Annotated Bibliography

Don't be confused by this seemingly random blog post. It's just an assessment item I had to upload to my blog.

Goode, L. (2009). Social news, citizen journalism and democracy. New Media & Society,11(8), 1287-1305. doi:10.1177/1461444809341393 Retrieved from http://nms.sagepub.com/content/11/8/1287

Doctor Look Goode, professor and Film and Television studies at the University of Auckland, brings expertise and years of study to this academic piece on citizen journalism

and social news. Goode in this journal article, broadly analyses the topic of social media and how it affects journalism. From the beginning of the journal article, Goode argues that social media is currently influencing journalism, and therefore society. Goode proposes that social media, and citizen journalists who come from social media, can radically affect the amount of form of content available online. This interactivity with the news means that social media allows for a more democratic process of news delivery. The author relies on other academic articles and key examples from social media adds to the points expressed in the article. The amount of academic sources on the topic of social media, citizen journalism and sociology adds creditability to the author’s opinions. Furthermore, the specific examples from social media sites such as Digg, Newsvine and Guerilla News Network proves that the authors opinions are from realistic events and stories.

Naughton, J. (2012, March 10). After Kony, could a viral video change the world? . The Gaurdian. Retrieved May 23, 2012, from http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/mar/10/kony-viral-video-change-world

John Naughton, the author of the article, is a professor of the public understanding of technology at Open University. Naughton’s area of study brings an experienced perspective to the discussion of Kony 2012’, the most viral video of all time. Naughton begins the article by introducing the video, Kony 2012 and the statistics surrounding the phenomenon. Naughton then moves on to explain the reason for it’s successful presence online. The author explains that Kony 2012 is the result of viral dissemination, which it attained through it’s clear narrative and simple ideologies. Furthermore Naughton addresses that the narrator of Kony 2012 outlines that the audience simply has to share the video on social media sites to help. The author references academic articles and real world examples of other viral online content to good effect. The author recognizes that the role of ‘weak ties’ - links between people who otherwise would be related - as a key factor for the spreading of ‘Kony 2012’, which the author identifies from an article from the American Journal of sociology. Naughton also compares Kony 2012 to other online videos such as Charlie Bit My Finger to conclude that social media is affecting how society receives and contributes to content.

Tilly, T. (2012, March 8). Hack - Kony 2012 [Audio podcast]. Retrieved from http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/hack/stories/s3450155.htm

Tom Tilly, the presenter of Triple J’s Hack explores the Kony 2012 campaign, both the content of the video and the social media surrounding it. Tilly brings on the program Australian citizens to share their opinion on the subject. The host also invites the campaign manager from Get Up Australia to discuss how the video became so viral. The campaign manager, Sam McClain, brings professional experience to the program. Sam explains that because the narrator of the video clearly explained how utilizing social media would directly affect the campaign. However, this source doesn’t have any academic value. The Hack program covers current affairs while allowing the audience to express themselves, so Tilly focuses primarily on the public’s opinion on the Kony 2012 campaign. This also has benefits because he does clearly identify the general public as the most important influence in social media. The host specifically gives insight into the general public who shared the video stated that they felt that raising awareness would at least help in some way. Most of the public who shared their opinion on the show statedFor that reason, this source has value and credibility.

Campbell, C. (Executive producer). (2012, March 8). The Project [Television program]. Melbourne, Vic: Network TEN

This source is a special edition episode of The Project. This was a unique episode broadcasted in order to completely discuss and present the Kony 2012 campaign for The Projects’s audience. During this program, Todd Sampson, CEO of Leo Burnett gives his experienced opinion of the affect social media had on Kony 2012. Sampson highlights that the general public are now able to influence society and political landscapes. Sampson states that people who are online and up to date with social media are now ‘individual broadcasters’ when sharing and producing content online. However, Sampson’s opinion is not academic or referenced, he uses his professional experience and personal research to make his opinions. The Project superfically analyses the Kony 2012 campaign for the benefit of an informing a large audience from different backgrounds. Furthermore, while Sampson does highlight social media in his analysis, he does not refer to Journalism directly. This lessens the relevance of this source to the overall subject of this essay.

Ethics Reflection

The lecture on ethics was a few weeks ago, but I'm going to try and reflect on it as best as I can from memory; It was a pretty interesting lecture after all.

I wasn't prepared for how far the guest lecturer attempted find the root of morality. It didn't focus on training us to maintain a clear and unbiased perspective at all times. In the end, I listened to a lecture on whether morality is an external or internal creation.

There were some pretty big words thrown around that, even if I could remember them, I'm not going to use this blog post. I'm not going to try and articulate and explain something that I'm still trying to figure out myself. I might write about it at a later date if I do manage to figure it all out.

However, I will 'reflect' on the lecture by adding a few general sentences on the topic of ethics so I can get an acceptable grade.

In my long and challenging years as a middle class Caucasian Australian, I've noticed that some groups of people live by sets of principles that seem universal and logical. All the while, there are others who live by conflicting principles who still consider themselves to be righteous and good. Every human being is able to justify their actions, and those who choose not to suffer in regret.

Public Media Reflection

I've always had a soft spot for public media. When I sit down in my living room, which is hardly ever, it's usually the ABC or SBS that shines from my magic moving pictures box. I actually relate to their programming, while commercial isolate me and other groups in society by solely catering to a specific demographic. I find that public media is engaging, informative and unbiased. It has it's utterly boring and confusing moments, but overall it manages to keep me coming back.

Public media normally has a charter or agenda that becomes a guide for everything the company does, from brainstorming original content to releasing it to the public. It's place within society is to offer content that major media networks won't.

Overall, they have a commitment to serving the public; they attempt to inform, educate and engage citizens while still entertaining. They're not required to not be commercially funded, however they usually are funded from taxpayer's dollars. I believe this is because funding from anywhere but the government could possibly lead to biased content. Even then, public media still has to keep politically neutral in order to maintain its credibility.

I watch and listen to public media for a variety of reasons: I specifically watch ABC for shows like Spicks and Specks, the Gruen Transfer, At The Movies, and international television shows; SBS for documentaries, foreign film and occasionally a large international sporting event; and I listen to Triple J for new and independent music.

I believe that public media is essential to Australian society. It's nature and purpose gives way to social inclusion. It caters for every demographic and manages to represent both domestic and international culture respectfully. Public media entertains and informs with limited funds and resources. It also has to be original in both it's content and publishing to stay ahead of commercial media.

Geeky Times At Supanova

This is an article I wrote for a journalism assignment. I attended Supanova with media privileges and had a great weekend. I had to write the article in third person and I was limited to 300 words. 

501st Legion posing for photos at their booth

Thousands of excited fans attended Supanova at the Gold Coast from the 20th to the 22nd of April to get their yearly dose of popular culture. 

Fans of anime, science fiction, cosplay, comic books, video games and even wrestling were able to get together, have fun and express themselves. There were panels, competitions, activities and entertainment for everyone to get involved in.

The main attraction were the celebrities. Headliners included James and Oliver Phelps, Summer Glau, Wil Wheaton and Richard Horvitz. There were a large number of writers and artists scattered over the event too. Supanova allowed both the fans to meet industry legends but also discover some great up-and-comers.

Everyone strutted around buying comics, shirts and memorabilia to give back to their communities. There were only two ATM’s in the entire exhibition centre and they ran out of money in just a few hours.

People who bought a ticket just to get their hands on the latest merchandise would have missed out though. The main fun were the fans themselves. The highlights were walking around the exhibition and watching fans immerse themselves in their favorite things in the universe. The smile on attendee’s faces when they spotted someone dressed as a character or reference to their beloved film, show, game or comic was inspiring.

This was the Gold Coast's first time hosting the event and fans weren't disappointed. The venue easily capacitated every single guest, even those who wore ridiculously sized costumes.

Dota 2 First Impressions

I have been playing the Dota 2 beta for the past three days. I can without a doubt, say that Dota is the most fun but challenging game I've played in a while. I've played a lot of League of Legends, and a small amount of Heroes of Neworth, but nothing had really prepared me for it.

The first thing I noticed about Dota was that I was really bad at it. The learning curve from getting from terrible, to slightly not terrible is insane. There was no tutorial stage or anything to help me out, but luckily there's people writing guides and wikis for Dota 2.

While I was installing Dota, I looked around for a few guides online. The most useful resource was an introductory guide titled 'The Task You Are Undertaking.". I found the link to it, along with a lot of other helpful guides, in a Dota 2 general thread on 4chan. I'm really glad I decided to read up on the mechanics of the game before I started playing. The guide gave me a good idea of the gameplay fundamentals like farming, building towards the hero's attributes, and damage types.

However, all the preparation in the world wouldn't have stopped me for feeding like I did. Things like simply selecting my character were frustrating. In my first few games I kept accidentally left clicking on ally heroes and minions leaving my character standing around under the enemy tower. It was moments like that made my allies hate me to their core.

The most daunting obstacle for me is going to be learning all the characters and items. There are an insane amount of heroes each with their own active and passive abilities. Each hero has four unique abilities (and sometimes more) that they can upgrade is a fairly unrestricted order. As of right now, if I happen to run into an enemy hero in the jungle, I am completely clueless as to how fast they can stomp my face into the ground. By the time I usually figure out that they're the enemy team's fed carry, it's usually too late. 

The other mechanic that blind sided me was the shop system. I remember my first game in Heroes of Neworth; I could not navigate the shop system at all. I managed to figure out how to build items through trial and error. I'm still too scared to stray from the recommended items.

I only played a few different characters, specifically Spirit Breaker, Sven, Drow Ranger and Witch Doctor. The  guide warned me about the difficult heroes and listed the easiest heroes for beginners. My favourite here so far as Spirit Breaker and Drow Ranger.

I love Spirit Breaker because I only have to push two buttons to play him. His first ability, Charge of Darkness, allows him to charge on any visible enemy. Once he's targeted the enemy, he bolts across the map moving through any terrain and enemy until he collides and stuns the target. His Ultimate, Nether Strike, slips him into another realm appearing next to an enemy hero. His other two abilities are a passive and an aura. Compared to the other heroes I played, he was both the easiest and the most fun. I would definitely recommend him for a beginner because he's incredibly mobile and still a hard hitter.

Here is a list of Dota 2 guides and the Dota 2 wiki.

I Don't Like The Shining

I can't be the only one that has ever experienced a moment which forever changes how you look at someone. Most people can easily talk about that day when they realised that they're parents weren't perfect. I never really had that moment, I might have but I probably just forgot it. However, I can remember the night that actually made me realise that not only are my parents not perfect, but they can actually have serious problems.

My dad has always been quiet and passive. He's a lovely and funny guy but he could never really take control of a situation by himself. My mum has always been there to deal with their problems. The only thing my dad had to do was go to work, come home and cook dinner for all of us.

A few years ago my dad decided to start his own company called Site Zero. It did something with servers or databases or something like that. My dad was really good at the technical side of the company but he was never good with clients. He would go out and get clients, set up whatever they wanted but would always have trouble getting paid for his work. My mum and him decided to get a business partner, Richard, who could run the 'business' side of the operation while my dad focused on the 'technical' stuff.

Long story short, Richard was an asshole. He bullied my dad for months. My dad was blamed for everything wrong with the website, business and clients. This guy's nature ranged from passive agressive, to just aggressive. My dad took all this abuse and didn't know how to respond. If I ever meet Richard again, I would call him a 'cunt' and let him know that he hurt one of the nicest people I know.

All of this abuse culminated in an evening during the middle of my eighth grade Easter holidays. My twin brother and I were pretty bored that school holidays. I can't remember much from that week besides the fact that I had some homework that I was putting off.

My dad comes home from work like usual but today he's a lot more excited. For the last few weeks my dad actually had a spring in his step and wanted to actually do things with everyone. Usually he was content with coming home and watching Spicks and Specks while drinking a beer. My mum was doing a late shift at work so it was just the three of us for the evening.

He decided for us that we're going to watch a movie. He had rented out the Shining and kept talking about how it was such a great film. I believed him. I had heard that Stanley Kubrick was pretty good at directing and was actually a bit excited about watching it. It turns out that there's a bit of miscommunication. He was glued to the screen and seemed to be watching a totally different movie than what me and my brother were watching. He mentioned a few times throughout it just how it is such a meaningful film. He was slightly too focused and excited about the whole situation. I did the only thing I could think at the time to diffuse the intensity in the room and started doing some of my homework.

However, it only got worse. It got to a point in the evening where my dad started to mention something about a 'hidden meaning' or 'truth' to The Shining. He was gleeful at the fact that he had seen something in the film that no one else had noticed until then. He was intent on making me and my brother aware of this too. At this moment I was actually scared of my father. My dad has always been too predictable and now he was this person in our living room who had spotted an underlying truth that explains everything about the universe in a very good psychological horror movie.

I called up my mum in the middle of her shift and told her about what was going on. It took her a while to get home but when she arrived, she was just as shocked at what was going on as me and my brother. She went absolutely ballistic at my dad for trying to push a horror film - it was a legitimately horrifying film - onto me and my brother. That was when my dad decided to go all out and try to explain to her exactly what he was doing. He never managed to explain himself. It was just key words like 'truth', 'meaning' and 'life' thrown together to sound like a philosophy lecture. This was when my mum immediately moved the conversation to another room and out of earshot. After about ten minutes of yelling and ranting they emerge from the room and my mum explained to us that they're going to take my dad to hospital.

I found out later that my dad has an undiagnosed case of bipolar disorder. The stress had simply gotten to him and he just slipped from reality. In retrospect it was a pretty minor manic episode. Things could have gone a lot worse if we didn't pick up on it at the time. I learned that during his university years he became so stressed he saw a portal to hell.

It only took one visit the hospital to diagnose him and get him on the proper regime of pills. He took a few months off from work and stayed at one at this resort styled complex for people with mental health issues. My mum and father contacted a lawyer and managed to make SiteZero pay for all his medical bills and time off for a hostile work environment.

That evening jarred my opinion of my father. I knew he wasn't the greatest dad in the world but I never thought he could have problems just like anybody else. His disorder totally turned my family's life upside down and it will never go back to the way it was. I don't think less of him. I actually think he's better than he was before. That event completely shattered him, but he managed to rebuild himself and move on.

Edit: This assignment got a 5 overall.

An R18+ Rating Is On The Horizon

This is an article I've written for a journalism assignment. I had to simply write a few articles 200-300 words long with a primary source and image. This was the easiest article because it is all information based and my contacts were extremely helpful.

Screenshot from Bioshock (2007).

An R18+ category for video games looks very possible as the Australian senate will be looking over classification legislation in coming weeks.

The Classification (Publications, Films and Computer Games) Amendment (R 18+ Computer Games) Bill 2012 aims to create an R18+ Restricted category for video games.

Australian residents currently only have access to games rated at MA15+. Games that include content that exceed these standards are refused classification and banned.

The bill was introduced on February 15th 2012. The next day, it was referred to a committee for an enquiry. The committee came back with a report recommending that the House of Representatives pass the bill. The report cited research since 2009 stating that there is 'overwhelming support for an R18+ Restricted classification for computer games'.

Tim Colwill, a writer for games.on.net and creator of R18+ Games Australia, supports the bill in its entirety.

“It's important for Australians to finally be treated with respect and support by the classification system,” he said.

Jason Clare, Minister for Home Affairs, made similar remarks adding "It also makes Australian laws more consistent with the rest of the world".

This bill will allow adults to make choices without restrictions and children will now be properly protected from adult content.

ACT Attorney-General Simon Corbell, a long time supporter of an R18+ category for video games, has already planned ACT specific legislation for when the bill passes the senate.

“This bill will provide the government greater ability to regulate the distribution of these games, and will provide adult purchasers with more information to determine whether the product is something they truly want to view or use,” a spokeswoman on behalf of Minister Corbell said.

There should be more information in the next few weeks as the bill moves closer to the senate.

Edit: I updated the article because I got an email from Jason Clare, Minister for Home Affairs after I uploaded it to the blog.