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This one is hilarious!

Access to online health information seems like the right way to go; especially for Generation Y. Online health information could potentially be doing more harm than good. How can we trust what we read, when there are countless versions of information out there? Are we in any state to self-diagnose ourselves based on the information we have researched, instead of going to see a health professional?

Lee suggests that to facilitate this shift, new media acts as a source of information. People turn to the Internet for answers to their health problems. But, how accurate is this information?

Lewis (2006), discovered that while there are benefits of accessing health information online, raises questions and concern to panic about the potential for the web to produce an ‘epidemic of misinformation’. She found that passive recipients of online health information are prone to outbreaks of ‘cyberchondria’. Cyberchondria refers to self diagnosis over the Internet. These days, it is just too easy to be misled, thinking you have the disease or health problem; all because you think you have the symptoms of that particular health problem.

As future media communication professionals, it would be our job to support the advances that new media presents us with. In this instance, it would seem wrong. It is not our job as uncertified individuals to unprofessionally diagnose ourselfs, based on the information handed to us over the Internet.

Cyberchondria - Information Overload

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References

Lee, F. 2011.”DIY Health. Are we becoming our own doctors?,” Faithchantel’s Blog, April 9. Accessed April 11. http://faithchantal.wordpress.com/2011/04/09/diy-health-are-we-our-becoming-own-doctors/

Lewis, T. 2006. “Seeking health information on the internet: lifestyle choice or bad attack of cyberchondria?” in Media, Culture & Society 28(4): 521-539.

Technology has developed vastly over the last decade or so; new ways have been created for us to socially interact with one another in society. It has presented us with advanced social media such as; text messages, e-mails, photo sharing and social networks (Shirky, 2011). We are no longer relying on traditional media such as; television, radio, and print media to channel our messages across to others. Social media is the new media mode. Shifts in the public sphere have allowed new ways for information to be produced and distributed world wide from many to many (Leong, 2011).

So what does this mean for politicians?

In recent years, politicians have realised the power of the Internet when waging a campaign. Kevin Rudd; the Former Prime Minster of Australia and his political party utilised an online strategy in the 2007 Federal Election (Flew 2007). The Hospitality Marketer Blog on September 29, 2010, stated the “Kevin07” campaign as a huge success within the Australian public when it was launched. An interactive website, Facebook page, and a MySpace page created as a part of the launch for the campaign.

Barack Obama also used the Internet as a way to win the presidential election by incorporating social media such as Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter (Nagourney 2008). He stil uses these forms of social media today, to interact with the people of his Nation.

References

Candrick, K. 2010. “Politicians Harnessing the Internet and Social Media,” Hospitality Marketer Blog, September 29. Accessed March 28, 2011. http://www.hospitalitymarketer.com.au/2010/09/politicians-harnessing-the-internet-and-social-media/

Flew, T. (2007). Not Yet the Internet Election: Online Media, Political Commentary and the 2007 Australian Federal Election. Media International Australia. 126.5-13.

Leong, S. (2011). “KCB206 New Media: Internet, Self and Beyond. Week 4 Lecture notes.” Accessed March 24, 2011. http://blackboard.qut.edu.au/.

Nagourney, A. (2008). The ’08 Campaign:  Sea Change for Politics as We Know It. The New York Times. “Politics”.

Skirky, C. (2011). The Political Power of Social Media: Technology, the Public Sphere, and Political Change in Foreign Affairs. 90(1): 28-43. Accessed March 24, 2011. http://web.ebscohost.com.ezp01.library.qut.edu.au/ehost/detail?sid=5abac915-0f8e-4623-bcee-4c264f466b75%40sessionmgr12&vid=1&hid=24&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=afh&AN=56624549.

For those who have an iPod, set your playlist on shuffle, and hit play. Whatever song comes on, take a minute to think about that song. What does it mean to you? Can you simply hand your iPod over to someone else to listen to without feeling cautious of what they might find? Would you say that it informs others of what kind of person you are?

Levy (2006) discusses this idea. He believes that defining ones’ self by what they listen to isn’t exactly a new concept; but one that has been argued a lot over time. People will always judge and be judged by what kind of music they listen to.

It is that easy for someone to get a gist of who you are, just by listening to the music that you do. All they need to do is scroll through your library using the click wheel, and musically speaking, you’re naked. It’s not just what you like - but it is also showing who you really are (Levy 2006, 7).

Martin (2011) suggests that music is an expressive medium that easily changes our thoughts and feelings towards situations that we face in our everyday lives. She believes that this is a factor that contributes to why we feel the need to categorise an individual’s personality based on the music they listen to.

References

Levy, S. 2006. The Perfect Thing: How the iPod Shuffles Commerce, Culture and Coolness. Simon & Schuster Paperbacks: New York.

Martin, Pevashini. 2011. “New Media Shuffling the Amusement Arcade: Music, Games Film,” NuMedia, March 18. Accessed March 20. http://pevamart.wordpress.com/2011/03/18/new-media-shuffling-the-amusement-arcade/   

Do we reveal too much of our identity online?

The type of information about ourselves and our identity that we disclose and share on an online environment can vary, depending on the situation we are in and websites that we use. For an example; Facebook; a social utility that connects people to their friends and others within society (Facebook, 2011), allows us to interact without being face to face.

Have you ever considered changing your privacy settings on Facebook, or any other social network site that you use often? If you haven’t, I recommend that you do. Personal Identity is very sacred to each individual; it establishes the differences and uniqueness of who we are in society.

Displaying ourselves and our connections with others, especially to those who are unknown to us can be/and is harmful (Donath & Boyd 2004, 6).  Identity theft is a major problem in society and poses threat in the on and offline environments. Identity theft can occur by revealing too much information and details about yourself. This could include; full name, date of birth, address, phone numbers, etc. If you feel that you have revealed yourself too much, it’s only a short mouse click away in changing your settings.

References

Donath, J. and Boyd, D. 2004. “Public displays of connection.” BT Technology Journal 22 (4): 1-12.

Facebook. 2011. “About.” Accessed March 13, 2011. http://www.facebook.com/facebook#!/facebook?sk=info.