hi guys just wondering what your thoughts are about blogging, both as a form of assessment and just in general. Do you think that it is connecting people or is it making people lose face to face contact and withdrawing from the society in which they live. Do you think that people are actually interested in the blogs that people post, or is it only a small minority and the rest of the people only read it as a time waste. What about security and privacy in relation to blogs? When is the line crossed between sharing and over sharing, what should be put up and what is a definate no no.
Also related to this is the freedom of speech, so should you be able to discuss such topics as racism or comments that to some would cross the line, such as Pauline Hanson style.
Similar topic but not entirely the same is that of video postings, such as on the well known youtube or metacafe. It has come to the stage where there are political messages on these sites, there are images that are definately dubious in content due to nudtiy, alcohol induced behaviour, jackass type stunts and racism. Yet it is also a good way to remind ourselves of our childhood by looking up such programs as superted and bananaman or looking up current news events.
So i know this is a bit of a short blog but just wondering what were your thoughts about this blog and the video posting sights :)
Friday, October 19, 2007
Thursday, October 18, 2007
blog 2 thoughts, ENVIRONMENTAL ATTITUDES
hello out there, have just had some thougths about my second blog which is about the attitudes and behaviours of people in regards to the environment so some initial thoughts.
In my opinion cognitive dissonance is an importat concept in regards to environmental attiudes and behaviours, due to if we want to save the environrment but we are using our cars and plastic bags excessively then we would need to change either our attiude, well maybe the enivronment is not such an important issue, or we will cut down our negative use of the environment, maye walking to uni and using green bags.
Another issue is where these attitudes firstly come from, for example the media, family or who we lie with. Something that links in with this is that at the moment it appears that for certain people being enviro friendly is a fad and cool, this can be alright except if there are no strong feelings or ideals when this fad does end there is less likely to continue on or be consistent with the behaviour. In addition to this there is no reason to say that the fad will then switch sides and become anti-environmental.
Ok so what else...i know the fact that some people may continue to do their "bad" behaviours towards the environment due to the fact that the problem seems to big for them to be able to make any help with the issue. Therefore they might see no reason for trying to help a "lost" cause.
In addition to this people might feel that everyone else will help and therefore they dont need to, so similar to when someone is in an emergency or if a analarm goes off people will wait for other people to take the initiative and until that time wont do anything on their own.
Other issues that may be involved include time contrainsts, political imput and what options are available for them such as recycling centres.
On a similar note councils and builders need to take into consideration when planning new suburbs and buildings the regulations, with new legislation setting out the rules. Transport, electicity and water are also involved with being of environmental concern with the ACT providing people with the opportunity to buy green electricity.
There is also the factor of wanting to live for the moment and not for the future, similar to wanting the rewards now and not waiting for a bigger reward. There is also the option for hybrid cars and such incitives as having three people in certain public car parks then you get it for free, encouraging car pooling.
So the question needs to be asked is this new slant on the environment as being a fad making the environment and environmental friendly products materilastic.
The severe drought that has been effecting Australia has been speculated to be due to climate change and the el nino effect and being a national issue you would have to think that people would be concernd about it. The use of nuclear energy, such as France does and the concern for logging, particularly in Tasmania are also national points of interest.
The actual question is, is there a gap between environmental attitudes and behaviours? If so why and what can be done about it? I am definatly intersted in your views on this particular question on the environment or broader thoughts on the issue :)
In my opinion cognitive dissonance is an importat concept in regards to environmental attiudes and behaviours, due to if we want to save the environrment but we are using our cars and plastic bags excessively then we would need to change either our attiude, well maybe the enivronment is not such an important issue, or we will cut down our negative use of the environment, maye walking to uni and using green bags.
Another issue is where these attitudes firstly come from, for example the media, family or who we lie with. Something that links in with this is that at the moment it appears that for certain people being enviro friendly is a fad and cool, this can be alright except if there are no strong feelings or ideals when this fad does end there is less likely to continue on or be consistent with the behaviour. In addition to this there is no reason to say that the fad will then switch sides and become anti-environmental.
Ok so what else...i know the fact that some people may continue to do their "bad" behaviours towards the environment due to the fact that the problem seems to big for them to be able to make any help with the issue. Therefore they might see no reason for trying to help a "lost" cause.
In addition to this people might feel that everyone else will help and therefore they dont need to, so similar to when someone is in an emergency or if a analarm goes off people will wait for other people to take the initiative and until that time wont do anything on their own.
Other issues that may be involved include time contrainsts, political imput and what options are available for them such as recycling centres.
On a similar note councils and builders need to take into consideration when planning new suburbs and buildings the regulations, with new legislation setting out the rules. Transport, electicity and water are also involved with being of environmental concern with the ACT providing people with the opportunity to buy green electricity.
There is also the factor of wanting to live for the moment and not for the future, similar to wanting the rewards now and not waiting for a bigger reward. There is also the option for hybrid cars and such incitives as having three people in certain public car parks then you get it for free, encouraging car pooling.
So the question needs to be asked is this new slant on the environment as being a fad making the environment and environmental friendly products materilastic.
The severe drought that has been effecting Australia has been speculated to be due to climate change and the el nino effect and being a national issue you would have to think that people would be concernd about it. The use of nuclear energy, such as France does and the concern for logging, particularly in Tasmania are also national points of interest.
The actual question is, is there a gap between environmental attitudes and behaviours? If so why and what can be done about it? I am definatly intersted in your views on this particular question on the environment or broader thoughts on the issue :)
mobile phones, dreaded or loved?!
hi guys after the tute I had yesterday I started having a few thougts about mobile phones and their use and impact within the society. This was partly due to the talk we listened to and also in part due to on the three things we wanted to change within our society one of the topics was the reliance on mobile phones. So what sort of issues are associated with the use of mobile phones?
Well for one mobile phones do have some positives, for instance in emergencies or if someone breaks down in the middle of nowhere. So it has definatly been of help for these instances, particularly in the country, but how did we used to cope before them. For one thing if we broke down we would have to walk to help.
Secondly mobiles have helped people keep in contact, on the long term, so just by sending a quick text or by helping to organise people into meeting up, sending a group text saying when and where meeting up. They are good to use when we are overseas however due to the style of text messaging it is easy to lie about where we are or the environment we are in.
So in order for us all not to think that its all la-dee-da because there have been some negative consequences with the increase use of mobiles. Firstly in regards to etiquette how annoying is it when people text or answer the phone when your are trying to serve them or you are asking them a question or telling them a story. When is it appropriate to answer and how inconsiderate it is when people's phones go off either during movies or when people are giving a speech or presentation.
The issue of privacy is raised by people talking loudly on the phone about personal topics in a public arena and not only is it a concern for the person speaking but also for the person who is being spoken about and doesnt know the physical context of the conversation. On the wider spectrum when using the phones in a public domain there could be a suggestion that there is an alienation to the surrounding people without even acknowleding the people they walk by. So does this mean that the "new" generation is only concerned with who is in their address book rather than face to face conversation?
Next there is concerned about the grammar used in text messages and the acronyms and abbreviations used. This concern comes mainly due to the fact that this language is being used in the wider doman such as in university assignments. Is it really necessary to use such phrases as MIA, TTFN and LOL when talking to our grandparents or teachers?
The cost on the person of upholding the mobile phone can be enormous with not only spending an enormous amount of money on texting or ringing but also due to having to keep up with the latest ring tones and games on your phone. People often feel obligated to do this in order to be cool with their friends.
Some of the uses of the phone can be ridiculous such as when lost in the supermarket or answering a person's message with an ok. The phenomenon of alcohol and mobiles can be disastarous and lead to relationships and friendship breakdowns.
In the past there have been claims that increased mobile phone use leads to radiation and can even lead to cancers but as far as i know these have not been supported by evidence.
Finally there is the concern with drivers and mobile phones, although it is illegal to use phones while driving if you observe drivers there is a large proportion who still talk and text while supposdly concentrating on the road. Although handsfree and speaker phone are probably better options they still involve the impinging on a persons concentration that can lead to accidents that have the severe consequence of death of another person. So how can this message get across?
Anyway while there are some good points, eg for security and friendships and I am one of those people that feel naked without my phone but there are also some not so good aspects involved with mobils such as isolating those around them and what is our language and social culture being evolved into.
So i would love to hear any other thoughts or ideas related to mobile phones! thanks :)
Well for one mobile phones do have some positives, for instance in emergencies or if someone breaks down in the middle of nowhere. So it has definatly been of help for these instances, particularly in the country, but how did we used to cope before them. For one thing if we broke down we would have to walk to help.
Secondly mobiles have helped people keep in contact, on the long term, so just by sending a quick text or by helping to organise people into meeting up, sending a group text saying when and where meeting up. They are good to use when we are overseas however due to the style of text messaging it is easy to lie about where we are or the environment we are in.
So in order for us all not to think that its all la-dee-da because there have been some negative consequences with the increase use of mobiles. Firstly in regards to etiquette how annoying is it when people text or answer the phone when your are trying to serve them or you are asking them a question or telling them a story. When is it appropriate to answer and how inconsiderate it is when people's phones go off either during movies or when people are giving a speech or presentation.
The issue of privacy is raised by people talking loudly on the phone about personal topics in a public arena and not only is it a concern for the person speaking but also for the person who is being spoken about and doesnt know the physical context of the conversation. On the wider spectrum when using the phones in a public domain there could be a suggestion that there is an alienation to the surrounding people without even acknowleding the people they walk by. So does this mean that the "new" generation is only concerned with who is in their address book rather than face to face conversation?
Next there is concerned about the grammar used in text messages and the acronyms and abbreviations used. This concern comes mainly due to the fact that this language is being used in the wider doman such as in university assignments. Is it really necessary to use such phrases as MIA, TTFN and LOL when talking to our grandparents or teachers?
The cost on the person of upholding the mobile phone can be enormous with not only spending an enormous amount of money on texting or ringing but also due to having to keep up with the latest ring tones and games on your phone. People often feel obligated to do this in order to be cool with their friends.
Some of the uses of the phone can be ridiculous such as when lost in the supermarket or answering a person's message with an ok. The phenomenon of alcohol and mobiles can be disastarous and lead to relationships and friendship breakdowns.
In the past there have been claims that increased mobile phone use leads to radiation and can even lead to cancers but as far as i know these have not been supported by evidence.
Finally there is the concern with drivers and mobile phones, although it is illegal to use phones while driving if you observe drivers there is a large proportion who still talk and text while supposdly concentrating on the road. Although handsfree and speaker phone are probably better options they still involve the impinging on a persons concentration that can lead to accidents that have the severe consequence of death of another person. So how can this message get across?
Anyway while there are some good points, eg for security and friendships and I am one of those people that feel naked without my phone but there are also some not so good aspects involved with mobils such as isolating those around them and what is our language and social culture being evolved into.
So i would love to hear any other thoughts or ideas related to mobile phones! thanks :)
Monday, October 15, 2007
music and emotion
hey guys just listening to some music to increase my "happy" thoughts, particulary by listneing to some summer grooves and that made me wonder about any recent information and research that may have occured between the link between music and emotion.
Ok one of the first interesting things i found was the fact that Australia is one of the countries at the forefront of this topic. Research at University of New South Wales has been focused on the inernal locus versus the external locus and the Gap across emotion loci (GAEL) and the importance of familiarity. The study suggests that the way music makes the listener feel is more important in determining enjoyment than noticing the emotion the music is trying to convey.
Other studies reveal that the primary auditory zone may provide an early affective quality, left cognitive areas may contribute to pleasant feelings when melodic sequences follow expected rules while unpleasant emotions (Prodromidès vs. Bach and Mahler) involved the activation of the right frontopolar and paralimbic areas in addition to suggesting that the internal structure of the music played a primary role in the induction of the emotions in comparison to extramusical factors. Mode, harmonic complexity, and rhythmic articulation best differentiated between negative and positive valence, whereas tempo, accentuation, and rhythmic articulation best discriminated high arousal from low arousal. Tempo, accentuation, and rhythmic articulation were the features that most strongly correlated with physiological measures. Music that induced faster breathing and higher minute ventilation, skin conductance, and heart rate was fast, accentuated, and staccato.
The topic of emotion and music is also relevant for such areas within the community as road rage and anger managment in general.
While on the topic of music it is interesting to note the influence of music particularly the negative influence including violence, promiscuity, swearing and drugs. Not only is it the lyrics but more often than not it is also the film clip promoting these deviant acts. Certain genres of music, including metal and rap have been particualrly targeted for promoting the behaviour within the general public. However there is a trend these days for pop music targeted for young to teenage girls to involve swear words and very sexual dancing.
Although censorship goes so far and there have been some debates to the actual influence of idols and music lyrics and videos there still seems to be a common theme that needs some looking at, especially in regards to what may be happening in the future.
therefore i would be interested for people's comments on the future of society with regard to the influence of music, the influence at the moment and the emotional aspects of music and why you feel you connect more to one piece than another or that a piece brings back so many memories, all input much appreciated :)
Ok one of the first interesting things i found was the fact that Australia is one of the countries at the forefront of this topic. Research at University of New South Wales has been focused on the inernal locus versus the external locus and the Gap across emotion loci (GAEL) and the importance of familiarity. The study suggests that the way music makes the listener feel is more important in determining enjoyment than noticing the emotion the music is trying to convey.
Other studies reveal that the primary auditory zone may provide an early affective quality, left cognitive areas may contribute to pleasant feelings when melodic sequences follow expected rules while unpleasant emotions (Prodromidès vs. Bach and Mahler) involved the activation of the right frontopolar and paralimbic areas in addition to suggesting that the internal structure of the music played a primary role in the induction of the emotions in comparison to extramusical factors. Mode, harmonic complexity, and rhythmic articulation best differentiated between negative and positive valence, whereas tempo, accentuation, and rhythmic articulation best discriminated high arousal from low arousal. Tempo, accentuation, and rhythmic articulation were the features that most strongly correlated with physiological measures. Music that induced faster breathing and higher minute ventilation, skin conductance, and heart rate was fast, accentuated, and staccato.
The topic of emotion and music is also relevant for such areas within the community as road rage and anger managment in general.
While on the topic of music it is interesting to note the influence of music particularly the negative influence including violence, promiscuity, swearing and drugs. Not only is it the lyrics but more often than not it is also the film clip promoting these deviant acts. Certain genres of music, including metal and rap have been particualrly targeted for promoting the behaviour within the general public. However there is a trend these days for pop music targeted for young to teenage girls to involve swear words and very sexual dancing.
Although censorship goes so far and there have been some debates to the actual influence of idols and music lyrics and videos there still seems to be a common theme that needs some looking at, especially in regards to what may be happening in the future.
therefore i would be interested for people's comments on the future of society with regard to the influence of music, the influence at the moment and the emotional aspects of music and why you feel you connect more to one piece than another or that a piece brings back so many memories, all input much appreciated :)
Sunday, October 14, 2007
in the news
just a few comments about what is in the news lately, in regards to social psych. Firstly the calling of the election, what do people think about it, not so far as the whole political side of the election but more the different techniques the politicians use to get people interested and hopefully get them voting for them. Secondly, why do we listen to the politicians and in regards to focusing on particular issues and the fact that an idea that doesnt fit within our preconceived ideas will take longer to be disregarded than facts that comply with our views.
Ok in a similar kind of vain the issue of the pulp mill in Tasmania, interested to hear your guys thoughts, particularly in relation to the environment versus jobs debate, and what you think the actual impact will be on the enviro or is there a particular view that is being shown by the politicians and therefore at the moment is it a one sided debate in which all facts are not entirely shown to the general public.
Also in todays top news snippets, the controversial add implying young men who speed do so because they have small penises has become one of the state's most successful anti-speeding campaigns. Why is this add so succesfull do you think? do you think that people honestly look at young men who speed and think about the size of their genitals? The Advertising Standards Bureau had received a number of complaints that the ad demeaned men with small penises. However if the ad saves lives then that is the main thing. How do you think that this kind of advertising could be used for drugs, alcohol and tobacco decreasing?
so anyway i would be very interested to hear your comments and hope that this makes you think alittle bit more bout whats happening at the mo
Ok in a similar kind of vain the issue of the pulp mill in Tasmania, interested to hear your guys thoughts, particularly in relation to the environment versus jobs debate, and what you think the actual impact will be on the enviro or is there a particular view that is being shown by the politicians and therefore at the moment is it a one sided debate in which all facts are not entirely shown to the general public.
Also in todays top news snippets, the controversial add implying young men who speed do so because they have small penises has become one of the state's most successful anti-speeding campaigns. Why is this add so succesfull do you think? do you think that people honestly look at young men who speed and think about the size of their genitals? The Advertising Standards Bureau had received a number of complaints that the ad demeaned men with small penises. However if the ad saves lives then that is the main thing. How do you think that this kind of advertising could be used for drugs, alcohol and tobacco decreasing?
so anyway i would be very interested to hear your comments and hope that this makes you think alittle bit more bout whats happening at the mo
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Facebook, a few more thoughts
Just being on facebook also gave me a couple more thoughts that I think are related to social psych. In case you guys don't know what I am talking about here is a link to the facebook page, while i am not advocating anyone joins www.facebook.com so what is facebook, well its kind of a little like myspace and is designed for people to be able to get back in contact with "lost" friends from uni or high school, was originally aimed for people in their mid to early fourties to "find" friends from their education.
However it has been dominated by people from the younger generation, and has been shown to be more than just a phase with it being used as not only a networking tool for old friends but also for the friends that you see everyday or even live with, particularly in the case of ressies. It can provide a place for groups to be formed such as the psych society for UC, in a non-confusing and friendly environment. It allows for people to essential blog, and comment on other people's walls, to upload photos or videos and to be 'nice' to people by buying them drinks or doing actions to them.
However in recent times there have been certain people complaining due to the vast amount of commands, showing that too much choice is a definate disadvantage but still facebook has outrun other similar sites with the number of people joined. It has also been praised for having a higher security and privacy level than other such sites but it still begs the question what level of security is needed on such sites
so to a few stats and interesting facts more than 43 million active users as of Setember 2007. The fastest growing demographic is people 25 and under – 85% of students attending 4-year
universities in the US are members of Facebook and was founded in 2004. The three main reasons for the popularity of facebook were the layout (look and feel + the amout of advertising)
the Applications (games) and the Exclusivism (you add only who you wish to). Facebook will remain to be cool as long as it keeps its sense of exclusivism and doesn’t sell out to advertising.
So i think why exploring facebook is important to social psychology are for the main reasons of privacy, of actual networking and why we need such technology as mobile phones as facebook, how they contribute or decrease our happiness and to what extent are the friends on facebook actually friends. How much mental and physical time should we be putting into such technology instead of face to face communication
Anyway enough of the ramble, interested in any thoughts you have on facebook, on the coolness, the privacy and the communication aspect, or anything else that may help the greater understanding of facebook and the way of the future :)
However it has been dominated by people from the younger generation, and has been shown to be more than just a phase with it being used as not only a networking tool for old friends but also for the friends that you see everyday or even live with, particularly in the case of ressies. It can provide a place for groups to be formed such as the psych society for UC, in a non-confusing and friendly environment. It allows for people to essential blog, and comment on other people's walls, to upload photos or videos and to be 'nice' to people by buying them drinks or doing actions to them.
However in recent times there have been certain people complaining due to the vast amount of commands, showing that too much choice is a definate disadvantage but still facebook has outrun other similar sites with the number of people joined. It has also been praised for having a higher security and privacy level than other such sites but it still begs the question what level of security is needed on such sites
so to a few stats and interesting facts more than 43 million active users as of Setember 2007. The fastest growing demographic is people 25 and under – 85% of students attending 4-year
universities in the US are members of Facebook and was founded in 2004. The three main reasons for the popularity of facebook were the layout (look and feel + the amout of advertising)
the Applications (games) and the Exclusivism (you add only who you wish to). Facebook will remain to be cool as long as it keeps its sense of exclusivism and doesn’t sell out to advertising.
So i think why exploring facebook is important to social psychology are for the main reasons of privacy, of actual networking and why we need such technology as mobile phones as facebook, how they contribute or decrease our happiness and to what extent are the friends on facebook actually friends. How much mental and physical time should we be putting into such technology instead of face to face communication
Anyway enough of the ramble, interested in any thoughts you have on facebook, on the coolness, the privacy and the communication aspect, or anything else that may help the greater understanding of facebook and the way of the future :)
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