Week 5: That's mine... or is it?

ahhhhh so the issue of copyright! Perhaps I could copy and paste somebody else's blog post and pretend it's mine? Unfortunately you can't ever get away with that. Plagerism is such a prominent issue in many educational establishments. If I however, try to copy and paste, Ted will just throw my work through a computer and find the websites I stole from.


So it would be handy to be able to copy somebody's work sometimes but how would it feel if yours was the one being copied? Without copyright, people work could be taken all the time and then it would never be that person's to claim.

Another point I find interesting is how do you define what is copyright and what is not? So much of the time, people get ideas from things that are already produced and they morph it to make it their own. Is expanding on somebody else's idea considered copyright? If so, then we have a major problem on our hands...

Boldrin raises an interesting question 'is the system of intellectual property – patents and copyrights – with all of its many faults, a necessary evil we must put up with to enjoy the fruits of invention and creativity?' I feel that it is true that we do need to put up with the necessary evil in order to be exposed to original work. If copyright didn't exist, we'd be constantly reading and learning the same things and there'd be a small source of  originality.

Boldrin also says, 'Indeed, while many of us enjoy the benefits of being able to freely download music from the internet, we worry as well how the musician is to make a living if her music is immediately given away for free.' To be honest, and I apologise if this is selfish, the musician's money situation is the last thing on my mind when I download free music. At the time, all I care about is getting my free album and spending the evening listening to it. I figure that the artist can put on a concert and make a couple of million. It is funny though how I feel like I have a right to download music and that I am entitled to free music.

What is intellectual property? according to Wikipedia, it is a term referring to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which a set of exclusive rights are recognized—and the corresponding fields of law. Under intellectual property law, owners are granted certain exclusive rights to a variety of intangible assets, such as musical, literary, and artistic works; discoveries and inventions; and words, phrases, symbols, and designs. Common types of intellectual property rights include copyrights, trademarks, patents, industrial design rights and trade secrets in some jurisdictions.


I feel that copyright is more of a morality then anything. Everyone has a right to protect their moral and material interests. 

Week 4: Escape from the Office

Another reading this week that discusses the impact that 'cyberspace' has on our society. The idea that people can't escape the office is a little scary. I can only hope that one day I won't be swamped with emails and other jobs to perform on the internet outside the office. Although, when you are bombarded with all these extra tasks, is that what it means to be successful in your career these days?

When people use the internet and social networking for leisure, the lines a blurred when it suddenly becomes your job. For example I might've really enjoyed reading the story 'Frankenstein' if I knew it wasn't for my year 12 English class, thus, only creating additional work on top of simply reading.

This week’s reading, 'Function Creep: Communication technologies and anticipatory labour in the information workplace', by M, Gregg, suggests that the use of the internet gives the professional the option to work when they like and take stress off them in the actual workplace. The idea of anytime anywhere is definitely convenient and it is a good idea in terms of keeping the sanity in the office. But, how much is too much? There are definitely people who I know who go a little out of control with their work and it seems they are doing more work in unpaid, leisure hours then they are in the office. For example, my brother-in-law is a property evaluator and he's never in the office due to all his property viewings. He is then forced to write his evaluation reports in his own time. I guess to me, this just doesn't seem like the best system but it all has to be done sometime.

Week 3: Floating around in Cyberspace

So here we arrive again at the reoccurring theme 'cyberspace'. This term can be defined as an electronic medium of computer networks. The reading this week by John Barlow, ‘A Declaration of the Independence of Cyberspace', was very interesting as many topics that I hadn't thought about were raised. 'I ask you of the past to leave us alone. You are not welcome among us. You have no sovereignty where we gather.' I found this quote to be particularly interesting as it hints at the fact that the past has no value and no control of what the future will be, even though the future is dependent on the past. The past is significant as it didn't offer society the greatness of 'cyberspace'.

The format of the reading was unique in the way it was written as if it is a letter to the past, telling them how amazing the world has become. Has the bridge between the past and the future become that dividing? This reading is saying that our society has completely morphed into this whole new space. I agree with Barlow that 'cyberspace' is an amazing concept and has been an aid in our lives, but I think there are definitely values of the past that have deteriorated for example the face to face communication.

'Cyberspace consists of transactions, relationships, and thought itself, arrayed like a standing wave in the web of our communications. Ours is a world that is both everywhere and nowhere, but it is not where bodies live.' To me this quote again concretes the whole new world. So how different is the past before all this technology? Have we really become disfigured into a new type of reality?

Week 2 - A Holiday to 'cyberspace'

   The reading that caught my attention most this week was Lessig, L. (2006). Four puzzles from cyber space. I'd never before fully considered the term 'cyberspace'. When thinking about how often i am on the internet whether i am on Facebook, Pinterest, Blogger or Stumbleupon, it is possible that i am on the computer for the majority of the day.

   The reading discussed that 'cybcerspace' is a second life for our generation. Sadly, the reality is that 'cyberspace' is possibly somebody's reality. If it were up to me, i would not have a Facebook account but the way technology has advanced, you're practically forced to have one. When i haven't checked my Facebook for a few days i am either left out of conversations about the latest status, missing out on an event or abused for not writing back to a wall post. I say that I wouldn't have a Facebook account if it wasn't necessary but, like so many others, i'm addicted to checking it constantly and have a phobia of missing out on something important. A friend recently said to me that without Facebook, I don't exist and unfortunately that is how a lot of people understand it.

  Further into the reading, the game called 'Second Life' is discussed. Second life is a 3D virtual world where you are able to socialise with people across the world. There has been concerns that second life is morphing individual's ideals about reality and 'cyberspace'. This game, like many others, blurs the lines between reality and 'cyberspace' by pulling things in from reality. For example, you spend money that you earn in reality to put yourself ahead in the game. Whether you own 'cyberspace' land or 'cyberspace' weapons it all means the same. Is it really worth it?

The point I am trying to make with this blog is that people can get so caught up in their online life, they forget that they are actually living one.

Introducing...

The first thing to do in Digc202 is of course, the obvious introduction. I'm Olivia but my main men call me Liv, so you are welcome to as well.

I am studying Communications and Media and doing a double specialisation of Journalism and Digital Communication. I'm from the exciting land of Orange and moved to Wollongong in 2010 to attend uni. My favourite food is cake and i'm currently trying to master Zumba which i think is a pipe dream (cake and zumba kind of conflict).

This class seems to show me how much social networking does impact our lives and if i kept a tally of everytime i checked Facebook a day i think i'd be shocked. The worst part is, Facebook isn't my only social networking guilty pleasure. Although i know i'm on there way to much, i don't really plan to give it up anytime soon. I'll blame digc and say it's all 'research'.

That is about all for now and i am looking forward to reading all your blogs!