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Saturday, May 3, 2003 |
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Teen Tribes
Interesting stuff ... and quite global in its depictions. Check out the descriptions for each ... you just might start understanding your neighbour's child better ....
7:08:32 PM  comment [] trackback []
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Big Brother is Watching
Headlines in the TV Linx Reporter - 'India on US priority watch list regarding global piracy' ìWASHINGTON: It is not just Indian music companies that are seeing their profits being eroded by the pirate. The US recently issued its annual list of countries with the worst record of protecting copyright material and other intellectual property.
India has been placed on the Priority Watch List in a special 301 report along with Argentina, the Bahamas, Brazil, Lebanon, the Philippines, Poland, Russia, and Taiwan. The Priority Watch List entails a greater level of scrutiny than the Watch List for possible future sanctions unless the alleged inadequacy of protection is remedied. The US Trade Representative's Office (USTR) made the following unflattering comments about us, " India's copyright law, which is generally consistent with international standards, was weakened by amendments enacted in 2000 that undermine protection for computer programmes. Enforcement against piracy remains a growing concern for US copyright industries, especially given that pirated imports are entering the market from Southeast Asia and that there is growing Internet piracy. We will continue to consult with the Indian Government to resolve outstanding TRIPS compliance concerns, but if these consultations do not prove constructive, we will consider all other options available, including WTO dispute settlement, to resolve these concerns."î
Read more here .... 6:17:09 PM comment [] trackback []
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Youth Futures - 4 : Continuing the Conversation
Its great to see appreciation for my Youth Futures series at the Bharateeya Blog Mela.
Iíve been thinking of ways to extend and facilitate the ëconversationsí iím having with some interesting people (a few youngsters in India among others) on Youth, through my blog. At the zonkboard on my blog, comments at my posts, on IM, and through more conventional email and telephone. Some of the comments on my earlier posts are worth bringing up here, as an example of how these conversations are evolving Ö
Two short excerpts from my post : "Get a bunch of eight upper income group youngsters together in a group .. start a conversation on trends ... you will usually find seven (if not all eight) voices trying to outshout the other on why 'i'm the coolest' .... Superficial, materialistic, 'wannabe's', expedient, consumeristic ... these are some of the perceptions and misconceptions one could take away. But scratch deeper - go to their homes, hang-out with them for a while, look at their private space - their rooms, their slambooks, their collections. Listen to their deeper thoughts and visions ... and you might be quite surprised at the different story unveiled."
"Second, there's more depth to youth than this techno-savvy, peer-driven, materialistic, expedient, wannabe consumer marketers focus on. They can and do have visions of the future that might surprise us all. Lets really listen to their stories for the cutting edge." Some reactions : "Its all about appearances! In most of the cases, the materialistic attitude is just a veneer. Scratch the surface and as you've rightly said, the reality is quite different. Intelligent, articulate youth of today pull on a garb of oh-so-cool attitude that turns them into shallow one-dimensional individuals who compete on irrelevant things. But then, this attitude also makes the youth of today much more ambitious. They are really go-getters as compared to the same demographic segment, say, 10-15 years ago." Sameer
"hey dina, those are great photos! although i dont think it was your intention but it reminds me of this great book (forgetting the name) of kids photographed in their room. i guess my response to your post would be to question your separation of superficial and authentic... i dont believe in this sort of paradigm - these kids are participating in a culture system, their "superficial" decisions are symbolic constructions used by their peers to access something about their identity. i think you find this at all levels. i wouldn't call this superficial, its real! or well, maybe deeply superficial... do you come at this topic from a marketing background? didn't get a chance to read your entire blog yet!" zak
"Zak ... i couldn't agree with you more when you say, and say so well ... "i donít believe in this sort of paradigm - these kids are participating in a culture system, their "superficial" decisions are symbolic constructions used by their peers to access something about their identity". At one level, its just that we often interpret these symbolic constructs as "superficial" and not often enough, bother to really ësenseí the underlying value. At another level, i feel we often fail to recognise that there may be a difference between what they ësayí (driven more by the need for peer approval) and what they ëdoí ......."
Then the conversation moves to one on Youth Identities with this .... "Go to their homes, check out their music collection Ö youíll more often than not see a different story." I know of people who decry the downfall of 'real' music with the emergence of artistes(??) like Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera... but stock up their CDs because these artistes are the flavour of the moment. They live two lives. One for themselves and one for their peers! "
And this .... "They live two lives. One for themselves and one for their peers!" Some questions this raised in my mind ... thinking them aloud .... is there conflict then between these different identities? How is it resolved? What are the manifestations of the conflict and its resolution ?"
And this ... "There is no conflict under normal circumstances. It flares up when the facade starts overshadowing the main structure. I mean, when the "just-for-display" identity starts to assume superiority over the real identity, then the conflict starts."
Thinking thoughts aloud here :
1. I'd like to continue these conversations, and encourage more between readers. For the time being i'm experimenting with this blogspace. Would love to hear more stories, anecdotes, experiences and opinions through the comments and zonkboard tools. I'm on the look-out for more interactive tools !
2. It maybe interesting to think of a dedicated space for encouraging such youth encounters and encouraging more ëyouth speakí. Not sure about the where's and how-to's yet - blogspace, wiki, portal ? Yet i'm convinced that it would make a fantastic space for research.
Meanwhile, i enjoy this Serious Play ... 2:16:55 PM comment [] trackback []
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Archetypes - Internet as Communicator Just read this interesting piece - Archetypes of the Internet by Dolores E. Brien. An old article, yet its interesting to see how the archetypes have evolved over the years. The article is adapted from a review of Mark Stefik's book Internet Dreams: Archetypes, Myths and Metaphors. "Stefik prefers not one, but four metaphors (which are also functions of the Internet), each of which points to an archetype as its source: the Digital Library pointing to "Keeper of Knowledge;" Electronic Mail, to "Communicator" (or networker, matchmaker); Electronic Marketplace, to "Trader;" and finally, Digital Worlds, to "Adventurer." In each case Stefik attempts to link the impersonal metaphors of the Internet with their archetypal source in ancient myths. " "Stefik associates the god Hermes or Mercury with the archetype of the Communicator in his discussion of Electronic Mail.This is really the "communication" age says Stefik, rather than the "information age," which we hear about more frequently. (Even libraries are not just in the business of collecting information but of communicating it as well.) E-mail, which links by phone, modem and computer millions of individuals and organizations throughout the world, is a phenomenal manifestation of our urge towards what Stefik calls "connectivity." Through the medium of e-mail, people seek affiliation, support, community; they chat, gossip, confide; they engage in common interests, look for emotional support, entertainment. E-mail makes obvious what is true of the entire Internet, whether we speak of it in terms of library or market place or adventure. It is a social phenomenon, a role which, as Stefik points out is as important as its functionality." The archetype that i found most relevant is the Communicator, in its inherent capacity for dialogue and exchange. One-to-one, one-to-many, many-to one, many-to-many. In his book, Stefik speaks of email alone, yet today this archetype has evolved the most - with IM, message boards, social networks, all sorts of blogging, wikis - and the developmental work on Social Software. "One last word-if the Internet acknowledges a god, that god has to be Hermes: mediator, communicator, messenger, trickster, patron of merchants, always on the move. His attributes seem as inexhaustible as does the Internet, of which he seems to be the soul." 10:04:10 AM comment [] trackback []
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Copyright 2009 Dina Mehta
