, simply because it helps me to better understand my dependency on technology as well as question why i have this dependency/ies and whether it is for the better or ill of my being.

As low as my participation has been in this weblog, I sincerely appreciate the use of it in this unit because by using a weblog, we are in effect practicing the fundamentals of what we have learned in this unit; how we use the Internet to communicate with others, and at the same time interact with technology. And I have gained a new perspective and a rekindled fascination/passion for blogging; i think that its awesome that bloggers are empowered through what they write, and have the ability to improve the world through their writing!:-)

Yep... and now i shall get back to doing my essay for this unit. All the best for everyone's exams!

2004-10-22T14:41:00.000+08:00

I think the use of weblogs in this unit was great. They created a connection between students and allowed for interaction of student perspectives and insights in regard to course material, in more depth than that given in tutorials. I think that having to publish posts forced you to further analyse materials, more so than what is required for tutes, and a benefit of the weblogs was that you could publish your posts in your own time, when you felt like it, and without the formality needed in an essay.

At the beginning of this course I did not regard myself as being a cyborg, but as the course progressed I realised that I definitely am. This view was further cemented by the matrix clip, which portrays our own dependence and integration with technology. Whether we have always been cyborgs since man first started to use tools, or whether we only constituted cyborgs once we realised that we were cyborgs, under Haraway’s definition of a cybernetic organism, “a hybrid of machine and organism, a creature of social reality as well as a creature of fiction”, I am a cyborg. As to how much of a cyborg I am, I don’t know, and whether I’ll be defined as more of a cyborg in the future as technology advances and I become more integrated with it, I’m not really sure about either.

What I liked about this course was that it analysed current issues that are very relevant in today’s society, and seems to be emerging as a relatively new and interesting area of study.

Reflective Post

2004-10-20T18:26:00.000+08:00

The experience of weblogs have been interesting. As a learning tool, it allowed transparency during academic studies and the sharing of info. Reading what other found regarding the same essay question helped as i could tell where i went wrong and learn about new stuff and different perspectives. It even had a somewhat relaxed learning environment; hey it beats reading tonnes of books with no feedback :P

I do believe now that i'm a cyborg, but i say that with caution and not total belief. The issue is still in contention and the abstraction of meaning requires construction first. But perhaps that is also what i felt best about the course, it explored and challenged traditional assumptions that i made and brought on new knowledge and perspectives, irregardless of whether these new concepts were accepted by the individual or not.

Reflective Post

2004-10-20T17:37:00.000+08:00

Prior to this unit I had never paid attention to weblogs. After using the weblog I still won't pay much attention to blogs, it didn’t help with my learning. I learnt more from tutorials because I attended them, whereas for weblogs apart from making mandatory posts I didn’t bother to use them on a regular basis.

After all that we’ve read about cyborgs, from Haraway’s definition it is impossible not to be one. Initially the thought of being a cyborg was ridiculous, but over time I’ve come to accept the concept and since I rely on glasses for better vision, then yes call me a cyborg. People have integrated a variety of technology up to the point where they cannot seem to cope without it.

What I liked about the course were the readings and the many issues we covered, each week brought something new. Conversely the readings at the beginning of the course were very dense and required a lot of time to understand.

reflective post

2004-10-20T13:18:00.000+08:00

Weblogs are a great way of getting to know other students ideas that don’t necessarily come across in tutorials. It was also really interesting and helpful to see the ways other students responded to the webliography questions – particularly those who answered the same question. Providing comments was difficult to do, but it makes you think again about the issues under consideration and definitely broadens your thinking on the topic. Having comments from other people was also really interesting and encouraging.

I consider myself a cyborg in that technology is part of my everyday life. But in recognizing this, I don’t think it has made any great difference to how I interact with the world. I see the internet as a useful tool, rather than a utopian space for a new world order.

The course was really challenging, particularly in relation to creating our own posts, but this made it more rewarding and it will definitely help in other areas of study as well. The only problem for me was that the posts generally required quite a bit of work and I’m not sure if this is reflected well in the assessment.

politics of playing workshop response

2004-10-15T16:29:00.000+08:00

1. The games would communicate effectively to players who came across them due to their political content. I don't believe the games are the most effective means of promoting a message or a cause as once you start to play the meaning behind the game loses importance to the outcome. For example the 'New York Defender' game initially grabs your attention and leaves you shocked and horrified but as you engage in play the context becomes less relevant than the outcome of 'winning'.

2. The two games I attempted to play (I'm shocking at video games) were 'New York Defender' and 'Donkey John'. The political message for both was fairly obvious as the game began and I did find it a clever and inventive way of promoting a message. As both issues presented are fairly current in the media, and I am aware of both, I was not driven to investigate further (than was necessary for the workshop!). The political simulation games clearly presented their causes which I believe is necessary in this type of media arena in order to not lose people to just playing the game, and rather capturing people who will think further about the cause presented.

3. The political message on which I would base a game would be to do with the Intifada in Israel, and the devastation of suicide bombers. The game would follow a structure of 'how to avoid the suicide bomber' and would give the player the option of where to go - the shops, a bus, drive, walk down the street or stay home. Every time the player chose a place to put their character a suicide bomber would come and kill them. The player would not be able to 'win' the game.

Playing Politics Workshop Response

2004-10-15T05:01:00.000+08:00

1)I examined September 12 and New York Defender and believe these games to be ‘effective’ if the players on the internet have adequate knowledge on the war on terror and its implications, namely the September 11 incident and its aftermath. However, its effectiveness may be lessened after playing it several times as one becomes desensitised to the message it might be conveying. I felt my experience was enhanced by the readings that accompanied both games as it gave me a clearer understanding of the political innuendos and messages. Without them I would be deciphering the game and its messages according to my own understanding. Also, the degree of effectiveness may be down played as many would view it as merely an intellectual and thought-provoking game with no lasting effects.

2)After examining September 12, I felt that the intention of the game seemed to show the inevitable lost of civilians in attempt to sieve-out and destroy the terrorist. I also observed that the people morning for the dead civilians transformed into terrorists in the next instance, further increasing the numbers. This struck me as it clearly represented the grievance and bitterness of the victims of war having lost family and friends innocently, and some opting to join forces with the terrorist in revenge. This portrayed the cyclical nature of destruction in war as what ever good intent that the U.S government has seems futile under such circumstances. The news release reiterated my impressions of the game and gave further understanding of the flaws of the current anti terrorist tactics and measures.

I also played New York defender and was initially rather pleased with my “accurate” shootings, however, as the terrorist planes increased in frequency I found myself frantically shooting and a sense of hopelessness and panic emerged and increased till the game finally ended. I guessed that the sense of helplessness was somewhat representative of the helplessness that the people in New York and victims of terrorist acts might have experienced and how it seems impossible to be prepared for it all. The same sense of futility prevails with the number of martyrs and terrorists on the rise and the unceasing threats and kidnappings occurring today.

3)I would like to have a political simulation representing the futility of voicing political views about the state in countries where the people's voices are very repressed. For my safety, I will not mention the country(s) I might be referring to:) In this simulation, each time a person speaks up (in the form of word bubbles) he either gets taken away by some secret police or is thrown into exile. The player should then aim to shoot as many word bubbles into boxes labelled “propaganda” while dodging the police. The end result will be a no-win scenario.

Response to PLAYING POLITICS

2004-10-14T23:31:00.000+08:00

Kabul Kaboom & September 12

(1)
Both Kabul Kaboom and September 12 distinctly communicated their political discontent with the US response to the Twin Tower attacks. Although these “games” sophisticatedly convey this discontent to the participant, doubts can be raised in relation to the possible reach of the game which would be a major factor in assessing its success on the net. The internet is a fantastic medium, whereby an individual can make a political comment- in the form of an interactive game in this case- yet the numbers viewing the work may be very limited. It is apparent then, that it is the individuals who are critical of the US foreign policy following 9-11 that are likely to be the individuals who will want to access “games” such as Kabul Kaboom and September 12. Supporters of the US policy or even those indifferent to such issues are highly unlikely to search or stumble upon such “games.”

(2)
The foundational political message of September 12 was clear at the introduction and became even more apparent as the “game” progresses. The introductory screen has the text: “September 12: A toy World” on the right and on the left is a sketch of a Muslim woman hovering of a dead child. Although the sketch is merely a cartoon, it stands quite confronting next the casualness of the phrase, “toy world.” Once the game has commenced, the political message becomes blatant. As one is desparately trying to bomb the terrorists and at the same time avoiding civillians, one is faced with the actuality that civilian casualties in war are inevitable. One also learns as the game progresses that as more bombs go down and more civillians die, more civillians are actually becoming terrorists. The moral of the "game" is that
engaging in such a war to fight terrorism will only act to encourage terrorism.

I found the specific message conveyed in Kabul Kaboom was less obvious than the September 12 "game." One was aware outrightly that the message was a critical take on the US policy in Afghanistan Post 9-11, given that the "game" was brought by ludology.org with boasts the slogan "Justice not war," however the details of the critique were slightly confused as the game unfolded. I think the choice of hamburgers to symbolize foreign aid was vague, since hamburgers tend to be related to Mcdonalds which links to capitalism and globalisation. It was not until I read the article by Shuen-shing Lee that my reading of the game was revised.

(3)
Israeli's occupation and destruction of Palestine and its peoples would be the issue in which i would most desire to make a political statement about. I quite liked the structure of September 12 and i think a very similar structure could be incorporated into the Palestinian theme. I would have part of the screen split with an image of a cartoon world which had its gaze away from the "game." The game will be a dual, with a team of fighters sporting rocks and another sporting guns. These are just a few ideas tossed around, as I am yet to consider details and assign the roles, will surely keep you updated.

Playing Politics Workshop Response

2004-10-14T10:45:00.000+08:00

1) These political games definitely reflect the political issue at this point in time. In a certain way, they can be considered to effectively communicate with people. In that, everyone experiences these political issues and the games allow for different understandings of these issues that anyone who plays these games can understand.
2) The messages that were underpinning the games that I played (the one where you save the twin towers and the JohnyKong) were extremely obvious. People may not agree with the messages, but the games do provide with an obvious counter message to what the political sphere is trying to express. At least people won’t or can’t be manipulated, to extremely, to have only one particular train of thought about these political issues.
3) If I had to create a game I would definitely use an “old school” like the Donkey Kong game. I would use maybe the structure of an old commodore or Atari game (Like the old tennis games where there two ‘blocks’ on the side of screen move up/down to reflect another block that resembles the ball), it can a one or two player game. The issue would probably be the industrial issue of the fall of Ansett and the way that neither Air New Zealand nor the Australian Government would take responsibility to payout the worker’s redundancy packages. Both institutions kept pointing the finger at each other. So on either side would be the icons of parliament house and Air NZ, moving up/down the two sides of the screen and the ball would be the ACTU icon (Peak union body involved in the dispute that represented the Ansett workers) getting bounced back and forth by Air NZ and the Federal Government.

Guiding Question Number 3

2004-10-14T02:36:00.000+08:00

Critically assess ways in which constructions of identity have been extended and/or altered by information and communication technologies.

INTRODUCTION:
Much hype has been bestowed upon the Internet and the possibilities for it as a communication technology to revolutionise the process of identity construction. The gender aspect of identity will take the spotlight for my investigation into the transformations under new information and communication technologies. The journey to locating worthwhile material began with Google, searching the words ‘identity construction’ ‘Internet’ and ‘gender.’ Clearly it would be a long journey, as the search produced over 200 000 findings. Being unable to determine any other distinctive terms to the guiding question to limit my search, I skimmed through the search results to locate useful readings. The annotations below from the sources chosen should provide a strong basis upon which to respond to the guiding question above.

SOURCE 1:
Verena Kuni’s article The Future is Femail (1998) contained the grounding ideas to respond to the above essay question. Kuni identifies the two major utopian ideas associated with the rise of the Internet as a new information and communication technology. Firstly, the idea that the Internet allows people to abandon pre-existing power structures and endorse the horizontal circulation of information. Secondly, the liberating perks of online activity associated with allowing bodily and gender identities to be abandoned. These “net-utopias” are congruent to the general misperceptions of the affect of the Internet on identity construction, and I think they would be a significant part of my discussion. Interestingly, Kuni views Cyberspace as being chauvinistically colonised. This perspective sits in sharp contrast to the democratic light of which the Internet is often marketed. The article then discusses the potential for Cyberfeminism to play a role in undoing this colonisation. Overall the article purports the idea that identity construction cannot be altered by a medium alone, it can be altered by particular techniques applied to the medium that can only arise through societal changes.

SOURCE 2:
Sherry Turkle’s article Who Am We? (1996) raises many interesting and complex issues relating to identity construction in the age of the Internet. The concept of the self being fragmented is not new, but Turkle suggests that the Internet has allowed for multiple selves to be active at one particular time. The first interesting point the article makes is that the identities forged on the Internet or through games such as Sims, is how heavily tied such identities are to technology itself, if the technology is removed so too does that particular constructed identity. The article focuses on the virtual reality aspect of the Internet, particularly participation in MUDs. MUDs allow people to construct and develop identities that sit in stark contrast to their real-life identities. As such, MUDs facilitate an identity construction mechanism that challenges conventional notions that identity need be “authentic.” Examples include; Case a 34-year-old married man playing the woman ‘Mairhead,’ Zoe a 34-year-old woman having played a man on an MUD for 2 years, and Stewart whom has low self-esteem and underdeveloped social skills but has a thriving social life on MUD playing ‘Achilles.’ MUDs have provided a vaster arena for identity construction but the pressing question lies with assessing the significance of this, the article raises the ideas of identity multiplicity and transgression that accompanies the new technology but unfortunately falls short on elaborating on the overall consequences of such changes.

SOURCE 3:
In the article Babes on the Web, Marj Kibby (1997) interrogates the incorporation of sexualised images on women’s homepages. This interrogation was mounted in response to Robert Toup’s Website ‘Babes on the Web’ which rated images found on women’s homepages. Given that the Internet is a medium that has the potential for women to break free from bodily being, Kibby asks why are so many women doing the opposite of that? She asserts that full-length photos that often accompany the women homepages indicate that sexuality and physicality are still seen as a large part of one’s self-identity. Identity in the real world has always emphasised the importance of the physical and gendered self, which has founded contestation by many, feminists being the most relevant here. The homepages reveal that many women do not want to disregard their physical and gendered self, just because the new technologies can afford this. Kibby also raises an interesting point in relation to the role of language in identity construction on these homepages. The discussions of images are placed aside to refer to Bakhtin’s (1986) notions that language in itself is used and chosen according to the social context from which it emerges; gender, class, age and ethnicity inclusive. This theory asserts that language is then loaded with gender associations, explicitly or implicitly.

SOURCE 4:
Linguistic academic Susan Herring (1994) develops some interesting ideas on language and gender identity construction on the Internet in her article, Gender Differences in Computer-Mediated Communication: Bringing Familiar Baggage to the New Frontier. Through years of net “lurking,” Herring claims that language usage on Internet discussion lists shows gendered characteristics. Observations of the online interaction in discussion lists indicate toward trite gendered styles, with 68% of men “flaring” (dominating discussion with an adversative manner) and most women demonstrated docile behaviour (timid and often apologetic). As the title makes apparent, this is all “familiar baggage.” Online communication is subject to being gender-categorised through the detected language style used, for instance the male subscriber on the SWIP-L list is accused of being a woman in response to his ‘feminine’ postings. Such findings flaw the assertion that new communication technologies allow for the defusing of gender distinctions in identity construction. The only downfall of this article is its age, written too soon to document the developments of the web.

SOURCE 5:
Writing in the Body: Gender (Re) Production in Online Interaction (1999) is a well-written article by Jodi O’Brien, which contests the idea that the gendered body is abandoned in online communication. The title alone is quite telling. O’Brien launches the article with the traditionally conceived concept of identity being centred on the body, and states that gender has been the major cataloguing characteristic of the embodied self. I found the article’s argument that physicality is still very relevant to identity formation on the Internet a bold one, yet following further reading, not far off the mark. It is interesting that although many MUDs accommodate openly for multi-genders or gender swapping, a participant is still required to detail their real life gender when signing up. In discussion lists or online dating sites real life gender is further emphasised, as other participants get chary if one is hesitant about declaring such identification. This reinforces traditional ideas of (bodily) identity construction. Where gender swapping takes place in ‘playing’ on MUDs, O’Brien questions the outcomes of such activities. If a man seeks to play a woman or the contrary, their play could only reflect popular stereotypes. In effect, although this facet of identity is made possible through computer technologies, it has become apparent to me that the prospects emerging from such an activity is limited so long as society at large is still propagating gender dichotomies.

CONCLUSION:
The notion that the Internet is a space where identities can be formulated outside of conventional gender categorisations is at best idealistic. Although the Internet provides the tools for engaging in identity construction in a way alternative to the traditional gendered-physical paradigm, it is but a medium. The only vehicle toward stimulating such a transformation is through societal changes that actively challenges the conventional ideas. The above sources reveal that conventional gender identities are being played out in new communication technologies; on MUDs, homepages and discussion lists. The discussion on language in Jodi O’Brien’s and Marj Kibby’s articles demonstrate the gendered identities being proliferated implicitly through written expressions and styles. The importance of the corporal gender is simulated online not only through images posted but also through online language, which contributes to an identity construction that does not challenge those engrained in real life experiences.

REFERENCES:

Herring, Susan. ‘Gender Differences in Computer-Mediated Communication: Bringing Familiar Baggage to the New Frontier’ American Library Association Annual Convention June 1994, Available: http://cpsr.org/cpsr/gender/herring.txt

Kibby, Marj. ‘Babes on the Web: Sex, Identity and the Home Page’ in Media International Australia May 1997, No.84, Available: http://www.newcastle.edu.au/discipline/sociol-anthrop/staff/kibbymarj/babes.html

Kuni, Verena. ‘The Future is Femail: Some Thoughts on the Aesthetics and Politics of Cyberfeminism,’ First Cyberfeminist International: A Reader 1998 pp.13-18, Available: http://www.kuni.org/v/obn/vk_cfr_01.pdf

O’Brien, Jodi. ‘Writing in the Body: Gender (Re) Production in Online Interaction’ in Communities in Cyberspace, 1999 (eds) Kollock,P. & Smith,M. Available: http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/soc/faculty/kollock/papers/communities_04.htm

Turkle, Sherry. ‘Who Am We?’ in Wired Magazine, Issue 4.01 Jan 1996, Available: http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/4.01/turkle_pr.html

Playing Politics Workshop Response

2004-10-13T19:50:00.001+08:00

Using "Donkey John" and "Kabul Kaboom!

1. The "Donkey John" and "Kabul Kaboom!" games I examined didn’t seem to be conveying their message across very well. In my opinion the games are too comical and hard to take seriously. People on the Internet would play the games for a laugh and probably not bother thinking about the political messages behind it. In the case of "Kabul Kaboom!" a lot of information was written about American planes dropping food and bombs. I think more people would rather read the newspapers or watch the television for information.

2. The political messages underpinning the games didn’t appear to be obvious at first glance. Only after reading the information attached did I get a stronger understanding of what the game was trying to get at. Out of the two, after playing "Donkey John" made me interested in finding out more information, partially because not much attention has been paid to this issue. After playing "Kabul Kaboom!" I didn’t feel compelled to find out what the game was trying to "say", since the media has directed a lot of information towards it. The "Donkey John" game also was more fun to play and anything that makes John Howard look bad will invariably draw my attention.

3. If I was to write a game similar to the two that I’ve played then the political point I would make is that Taiwan should be recognised as an independent country and not be threatened by China’s military forces. The game would be structured as a hybrid of "Donkey John" and "Kabul Kaboom!" Just change the Donkey from John Howard to a Chinese soldier and the soldier would be throwing bombs at the character of Chen Shui-bian. In order for Chen to win he has to dodge the bombs and pull a lever which will unleash the Taiwanese flag on top of the soldier, who will be crushed.

Playing Politics Workshop Response

2004-10-13T15:35:00.000+08:00

I answered the three questions using the games '12 September' and 'Donkey John'

1. It is hard to assume how effectively these political simulation games would be at communicating with other people via the Internet. Personally, I found them to be quite effective, as they were presented in a medium that allowed for user participation and interaction (as opposed to simply reading an article etc). Also, for the same reason, I believe more people will have been exposed to this online game, or at least more people would be willing to have a look at it and see what it is about. However, a political message in the form of a game runs the risk of people simply playing it for ‘fun’ and failing to consider, or being distracting from, the message that is being presented.

2. When I played September 12, I found most of the political message immediately obvious. I understood that I was a terrorist myself by shooting ‘terrorists’ while at the same time killing innocent civilians and destroying buildings and the town. One thing I didn’t realise until I read the article (since I felt bad and stopped blowing things up) was that mourning civilians turned into terrorists, until eventually the whole screen was full of them. This reinforced the notion that violence breeds violence.

I didn’t really understand the message that the Donkey John game was trying to put across, but I was definitely interested in finding out what it was trying to say. After reading the interview, the game made a lot of sense, and I came to appreciate and understand the message it was presenting.

3. I’m not really sure about this one, but perhaps a game that dealt with the increased university fees that will affect most Australian uni students. To make the point about full fee paying students being able to ‘buy’ a degree, I would have a student heading towards a ‘degree’ waiting to be picked up. Along the way, the student needs to push the rich students out of the way and take their money, otherwise when he reaches the end he is unable to afford to get into university, and therefore cannot claim the degree.

Playing Politics Workshop Response

2004-10-12T23:25:00.000+08:00

I looked at the games New York Yorker and Donkey John.
I think the political message in Donkey John was effective in communicating its political message because by being on the internet it draws attention to an issue that previously had very little mainstream exposure. During the election campaign I remember seeing a political advertisement criticising the government on this same issue. I'm not sure if this was influenced by the Donkey John game, but it appears the game has been successful in bringing a relatively unpublicised issue to the attention of the mainstream. I personally wasn't motivated to find out more about the East Timor petrol issue, but I am glad that it was able to be brought to my attention, rather than remaining oblivious to it, and perhaps some day if I were ever inclined I could further investigate the topic.

I think New York Destroyer was less effective in communicating to people as its message is deeper and doesn't stand out immediately as the direct message of the game, as is the case with Donkey John. However, whilst playing the game I did find myself becoming frustrated with the uselessness of progression in the game. But having a chance to think about it I guess this is the intention of the game, to depict a message about the difficulty and perhaps what sometimes seems like the futility of attempting to eliminate terrorism. Being prompted to find out what the game was trying to "say", and in finding that out, left a more lasting impression, for me, than that of the more obvious message presented in Donkey John.

My game would be a critique of other political critiques. Mainly the "in your face" antics of hippies and greenies whose own political views are more important and correct than anyone elses. It's villains would include celebrity hippies such as Merlin from Big Brother and John Butler. Users will take control of the games protagonist, who resembles the image of a popular superhero whom we have all grown to know and love, possibly Batman. It is his/her task to protect unsuspecting university students (all of differing genders and race) on their way to the library from Merlin and John Butler's incessant political protests and other left-wing propaganda, and ensure the student's safe passage into the library, saving the university from hippies....For now....

Playing Politics Workshop Response

2004-10-12T20:46:00.000+08:00

1. Both September 12 and Donkey John are effective in presenting a political viewpoint, if not straight away then at least once you had a look at the instructions. They are quite confrontational but, if you did get absorbed in the game, I think that initial awareness would soon be lost in the challenge of the game itself. Its also similar to Adbusters or some of the other political statements we’ve seen on the web, they bring like-minded people together but I’m not sure how effective they are at influencing other people’s actions, particularly after this weekend's elections.
2. The political message in Donkey John was immediately obvious to me, though it was interesting to look at the instructions to get a greater grasp of the intricacies of the game (and the political situation) rather than play it out. I responded very differently to September 12th because I didn’t actually want to shoot anyone, (I know, I know, it’s only a game, but…) so I gave up straight away and went and read the press release. This probably says more about me than the average game player, but it would be interesting to see just how long people wanted to play where they are constantly killing "innocent" people and they can’t win.
3. a) I would make a statement about the refugee situation in Australia.
b) perhaps something like the Donkey Kong setup, with the player trying to get the refugee through a series of extreme situations to finally arrive and be sent directly to jail or maybe to be sent back through it all again.

Offensive: Political Games

2004-10-12T17:23:00.000+08:00

As a New Yorker, I examined New York Defender and September 12th, and found myself extremely offended and shocked by the violent nature of these 'games.' The political message was very clear to me, as somebody who was very close to the attacks, although both games proved to be somewhat entertaining after a bit of play. Sort of like a car crash that you have to keep looking at. I think that once I received the political message and processed it I was able to play the game as a game, although still horrified as the World Trade Centers inevitably fell, and when the woman cried over her lost civilian in Sept. 12. These sort of games definitely do get a clear, concise message out to the general public. They aren't difficult to follow. Terrorism, Bad. I did need to look up in the further information to understand the logic behind the Sept. 12 game, but once I read the reasoning it made a lot more sense. "current US tactics on the war on terror affect the civilian population and generate more terrorism." Scary. maybe true.

If i had to make a political simulation game, judging from behaviors of these last weeks' political debates in the US I might want to do a spoof of the debate, where Kerry and Bush could actually beat each other up in response to an ill fated statement. Bush looked livid a number of times like he wanted to smack Kerry, hard. {and it would be funny to see them face off Celebrity death match style.}And perhaps the underlying message could be written with regard to the inability on the part of the presidential candidates to contain anger and violence, so maybe we should try to avoid it altogether. I don't know. tough question.

Sexuality and games

2004-10-12T13:36:00.000+08:00

This article was on how sexuality is expressed in games, and uses the Sims as a case study. In the Sims, only heterosexual marriages are possible, but homosexual relationships are possible and adoption is allowed for homosexual Sims to start a family.

Why this distinction?

How the game expresses sexuality is very subtle, and the manual uses deliberately vague ambiguous texts and gay window advertising to perhaps be as inclusive as possible for the consumer. The effect is how the individual chooses to read the text.

Qns:
1) What is your reading regarding the game of the Sims? Particulary in the matter whether you can have non-heterosexual marriages in the sims?
2) How do these games reflect real life? And what does your readings of the game reflect your attitudes in real life?

political game workshop response

2004-10-12T13:10:00.000+08:00

I do believe the most effective place for the political games to communicate their message to people is via the internet. The internet is effective because it is very accessible and very cost effective.
In the political game, Donkey John, I don't think the message was obvious immediately. When I played the game I mainly focused on the entertainment aspects rather then the political message. If I had stumbled across this game on the internet outside of this workshop exercise I don't think I would have investigated the meaning behind the game any further. For this exercise I did, and I found the interview with the creator/Tama to be very interesting. The second game I looked at was September 12th which I believe carries a much more obvious message. It shows that individuals can't be targeted in a time of war without harming innocent people. It also shows how, inhumane behaviour towards innocent people can turn them into enemies.
If I was to create my own political game it would relate to the refugee treatment in Australia. It will carry the message, that refugees should be given refugee status and accepted into Australia. The game would be set at a beach were small boats would arrive. When the boats land, the authorities will try to catch the people in nets, but you, as the player must stamp them with a refugee granted stamp before the authorities can get to them. The stamp will be controlled by the mouse. The aim of the game will be to stamp as many refugees as possible and hence save them. As the levels become harder, more people will come off each boat, making it more difficult to reach each person before the dreaded authorities can get to them.

Games and Politics: Workshop Response

2004-10-12T13:05:00.000+08:00

Ah! I killed a dog! I loves dogs....
Damn, playing september 12 really is effective in getting the political message across.
It's a marketplace with civilians and terrorists milling about, and you've got a cross-hair to shoot. So i take careful aim at a terrorist (thinking it's a sniper gun), but a bloody WMD comes out, takes out the terrorist, 2 kids and a dog. Now get this, civilians come to mourn the innocents you kill (their crying makes u more guilty), and then they morph into terrorists!
Soon it becomes evident, you cant win, the more u kill, the more terrorists appear becuz of ur actions.

Now that's what i call 'games with an agenda'.
Kabul Kaboom runs along the same lines, drop bombs and hamburgers at the same time. A moral dilemmna none the less. It wasn't clear of the political meaning of the game till you did the further reading, but the fact that there was more to be said made me look for the answer. Regarding such tough moral issues, it is hard for people's views to agree, but hey remember, contested issues allow a disproportionate amount of arguments to be made.

oh get this, i let september 12 run by itself for a while, and blown up buildings started being rebuilt, and mourners-turned-terrorists morphed back into civilians. Thats probably the closest you'd get to winning the game. If i'd had the chance to make a game, it probably would be an off-shoot of Simcity, where you'd try to rebuild your city, but bombs keep droppin cuz of other people's action (removing agency), or a eco-greeny game, where you'd be a activist protecting the old growth forests, but everytime your avatar goes home after fending of the timber-cutters, he takes a shit and for every toiletpaper he uses, a tree drops down. That's smack-in-ur-face irony if u ask me...

tute introduction: Cyberlife's Creatures

2004-10-11T20:48:00.000+08:00

Sarah Kembers article 'Cyberlife's Creatures' discusses five simulated game worlds. The main focus is on creatures, however the other interesting games include:

Tierra- which consists of a complete virtual world or ecosystem governed by Darwinian evolutionary laws. The program runs for 500 generations, where genomes can be created, replicated or extracted.

Sim Earth - Basically the user creates a planet in any four time scales. They can then physically modify the landscape of the planet and nurture a species to help it evolve intelligence. Strong educational dimension and emphasises the notion of responsibility towards the planet and its occupants.

Sim life - This game is similar to Sim earth but there is more emphasis on the genetics and evolution of plant and animal species. "Sim life is ultimately an environmental and darwinist educational tool".

Sim City - A simulated society/City. Claimed to be the first educational/entertainment software referred to as system simulators. Game involves city planning -> human, economic, survival and political factors. The user must plan, build, manage crime and an economy.

Creatures - is an artificial life computer program series, created in the early 1990s by English scientist Steve Grand. In creatures, the user parents small furry creatures called Norns in a world called Albia. They can teach them how to talk, feed themselves, and protect themselves against vicious creatures called Grendels. Later games in the series introduced a third species, the Ettins. What makes this program so interesting is that they were able to code artificial life organisms from the generic level upwards using a sophisticated biochemistry and neural network brains. This meant that the Norns and their DNA could develop and evolve in increasingly diverse ways, unpredicted by the makers. What I also find interesting is the implementation of the creatures program in the Defence force (pilots) and in the Bank (consumer behaviour) example.

post discussion

2004-10-07T14:07:00.000+08:00

so it would appear that a lot of us are in dispute as to what qualifies as rape and whether or not this so-called internet rape exists or not. it is important to consider the governmental definition of rape as pertaining to the emotional repercussions of the encounter, which was a point that I had not thought about, nor even knew existed. with respect to emotional weight versus physical encounter, although i still feel strongly that violation of the body would lead to a different, perhaps stronger emotional reaction solely on the basis of chemical interactions and reactions, emotional stances on all sorts of rape are to be considered. even Dibbell himself, skeptical at first of such a notion, finds himself more in limbo with his definition of rape, as per occurances over the internet. I really felt strongly that it was a manipulation of the internetal system, creating tools available from the program itself to take advantage of others, but the emotional reactions are the ones not to be ignored. so, maybe.

Internet Rape?

2004-10-05T11:44:00.000+08:00

I don't know about this one guys...

The idea that rape can exist in an intangible cyber-spatial environment dominated and controlled by made up characters, places and actions, that a wizard can arrive and take matters into his own hands, that one can act for others on a computer screen no less!! completely baffles me.

True, it is important to maintain the Foucaultian notion of sex with regard to the mind, articulated in Dibbell's statement that, “when it comes to sex, perhaps the body in question is not the physical one at all, but its psychic double, the bodylike self-representation we carry around in our heads.” (203) So if this is the case, then perhaps Mr. Buggle's actions were really enacted unto Starsinger's body effectually violating her mind as well as her body, and thus bringing her case to point. The tears she cried were real.

However, the unreality of it all comes into play when we stop to recognize who it is exactly hanging out in these MOO chatrooms, there are squirrels, genderless individuals, characters who live with life size dolls of Burroughs, and I can't help but wonder how anyone could take any of this seriously. The college kid underneath Mr. Bungle was trying to see how far he could push it, and his serious punishment might include toading? Big whoop if you ask me. He came right straight back with a new identity after his excommunication and resumed his inappropriateness.

As for the formation of and attempted regularity of the internet and its online communities, I think that the political debates that took place in the chatroom in MOO to discuss Bungle's behavior sum it up, resulting in nothing but just that, debate. In the end, only one man took charge and did something the situation, on his own regard. As for the internet, part of its allure, in fact, much of its allure resides in the freedom that it presents to human beings. So I'd say, don't take the shit so seriously. You're made up too!

"Warblogging as Critical Social Practice"

2004-09-13T21:47:00.000+08:00

Redden, Guy. Caldwell, Nicholas and Nguyen, An. “Warblogging as Critical Social Practice.” Southern Review 36.2 (2003): 68-79.

The authors argue that the internet as a tool for 'open egalitarian expression' is bound to the traditional modes of critical practice. They use warblogging as an example of a new genre that adds a different dimension to mainstream social issues but is heavily reliant on traditional forms of media.

The argument is broken down into four sections:
1. Defining the Weblog – weblogs are date-stamped online journals that usually interact with other online sources. They are generally understood to provide forums for open argument and discussion, but the authors argue that open, alternative communication is not inherent to this format and claim that warblogging relies on mainstream journalism and politics for its focus.

2. Weblog developments – weblogs, served by technological progress, came to the fore after the crisis of September 11. Weblogging with a political slant that covered the ‘War on Terror’ became known as ‘warblogging’.

3. Warblogging and/as Journalism – weblogs have been used in two ways to cover the Iraqi conflict – firstly by people on the ground, but more commonly by those distanced from the conflict who ‘re-mediated others’ perspectives on the war.’ While debate about whether warblogging can be considered journalism continues, the authors argue that bloggers “produce a genre that redefines what counts as news.”

4. Weblogging and New Media Theory – the authors challenge the theory that online communication is distinctive from other social institutions. “In short, new online genres are liable to come about when technological innovations dovetail with broader social, cultural and political influences that spur certain kinds of communication.” Warblogging adds another dimension to mainstream media but “…would lose relevance if it departed too far from mainstream agendas of broad social concern.”

Webliography

2004-09-12T17:02:00.000+08:00

Webliography
Michael de Wolf

Q3) Critically assess the ways in which constructions of identity have been extended and/or altered by information and communication technologies.

In this digital age, the introduction of communication and information technologies has the potential to shift contemporary social thought on the constructions of identity. The Internet and cyberspace can easily promote a social rethinking of gender identity and the culturally constructed patterns of gender in the ‘real’ world. After reading Lisa-Jane McGerty’s (2003) article, it became evident that when the Internet was first introduced, the socially interactional space that is provided through the Internet and cyberspace was considered a space that liberates the body/mind dichotomy and thus the body will eventually lose relevance as a basis for the construction of identity, particularly gender identity. The major questions that arise from this reading include: “Is this gender liberation actually evident in cyberspace and on the Internet?” “How would this liberation of ‘identity construction based on the body’ occur?” “How, then, does On/Off-line experiences change these traditional social thoughts of identity and gender construction?” To answer these central questions, I began with two main searches on Google and Proquest, searching for “Identity and the Internet” and “Constructions of Identity on and off line.” Both searches produced thousands of articles, but after thorough research of the top 40 articles, I was able to locate 6 articles that illustrate the way cyberspace can change traditional social thoughts of identity and gender and that the utopian idea of cyberspace as a space where the “floating free of corporeal experience” can actually occur. However, another issue raised by these articles is that restrictive identity construction can indeed prevail in cyberspace and a corporeal-free experience can be inhibited.

Gender Swapping on the Internet Amy S. Bruckman (1993):

In this article, Bruckman explores this utopia of cyberspace, a space that liberates the body from identity and gender construction. She discusses the ways in which in a text-based virtual world, gender swapping becomes an act of the users in MUDs. In particular, Bruckman argues that, through her empirical research, gender swapping allows for the realization of subtle social phenomena that occur in ‘real’ life. Specifically, she notes that as men masquerade as women on MUDs, they experience unwanted behaviour and are assumed to be technically incompetent; so other male characters offer ‘technical advise’. Male characters expect sexual favours in return for technical assistance, thus assuming that a gift incurs an obligation. “Offering technical help, like picking up the check at dinner, can be used to purchase rather then win a women’s favour.” While this subtle gender power relation can be overlooked in real life, in MUDs it is blatant and directly experienced by most. Her central argument being that gender swapping is an extreme example of a how the network is in the process of changing how we think about ourselves, and our identities.

Identity Management in Cyberspace John Suler

Suler emphasizes this idea that identity that can be extended and thus realized on MUDs by offering a psychological perspective on identity and the Internet. In that, users have the opportunity to deconstruct themselves online and can present as much or as little of them(selves) as they want. According to Role Theory in psychology, this self ‘deconstruction’ gives people the ability to focus on and develop a particular aspect of who they really are. Thus indicating how social ideologies of identity construction can be changed.

Constructions and Reconstructions of Self in Virtual Reality: Playing in the MUDs Sherry Turkle.

Turkle users empirical examples to support this claim and also demonstrate the way in which identities are indeed fluid entities, not static structures, which is how identities are generally considered. She argues that the Internet and cyberspace can indeed alter the way in which we construct and assume social identities, thus allowing us to extend our sense of self. Her candidates are Julee and Peter who use the Internet to reflect on their real life experiences and manage their personal problems as well as social issues. They live through their virtual characters and reconstruct their sense of self through on-line games and text-based domains. Demonstrating then, that the Internet and cyberspace enables the self to explore a social context as well as reflect on its own nature and powers. This promotes a form social consciousness, as people become masters of self-presentation and self-creation.

Identity in Cyberspace Marshall Soules (2001)

Soules’s goal for his essay (Ph. D.) was to explore the interconnections between writing, performance and identity. His central question that he explores is whether or not the self is fixed and determined, or if it is flexible, malleable and capable of refashioning and reconfiguration. In the online environment, he argues, the self is constituted by the texts we choose to display. He also contends that as players participate online, they become authors of themselves and thus construct new selves through social interaction. Mediated communications are giving people the means to reinvent themselves.

Text as Mask: Gender and Identity on the Internet Brenda Danet (1996)

Confirming these ideas of Soules, Danet pays particular attention to the way the Internet and cyberspace is means for users to (re)create gender. She, also, demonstrates the concept of gender identity as fluid and as a social and cultural construction. As users ‘enter’ cyberspace and the Internet (such as MUDs) the conventional signs of gender identity are absent. Thus, it becomes possible for users to change gender, or even completely reject gender roles by textually role-playing. It, hence, becomes possible to ignore the infamous mind/body dichotomy that is so prevalent in contemporary ‘real’ society, and thus allows for avenues of change to way society thinks about gender.

Gender (Re)Production in Online Interaction Jodi O’Brien

O’Brien’s dissertation explores the ways in which contemporary ‘real’ society places extensive importance on gender. She demonstrates this point through an example of Deirdre, once named Donald, and the problems Deirdre experienced as her work colleagues found it difficult to relate to her after her sex change into a women. She relates this to the fact that gender is used to organize interpersonal relationships. She discusses this point in relevance to on-line communication and provides a counter argument to fact that users on MUDs actually remain gender-neutral and ineffectively learn the subtle gender social expectations and constructions. She raises the concept that users in-fact sustain a dichotomy between the on and off line experiences and thus restricting any form of change in ‘real’ contemporary society. In order to provide avenues for and complete social change, users need to be able to effectively remove this boundary and socially learn from their online experiences and vise versa.

These six articles efficiently help to construct a strong argument in relation to the issues of identity construction, particularly gender identity, through the use of the Internet and cyberspace. In the most common form of online social interaction, MUDs, users are said to be able to extend their identity constructions by leaving behind the identity and gender identity cue: the body. It is argued that since identity on the Internet is realized to be simple constructions and indeed fluid, users are able to play around with identity formation ideologies, such as gender swapping and identity deconstruction, to reconstruct themselves. Many articles suggest that due to this realization online, there is room for change in contemporary ‘real’ social thought about identity. However, it can be counter-argued, that this identity realization online, only stays online as users sustain a separation between their on and offline experiences, thus limiting the actual change of social
ideologies of the construction of identities and gender identities.

References:

1) Bruckman, A., (1993), Gender Swapping on the Internet, [online], Available from: www.cc.gatech.edu/elc/papers/bruckman/gender-swapping-bruckman.pdf [8/9/2004].
2) Suler, J., (2003), Identity Management in Cyberspace, [online], available from: http://www.rider.edu/~suler/psycyber/identitymanage.html [9/9/2004].
3) Turkle, S., (2001), Constructions and Reconstructions of Self in Virtual Reality: Playing in MUDs, [online], available from: http://www.mit.edu/sturkle/www/constructions.html [9/9/2004].
4) Soules, M., (2001), Identity in Cyberspace, [online], available from: http://www.mala.bc.ca/~soules/media113/netself.htm [8/9/2004].
5) Danet, B., Text as Mask: Gender and Identity on the Internet, [online], available from: http://www.atar.mscc.nuji.ac.il/-msdanet/mask.html [8/9/2004].
6) O’Brien, J., (2002), Gender (Re)Production in Online Communication, [online] available from: http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/soc/faculty/kollock/papers/comunities_04.htm [9/9/2004].

Technology's impact on the meaning of 'life'

2004-09-10T13:45:00.000+08:00

Catherine Waldby addresses the power and significance of technological progress in several of her works, raising valuable questions about the meaning of ‘life.’ On one hand, she considers the ‘technics of vitality’[1] and its experimentation in Shelley’s 19th century novel Frankenstein. In the article, Waldby draws upon the issue of production through mechanical assembly as opposed to birth. On the other hand, she explores ‘life’ as a sense of ‘digital preservation of the dead’ in The Visible Human Project (VHP). Both examples illustrate ‘life’ as a social construction that is constantly being re-evaluated with technological progress. The underlying issues I would address would include the ethical and moral implications of technological reproduction (in the case of VHP, duplication). That being said, it is also important to note that technological progress also comes with changing social norms, that is, the meaning of ‘life’ may no longer resemble what it used to be. In order to tackle the issue, I used several online sources including Google, the library website, and the online course materials. When doing a search, I looked for terms relating to ‘technology and reproduction of life, ‘meaning of life,’ ‘consciousness in machines’ and even looked up ‘Visible Human Project’ to see if I could find any responses to it. Below are the articles I found most interesting.

Philip Ball explores the possibilities – both ‘risks and rewards’ – of synthetic biology[2]. The article mainly questions the ‘moral dilemmas of applied science and technology’[3] particularly in its application to the modification or creation of living organisms (which are – in their simplest form – single cells). The article provides useful insight to the notion of ‘life’ as a social construction as the author goes on to mention the distressing idea of ‘playing God.’[4] Interestingly, though not intended in my search, the article made multiple references to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Ball suggests that ‘there is greater continuity between Mary Shelley’s tale and modern biochemistry than is often appreciated.’[5] The article possessed a certain anxiety or even fear of the unknown possibilities of science. I found it very relevant in terms of the re-evaluation of the meaning of life.

It was interesting to find that one of the results that were produced from the search term ‘meaning of life’ was titled The Meaning of Natural Childbirth.[6] The article, although primarily concerned with traditional methods of reproduction, offered insightful points on birth and medical technology. Chris Cosans explores the various methods associated with natural childbirth as well as the attitudes of an increasingly ‘technocratic’[7] society. He expresses the increasing concern about ‘the overuse of technology in medicine,’[8] considering attitudes that might ‘lead one to reject natural childbirth over technology’. To illustrate this point, Cosans refers to Aldous Huxley’s literary critique which portrays ‘the tension between technology and motherhood,’[9] in a Brave New World. In this new world, Western culture has lost respect for the human body to the extent that reproduction becomes a mechanized process of making babies in factories.[10] As far fetched as Huxley’s Brave New World may seem – being set in the 26th century – Cosans suggests that the story ‘captures attitudes and movements we face today’[11]. He portrays the fear of what excess medical and technological intervention may bring. Similar to Ball above, Cosans suggests that what we consider to be fiction today may one day become reality. This places question on what we consider to constitute ‘life’ today and in the future.

I also found another article that challenges what is considered to be alive. Christopher Meyer raises the notion of life in the inorganic world.[12] Although he seems to simplify this concept into a short two-page read, the essential idea – that many of life’s properties are being found in non-living systems – is what relates the article to the guiding question. Meyers points out four main life properties and illustrates that such properties are being built into real world devices. More importantly, he points out that ‘the line between organisms and machines in beginning to blur.’[13]

A more complex article studies the notion of life – or consciousness – in machines. Steven Harnad attempts to define a machine, as well as what constitutes vitalism. The article asks more questions than it provides answers, however, it raises many interesting points in the consideration of ‘life.’ What I found most useful was the concept of ‘animism at the heart of vitalism,’[14] and the idea that there is no ‘ghost’ in the machine. Harnad suggests that that ghost is consciousness, which is also the property that is missing. [15] The author reveals several ways of testing machines, however the question lies in whether or not they are really conscious. Harnad defines consciousness as ‘something I am, not something I do…it is something I feel; indeed, it is the fact that I feel.’ [16] He then continues to explore the characteristics and potentials of robotics.

It may also be argued that the meaning of ‘life’ is challenged by Waldby in the Visible Human Project.[17] Stuart Murray raises the issue of the ‘virtual reanimation’[18] of Jernigan’s body. Although his body is no longer alive so to speak, his heart can be made to beat, his limbs to move, and blood to flow through his veins. So what does this impose on the nature of ‘life’? It seems almost as though life can be duplicated if not created, by technology. Murray critically discusses the issues in Waldby’s VHP, including the status and value of life itself.

My final source is also on The Visible Human Project, and is in fact, written by Waldby herself. The chapter[19] raises numerous issues, however, the point of interest is evidently on Waldby’s conceptualization of life force. The author illustrates the significance of the corpse and its impact of the concept of life. Specifically, Waldby compares life force with forces of magnetism, gravity and entropy, criticizing the way biomedicine conceptualizes life. [20]

The six sources discussed all refer to ‘life’ in one way or another, providing alternative viewpoints for its meaning, evaluation and potential significance. Regardless of viewpoint, however, all sources share the common factor of technology. Technological progress has found new ways to both alter and create life forms, creating much social, ethical as well as scientific debate. From fact (synthetic biology) to fiction (Frankenstein), the advance in technology is continually forcing society to re-evaluate the meaning of ‘life.’ As technological progress is vast, social values are constantly being reshaped, changing the way society constructs life.

References

Ball, P. ‘What is Life? Can we make it?’ Prospect Magazine, Article 12744, (August 2004) http://www.prospect-magazine.co.uk/ArticleView.asp?P_Article=12744 (accessed 2 September 2004).

Cosans, C. ‘The Meaning of Natural Childbirth’ Muse, 47.02 (Spring 2004) http://www.icpa4kids.com/pedex/childbirth.pdf (accessed 2 September 2004)

Harnad,S. ‘Can a machine be conscious? How?’ Journal of Consciousness studies, (volume not specified), 2003. http://www.ecs.soton.ac.uk/~harnad/Temp/machine.htm (accessed 4 September 2004).

Meyer, C. ‘The New Facts of Life’, Wired Magazine, 12.02, (February 2004) http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/12.02/machines.html (accessed 2 September 2004).

Murray, S. on C.Waldby’s ‘The Visible Human Project: Informatic Bodies and Posthuman Medicine’ Reconstruction, 2.01, (Winter 2002) http://www.reconstruction.ws/021/revVisibleHP.htm (accessed 7 September 2004).

Waldby, C. 'The Instruments of Life: Frankenstein and Cyberculture' Prefiguring Cyberculture (2002) Cambridge & London: MIT Press, pp28-37.

Waldby,C. The Visible Human Project, London & NY: Routledge, 2000.

Waldby, C. ‘The Visible Human Project: Data into Flesh, Flesh into Data’, Wild Biology (May 1996) http://wwwmcc.murdoch.edu.au/ReadingRoom/VID/wildbiol1.html (accessed September 7 2004).

Diary of a Webdiarist:ethics go online

2004-09-08T08:57:00.000+08:00

Webdiary serves as a virtual space, where journalist Margo Kingston posts her criticisms and views on federal politics.Accordingly, she posts emails by her readers that respond to her writings that either contend or agree with her views.

Kingston defines ethics online,in the context of her webdiary and what she does with it, as trust, and as a ideal that should be carried out. 'Trust' in this context is defined as a her readers trusting the credibility of her writings, and of her reasons for posting their replies to her work, as well as her role of accountability for whatever decision (in terms of what she posts)she makes in the webdiary. Kingston extends the level of trust by openly publishing vehement criticisms of her work, in hope of generating a balanced, open debate and discussion. She feels that this 'gives real meaning and muscle to the code of ethics' and on a personal level enriches her thinking. For the few occassions when she had readers contend her views in a particularly aggressive way, she turns the table around by asking the reader to generate or start a discursive dialogue, therefore acting as 'sub-moderators' of the webdiary.

Kingston also touches briefly on the reluctance of media groups to publish corrections due to defensiveness on their part, the lack of accountability for any error, and to avoid the hassle of complaints. From this, Kingston raises the issue of how ethics can be seen as a tool of empowerment rather than burden, and the sense that 'ethical matters need not be matters for confrontation, but for conversation and resolution.'

Despite the freedom of expressivity that is apparent in Kingston's webdiary, she has one rule when it comes to publishing the replies of her readers who want to remain anonymous. In keeping with the open and 'nothing-to-hide' nature of her webdiary, while at the same time retaining respect for her readers' wishes, Kingston gets them (for those who wish to write under a non de plume) to state if they were in fact using a non de plume, and why. She then publishes their reasons on top of their replies when she posts them in the blog. A critical exception that Kingston makes is never to publish personal slurs under a non de plume.

From the way the article concluded, i gathered that her way of conducting her webdiary has paid off, for when she was accused by a politician for blaming the people who died in the Bali bombings for their own deaths, readers responded in defence to her views due to the fact that she 'published the relevant extracts from the press conference, a transcript of Carr's radio interview on the matter and the column I (she) thought he could have based his allegation on.'

The Good, The Bad and The Virtual : Ethics in the Age of Information

2004-09-07T19:09:00.000+08:00

-In this essay, Poster describes the ongoing relationship between media and ethics to be a complex one. Each new medium seems to trigger a trend of paranoia as it “deterritorialize culture” and destabilizes the core of ethical practices.

-Poster chooses to use the term “Virtual” as a categorization that makes it hard to adhere to existing definitions of good and bad.

-Ethics as a problem
· Is it possible to apply the same ethical standards and moral judgments used to evaluate face-face speech acts to mediated cultural acts (television, phones, internet)?
· The issue of real life vs virtual world, should the same standards be deployed?
· The limitations of real life ethics in a virtual sphere. New systems of valuation required.

Ethics :
· Bounded by particular times and spaces.
· The boundaries and comfort zones began to crumble with digitalized networks, portable appliances and an advancement of technology that further blurs the lines between real relations and virtual relations.
· Ethics were made in a different era and context. Evolves and varies in perspectives does not included mediated culture.

-Historical discourse looking at the way ethics in relation to its context has changed since the premodern period.

Uses the theories of philosophers
· Kant’s ethics(1949): Universalization of ethical domain
· Kierkeggard: Religion and Ethics
· Levinas: The Other
· Nietzsche(1967) : Genealogy of morals
(pronounced as ‘ni-cha’ according to the Germans)

-The INFORMATION AGE
Before the Web was created in 1993, there was no apparent danger in the Net community (1969-1993). It was an open, safe and trusted environment.However, the forms of conflict that appeared were unparallel to that of real life in its form due to the very nature of the net (spamming and flaming).

These conflicts were thought to be easily regulated with the introduction of ‘netiquette’ where the protocols of online behavior disseminated and were adopted quickly.

After 1993 the WWW attracted millions of people and caused an influx of net users that overwhelmed the net culture and the policies of netiquette never kept up.

Other forms of broadcast media further complicated the ethics of the new media as it increased the net’s reputation by constantly discussing its contents which are deemed “unethical” in the real world. Non-net users became thoroughly informed of the experiences and judged the virtual world though not being part of it.

-Ethics on the internet
Media changes the ethical environment. This is especially so in the case of the internet where what is held apart in real life is mixed together to produce a jarring spectrum of humanity that we often ignore or disapprove of.

With the internet, the content and actions no longer fall under ethical rules that apply in real life.
Poster discusses the issues which brings about large debate
· Anonymity of Identity
· Data/Information Overload
· Censorship

New form of moral restraint required?

-Discourse on ethical machines
· Ethical subject is placed in the limelight.
Pertinent question : How can identity in cyberspace conform with identity in real life?
What is the nature of the communicating subject and its relation with the ‘real’ subject?

· Donath’s : Deception and Identity theory.
She believes in imposing real world standards onto the internet though acknowledging its uniqueness.

-Habermas’s Discourse ethics
The theory is not applicable to the internet as it focuses on face-to-face speech and social interaction.

-Conclusion
· Poster urges a partial application of the Nietzschean perspective of the moralities of good/bad and good/evil. Nietzsche proposed a “transvaluation of all values” to an enhancement of “life”.

· He also calls for a new theory of the political as a collective determination of the good in a context in which individual determination of the good (self-censorship etc) takes less prominence than in the modern or print era.

Kath Albury's article "The Ethics of Porn on the Net"

2004-09-07T09:21:00.000+08:00

“It is the Internet’s diversity and capacity for participation and change, which offers to make the most positive difference to the ways that sex and sexuality are represented pornographically” (Albury, p.208)

Kath Albury’s article, “The Ethics of Porn on the Net” aims to challenge traditional ideas of the “immorality” of pornography by probing a particular type of “amateur” porn that is gaining prevalence on the Internet. Firstly, the article examines the major ‘immorality’ views that have popularly prevailed, including the ideas that pornography commodifies and un-sanctifies sex as well exploits women and perpetuates a limited meaning of a sexually attractive body.

Albury then looks at the rise of “porno communities” on the Internet, and how studies such as British Sociologist’s Don Slater actually call for a review of the conventional negative notions of pornography. It has been estimated that 70% of online porn is produced by “non-professionals.” Non-professionals referring to individuals not a part of the commercial porn industry, that is, “ordinary” individuals whom are likely to have an “ordinary” day job. The active participants are both male and female, and the sites include discussion and reflection about sexuality and sexual experiences. There are numerous Pornographic sites that include non-conventional ideas of the sexually desirable, including “Hair to Stay,” “Amputees are Beautiful” and “Zatfig, Sex for the Well Rounded.” In interviews, many of the “amateur” produces have commented on their distaste of the “generic” products from the Commercial Porn industry As such, the Internet has provided an arena for people to anonymously explore their sexualities, and to subvert conventional ideas of sex and the sexually attractive.

The idea of “ethics” in relation to pornography is then discussed. Albury aims to clearly separate the term “ethics” with that of “morals.” Drawing on Foucault’s work, Albury states that “morals” are a matter of rights and wrongs imposed externally, whereas ethics are far less rigid by nature and they involve a subjective, personal and community element. It is this take on “ethics” that makes for a more positive understanding of the “amateur” pornsites that are proliferating on the Internet. Overall, the Albury’s article was effective in being able to provide an alternative view of pornography online, and deconstructed to some extent the negative stigma given to it as an all-encompassing category.

Webliography

2004-09-06T22:31:00.000+08:00

3. Critically assess the ways in which constructions of identity have been extended and/or altered by information and communication technologies.

Introduction:
"No longer is a matter of physical attributes, identity made intelligible through the art of self-performance. And 'self' in this(virtual) realm is anything but fixed; it is as multiple as the imagination, unstable and infinitely 'morphable’.” [1]

The realm of the virtual world offers a myriad of identities and personas that one can easily build and amend at a click of a mouse. The potential for diversity and multiplicity is endless and as Herrup says “infinitely morphable”. To fully grasp the extent of this question, it is imperative to define the nature of ‘identity’ in the cyber culture and explore the different ways users consciously or unconsciously extend and alter the construction of themselves in various virtual realms. The power of the internet to personalise and at the same time typify people is a potent and complex one.

1.Cyberculture :Cyber-Identity and Virtual Community
Ng’s site[2] is a great introductory site to what cyber culture, cyber identity and virtual communities are and how they function. It is a useful starting point to begin research as it is well organised, comprehensive and contains a good range of links and sources. Ng uses work from Suler and Turkle that gives comprehensive theoretical backing his writing.

He analyses identity in cyberspace versus the real world and believes in the “parallel existence” of the two worlds and that the real world influences the virtual world thus affecting what one portrays onto the cyber identity. A certain aspect of a person’s experiences and desires will be projected directly and indirectly. He goes on to acknowledge the importance of socialisation in virtual communities such as chat rooms that will help to alter and construct a person’s online identity.

2.The psychology of cyberspace :Identity Management in Cyberspace
In this site[3], John Sula offers a psychological perspective to cyber identity in the virtual arena and states that a person's identity ‘embodies multiplicity’. He analyses how the virtual world ‘offers a niche for each of these specific facets of selfhood’ or in other words, it creates a diverse avenues for people to unravel and expose their multifaceted personalities. He mentions the ‘deconstruction’ of self that occurs online and believes in the balance of this assortment of identities to be a “healthy” state of mental health. He does bring up a point that identity markers through the medium of ‘verbalisers’ can be a conscious and sub-conscious effort; he believes one must strive to gain some form of consciousness in the construction of identity to become a better person online. I found Sula’s work particularly interesting and it revealed a fresh and insightful aspect of cyber identity online and the power we have to determine its outcome.

3.Identity and Deception in the Virtual Community
In this article[4], Donath begins by acknowledging the importance of identity in an online world. She uses the quote from Sartre``I am my body to the extent that I am,'' and contrasts this physical definition from the implications of virtual identity. The virtual world is one that thrives and functions using information and like free particles the information diffuses across an endless space. “The inhabitants of this impalpable space are also diffuse, free from the body's unifying anchor. One can have, some claim, as many electronic personas as one has time and energy to create”.
Donath uses Usenet as an example and distinguishes it from fantasy and imaginary realms like MUD. And yet in these worlds, identity deceptions exist for a number of reasons and results in certain effects as well.She lists out a number of signals of deception and identity cues that will hint an identity deception such as account name/ID, identity “voice” and “language”, signals, writing style, signature. Then again, these can be concealed and altered as well. Towards the end of her article she makes a powerful point on the architecture of the online environment and how the virtual “architects” are responsible in ensuring a design of an online structure which would enable us to attain maximum knowledge of the people we are in virtual contact with.

4.Who Am We?: We are moving from modernist calculation toward postmodernist simulation, where the self is a multiple, distributed system.
‘Who am We?’ [5] by Sherry Turkle further explores the notion of an extended identity brought about by the advancement of communication technology such as internets in the form of countless chatrooms. This has created a free experimentation of identity creation and role playing in a limitless extent. “Now real life itself may be, as one of Turkle's subjects says, "just one more window."
Everything from SimLife to MUD opens another window to a new identity. She goes into a study of MUDs and its anonymity which gives people an avenue for self exploration and multiple personas. The fluidity of identity construction is evident in this virtual world, as people bring not merely what they are but what they wish for and what they never dared to be into an extended version of what they are from behind the key board. The notion of the self not only being “decentered but multiplied without limit” is explored and she provides a series of case studies to fuel her point.

5."Race In/For Cyberspace: Identity Tourism and Racial Passing on the Internet"

Lisa Nakamura’s [6] article was very useful in understanding racial identity and its altering nature in the virtual world. She states that identity can be created at will, where gender, age, race, etc can be altered and manipulated. She used LambdaMoo as the chosen medium where programming features (such as the ability to physically "set" one's gender, race, and physical appearance) are offered to the participants to construct a ‘theatrical’ online identity.
At LambdaMoo, writing a self description is the first component to the participant’s cyber identity.The majority of players do not mention race in their self description, and use pronouns to indicate a male or a female gender. A noticeable choice is made to exclude racial description so as perhaps not to feel “excluded”, as all players are assumed to be the default “white, male, highly educated, and middle class”. Here, it is possible to be a tourist of races and identities where one can construct a sense of exoticness by adopting an Oriental or Asian identity, perpetuating racial stereotypes and myths on the internet. Nakamura makes strong points with references to Butler and Haraway on the subject of racial and gender identify and inequalities in LambdaMoo and across the internet.

6.BABES ON THE WEB: Sex, Identity and the Home Page
Marj Kibby[7] addresses a dominant feminist conflict where the body is the object of the gaze. She provides an in-depth account of how woman on the web seem to be stuck in a paradox where they want to disconnect sexuality from their identity but they seem to incorporate it as an ‘integral part’ of their identity when given the ability to construct an image of themselves through homepages etc. She provides sound rationale behind such behavioural patterns and uses many examples on the web and theories from Bakhtin and Goffman to validate her points. She sums it saying that “boundaries between the self and the body are in a state of flux under the impact of technological development, the divisions between the identity and the body blurred by the mediations of technology”.

Conclusion
This research has brought about a whole new level of understanding and appreciation in regard to the diverse elements of the construction of identity and how it evolves and alters in the virtual world, an extension from the body behind the screen. The different sources reveal that through the advancement of technology a liberating and yet disempowering force has emerged. Identity is now a multi-faceted construct bounded only by imagination. However, due to the lack of responsibility and knowledge both by the ‘architects’ and users of an unchecked virtual world, elements of identify such as race and gender has also become marginalised and bounded unnecessarily.

References(footnotes)

[1] Mocha J. Herrup, ‘Virtual Identity’ in To Be Real: Telling the Truth and Changing the Face of Feminism, ed. Rebecca Walker (New York: Anchor Books, 1995) pp. .
[2] Kevin Ng, ‘Cyberculture: Cyber-Identity and Virtual Community’, University of Alberta, (2003) http://www.ualberta.ca/~kbng/Cyberculture.html (accessed 20 August 2004).
[3] John Suler, ‘Identity Management in Cyberspace’,The Pyschology of Cyberspace (May 1996) http://www.rider.edu/~suler/psycyber/identitymanage.html (accessed 19 August 2004).
[4] Judith S. Donath, ‘Identity and Deception in the Virtual Community’, MIT Media Lab (November 1996) http://smg.media.mit.edu/people/Judith/Identity/IdentityDeception.html (accessed 19 August 2004).
[5] Sherry Turkle, ‘Who Am We’, Wired Magazine, 4.02, (January 1996) http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/4.01/turkle_pr.html (accessed 26 August 2004).
[6] Lisa Nakamura, ‘Race In/For Cyberspace: Identity Tourism and Racial Passing on the Internet’, Humanities UCI, http://www.humanities.uci.edu/mposter/syllabi/readings/nakamura.html (accessed 20 August 2004).
[7]Marj Kibby, ‘BABES ON THE WEB: Sex, Identity and the Home Page’Media International Australia, No. 84, (May 1997), pp.39-45, http://www.newcastle.edu.au/discipline/sociol-anthrop/staff/kibbymarj/babes.html (accessed 31 August 2004).

Mark Poster article - "Consumption and Digital Commodities in the Everyday."

2004-09-06T19:40:00.000+08:00

I intially found this article quite difficult to read and understand, but listening to the lecture today helped to create understanding. I found the article interesting, and the section on digital consumption was quite useful.

Poster begins by discussing the way in which 'the visual space of contemporary urbanity is a mosaic of images and texts all selling something...' (410) He also suggests such bombardments are inescapable within the 'private' sphere of the home, that individuals are constantly rendered as consumers.

However, Poster argues that digital technology has erroded the producer/consumer dichotomy in relation to cultural objects (songs, movies, performances etc.). The ease of manipulation of digitised cultural objects creates the new position of 'consumers cum users/creators' (419). Poster sums this up by stating 'digital media redically transform both the cultural object and the subject position of the character.' (417)

The article ends with Poster outlining attempts by major cultural companies to maintain the producer/consumer relationship through methods such as 'dematerialising' cultural products to a pay-per-view system, so that there is no longer an 'object at all, only access.' (419)

Overall, while I found the first half of this article to be slightly confusing, it provided an interesting basis for considering the changing nature of consumption in the digital realm.

Webliography Responses

2004-09-06T08:42:00.000+08:00

For guidelines on making your Responses to your peer's Critical Annotated Webliographies, please see details here.

Webliography

2004-09-06T07:34:00.000+08:00

Question 3: Critically assess the ways in which constructions of identity have been extended and/or altered by information and communication technologies.

What constitutes identity in the virtual world, or worlds of the Internet? Technologies such as chatrooms, MUDs, games like The Sims or infinite number of forums and virtual communities allow us to redefine and reify our identity on the Internet by creating virtual worlds that are often based in a mystical, fantasy-like setting. Drawing from the many articles online that have been written about MUD-ding and its sociological implications, there is undeniably an aesthetic appeal that draws users into creating identities for themselves that allow them to express aspects of themselves that they might not necessarily reveal to the real world around them. Webrings have been formed to unify countless websites that employ webcam technologies - many of which are positioned to reveal an area of the home where the person does his/her work or eats and sleeps. For what purpose do they open up their privacy to millions of viewers around the world? Does it bother them that their privacy might be invaded? For the average Internet user who thinks nothing of the implications of registering for a free email, there is way through which the user is forced to define his/her identity within a provided range of options Lisa Nakamura describes it as a “cybertyping”[1] which is the way a user has to make use of various checkboxes to define his/her identity. It is in this way that there is a paradox to be found in the way that people are able to manipulate the Internet to represent true or completely false aspects of themselves for their advantage, but at the same time have their identities altered to a series of ticks in checkboxes.

Some of the sources that I have chosen to use for this webliography present a practical demonstration of how identity is extended or altered online, and the rest of the sources are theoretical discourses on what are the ways in which identity is portrayed or created.

1. Live Webcams: Holly and her magic coffeebeans, Blind Larry and many, many others

Webcam Central[2] has been described by ZDnet as “the virtual voyeur’s hub of choice”. A glance at the simple navigation menu by the side is but a brief introduction to the hundreds of web cameras (or webcams for short) links that the website features. It lists a variety of webcams installed in different places ranging from more conventional places such as airports and schools to the remote and obscure like a castle or even outer space. The link for ‘home’ led me to browse through a long list of people who open up their lives for viewing via the webcam. Blind Larry[3] and Holly[4] are but two of the many individuals or communities who have chosen to open their homes to the virtual community. Through the medium of a web camera installed in the home, we are able to have a glimpse into the lives of other people around the world and perhaps relate to their pleasures and other activities. The webcam contrives to provide us a sense of immediacy to our consciousness that other people ‘exist’, and are going about their everyday lives just as we are; a webcam globalises identities by connecting us through the medium of viewing, even if we are allowed to preview each others’ doings selectively.

Hence in this way, identity is altered and extended at the same time in the way that we are limited to knowing selective aspects of a person, but due to that very fact, we are kept guessing and keep returning to watch and wait for a number of possibilities that might open up to us and reveal more about the person.

2. Friendster: a virtual community
Friendster[5] behaves like a virtual community in the way people can link their friends, make new friends and discover people with similar interests via browsing the network. The use of a bulletin board, fill-in-the-blanks spaces to describe one’s age, location and interests, testimonial writing and the ability to upload personal pictures in a Friendster account are but some of the ways in which a person’s identity can be extended or altered. An interesting phenomenon that is occurring within Friendster’s community is the proliferation of ‘communities within a community’ –for example, one can set up an account for current and past UWA students – in this way, an online ‘alumni’ is formed. The amount of friends, or the type of friends that are found in a person’s account also contribute towards helping one form an impression of that person’s character and personality – for example, if I have 500 ‘friends’ on my account (the maximum number of people who can be on a person’s account is 500), which includes a seemingly ‘cool’ and popular community like ‘TheBeautifulAndBrainy’, anyone browsing through his/her personal network and who came across my page would tend to think that I am an extremely popular, outgoing person.

3. Role-playing: The Art of MUD-ding

MUDs[6], or Multi-User Dungeons are virtual communities that often have a fantasy-like setting through which players can assume any identity they wish and eat, sleep, fight, have sex, kill, steal and do many other things. There is an extensive range of sources that comment on the social implications of MUD-ding and how people can gender-swap, assume any identity the wish and lead a second life online. Wired.com[7] features an article by Sherry Turkle that has an in-depth discussion about the politics and implications of MUDs and showcases interviews with regular MUD-ders.
Another good article to refer to, by Turkle would be the one entitled “Constructions and Reconstructions of Self in Virtual Reality: Playing in the MUDs”[8]. Here, Turkle explores the ambiguity of the line between reality and virtual reality in the world of MUD-ding and she brings up the problem of how the virtual might replace the real for someone who has MUD-ding integrated into his/her life to the extent where they ‘live’ through their virtual identities by claiming that they can only really be themselves while they are online.

4.The Construction of Identities on the Internet: an Interorganisational Approach[9]

Lamb and Poster attribute the contradictory state of the emancipation and constrained state of identity to the work of “organisational individuals”, a term that I will explain further in the later part of this annotation. they explore the contradiction of the way in which identity takes on a dual role of emancipation and constraint. Drawing their ideas from a wide range of sources that have been produced by writers such as Sherry Turkle, they claim that emancipation occurs through the “malleability” of the Internet, that through the medium of digital images and the hypertextual nature of electronic text, one is able to reinterpret their personalities online.

Lamb and Roster explain the difference between an organisational individual and an atomic individual by stating that the former, while lacking the qualities of an “integrated self”, is shaped by factors termed as “collective identities”, which comprises of job portfolio, designation, projects and so on. The rest of the article goes into an in-depth analysis of what are the factors that go into shaping a profile and how organisational individuals ‘profile’ others while being ‘profiled’ themselves.

Albeit having a tough time sorting through the heavy load of information, I feel that this article proved to be useful because it went a step further in exploring the economic and sociological factors that contribute towards the formation of online identities. A particularly interesting point that stuck out to me was the idea that the Internet’s components are malleable.

references:

[1]Lisa Nakamura, “Menu-Driven Identities: making race online happen”, Cybertypes,NY & London: Routledge, 2002, pp.101-135
[2] Webcam Central, (1996), http://www.camcentral.com/ (accessed 31/08/04)
[3]Blind Larry, http://www.garrisi.com/webcam.htm (accessed 31/08/04)
[4]Holly, http://www.holly-cam.com (accessed 31/08/04)
[5]Friendster.com, (2004), http://www.friendster.com (accessed 01/09/04
[6]Top Mud sites: your one-stop MUD resource, (2004), http://www.topmudsites.com/(accessed 01/09/04)
[7]Sherry Turkle, ‘Who Am We?’, Wired Magazine 4.01, (January 1996), http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/4.01/turkle.html (accessed 01/09/04)
[8]Sherry Turkle, “Constructions and Reconstructions of Self in Virtual Reality: Playing in the MUDs”, (1994), http://web.mit.edu/sturkle/www/constructions.html,(accessed 01/09/04)
[9] Roberta Lamb, Mark Poster, ‘Transitioning toward an Internet culture: An interorganisational analysis of identity construction from online services to intranets’, http://lamb.cba.hawaii.edu/pubs/InetCulture.pdf, (accessed 01/09/04)

Webliography

2004-09-05T23:53:00.000+08:00

Francesca Hoffman

Introduction: Constructed identity is resultant of many variables and projected actions, gendered or raced subjectivity and individuality. With respect to the effects that the internet may have had on such constructions, it is essential to delve into the provocative nature of such a question, and to do so, one must seek to understand the question of identity itself, and how it might be altered in such a potentially anonymous (or not) framework: the internet, in this case. Identity possesses a potentiality for previously unheard of, thought of or experienced freedom. Different users choose to embrace or ignore different pieces of the online lifestyle, reflecting and creating new identities for themselves and others, while choosing to maintain the already known. The mind/body relationship with regard to the internet, or digital culture, is a subject in much debate. However, as Lisa-Jane McGerty puts it, “The virtual identity, as it is often implied, can bear as much or as little relation to the “real” self as the user desires, in terms of gender, age, profession, disability, sexuality and even race.”(338) Construction has become a choice. You can construct yourself within your own self-awareness, or choose to obey the socially constructed individualistic tendencies that already exist.

TEXT AS MASK: Gender and Identity on the Internet[1]
This article bears particular relevance to the ideology behind “passing,” and gender stereotyping. Danet addresses issues of gender through her acknowledgement and reconciliation of the Internet as a means by which to create gender, to enforce notions of fluidity within gender as it occurs in a chat room or a message board. “Cyberspace is a strange new, frontier-like "space" without physicality; when we "enter" it, we leave our bodies behind.” [2] These notions of the mind/body dichotomy are provocative; however, as identity is re-sculpted online, it becomes impossible to ignore the apparent influence of the mind versus the body. The internet allows for the user to completely recreate him or herself as one or the other gender, if he or she so pleases. Nicknames or identities chosen on IRC or MOO (role playing text based virtual realities) may be gender ambiguous. On MOO, not only are there fixed gender identities to choose from, but also the option is there to create your own, or to reject gender roles altogether.
.
BABES ON THE WEB: Sex, Identity and the Homepage[3]
This article demonstrates a sexually oriented conflict resulting in the perpetuation of such rampant sexual imagery. Contrary to Danet’s article, Kibby calls for an integration of the mind/body analysis in cyberspace, emphasizing the opportunity that an individual, particularly women in her analysis, has to create an sexual image of his/herself using the tools of cyberspace. A homepage is generally carefully designed and coordinated, and thus allows for a complete construction of the self or subject exactly as the creator surmises, be it sexually attractive or intellectual and so forth. This sort of mind body cohesion is similar to Haraway’s notion of the collapse of the boundaries of body, resultant of technological advancement. The boundaries between mind and body are blurring in cyberspace, but the mind body problem is still largely epistemic and debatable.

Cultural Uses of New, Networked Internet Information and Communication Technologies: Implications for US Latino Identities[4]
Computer mediated communications foster a more equalized social dynamic, via the internet and cyber space. Because the Internet is non-hierarchical, meaning all users are capable of attaining the same access and entering the same chat rooms, there is less inhibition among individuals riding the waves of cyberspace. This lack of inhibition leads to a reduction in socialized and psychological differences between groups of different class, ethnicity, race, and etc. A re-texualization of the verbal has resulted in an equalization and regeneration of identity within individuals previously excluded and misrepresented in cultural systems. In Lillie’s study, US Latinos were a part of this previously excluded group, and he found that use of the internet not only increased visibility but the information presented on particular sites served to educate as well. Knowledge is simply easier to fall upon, and ethnic identity stylistically accessible.

THE INTERNET AS UTOPIA: An Overview of the Debate [5]
“Many times in cyberspace I felt it necessary to say that I was human. Once, I was told that i existed primarily as a voice in somebody's head.” (Pandora’s Vox) This quote refers to the loss of identity upon the internet as described by Donna Haraway in her descriptive explanation of the cyborg, and its assimilation and connection (or lack thereof) with humanistic identity. This loss of individual humanistic identity is another perspective of the wage of internet unto persona, for to be so consumed and alive in an intangible space is difficult to concede. Therefore, some individuals choose to reject the notion of identity at all within cyberspace. The notion of a utopian internet is both far fetched, yet not at the same time, for it is constructed and inhabited by positive identity starving humans, who seek a place to exist without the judgements and inhumanity that they might otherwise face in another world, or in this case, the physical world.

The Internet: An Ethnographic Approach [6]
This article is useful with respect to the discovery of the self and identity within the constraints or freedoms that we consider the Internet. Miller and Slater touch upon notions of prescriptive identity and the opportunity the user has to recreate his or himself based on ideals and goals that in reality have never been met, the internet as representing again, a quasi-utopian notion of objectified natural or essential identities. The idea of “expansive realization” plays with the way that individuals interact with themselves in a technological cyber-spatial setting, creating a means through which one can enact a version of him or herself that may be what one thinks he/she is or what one wants to be, true to form or not. The internet offers such identity-driven choices.

The Presentation of Self in Electronic Life: Goffman on the Internet[7]
Goffman distinguishes and discussions the important differences between face-to-face interactions and those that take place via the Internet. Face to face, there is not only the verbal information given, but there is the information that is “given off,” or inferred, from body language, facial expression, and so forth. Online, there are none of these physical cues to work from, so instead communication takes place mostly through the explanation of one’s own identity and through the expressive technologies that have been created thus far. One can survey and characterize him or herself by the inclusion of certain categories, to frame his or her own identity by introducing personal qualities in conjunction with interests, experience or stylistic flair, and this framework serves to create the electronic identity, the you that is not wholly yourself.

Conclusion: Through the extent of this research, I have found that there are many different views on the effects that the Internet has on the constructions of identity, and that the power that the Internet does grant to its users is indeed the power to recreate the self. The alteration and extensions of identity within the freedoms of Internet based communication have increased the levels of promiscuity and lowered inhibitions, for public self representation and self-imposed identity ultimately lead to new levels of confidence, at least in cyberspace. Whether or not we are losing ourselves in all of the intangible space is another question, highly addressed yet still unanswerable by the authors of these articles, but the general consensus is that self[(re)selective]construction is a powerful tool, only granted by our good friend, the Internet.

Sources:
1. Danet, Brenda. http://atar.mscc.huji.ac.il/~msdanet/mask.html
2. Gibson, 1984; Benedikt, 1991, Introduction; Stone, 1991; Biocca, 1992).
3. Marj Kibby Media International Australia No 84 May 1997:39-45 http://www.newcastle.edu.au/discipline/sociol-anthrop/staff/kibbymarj/babes.html
4. Lillie, Jonathan James McCreadie. http://www.ibiblio.org/jlillie/thesis.html . 1998
5. Humdog, “Pandora’s Vox: On Community in Cyberspace.” In: High Non on the Electronic Frontier: Conceptual Issues in Cyberspace, 1996. http://utopia.nypl.org/I_meta_2.html
6. Miller, Daniel and Slater, Don. Out June 2000. (Oxford: Berg) http://ethnonet.gold.ac.uk/chapter.html
7. Miller, Hugh, Department of Social Sciences, The Nottingham Trent University
Paper presented at Embodied Knowledge and Virtual Space Conference.
Goldsmiths' College, University of London, June 1995 http://ess.ntu.ac.uk/miller/cyberpsych/goffman.htm

Webliography

2004-09-05T20:21:00.000+08:00

Critically Annotated Webliography

To answer the question; ‘Critically asses the ways in which constructions of identity have been extended and/or altered by information and communication technologies’, I would firstly have to define what constructs our identity in the first place. To do this I would use the online dictionary. According to this source, identity is the set of behavioural or personal characteristics by which an individual is recognizable as a member of a group (Dictionary.com 2004). In my essay I would discuss how elements of identity such as gender, race, class, religion and personality have been affected by technology. My main argument for the essay would be that identity has been altered by information and communication technologies. Online identities can be constructed and reconstructed. The online sources I will need, to answer the question, should tell me how technology has enabled this change in identity.

The second source I have found for my essay is an online article by Alex Kramer. The article is a reflection of Sherry Turkle's essay; ‘Constructions and Reconstructions of Self in Virtual Reality: Playing in the MUDS’. It is useful to me, as it picks out the important parts from Sherry Turkle’s work, and simplifies the major argument of the text. This article talks about people interacting in text based virtual realities, and how they are able to use them to work through issues of personal identity (Alex Kramer 2000). The suitability of this source and a measure of its credibility should not be assessed unless something is known about the author. The article provides a link to the author’s name. When clicked on. The link takes you to information on a different person which is a bit dodgy to say the least. So, little is known about the author of this article and as a result caution should be taken when reading. However, there is still useful information and some interesting ideas which will certainly help when answering the question.

The third source I would have used when answering the question is a paper written by Lisa Nakamura from Sonoma State University. This paper is full of interesting ideas about identity and its associations with information and communication technologies. In her introduction she states, “the internet and other telecommunications technologies, which claim to eradicate the notion of physical distance and firm boundaries not only between users and their bodies but between topoi of identity as well” (Lisa Nakamura 1998). This quote indicates the main idea behind her paper, which is relevant to the ideas I will be presenting in my essay. Although there is limited information, I believe the author to be credible. The paper has been presented to Duke University, which to me, gives a sense of reliability. In technological terms, 1998 is relatively out-of-date, but I believe the ideas in the text haven’t lost their relevance. The purpose of this text is unknown, however it was written for some academic purpose and not just as a publication of ideas.

Another source I would have used in my essay is a pre-discussion paper written by Leslie Henrickson, who is a graduate from the school of education and information studies at the University of California. The paper was written as a pre-lecture paper. It was written in 2000 which gives it quite good pertinent credibility. The ideas and arguments raised in this paper are very ‘on-track’ with the direction of my discussion to the essay question. It raises many interesting questions such as; “Are there permanent effects on my sensory capabilities from using communication technologies? If so, how will these effect who I think I am?” (Leslie Henrickson 2000).

The next source I have found for my essay is a text called The Virtual Class by Arthur Kroker. In this text he promotes an idea about a new virtual class. He believes that it is necessary for people to adopt the latest digital technologies and adapt to these or we will fall behind, become uncompetitive, and be bypassed by those who do adopt these technologies (Kroker 1998). This source is useful to me as it raises many interesting points about identity relying on technology. The text was written six years ago, so is a little bit out of date but the ideas are, as before, still very relevant. The author received a Ph.D. in Political Science from McMaster University. I believe the text was written for educational purposes and is credible.

The sixth source I have found is an article by Vernon Reed called Adaptive Dissociation in Cyberspace. This text raises ideas about identity being manipulated and reconstructed in cyberspace. The author has an impressive online resume which shows a long history of academic study. He has also been a lecturer at the University of Texas at Austin. The date of the article is not given but I believe it is relatively recent as he has cited work from current sources. This source is useful to me because the ideas raised fit well with the question I want to answer. The only draw back is the questionable level of credibility, as it seems the text was written just so Reed could express his opinion.

The seventh source I have found to be useful is an online text called The psychology of cyberspace. This is a very useful source, as the author, John Suler raises many ideas about our identity in relation to technology. John Suler is a credible author as he has impressive academic records including a PhD. The article comes from an online book which was written in 1996. The eighth source for my essay comes from the same web homepage as this article. It’s called E mail communication and relationships. This is a very interesting article and relates well to the essay I would be writing.

All of the articles and online sources will be useful for my essay. Some have more reliable information and credible authors but the ideas raised in each text, are still very useful.

Reference List:

Dictionary.com (2004), Online dictionary [Online], Available from:
<http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=identity> [Accessed 27th Aug 2004]

Henrickson, L. (2000), Communications Technology and Personal Identity Formation, [Online], Available from: <http://ifets.ieee.org/periodical/vol_3_2000/henrickson.html> [Accessed 29th Aug 2004]

Kramer, A. (2000), Virtue or Vice?, [Online], Available from: <http://sjsu.sjweb.net/32/reaction1.html> [Accessed 28th Aug 2004]

Kroker, A. (1998), The Virtual Class, [Online], Available from: <http://leroy.cc.uregina.ca/~gingrich/apr998.htm> [Accessed 28th Aug 2004]

Nakamura, L. (1998), After/Images of Identity: Gender, Technology, and Identity Politics, [Online], Available from: <http://www.educ.sfu.ca/gentech/Nakamura.html> [Accessed 28th Aug 2004]

Reed, V. (Unknown), Adaptive Dissociation in Cyberspace, [Online], Available from: <http://www.bioapparat.com/dissociation.html>, [Accessed 27th Aug 2004]

Suler, J. (1996), The Psychology of Cyberspace, [Online], Available from: <http://www.truecenterpoint.com/ce/essentials3.html>, [Accessed 28th Aug 2004]

Suler, J. (1996), E-Mail Communication and Relationships, [Online], Available from: <http://www.truecenterpoint.com/ce/emailrel.html>, [Accessed 28th Aug 2004]

Critical Annotated Webliography: Qn 4

2004-09-05T15:10:00.000+08:00

Qn 4) From Frankenstein to the Visible Human Project, technological ‘progress’ has always forced society to re-evaluate the meaning of ‘life’. Discuss Critically.

Waldby’s articles on technological progress challenges the boundaries of what constitutes as ‘life’. After reading further[1] into the issue, it became evident of the potential use of Frankenstein and the Visual Human Project ‘as a domain for paradoxical incarnations’. In particular, I sought to see how technological progress has altered or challenged the meaning of life, focusing on the themes of embodiment, human subjectivity and the concept of life.

A series of searches were performed, first beginning with ‘Catherine waldby and life’, from which two articles were selected, one by Waldby herself, and another by Darren Toft. Waldby’s[2] article elaborates further on The Visual Human Project, specifically on the concept of life through the use of the virtual corpse, stating it as “an abstract, elusive force which exceeds its location in any particular body”. It also states the purpose of the project as to create "complete, anatomically detailed, three dimensional representations of the male and female human body" and to make these representations available as data sets on the internet. This brings to question whether the virtual representation of the body counts as human life, and this concept could reflect a possibility since science fiction has a history of being a precursor for reality. The relationship between virtual technology and body can rationally be thought of as just another medical tool or aid, or can question the issue of embodiment and idea of life in a virtual ‘space’.

Toft’s[3] article explores the use of artificial life and virtual simulation to examine the concept of life and further expands this category of what constitutes as life by evaluating virtual pets, online avatars and films such as ‘Bladerunner’. It is interesting how he considers the digital avatar of the hero in the game ‘Doom’ as the digital representation of life: “electronic games were tampering with our understanding of what it means to our understanding of what it means to be alive in an age of advanced digital technology.” He also brings into argument his reading of Frankenstein as an exemplar of ‘technogenesis – the idea that life could be made, as opposed to being found exclusively in the natural world.’ Toft’s article caused me to think of the alternate hypotheses of the research question, for if one was asking what is life, then one should also be able to discern what is not life. One drawback to Toft’s article was that he does not describe his case studies of popular cultural text/films/games well, and readers who do not know of the text/film/game would have a hard time conceptualising what he is trying to argue.

Another search was then done on ‘Artificial life and body’ and a separate search on ‘posthuman’ from which four articles were chosen, two of which dealt with the concept of artificial life and one on the posthuman. I will discuss these three articles first before the final article, which was selectively chosen as I decided to find an existing case study which I could apply the concepts and ideas that have been inspired by this research topic.

Risan’s[4] article on Artificial is a complex and long read, with a multi-disciplinary field of science, engineering, anthropology & philosophy. It deals with the relation between ‘"Artificial" and "Life", that of man made and pre-given.’ Coming back to the concept of technogenesis, it makes one wonder what exactly is natural or pre-given. The chapter provides several different perspectives of what artificial life ought to be, and provides a solution to the dichotomy of ‘natural’ and ‘artificial’, adopting an approach that an ‘agent co-evolves with the world, adapting to it as the world adapts to the agent.’ Based on this fuzzy concept, nothing is ‘entirely pre-given or natural, nor are they altogether constructed.’

Another article, a review[5] on Steven Levy’s Artificial Life, suggests that one day evolving programs may reach sentience. “We reached a turning point when we first developed programs that could evolve on their own. We already have at least one existence proof that evolutionary processes can create intelligent creatures: we have ourselves.” This quote produces mind-boggling questions of whether one day if machines were to reach sentience, would they be considered life? It also looks at the practices of cloning and the Human Genome project, from which the issues of eugenics and ethics no doubt come into scrutiny. “The potential exists, however, for current technologies to be used for more ambitious undertakings, such as creating designer people.” From this, one can see the possibilities of genetically altering humans which could lead to better humans with perhaps the wipe-out of genetic diseases. However these possibilities brings up the issues of what constitutes as ‘better’ or ‘natural’, and will no doubt be a source of prejudice and inequality for what is ‘better’ or ‘worse’. Similarly, if an existing species such as dogs were to evolve to sentience, how would they be treated? Surely they are life, and they are natural, so would they be treated similarly to intelligent machines?

Perhaps the most influential article would be N. Katherine Hayles’s[6], which explores the meaning of posthuman, and states that it already exists as humans have symbiotic relationship between and intelligent machines, such as those that rely on pacemakers. She questions how the self is envisioned as an issue of embodiment and challenges pre-conceived ideas of what really is natural. Hayles draws for us a possible future where the posthuman would mean a dynamic partnership between humans and machine to dominate and control nature, using irony and sarcasm similar to Haraway. From her article, I thought of the fallacy of human ideologies which expressed humans being the centre of origin and whose egocentrism was limiting the perspectives of human subjectivity. Hayles argues that the intial ‘fear’ that one’s identity feels when being challenged by the prospect of being a cyborg should rather be perceived as a method of “extending embodied awareness”. From this, the posthuman could be seen as a way of maximising human capability, and that the human is part of a larger system which it depends on rather than vice-versa.

Finally the last article[7] is a science journal where scientists are attempting to create life via artificial evolution, with the aim that when one of the virtual organisms evolves a brain. From this article of attempts to create artificial life/intelligence, we can see the fallacy of ‘nature’, of how fuzzy its boundaries are. It is a short simple read but chosen to show how current experiments could open the proverbial Pandora’s box, and when it does occur, we would humanity do then? Perhaps we should take a pre-emptive approach and change our perspectives on life, and embrace the cyborgs for who we are, else we end up like Prometheus or Victor Frankenstein.

Bibliography
[1] Stone, A.R. 1999, ‘Will the real body please stand up? ', in Cybersexualities : a reader on feminist theory, cyborgs and cyberspace, eds J. Wolmark, Edinburgh : Edinburgh University Press.

Thacker, ‘E. Lacerations: The Visible Human Project, Impossible Anatomies, and the Loss of Corporeal Comprehension’, [Online], Culture Machine, 3, 2001. Available from: [21/08/04].

Waldby, C. 2000, The visible human project : informatic bodies and posthuman medicine, London, Routledge.

[2] Waldby, C. 1996, The Visible Human Project: Data into Flesh, Flesh into Data, [Online], Gilliard, G. Available from: <http://wwwmcc.murdoch.edu.au/ReadingRoom/VID/wildbiol1.html> [19 August 2004].

[3] Tofts, D. 2003, Avatars of the Tortoise: life, longevity & simulation, Digital Creativity, [Online], , vol. 14, no. 1, pp. 54-63, Available from: <http://www.swin.edu.au/sbs/media/staff/tofts/essays/dc141-Tofts.pdf> [19 August2004].

[4] Risan, L.C. 1997, ‘Artificial Life: A Technoscience Leaving Modernity?’, Anthrobase, [Online], Available from: <http://www.anthrobase.com/Txt/R/Risan_L_05.htm#3%20Chapter%203:%20Representations%20of%20ALife:%20a%20Real%20or%20a%20Postmodern%20Science> [24 August 2004].

[5] EMC Paradigm Publishing, ‘A Review of Steven Levy's Artificial Life: A Report from the Frontier Where Computers Meet Biology’, EMC Publishing Electronic Resources, [Online], Available from: <http://www.emcp.com/intro_pc/reading13.htm> [24 August 2004].

[6] Hayles, N.K. 1998, ‘How we become Posthuman: Humanisitic Implications of Recent Research into Cognitive Science and Artificial Life’, Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics, [Online], Available from: <http://online.itp.ucsb.edu/online/colloq/hayles1/oh/09.html> [24 August 2004].

[7] Rowe, D.C. (24 August 2004), ‘'Animals' grow from an artificial embryo’, [Online], New Scientist, Available from: <http://www.newscientist.com/hottopics/ai/animalsgrow.jsp> [ 24 August 2004].

Webliography

2004-09-05T15:07:00.000+08:00

Donna Haraway considers us all as cyborgs, hybrids of machine and organism. She uses the metaphor of the cyborg to argue, “the boundary between science fiction and social reality is an optical illusion.”[1] In researching the guiding question I used the Google search engine, searching for the following related terms, ‘Haraway + cyborg + digital culture’ and ‘Haraway + science fiction + social reality’. Focusing on the top fifty to sixty results, many of which where unhelpful undergraduate course outlines or bibliographical reference lists, I came across seven readings that proved useful for developing and providing information on what would constitute my main argument; the breakdown of traditional binary oppositions in a digital culture, whilst also considering issues of the cyborg body in relation to gender, identity and online experiences.

Martin Irvine’s site[2] is a good introduction to cyborgs including their history in science fiction as well as digital culture, and offers some themes to consider in regard to cyborgs such as, the cyborg being a boundary breaker, having multiple sexual identities and how the cyborg can be seen to naturalise technology. Whilst this source doesn’t delve into the answers to such questions, nor does it give a critical analysis of Haraway’s ideas, I think it provided a useful starting block for unpacking the guiding question, especially in regard to boundaries being an optical illusion. Although I probably wouldn’t have used any quotes from this source in my essay, Irvine posed a number of questions, which I would keep in mind during my research of other sources.

Source 2[3] is an article that provides an overview of Haraway’s theories. Part of this article provides analysis of what constitutes a cyborg and also what Haraway’s cyborg metaphorically stands for, the site states, “The cyborg, stands for shifting political and physical boundaries which, in its interface with us and the world around us, often wittily pulls the rug out from under what we perceive to be ‘natural’.” I think this quote is relevant to the guiding question as it considers the shifting of boundaries, and prompted me to view the boundaries between science fiction and social reality in the same light. The article goes on to discuss the blurring of binary oppositions such as male/female, machine/organism, nature/culture, and suggests the breakdown of these oppositions, and compare it with the cyborg body. Despite this site being extremely useful in clarifying some of Haraway’s complex issues and analysing these concepts in further depth, I’m not sure as to how academically credible this site is, as there is no author displayed nor date of publication. It seems to be a part of an online group named ‘stumptuos’, which has links to a number of different articles. Whilst I found this site very helpful I could only use it as a source for ideas in regard to my question, as I could not use it as a credible reference in my paper.

Hari Kunzro’s article[4] proved useful in further discussing the idea of the blurring of boundaries in the digital age. His article provided specific examples of it that I could use and discuss in an essay. In an interview with Haraway, she mentions how Olympic athletes, in order to win, have to integrate themselves with the latest technology in order to become faster, or stronger. These part-human, part-machine cyborgs are now considered ‘natural’ athletes. Haraway couldn’t then see the uproar about athletes using drugs to enhance their performance, as they were already technologically enhanced cyborgs. Kunzro’s article also discusses how the term cyborg was coined. I think this article was very useful as it interviewed Haraway about her ideas, which she discussed in a clear manner, giving relative examples.

Gareth Branwyn’s article ‘The desire to be wired’[5] gives an insight into science fiction technology and where technology is currently at, and also analyses reason for our desire to be cyborgs yet also fearing to become them at the same time. He outlines a confusion between science fiction and reality and how many technological developments presently created seem like something from science fiction, while science fiction writers develop many ideas from technological possibilities. Branwyn gives examples of people who have benefited from having their bodies technologically changed, and mentions how the increasing developments of artificial body parts such as ears, eyes, and muscles are furthering the human/cyborg dichotomy. One drawback of Branwyn’s article though, is that it is not consistently Haraway. Branwyn seems to make the argument that we are only now becoming cyborgs, and questions if people are ready for cyborgs. Haraway argues that we have already become cyborgs and the distinction between boundaries has become so blurred that it is hard to view the issues from an outside perspective. I think Branwyn’s article is helpful though in demonstrating that the human/machine relationship is not going to become any more clear in the future with the way technology is progressing.

Elizabeth Lawley’s article[6] discusses how technology is part of our culture, but it is a culture dominated by males. Lawley illustrates Haraway’s idea that this can be changed through the blurring of biology and technology; I would liken this in similar fashion to science fiction and social reality. Lawley states, “We may be forced to deal with shattered categories and shifting identities.” The article outlines how people in marginalised groups can benefit from being cyborgs and the blurring of boundaries that coincides with it. This article is useful as it mentions a number of other similar theorists and analyses a genderless cyborg. It portrays digital culture as reshaping the self through the manipulation of words and image representations rather than through modification of the physical body. In this way digital culture redefines subjects outside of historical categories. I think this source is important as it provides information on aspects of digital culture, of which I previously had little, and also adds further depth to my argument about boundaries and categories.

In answering the guiding question, I would like to have incorporated some of Jean Baudrillard’s ideas such as simulacra and hyperreality. This source[7] is a good introduction for understanding his concepts. I also found a more in-depth site on Baudrillard’s writing, Simulacra and Science Fiction[8]. It provides an interesting reading on reality as a simulation and attempts to put an end to science fiction as a genre of the imaginary.

In conclusion I think that these sources were of good help in providing information to support my main argument, that traditional boundaries become intertwined in digital culture and that the Donna Haraway’s cyborg; part machine, part organism, constituting elements of science fiction and nature, enters our social reality through science, cyberspace, warfare, athletics, the media and many other parts of our culture.

Reference List

[1] Donna Haraway, ‘A Manifesto for Cyborgs’ The Haraway Reader, (1984), London and New York: Routledge, 2003, p8.
[2] Martin Irvine. ‘Cyborgology: Meat, Machines, Death, Desire.’ (December 1999), < http://www.georgetown.edu/faculty/irvinem/technoculture/cyborgy/cyborgology.html> [Accessed 29 August 2004].
[3] http://www.stumptuous.com/comps/cyborg.html
[4] Hari Kunzro. ‘You Are a Cyborg’, Wired Magazine, 5.02, (February 1997), < http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/5.02/ffharaway.html> [Accessed 30 August 2004].
[5] Gareth Branwyn, ‘The Desire to be Wired’, Wired Magazine 1.04, (October 1993), < http://www.wired.com/wired/archive//1.04/desire.to.be.wired.html> [Accessed 30 August 2004].
[6] Elizabeth Lawley. ‘Computers and the Communication of Gender’, (April 1993), < http://www.itcs.com/elawley/gender.html> [Accessed 31 August 2004].
[7] Dino Felluga. ‘Modules on Baudrillard: On Simulation’, Introductory Guide to Theory, (November 2003), <http://http://www.purdue.edu/guidetotheory/postmodernism/modules/baudrillardsimulation.html> [Accessed 31 August 2004].
[8] Jean Baudrillard. Trans. Arthur Evans, ‘Simulation and Science Fiction’, Science Fiction Studies, no.55, vol.18, part 3, (November 1991), <http://www.depauw.edu/sfs/backissues/55/baudrillard55art.htm> [Accessed 1 September 2004].

2004-09-05T14:14:00.000+08:00

Guiding Question
"From Frankenstein to the Visible Human Project, technological ‘progress’ has always forced society to re-evaluate the meaning of ‘life’." Discuss critically.

Introduction
Throughout the history of mankind there has been questions hanging over technological ‘progress’. In the field of medicine any attempt to interfere with the human body provokes debate about ethical issues. It would be futile to define the meaning of ‘life’, by answering these questions: "Why are people so afraid of technological ‘progress’?" and "if technological ‘progress’ is beneficial for humans, should we be afraid?" From the two Catherine Walby articles in the course reader I searched on Cygnet for journal entries and websites for "ethics in science". After collecting a couple of useful resources I turned to Google and searched for "Catherine Waldby" and "Visible Human Project concerns". These searches produced several hundred results, after browsing through 40 websites I had found my six sources.

Source One
Stuart Murray’s review[1] of Catherine Waldby’s book was useful since he critically assesses the ideas raised in it. He agrees with Waldby that humans have always been cyborgs and suggests a pre-technogenesis existence never occurred. Murray has a different idea of what "life" should mean in the book and states that Waldby is "ensconced in a technological paradigm", whereas humans are "biotechnical assemblages". He states that to be human is to be distinct and not just genetically. For him ‘life’ cannot be valued at anything other than priceless and not something to tamper with. The drawback of this source is the quite brief overview of Waldby’s work since it’s a review.

Source Two
This excerpt from a Jeremy Rifkin book[2] raises the idea of a "Biotech Century", a period of radical change in attitudes towards sexuality, reproduction and parenting. Rifkin’s assertions may appear to be alarmist, but it shows one reaction towards technological progress. The idea of eradicating certain genes and the possibility for business corporations to patent advantageous genes strikes fear in Rifkin. Genes are the "green gold" of the Biotech century, according to Rifkin. He links the eradication of traits from the human gene pool as a new form of eugenics, technology has crossed a boundary and is beginning to tamper with humanity. Rifkin questions the integrity of the Human Genome Diversity Project and its search for unique gene traits that could be useful in the future.

Source Three
This essay by Catherine Waldby[3] was written before she wrote a book on the VHP and reveals her first thoughts on the subject. The project is a revelation for the medical field as it allows the dismemberment and reattachment of the body at will. Waldby believes the VHP produces a digital clone of the body and with animation added, the "virtual body" would be no different to a live human being. She has defined Life as the "force and animation of living bodies, as an abstract, elusive force which exceeds its location in any particular body." Waldby’s revelation that the VHP in the future could be used to bypass the reproduction process and replace it with cloning is a frightening thought. By comparing Life to a program and the capacity of technology to rewrite codes, it shows how technological ‘progress’ presents challenges to our idea of life. The drawback for this source is the fact it’s a draft for Wild Biology, so her ideas on the subject may have changed.

Source Four
Eugene Thacker’s article[4] asserts the VHP is the latest chapter of human exploration of the body. He highlights the uses derived from the information gathered from the project, such as a more interactive tool for education. His ability to place the event of the VHP as part of an ongoing human desire to understand the body makes the project sound harmless. Both Waldby essays discuss the issue of the "digital anatomy", but Thacker’s article offers a more positive outlook towards technology unlike the other sources. It shows that if technology is beneficial to humans, it shouldn’t be treated with so much suspicion, instead advances should be celebrated.

Source Five
Andrew Kimbell[5] expands on Rifkin’s idea of the Biotech Century, in particular the patenting of human bodies. His article reveals the short history of patenting body parts and examines the exploitation of people in developing countries for their bodies. The selling of body parts by poor people to recipients in developed countries for money is disturbing. Progress in technology has allowed organ transplants to be performed successfully, but if the donor is forced into giving due to financial reasons then society must re-evaluate the moral implications and questions. The Human Genome Project is also discussed and Kimbell presents the view that eventually corporations aided by governments will be able to patent the human body. It’s interesting to see that people fear the collection of gene information will result in the tampering of human life, eliminating individual uniqueness.

Source Six
For Catherine Waldby[6] the Visible Human Project has developed a way to produce "a digital clone of a once living embodied being". The VHP eliminates the distinction between the "true body" and the "copy". It enables dead bodies to be reborn in the digital world and this force a rethink of when does life end. She believes the VHP will help medicine to finally have complete control of "Life". Immediately a link is made between Frankenstein and the VHP, both have a desire to create life from the dead. While the VHP can be beneficial, there will always be a fear of a misuse of technology. This essay is similar to the other Waldby source I found and some ideas were repeated again.

Conclusion
From the sources used the consensus is that human life is unique and attempts to tamper with this is met with fear and suspicion. There is no doubt information from the VHP and the Human Genome Project will allow the field of medicine to have a better understanding of the body. Technological ‘progress’ undoubtedly forces society to re-evaluate their understanding of ‘life’, but it’s the response that’s interesting. Two sources have expressed their concerns over the integrity of corporations and governments for allowing patents on parts of the body. The other sources also express some concerns, but they are not as alarmist and pessimistic as Rifkin or Kimbell. Any technological advance should be treated with caution, life is precious and the human body should not be treated as private property of powerful groups.

Bibliography
1. Kimbell, Andrew. "BIOCOLONIZATION: THE PATENTING OF LIFE AND THE GLOBAL MARKET IN BODY PARTS", Converge, (1997)
http://www.converge.org.nz/pirm/bio_col.htm (accessed 19 August 2004).
2. Murray, Stuart. "Catherine Waldby’s The Visible Human Project: Informatic Bodies and Posthuman Medicine", Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture, Vol. 2, No. 1, (Winter 2002) http://www.reconstruction.ws/021/revVisibleHP.htm (accessed 20 August 2004).
3. Rifkin, Jeremy. "The Biotech Century: Human Life as Intellectual Property", The Nation, http://web.archive.org/web/20010303001710/past.thenation.com/issue/980413/0413rifk.htm (accessed 19 August 2004).
4. Thacker, Eugene. "Lacerations: The Visible Human Project, Impossible Anatomies, and the Loss of Corporeal Comprehension", Culture Machine, 3, (2001) http://web.archive.org/web/20030510181251/http://culturemachine.tees.ac.uk/Cmach/Backissues/j003/Articles/Thacker/impossible.htm (accessed 19 August 2004).
5. Waldby, Catherine. "Revenants: The Visible Human Project and the Digital Uncanny", Murdoch University, (August 1996) http://wwwmcc.murdoch.edu.au/ReadingRoom/VID/Uncanny.html (accessed 20 August 2004).
6. Waldby, Catherine. "The Visible Human Project: Data into Flesh, Flesh into Data", Murdoch University, (May 1996)
http://wwwmcc.murdoch.edu.au/ReadingRoom/VID/wildbiol1.html (accessed 20 August 2004).

Critical Annotated Webliography, Q3

2004-09-04T10:50:00.000+08:00

3. Critically Assess the ways in which constructions of identity have been extended and/or altered by information and communication technologies.

The increasing popularity and prevalence of information and communication technology in everyday life has worked to both alter and extend traditional notions of identity as what is hidden and what is viewed is questioned. After returning to previous tutorial and lecture discussions I have limited my definition of identity under three main categories, gender identity, racial identity and sexual identity. I then asked how the internet would affect their performativity and perception. In order to find information I initially viewed the online sources for English 252 on the University of Western Australia’s website. I then used several databases including ProQuest 5000 and Google to search for topics of “racial identity/ethnicity and the internet”, “sexuality and the internet” and “gender identity and the internet”. These searches produced thousands of results which upon closer examination of their titles and abstracts I selected six that were most relevant and would aid in a discussion of how the internet reworks gender, racial and sexual identities.

Lisa Nakamura reduces cyberspace to a ‘consensual hallucination’, and bodies to a performative text. She critiques the notion of the utopian cyberspace where identity is malleable and reworked as limited to a privileged few with access, mirroring Rosado’s ideas of connectedness. Gender identities are expanded through the internet through Nakamura analyses the chat space, LambdaMOO, through an ethnographic view and the ways it both extends and alters traditional views of racial identity. Announcing real world racial identity is almost unacceptable in the phantasmical world of LambdaMOO as it is seen as divisive in a space where racial identity is silenced. Nakamura comments of the creation of identities the virtual space, as traditional views of identity as fixed rather than performative are invalidated. Nakamura concentrates on the presence of Asian identities, both from the real world, and those that are ‘tourists’, which permeate a world where the silencing of race assumes a white ethnic identity. Constructions of identity are highlighted as fluid, where racial and gender ‘tourism’ allow an individual to alter their identity to experience that of others.

[1], contrasting it with contemporary ideas of sex and gender. Through her exploration of the relationship between sex and gender, Chilcoat produces a template for both their linkage and separation though information and communication technology, and questions what this does to gender identity. Haraway’s cyborg imagery is associated with an ungendered world, which for Chilcoat becomes the world of the detached sex/gender binary, what occurs in cyberpunk, or on the internet. Chilcoat examines the prevalence of Thomson and Murachver conducted three experiments to determine the construct of gender identity through technological communication. The results of these experiments found that gender is inherent in language and thus gender identities are extended on the internet via the gender-linked language of the user. The article works on the premise that identity on and off the internet is inseparable and thus transferable and the experiments conducted are another dimension helpful in analyzing the effects of communication and information technology on identity, specifically gender identity. The findings of an existence of gender-preferential language cues illustrate that identity on the internet is an extension of real world identity as gender can be inherently communicated through words and language.

The six sources examined are based on the premise that the body and its gendered, sexualized, and racialised self make up the central elements of identity. The materials present contrasting views on how information and communication technologies work to extend and alter constructions of identity. Whilst Rosado applauds the removal of a demarcated racial identity, Hawthorne critiques the loss of the female body. A utopian-type cyberspace where gender, race and sexuality is removed is questioned as experimental evidence as well as analytical material presents an inherent real identity that cannot be separated from an online or cyborg self.

[1] Donna Haraway. ‘A Manifesto for Cyborgs’, The Haraway Reader. (1984) London and New York: Routledge, 2003

Bibliography

Chilcoat, Michelle. ‘Brain Sex, Cyberpunk Cinema, Feminism, and the Dis/Location of Heterosexuality’, NWSA Journal (Vol. 16, Iss. 2, Summer 2004), pp156 - 177 http://proquest.umi.com.ezproxy.library.uwa.edu.au/pqdweb?index=9&did=000000680123851&SrchMode=1&sid=1&Fmt=3&VInst=PROD&VType=PQD&RQT=309&VName=PQD&TS=1094007104&clientId=20923 (accessed 25/09/04)

Haraway, Donna. ‘A Manifesto for Cyborgs: Science, Technology, and Socialist Feminism in the 1980s’, The Haraway Reader, London and New York: Routledge, 2003, pp. 7 – 45 (originally 1984).

Hawthorne, Susan. ‘Cyborgs, virtual bodies and organic bodies: theoretical feminist responses’, Cyberfeminism: connectivity, critique and creativity. (Spinifex Press: 1999), pp. 213 – 249.
http://cmo.library.uwa.edu.au.ezproxy.library.uwa.edu.au/04155.pdf (accessed 23/09/04)

Nakamura, Lisa. ‘Race In/For Cyberspace: Identity Tourism and Racial Passing on the Internet’.
http://www.humanities.uci.edu/mposter/syllabi/readings/nakamura.html (accessed 26/09/04)

Rosado, Caleb. ‘The Demise of Ethnic Differences-Cultural Identity and the Internet’, World Future Society: Cyber Society Forum
http://www.wfs.org/rosado.htm (accessed 25/09/04)

Shaw, Rhonda. ‘Our Bodies, Ourselves’, Technology, and Questions of Ethics:
Cyberfeminism and the Lived Body’, Australian Feminist Studies (Vol. 18, No. 40, 2003)
http://weblinks1.epnet.com.ezproxy.library.uwa.edu.au/citation.asp?tb=&_ug=sid+A9257E70%2D62B2%2D4C2F%2DB804%2D8E98D7157BA7%40sessionmgr2+359A&_us=sm+ES+E6C7&_uso=st%5B0+%2DAN++9330728+tg%5B0+%2D+db%5B0+%2Da0h+op%5B0+%2D+hd+False+3139& [once reached this site, follow the link to the full text in Ingenta Select which unfortunately does not have its own URL] (accessed 23/09/04)

Thomson, Rob, & Murachver, Tamar. ‘Predicting gender from electronic discourse’, The British Journal of Social Psychology (Vol. 40, Part 2, June 2001), pp193 - 109 http://gateway.proquest.com.ezproxy.library.uwa.edu.au/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&res_dat=xri:pqd&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:journal&genre=article&rft_dat=xri:pqd:did=000000080467746&svc_dat=xri:pqil:fmt=html&req_dat=xri:pqil:pq_clntid=20923 (accessed 26/09/04)

Webliography

2004-09-03T22:29:00.000+08:00

Critically assess the ways in which constructions of identity have been extended and/or altered by information and communication technologies.

In order to come to grips with the question, I read a few books dealing with the issue. I found the work of Sherry Turkle[1] to be extremely helpful in allowing me to shape an argument. Identity has been described as ‘fixed’[2], and of constituting a ‘set of behavioural or personal characteristics by which an individual is recognizable as a member of a group.’[3] The Internet has allowed for these constructions of identity to be changed, a point that will be discussed when considering specific online sources. There are of course problems with this, which, again, will be discussed later in the webliography. In order to gather my information, I used Google and searched for ‘constructions of digital identity’, and ‘online identity analysis’. Both search strings provided thousands of results, but after searching the top thirty responses of each, I was able to find six websites that I believed would be useful in answering the essay question.

Source One – Text as mask: gender and identity on the Internet.[4]

Brenda Danet’s article ‘Text as mask’ discusses the ways in which the masquerading of the opposite gender is easily possible within online communication. She argues that ‘it is probably no exaggeration to say that some people are leading double if not multiple lives, not only with different identities, but with different gender identities.’ As such, I found Danet’s article to be the most useful. Danet reinforced my argument that constructions of identity had been changed in that they were no longer ‘fixed’. However, Danet also suggests that ‘...once [males] are online as female, they soon find that maintaining this fiction is difficult. To pass as a woman for any length of time requires understanding how gender inflects speech, manner, the interpretation of experience.’ Danet demonstrates that while constructions of identity have been altered, there are still complications in maintaining a ‘new’ identity, that the ‘offline’ identity of the user often reflects and influences any fictitious online identity.

Source Two – Identity and deception in the virtual community.[5]

This article by Judith S. Donath is quite complex. It also becomes quite technical at times, and I found myself unable to comprehend her argument on occasion (especially her discussion on Usenet). However, these points notwithstanding, I still found this article to be quite useful. Donath argues that a major construct of identity is that it is defined by the body: ‘the norm is: one body, one identity’. She suggests that the Internet allows for the breakdown of this construction because, ‘free from the body’s unifying anchor’, users are able to experiment with new identities. However, similarly to Danet, Donath suggests that it is difficult to maintain a ‘false’ identity, generally a result of expressions that are ‘given off’ by the user: ‘One can write ``I am female'', but sustaining a voice and reactions that are convincingly a woman's may prove to be quite difficult for a man.’

Source Three – Digital Borderlands: Identity and Interactivity in Culture, Media, and Communications.[6]

I initially dismissed Johan Fornäs’ article as being irrelevant to my essay question. However, after reading the article in its entirety, I realised it was indeed useful. Admittedly, the article is presented as a justification for the worthiness of cultural studies when considering communication technology. It does, though, include quite a lot of information about the formation and construction of identity within communication technology. I found Fornäs’ article to be a useful source in considering the ‘interactive’ identity as being different to the ‘active’ identity. He argues that interactive communications often allow people to act in ways (such as asking personal questions) that they would not have the courage to do in ‘real’ life. Unlike the first two articles, he did not consider the complications of an ‘interactive’ identity (that is, that is reflects the ‘active’ identity), and was therefore very one-sided.

Source Four – Human Identity in the Age of Computers.[7]

Chuck Meyer states that much of his thesis (article) is based on the work of Sherry Turkle and, as such, I found this article very easy to read and understand. It also reinforced my arguments. I found Meyer’s article interesting in that he discusses the need he felt to find a new definition of identity, as any current ones stressed ‘the importance of thinking of the self as fixed and static.’ However he comes to realise that the need to define is inherently limiting, and any definition would seek to ‘fix’ identity as ‘non-fixed’. Meyer also outlines differences between cyborg and cyberpunk identity, which I believe would be a good example of demonstrating the many types of identities possible on the Internet.

Source Five – Presenting the off-line self in an everyday, on-line environment.[8]

This article by Jason Rutter and Greg Smith opens with the line ‘the Internet offers a myriad of possibilities for people interacting with each other to play with identity.’ It considers the way in which the ‘off-line’ identity frequently influences the ‘on-line’ identity, the same concept discussed by Danet. Where this article differs is that, using the online community ‘RumCom.local’ as an example, the study is on how identity is maintained within an online community. I found this different approach to be useful in that it gave a real life example of the way ‘newbies’ created and established particular identities within the community, ways that are much different to those used in ‘real life’. However, like Donath’s article, I found that this article got slightly confusing at times when discussing Internet jargon I was not familiar with.

Source Six – Constructions and Reconstructions of Self in Virtual Reality: Playing in the MUDS.[9]

The term ‘MUD’ (multi-user dungeons) appeared in all five previously mentioned sources. This article by Sherry Turkle was extremely informative, and demonstrated that MUD’s are in fact an important point for discussion. If answering this essay question, I would use MUD’s as an example of the way identity can be manipulated and is non-fixed. Turkle suggests that MUD’s allow users to create characters as close to, or far away as, their ‘real’ selves. She also argues that the ‘self’ is decentred and can be multiplied in various ways without limit. Turkle claims that MUD characters often reflect specific sections of the user’s personality (violent; romantic; friendly etc) that they are seeking to explore further. Therefore, Turkle is another academic who claims that the online ‘self’ cannot escape the influence of the offline, or ‘real’, individual.

The definition, and construction, of identity as being completely ‘fixed’ is outdated. If I were to use these six sources to answer the question, my argument would begin by looking at constructions of identity prior to the introduction of the Internet. I would then suggest that the Internet has been responsible for altering, to some extent, the construction of identity and use each source as evidence towards this argument. The example of MUD’s would run throughout my argument as it is a common discussion in all six sources, and one which I believe would be valuable in strengthening my argument, and allow for the use of strong examples in my essay. I would also suggest that the Internet has not been revolutionary in being able to create ‘new’ identities for people. Rather, the ‘real’ offline identity of a person influences the fictitious online identity. As such, the Internet has altered constructions of identity to a large extent, but not completely.

[1] Sherry Turkle, Life on the screen: identity in the age of the Internet (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1995)
[2] Macquarie Dictionary, ‘identity’, p. 467
[3] Macquarie Dictionary, ‘identity’, p. 467
[4] http://atar.mscc.huji.ac.il/~msdanet/mask.html
[5] http://smg.media.mit.edu/people/Judith/Identity/IdentityDeception.html
[6] http://www.jmk.su.se/digitalborderlands/digitalborderlands.htm
[7] http://fragment.nl/mirror/Meyer/Introduction.html
[8] http://les1.man.ac.uk/cric/Jason_Rutter/papers/Self.pdf
[9] http://web.mit.edu/sturkle/www/constructions.html

Webliography

2004-09-03T07:57:00.000+08:00

“From Frankenstein to the Visible Human Project, technological ‘progress’ has always forced society to re-evaluate the meaning of ‘life’.” Discuss critically.

There are many ways in which technological progress has been effortlessly incorporated into everyday life. Not all new technology threatens to disrupt the way we understand our world. However, there are obviously some technologies that make us anxious, they seem to threaten our existence in some way. In investigating this issue I asked the following questions. How do we value life? What do we consider essential to our existence? How do Frankenstein and the Visible Human Project present technological progress and what elements of life do they challenge? The articles I have chosen discuss these questions in relevant ways.

Stuart Murray’s article[i] is useful in providing insight into Catherine Waldby’s research on the Visible Human Project. As Murray expresses it, “What fresh challenges do recent medical technologies raise for a consideration of human subjectivity? Do these technologies in some manner refigure the human, throwing open anew ‘the location of subjectivity and embodiment’"? The Visible Human Project blurs the line between “the organic and the machinic, between the actual and the virtual, between genesis and what Waldby calls ‘technogenesis’”. Human life is more and more a "biotechnological assemblage," and so the terms of these binaries are becoming less and less discrete. It is this challenge to humanism, the belief in an essential, embodied self that is central to our fears of technology.

Miranda Campbell’s article[ii], while focusing on another literary work, examines the human and posthuman visions of man. It is particularly useful in understanding the Cartesian humanist view of man as a rational, autonomous being and how this is threatened by new interactions with science such as artificial intelligence. This article also raises interesting questions regarding the mind/body split in a posthumanist vision though it would be outside this discussion to incorporate what this may mean for future scientific excursions.

Orlin Damyanov’s article[iii] draws comparison between Frankenstein and Neuromancer as literary responses to technological change and the effect on human life. It highlights how science fiction challenges the motivations and implications of technological progress. Damyanov importantly recognises that for Frankenstein it is the act of creation that threatens our understanding of life. It is life ‘artificially’ created, not ‘naturally’ born that is challenging. Orlin also draws similarities between the great moments of change in which these works were written. The impact of the industrial revolution in Shelley’s life and the information age in Gibson’s. It is in time of great change, when science is moving rapidly beyond our normal ideas of existence that it is most threatening. This is recognised as a student paper and as such would be used referentially with other published sources. It reiterated many of the ideas Waldby refers to in her work, “The Instruments of Life: Frankenstein and Cyberculture”.

Niran Abbas article[iv] reviews Hayles’ work and again draws attention to the factors that are challenging our definition of what it is to be human. He states “Hayles’s works contests the materiality/information separation by complicating the leap from embodied reality to abstract information”. Hayles argues that literature gives voice to the cultural and social implications of the scientific theory that is under scrutiny. As in the case of Frankenstein, and many science fiction explorations to date, there is a strong link between the fictional and our perception of the real or the possible. Hayles argument is relevant to the discussion because she is examining ways of understanding life and the impact of technological progress into the future.

There could be no discussion of the effect of technology on identity without examining A Manifesto for Cyborgs by Donna Haraway. Hari Kunzru[v] effectively makes Haraway’s position more understandable. He highlights how Haraway is calling for us to throw away our old ideas of identity and acknowledge our total immersion and interdependency with technology. Kunzru reminds us that Haraway is effectively challenging the traditional views of life as natural and autonomous, and that we are, and always have been, technological entities.

Steve Mizrach[vi] argues for a ‘cyborg bioethics’. He investigates many ways in which biotechnology is seen as a threat to humanism, including the view of science as unchallenged, secretive, evil experimentation, somewhat like Dr Frankenstein. He considers bioethics a challenge to these notions and an opportunity for human and science to go forward in a more positive way. He suggests that it is a lack of understanding that creates these crises of identity in relation to progress.

In conclusion, the sources I have outlined above enabled me to get a more complete picture about the issues surrounding technological progress and its impact on the meaning of life. Theorists like Waldby, Hollinger and Haraway are all challenging society to re-evaluate the meaning of life in relation to technological progress and exploring new possibilities for humanities future. They examine how society is still bound to a belief in the individual as natural, autonomous and embodied. Damyanov and Campbell explore just some of the many ways in which science fiction has played a crucial role in our understanding of these changes and the possibilites of being they explore. In his argument for a cyborg bioethics, Mirzach challenges us to consider how we can continue to move ahead by opening up the debate to understand both the positive and negative implications of our technological progress. With the insights gained form these readings, I would conclude that technological progress forces to society to re-evaluate the meaning of life when it questions our understanding of life and our place in the world. The Visible Human Project and many other developments, such as genetic engineering and artificial intelligence, challenge our position as natural, autonomous, embodied and in control of our future. Frankenstein, cyberpunk and science fiction are pivotal in providing cultural explorations for the ways these are perceived.

[i] http://www.reconstruction.ws/021/revVisibleHP.htm

[ii] http://www.reconstruction.ws/043/campbell.htm

[iii] http://www.geocities.com/Paris/5972/gibson.html

[iv] http://www.ctheory.net/text_file.asp?pick=266

[v] http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/5.02/ffharaway.html?pg=1&topic=

[vi] http://www.limmat.ch/koni/texte/cyborg-ethics.html

Reponse to online menu-driven identities...

2004-08-27T16:26:00.000+08:00

1)) Which categories are available for users to choose from when signing up for Hotmail, Yahoo! Mail or in order to use the Second Life gameworld? What presumptions do these categories make about users, and what does the absence of certain categories of identity say?

Between Hotmail and Yahoo!Mail the Hotmail seems to differentiate users by their location from which they assume a certain range of characteristics about them. Yahoo!Mail just offers a language-content option which hardly gives an account for any form of race. The Yahoo! service provider is also much more blatant in requesting information of the person’s occupation, industry and specialization to further enhance their database and advertising opportunities.
Second Life allows you to create an a “unique” identity in its world, but really apart from the free choice of first name, even the last name is from a limited pre-fixed selection. There is also no additional personal description of one’s character as such the personality assumed is rather hollow.

Although subtly different in a few ways, I find that all three services are not interested in the diversity of the user’s race but merely offering their services to further propel their business.

2) What sort of 'identities' are visible in the profiles on Lavalife? How are they displayed? What presumptions does this display make about both the people reading these profiles and those users who made them?

The ‘identities’ visible in the profiles on Lavalife are very ‘sheep-like’ in nature, the majority seems to follow a distinct trend especially in terms of their description of themselves which I find rather disturbing. The profiles are described with these indicators, beginning with the age of the person; then race, star sign, height, education and income. And a photo of the person at the side, if there was no picture; most of the identities seem nearly the same! This display makes the presumptions that the users of Lavalife are all interested in these aspects of a person’s identity and makes the site as superficial as it seems as colour, income, and even physique is important creating a disparity amongst those who aren’t the usual default models.

Menu-driven Identities Workshop online response

2004-08-27T10:09:00.000+08:00

4. Are any of the websites you've visited inherently racist? Why or why not?

None of the three websites are inherently racist or follow racist policies. From a marketing perspective websites such as Yahoo! and Hotmail, offering free services, need to make their money through advertising. In order for the advertising to be most effective the companies need to gain broad data on the characteristics of the individual user. The huge diversity of culture and race leave little viable options for categories. Whilst these "menu-driven identities" are exclusionary and extremely broad-based, they are not racist in intent or in practice. The websites use the checkbox categories in order to 'personalise' advertising efforts and not to discriminate against certian individuals who do not fit into single specific categories, as most of us don't.

2.What sort of 'identities' are visible in the profiles on Lavalife? How are they displayed? What presumptions does this display make about both the people reading these profiles and those users who made them?

The identites presented on Lavalife are limited and bounded identities. the short bio's give all the same details, race, height, body type, star sign and a few worlds about the idividuals personality or what they're looking for. It is imposssible to present a person's entire identity across any forum of this type as identities are everchanging and dependent on many factors not just what a person looks like or where they come from. thus the identities visible on the Lavalife website are bounded by the conventions of the website and do not present real identites rather leaving the searcher to fill in the blanks, usually with overarching stereotypes. The site makes presumptions about the users in that they are all searching for physical romance that they have been unable to find in the 'real' world. The site does not present a lot of informaton about individuals and thus leaves it up to the searcher to find out more if they are so interested. Women are made more sensual in the categories of the website as homosexual males are presented as sex-driven. The website itself plays into unfortunate stereotypes and whilst providing the option to insert a photograph does not make it necessary - commenting more on identity with exclusions rather than inclusions as the viewer is left to fill in the blanks.

Menu Driven Indentity - Online Workshop Response

2004-08-27T00:41:00.000+08:00

Question 2

There are a number of different identities visible in Lavalife yet the majority of users are white and don’t smoke. They are displayed in a rather impersonal way and under the categories of man seeking woman (the default option), man seeking man, and woman seeking woman. The presumptions made about these different types of sexual preference groups I think are interesting. For a man seeking a woman under the profile category of intimate encounters there is a caption that reads “try something wild”, whilst under the same category of intimate encounters for a woman seeking another woman the caption states, “start something sensual.” The images accompanying the profile choice are all of women with short hair, seemingly conforming to the stereotype of lesbians having short hair. The male seeking male profile does not even have an intimate encounters category. It is instead replaced by a ‘sex’ category, accompanied by the caption “hook up for sex”. This makes the presumption that all the gay guys using Lavalife would be more interested in meeting someone to have sex with, while lesbians are all looking for a more sensual relationship rather than sexual. Whilst these categories are more than likely correct for the majority of Lavalife users with different sexual orientations, those whose identities don’t fit the norm could find themselves othered by a group to which they think they belong.

Question 3

I think quite a lot of Lavalife’s users’ identities are restricted by the design of the website. Under a search for a man seeking a woman in 18-22 years old in Western Australia, all the compatible users profiles became generic, with so many being white females who didn’t smoke, but drank socially. The only real insight into their personality was from their user names and the small quote underneath the user name. Although I have never used Lavalife, its design doesn’t seem to allow users to write whatever they want in their profiles, but forces them to pick categories to which best suits their identity, such as White/Asian/Black, smoker/non-smoker, children or ambition for children. I think that the few user profiles who did have a picture were much better as you could see that there was an actual person behind the writing.

I’m not really sure what Lavalife could do to improve the accessibility of the site for different minority users feeling othered, as the majority of Lavalife’s users are white, from America and heterosexual. A link to other users of similar status could be helpful, however could be considered to be creating further online divisions as in menu-driven identities. I think that Lavalife is most likely progressively trying to cater for online minority groups as their user numbers increase over time. Five to ten years ago there probably wouldn’t have even been categories for gay men and women.

MENU DRIVEN IDENTITY WORKSHOP-My response

2004-08-26T22:29:00.000+08:00

1.Which categories are available for users to choose from when signing up for Hotmail, Yahoo! Mail or in order to use the Second Life gameworld? What presumptions do these categories make about users, and what does the absence of certain categories of identity say?

As observed by many from this tutorial group, Hotmail and Yahoo!Mail provides the categories of language, country/region, gender, birth date and occupation for users to choose from. Yahoo! Mail, for advertising purposes, provides a more extensive range for occupation including industry and specialisation for users. This is to funnel the massive range of advertising to suit the user’s needs as presumed by the service provider based on the choices selected(interests, career etc). The categories available seems to place little importance on the race of the users as they are differentiated by geographic locale rather than by ethinicity or colour.

Second Life provides “Second Life First Name”, “Second Life Last Name”, “date of birth” and “gender”. The game offers a selection of preset last names that are uncommon and allows for a unique in-world identity that seems to be race and colour free.

4.Are any of the websites you've visited inherently racist? Why or why not?

One must question the definition of the term racism in attempt to answer this question. If racism is defined to be an animosity towards other races or a belief in racial superiority then perhaps many of the sites are racist towards the minority races or less affluent races, as there is exclusiveness in categorization. However, I do not believe that the intent and motive of the sites were to condescend and marginalize these other races. As an Asian myself, I never felt ‘marginalized’ by Yahoo! and Hotmail, as I find it more of a hassle to deal with a long list of tick boxes and columns “about me”. I believe that most of the sites probably started by providing their service to a targeted user group based on market research and statistics. However, as the accessibility of internet increases resulting in a greater diversity online, these service providers must begin to take responsibility to ensure that more groups are accounted for.

To be honest, I did feel tangibly isolated while browsing through Lavalife due to the overall design of the site, which seems to have adhered to a default set of identity categories (namely age, location, colour, star sign, religiousness , height, physique, smoking/drinking habits). Colour (mainly white) seems to be an important aspect of the Lavalife ‘identity’ thus creating an obvious segregation between other races.

ONLINE: MenuDrivenIdentities : A response

2004-08-26T21:55:00.000+08:00

What sorts of ‘identities’ are visible in the profiles on Lavalife? How are they displayed? What presumptions does this display make about both the people reading these profiles and those users who made them?

With the extensive array of questions in the profile construct on Lavalife, one may be inclined to assume that the “identity options” available are seemingly endless. At second glance however, one can begin to see the blatant inadequacies of the identity formation options typical on such online dating websites.

The most significant aspects of identity as projected by the Lavalife website are (1) GENDER, (2) ETHNICITY/RACE/COLOUR, (3) WEALTH & (4) AGE.

In the space allowed for this blog, I shall focus on the first three.

In Lavalife, you are either a man or a woman. There are no in-betweens, trans-gendered, bi-gendered or undecided. This part of the profile is obligatory, in that you must identify with one of the two [socially accepted] genders in order to go on to finding true love or a casual shag online. Such options (or lack thereof) replicate the socially accepted understandings of gender in mainstream society and lend to the assumption that the profiles users too, emerge from mainstream society.

Being “white” is the visible norm on Lavalife. Including a most of the profile users, most of the images on the website and the default option under the “ethnicity” component of the personal profile. On the last point, it would be important to draw attention to Lavalife’s obvious terminology confusion. It seems that under the option of “Ethnic Background,” the terms “ethnicity” “race” and “colour” have all been conglomerated to mean the same thing. “White” and “Black” are colours implicating (racist/imperial) racial characteristics. Proposing that “white” or “black” refers to an ethnicity is ludicrous. It is interesting to note that although the option under the “Ethnic Background” category does allow for a “prefer not to say” response, as I browsed through the Perth profiles I couldn’t locate any individuals who chose this option. Just as interestingly, I estimated about 95% of the viewed profiles to have identified their “ethnicity” as white.

Lastly, the “wealth” identity factor on Lavalife is implicit more than it is explicit. There is an optional “annual income” section as part of the profiling. In my navigating examinations of the Perth profiles, I found that an estimated 75% responded to this identity marker with a “prefer not to say”. The wealth indication of the website is implicit however, in that to actively take part and attempt to find a “date,” a “relationship” or an “intimate encounter” does require credits, which requires dollars. Just up for some “fun and flirt”? That’s only $21.99. But if you want some more truly-madly-deeply, you’ll have to cough up about $57.99. I think it would be safe to say that most earning less than $25 000 would not consider investing their money on "love-credits".

Menu-driven identity: blogged workshop response

2004-08-26T20:43:00.000+08:00

Question 1:

Hotmail and Yahoo! generally ask the same kind of questions including first/last name, language, country, gender, and birth date. Second life allowed users to pick from a list of preset surnames, hence ensuring that they will indeed be creating a 'second' identity. One of the differences I noticed between Hotmail and Yahoo! was the information each site required concerning the user's job. Hotmail posts the question 'Occupation', and allows the user to pick from a relatively general list of occupations. Yahoo!, on the other hand, requested 'Industry'. When an industry was selected, the next list, 'Title', is activated. Again, once a title was selected, the final list, 'Specialisation' is activated. I was confused as to why such a specific job description was required. That is, until I read the terms and conditions of creating a Yahoo! account. These two conditions appeared under the 'privacy' section:

Yahoo! uses information for the following general purposes: to customize the advertising and content you see...

Yahoo! displays targeted advertisements based on personal information. Advertisers (including ad serving companies) may assume that people who interact with, view, or click on targeted ads meet the targeting criteria - for example, women ages 18-24 from a particular geographic area.

As such, ad companies make certain (stereotypical) presumptions based on the occupation of the user, and well as the age, gender and, most importantly, location. This is obviously problematic.

Question 2:

I wanted to look more generally at the identities that are visible on lavalife: heterosexual and homosexual, and the presumptions that are made about these two categories and about the people who create and read them. When searching for 'man looking for woman' or vice-versa, the three options come up. They are entitled:
Dating: meet new people and have fun (a picture of man and woman bowling)
Relationship: find someone to get serious about (a man and woman laughing)
Intimate encounters: try something wild (man and woman about to kiss)

When searching for 'man looking for man' the three options are:
Dating: meet guys to hang with (two men with arms around each other)
Relationship: find mr. right (two men kissing)
Sex: hook up for sex (two men naked and kissing)

There is an obvious assumption here that gay men, both users and viewers, are looking for sex. This is suggested by the sexual nature of all three photos (all in black and white also) and the third option being blatantly entitled 'sex: hook up for sex' as opposed to 'trying' an 'intimate encounter'. Furthermore, the heterosexual option page never shows the man and the woman having any physical contact. The homosexual option has the men touching in all three pics.

Menu-Driven Identity Workshop Response

2004-08-24T22:20:00.000+08:00

1. Hotmail requests: language, country/region, gender, birth date, occupation
Yahoo has those and extra categories relating to employment and interests
Second Life allows you to create an identity (limited to certain surnames) with the following choices: Second Life First Name, Second Life Last Name, date of birth, gender.

None of these sites allow for the mestiza. They presume people are happy to streamline themselves into a very limited range of choices. It sets up a limited view of users and what can be (or even perhaps, what is worth being) represented on the internet. I’m not sure if “Second Life” is trying to be representational in their choice of surnames, but it appears very selective and US based.

2. The first thing I noticed about Lavalife was that the default is “man seeking woman”, 18 – something, and US based. Immediately the user feels ‘other’ by needing to change these options. The people pictured are all young, gorgeous and mostly white, I explored categories for older people, and discovered the same images of young people are used. I’m not sure how the users of the site choose their details, but they seem to have gone for a standard set of identity markers: age, location, colour, star sign, religion, height, size, smoking/drinking habits. There is a presumption that colour is one of the most important traits (it is generally listed first after age and location), thus it effectively draws barriers between people of different colour. As Kang suggests, if Lavalife users didn't use colour on their initial introduction, there might be a better chance of inter-racial mixing and understanding.

Menu-driven Identities: Online workshop - a response (homework.... )

2004-08-24T20:55:00.000+08:00

Qn1) Hotmail asks for country, region and time zone which are subtle indicators of once race. These information can be used to make certain assumptions about subscribers on the pretext of statistical or demographic data.
YAhoo on the other hand just has a language and content button which tells the country one is located, which doesnt give much info as more people are becoming trans-national. They do however have a great selection of industry and title choices. One can state their job, role and status by choosing from their toolbars. And they dont ask for gender, which hotmail does.
With hotmail, there is sufficient information gathered for one to make an assumption of one's race without asking for it. However, as far as stereotypes go, it only generates a sweeping generalisation which could not be accurate. Yahoo seems more interested in status, never mind gender or race. The absence of these categories makes it feel like yahoo is saying "gender dont matter as long as you're a subscriber...and how rich are u again?". (since they focus on status).
However, there are probably more angles to look at this from.

Qn 2)18 is the default age, and man seeking woman is the default choice. Kinda makes the assumption that if you're not at least 18, you'd better not use this. Did a seach check with age limitations of 12-16, all i got were 18 year olds. Now im not sure if there is a minimum age to use this service (i didnt bother trying to join), but there could be given the lack of under 18 year olds.

The default choice of male seeking women kinda indicates that chances are, males would be using this to seek women.

From the brief search of profiles i did, all seem to be from america, and age, location, gender were all involved. sometimes religion, star sign and personal traits were included; most of which were either if they drank or smoke.
Most were white, some asians, and there was even a dwarf (3ft tall). A few times, people wrote their race down (latino etc).
With a given text box, people could write whatever they want to express themselves, but there seems to have set in a 'lavalife social norm' where a within-group set of rules have been established which the average observer follows.

All this is to provide some sort of information for the user to choose a particular person whose is 'suitable' (subjective) to begin social communications.

Menu-Driven Identity Workshop Response

2004-08-24T19:10:00.000+08:00

Question 1
When signing up for Hotmail, Yahoo! Mail the user is required to provide their names, username and etc. Hotmail also asks for the user to select a language, however there is a distinct lack of languages from Africa and South East Asian countries, when Hotmail asks for country of origin, this list is more comprehensive. There is also the category of occupation, which lists white-collar professions and clumps the rest under "other". Yahoo! Mail asks the same questions as Hotmail and similarly fails in the language options. The difference between the two is that Yahoo! Mail asks the user to choose their title and specialisation in their industry. Second Life asks the user to chose the surname of their character, with the continued lack of Asian and African names. The other significant category is the "Resident Referral" and once again there is the choice of surnames, but this list seems more comprehensive. The presumption is that anyone who uses these services speaks the listed languages and is employed in white-collar professions. The absence of languages from various regions around the world suggests that people in these areas do not use these particular E-mail services.

Question 4
From the websites that I’ve just visited the E-mail services seem inherently racist. The omission of certain languages from "language" category is a concern, what happens if you only speak Malay and there isn’t an option to chose? This sets up a language barrier and perhaps forces people to seek other E-mail services that can cater for them. Language is usually tied together with race and while it may appear to be nothing but an oversight by the webpage designers it nevertheless can be classified as being racist by some. Even if this problem is addressed, race is still an issue on sites such as Lavalife. The website does not show signs of race, but users can state their race. Those with an ethnicity apart from white will state for example that they are of "Asian", "mixed" or "African" background. If race wasn’t an issue then people should not have to state their ethnicity, but obviously race plays an important part in the online environment. So whether the site makes you chose your ethnicity (via country or language), users can erect race barriers in the case of Lavalife.

Online Workshop

2004-08-24T10:47:00.000+08:00

I believe the profiles on lava life offer information which can only provide a 'shallow' representation of a person. Isn't a relationship about liking a person for who they are and not what the look like? Personality is more important then the skin colour or height of a person. Not to mention bloody star signs.
The profiles begin with the age of the person; then race, star sign, height, education and income. What happened to the old fashioned profiles, describing a desire for long walks along the beach? Shouldn't these profiles offer information which relates the actual personality: interests, hobbies and personal characteristics? I think it's wrong to mention income, education and race as it instantly produces categories, and splits the profiles into a sort of status hierarchy.

I also found the registration information for Hotmail to be a little too probing. Is it really relevant to know a persons occupation on e-mail? To sign up for Hotmail you have to give your age, occupation, language, gender, and country. I personally don't see the relevance for most of this information as most communication will be done by people who already know each other.

I think the Yahoo mail was more appropriate. There was no gender, origin, or occupation categories. The registration form asked for interests, which is good. However, this information will probably be used to target specific junk mail.

Tute Reading- Lisa Nakamura

2004-08-22T16:10:00.000+08:00

Lisa Nakamura argues not only that racial identity exists on the Internet, but also it has become a commodity in itself. She points out how portals such as Excite force minority users to chose their ethnicity and the content on the web are then catered specifically. This hierarchal system eliminates any possibility of hybrids and it begs the question of who decides what information people can or cannot view. In Nakamura’s words “sites want to know what you are so they can best figure out what they can sell you.” (p. 169) The absence of a category of “white” presents a problem. She sees this omission as an example of a “colonialist or imperialist gaze [and] whiteness is defined by its invisibility rather than its presence.” (p. 163) Race related portals such as AsianAvenue.com are considered to be no different from mainstream sites, except it divides racial groups even further. The Internet started out as the domain of white upper-middle-class male users and to a great extent it still is. Lisa Nakamura explores how racial identity have become a commodity on the Internet with old stereotypes being transferred from the offline world to the online, if there is a difference at all. She portrays whiteness not as a category but as a universal assumption.

Gattaca

2004-08-21T12:02:00.000+08:00

Sorry this post is so late...I didn't realise the deadline was Wednesday! I really enjoyed the Gatacca clip in the workshop. The movie is in fact one of my favourites.
The clip we watched - in the context of the film - goes back in time to explain Vincent's disability from birth and it's ramifications on his lifelong dream of going into space.
Although the concept may be fictional, I don't find genetic screening and its manipulation very far from reality today. Technology has brought forward many ways to eliminate imperfections already. I think the underlying issue is one of ethics. Not only that, if you had the choice, would you want to eliminate all possiblity of imperfection, which is a major part of every day life? Vincent's mother left his birth to "chance"... and we see that even when they are planning the birth of their next child, they are reluctant to eliminate every imperfection. That is, they wanted the advantage of being able to eradicate disease, yet allow the child do develop - to some extent - its own personality and identity.
Later on in the movie Vincent meets his match who is, like him, a "god child." Similar to Vincent, she suffers a heart condition. It is interesting to see that in Gattaca, the majority of the population is male. Not only that, they are genetically modified perfections of a male. Being one of the only females, Irene is ironically "weak"; not only because she is part of a gender minority, but also because she is part of a minority in terms of physical ability (or disability).
Together with Vincent, they form the marginalised group, the "other", existing beneath the superior class of genetically manipulated perfect beings.
Can you imagine a world where everyone was perfect? Would it necessarily be better than this one? How would nature then keep its balance?

Gattaca-sorry for late blog

2004-08-19T19:14:00.000+08:00

This film does indeed raise the issue of a new form of eugenics. It may be seen a form of paranoia, but there a notion here that we can use science and genetics to effectively never have children with disabilities or life threatning diseases.

Gattaca does indeed raise these issues, but shows how science and genetics may be able to legitmise this new form eugenics by arguing that is it best for everyone if you have your baby genetically modified, the child will be healthy and free of diseases. If this is not a form of eugenics: trying to "perfect the human race" as did Hitler and western societies did with mentally disabled people, then maybe people should re-think the term 'eugenics'.

Whatsmore, this idea of being able to create the 'perfect' child, free of any form of disabilities and diseases, is very close to reality. We have the ability to already genetically modify just about anything. We all probably eat something genetically modified everyday e.g. fruit and vegies. The onlt thing that stops scientists from genetically modifying humans is the ethical boundary that exists. However, we all know how ethical boudanries can quickly be shifted aswell. Who knows what will be concidered ethical and non-ethical in the years ahead.

Changes to this tutorial blog

2004-08-19T14:17:00.000+08:00

Hi Everyone,

New Link
A couple of changes to your tutorial blog. Firstly, you will notice I've added a link to the main Self.Net blog; this contains occassional posts from myself or Karen focusing on items which may be of interest for all students. Also, a number of curious people have found my own personal blog. Since some of you have found it, I may as put a link here, so if anyone else wants a read, you're most welcome (but do keep in mind, this is my personal blog, so isn't always 100% academically orientated!).

Blog Navigation Bar
I'm sure you've all noticed this new Navigation Bar at the top of the blog:

This adds some functions which might make using the tutorial blog easier:

The orange Blogger button will take you directly to Blogger.com.

Entering a search into the empty form box (the white box) and hitting search will search this blog (or whatever blog you are viewing). This should make finding earlier material much easier (only 15 posts remain on the front page, the rest go into the archive, accessible via the links on the side).

Finally, the BlogThis! button will automatically open a window to let you write a blog post.

FollowUp Comments for those Introducing Readings
Just a quick note: most of you who have already introduced readings this week in tutorials have gone back and published your reflection upon the tutorial after it finished. Those who haven't (and those presenting in the coming weeks) please remember that part of your tutorial presentation is to go back to the post you made before the tute and reflect on how well your presentation went (how well the ideas were received; what sort of conversation happened; any ways your ideas about the reading might have changed/expaned). Ideally, this should be done as soon as possible after your tutorial presentation (but really should be before the next meeting of your tutorial). Others are reminded, that they are always welcome to comment on any posts in their tutorial blog and are also welcome to post relevant links/ideas whenever you find things! (oh, and for those of you who've never read other people's comments, give it a go; there are some really interesting dialogues taking place in the comments!).

A reminder:
Before clicking the 'Publish Post' button, if you place the cursor inside the window where you have written your post press either Ctrl+A to select all and then Ctrl+C (on a PC) or Apple+A to select all and then Apple+C (on a Mac), this will place the text you have written in the memory of the computer (this is referred to as placing text on the clipboard). If something goes wrong during the attempt to publish, all you need to do to make the post a second time is place the cursor in the post window and press either Ctrl+V (PC) or Apple+V (Mac) to paste the text from the clipboard into that text box. (Occassionally blogger does 'hang' [which means not finishing the posting function], so it is useful to make this quick backup in order to avoid typing out the entry a second time!)

Eugenics and its credibility in Gattaca

2004-08-18T16:20:00.000+08:00

Does genetic screening and manipulation as presented in Gattaca evoke a new eugenics? Does this scenario seem credible given current scientific trends?

During the reign of the Nazis, German scientists contrived to create a single pure "Aryan" strain that they considered the dominant via selective breeding. This artificial selection and breeding of humans for genetic qualities, essentially what we have been doing for animals and crops are applied to humans. This is the fundamental element of Eugenics.

The world in Gattaca definitely evokes a new eugenics where a new form of discrimination called genoism has arisen.Those born of ‘natural-births’ have a higher chance of success and credibility and the gentically pure and perfect are favoured in society. In this environment, one could eliminate genes for myopia, a predisposition towards violence, mental retardation, and a host of other genetically induced traits and diseases. As a result, those conceived the traditional way, the ‘faith birth’s, or ‘God Children’’ or ‘Invalid’ people are at the bottom of the hierarchical chart due to their weaker DNA and shorter lifespan.

This scenario is highly conceivable given today’s rapid scientific and technological progress. Humanity has been tampering with eugenics for many years, through careful breeding of prize animals, engineered crops and livestock. Towards the early 1990’s, in-vitro fertilization was made possible and babies were produced from the merging of sperm and egg outside the womb. Soon after, cloning exploded in the scientific community with the birth of the first cloned animal, Dolly the Sheep. Now, in the early 2000's, there has even been debates of cloning a human, and the first trials of gene therapy have been done. The probability of a world like Gattaca’s is not merely fictional portrayal anymore.

However, the Gattaca world is a world of in which the pace of scientific discovery has been left unchecked by moralistic and ethical debate. If the ethical codes in our world continually shift and are compromised by declining morals then the greed and self-interest gains will control science and society will soon stagnate. The Nazis failed in their experiment, because their rule lasted less than one generation. But in the future, it is foreseeable that the rich will spend their money in creating designer babies void of health problems and matched with good looks through genetic engineering, creating an ‘elite class’ very similar to the superficial world portrayed in Gattaca where spirit is sacrificed in exchange for genetic supremacy.

Class, Race and Gender in Gattaca

2004-08-18T15:44:00.000+08:00

Class. Class is represented in the movie through the characters Vincent and Antonio. Antonio is privileged because of his genetically modified birth as class becomes linked to economies of birth rather than typical notions of fiscal advantages. Vincent has trouble keeping up with his brother on a physical level, and is discriminated against in the public spheres whilst both trying to get an education and a job.

Race. Race is undercut in the clip as it is not explicitly discussed. Both the geneticist and the executive at the Space Program are African-American males in positions of power. However, when the geneticist presents the options to the parents of what characteristics their son Antonio will possess he assumes they will choose a white child and mentions that he has already used this gene. The central family of the movie is a white middle-class American family, and therefore, their race is implicitly privileged, given many options in life.

Gender. Gattaca assumes an almost misogynistic tone as the parents not only naturallly conceive a boy, but also choose to have a son when presented with the genetic options. The mother is controlled by her husband and is not given a voice, to name her son or to have control over his life. This patriarchal take on genetics, both the creator and the created, presents a troubling idea of eugenics.

Eugenics in Gattaca

2004-08-18T15:21:00.000+08:00

Eugenics is an issue that is evident in the opening sequence of Gattaca. Eugenics deals with methods of improving genetic qualities through selective breeding. When Vincent is conceived, his development is 'left to chance'. Shortly after Vincent's birth, a nurse informs his parents on the 'probability rating' Vincent has regarding particular health issues. As the nurse announces that Vincent has a 99% chance of developing a heart condition, she looks up and gives his parents a sympathetic glance.

The nurse pities the parents because they had elected for an 'unnatural' conception which, in turn, has led to the creation of an 'inferior' child. Vincent's parents become 'determined that their [next] child would come into the world in the natural way' and therefore consult a doctor to 'select the most compatible candidate'. This scene demonstrates the emergence of a new type of eugenics. Not only can the parents decide upon the sex of their child, they can also determine eye, hair, and skin colour. However, this is a slightly different form of eugenics. Rather than improving genetic qualities through selective breeding, parents simply allow a doctor to 'give birth' to a number of children, or 'candidates' (4 in the case of Vincent's parents) and decide which one is the best. Vincent's parents seem suspicious about the procedure which will eliminate anything 'negative' in their potential children. The parents suggest 'leaving some things to chance'. However, the doctor assures them that 'this child is still you, simply the best of you.' As such, selective breeding has been replaced by genetic screening and manipulation to create a new form of eugenics.

I believe that this scenario is credible. Parents are already able to test their unborn baby for certain conditions (genetic disorders), and I feel it is only a matter of time before technology further improves and parents are able to design and manufacture their own 'perfect' child.

Response to Gattaca: Natural/Artificial

2004-08-18T13:55:00.000+08:00

Parthenogenesis/Technogenesis: Big words with the same theme- that of altering process of creation to create a being; be it biological or technological. In Gattaca, the film paints an 'alternate' future of the world where genetic manipulation has become a social norm and the 'natural' way. Within this world, being altered/advanced genetically was the norm whereas those who did not have the priveledge of such a procedure were deemed 'invalids'.

This distinction between 'natural' and invalids' presents itself as a source of prejudice, which forms to a sense to discrimination much like race and gender works. 'Invalids' have limited agency and are disadvantaged in certain ways. For example, Ethan Hawkes character dreams to become an astronaut, but 'invalids' are not allowed to be astronauts, and thus he is forced to impersonate his identity. The dichotomy of being a 'natural' or 'invalid' thus becomes a constructed ideology of difference in status, where one becomes viewed as better than another.

Gattaca uses this distinction of 'natural' and 'invalid' much like Haraway utilises her cyborgs, challanging the boundaries of what really is human/genetically altered, reproduced or produced (as in factory assembly line/labatory). This challenges viewers to think of what really is 'natural'? In the same line of argument, one must think then what is 'artificial'?
If being genetically enhanced is natural, then is the assumption being 'invalid' is artificial?
If so, then there is a dichotomy between life/artificial life. Much like the cyborg, or perhaps a robot with Artificial intelligence, wouldnt such a being count as artificial life? Whereas something that is biological count as life? In Gattaca, there is a reversal of these themes where the artifically created are counted as 'natural', whereas those that were 'natural' deemed artificial.

N. Katherine Hayles discusses the 'posthuman' and within her essay she explores the dichotomies of nature/artificial and the definition of what is 'posthuman'. Within the context of Gattaca, such a scenario is highly plausible and it is evident even today as humans have symbiotic relationships with intelligent machines and artificial insemination is a 'normal' practice of contemporary day...

Gattaca - Blogged Response

2004-08-18T13:52:00.000+08:00

I think genetic screening and manipulation evokes a new type of consumer eugenics, in which procreation would almost certainly become commercialised and commoditised. A situation where parents are able to design their babies could further reinforce class divisions as those who aren't economically well-off may not be able afford the treatment, whilst those who are wealthy will also be creating a generation who is genetically wealthy. If it becomes readily available to everyone in society, as seen in Gattaca, then almost everyone would use it not wanting to produce a disadvantaged child. Those deemed genetically poor will more than likely be discriminated against. In Gattaca Vincent describes a "new underclass, which isn't deterrmined by social status or skin colour. Undesirable consequences could also arise for the genetically superior who would be under alot of pressure always being expected to excel. Desire and determination could diminish as most would believe their future was cemented in their genetic makeup.

I think this is definately a credible scenario with IVF treatment and other genetic technology advancing rapidly. Plantlife as well as the food we eat have already been genetically modified to suit us, so I don't think it will be long before parents can choose desirable traits to be engineered into their children.

cyberstalking - after class discussion

2004-08-17T23:13:00.000+08:00

Just a few comments after today's discussion on Cyberstalking. I apologise for the abrupt ending of my last post. The fire alarm in the Arts building decided to go off just as I was writing my blog! Not that I had much luck during the tute, I had about 30 seconds to discuss my reading which was the last of 4... so if anyone wants to add anything or didn't get a chance to in class, please feel free to post a comment.

I guess I don't really have much to add since no one really had time to comment on or challenge anything I said.

There were a few points I found interesting in the article though. I'm not a raging feminist or anything but I tend to agree that sexual harassment has become a term used to describe the behaviour of males in particular. Do you think that, as Adams suggests, getting to the heart of the problem is going to change the way males ( the patriarchal, dominating, primitive being etc )behave online or in real life? How can it be changed?

The other interesting point Adams addresses is the different boundaries that cyberstalking crosses. On one hand it exists in cyber space; a space other than real life where anonymity may be kept. On the other hand, the problem becomes very much a real one when the victim's real life is intruded by abusive phone calls.
In terms of punishment, where would you draw the line? The law has proven to be pretty futile in protecting the rights of individuals on the Internet... so what then?

Gattaca Blog Response

2004-08-17T18:24:00.000+08:00

Question: Does genetic screening and manipulation as presented in Gattaca evoke a new eugenics? Does this scenario seem credible given current scientific trends?

The genetic screening and manipulation presented in Gattaca is a form of eugenics. The ability to eliminate various imperfections under the guise of 'providing the child with the best possible start' is nothing short of eugenics. In the past this term has been applied to policies discriminating against 'imperfect' or 'inferior' human beings who were alive. In Gattaca the discrimination starts before a foetus has been formed. Genetic screening and manipulation is about the desire to create the perfect human, thus it can be considered to be eugenics.
Given current scientific trends this scenario seems credible. Already certain defects can be detected before a baby is born, allowing the parents the opportunity to abort the pregnancy. With more research being conducted, like the Visible Human Project it seems only a matter of time before this scenario will become a possibility.

Andrew Chua

gattaca

2004-08-17T16:25:00.000+08:00

Representations of class, race and gender in Gattaca.

Class Vincent, his parents, and his brother, Anton, I think represent different classes. His parents appear lower-middle-class, distinct in that his father appears to be European and perhaps aiming for a higher class in his more perfect son. Vincent represents a new underclass based on genetic makeup, or the failure of his parents to eliminate the possibility of genetic weakness. He is discriminated against, not on the traditional basis of wealth, but of his lack of technological enhancement. Anton represents an elite class, technologically perfect and superior to both Vincent and his parents. The scientists/doctors also represent a superior class, taking control of the technological future.

Race There is racial distinction in the representation of the central white, American family; the efficient, depersonalised Asian nurse (clinically producing statistics at Vincent’ birth) and the Afro-American doctor (unusual as the authority figure). He notes that they want a son with “pale skin”. Vincent’s father’s racial background is also significant as he strives for a more 'American' child.

Gender Vincent’s mother plays a traditional feminine role – happy with her 'love' child, hoping that some elements of Anton’s life be left to chance. But she is overruled by the authoritive figure of the doctor and her husband. The father is pictured helpless at the birth of the 'natural' child and more in control over the choices for his technologically determined child (whom they choose to be a boy). Anton is stronger, taller, braver and more masculine. Vincent is weaker, shorter, vision-impaired and feminised. The usual us/them dichotomies in place:
male/female
technology/nature
strong/weak
reason/emotion

On/Off-line experiences

2004-08-17T13:31:00.000+08:00

Online/Offline Experiences

McGerty, Lisa-Jane, “Nobody Only Lives in Cyberspace: Gendered Subjectivities and Domestic Use of the Internet,” The Wired Homestead, (eds) Joseph Turrow and Andrea L. Kavanaugh

In the first part of McGerty’s article, she raises the idea that the Internet, in its early days, was seen a space where gender boundaries and power relations (as well as other power relations such as race, sexualities) would become obsolete. But a dichotomy between on/off-line has erased any notion that this can occur.

-“this separation of on and offline hampers our attempts to fully understand the gender dynamics of the internet, specifically at a time when the domestic sphere environment in particular is becoming an increasingly important focal point for internet use. “ Mcgerty p338.

Recent literature has demonstrated that socially constructed patterns of gender, which occur in the ‘real’ world, affect the ‘virtual’ world. This is due to the fact that users are projecting their offline experiences of gender on-line (and can be argued as vise-versa). (Dichotomies that occur simultaneously: Mind/Body, aggressive/passive= Male/Female)

-“Not only is it important to be aware of and attuned to the diversity of on-line experience, it is important to recognize that on-line experience is at all times tethered in some fashion to off-line experience.” P338.

The recently high domestic use of the Internet could have had an affect to these gendered power relations on/offline. In that, the domestic sphere still to this day, is typically female. Therefore, the children and the women who would be using the Internet in their home see the women’s role in home as natural and thus will project these gender social ideologies (and others) to their online experiences, only to have them confirmed by other users. Therefore, in my view, if the Internet can affect offline experiences and offline experiences can affect online ones, then to see on/line experiences as separate would stagnate any gender development. They must be viewed as one and the same so that a social realisation can occur about gender as a social construction and a change can occur towards ‘normalised’ unequal gender power relations that exist in contemporary western society.

Gattaca - Blogged response

2004-08-17T12:25:00.000+08:00

In the section of the film Gattaca, viewed in todays workshop the manipulation and screening of human beings evokes a new eugenics. Eugenics is the science of perfecting human offspring. As the families first born child was discovered to have among other negative things, a 99% chance of heart failure, the parents decide to choose the genetic make up for their second child. It is referred to in the voice over as the 'natural way', which suggests that in the future this may become common practice. The parents are given the option of deciding upon gender, and are told that the child will be physically perfect. As the doctor quotes "It will still be you, only the best of you". As seen later in the film that the modified child grows faster, taller, has good vision (no glasses), and is basically in top physical from. The two brothers challenge each other to swim the furthest off shore and as always the modified child wins. The day that Vincent wins raises a large issue. Determination and motivation can never be genetically modified. Although Vincent is physically less strong, his determination sees him win the challenge and ultimately save the 'perfect child's' life. The scenario presented in Gattaca does seem credible in todays scientific trends. In todays society it is already possible to choose the sex of our children if the process is done external to the body- What is commonly known as a 'test tube baby'. Most people have a different opinion on eugenics, whether it is right or wrong. I believe it should be developed further but only to prevent dramatic physical problems, not for parents to choose their childs characteristics and features as if they were choosing a new car.

cyberstalking

2004-08-17T11:36:00.000+08:00

The reading I will discuss in class today is about gender and computer ethics, in the area of Cyberstalking.
In the article, Adams addresses the need to apply feminist theory to computer ethics in order to to really understand the underlying problems of harassment online. She uses the example of cyberstalking, using three particular cases to illustrate her point.
To put it simply, a lot of harassment (namely of a sexual nature) takes place online, where women are primarily the victims of male perpetrators. It is also pointed out that little is being done to combat this problem. Adams finds that the traditional liberal method (legislation/self protection/education) to be futile as it does not address the heart of the problem. It does not answer the question of why the behaviour occurs in the first place. She says that "only when we have a better understanding of why the behaviour occurs can we then begin to think of policy measures which may be effective" (p132)
Herring (1996) finds that cyberstalking tends to mirror the levels of harassment that women often find in real life. So this type of behaviour is not limited to the web experience. It is evident in real life that women are victims of sexual harassment and stalking. So what measures are being offered to stop this behaviour? The US Attorney General report firmly advocates trust in free market utilitarian arguments with strong measures of self protection.
These traditional forces of capitalism and state are balanced highly towards counteracting cyber-stalking behaviour when it happens, not before it happens. This does not get to the cause of the problem.
So, by contrasting the view of the issue to a feminist ethics position, a better understanding of the causes of the problem can be offered and therefore more hope for future solutions.

tute presentation

2004-08-17T11:34:00.000+08:00

ok, I am presenting David Silver's reading, "Margins in the Wires: Looking for Race, Gender, and Sexualtiy in the Blacksburg Electronic Village.", in this weeks tutorial so here's a brief intro.

The article is divided into three sections:
1. Margins in the Wire. This part attempts to analyse previous literature and their takes on the presence of gender, race and sexuality in the internet. As there is not a huge amount of literature available, the author, drawing from those who have come before him, rather discusses the meaning presented in the absense of defining constituents of identity on the internet.
2. A Brief History of the BEV. The article then discusses the three phases involved in setting up the BEV, a project that I personally find disturbing.
3. Looking for Margins within the Interface. The third section of the article I found most interesting and combines the first two sections in discussing theories of gender, race and sexuality on the internet within the context of the BEV. I was particularly troubled by the claim that the BEV aimed to "enhance the quality of people's lives" leading to questions about what makes up our quality of life?
Hope the article and some questions I drew out of it will generate some discussions this arvo, see you all later!

hey

2004-08-17T11:20:00.000+08:00

Hey all, guess I'm the last to sign up - though better late than never! Don't really have a fave website but I guess Streetbeat Productions is most relevant to me because it's the company I teach and perform for!

JenniCam - Tute Presentation

2004-08-17T10:55:00.000+08:00

JenniCam is a site that allows users to view Jenni's room (she may or may not be there). A new image is created every 20 min for free, or every 2 min for US$15.

JenniCam contradicts the notion of a unified subject because Jenni herself becomes hybrid with technology online. Her subjective 'I'is integrated with and includes technology.
Jenni creates a subjective 'I' whilst objectifying herself at the same time.
"she occupies the hybrid position of both object and subject; she is composer and composed" (p 291).

Q. Is Jenni's subjectivity in real life any different? i.e. is she any less integrated with technology while offline, and does her role as both subject and object change offline.

JenniCam challenges ideas about pornography because there is an emotional attachment on behalf of the viewer towards Jenni. Opposed to the emotional distance of traditional pornography, JenniCam gives viewers an insight into Jenni's personality and identity. Viewers watch Jenni do everyday activities such as cleaning or eating and get to know her more through 'anatomy one-oh-one', then they get to see her naked.

Q. Is JenniCam pornography? Does the more personal and emotional depth of JenniCam render it as something else?

Author Krissi Jimrolou describes a phychoanalytic reading of JenniCam, referring to the Oedipal Complex and likening the viewers anticipated pleasure from Jenni's constant disappearance and return as our own attempts for a return to the order of the "real" that can never be achieved because of our entrance into language and hence the symbolic. "...the continual wish to return to the earliest stage of secure meaning" (p 296).
Jimrolou outlines the popularity of JenniCam is in both male and female viewers.

Q. Would there be the same popularity and excitement if it was "JerriCam". (If there was a male instead of female on camera).

hellooo

2004-08-12T03:00:00.000+08:00

sorry i'm more than a little late in joinin the blog... sylvy here. *grin*

so we're all sharing our fave websites... well, i'm a blog voyeur and i like to read my friends' blogs and their friends blogs and etc but after what we talked about in tute about privacy, i guess its best not to reveal the urls of blogs that i visit and thus unwittingly open cans of worms that shouldn't be opened. heh. But here are some interesting sites that i visit from time to time/visited once or twice:

www.subservientchicken.com

freaky guy in a chicken suit will do your bidding, according to what you type in the input box! try asking him to lay a egg or to drop dead.Hilarious!

i'm into photography, so i like to look at other photographer's work as well. Check out

http://photo.net
www.theblueseaandsails.com

to salivate at some stunningly awesome pictures!;-)

alriteyz.. see ya guys soon!

a click at a time

2004-08-10T18:56:00.000+08:00

Just checking in to say hi to everyone, I'm aNnabEL and i'm basically a closet web-surfie. My preferences are constantly evolving, and currently i'm just really content with JORDI LABANDA 's website. I find it classy and i love the graphics. Yea, have a go at it (though part of me wants to selfishly guard it from new gazers). And like Francesca , I found Friendster extremely addictive when i was swept in the hype. Go wild;p

hiiii!

2004-08-10T13:14:00.000+08:00

hey i'm julia and my favourite site on the internet is buddyhead, the dudes that run it are quite possibly the funniest people alive i think. also i like reading people's livejournals, especially if they post pictures.

Hello

2004-08-10T11:42:00.000+08:00

Hi, my name is Natasha. I just spent 15 minutes waiting for a park at uni... so I'm late to class.
I don't surf the web much but a website i frequently visit is The ASX - how boring!
I'll think of a more interesting one later.

clueless blogger

2004-08-10T11:26:00.000+08:00

hello everyone,

For those of you in my tutorial my name is not ggolb but Hugo. I have no idea about bloggs, so if anyone has any simple tips for me, please feel free to pass them on.

I don't really have a favourite website but as I am a surfer I often check the wave watch website which can be found at the links section of Fluidzone.

Bloogers

2004-08-10T11:19:00.000+08:00

All this talk of weblogs is making me think of other websites online that help to make the internet community more cohesive. As I am American, I'm not sure that any of you know of this site, but I am curious if any of you know about a site called Friendster.com. It's kind of a place to post your profile and photo and information about yourself, and you can write silly testimonials about your friends and also find other people either from your past or from around the nation/world - I think you all should check it out. It tells you how you're connected to other people on your network, and how many friends you have in common with a specific person, and who they are. It's really neat to see the connections. I'm up, you can do a user search for me to see (Francesca Hoffman is my full name) It's a great way to stay in touch with people when you're away and also a good way to know what's going on with someone, (or if you want to find out if someone is single or not) Anyhow, check it out. :)

F

Harlowz~!

2004-08-10T10:24:00.000+08:00

Harlowz~!

Hey to everyone on the 2pm tute slot.
My fav website would be the-waaagh gallery :P

Greet

2004-08-10T10:17:00.000+08:00

Hi everybody. I've just joined this blog and am very excited to test it out! My favourite website is google.

my favourtite website

2004-08-10T10:14:00.000+08:00

Hello everyone,
I am supposed to tell you bout my favourite website. It would be proquest to find information and stuff about issues that interest you.

hello!

2004-08-10T10:12:00.001+08:00

Hey everyone. Hopefully this works out as I have no idea... My favourite website is Hotmail as it would be the website I visit most and couldn't live without!

new blogger

2004-08-10T10:12:00.000+08:00

Hi folks,

I'm not a great internet user, so this is my service provider, exciting huh...

Hello All

2004-08-10T10:11:00.001+08:00

Hello world. I've been forced to join this Blog, nah just kidding. My favourite website address is The World Game.

Andrew Chua

incredible

2004-08-10T10:11:00.000+08:00

this is just a little test, as i'm not a real computer literate person, this is quite exciting for me.

Introducing.... F A R A H

2004-08-10T10:09:00.000+08:00

Hi guys,

Got to this stage of the blogging-instruction-manual, so im doing well!!!

My favourite website is horoscoporama

Welcome!

2004-07-12T17:11:00.000+08:00

This (we)blog is intended for the Tuesday, 2pm tutorial group in the unit Self.Net: Communicating Identity in the Digital Age.