Reality to Virtualism - why I think it's bad?

problems
I have nothing against technology, in fact I am one among the tech lovers. But I think these days its getting way to much blurring the lines between the real and the virtual world. To analyse what happens when we enter into a virtual world, I started playing the game Yoville and Happy aquarium in Facebook. I wanted to find out why was that so addictive. So, Starting with Yoville first, to explain to people who don't know about it, its like a virtual game that you play through your Facebook account and you get to make so called 'Friends' and what is far more exciting you have different places like beach,restaurant, coffee place, Hair salon's and what not. Don't get way too excited, there are many more things in this . So, Out of curiosity did make an account, but my motive was to find out how it gets addictive in a few days.



First few weeks it was all about making friends, did make some, oh! Just forgot, you even get your own house, I mean you can build houses with lavishing swimming pools, backyard, frontyard, buy and sell things, yard sale, get invited for a house party, have a fashion pagent - like Woah, yes! It's sure addictive, but why? That's when I got the answer Virtual worlds can just gobble up you from the real world. This really makes me think why do people really have to do this? For money? Is it really worth it, is the question that pops up in my mind every time. Once we created this whole new world we call technology, which is now an integral part in every aspect.

Another thing I noticed with my little investigation is that, people were forgetting the fact that they are in a virtual world, talking about real life scenario's, it was like a mirage, which they never noticed. In my knowledge it's high time people move away a little bit from the technology in certain circumstances like these. The worst part you buy coins with your own hard earned money, and it's sad that people do it too with heights of addiction. 

Youtube Culture

bethany mota
Not so long ago I did a research on how people perceive virtual communication, to be precise concentrating on what impact that the youtube vlogs have on their audience, whether the clip culture pretends to be real when it is not really the whole picture about a person's life. My findings from that research was the fans of the famous youtubers who I might call here as the 'Youtube celebrities' knew that they were subjected to a hyper real or environment but most of the time the content produced tends to blur the lines between reality and hyperreality. 

To explain it with an example that I have quoted in my research where I concentrated on Bethany Mota's vlogs, who is a Youtube teen who produces content on makeup and some parts of her life that she likes to share with the people around the world. Talking about both the ends, starting with the Youtuber's end, most of the vlogs are filmed in their bedroom,car, or even on a picnic. What this exactly does is create an artificial environment which undergoes a lot of editing, lighting and we see just the best bits, which is critical and is not easy to comprehend the difference between what is produced and what happens in reality. 

To be fair to the Youtubers part who are similar to any other individuals who deserve privacy and also the same treatment everyone needs. The exact problem arises when they produce a content that looks like it is going to showcase most of there life when we leave out the other part. So, the audience of these celebrities are trying to take more advantage/ which naturally happens when we tend to consider someone very close to us, when we really cross the border and are not able to take in any other flaw about them even if the YouTubers themselves tend to agree. (Of course, to Err is human). The strong cult that they have grown over years make it difficult for them when there happens a sudden change in there life which they don't want to take in as a part of the youtubers life. 

But we cannot forgot, what they do is also a business and they can very well take advantage of their audience and play a part of manipulating there mind. It's the human nature that when I strongly believe in a person whatever they tell to me is going to be true and also If they recommend me something, then my mind insists me to go out and buy them if it is a product or use them if it is a service. This is none less than a celebrity endorsement that we see on TV. There is more sense of endorsed content when we watch it on the television, because it definitely strikes our mind that happens on TV is edited. 

When we see the problem of blurred lines between the content that doesn't seem like a content but looks like an interactive venture (hyper realism). Ofcourse, I truly support YouTube on providing a platform for a lot of people in connecting the world which was not made possible before Youtube. There are many many advantages of youtube as it helps in crowdfunding, connecting the two worlds, a great platform for exhibiting the new talent and projecting them, some errors like this can be avoided by just changing the perspective and the way the content is perceived by both the producers of content and also the audiences/fans of the content.

Here is a link to the research report on how people perceive virtual communication and the impact of vlogs on the audience.

What not to do on Facebook?

comments


The Good mornings
Really do you think your 800 friends are just waiting for you to say Good morning to them?





Click the Unfollow post button
One comment I make and receive a thousand notifications the next time I login, essentially missing out my important notifications. Damn, Thanks for the unfollow post button.



Oh! The new page
Please like my page, seriously do you think I am going to like a page of yours that just consists of random pictures and some of your thoughtful good morning friends, please share this page with your friends. (P.S. Genuine pages are really interesting, I love them)

Another game invite, yay!
The candy crush invites. I played frigging 120 levels at a stretch and even have had times when I was waiting for an extra life every twenty minutes. Thanks for that! (Finally it got deleted and yet again, so and so invites to play candy crush, WAIT! WHAT?!)


The unknown status
The facebook statuses probably poiting at a enemy but then You decide to make it your Facebook status,

Some people are annoying. Cried all night.

so you think they would atleast see that and know what that exactly means with your 300 other friends who are literally confused and comment WHAT HAPPENED?
Obviously you would never want to reply!


Out of the world requests
The unknown friend request. You live somewhere, do whatever, have no mutual friends, no connection and you suddenly want to be my friend out of somewhere. A moment of silence for your effort to find me from all over the world.



You will die if you don’t share this
And can we forget the creepy chain messages,

‘If you’re reading this, then you’ve already started the chain reaction and there’s no going back. The events I am about to warn you about will definitely unfold, even if you close this email now. The best thing you can do now is read on and carefully follow my instructions.
It is said that the damned soul of the tormented electrician escaped Jessica’s home that night and seeks nothing but to torment the living souls of this world he is trapped in.
If you do not pass this letter along to 5 other people in the next 24 hours, your home will be plagued and you too will have to be untangled from the wiring.’

P.S. Thank you for forwarding this essential piece of information and I am sure am going to share it.

So, should I post it on twitter/fb?
Cross-Posting From Twitter

Do you really want me to read this reply that you have sent to someone that reads, 
RT @randomstranger is it at 2?  #cray #overwhelmed #thanks #noonecares #itsannoying #please stop.


Liking your own status and posts?

P.S. Because others liking it is too mainstream.



The 1000 likes
Watching an episode, and you like that so much that you ended up liking every page that is vaguely related. If you like New Girl,

New girl – Like
New – like
Girl – like
Series – like
Episodes – like
Jess – Like
Zooey Deschenel  - Like
Nick Miller – like
Schmidt – like
Really?

P.S.

 STATUS I have made 1000 likes in facebook until now! Having a great life, so happy.
COMMENT  Congratulations….I am soo happy for you. #crying #happytears #wootwoot #waytogo #bestie.



How Social media #GetInked selfies work!

elections2014

Social media has been effective at all times and this time its the Election 2014 in India. Posting selfies is fancy but flaunting with your inked finger is all fancy this Election. When we look at social media as a whole it has been very impressive in communicating and collaborating with a large mass. It's not rare anymore, since we already saw how Arvind Kejriwal and his party (AAP) ruled social media and effectively communicated to youngsters, it has been a game changer in the recent years. 

Coming back to the #GetInked selfies in Twitter and Facebook it looks like more than the PSA's and manifestos the social media trump card worked. Great to see a social change brought alongside using technology, this clearly showcases how we can never underestimate the power of social media. It's not just another entertainment platform, but on seeing the involvement of the youth of today, looks like it could change political positions. 

Not long ago Facebook which joined with Watsapp has introduced I am a voter button. Along with clicking on that button users can share a story in their timeline. This button will be visible on Facebook when the local area election polling starts. As this time its going to be the millions of first time voters who are going to be influencing the ruling party, political parties have been continuously campaigning and connecting with the first time voters.

In my honest opinion an effective campaign can easily influence a first time voter, since they are very vulnerable and haven't been around in a while in this whole political setup. Taking an advantage of this social media works its chart out in the LoksabhaElections2014.

Another interesting website I as a first time voter myself came across is ADR (Association of Democratic Reforms) not to mention that this was also shared in my social media page through which I came to know about this. So, what's there in this website ?

1)It let's you know who is the candidate from your constituency contesting in the Elections. (Oh! wait, the main picture is not this, its the second point)
2)Background reports based on
  • Criminal
  • Financial
  • Educational
  • Income Tax details of Candidates and Winners (MPs, MLAs and Ministers) who have contested Elections to State Assemblies. 
3)It has an app that let's you know about the parties who break the election campaign rules, and acts as a link between the people and their representatives and has many more exciting features if you want to look it up!

Get involved and Get Inked. Vote for Change!

*Designs by Chumbak

Are likes hating on tweets? #Hashtag jumper

social media
Twitter and Facebook- The Hare and the tortoise story has been out there for several years that it has now become outdated.


Follow or like 'word war', who wins the game?


While talking to one of my friends last week, this line that lingered in my mind for several minutes, "twitter looks and feels professional". When I pushed her to explain a little more about this thought she adds, "If people in twitter can express there thoughts in 140 characters, why to waste time with a round about, unprofessional format". Starting an argument with her, I said "Twitter is no fun, even though there is still a room for conversation, which is the primary ability of social networking, it lacks several aspects that Facebook scores on". She adds on "I get more professional contacts via twitter, when I want to lack in any personal sort of communication and people have got no time to read an entire essay from me". 

Venting into a debate, I said, "Facebook allows me to get to know about a person more quickly than what twitter does, it even acts as a ice-breaker at times".To add a bit of background to this argument, a person whom I know personally has about 18k follower and has no room for conversation on the twitter page. And the possible reply that I received, "Its not feasible to felicitate an argument or a conversation when your follower list exceeds a certain limit, no more it becomes a private conversation, it extends into a public debate". This reply seems legit, but breaks the point of social networking.

Facebook and its new hashtag got no meaning


A Facebook page this is not twitter. Hashtags don't work here says, "I don't mind seeing TOPICAL hashtags on Facebook. It's been pretty cool to see a variety of opinions on the political events that have happened in the US over the past few days".  
That's a lot! Cya!

-----♥x ♥-----

Uttarakhand floods - Helpful resources from google

social media
Uttarakhand floods - Helpful resources from google
Google has added a value to this wide spread social networking sites. It feels like we have moved to a new social age where we can utilize the technological advancements available to help each other. This is an incredible effort by google that is really appreciable. Had never thought it would work this way. This app or a page helps in finding out the worst affected areas due to the floods, to present more active relief measures to the affected people. This also covers an interactive map consisting the list of rescued people, the stranded ones and also the cleared rescue zones. In addition to all these facilities, the main feature that it possesses is in finding out details about the person missing. To make these effective, there are rescue helplines attached too. This is being constantly updated, so that it makes sense on the timely efforts that are carried out. Hope this trend that has emerged stays positive through the rest of the years. 

To view the page click on this link.


Facebook's new gifting system-virtual goes real!

balloons


A  "Happy Birthday", gift from your friends and well wishers  sounds cool on your birthday and creates the party mood. These gifts pop out the good,sweet,happy,fun memories that comes along. Facebook has always been a life saver in reminding the birthdays of our friends. Virtual gifts are all around Facebook during birthdays. But Now Facebook's new creative idea in changing things real. We can send a real world gift to our friends through the social networking site. This has connections all over the world. A knock at your door, with the parcel on the hand on your birthday would be the surprising moment ever. A cupcake, a doll,a toy, anything under the sky can be gifted through this. Virtual gifts goes Real!