This is a remix

When considering remix in our culture it seems almost impossible to identify completely original content. There is so much shared information available to so many that everything does seem to take the form of a remix. Obviously in music a remix is easily identifiable and enjoyable here is a remix of Wheetus’ “Teenage Dirtbag” by Scala & Kolacny Brothers!!  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cOhNdlKwoc

When thinking of Fashion, I believe that everything really is a remix. Many designs are inspired by ideas from the past. Some fashions take from other designs are different in slight and similar ways to each. The reading’s made me think of Shakespeare’s Sonnet 59,

” If there is nothing new, but that

 which is

Hath been before, how are brains are beguil’d

Which, laboring for invention,

Bear amiss

The second burden of a former child…”

I think remix culture is a good thing and in a form a way of evolution I definitely take inspiration from other people’s work and I would hope that others could be inspired by my efforts. I do think that there are countless ways to express perspective and remixing is a vehicle for one do so. As Belshaw states in chapter 6 of his book, "we learn from imitation, wether it is a toddler learning how to feed themselves by watching her parents eat, or a budding artist painting in the style of one of the masters"(86)
Again thinking of fashion I love when designers design under another label perhaps for a capsule collection I think collaborations are fun and interesting and way to produce new efforts. Or referencing a specific period look is another form of fashion remixing. How does one may a sixties shift dress current in 2016?  I hope I am not alone in my thinking and I wonder what other’s think? 

Social confines of heteronormativity and patriarchy

The topic of gender and equality in context with a power paradigm in our country is very interesting me. Essentially it is my understanding is that the current power paradigm allows the control of the economy and our political system to reside in the hands of a generally privileged population of white males. This privileged group makes up the small portion of a pyramid and are at the top while vast numbers of non-white non male and non-heterosexual demographics make up the remaining tiers of the pyramid. In a basic sense many people have to confront the social confines of heteronormativity and patriarchy that have dominated history for thousands of years.

 In today's “modern era” many people feel like white male privilege has lessened and been made more equal with other social demographics such as women, people of color, homosexual identities, trans-denies, or those whose do not wish to subscribe to any form of binary.  I disagree with many people who say that the paradigm of our countries power module has greatly shifted and I side with the reading sighting the internet as proof of such stagnation in social hierarchy when it states, “despite all the hype…these new technologies…do not negate hierarchy, history, privilege, power.” I think that though equal rights exist for some, as they may not have in the past i.e., marriage equality, our heavy reliance on social media and our consumption of media images and advertisements as user’s in the digital age far overwhelms our eyes and minds with images, ideas, and social interaction which still subjugates women, (and many others)  as less than men.

The article referenced online harassment of women and I found the quote published in the New Yorker cartoon to be very telling stating,” ‘But sometimes the folks on the internet discover you are a dog.’”.  A simple scroll through Instagram’s most popular photos will tell a viewer what is still controlling our society.

Overwhelming I see messages of patriarchy and domination for men and images of women as subjects. Women who objectify their bodies to endorse a product on Instagram are making money but  in what context are they doing so? Whose rules are they playing by? I don’t think I have ever seen a computer programming photo of a young lady and especially not on social media.

 So when we examine our representations of women in social media and digital platforms one can’t help but ask what social model supports such a narrow view of women? And how do implicit and explicit messages regarding gender, equality, and function in our society shape what options women believe they have? I side with the reading when it stated, “Now more than ever, I think we need to be louder and clearer about what we want education technology to do for us and with us not simply to us.”.

#blurred lines

                       Digital activism is the attempt to promote awareness of social and political issues through the use of internet based platforms and forums. Easy access and widespread sharing created by use of the internet allows for an activist topic to gain widespread public knowledge and support for certain issues quickly.

One example of digital activism not mentioned in the readings that I can recall clearly is #blacklivesmatter. The website for this is blacklivesmatter.com.

I did enjoy the reading on digital activism as I found it accurate and informative. I agree with the reading when it stated that some digital activism movements are, “too reductive and passive, defining this new era of activism as 'clicktivism', 'slacktivism' and 'armchair activism”. I find that digital activism often times seems to take the form of a trend.

I understand that we live in a complex global society and that there are many serious issues to be brought to light, however, as a user/ consumer of social media as television I feel as though that the lines between reality and entertainment all too often blur the seriousness of an issue.

 I think that these blurred lines result from the sensationalism that social media creates over any trivial topic in our celebrity obsessed pop culture. Coupling this idea with the fact social media often is used to sell and promotes products as well as endorse public figures I am not quite sure how serious to take movements that gain momentum on line.

Sadly, I do think that since so many of us are on line so often that “some powers at be” may prey on social media users by creating a constant offering of news stories and topics as they realize that our society is a culture of screen blazing iPhone uses who may constantly be looking for the next big story, the next exciting topic, the next update, and the latest trending hashtag.

Digital activism campaigns do seem to lose their effectiveness over time and news stories are begot by new news so frequently that I think digital activism campaigns will struggle to maintain the publics support and attention over a significant amount of time.  I can’t help but ask are those lending support to current issues by means of digital activism doing so because it is the right thing to do or are they lending their support because it is the “trendy” thing to do?

Me online

So when I decided to google my name I was a bit nervous, but I then quickly became frustrated. I found nothing regarding myself nor any pictures of myself when I switched the google tab to images. This frustration quickly turned into relief since I realized that I have very little I wish to publicly share. When I googled my phone number I did find, immediately and for several pages, that my number was identifiable and attributed to my hometown where I originally began my AT&T contract. There were multiple addresses attributed to my number within my hometown none of which I had resided at. I also googled my social security number as well and did a reverse image search of my shared photos and found nothing.  When social security number I kept getting a listing for a national stock number.

The most surprising thing that I found that I feel is the most obtrusive was my address. When I googled my current address I found directions via google maps as well as images of the inside of my apartment. The apartment is obviously unfurnished but exist online as a rental listing in which case someone could calculate what I pay monthly for rent as well as see the basic layout of my apartment which I felt was creepy. I feel like someone’s home is a very private thing and whether you rent or own it should not be easily accessible to view online.

I would like to note that I did search for myself on the platforms of Spokeo, USSearch, or Intelius and found the same results. I could see my apartment on each platform.

Honestly I am happy that I was not identifiable to a basic search or listing. I do post quite a bit on the social media site Facebook however my settings are restricted and private to only my friends on the site, I am wondering if this help keeps me off the radar or if there are more efficient ways to track me as I think that privacy truly doesn’t exist anymore. 

In the readings I did find this quote to be true, “

The result is that you have one true identity and many partial identities. Some of the information associated with a partial identity is under your control; other information may be out of your control or even completely invisible to you” My question for this blog is what part of my online identity is invisible to me ??