The #NMN course was challenging, funny, and practical. It made
me think more critically, put my creative mind to the test, and expanded my
knowledge about how to use digital technology to tell my stories.
I can surely say that all the readings and other resources
(such as videos) impressed me. However, one of the materials that
changed my way of thinking was @inanimatealice. This made me think about the
idea of immersive learning.
How powerful is the technology today, if it allows the viewer to directly participate in
the story! Literally. It's true: @inanimatealiceconvinced me to look online for more
information about immersive learning as I wondered myself how easy would be to
learn a new language, for example, if, just like Alice, we start travel around
the world (she already shared with us bit of geography).
Perhaps I am a bit eccentric, but I imagine the future of
learning depending 100% on New Media. Just like that:you go to your
class, meet your teacher and classmates (their avatars, or their holograms,
maybe) and the next minute you are with your class in Egypt, learning about the
pyramids.
Did I change my thinking about new media?Maybe a bit too much…
Finally, I was impressed about the power of new media in
terms of protests and online activism. Although my petition Remove
The Cyanide and Other Toxic Ingredients from Our Table Salt! didn’t benefit
from traditional media endorsement as it was just a personal concern of mine, I still
have gotten ten supporters. Yeeey! So, I can say that learning in this course how to create an online
petition, helped reach my goal: “if some people will check the
ingredients on the salt packages, and make the right choice when buying salt,
this petition will make a difference”.
I am finishing up my Masters program in Public Relations and I have to say that this course was one of my favourites over the past two years of study. Partly because I feel it is so practical, everything we studied this term is something I can use in my job in the future but also because its challenged me and made me explore and learn out of pure interest.
From the start, it’s been a challenge. The first week when we had to complete the podcast, I reread the syllabus at least five times because I thought the date was wrong! But it was just a sign of things to come and for that I am really grateful. Creating a podcast, editing together a video/story for Inanimate Alice, developing an online petition, analyzing selfies, discovering Twitter fiction and tweeting and blogging has been incredibly interesting and challenging. New media has always interested me but this course has sparked a new interest in the area. One that is more critical and reflective thanks in part to the required readings but also in part to the discussions we’ve had over the term as a class. But to me personally this class was successful because we as a class, were so participatory in the process and thats what new media is all about.
I think the one area that really surprised me was the whole conversation about Twitter fiction and I think trying to create a story as a class is something worth exploring in the future.
The last weeks readings on gaming has motivated me to reinvestigate gaming; it was always an area of interest to me but I fell away from it. The readings encouraged me to rethink games, to consider how they have their own spatial structure and can create their own physical space while establishing themselves as serious storytellers. Thinking about opening up the engine to allow users to contribute to the story, constantly changing and manipulating its development is exciting. I discovered that I am a Seekerin terms of Audience Archetypes,
"This group is all about going deeper into the story, exploring different worlds, and learning new things—making them voracious information seekers. They want more back-story, more bonus content, more sneak peeks—more, more, more. And they want it without distraction; Seekers are least likely to use a second screen (for any reason — including looking up related content, emailing, shopping, texting, etc.) while engaging with a story, but they do express more interest in checking out related content at other times."
In fact, there’s much in the readings from this semester that I will revisit in my leisure time.In particular, biophilia, Twitter Narratives and futurecasting are areas I will be reading up on.Passive or active narrative experience? It really is our choice and I feel that this course has made me aware of this and for that I am entirely grateful.
Short version: #NMN encapsulated what I had in mind when signing up for the MACT program.
As a writer/editor who has always been a geek (my family owned one of Edmonton's very first Macintosh computers in 1984), a degree combining communications and technology seemed a natural fit. But, although I'm doing just fine in the program, I'm finding the theoretical and academic aspects a bit daunting. I have already had several papers criticized for not displaying enough "academic rigour"—in fact, one comment read, "This section sounds as if it could have been published in a magazine," and it was NOT meant as a compliment.
Fair enough. I'm trying, really I am. And there's no escaping it: the MACT road won't get any less rigorous in year two.
In contrast, my two electives this winter have given me plenty of opportunities to roll up my sleeves and play around with technology. I've had fun, I've learned plenty, and I have actually achieved some good in the real world—last semester with a pilot SMS project for Edmonton's Multicultural Health Brokers Cooperative, and now this semester with my successful petition to save McDougall Church.
That petition has certainly dominated my last few weeks in NMN, and obviously represents my most memorable takeaway (online petitions matter—who knew?). But the semester has been filled with other enriching encounters with new media—from our podcasts, to our Animotos, to our selfie analyses, to this very blog.
Ah, yes, the blog. It's been so much fun writing (and reading!) this blog as the course progressed, to grapple with the course materials and assignments in such a lively and entertaining forum, and to follow the parallel adventures of my classmates. I wouldn't dream of forcing my friends and family to read a research paper I might write for a typical university class, but I was excited to share links to my major blog posts for this class—and to then see retweets and highly gratifying view counts.
I've had fun, I've generated lots of good work, I've gained TONS of new knowledge and practical experience, and I've even helped effect change. Like I said, this is the MACT I signed up for.
Thinking back to the first assignment in relation to digital literacy and the learning that has occurred since then, I would say that I am surprised at the outcomes. That is to say I am surprised at my level of familiarity with the context, and surprised at how much there still is to learn. At the beginning of this course, I felt I had a reasonably high-level of understanding of digital literacy and tactical ability in relation to complimentary technologies. The course work showed me how the theoretical context adds depth to my understanding of new media. It also showed me and how the rapid evolution of digital technology is continually changing due to the nature of digital communication, yet strongly rooted within a historical framework.
While I started this course familiar with tools like podcats, pinterest and animoto, this was the first exposure I had to being the creator of these messages rather than the consumer. This in itself was a terrific learning opportunity and, by connecting the tactical experience to an academic framework served to enhance my level of understanding and execution ability.
The three main highlights for me include Selfies, Narratives of Protest and Technobiophilia.
The readings and work on Selfies definitely changed and enhanced my perspective on the selfie and the many roles that it fills on both a positive and negative light. Taken to the extreme, selfies are rooted in narcissistic behavior, however, I can now appreciate the selfie as a powerful message, a documentation of a passing moment, as identity formation and as an interruption (just to name a few).
The Narratives of Protest module was particularly eye opening in the power of digital media and story-telling to both educate and influence. I was engaged by the robust nature of this topic and found the examples and theories behind this type of influence to be particularly meaningful and robust.
Technobiophilia was a completely new concept to me that I found fascinating. Working on the readings and engaging with the author was a meaningful way to learn about the connection between nature and technology.
I also enjoyed all of the work by everyone in this class. Each week it was interesting to see a range of perspectives and interests related to the course work. I also think the introspective nature of some of the work enhanced my familiarity with individual interests and personalities adding to a more robust learning environment in an online setting.
I am not sure yet if my digital behavior will change, but I am confident that I will be able to make more informed decisions as I adapt new technologies and perhaps let go of others.
When I first
enrolled in New Media Narratives, I expected a ride through narrative as
expressed in new media – the English major in me was intrigued. I thought I would be responding more to
selected narratives presented non-conventionally (i.e. books, magazines,
etc.). This course, instead, was more
expository than rhetorical as it focused on the media, on how narrative can be
conveyed digitally. Having said this, I certainly
have no regrets as I have learned a great deal from the media presented in this
course. I have become more fine-tuned to
narrative as it appears around me, in everyday situations as well as online.
While all of
the modules made an impression on me, the media that stand out are the readings
by Eisenstein, Inanimate Alice, the
Selfie readings, and Technobiophilia.
First, Eisenstein’s careful analysis of
and reflections on text-based digital narrative provided a sound foundation for
me to look at narrative in a new way. Second,
Inanimate Alice presented a view of
the world that refreshingly international. I took Alice herself to be a metaphor for
those just starting to use digital media (like me) and appreciated its
exploratory and progressive nature. Third, the selfie readings really helped to
put into perspective the human need to provide a permanent marker in history;
it helped me to see that their existence is not only justifiable, but
essential, to our cultural progress. Last, Thomas presented more of a cultural
response to the advent of technology and countered the dominant viewpoint that
our fascination with technology will bring an end to society as we know it – the
optimistic nature of her futuristic presentation reminded me of Marina Gorbis’ The Nature of the Future.
What will I
do more often? Hmmm…I am intrigued by
the concept of narrative as presented digitally, so I will likely look for more
of that online and use it more often in my own teaching. I will look for narrative in more visual-based
offerings, certainly. I will also value
visual narrative more – it has such a long reach. Coupled with audio, either in the form of
music or spoken word; it has the potential to make a much more dynamic impression
upon its participants. I actually sort
of regret this course is coming to an end and would take more courses that continue
this exploration, as it’s helped me to think in a new way that is more open to
the potential of digital media.
Didn't expect to be updating so quickly, but more progress has been made on Maria Venancio's case. First the bad news is that Minister Mandel's efforts to secure treatment for Maria under the Alberta Health Act have been, unfortunately, for naught. As a foreign worker, she is officially not eligible to receive treatment beyond the pro bono care she's been receiving. Now, it is up to her lawyers to win the lawsuit against her former employers.
And now the good news: this is where two years of intense therapy has brought Maria:
Kudos to Scott for his hard work, and for reminding me to provide an update on Maria Venancio. I am ecstatic to report that, on March 11, Clareview MLA Thomas Lukaszuk was able to ensure that Maria received the care she needed via a guarantee from Health Minister Stephen Mandel as well as a promise for further scrutiny of the TFW rules and regulations. Below is a screenshot of the Hansard for the Legislative Assembly for the Wednesday March 11 afternoon session, taken from page 561, that notes this:
My petition did really not influence this outcome at all; however, I'm just thrilled about this progress and thought you might be, too!
Very cool news this morning, as the province and city stepped up with historic designation and $1.25 million for McDougall Church.
A giant step forward in the fight to save McDougall Church! Proud to know my #NMN petition for @JessL's class helped.
http://t.co/K6roT9NtkL
— Scott Rollans (@ScottRollans) April 1, 2015
The money will help address McDougall's most urgent short-term repairs, and the designation will help provide momentum for the continuing task of finding a long-term solution.
Of course, the petition formed just one part of the effort by the Friends of McDougall—and a great deal of work lies ahead—but I'm so thrilled to have made a difference.
If you watch CTV News' coverage of the announcement, you can even spot me singing (tall bald guy in the back row!).
The reading by Vladimir Zwass was interesting from the perspective that it touched on many aspects of the material explored thus far in my MACT journey. It was a bit of a ‘light-bulb’ read for me in that I felt like my understanding of this article was enhanced because of a strong theoretical foundation. The most succinct alignment is rooted in the con-current course several of us are enrolled in, Using and Managing Communication Networks, which focuses on the study of virtual/online communities. The definition of an online community, ways in which to motivate contribution and the role that trust plays in a community or project have been fundamental concepts throughout the coursework.
From a co-creation standpoint, understanding the dynamics of a community can lead to a deeper understanding of the potential for collaboration. An online community can be defined as group of people that come together for a shared purpose in order to cooperate, collaborate and work towards a common goal. The users share a core set of values, interests and a strong set of secondary connections. Vibrant virtual communities are critical to effective co-creation.
Zwass defines co-creation as the creation of value by consumers, (2010, p. 11). It can also be defined as “the participation of consumers along with producers in the creation of value in the marketplace,” (p. 13). This definition is expanded through the reading with a focus on defining two type of co-creation, sponsored and autonomous. In sponsored co-creation, organizations open themselves to the co-creation efforts of external individuals, including present or potential consumers. In autonomous co‐creation, individuals or consumer communities produce marketable value in voluntary activities conducted independently.
In both instances, the role of the consumer and the producer is being redefined in unprecedented ways. The line between producer and consumer is also becoming increasingly blurred.
Technology development and use means that new forms of production are emerging at a rapid rate. Van Dijck, suggests new interactive platforms “promise to make culture more participatory, user centered, and collaborative,” (p. 10). The context for much of Van Dijck’s commentary can be related to his idea that websites are conduits for activity and the new platforms of today have turned these conduits into new ways of delivering goods.
Zwass suggests that the nature of goods involved in co-creation is specific in that the goods are all digital and available to anyone with access. “ The collective processes of sharing data, information, and knowledge in the digital domain by individuals vastly contribute to the growth of co-creation activities” (2010, p. 14). With the mass adoption of technology, the major barrier to being a producer has shifted from lack of production capability to lack of knowledge. Readers can become authors almost instantaneously.
The following TED Talk used some practical examples to illustrate this point quite well.
The ability to become an author, producer or contributor is in part made possible by access to shared resources and information. Zwass defines commons as the universally shared resources owned in common (2010, p.18). The idea of common ownership (or lack of ownership) is such a new phenomenon in the face of copyright and individualism. Commons only works on the backs of those who are procuring or authoring with belief that the greater good is most important. Personally, I feel like a move towards Open Data within municipalities is a demonstration of this shift in thinking. While it is possible to make data open, it takes collective will and intelligence to make something of the information. This is where co-creation and collective intelligence are exercised.
The emergence of intelligent behavior in a collective has been described by Surowiecki as the “wisdom of crowds,” generating the concept of crowd- sourcing, (as cited in Zwass, 2010, p. 19). Crowd sourced information can be useful as prediction, preference, or idea-generation. In the example of Open Data, idea generation would be at the forefront of this collective work.
Trust creation is defined by Zwass as a reputation system built by:
Word of mouth promotion
Collective Sense making
Ranking
Sentiment Expression
Task Redistribution
Trust in itself is a complex concept to study and understand. Trust in an online community carries this same level of complexity with fundamentally similar characteristics to the real-world; only there is a new level of understanding that needs to be applied in relation to the digital aspect of the online model of interaction.
March 31: Tweet @JessL something that you’ve just learnt from a reading
April 4: Think about all the readings you have done and all the games that you have played (board games, playground games, computer games, ipad games, nintendo games etc…) in relation to what Dr. Mark Butler says about time and that all games create their own idea of time and don’t always maintain that idea (see the video of his talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ag5MMKkk0k, see his ideas at about the 5 minute point though the video is 20 minutes). Write a blog comment on my Module 11 blog post explaining your thoughts
April 8: Write a blog post in which you reflect on the course. What has been new to you? Have any of the readings, discussions, blog conversations, tweets etc.. changed how you thought of any of the topics? What readings really made an impression on you? What are your key take-aways? Is there anything you might change in the future (tweet more often, run a crowd-funding project, look at selfies in a different way)
Kickstarter. Crowdsourcing. Another way that people have
found out to get out of anonymity online. This phenomenon is explained in the
dictionary as being popular thanks to the internet: “the practice of obtaining
needed services, ideas, or content by soliciting contributions from a large
group of people and especially from the online community rather than from
traditional employees or suppliers” (Merriam-webster.com, 2015).
So, Kickstarter, as a crowdsource, is “a new way to fund
creative projects” (Kickstarter.com, 2015) because on the internet, people “have
complete control over and responsibility for their projects” (Kickstarter.com,
2015). In a blog article Yannig Roth’s (2012) suggests thatcrowdsourcing works because it complements
the traditional co-creation -- “[the]creative and social collaboration process
between producers and consumers, facilitated by the company (Piller et al., as
cited in Roth, 2014). This might be true as many unsuccessful kickstarter
projects seem to lack the “organisational knowledge” (Roth, 2014) that the traditional
co-creation usually involves. When co-creation and crowdsourcing are blended
together, they bring up to the surface nice and successful new media stories.
This idea is valid if we look at the story of Jaded
Gamercast: Adepticon Double Date, a Kickstarter project created by Lange
Grinevitch from Edmonton, AB, who succeeded to go way over his goal (159%
funded). No doubt, this story succeeded on Kickstarter, mostly because his
creator nicely blended the traditional co-creation with crowdsourcing: first, there
is a clarity about what is being kickstarted: miniature gaming podcasts, called
Jaded
Gamer Cast (offered for free 200+ episodes if the project reaches it’s goal);
second, the creator calls backers to action through a simple story, using the internet
crowdsourcing multimodality (videos and pictures).
Another successful story is 'Time
as Moments' Designer Clock created by Donald
Papp from Edmonton, AB. The Kickstarter project was successfully funded (164%) as it promotes an ingenious and
unique work of art,something practical and relatively cheap: “Each
number becomes clearly defined only once each hour before becoming once again
unclear. The design reflects time as moments.” The project is successful, although
it is presented in an incredible simple way: there is only a picture of the
clock and only a few words used for description. It is astonishing how the image
speaks for itself and so, it gathers so many backers. Perhaps, if other forms
of crowdsourcing have been used, such as videos, this project might have had gathered
even more supporters. Again, like the previous project, this stands out due to its clarity and simplicity.
However, the elements of traditional co-creation (“social collaboration process …facilitated by
a company”) are not present. The project succeeds only because the product is unique.
An example of unsuccessful
project is Living
Necklaces! Beauty and Nature to Wear by Your Heart! created by Tara from Edmonton,
AB. Although this project looks like one of a kind -- “[t]his empty necklace
will contain a thriving, healthy moss or fern, keeping nature right over your
heart!” -- the number of backers is 0. Why this is unsuccessful? Perhaps due to
its’ lack of practicality– who would wear around his neck a bottle with a fern
inside? Plus, the jewellery-plant will definitely die outside during the Edmonton’s
winter months. Besides, there are no elements of “organizational knowledge” of
a co-creation, and the multimodality (i.e. video) is also missing. Perhaps,Tara’s project might have had chances
of success among flower-lovers if the piece would have been designed for indoors,
as an ornamental plant.
These three kickstarter projects, make me believe that crowdsourcing
nicely complements the traditional co-creation. However, crowdsourcing projects
can stand by themselves without traditional co-creation as long as the projects
are unique and presented with clarity, simplicity through new media
multimodality.
Merriam-webster.com,. (2015). crowdsourcing | the
practice of obtaining needed services, ideas, or content by soliciting
contributions from a large group of people and especially from the online
community rather than from traditional employees or suppliers. Retrieved 27
March 2015, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crowdsourcing
Roth, Y. (May 2012). “Crowdsourcing and CoCreation are Complementary”.
Innovation Excellence.
Raising funds to kickstart your dreams has risen to a new level with crowdfunding; entrepeneurs, artists and activists utilize crowdfunding platforms such as Kickstarter to help raise funds to launch and hopefully, turn their hope from a dream to a reality.
Crowdfunding has become a widely accepted way to raise funds by seeking support from local community involvement, although this is not a requisite as investors can be from anywhere on the web. Canada held its first Crowdfunding Summitin Toronto the week of March 3, 2015, that brought like minded people together to cover all aspects of crowdfunding.
In the province of Alberta, crowdfunding is popular and is currently being used to raise funds for many endeavours. Three I have focused on are the following:
A couple, Sylvia and Darren Cheverie, who want to bring an authentic French Canadian restaurant to the Alberta Canadian town of Beaumont, Alberta have turned to Kickstarter to help them make their cream possible. The owners hope they can get people to band together to create something bigger. The town of Beaumont has a history of neighbours helping each other and this is promoted in the spirit of their campaign. In their promo video they state they feel this is fundamental to Kickstarter.
Sylvia and Darren currently have140 backers, having raised $40,941 towards their goal of $95,000, with 39 days to go in their campaign.
I think the presentation of their project is well thought out and presented with a great video that introduces them to their potential backers. The have researched the history of the town and brought in many players, like the chef and baker, to supplement and support their project. They've done a great job.
Drawings for a dollar! by Jessie Somers sought to find supporters who would allow her to exercise her creative talents and encourage her to draw. Jessie offered supporters a fantasy drawings from her, which she would mail to the supporter, for $1. Jessie quickly met her fundraising goals and as she states in her notes, made some typical first time errors such as not calculating shipping costs.
She currently has 127 backers, having raised $1,616 towards her $500 goal. She still has 28 days to go in her campaign.
Jessie was very successful in her first attempt at Kickstarter and aside for doing some research into additional costs, has succeeded in her first attempt at Kickstarter. This was a smart project because she is entirely within control of the project and needs little resources to meet the requirements established between she and her supporters.
The third project is Tiny Houses by Heather Giles and Brad Penney. The two are attempting to raise money to support their plan to build tiny houses for people who cannot afford typical mortgages. An added bonus is these homes are mobile and can be towed on a trailer, allowing you to transport your 160 square foot home with you. The car/truck does not come with the house!
They currently have one backer, who has pledged $150 of their $25,000 goal, with 12 days to go.
What Heather and Brad could have done to garner more support was perhaps show the process of building one of these houses, to show they can build them. A video of the process, with a few drawings of the interior would have been very helpful. Is the house in the picture a house they made themselves? More information about timelines and plans for the houses would definitely have helped. Also, give people an indication of how easy are they to transport, offer to come see one built and provide more details overall, would encourage people to invest or at least consider their project.
Obviously, some projects are more appealing to the public than others, but Kickstarter clearly has potential. It's really up to the project and their developers to develop their pitch. Its left me wondering if I can use this method to fund my journey around the world on my sailboat.
While I am familiar with the concept of crowdsourcing, I had never actually spent much time looking at the breadth of projects available to fund. From the serious to the ridiculous, from the clever to the mainstream there does seem to be something for every type of interest on the Kickstarter site. I chose to analyze three projects with different intentions and varying degrees of creativity as well as support.
This project immediately appealed to me in part, because of a passion for the arts and in particular dance. The video immediately drew me in with a sense of professionalism as well as openness and authenticity. As a dance teacher I was also encouraged by the caliber of the company portrayed through the footage. The text narrative enhanced my understanding of the sense of this company in relation to their community connection. It also used an emotional appeal by expressing a string desire to not only succeed as a Company but to grow opportunities for dancers in Alberta and in Canada.
They are a third of the way to goal with six days remaining so I would say it is moderately successful.
In terms of recommendations, I think the video could have been even more powerful if it was a bit shorter or was separated into a couple of impactful clips. Also, I would consider changing the music to something a bit more uplifting to change the tone of the request. The mood created was somewhat melancholy which negatively contrasted an uplifting message.
I was so intrigued by the product and message I am planning on backing this project! I think the product itself is creative and practical and these characteristics are reflected in the content as well as the design.
The style of the video and use of statistics was powerful! I was also impressed by the name & logo and the play on words that were developed to create a compelling closing statement. ReThnk Ink. ReWrite. ReNote. ReDraw. ReMember. ReInk.
In the text based narrative, the description of the product is concise. The idea of personalization is also key and should resonate with a generation that is used to accessing custom options. They have included illustrations to highlight the rewards in a more artistic way which is consistent with the style and energy of the site.
There has been some moderate interest generated.
From a recommendation standpoint, I wonder if the name gives enough insight into the project? I think the recyclable aspect deserves more of the focus than the personalization. Perhaps Reink: a Reusable Notebook would garner more attention, particularly from a target market interested in sustainable products.
Viewing a project without a video certainly shows the stark comparison between multimedia and text based project descriptions. I also didn’t find the narrative to be particularly compelling or descriptive. My first thoughts were that it looked like a shed or a trailer so I wasn’t convinced of its uniqueness in the marketplace.
Without an interior shot or details on how one lives (electricity, plumbing, etc.) it seemed to be lacking any sort of business case or plan.
Wile the idea of living in a small affordable space has merit, I would recommend additional development of the case through a video that features that speaks to the benefits and describes how you actually live in this space.
With this, I chose three Kickstarter ventures to analyze using the AIDA approach:
Chartier by Darren and Sylvia Cheverie
I first saw this one featured on Edmonton's Shaw Community TV Channel 10 - yes, I am that kind of person. Anyway, Darren and Sylvia want to open a Quebecois-cuisine restaurant in the Capital region's very own Paris of the Prairies - sorry, Winnipeg! I'm talking about Beaumont, AB, just a half hour's drive south of Edmonton. Their message draws in the reader by starting with a love story about themselves, then tying it in to creating roots in Beaumont and fostering its Francophone culture with food (they had me at roots, BTW, warm fuzzies and all). While it does not follow the AIDA approach 100%, it contains all of the elements, and its desire segment is multifaceted - they even offer hugs when you come in for your first meal as a donor. It just needs a bit of tweaking to make the message's end more action-oriented - reminding people of the time limit and the rewards would reinforce the message. Its strongest element, however, is its video:
No launch date is given, but site comments start at March 6, and they have until May 4 to reach $95,000 - as of March 25, they are almost halfway there, and no wonder - they have used Sylvia's marketing know-how to create a very powerful message.
Imagination Studio by William Steed
I chose this last one as it is reminiscent of Curiosity Hacked's Open Lab concept for kids. William has an innovative idea here but has presented it in a direct-message form - main idea, details, positive close requesting action. He has embedded a video, but the message is different from that in the text - it tells a story of how donors and clients would benefit, but that's left to the last 30-45 seconds of the video. I am unsure as to whether most would get there, however, as the speed of new images flashing across the screen is so high, I actually got nauseated watching it:
Perhaps others have as well, for the $100k project has only $256 in pledges with 6 days left.
Alberta Legislature Grounds Mirror for PC MLA's by Marc Doll
Okay, so this one is entirely a parody - its creator even says so! "Chances of this project [$150k by April 4, 2015] coming to fruition are between zero and well none...but what the hell...let's have some fun" (para. 2). Doll has chosen emphasize this by only including information under the Risks and Challenges banner, so he is trying to dissuade contributors. Doll is instead trying to bring to attention the fact that the ruling Progressive Conservative government MLA's only need look in the mirror to identify who is at fault for Alberta's current fiscal crisis. He could have emphasized this further in his message and instead asked site visitors instead to take action by emailing their MLA's or using SM to spread the word.
For my first-ever foray into the merciless realm of Kickstarter, I briefly examine three varied Alberta projects: one abject failure, one modest success, and one ambitious dream project.
The fail
As I write this, "send my daughter to Spain" has raised $100 of its $2,500 target, with 21 minutes left and counting. I don't like its chances.
I'm sure lower-case-w wendy is a sweet mom with a sweet kid, but this is one sad Kickstarter. The pitch looks like it was slapped together, complete with random punctuation , and Weird Capitalization. It tells us nothing about her daughter — What does the trip mean to her? Is this campaign her only hope? What effort is she contributing?
But the biggest flaw with this effort boils down to two factors:
The project photo is strangely lit and massively overexposed.
The pledge reward is a photoshoot.
The (im)modest success
To this charming young artist I say: Your idea is crazy. But, then again, I'm 53 and I think a pierced septum is also crazy. So, you go, girl.
I clicked on this project because I thought it was a joke, but chelsea (again with the lower-case!) won me over with her persuasive, articulate and quirky pitch. She clearly won over a few other people; her $300 project is fully funded with 5 days to spare. I kind of want to follow this story. What will she look like? Are 500 tattoos really enough? ("I've got underwear that I will be willing to wear" — hee!)
The dream project
This Beaumont couple is doing so many things right—and they've raised $40K of their target $95K with five and a half weeks left to go.
They go a bit overboard with the level of detail in their pitch, but I like the sense that they have truly done their homework. I'll even forgive the occasional lapse into hyperbole ("The service will be unlike anything you've had before").
Their rewards (example: brunch for two for a $40 pledge) offer decent value for money, along with the excitement of supporting a new local business — without burdening the owners with a huge financial liability down the road.
Module 10: Co-Creation or Crowdsourcing: Moving Beyond Multiple Choice
Monday, March 23, 2015 - Sunday, March 29, 2015
March 26: Find three kickstarter projects that are based in Alberta. Write a blog comment noting your critique of how the stories of the projects are written, whether the projects are (or seem to be) successful and what you would do to improve their success (in terms of the narrative and getting funders emotionally invested)
March 29: Having read Vladimir Zwass’s article: “Co-Creation: Toward a Taxonomy and an Integrated Research Perspective,” in a blog comment on my Module 10 post define:
As corny as it may seem, the content of the Smith
article on the ecological unconscious leapt out at me. I took what was for me the key paragraphs on human displacement and created a Worldle, below:
I love how the words layer interconnectedly in continuous forms of grey. Of course, the largest and darkest
terms, one, just, land, heart’s ease
spoke easily, but the terms on the periphery, removed, continue, unrecognized, unsettled, communities, changed
also spoke, but quite uneasily.
We think, as humans, that our
experiences are based on our ability to manipulate that which surrounds
us. We forget, usually purposefully,
that we are changed by those experiences, that those surroundings change us as
well. We try and dominate nature, yet the
struggle is futile and peace can be found when we realize that, instead, we
must commune. One fiction author that
weaves this theme well is Barbara Kingsolver – several of her novels remark on
how the environment shapes her characters: this theme dominates The Poisonwood Bible, The Prodigal Summer, and
her newest, Flight Behavior.
Reading Smith also brought to mind
the Japanese concept of shinrin-yoku or forest bathing. Many may think that
the Japanese are so focused on technology and modernization, yet its religion, Shinto, is naturalist, as is its most
famous form of poetry, the haiku. Yet
nature is such an important part of Japanese life; it is more than getting away
from it all or getting back to nature – the Japanese see nature as being
integral to well-being:
This Globe and Mail article refers to a study which hypothesizes that the essential oils given off by cedars and other
coniferous trees native to Japan (and the NA pacific coast) improve human
mindfulness. This video describes more fully the
thereputic benefits of shinrin-yoku.
I like how this production utilizes pop-ups to reinforce some of the concepts
and provides live links to the sources mentioned, too.
And finally, for anyone wishing to pursue the study of Interpersonal Ecopsychology, you might want to join the good folks at Colorado's Naropa University (shades of Allan Ginsburg!) - there's actually some cool stuff here, (including the title quote of this blog) especially for those of us who are Whole Foodies:
In the meantime, I have the sudden
urge to plan a Sunday trip out to Elk Island National Park, just east of where I live.
Anyone interested in joining me?
REFERENCE
Smith, D. (2010, January 27). Is there an ecological unconscious [blog post]? Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/31/magazine/31ecopsych-t.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
I have to say I was pleasantly surprised with the readings this week, particularly Smith's article, Is There an Ecological Unconscious? I read E. O. Wilson's book Consilience in 1999 and was deeply influenced by the message. I later read Biophilia and was captivated by the concept and fly bought into the idea that there is an instinctive bond between human beings and other living systems. To me this is pure logic, because after all how can we be separate from it when we are made of it?
So to come upon Smith article and read about the work of Albrecht, Bateson and Doherty was like a revelation to me. I watched a TedTalk video of Albrecht (and made my husband watch it!) in which he further expounds on the concepts of solastalgia and soliphilia. Albrecht views solastalgia as a new form of psychoterratic disease, describing it as in a way as to lose solace in the loss of home environment, describing it as a feeling of "homesickness you have when you’re still at home”. Soliphilia on the other hand is the love of the totality of our place relationships and a willingness to accept, the process to build life rather than destroy it. Albrecht is interested in relationships between environment, natural and human made and our human consciousness.
Smith's article focuses on the work of people like Albrecht and Doherty who investigate the relationship between the health of the natural world and the health of the human mind. As we continue to develop the planet what impact is it having on our psychology?
The Wordle produced from the article made perfect sense to me highlighting words such as nature, psychology, ecological, ecospychology and health. The human race has contributed to the industrialization of the planet and thereby created the ecological challenges we face today, that continue to grow. Is there any doubt it might affect us detrimentally as it does the ecosystem?
It reminds of this video, sadly.
References:
Wilson, E. O. (1984) Biophilia. Harvard Press.
Wilson, E. O. (1998) Consilience : The Unity of Knowledge, Knopf.
Tetris®: One of my
favourite electronic games ever. As a kid, I played Tetris game on a device as
big as a smart phone. As a grown-up, I still have the game on my phone -- I
don’t mind getting some points building up the ‘bricks’ in a perfect wall. Thanks to the
researchers, Bushman and Jodi Whitaker, now I know why: “these games not only
relax players, but they can lead to . . . ‘kindness’.” (Moore, 2011, para. 4).
While I prefer to let others to appreciate my kindness, I can certainly say that the research findings are true for me: "Relaxing
video games put people in a good mood. And when people are in a good mood, they
are more inclined to help others." (Bushman, as cited in Moore, 2011, para.
11).
Even if Tetriscan be considered the
modern video games’ precursor -- it was released on June 6, 1984, I believe that Bushman’s findings are viable for my favourite game, too, as for other non-violent games, as well. As such, Wordle seems to ‘understand’ my appreciation for 'building walls'. It’s true, to me, Tetris is “entertaining’, “relaxing”, “enjoyable” in the “long-term”.
In picking one of this week's readings to plug into a Wordle, I decided to throw a bit of a curve ball by going with the lyrics to Bjork's "Sacrifice" (Internet song lyric sites are notoriously unreliable, but these lyrics seemed to match what she was singing). Here's what Wordle gave me:
Given the title Bjork chose for her 2011 album, Biophilia, I read the lyrics metaphorically—as a plea to humanity to reconnect with nature:
Build a bridge to her.
Initiate a touch
before it's too late.
Having played a bit with Wordle, I see it as a kind of typographic Rorschach test—you often see what you're looking for. "love Now," Bjork seems to be commanding us, and we reply "Yes, before it's too late!"
The punchline to my little foray into Bjork analysis came when I probed a bit further on the Internet, to maybe get a sense of what drew the quirky Icelandic singer to Edward O. Wilson's writings. I found this Q&A from 2011, in which Bjork admits she picked the title for the album without having a clear idea of what the word "Biophilia" meant.
"My bad sense of English thought it was feeling up nature or something — Biofeelingup. When I read about it online some people were speculating about the name — I think they went to a dictionary and saw that it means “love of life” and — and I was like “Oops. OK, I can go with that.”
The idea of ecological unconsciousness was fascinating and new to me. I have never considered the relation of the human impact on the environment and the resulting psychological effects associated with the health of our planet.
The most noticeable words in white: human, health and environmental are the most aligned with my interpretation of the concept in the reading and serve to support two key theories.
Smith coined the term “solastalgia,” which he defined as “the pain experienced when there is recognition that the place where one resides and that one loves is under immediate assault . . . a form of homesickness one gets when one is still at home.” I interpret that to mean that if the health of the environment suffers, the health of the human will suffer as well.
Doherty is an advocate of ecopsychology which supports the idea "that grief, despair and anxiety are the consequences of dismissing equally deep-rooted ecological instincts." Again, human health is connected to environmental health.
Every time I look at this wordle, those three words continue to stand out even while my eye is drawn to varying secondary concepts such as ecological and environment. I definitely think that colour plays a major role in the interpretation and power associated with each word.
To illustrate the point about colour consider the following image:
Rubin’s vase: A classical example of figure/ground segmentation. The image is fundamentally ambiguous. People perceive a vase or faces, but not both at the same time. Wikimedia Commons
In both cases my eye is drawn to the negative space created by white on black. So I would presume, like in this sample, that interpretations of the wordle and where the emphasis has been placed will also vary.
1the policy or action of using vigorous campaigning to bring about political or social change.
Activism is such a big word, it implies commitment, energy, motion. Yet online activism gets downgraded into slacktivism, something Morozov (2009) refers to as ‘political activities that have no impact on real–life political outcomes, but only serve to increase the feel–good factor of the participants’. Christensen (2011) too believes that online activism is less effective and leads to lower overall levels of participation. Yet, I’m not so sure I agree with them. Yes, people may not be going down to the town square to protest or throw their support behind a movement such as the search for equality but there is the power to share, to make aware, to connect. Raine et al. (2012) argue that people who use social media are more politically active and civically engaged. Why should using your computer or smart phone be less valid than marching in the street?
Creating a petition for this assignment was empowering and informative. I sign petitions online but never really thought about creating one, yet it is such an effective way to get a dialogue going on an issue and make people aware. And interestingly Mitchel & Hitlin (2013) note that the dialogue online can be very different than the one playing out in mainstream media.
Which brings me to my petition for the assignment.
Deciding on a topic was very difficult because lets face it there’s a lot of issues out there. Having worked in the political world for the last six years and then in the oil industry, for a Norwegian company, Statoil, I’ve had some insights into how the industry is run and how government and industry work with or against one another. The province of Newfoundland and Labrador, once the poor cousin to the rest of Canada, has been leading the country in growth for several years now, mainly due in large part, to our oil industry. But part of me believes that we are not managing the resources well and its time for government, whether its Liberal, PC or NDP, to be more accountable and responsible to the people who live in this province today and to the ones who will be here when the oil runs out.
While working for the Norwegian company, I came to admire their management style and their countries long-term vision for their resource. If I can bring attention to the issue of mismanagement here and get a few people on side with me, then who knows what could happen? Maybe the government in Newfoundland and Labrador will pause and think about how the revenues and structure of oil management is working for this province and look to Norway for guidance and inspiration. And that is what Cadwalladr (2013) is talking about. With effort, we can change the world, have our voice heard and maybe make a difference. And if it is to start with a Facebook post or a Tweet, then what’s wrong with that?
