For this final project I would like to touch base on three topics that this unit provided. I will separate each topic by a quote then paragraphs, and then I will move onto explaining how each topic resonates with the collage I made for this project. The three topics are: data privacy, creative commons and how artists use inspiration from other artists, and fictional characters being overly sexualized or overly fictional in (mainly) video games.

“It is up to technologists and social entrepreneurs to decide what counts as harmful and how to avoid it. What those who they allegedly seek to help and protect think about their own well-being is not discussed” (Maglhaes and Couldry 7).

As I have seen more and more as the internet continues and as data privacy is becoming a more talked about topic, platforms are becoming more transparent with their users about what their data privacy entails. This is only some platforms in small ways- for example, while using shopping apps such as ASOS, Misguided and Pretty Little Thing, as soon as I start using their app, there is a notification that pops up on my feed asking if they can track my data. I find it ironic that platforms started doing this as my classes started talking about it- however, it is a step in the right direction. My argument consists of I think companies, websites, and platforms of such should be more transparent and communicative of what their tracking privacy entails. I think they need things like notifications that ask users if they can track their data, make it easier to find on their sites, and explain more simply what tracking does, because a lot of users do not know.

“New art builds on old art. We hear music, process it, reconfigure it, and create something derivative but new” (Keller, 1).

The creative commons and fair use- I think- are so confusing. I think they need to be more simplified. I tend to get overwhelmed by all the rules copyright lists. I feel as if there are too many loopholes and what-ifs involved. As a design student, I am inspired by other artists and I tend to take parts of their work and create them into my own piece. I get a pass with using my work for educational purposes, but I feel like I do not know much about giving credit where it is necessary or appropriate. There are con artists, and that is a completely different topic, however there are lots of people who get in trouble or have their own work taken down when they are innocent. If someone is genuinely interested in making art and wants to give credit where it is needed and giving respect to the artist, the laws should be simplified and easy to access and understand. Maybe when people make art, there should be a required section where the artist explains their process and shows inspiration. Perhaps a new platform should be a community where artists share their art and give credit directly to the person.

“Psychological and sociological research reveals that cultural representations may have social and economic consequences” (Chander and Sunder 11).

As for fictional characters being overly sexualized and basically overly fictional, I do practice being extremely aware of other’s feelings. However, it is impossible for one human to go through life and not be offended by nothing. I do not play a lot of video games, but I have watched my brother play a fair share of them. I do think there are cases where characters are just a little extreme and perhaps sexist towards women, and that should definitely be altered in showing more variety of non-stereotypical women. I feel like people are already starting to change that. As for characters being overly fictional or having traits that some people can take offense to, I think is killing creator’s creativity. Creators, artists, and writers create fictional characters because it is part of their creative brain, and they are fictional. They make these characters knowing that they are unrealistic, and if people are being offended by characters, maybe they should do more research on what it means to be a fictional character. Asking creators to stop making extravagant characters is asking them not to do what they love. Characters are supposed to be extreme, having interesting and unrealistic lives, video games would become less magical if every character was a normal human. I feel slightly hesitant writing this because I truly do like to keep people’s feelings in mind- but asking creators to basically stop being creative bothers me because not everyone can be pleased. If someone has questions about a character, maybe easy access to the creator should be more available.

I wanted to create a digital collage for this project because I like the way collages visually address topics. A piece of art without many words or explanations creates discussion and has a touch of abstractness and lets the brain be imaginative. I included things in the collage like unity, artists, art, characters, and the words ‘be kind’. The main theme of the collage I think would be unity because as an artist, I feel like other artists know the struggle of working so hard on something and being extremely passionate about it only for others not to see how influential a piece has been. I feel like this relates back to the creative commons topic because artists just want to create art and be inspired, using inspiration from other artists should be encouraged and accepted. I included the words ‘be kind’ because it is important to think of others, be empathetic, and lift one another up, not put other people down to make our selves look or feel better. Doing this will make us all better and happier humans.

Works Cited

Everyone’s a Superhero: A Cultural Theory of ‘Mary Sue … http://www.jstor.org/stable/20439103.

Magalhães, João Carlos, and Nick Couldry. “Giving by Taking Away: Big Tech, Data Colonialism, and the Reconfiguration of Social Good.” International Journal of Communication, ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/15995/3322.

“The Musician As A Thief.” Communication and Technology, 19 Apr. 2010, zztechno.wordpress.com/2010/04/19/the-musician-as-a-thief/.

All photos from Unsplash

For the final project, I was thinking I could reference all 4 different units that we learned this semester. I could make 4 different digital collages relating to each different unit, and along with that provide either a detailed description or a paragraph, explaining my design choices and how the collage relates back to topics. This is where my sources from the class material will be. I have not yet decided if each collage would focus in on one main topic for each unit, or if it will cover the overall material, maybe there can be a variety of both. I could present this on a blog post, so then it would be easy to follow along the timeline by scrolling.

The song I thought of off the top of my head that I knew sampled some songs was Work Out by J. Cole. I knew he sampled one part from Kanye West’s Work Out Plan, but I did not know his chorus was sampled from Straight Up by Paula Abdul. I think it is extremely innovative and creative. I do not think it is stealing, I think it is inspiration. As an artist myself, I get inspired by other’s ideas and creations and I always sample others work in my own, yet I create my own style with it. I do not think creators would be creators without sampling others ideas, (in the many forms it comes in,) in their own work. As perfectly said in The Musician as Thief: Digital culture and Copyright Law by Daphne Keller, “New art builds on old art”. As long as artists give credit to where the original idea or inspiration came from, it should be a fair game. Also, creators that are publishing their work to the public should understand that they could not get away with stealing from other creators, especially famous musicians like J. Cole, I think he would be smart enough to give appropriate credit.

2 data visualization options for my project: Tree Diagram and Pie Chart

Tree Diagram:

A Tree Diagram is where data starts with the major category, this category being me, then it branches off into subcategories, and it continues to branch off subcategories until there is none left. Pros are that this is a organized way to show data, and easy to show how things are related. Cons are that the tree can get very big, and it can be overwhelming for each category. I think this would be useful for my data set because I like the way it is organized and it can be shown through one diagram, so it is not entirely confusing.

Pie Chart:

A Pie Chart is where data is shown through a circle graph, where each different category is sectioned off into what look like pie slices, and it shows percentages of how large that category is. Pros are that it is a organized way to show data, and it also can be visually pleasing while using different colors. Pie charts are easy to read, especially when there is short descriptive words that make it clear to people reading the chart. Cons are that there are a lot of different categories for my data set, so I am not sure how to display that all into one pie chart. It might be useful for my data because I could have one main pie chart, with the main categories, then make a different pie chart for each individual category, and incorporate some design elements, like color coding and using different shades of each color that represents each category.

This week’s readings were very interesting and such a relevant topic that has been happening for awhile now. I have been reading about data privacy for multiple of my classes by now. The two articles I found the most interesting were the ones about Facebook. I remember when the creator of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, got in major trouble for tracking his user’s data, however, I did not pay much attention because I did not really know what was going on. But now that I have taken multiple classes related around this issue, it was nice to see a real-life example of what I have been learning about. Since the issue with Facebook has now passed, and users are more aware of how their data is being tracked, for me, I am some what struggling to understand why it was such a big deal. I understand where Mark Zuckerberg had made a mistake about not being transparent to his users, but now Facebook is fully transparent. In the article, “This New Facebook Tool Reveals How You Are Being Tracked Online” by Kate O’Flaherty overviews how Facebook is being more transparent. One thing that I notice personally is when I am online shopping, the next time I go to Facebook or Instagram the same product I was looking at pops up on my feed. I find that slightly creepy, however, I do not look too much into it because I know that when I allow apps and websites to use Cookies or information about myself, I just kind of know that I allowed that to happen. When it comes to data privacy, I get a little confused, and I do not quite understand it fully. I do not see what the big deal is unless the data is being used against someone, but how would online shopping be used against someone? The internet is so complex which is why I think I get confused, but if platforms and sites are being fully transparent with their customers, then what is the harm?

When I think of the idea “publics” within social media, I think of social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn. For my public, I would be identifying LinkedIn and Snapchat because I am currently getting used to using LinkedIn for my future career plans and I use Snapchat frequently to contact my friends. LinkedIn is applicant to a wide variety of users. It is a networking platform that focused on professional and career related networking. The platform is directed towards everyone who wants to put their resume out to the public and make connections to other professional situations. It is used to get internships, jobs, and general connections. When using LinkedIn, it is common to put your location, and education and job history.

Snapchat is more directed towards a younger age group (typically 14-24 year old’s). Snapchat is used as a messaging app. It has advanced over the years and now you can read news stories and watch entertainment videos. As mentioned in the article “Social Network Sites as Networked Publics: Affordances, Dynamics, and Implications” by Danah Boyd, “Social network sites have gained tremendous traction recently as a popular online hangout spaces for both youth and adults”. One difference between LinkedIn and Snapchat is that LinkedIn is more professional, and Snapchat is more social. Snapchat has most definitely become a place to hangout rather than to complete a task. While Snapchat and LinkedIn are both platforms where you can communicate with other people, LinkedIn is not a form of entertainment.

Part 1. What are some ways that the things we’ve discussed so far may have changed/evolved since the date that our readings and podcasts were published? What are some examples or exceptions to these “rules” that you have encountered or can think of in your own life, major, job(s), or experiences? 

Since the articles publication dates have been 10 plus years old, a lot of concepts have already evolved in the modern world. I think convergence is used everyday with students in school and workers in their jobs. I think convergence is a really relevant and useful thing to consider when creating a project or idea. Instead of disregarding the past, using it to your advantage to create something better is a very helpful tool. I use convergence with school and work when I receive feedback on projects that I’ve submitted. When making the next project, I look back at the feedback I received and take those notes into consideration to teach me how to improve moving forward. While working I keep mental notes about tips that my boss and co-workers tell me to improve my work performance.

Part 2. Finally, what are some themes or ideas that you may be interested in exploring for your podcast episode?  Good places to start are with questions you’d like to answer or interesting examples/artifacts that you’d like to learn more about. Feel free to include questions you may have for me in this section and I will respond to them in my feedback.

Some ideas I have for my podcast are: Greek Life pros and cons, Coffee, Mental Health during college, Awkward talks, and Trends Discussion. I don’t listen to a lot of podcasts and I am not the best at coming up with ideas for podcasts, but I love reading and the art of storytelling so I believe that if I do some research and listen to an abundance of podcasts around the topics I am interested in, I will be inspired. My top three ideas are Greek Life, Coffee, and Mental health during college because I feel those are relevant to me currently, and I have multiple people I can interview to get more diversity and perspective within my podcast. I also really like the topic of Coffee because it is truly an art form and there are so many things you could do with coffee.