Okay, big news! I actually connected with someone. Odd, I know but I got to sit down with Hervé Oyenan today and learn about him and his life.
He is a PhD in Computer Science and an awesome guy. He had a lot to tell me, to teach me and changed my perspective on a lot of things. A picture was painted of technology in Ivory Coast and the publics feel for it.
It was simply amazing!
Monday, April 12, 2010
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Guy Debord
Okay, so I don't really know much about him as a man but he has been rocking my world a little with some of his theories.
On social life history... "the decline of being into having and having into merely appearing."
"All that was once directly lived has become mere representation."
The "historical moment at which the commodity completes its colonization of social life."
Yeah, think on that for a while. It is almost two am and I can't get the implications out of my head.
Let me know what you think.
Night.
On social life history... "the decline of being into having and having into merely appearing."
"All that was once directly lived has become mere representation."
The "historical moment at which the commodity completes its colonization of social life."
Yeah, think on that for a while. It is almost two am and I can't get the implications out of my head.
Let me know what you think.
Night.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Reflections on the Road
Okay, I don't have a lot of time to develop this currently but through my driving adventures in the Southwest, there is one thing that I cannot help but be overwhelmed by, casinos.
Really, every exit seemed to have one from a different native group in both New Mexico and Arizona.
Will little else to fill by time, the mind started to wonder. Why? Why is that the predominate interaction most of us non-natives have with their culture is through the form of our entertainment? Though my knowledge of the region of the states is limited, I do know some of the struggles that the Native American communities have had.
The casinos show me how much we use them for our benefit. And honestly, they will continue because we have reduced them to it. Meaning that this has become their strongest economic ties. What would happen to these communities if they didn't have this income?
I cannot help but see the similar stories echoing throughout the world. Although we are past the colonial times, the repercussions are very evident today. Western societies this use and very much control other nationals and people through the economy.
Thus, the fill the role that we want them to. We want coffee, cocoa and entertainment. To live and be at all economically stable, many groups around the world have fell in line with this idea instead of resisting and facing greater hardships.
Okay, am I off my rocker? Does this make any sense or is it the outcome of a weary traveler?
I am not sure but I cannot help but see the parallels in Africa and Ivory Coast similar to the actions of Native Americans here.
Really, every exit seemed to have one from a different native group in both New Mexico and Arizona.
Will little else to fill by time, the mind started to wonder. Why? Why is that the predominate interaction most of us non-natives have with their culture is through the form of our entertainment? Though my knowledge of the region of the states is limited, I do know some of the struggles that the Native American communities have had.
The casinos show me how much we use them for our benefit. And honestly, they will continue because we have reduced them to it. Meaning that this has become their strongest economic ties. What would happen to these communities if they didn't have this income?
I cannot help but see the similar stories echoing throughout the world. Although we are past the colonial times, the repercussions are very evident today. Western societies this use and very much control other nationals and people through the economy.
Thus, the fill the role that we want them to. We want coffee, cocoa and entertainment. To live and be at all economically stable, many groups around the world have fell in line with this idea instead of resisting and facing greater hardships.
Okay, am I off my rocker? Does this make any sense or is it the outcome of a weary traveler?
I am not sure but I cannot help but see the parallels in Africa and Ivory Coast similar to the actions of Native Americans here.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Exciting Initiative for West Africa
Some of my new friends have lead me to this event that is taking place this summer.
It is a pan-African Barcamp.
"This inaugural event will bring together people from across Africa in order to share ideas, inspiration and knowledge that cross linguistic and ideological boundaries."
What kind of content will come out of this?
It is headed up by locals (especially Jean-Patrick Ehouman, founder of Akenewa) to jump start technology outreach in the region
It is a pan-African Barcamp.
"This inaugural event will bring together people from across Africa in order to share ideas, inspiration and knowledge that cross linguistic and ideological boundaries."
What kind of content will come out of this?
It is headed up by locals (especially Jean-Patrick Ehouman, founder of Akenewa) to jump start technology outreach in the region
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
They are trying
Sierra Leone is getting cameras in their hands.
But why do we not see this penetrating the global line of sight? What does it take to get grassroot videos and first hand accounts where the world can see it?
But why do we not see this penetrating the global line of sight? What does it take to get grassroot videos and first hand accounts where the world can see it?
The Video Request
Here is a quick vlog (my first) exploring some of the ideas mention in the previous post.
On the path...
Okay, so I know it has been a while. Bad me, I am sorry!
Here is where I am at:
Historically, we have imposed the "Western gaze" onto the entire continent of Africa. Mainly do to our imperialism endeavors, we took the images that looked appealing to us (open, untouched landscapes rich with wildlife) and the things that horrified us (fighting, sex, and overall savageness) and slapped that label on the whole encompassing continent.
Starting in the maps of old, ideas of danger and adventure penetrated our thoughts and percolated our understanding. This showed our representation of a rather "dark" and unknown portion of the world. As technology changed, so did the ways of expressing the exact same message. Now it took on the shape of media. Through newspapers, magazines, TV and even textbooks, the stereotypical Africa remains. Desperate to maintain dominance, we assign roles that we expect these culture groups to play. In this, we fill in the gaps of our understanding with what generalizations have come to us for former generations. This manifests itself in civil wars and political unrest, disease and AIDS, animals and sports.
Where does this leave us now? A quick search of African content on Youtube and we find that these stereotypes are still evident even on a new platform. Most videos include some form of entertainment, mainly soccer or music videos. Is this all that happens on the continent? Or have they tailored their presence to what we expect to see, want to see and will watch? Is the only way an Africa will get seen is to play into a Western audience?
Here is a site that shows where the most watched videos are coming from.
http://geobestofyoutube.gmapify.fr/
Not a single Africa country makes the cut. Why is this? Does an entire continent have nothing to say?
What do you have to say?
Here is where I am at:
Historically, we have imposed the "Western gaze" onto the entire continent of Africa. Mainly do to our imperialism endeavors, we took the images that looked appealing to us (open, untouched landscapes rich with wildlife) and the things that horrified us (fighting, sex, and overall savageness) and slapped that label on the whole encompassing continent.
Starting in the maps of old, ideas of danger and adventure penetrated our thoughts and percolated our understanding. This showed our representation of a rather "dark" and unknown portion of the world. As technology changed, so did the ways of expressing the exact same message. Now it took on the shape of media. Through newspapers, magazines, TV and even textbooks, the stereotypical Africa remains. Desperate to maintain dominance, we assign roles that we expect these culture groups to play. In this, we fill in the gaps of our understanding with what generalizations have come to us for former generations. This manifests itself in civil wars and political unrest, disease and AIDS, animals and sports.
Where does this leave us now? A quick search of African content on Youtube and we find that these stereotypes are still evident even on a new platform. Most videos include some form of entertainment, mainly soccer or music videos. Is this all that happens on the continent? Or have they tailored their presence to what we expect to see, want to see and will watch? Is the only way an Africa will get seen is to play into a Western audience?
Here is a site that shows where the most watched videos are coming from.
http://geobestofyoutube.gmapify.fr/
Not a single Africa country makes the cut. Why is this? Does an entire continent have nothing to say?
What do you have to say?
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Research On
Continuing on our journey, I thought a little research was in order. I dug into articles and other texts to find out a little more information about the digital divide and technological affects on culture. Here is my list and please feel free to add!
Looking Beyond the Digital Divide: Digital Nation: Toward an Inclusive Information Society, Anthony G. Wilhelm, Cambridge, Mass., MIT Press, 2004
Cultural differentiation or social segregation? Four approaches to the digital divide
SINIKKA SASSI University of Helsinki, Finland
AFRICA ON YOUTUBE Musicians, Tourists, Missionaries and Aid Workers
Melissa Wall
Current Media Practices and Trends in West Africa: A Case Study Analysis of the Media of Ghana and Nigeria. Fork-Kintz, Lynda
A social orthography of identity: the N'ko literacy movement in West Africa. Wyrod, Christopher
Twitter and a Newspaper Untie a Gag Order. Protesters were angry at a court order protecting secrets of a shipping company blamed in a disaster in Ivory Coast. Noam Cohen NYTimes October 18, 2009
West Africa: For those who can't read. Cisse, Ibrahima
Voices of African Filmmakers: Contemporary Issues in FrancophoneWest African Filmmaking VAL ´ ERIE ORLANDO
What role can the Internet play in the development of democracy in Africa? Nyabuga, George
Internet subscription in Afica: policy for a dual digital divide. Roycroft, Trevor R.
Africa Through the Eyes of African Reporters If local journalists reported more of the news to Western audiences, their sources and the story's context would be different.
Geoffrey Nyarota
THE INTERNET AND THE DILEMMA OF AFRICA'S DEVELOPMENT. Sonaike, S. Adefemi
Discourse, ‘Development’ & the ‘Digital Divide’: ICT & the World Bank Mark Thompson
Information Technology Access: Cybercafé Diffusion in Sub-Saharan Africa VICTOR W.A. MBARIKA, MUHAMMADOU KAH, KIBILY SAMAKE, AND JEFFREY G. SUMRALL
Myths of digital technology in Africa. Alzouma, Gado
Telecommunication Systems in Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire: An Historical Approach. Sey, Araba
WHERE IN THE WORLD IS AFRICA? Predicting Coverage of Africa by US Television Networks. Golan, Guy J.
Blurring boundaries : the "real" and the "virtual" in hybrid spaces. Brigitte Jordan
Beyond Place On Being a Regular in an Ethereal Culture Patrick T. Kinkade Michael A. Katovich
Relationships between culture and technology: the internet as cultural factor Runnel, Pille
Blogging on. Steel, Patrick
Multiculturalism online: the internet and the dilemmas of multicultural politics. Eugenia Siapera
Cyberculture or material culture?: computers and the social space of work. McCarthy, Anna
Navajo cyber-sovereignty. Vitali, Frances
Goodnight for now friends!
Looking Beyond the Digital Divide: Digital Nation: Toward an Inclusive Information Society, Anthony G. Wilhelm, Cambridge, Mass., MIT Press, 2004
Cultural differentiation or social segregation? Four approaches to the digital divide
SINIKKA SASSI University of Helsinki, Finland
AFRICA ON YOUTUBE Musicians, Tourists, Missionaries and Aid Workers
Melissa Wall
Current Media Practices and Trends in West Africa: A Case Study Analysis of the Media of Ghana and Nigeria. Fork-Kintz, Lynda
A social orthography of identity: the N'ko literacy movement in West Africa. Wyrod, Christopher
Twitter and a Newspaper Untie a Gag Order. Protesters were angry at a court order protecting secrets of a shipping company blamed in a disaster in Ivory Coast. Noam Cohen NYTimes October 18, 2009
West Africa: For those who can't read. Cisse, Ibrahima
Voices of African Filmmakers: Contemporary Issues in FrancophoneWest African Filmmaking VAL ´ ERIE ORLANDO
What role can the Internet play in the development of democracy in Africa? Nyabuga, George
Internet subscription in Afica: policy for a dual digital divide. Roycroft, Trevor R.
Africa Through the Eyes of African Reporters If local journalists reported more of the news to Western audiences, their sources and the story's context would be different.
Geoffrey Nyarota
THE INTERNET AND THE DILEMMA OF AFRICA'S DEVELOPMENT. Sonaike, S. Adefemi
Discourse, ‘Development’ & the ‘Digital Divide’: ICT & the World Bank Mark Thompson
Information Technology Access: Cybercafé Diffusion in Sub-Saharan Africa VICTOR W.A. MBARIKA, MUHAMMADOU KAH, KIBILY SAMAKE, AND JEFFREY G. SUMRALL
Myths of digital technology in Africa. Alzouma, Gado
Telecommunication Systems in Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire: An Historical Approach. Sey, Araba
WHERE IN THE WORLD IS AFRICA? Predicting Coverage of Africa by US Television Networks. Golan, Guy J.
Blurring boundaries : the "real" and the "virtual" in hybrid spaces. Brigitte Jordan
Beyond Place On Being a Regular in an Ethereal Culture Patrick T. Kinkade Michael A. Katovich
Relationships between culture and technology: the internet as cultural factor Runnel, Pille
Blogging on. Steel, Patrick
Multiculturalism online: the internet and the dilemmas of multicultural politics. Eugenia Siapera
Cyberculture or material culture?: computers and the social space of work. McCarthy, Anna
Navajo cyber-sovereignty. Vitali, Frances
Goodnight for now friends!
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
To the Point; Culture (mis)Creation
Lets face it, not everyone has equal access to the World Wide Web or the benefits there in. The rich, the powerful, the technologically advanced, which are very much the minority on a global scale, have become the major and frequently, the only players in the online game. In a world of connections between people and space, we put ourselves on a stage for everyone else to critique, analyze, and hopefully appreciate. The ones that connect are the ones that create culture. Those who don't, unfortunately get discriminated and misrepresented. The powerful fill in the gaps left by those you can't contribute to the world circuit and impose their view of who those individuals, people and cultures are and in some cases, show be.
This culture created my the powerful is arrogant, misleading and convincingly inaccurate when trying to unite the globe in the online environment.
This culture created my the powerful is arrogant, misleading and convincingly inaccurate when trying to unite the globe in the online environment.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Looking for Ivorian Bloggers
I have been scanning the internet to try and pull up any presence I could find of Ivorian digital culture. This has lead me to a few interesting places.
The first is on Rising Voices which is a really interesting concept and site in itself. Poking around on it I found this encourage post.
Although, I tried to look deeper into Théophile Kouamouo's Ivoire Blog network I ran into some deadening obstacles as my French is limiting to nonexistent. But the mere concern gives me resolve in knowing that there are individuals out there in Abidjan that are building a presence online.
Digging in deeper, I discovered the Abidjan Blog Camps and became very interested.
I got around the language barrier and found some translated pages like this to illustrate the movement happening in the region.
"I blog therefore I am..." What a powerful statement from Bob Traoré Djess.
This is a challenging reality. Our shifted to the digital medium of interactions has come with it a plethora of pros. But those have become devastating cons to the majority of the world that cannot connect to the internet or blog.
Where does that leave them? Have they become nothing in our cultures eyes, the peripheral, the looked down on, the non represented? Must a culture have those individuals? But how does the majority of the world's population fall into that?
"I blog therefore I am."
The first is on Rising Voices which is a really interesting concept and site in itself. Poking around on it I found this encourage post.
Although, I tried to look deeper into Théophile Kouamouo's Ivoire Blog network I ran into some deadening obstacles as my French is limiting to nonexistent. But the mere concern gives me resolve in knowing that there are individuals out there in Abidjan that are building a presence online.
Digging in deeper, I discovered the Abidjan Blog Camps and became very interested.
I got around the language barrier and found some translated pages like this to illustrate the movement happening in the region.
"I blog therefore I am..." What a powerful statement from Bob Traoré Djess.
This is a challenging reality. Our shifted to the digital medium of interactions has come with it a plethora of pros. But those have become devastating cons to the majority of the world that cannot connect to the internet or blog.
Where does that leave them? Have they become nothing in our cultures eyes, the peripheral, the looked down on, the non represented? Must a culture have those individuals? But how does the majority of the world's population fall into that?
"I blog therefore I am."
Monday, February 8, 2010
Let's look at our (digital) culture!
My mind as been full of this idea that the "world is shrinking."
What does that mean? I don't claim to know much about tectonic plates, but I am not sure that is where the phrase is going.
We have this idea that, through technology (ie the internet), we have become more connected with the world, with each other, with ourselves.
This phenomenon as been dubbed "globization."
It can be seen everywhere; from food production and manufacturing to transportation and IT help. We are not longer a community of individuals. With technological advances, we have become more, grown together, shared ourselves, officially became friends, supported each other, crossed cultural and physical divides and transformed into a global community.
In a world where Google is a verb, together we have established a whole new culture complete with a new environment, social norms and even a new language.
This new medium was generated out of a desire to become connected. Frustrated with old, one-sided media, the internet paved the way for mundane voices to be heard on a global front.
But how global is this front? It was created for the masses, the majority, common folk. Is that how it has been expressed?
As we see in the later of this video, Africa and Asia seem to slowly drift off the map while the rest of the world collaborates without them.
Taking a look at the data represented on http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm, we can see that there are not very many online users compared to population in either Africa or Asia.
Wait, I don't like the sound of that! Is the internet connecting the world or just the western/ industrialized sectors of the world who are rich enough to get an internet connection.
Well, who is online?
In this community, what culture is emerging? How do you evaluate a culture?
Music has been a rich and important of almost every cultural group since the dawn of man.
Technology has birthed a whole new generation of music, changing very thing from how it is created to how it is distributed.
But where will this take us? What will it do to our current definition of music?
This is not just a change for the industry. It has an impact on YOU!
Musicians now can connect and share there music quicker and to a larger audience. Sites have been dedicated to just that but how can an artist rise about of the confusion of an over populated and over communicated online environment?
Online pressence is everything for an aspiring musician. Through multiple social networks and their own sites, they can get there creations out there and to the world.
However, if not everyone has equal access to the internet, not every artist has an equal opportunity to present their music to the world. Consequently, not every part of the world has a chance to add their input into this global culture.
In fact, looking at Ivory Coast, a quick YouTube search (and trust me, I have done several) will show you that there are very few natives posting videos.
Many come from visiting artists...
Or aid organizations...
What does this say about Ivorian culture? Is it negative or positive?
Even though the world is shrinking, some places are shrinking faster than others. Our views and experiences with other cultures are still limited and narrow. Is this really a "global community?"
Or more of Western representation of a "global community?"
Stay with me as we dive into a lot of these questions. Leave me a comment with your thoughts and ideas. Let's search for the real stories of real individuals. Can we grow together, can we become friends from across land and oceans, are we still limited by our own ethnocentrism?
It is time to find digital footprints of the (not so) mundane!
What does that mean? I don't claim to know much about tectonic plates, but I am not sure that is where the phrase is going.
We have this idea that, through technology (ie the internet), we have become more connected with the world, with each other, with ourselves.
This phenomenon as been dubbed "globization."
It can be seen everywhere; from food production and manufacturing to transportation and IT help. We are not longer a community of individuals. With technological advances, we have become more, grown together, shared ourselves, officially became friends, supported each other, crossed cultural and physical divides and transformed into a global community.
In a world where Google is a verb, together we have established a whole new culture complete with a new environment, social norms and even a new language.
This new medium was generated out of a desire to become connected. Frustrated with old, one-sided media, the internet paved the way for mundane voices to be heard on a global front.
But how global is this front? It was created for the masses, the majority, common folk. Is that how it has been expressed?
As we see in the later of this video, Africa and Asia seem to slowly drift off the map while the rest of the world collaborates without them.
Taking a look at the data represented on http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm, we can see that there are not very many online users compared to population in either Africa or Asia.
Wait, I don't like the sound of that! Is the internet connecting the world or just the western/ industrialized sectors of the world who are rich enough to get an internet connection.
Well, who is online?
In this community, what culture is emerging? How do you evaluate a culture?
Music has been a rich and important of almost every cultural group since the dawn of man.
Technology has birthed a whole new generation of music, changing very thing from how it is created to how it is distributed.
But where will this take us? What will it do to our current definition of music?
This is not just a change for the industry. It has an impact on YOU!
Musicians now can connect and share there music quicker and to a larger audience. Sites have been dedicated to just that but how can an artist rise about of the confusion of an over populated and over communicated online environment?
Online pressence is everything for an aspiring musician. Through multiple social networks and their own sites, they can get there creations out there and to the world.
However, if not everyone has equal access to the internet, not every artist has an equal opportunity to present their music to the world. Consequently, not every part of the world has a chance to add their input into this global culture.
In fact, looking at Ivory Coast, a quick YouTube search (and trust me, I have done several) will show you that there are very few natives posting videos.
Many come from visiting artists...
Or aid organizations...
What does this say about Ivorian culture? Is it negative or positive?
Even though the world is shrinking, some places are shrinking faster than others. Our views and experiences with other cultures are still limited and narrow. Is this really a "global community?"
Or more of Western representation of a "global community?"
Stay with me as we dive into a lot of these questions. Leave me a comment with your thoughts and ideas. Let's search for the real stories of real individuals. Can we grow together, can we become friends from across land and oceans, are we still limited by our own ethnocentrism?
It is time to find digital footprints of the (not so) mundane!
PROUD Video
I have been working with Hannah McSpadden for a few weeks and finally got the video upload.
This tells her story of surviving cancer and receiving help from K-State students through K-State PROUD.
Its a moving story of an amazing girl who was faced with a tough situation.
This tells her story of surviving cancer and receiving help from K-State students through K-State PROUD.
Its a moving story of an amazing girl who was faced with a tough situation.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Waiting...
Sitting here waiting for my videos to convert, I thought I might as well use the time wisely and talk to all of you.
Well the semester is starting to get into its grooves. Which is good and bad, I think. On one hand, I am more organized and "productive." But they again, there is a lot of reading and work to accomplish that never really seems to fit into my schedule.
What is with that? Is there really any balance out there? I love to be busy and stimulated but there is numerous pages and assignments that seem to get me no where. Yeah, it may just be all part of the process and "good information."
What is good information? More importantly, who is it good for and when will it be good for them? I just don't want to be wasting time when there are so many bigger and wonderful things out there to do, ones that NEED done.
Am I alone here? Crazy and just impatient? (I know I am starting to get impatient with this converter.)
From my little hole in the wall,
shane.
Well the semester is starting to get into its grooves. Which is good and bad, I think. On one hand, I am more organized and "productive." But they again, there is a lot of reading and work to accomplish that never really seems to fit into my schedule.
What is with that? Is there really any balance out there? I love to be busy and stimulated but there is numerous pages and assignments that seem to get me no where. Yeah, it may just be all part of the process and "good information."
What is good information? More importantly, who is it good for and when will it be good for them? I just don't want to be wasting time when there are so many bigger and wonderful things out there to do, ones that NEED done.
Am I alone here? Crazy and just impatient? (I know I am starting to get impatient with this converter.)
From my little hole in the wall,
shane.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Its up and out there
Okay, I know it is late but I just wanted to let everyone know that I have gotten draft number one for my research this semester with Dr. Wesch.
Check it OUT!
Its a glimpse into the issues I would like to discover more about. Stick around and we shall investigate together.
Good night... time for the rest of my homework!
Check it OUT!
Monday, January 18, 2010
New World
Well, here we go... Not really sure what all I'm getting into this semester but it looks to be an adventure. After a "less than conventional" first day of classes, I am ready to starting digging into most of my classes. Okay, I'm so not looking forward to Calc 1 but Dr. Wesch's class landed me on this blog. It is going to have to be interesting. I am really excited but rather nervous. After seeing all the brilliant minds in the class, I feel behind the curve as far as digital knowledge goes. But that is why I took the class, not only to stretch my thinking of the world and the people in it but to expand my ability to interact in the digital world we now call home.
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