WEEK 11 – “Aggregation”

“Aggregation”

Discussed in the lectures this week was the idea of aggregation in living. Humans ‘hunter and gather’ in the way to go out and get something and then bring it back. E.g. going out to shoot the animal and bringing it back home to cook. In terms of distribution, publishing can be seen as a copy of a work that can be read or visually perceived. Distributing media is a form of publishing and is when the copies of data or new or information or images are distributed to the general public with the consent of the author. Aggregation is a form of gathering combining or bringing anything that can be distributed into a whole. This can be a  situation like gathering friends at a café for a coffee. “Gathering, combining or bringing text, images, sounds, code and platforms into INCREASINGLY FLEXIBLE AND VARIABLE new forms of organisation”(Lecture, Week 11). This can be analysed with one of the readings from this week.

Making is connecting (www.makingisconnecting.org) sets out to portray the social meaning of creativity. On the website it lists how types of text, images, sounds and platforms are a way of aggregating and distribution as well as connecting. For example, the platform of blogging: it develops a sense of community by following a blog, just like it does when you go and get coffee with your friends. The difference is the form it is in. People make a theme for a blog and then connect with their followers. This relates back to humans and the ‘hunter and gather’ idea.

The types of media that are distributed differ. For example, a newspaper is a good way to distribute to a lot of people quickly. The change in distribution is how it is becoming combined. For example, A company like DODO started off as an internet company. Through the ease of distribution channels now, they have gone into electricity as well as mobile phones. So it has enabled media to enter into areas that they weren’t in before because of distribution and aggregation.

“The state or manner of being distribute” was discussed in regards to who you become when you with the state and manner of being distributed. An example would be souring our and finding the best quality coffee on campus and the image it gives you. Another example would be the way you image yourself on social media such as Facebook. Those are both questions of distribution.

DAVID GAUNTLETT – WEB 2.0

PLATFORMS in media are a means to communicating something. They can include newspapers, magazines, the internet, blogs, advertisements etc. I have used one of the readings to expand on the Internet as a platform and how it has progressed and is used as a platform for communicating and creating in Web 2.0.

In the first chapter of David Gauntletts book, “‘Making is Connecting: The social meaning of creativity, from DIY and knitting to YouTube and Web 2.0,’” he presents the idea of “making is connecting”. He believes that making things and connecting with things are actually the same process due to three reasons:

• making is connecting because you have to connect things together to make something new
• making is connecting because acts of creativity usually involve a social dimension and connect us with other people
• making is connecting because through making things and sharing them in the world, we increase our engagement and connection with our social and physical environment

David explains how Web 1.0 was similar to metaphorical seperate gardens (see image below). This basically means that although there were many websites, they were not connected in anyway and were separate with a fence in between each website. Web 1.0 is an alright platform and is still functional however it differs greatly to Web 2.0. Web 2.0 as a platform is the opposite and opens up these fences and each website works collectively in a shared space.

The essensce of Web 2.0 is its interactivity compared to Web 1.0. Web 2.0 has the idea that websites and services can be more powerful and join hands collectively to help each other and embrace each other. Examples of this are RSS feeds, Facebook and Twitter sharing and blogging. Youtube is a great broadcast channel that contributes to more than just bringing in an audience. It allows its users to play and individually contribute to the website by uploading videos. Gauntletts explains how the Web 2.0 is essentially an approach to the Web. It is about harnessing the collective abilities of the members of an online network, to make a powerful resource or service. He explains how users of the internet shape and create their own environments by stamping their individuality on the world. An example of this would be blogging. When someone makes a fashion blog, they are creating an environment for their own style and stamping their individuality all over the internet.

Reference: Gauntlett, David (2010) Making is Connecting <http://www.makingisconnecting.org/>

VISUALISE THIS – WILL, TARA, EMMA

IDEA:
This What is the invisible entity we are making visible?When you look at a bottle of coke you see bottle full of brown liquid.
When you look at a bottle of Schweppes Lemonade you see a clear liquid.
Our visualisation concept is based upon revealing what is hidden in several well known soft drink brands. We will focus on the sodium and sugar content specifically and its negative health effects. The coca cola website already has an existing comparative table where they compare the nutritional value between their own products. They also have an human outline image where they show how hydrating their drinks are. We have created the opposite of the existing Coca Cola promotional human outline of hydration and instead make a human outline showing the percentage of sodium in competing soft drink companies.

We turned INVISIBLE into VISIBLE?
HOW?
This concept already exists on the Coca Cola website through their human outline representing hydration and their comparative table.
We have decided to pick on the negatives of soft drinks and VISUALISE the sugar and sodium content of several soft drink brands. We have made our own version of the human outline VISUALISATION that represents the sugar content. The sodium content is represented in several graphs.
Here is one existing image:

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?
It effectively VISUALISES two elements of soft drinks that were invisible; sugar and sodium. Through the graphs and the human outline we have effectively made our audience visually aware of the sugar and sodium contents and the health effects that come with the contents.

So, it effectively raises awareness for the public to understand the health effects of soft drinks in terms of their sugar and sodium levels. The difference it makes is by essentially reversing the Coca Cola human outline figure. They represented and claimed that their products are “hydrating”in their visualisation. This is just a marketing ploy to encourage consumption. We have created our human outline in order to discourage consumption due to the negative health effects that sodium and sugar can have on the body.

The problem faced is that the soft drink companies are forced to include the ingredients and additives on their products by compliance and regulations. However, people rarely read these labels and are effected by the products marketing “Coca Cola” sign. Our visualisation has been created to make a difference in the levels of awareness.

PUBLICS:
Active/Current Consumers
Potential Consumers
AGE: 6 years – 80 years (approx,)
Male – Female – Mixed
Soft Drink companies— Our VISUALISATION is, as I said, to discourage consumption due to negative health effects and not to encourage consumption due to their claimed “hydration” it could affect their sales if we reveal that their sodium content is relatively higher than the other products

SODIUM (mg) per 100mls
*Recommended:
1260mg SODIUM per DAY
Coca Cola 10.13
Pepsi 11.2
Dr Pepper 15.5
Kirks Lemonade 5.9
Schweppes Solo 16
LA ice cola 5
Diet Coke 15
Pepsi Max 13.3
Coke Zero 10.9
Schweppes Diet Lemonade 0

 SUGAR (g) per 100mls
*Recommended:
82g SUGAR per DAY
Coca Cola 10.6
Pepsi 10.6
Dr Pepper 15.5
Kirks Lemonade 11.2
Schweppes Lemonade 4.2
Schweppes Lemonade (Sugar Free) 0
Solo 12.106
LA ice cola 11.4
Diet Coke 0.05
Pepsi Max 0
Coke Zero 0

SODIUM – Health Cons
Heart = STROKE
Kidneys = DISEASE
Stomach & Bones
Hypertension = UNPLEASANT
High Blood Pressure = DEATH

SUGAR – Health Cons
Feeds cancer = NOT WORTH FEEDING
Increases cholesterol
Bad for teeth
Contributes to DIABETES
Can cause cardiovascular disease = DEADLY
Assists yeast infections = GROSS

References:
Human outline: unknown author (2009), ‘US army puts biological anthropists to work’, last updated 11 June, 2009, accessed online on 5 May, 2012 at <http://techropology.blogspot.com.au/2009/06/us-army-puts-biological-anthropologists.html>
Daily Recommended Intake: Healthy Food Guide, ‘Nutrition Information’, accessed online on 5 May, 2012 at <http://www.healthyfoodguide.com.au/about-us/nutrition-information?
Myfitnesspal iPhone Application

VISUALISING SCIENCE

The readings for this week expanded more on visualisation but focused more on the scientific research and visualisation in the communication of science.

Polar bears have been placed on the endangered list but how would someone represent this in a visualisation?

A polar bear stuck on tiny piece of ice that used to be a lot bigger is how to visually represent that question. This picture is eye catching and to the point in regards to the research and data that is written about. No action has been taken even though the Polar Bears have been placed on the endangered list. This photo visualises the desperation that the polar bear faces if no action is required. The image adds more to the informations and creates a deeper response from the reader. It is also an example of how visualisations are used in scientific research and how it communicates a specific theme. http://www.metro.co.uk/news/147937-struggling-polar-bears-put-on-endangered-list

NASA have created their own Scientific Visualisation Studio on their website, showing the communication of visualisation within science. One of their most popular visualisations is the Perpetual Ocean.
“This visualization shows ocean surface currents around the world during the period from June 2005 through December 2007. The visualization does not include a narration or annotations; the goal was to use ocean flow data to create a simple, visceral experience”. http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a003800/a003827/index.html

The mere fact that there are no annotations along with this visualisation show how well it is at communicating the intended message – the purpose of visualisations. It isn’t every day that a person sees the earths currents over a certain time period. With this visualisation, it has allowed scientific research to effectively communicate the visual nature of the earths currents.

Do visual media work differently to other media forms? In my opinion it is a definite yes. An example was used above with the polar bear grasping for is life on a tiny piece of ice. The way it works differently is through the type of communication portrayed by the image. If the article only contained words, then a person just takes on board knowledge and current research findings of extinct polar bears. However, the image presents a chance for an emotional response and encourages the reader to do something about it, or simply continue to read the story as their interest has been provoked.