Media and Society: Assignment

Collect examples of Internet or mobile based activism, political movements, protests etc. with a sentence or two of the context using internet searches to a collaborative.
Describe also the medium applied.

The Feminist Movement, Jeremiah project

This is a one-man maintained? community? webpage. Somewhat gave the image of anti-feminist movement? e.g. quote from the site : "The spirit of radical feminism is the spirit of witchcraft and rebellion, the spirit manifested in Jezebel."

Human Rights Movement in Japan, Arudou Debito

Communitu created and maintained webpage for foreigners in Japan on discriminative and other issues, supports the exchange of ideas and comments. E.g. opinions on the article Yomiuri Shinbun, (Sept-23-06) Govt to have employers
report info on foreign employees

Facebook poll on Obama ‘assassination’ probed, Associated Press

Is implying on the poll on Facebook for expression
opinion on the topic of assassination.

Rep. Franks still wants Obama's 'long form' birth certificate, Politico

Raising political issues through online discussions.

A Global Wake-up Call, mobileactive.org

Using a mobile phone to give feedback to government on climate-change issues.

Backstory: Congolese radio show gives war victims a voice, Stephanie Hanes

Radio which uses its show time to give voice to victims

...

Communities and Location - comments

Questions from the class:

How do they relate to each other?

Communities and location can be related to each other directly or indirectly.
Directly would mean that the community has chosen a place, virtual and real where they meet or communicate to eachother.

Do places unite people or are people associated to the place? What location means to community, what binds these together?

I think communities and locations are in direct connection. Communities form on the set of shared features, which can be knowledge, skills, goals, etc. These features used to be local. You cannot assume knowledge in sailing from a country boy in India or knowledge in computers from a rural village in Africa.

With globalization and development on technology and sharing knowledge things like that have spread around. One can no more assume that the people who know certain things are tied to certain place. But on the other hand it is rather expected that these groups would like to share a location and would like to connect to each other. As the skills that one possesses are entitled to access to the possibilities of accessing and communicating it to others.

Society

Understanding the Current Moment in History http://www.indra.com/transform/dlc/rapids/p1main.html 

Group work: Bike trails

Bike trails

Idea:
Webpage for biker community in Estonia.

Purpose:
To connect bikers, give opportunities to share bike trails, trip ideas, maps, photos, etc.

Target audience:
It is helpful for these who are interested in biking.
Average user would be interested in using bike for outside activities, trips or tours in nature and has access to bike trails or roads either in city or country side.

Features:
User profiles - users can join, secure their profile with password, connect with other users, share photos and information (can use their already created profiles and openIDs)
Community - discussions, events, etc
Map adding, editing, sharing (based on GoogleMaps)
Interactive maps (with illustations of scenery, hot spots, bike rentals, bike shops, train stations, etc)
Photo adding, naming, sharing, removing
Bike site (bike parts, fixing, designing, driving rules, bike ettiquette, etc.)

Links for ideas:
Baltic Cycle (bike trails in baltic)
City Bike (biking in Tallinn)
Green Map (maps)
Bikely (bike paths)
Map of cycling tracks in Tallinn
Cycling routes in Montana

"Who Controls the Internet?"

Do you know?
Have you ever thought about it before?

Such a topic for discussion have chosen Jack Goldsmith and Tim Wu.

"The volume of electronic communications crossing territorial boundaries is just too great in relation to the resources available to government authorities" (cit. of David Post, J.Goldsmith and T,Wu, pg. 2). This pretty much gives frames for the discussion.

The first chapter of the book tries to introduce the reader to stages in the development of internet. The first communities rabelling against territorial rule to create free cyber space, a story of Yahoo, its trial for a free space that doesn't bend under any authority and then transformed into a technology that facilitates the enforcement of territorial laws and political influences.

I think the ideas presented are not really new, but there are aspects that are important. Politics play significant role and they cannot be sepparated from daily life. When someone wants to move out to a cyber space then they have to have acceptance from the authorities also. But it is fair to suggest that such experiments are a way to test the system and offer solution that could be internationally acceptable.

The examples in the book illustarte the problems of powerless world clearly.
Not everyone have the same idea of the ideal space. People who like to take control over the situations or want to try their power on others, etc. can bring their realities in the middle of all that too.

In conclusion I think the first chapter of the book tries to familiarize the reader to the issues over the real and cyber-space and to ponder over what are the goods and odds of the imaginary reality.

Tries to be the beginning

Here I am. Have the book, and yet haven't had more than just 10 minutes for the reading.
Time balance - yes, it is important, but to stick up at 2:30 am and try to see the letters on pages when the head pretends to be asleep, is truly a challenge in itself. But what to do, work has to go first.
Compromised this time. Let the reading be for tomorrow.
My sincere sorry to them who expected to comment on the readings.

BUT, I got a glimpse of the issue discussed in the book and it seems to arise with interest.
The main idea the authors are trying to convey was to show the limitations or disillusions of the idea of freedom in the world created on internet.

I have some rough expectations for the reading while regarding to titles perhaps and some illustrations or charts in the book. Most probably I will like the political aspect of it and the examples brought to illustrate the messages.

But lets read and see :)

Hello!

Nice to meet you all.