Citizen Journalists (Final #4)

Citizen Journalists are people just like you and me that want to show the world what they are seeing. Live streaming is their medium and it has been an import tool recently, especially in the Occupy movements around the country. A citizen journalist needs just one piece of equipment, a smart phone, preferably with unlimited data.

Citizen Journalists are known to go to protests and just film what is happening around them. They are documenting what the protestors are saying as well as watching what the authorities are doing. This has been a way to hold the police and security personnel accountable for their actions. Often times there is corruption during heated events.

When a citizen journalist streams their footage live, people all around the world can watch it in real time on a computer or from another mobile device. The program that is most used is called UStream. It is free to create an account and to download its App. Because of this, anyone can become a citizen journalist.

With this tool there is power, but there is also responsibility. Now more than ever people are able to track the news almost instantly. They can see what is going on right then no matter where they are. Because live streaming is truly live, there is no censoring. Protests can become violent, so when is it too much for people to see? I think this is the same question that new channels are faced with today as well.

We did find an example of a person being kicked off of Ustream. It was not a citizen journalist, but it was an artist. They were live streaming an art show where the artist was using a life size nude doll. Two hours into the show the broadcast was taken off air and replaced with the message: “connect violated terms of service.” It was interesting to see that Ustream really does monitor their broadcasters.

However there is a Citizen Journalist Code of Ethics, which outlines the expected behavior for people to follow. In the Code of Ethics it ha sections that talk about Vigilance, Honesty, Fairness, Courage, Compassion, Respect, Integrity, Accountability, and Humility.

Here is a link to a Citizen Journalist that we were able to meet and talk with. She had no training before she went to her first protest to cover it. You can watch here channel here.

Anonymous (Final #3)

Anonymous means “of unknown authorship or origin, not named or identified, or lacking individuality, distinction or recognizability. ”, but this time it means a little more. Anonymous is a hactivist group that originated in 2003 on a website called 4chan. This website was a place where hackers could collaborate on anarchic and revolutionary protest ideas. Anyone can join this group and they have a forum where anyone can post an idea and people can respond. There is not a single group behind Anonymous, but there are several websites that have strong ties such as 4Chan, and their wikis, Encyclopedia Dramatica and other forum. Encyclopedia Dramatica is a satritical website that makes fun of both encyclopedia topics and current Internet news.

Anonymous have been very active in many world events such as the Arab Spring, but more recently in the Israel and Palestine Conflict. They didn’t take a side in this conflict but instead offered support to both parties. When the governments would try to turn of the Internet Anonymous would provide a hack code so that the citizens would still have access to the Internet. One of the main ideas that Anonymous stands behind is that all people have the right of freedom of speech, especially on the Internet.

We found a movie trailer for the film We are Legion, The Story of the Hacktivists which is a documentary on the group Anonymous. You can check it out here.

Also, here is a helpful  timeline of Hacktivists.

The main controversy that lies behind Anonymous is that they are breaking into and stealing information that is supposed to be secured, but they are doing this when they believe that a corporation or country is hiding information or needs to be punished. This is how they protest. As of now the government hasn’t been able to find out the specifics about these groups, or even find a way to stop them. No one know how dangerous they could really be.

Andy Carvin & the Arab Spring (Final #2)

Andy Carvin is a man that many people like to follow, and you can too on Twitter. He works for NPR and tweets news from around the world. If you’re not up to date on twitter check out our earlier post on the Evolution of Twitter.

Andy Carvin was very active when it came to staying updated on the events happening during the Arab Spring that took place in early 2011. Although he was not physically present during the various protests and uprisings, he maintained up to date information and contact with many civilians and reporters that were present. In doing this he was able to track the movement of this event across many countries.

If you’re not familiar with the Arab Spring here a great video to watch.

The Arab Spring was/is when the people of many countries decided that “the power of the people was stronger than the people in power.” Protests spread across the Middle East and Northern Africa in many countries such as Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Yemem, and many others.

Now how does Twitter have anything to do with this? Well the people were able to tweet about what they were seeing and where the protests were going to happen. This allowed them to gather together and unite as a country and for the whole world to hear their voice.

We continue to see Twitter being used today almost two years later in the same way in the Israel and Palestine conflict, although this time rather it be people vs. government, it is people vs. people.

Twitter can become a very powerful tool, and we can learn how to do that from Carvin. He has built strong relationships with people around the world where he can watch their tweets or ask them to confirm the information so he can be sure that what he retweets is true.

Composite Poetry

 

On Friday in our Video Web Apps class, we had a guest speaker who led us in two rounds of Composite Poetry. This exercise is completely anonymous and can be used in classrooms, dialogues, or simply as a fun game with friends. Composite Poetry allows for individuals to express true emotions, whether humorous or serious, without the need to feel self-conscious.

We began our first poem by using words our guest had picked out from each of our blogs, prior to class. The challenge included using the words she gave us to create sentences about blogging. The second round included words from a video posted by two of our classmates. The words came from their song titled 12 Ways to Procrastinate, sang to the tune of The 12 Days of Christmas. What started off as a mandatory class activity that did not thrill me, actually turned into a very fun class period that I enjoyed. I believe I enjoyed this because I could be myself. I could write whatever I wanted without having to be identified. I believe in this case, anonymity is key to having the most fun and letting loose.

 

Courtney and Annie

A lesson from Pottery

As I began to reflect on everything that I have learned over the last few months I wanted to share one final thought with you all. As I was able to follow Dr. Lisa Schirch through her process of creating pottery for her Pax Bellissima show, there was one small event, if you can call it that, that I think holds much significance. I’d like for you to look at this image:

Here is the story behind this image from the words of Dr. Lisa Schirch:

“The piece from Afghanistan was sitting perfectly on the shelf and someone came in when I was not there and took it off the shelf, picking it up by the rim and part of the rim had chipped away. And I came back the next day and saw that this had happened and it was so symbolic to me. I had already carved Afghanistan in the bottom of the pot. You have to carve it in when the clay is still wet.  But the idea that some one form the outside had come in and picked up this country, what I had been mourning, and broke it further, was really symbolic to what is happening in Afghanistan, a country with a lot of its own problems but certainly foreigners and outsiders have come in and made the problem worse.”

Even though this pot is cracked, it is still beautiful. I think this is the same way that Dan Terry saw Afghanistan. I feel that from all the stories that I’ve read or heard about him, I have no doubts that  he truly loved this culture and all the people that he came into contact with.

Please share with us any stories or thoughts that you have.

Evolution of Twitter (Final #1)

Twitter was created in 2006. It is an online social networking service that allows users to send text-based messages of 140 characters. It i

s a newer type of blog, called a micro blog, that is smaller in size and is made up of the messages that are called tweets.

Originally twitter was used by people who wanted to communicate to small groups during happenings such as sporting events like the 2010 FIFA World Cup. In 2010 the designers at Twitter revamped the site allow

ing users to post pictures and watch video.

Twitter uses the # as way for people to collect and share ideas. For example as of December 3, 2012 the trending #’s are:
#LeaveItIn2012, #NameTheLedgend , #WELOVEYOU1D

It also allows users to “re-tweet” other user’s tweets, which provides a way of sharing of jokes, thoughts and information.

Since then the uses for Twitter have evolved from people posting about their favorite

team to tracking the spread of influenza across the country to protesters communicating to one another in various cities.
One of the first events where people began to look to Twitter as a source for news and communication was the Arab Spring that happened in 2011. Some people wonder if Twitter helped the Arab Spring, or if since then the Arab Spring has helped Twitter more.

We also have seen and can track the Occupy Movement use of Twitter as well.

What first began as a social media website used for communication between groups of people has now become a person’s source for news and even real time event coverage. People can see tweets from around the world the second that they are tweeted.

Even more recently we have seen this social media tool being used by political leaders in the Israel and Palestine conflict. Twitter is no longer just a toy for the younger generation, but an information source for students, teachers, parents, political leaders, musicians and athletes, all people of young and old.
What does all this mean? We know we’ve been in the age of technology for almost my whole life which is really only the last two decades, but we can’t help but ask my self where will this technology be in 10, or even 20 years from now? We know that this being able to communicate around the world in real time is great and breaks so many limitations from the past and can be seen as a positive accomplishment, but anyone can post almost anything on Twitter. This means bombings, executions, violence, and other harmful visuals can be available to the public more, now that ever.

Even though Twitter can be used in harmful ways the benefits are great as well. The communication that it can create and the way that it can unite people will only strengthen future social movements.

EMU Weaving Life Ushahidi Crowdmap

Hey everyone! Today the Weaving Life blog team will be doing something a little different. Click on the image above or follow this link to see our reports from around Harrisonburg this morning!

– Rebekah

Understanding

I saw this quote and it reminded me of the way that Dan Terry went about bringing peace to the world. Dan took the time to understand people and by doing that he was able to help so many people and bring a positive change to the world.

Food of the Middle East: Falafel (fried chickpea balls)

Pictures by David Everett

A meal, an appetizer, a snack, a sandwich… these little nibblers are versatile and delicious. Falafel is a ball or patty made from ground chickpeas that is fried in oil; it is a popular food eaten all throughout the Middle East. Take a bite out of the crunchy outer shell and you find a warm, flavorful center. The texture is almost fluffy, a somewhat bread-like consistency. Paired with a nutty tahini sauce, this meal is one you don’t want to miss.

Where do we go from here?

As I begin to reflect on all the stories I’ve heard and read over the few months about Dan Terry and his life filled with love, compassion and adventure, I came to the question of how does this affect me? What can I do that will continue the work that Dan spent so many years of his life doing?

So much, if not all of Dan’s work was done by building relationships. He would take the time to get to know people, learn the stories and culture before he began trying to help or teach. In doing this he created a bond that was built on trust and soon Dan was no longer seen as an outsider.

I would like to encourage you to take a moment and reflect on your own personal life and think about what are you doing to reach out to your neighbor? How can you take the stories of Dan’s life and apply them to your own life. Feel free to share your thoughts and start a conversation.