Caitlin Says

Seamo we miss you!! @mussman 💚❤💛💜💚

Today.

I am currently interning at TwoCents marketing group and I am absolutely loving it. Although I tend to keep to myself, and sit in the corner, the practical skills I am learning are fantastic. I have so far, completed a LOT of marketing research, some research into consumer behaviour, and I am now working on building a database for all professional and creative pieces written by my two incredibly talented bosses. 

My friends all laughed at me when I told them I was planning on getting an internship prior to our one scheduled for the 1st semester of our final year. I am so glad (and unbelievably grateful) that I have the opportunity to intern with TwoCents. Already I have learnt a lot of valuable marketing lessons, and I can now begin to put my own knowledge into practice. 

Internships are a fantastic way for people to learn. I am ever grateful to QUT for pushing students to apply for internships as it really does give us ‘real world’ experience. I have been fortunate enough to learn a heck of a lot about social media (which is my favourite kind of media) and I have started to explore the world of Pinterest. You can follow me here. I still have a long way to go, but for now, I am quite happy with my progress, and I am thoroughly enjoying my work experience. 

I recently watched an amazing film called the Whistleblower starring the beautiful Rachel Weisz. It basically tells the story of a female police officer sent over to poverty stricken Bosnia to assist the United Nations with trying to restore peace. Whilst it sounds like a boring story, there really is a lot more to it. What Weisz discovers when she is sent over there is that there seems to be a sex trafficking ring that is being run by members of the UN. The film really gave an insight into the issue of sex trafficking and what exactly happens to these poor women/young girls. This film was so powerful that I have now began questioning the UN and its involvement in providing aid to countries such as Bosnia. The worst and most astonishing revelation came at the end of the film when it was revealed that it was a true story. What disgusted me even more was that those involved in the raping, torturing and assaulting these women simply got a slap on the wrist and they were and still to this day remain in their jobs with the UN. 

For me, I have decided that I do NOT support the United Nations, and what they stand for. I do NOT and will NOT believe anything that they say because they obviously are not doing what they are supposed to be doing. This film really moved me and I urge all people to take the time to sit down and listen to the story. It portrays the UN in a very different light, and I think that people need to be exposed to the facts, and all the facts. 

Read more about The Whistleblower here. 

I have just read an article titled “A 22-year-old mother kills her infant son because he interrupted her Farmville game on Facebook.” 

What on earth is happening in this world. People are becoming so unbelievable absorbed in these ‘online games’ that it has resulted in a mother killing her own son. What will it take for people to realise that these games aren’t real, and that the behaviours they portray in these virtual realities cannot and WILL NOT be tolerated in REAL life. This story has disturbed me and I think people should be exposed to these cases to show just how much of a negative impact these online games are having on society. 

In honour of Mothers Day- here are some celebrity mothers and their daughters! Teen Vogue style! 

(via bffproductions)

My sister is so unbelievably attractive…. 

I recently read an article regarding an investigation into rape allegations that occurred in the popular online fantasy world known as Second Life. I foundd it difficult to comprehend how a rape could occur in a virtual reality (that is not real), yet somehow it seems to happen, and more often then not. An interesting point is made by Dibbell (1998) stating that “human existence may find itself as tightly enveloped in digital environments as it is today in the architectural kind.” The implications of these ‘digital environments’ have seen users test the long-held notions of what is criminal, and as a result, there is a need for law enforcement to patrol these online fantasy worlds (Sipress, 2007).

Most of these multi-user domains (MUD’s) rely on self-regulation from their users, however, after reading about the ‘rape’ allegations, a call for greater regulation is definitely needed. Sipress (2007) asks the important question; does virtual reality need a Sheriff? In my opinion, it does. An attempt by the US government to regulate these websites has seen all  .com domains subject to US domestic laws and jurisdiction (Kumar, 2012). This to some extent has rectified a number of smaller problems, however, there needs to be a specific body that governs what happens in ALL virtual realities and online games. Especially seeing as it is so easy for game makers to switch to a domain that isn’t already regulated.

Check out bookmaker.com and bodog.com to see what a seized website looks like!

References

Dibbell, Julian. 1998. “A Rape in Cyberspace.” Accessed May 4, 2012. http://blackboard.qut.edu.au/webapps/blackboard/content/contentWrapper.jsp?content_id=_4076720_1&displayName=Week+9&course_id=_81726_1&navItem=content&href=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.juliandibbell.com%2Farticles%2Fa-rape-in-cyberspace%2F

Kumar, Vikram. 2012. “Have a .com web address? Know the legal risks.” Accessed May 4, 2012. http://blackboard.qut.edu.au/webapps/blackboard/content/contentWrapper.jsp?content_id=_4076720_1&displayName=Week+9&course_id=_81726_1&navItem=content&href=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nbr.co.nz%2Farticle%2Fhave-com-web-address-know-legal-risks-ck-113355

Sipress, Alan. 2007. “Does virtual reality need a sheriff?” The Washington Post, June 2. Accessed May 5, 2012. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/01/AR2007060102671.html

Great read! If anyone uses Twitter, I suggest you follow Pete Cashmore (mashable.com) fantastic website with awesome articles on topics relevant to what the majority of us are studying! 

So I did a Google search on myself, and I was absolutely mortified by what I had found. My Facebook profile appeared, and my school swimming results from 2008 popped up, but what surprised me the most was my Twitter account. I discovered that I hadn’t changed any of my settings to ‘private’ and everything I had previously posted was open for anyone to view. So this got me thinking. It was my decision to join Twitter and share information, and at the end of the day, it is my responsibility to regulate what I choose to share. Jason Ng from ZDNet Asia agrees by saying that ultimately, end-users have to be responsible for their own privacy (Ng, 2011). Similarly, Evans (2010) states that every tweet, update, video and blog post is a micro-chapter of your public profile and anyone can gain access to it. But there are people out there who disagree. Thompson (2011) explains that people tend to think of privacy as a kind of ‘right’ and it is “something that we as individuals can legitimately claim as belonging to us.”

So to those who think their right to ‘privacy’ will protect them, I suggest you visit pleaserobme.com. It’s a huge eye opener, and it might make you rethink your next Facebook ‘check-in.’

References

Evans, Mark. 2010. “The Dark Side of Social Media and Privacy.” Accessed April 28, 2012. http://www.markevanstech.com/2010/02/21/the-dark-side-of-social-media-and-privacy/

Ng, Jason. 2011. “New Social Apps Pushing Privacy Boundaries.” Accessed April 28, 2012. http://www.zdnetasia.com/new-social-apps-pushing-privacy-boundaries-62208374.htm

Thompson, John B. 2011. “Shifting boundaries of public and private life”. Theory Culture Society 28 (4): 49-70. Accessed April 24, 2012. doi: 10.1177/0263276411408446

Just a bit of fun.