Comparing Food and Vine

(Cyber-m.com, 2015)

Comparing Food and Vine

This weeks lecture was mainly discussing Food Networks, however, many points within the lecture can be interpreted to parallel the concepts compared to Online Social Networking Sites. Kuttainen (2015) discussed many different points with networks which can be applied to online social networking sites. The points Kuttainen (2015) made were such topics pertaining to; 'Food' as a transformer of culture; 'Food' as a a repository of culture; people settling for mainstream culture; 'Language' disappearing before 'food' does; 'Taste' is culturally constructed; 'Food' produces a fictitious sense of authenticity; and 'Food' can be an expression of identity. All of these points can be identified to online social networking sites. 

Vine is one such site to which these issues pertain to social communities of Vine; some people settle for mainstream culture on the communities and these communities are culturally constructed. Atkins and Bowler (2001) state "'Taste', therefore, has both physical and social meanings." This quote of which can be pertained to Vine. Atkins and Bowler (2001) also support Kuttainen's (2015) argument of social groups (or virtual social networking groups) and how they reinforce online identities. Atkins and Bowler (2001, p.274) also elaborate that " generations find assimilation unavoidable, but some (things) survive as a link with the past.

Atkins and Bowler (2001) also discuss in their text that in some instances, the same old situations and matters are commonplace compared to the development of changing occurrences of the 21st Century, namely, Virtual Networking Sites.

References:

Atkins, P. & Bowler, I. (2001). The Origins of Taste. In Food In Society. New York: Oxford University Press 

Cyber-m.com,. (2015). Vine Dos and Don’ts | Cyber-m. Retrieved 19 September 2015, from http://www.cyber-m.com/vine-dos-and-donts/

Kuttainen, V. (2015). Food Networks. Lecture, James Cook University.

Consumer Restriction and Stereotyping

As Patel states in his work on the power of large corporations, there are many restrictions on what consumers have access to, by means of “guiding” us to choose what is easiest and most profitable of the products, eliminating even the vaguest sense of “choice” involved. All companies around the world do this, it is a means to increase sales and diminish cost, and is often not limited to the company selling the product, or even physical objects or media (Patterson, 2015).

Social media sites have become hubs for controlling consumer choice though restricting access to media, by pushing certain brands that are in some way (cough economically cough) beneficial to the site (Social Times, 2015). It encourages the empowerment of some brands and diminishes the power and revenue if others, instead of sharing opportunity equally, as can only be accessed by those brands that can afford to pay the subsidy for this service. This disempowerment is not only seen in those brands that are under-represented on social media; many people can feel the very real effect of this new way of advertising.

Sites like Facebook are pioneers for such control over content and person specific advertising and it creates problems in lives as these restrictions can sometimes change how a person sees themselves or enforces the idea that certain aspects of a person ultimately define them. The most evident of these come in the form of gender specific advertising, as it is now known there are not only two separate genders but a wide sphere of them ranging almost from A-Z.  When someone is defined specifically by the “gender” and not their “identity” stereotypes are enforced, for if you identify as male but are “technically” of “originally” female, female products or products target at a female audience will bombard your timeline. This may only be a small step for empowering people as they are, not what companies want them to be for profit minimums, but it is a step that must soon be taken.

Bibliography

Gender Spectrum. (2015). Home Page. Retrieved September 17, 2015, from Gender Spectrum: https://www.genderspectrum.org/

Kuttanien, V. (2015). Power (Capital and Industrial Relations). BA1002 Our Space; Networks, Narratives and the Making of Place, Lecture 8 Week 8.

Patel, R. (2007). Stuffed and Starved: Markets, Power and the Hidden Battle for the World Food System. Melbourne: Black Inc.

Patterson, M. (2015, May 4). Social Media Demographics for Marketers. Retrieved September 17, 2015, from Sprout Social: http://sproutsocial.com/insights/new-social-media-demographics/

Social Times. (2015, July 30). 10 Brands Doing an Amazing Job on Social Media. Retrieved September 17, 2015, from Social Times: http://www.adweek.com/socialtimes/michael-patterson-10-brands-amazing-social-media/624169

Yellow Pages. (2014). Yellow Social Media Report, What Australian People and Businessses are doing with Social Media. Retrieved September 17, 2015, from Yellow Pages Sensis: https://www.sensis.com.au/content/dam/sas/PDFdirectory/Yellow-Social-Media-Report-2014.pdf

Facebook & Exchange

Social networking is a place for exchanging anything you can imagine, from cars to clothes. Facebook has many pages that link back to the basic exchange of goods over the internet bringing many different groups of people together.

Exchanging online can either be between friends, cultural groups or pages, and can vary from product to product. Just like anything else, exchange is a construct of many aspects influencing the way items can be brought or who can buy these items. “Taste is culturally constructed” (Kuttainan, 2015) For example, with different people, come different reasons for purchasing an item. Some may want an item for sentimental reasons or to add to a collection, but whatever that reason is, the buyer or seller has constructed in their minds the reasons they either want to sell or buy this item. Especially online, users tend to become more brazen with their want and needs and construct an online profile that would aid in the purchase of an item.
In this new technological age, it has become more clear that Social networking is become a necessity in everyone’s everyday lives. In today’s society everyone is concerned with exchanging as many things as possible on a social networking site that it is becoming more popular than ever before. Users exchange comments, photos, shared items and pages in order to create a more influential online profile of themselves. “In matters of food consumption we are at the same time driven and constrained by biological necessity and socio-cultural factors.”(Atkins and Bowler, 2001)

Exchange means many different things whether personally, socially or product exchange, but it is one thing many online users rely on to boost their online status. Facebook is one of the main playgrounds for exchanges to take place and with mutual friends liking an exchange page the chances of other users catching onto that page is extremely high.
This link shows the advertisement for an online exchange website
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXtd4u-YVRA

Reference List
Atkins, P. and Bowler, I. (2001). FOOD IN SOCIETY. New York: Oxford University Press, p.273.
DiPietro, J. (2010). Facebook for Businesses Demystified. [online] Domesticating IT. Available at: http://www.domesticatingit.com/facebook-for-businesses-demystified/ [Accessed 18 Sep. 2015].
Kuttainan, V. (2015). Food Networks.

Food all over the world, is a form of networking between groups of people. It allows people to form bonds with one another through the consumption of new and exciting tastes that they enjoy. “Food often represents an important expression of our identity, both as individuals and in reference to a broader ethnic, class or religious grouping.” (Atkins, 2001). Through food certain individuals are able to connect with other cultures without being able to speak the same language. Through this, people that travel the world and do not know the language of certain countries can interact with that culture by experiencing different cuisines from all over the world. This allows people to gain a whole new perspective on their own life through the discovery of new tastes.

Another form of sharing food experiences is through social media using applications such as Facebook and Instagram. The way that people connect on these media platforms is by cooking a meal and then taking a photo to upload to their desired social media page. Through this they are able to share with their family and friends what they are having for breakfast, lunch and dinner. One advantage of sharing food on social media is how easy it is to spread new cultural ideas and tastes, literally over the internet. If someone see’s what you have prepared for yourself this may make them want to try it also, broadening their cultural horizons. Even though this person may have never been to the country that the dish is from, but they are still able to feel a part of that culture and enjoy a bunch of new flavors that they may never would have experienced if they did not see the post online.

The consumption of Food is normally seen as a social experience in which you share with family or friends. Food networking is constantly around us as food is a part of our everyday lives.

Atkins, P. & Bowler, I. (2001). The Origins of Taste. In Food In Society. New York: Oxford University Press 

Image from http://www.popsugar.com/tech/Instagram-Food-Pictures-31058093 

Foodies Unite!

As our blogs come to an end, so does my time deeply analysing Instagram; and because this is Instagram I am dealing with, I inevitably at some point must discuss food photography. Whether we love it or hate it, it empowers those of us who call themselves 'foodies', and makes the rest of our mouths water. 'Taste' is both a physical and social concept (Atkins & Bowler), and food photography on Instagram appeals to both aspects. 

According to Atkins & Bowler (2001, p.272) our tastes are partly due to "our socially-derived desire for our consumption habits to show us in the best light." In short, if you post a carefully composed and filtered photograph of our smoked salmon and quinoa salad on Instagram, you are seen as flaunting your individual gastronomic choice, skills in the kitchen or that you are otherwise not light on cash, and that you have a healthy diet. Underneath all of this though is a lot of power play; posting it means that you are trendy, and gives you power over people who like to indulge, or don't have enough time to be preparing lavish meals, to make them feel less trendy, less healthy and have less social standing. Food can be either a source of pride or shame (Kuttainen, 2015), and while you are feeling proud about that salad, someone else is feeling shame about their mac & cheese. 

This shame-mongering is also in a way a parallel to the multinational food companies in the bottleneck of Patel's (2007) model. Just like these particular companies have a great deal of control and power over what we eat and what we have access to in supermarkets, Instagram food photography has a power over us that influences our taste physically in that we crave that melon sorbet that just came across our feed, and socially in that we are motivated to take up a more healthy lifestyle to match those we see on every second account. 

References:

Alana, K. (2012). Instagram & Co.: The Mobile Era of Food Photography. Retrieved from https://www.finedininglovers.com/stories/food-photography-tips-mobile/ 

Atkins, P. & Bowler, I. (2001). The Origins of Taste. In Food In Society. New York: Oxford University Press 

Kuttainen, V. (2015). Food Networks [Lecture Slides]. Retrieved from https://learnjcu.jcu.edu.au  

Patel, R. (2007). Introduction. In Stuffed and Starved. Melbourne: Black Inc. 

DRINKING AND POSTING - IT’S BECOMING OUR WAY!!

By Alice Carter

Bundaberg Rum Appreciation Society, can be better known as the very much popular, global network of Facebook (Kuttainen, 2015). Explanations as to why this statement is so true, can be explained in multiple ways; however the strongest reason’s known to people in this day-of-age, is that Facebook is so heavily rich with alcohol induced images and posts (weather it be rum or another drink entirely). 

An example of just how much alcohol induces our networks on Facebook, specifically looking at how it plays its own role, looks at the “Rum Collective” group page on Facebook itself (facebook.com, 2015). With over 7000 likes to its name, “Rum Collective” not only sets out to enhance the name of such a drink, but also uses means of certain communication tactics within their self-narratives, to enhance marketing success. This marketing success is clearly responsible for the networking connections to rum, with communication “online hash tags” heavily encouraging people to buy the drink (e.g.#geteducated). 

On this page, the admin most recently posted an advertisement opportunity (which clearly also encourages the tasting of rum), on July the 1st 2015. The post was edited so it was viewed by the public (over 7000 people who liked the page had/have access), with one particular hashtag communication reading “#geteducated”. This clearly indicates the admin has a way of saying that people should be buying this particular rum (Carribean). 

Wake up world, drinking and posting…its becoming our way, when really it shouldn’t be —- and groups that don’t even post while drunk, or advertise that they are getting wasted on a weekly basis (but still encourage such actions), are just as bad. 

References

Kuttainen, V. (2015) Lecture 8: People Networks. LearnJCU, Power Point

www.facebook.com (2015) Rum Collective: Group Page. 

Image Retrieved from www.depositphotos.com (2015)

Virtual Refugees of Vine

(Wood, 2015)

Virtual Refugees of Vine

Within many social networks, as wells as regular people networks, cases of Diaspora have been recorded throughout time. Vine's case of Diaspora seems to have forced this case by its members creating "Imagined Communities" (Kuttainen, 2015) on Vine. What I mean by this imagined community in terms of Diaspora is the way certain members of Vine seem to not fit into the already existing groups made of comedy, music, etc. These "Virtual Refugees" tend to steer clear of the mainstream Vine and create their 'imagined community' for themselves only. Not to be confused with the 'Cyber-Flaneur', the 'virtual refugee' seems to to take on a hipster viewpoint. They seem to care about their alternative image. These 'virtual refugees' can be found not just in Vine, but in more recognized social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter. 

Ma Mung (2005, p.35) states in his text, "During the migration an identity develops", and "Sharing a common origin, be it real or supposed". These quotes can be familiarized to the above concept of 'virtual refugees' creating their own 'imagined community' through their identical Diaspora of migration from mainstream  virtual networks. Ma Mung (2005, p.36) also later mentions a "Collective memory/history", which he describes as follows. "This memory/history justifies for each individual their belonging to the Diaspora". Ma Mung (2005, p.39) also recites the features of Diaspora to help identify modern virtual Diaspora. The first is "The reason of exile". The second being "The duration of exile". The third, "The space of exile". The fourth, "The degree of community cohesion". And the last being, "The existence of links, real or imaginary with the territory or country of reference". All of these 'Features of Diaspora' can be compared to virtually any social network.

References:

Kuttainen, V. (2015). People Networks. Lecture, James Cook University.

Ma Mung, E . (2005). Diaspora, Spatiality, Identities. In Comparative European Research in Migration, Diversity and Identities. Bilbao: University of Deusto.

Wood, S. (2015). 5 Things Social Media Experts Can Learn From Hipsters. Adweek.com. Retrieved 11 September 2015, from http://www.adweek.com/prnewser/5-things-social-media-experts-can-learn-from-hipsters/115716

Going Home with Just a Phone 

In this day and age, we have access to almost everything at just a few taps on a screen the size of our palm; and for those who have moved from their country of origin, or have families overseas, home is just a click away. Social media, and for my example Instagram in particular, makes the country of origin virtual, and allows people to be part of virtual ethnic communities.

Diasporic communities maintain their identity and history through narrative, which is inscribed into a space to make place (Kuttainen, 2015). Instagram allows diasporic peoples to inscribe their narrative onto the virtual space, and create a place in which users from all of their 'secondary poles' can connect with their 'central pole' through image and video. One feature of the diaspora according to Ma Mung (2005) is that through the migratory process, diasporic people develop an identity, and share a common origin. The rising prevalence of social media has rather updated this migratory process. For example, the Instagram account @everydayafrica allows people who have moved from Africa, be it as a refugee or not, or those who have African heritage to experience and engage with their culture. It gives them a community where they can connect with each other and develop an ethnic identity. But more than that, it creates a feeling of shared common origin, by making their home virtual. 

EverydayAfrica is a place where Africans can follow each other an connect with each other, whether they are in the same country or on other sides of the globe, and build and keep alive the networks which are crucial to the diaspora. 

References:

Dailymotion. (2013). I wanna go home !!!.....cover. Retrieved from http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xycxww_i-wanna-go-home-cover_music

Kuttainen, V. (2015) People Networks [Lecture Slides]. Retrieved from https://learnjcu.jcu.edu.au/

Ma Mung, E . (2005). Diaspora, Spatiality, Identities. In Comparative European Research in Migration, Diversity and Identities. Bilbao: University of Deusto.

Self/Identity & Facebook

Facebook is a social network that allow for families to connect with each other over long distances, either though messaging or tagging. With families connecting over Facebook, this allows for members of the family to post whatever they wish, which may include photos or shared items an influence in to how family members are perceiving other family members. Online family members have the power to encourage certain behaviours that their family members are posting onto their timeline as they have access to anything their family posts. Sometimes the diasporic community can exert pressure on the younger generation to maintain traditions and connections to homeland. (Kuttainen, 2015)

When online people tend to navigate their identity and personality towards those who are seen as popular on Social networking. With this online identity users are free to express what they think or how things should be happening within their surroundings. With online users sharing a particular liking to something someone has posted or shared on Facebook, this can be seen as some type of online migration. Online migrations are becoming the new way of finding common interests among social network users.  During migration an identity develops and is based on the feeling of sharing a common origin, be it real or supposed. (Ma Mang, 2005)

Social networking is now an opportunity for families to keep an eye on what their family members are posting or sharing on Facebook. Older generations are also sharing or posting things that they want their family members to pick up and hopefully pass it onto any other family members on Facebook. With this new age of online migration it is going to be easier for families to communicate with each other over the internet to influence the other family members way of their online identity and how it will influence the posting and sharing side of their Facebook page.

Reference List
Kuttainen, V. (2015). People Networks.
Ma Mang, E. (2005). Comparative European research in migration, diversity and identities. Spain: University of Deusto Bilbao, p.35.

samuel stokely blog 5

In today's world with Facebook, Instagram, Vine and many other online interaction applications and websites, it is very easy for people to continue to stay in contact when they are affected by diaspora, "This concept mostly used in a context of movement of people" (Mung, 2005). Even if their space and place is not where they originate from, they are still able to keep a very firm connection with the people they have left behind through narrative, or even other people that have been affected by the same circumstances. For example just after World War 2 many people were forced to leave their homes and immigrate to Australia, whilst here certain ethnic groups found people from their same background by starting soccer clubs. This for them was a way of keeping part of their cultural heritage and holding onto a part of their old space and place, whilst living in a completely new one. 

One thing that I found really interesting from the lecture this week was how Victoria described place and space can be built by narratives. Even though some people may be re-located or forced to leave their homes, if they share stories of their homeland, keep their native language and pass down their customs they will always have their home with them, wherever they are. Even if they are unable to do this in person they can still stay in contact by uploading videos on Vine, or send messages and even make calls through Facebook, making it extremely easy for them to stay in contact and discuss things. So wherever you are in the world, with today’s virtual networks we are all able to link with one another, even if we are on opposite ends of the globe, exchanging stories and customs with one another.

Bibliography

Mung, E. M. (2005). Diaspora, Spatiality, Identities. Balibo: University of Deusto.

Image From https://www.rochester.edu/working/hr/relocation/

Communication Helps Us All Fit In!

By Alice Carter

Forcing pressure on our younger people of society, to maintain traditions and/or connections of a “homeland” (or in this instance, a community), seems to be the way social media works in order to maintain identity for a certain group of people (Kuttainen, 2015). This is seen to be stimulated from people who experience diaspora, at any stage during their life. As the above question states, diaspora in this instance is only termed from people who are geographically distant from friends or family. 

People who are geographically distant from their own group, tend to be known to create their own “community” closer to where they are on the map. There are several possibilities for why this occurs, but there is thought that the only logical reason for this occurrence is to maintain the same community aspect, belief and value, within a different group of people. An example of this, is of an individual using Facebook to communicate with people in the area they live in. This communication is based off said individual, wanting to let others (who currently occupy that area) know, that they are wanting to be around them and specifically create a “community”, with those particular people. An individual in this position may or may not fit in to the particular social setting in question, however due to experiencing diaspora, they adapt communication from their country/town/state of origin (Mung, 1992).

Showing the communication to form a new community, helps maintain the original symbol and narrative of the country of origin. It helps the individual experiencing diaspora create a community outside of their country of origin, because having to live far away from friends and family, is a given circumstance that has to lead to said individual creating a new (but similar) “community” in their “host country”. 

REFERENCES

Kuttainen, V. (2015) Lecture 7: People Networks. LearnJCU: Power Point

Ma Mung, E. Diaspora, spatiality, identities

Images Retrieved from: 

http://www.vapartners.ca/best-practices-for-b2b-sales-team-communication/ (2011)

Medcalf, A. (2015) Top Tips for Effective Communication Retrieved from http://www.abbymedcalf.com/top-tips-for-effective-communication/

Facebook: Closing the Gap

One of the most notable changes if current technology is the many new connections and ways of meeting people from across the globe, from the introduction of the internet, or more specifically to emails and social media. The ability to instantly contact people on the other side of the globe with the click of a button has expanded the horizons of communication, just like the invention of mail, the telephone and the mobile phone but also made the world seem smaller (It’s a small world after all! J).  Facebook has created a platform from which in theory anyone on earth can contact anyone else with the ease of a google search and the accessibility of a Mc Donald’s after all their slogan is “Connect with friends and the world around you on Facebook” (Facebook, 2015).

This ability to connect people is in many ways changing a number of aspects about populations and their spread (mainly diasporas), and allows them to connect back with their homelands and cultural roots. A key part of diasporas as stated by Emmanuel Ma Mung in Comparative European Research in Migration, Diversity and Identities, are the links between those who migrated and those who remained in the country of origin. This can unequivocally be seen when those separated by vast distances, but are connected by culture and origin (Kuttainen, 2015), use sites like Facebook. The budding new platform allows for messages to be sent in different languages, include images and sound bites, not only creating a feeling of home and connectedness between senders and receivers but updates those far away on trends, dialogue (new phrases or words) and changes to people or places (Safran, 1991).  Such communication encourages the passage of narratives like, religion, cuisine, fashion, ideals and other similar factors. “As humans communication is central to life, and every life is affected by communication with others near and far” (Littlejohn & Foss, 2011) and with the entirety of the globe at our fingertips and that far away family on our minds, links between countries, cities and counties can only grow thicker and stronger.  

Bibliography

Kuttainen, V. (2015). People (Diasporas). Our Space: Networks, Narratives and the Making of Place, Week 7 Lecutre 7.

Littlejohn, S. W., & Foss, K. A. (2011). Theories of Human Communication. Long Grove, Illinios: Waveland Press Inc.

Mung, E. M. (2005). Comparative European. Bilbao: University of Deusto.

Safran, W. (1991). Diasporas in Modern Societies: Myths of Homeland and Return. Diaspora: A Journal of Transnational Studies , 83-99.

The Talker of Facebook - Talking Stick Power!!!

By Alice Carter

For years now my world of Facebook has been a torrent of different opportunities for one’s self to speak their mind. This virtual network not only creates power of the written word; but also brings with it power to a certain cultured group or idea. As Laurie McNeill said in her biography “There is no“I” in Network: Social Networking Sites and Post-human Auto/Biography” (Vol.35 2012), Facebook uses it’s globally, persuasive concept to enable people to culturally shape themselves and communities in important ways. 

Being able to shape self and community through Facebook, looks at the main concept of power, and how it empowers the self that it is focused on. Linking this to who would have the talking stick, uses an example of the community on Facebook, who encouraged the “Rainbow Flag” in reference to equality in marriage. It is still unknown who started the “Rainbow Flag - #lovewins” ideology on Facebook. In saying that, I was able to use logic to conclude that it empowered the homosexual culture, using the power of communication (the rainbow flag going globally/locally viral within days of it’s beginning). Using the knowledge about how viral this ideology went, it very much ‘facilitates’ communication between all cultural groups; weather it be the groups of heterosexual or homo sexual people. 

In reference to the Week 6 lecture (Luyn Van, A. Networked Narratives: Intertextuality. LearnJCU, Power Point. 2015) the writers of self narratives (or in this case communal narratives) may not always have control over how their idea’s get shared. This can conclude the argument that no matter what intentions the written word had to begin with, the concepts of power and communication will be what shapes culture and community. 

References

McNeill, L.There is no “I” in Network: Social Networking Sites and Post Humanism/Biography. Vol.35 2012

Luyn Van, A. Networked Narratives: Intertextuality. Learn JCU, Power Point 2015

( ) Male ( ) Female ( *) Viner ( ) Other ?

                   (Picture retrieved from FunnyWall.com)                    

To Vine, Or Not To Vine?

Social Networking sites over the years have allowed people to express themselves online, and to create their identity. However, exaggerated ones identity may become. With the help of other social network users and of the social norm in today's world, people seem to become somebody completely different with the help of a social network.

As Van Luyn (2015) discusses in her lecture, a single person is not the only one contributing an identity to a single person, object, or text. On the Social Networking video site Vine, the virtual space seems to create a narrative that lets people enjoy themselves through others identities. Some videos such as the infamous 'Ice Bucket Challenge' was created to help promote awareness of ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, However, this internet sensation quickly turned into a meme, which developed a charity, into a parody.

As discussed by McNeill (2012), she agrees the virtual age "Complicates the definition of the self". McNeill also argues that people produce online selves, which in turn, is making it hard to define where the human is, not by means of location, but of identity. McNeill also later states in her text that "(Cyberspace) has been designed to become part of users' daily lives, and to shape their offline narratives and selves in Facebooked ways". Which can also be compared to Vine.

As also discussed by Van Luyn (2015) and McNeill (2012), social networking sites, as within the real world, have created  'social norms', which some believe to aid in the development of 'created self'. So when Mark Zuckerburg states (via McNeill, 2012) that one creates an 'authentic' self on Facebook - or any other social networking site, for that matter - it is hard to actually put into context where ones 'self' ends, and ones 'created self' starts.

References:

Funny-wall.com,. (2015). Hidden Identity | funny-wall.com. Retrieved 4 September 2015, from http://funny-wall.com/animals/funny-hidden-identity/

McNeill, L. (2012). There Is No "I" in Network: Social Networking Sites and Posthuman Auto/Biography. Biography, 35(1), 65-82. doi:10.1353/bio.2012.0009

Van Luyn, A. (2015). Network Narratives: Intertextuality. Lecture, James Cook University.

The Post-human Police: Have We No Freedom?

Instagram is used by millions of people who wish to share photographs depicting their everyday lives, thus creating an online identity. However, one's online identity is regulated by the software, as well as interactions with other Instagram users. In a way, the software, as well as other users, act as 'cyber police' which can be very disempowering. 

To begin with, the very first thing anyone new to Instagram, or any social media site for that matter, will have to do is create a profile. On Instagram users have a 'bio', which is a short description of yourself and what you do. According to McNeil (2012, p. 68), "the auto/biographical act of creating a Profile follows particular company guidelines and establishes community norms for participation." This rings true for Instagram, as the community norms for what your bio says is very limited, and when your bio follows those norms, people tend to want to interact with you more. This can be very disempowering because users have to silence parts of their narrative to be able to interact with others. 

Van Luyn (2015) argues that some narratives are more acceptable than others, and I think this is also true on Instagram. Instagram has some very strict Community Guidelines, which has gotten many people in trouble (think Miley Cyrus and the 'Free The Nipple' campaign). Instagram's Community Guidelines say "If you see something that you think may violate our guidelines, please help us by using our built-in reporting option," which allows power to be wielded by some users over others, because what "violates community guidelines" is subjective. This post-human policing is part of the interaction with other users, in addition to liking and commenting, which helps create an online identity because we have to think before we post a picture. So really, we aren't all that free to be our own, authentic selves, even through pictures of our everyday lives. 

References:

Instagram. (2015). Community Guidelines. Retrieved from https://help.instagram.com/477434105621119/ 

McNeill, L. (2012). There Is No "I" in Network: Social Networking Sites and Posthuman Auto/Biography. Biography, 31(1), pp. 65-82. Retrieved from https://learnjcu.jcu.edu.au/

Van Luyn, A. (2015). Networked Narratives: Intertextuality [Lecture slides]. Townsville: James Cook University

Image Reference:

Schager, N. (2014). WRONG MOVE, REMAKE: THE LASTING RELEVANCE OF PAUL VERHOEVEN'S ORIGINAL ROBOCOP. Retrieved from http://www.villagevoice.com/film/wrong-move-remake-the-lasting-relevance-of-paul-verhoevens-original-robocop-6440924 

Rainbow Power!!

Back in June, when someone logged on to Facebook they were bombarded with rainbow filters over pride weekend, allowing millions of people to stand up for their beliefs about marriage equality across the globe. The rainbow filter reached its peak on June 26^th with the passing of marriage equality legislation in America  with over 26 million changing their profile picture to reflect their view on the issue (Matias, 2015). Many of these included name actors, celebrities, even politicians, ranging from Russell Simmons to, California Attorney General Kamala Harris, Leonardo DiCaprio, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Brazil's president Dilma Rousseff (Kelly, 2014) to name a few. This new innovation spread like wildfire across Facebook because it was a way to empower belief in marriage equality it gave a soft but meaningful voice to a message that was getting people killed, without the threat of physical violence.

As Victoria Kuttainen spoke about in one of her lectures on power and networks “[power] expresses itself in who we are, how we think and how we behave” and how millions of people changed their profile online accentuates this. People changed their established identity by outright saying they support the changes in society through altering the photo that many others use to identify that person. This one filter both literally and figuratively changed how their friends, family, and the world, could and would see them, altering their identity and how they identify themselves (Hanna, Rohm, & Crittenden, 2011). This in itself challenged how people should be constructed, however instead of silencing those narratives that didn’t match the norm (Kuttainen, Narritives and Power, 2015) they were able to be heard, allowing for more thought on the messages those people were trying to say. Not only has it changed ourselves mentally, but behaviourally as well, once being homosexual, bi-sexual, A-sexual, or transsexual was seen as wrong and we acted accordingly. People openly mocked those who didn’t fit into the “heterosexual norm” and they were ostracised, yet with this, behaviour towards it is changing (McNeill, 2012) as the world can finally see that they are no different and deserve the support they can now find online on Facebook.

Bibliography

Hanna, R., Rohm, A., & Crittenden, V. L. (2011). We’re all connected: The power of the social media ecosystem. Business Horizons, 265-273.

Kelly, H. (2014). Facebook rainbow profiles used by 26 million. Retrieved September 3, 2015, from CNN Money: http://money.cnn.com/2015/06/29/technology/facebook-rainbow-profile/

Kuttainen, V. (2015). Narritives and Power. Networks, Narritives and the Making of Place, Lecture 6 Week 6.

Kuttainen, V. (2015). Power and Networks . Networks, Narritives and the Making of Place, Lecture 1 Week 1.

Matias, N. J. (2015, June 2015). Were All Those Rainbow Profile Photos Another Facebook Study? Retrieved September 3, 2015, from The Atlantic: http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/06/were-all-those-rainbow-profile-photos-another-facebook-experiment/397088/

McNeill, L. (2012). There Is No "I" in Network: Social Networking and Posthuman Auto/Biography. Biography, 3.