Video Assessment

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9CYTWRVzdA0

Cyberpunk Essay

1501HUM New Communications Technology

Assessment 2 - On-Line Essay

Joseph Fergusson - s2944543

CyberPunk - Reality or Imagined?

When analysing a timeline of what humanity has achieved through technology, it is clear that humanity has undoubtedly achieved something special, and with this continuing notion of ever-growing technology, in can be seen that revolutionary inventions are still bound to continue being produced. Globally recognised companies such as Apple, Microsoft and Sony consistently tests the limits of what technology can do, leaving us, as consumers left to witness and buy into the mass production of the latest and greatest tech, not because we always essentially ‘need’ to buy into the industry, but because curiosity takes over and the need to indulge in the ‘future’ of technology becomes a controlling factor in the lives of many. 

The notion of what the future beholds has been brought up by all forms of communications, a notion that has been profitable for many organisations around the globe. Mass-companies and organisations see the future as a broad spectrum, an idea that has the potential to expand and create potential stories throughout many forms of comm-tech, predominantly Film and Tv. This science fiction or ‘Cyberpunk’ form of digital production is smart in the way that it targets relevant human interests such as technology, and attempts to bring forth new ideas into the midst of what lies in the near distant future. However with the absolute success of the Cyberpunk genre, it can be  scrutinised that humanity is drawing it’s fundamentals too close towards a futuristic ‘Cyberpunk’ world.

With the endless growth of intrinsic technology, Cyberpunk stories through Film and TV have never been more believable; Today, we have desktop machines that outperform the supercomputers of the Terminator 2 era. So just as your Mac laptop can replace an entire music studio, computers can render entire cities—such as Elizabethan London—that used to be shot on location (Andersen, 2011). Neil Blomkamp’s ‘Elysium’ is one of many examples of how the growth of technology increases visual believability as well as viewability; released in 2013, ‘Elysium’ is a science-fiction ‘Cyberpunk’ film that delves into a world in which technological advantage is the cause of human corruption as well as the barrier between the wealthy and the impoverished. The film revolves around Max, a citizen of a devastated, barren Earth who is one of many whom has fallen under the category of not being wealthy enough to live on the floating, infinite life source Elysium.  A space station in the shape of a halo, the inside edge of Elysium is covered with villas, golf courses and serene boating lakes. Within every home is a medical pod that cures all ills and freezes aging- Life on Elysium is an infinite retirement (Yorulmaz, 2014). Following Max’s path we witness a severe work-related radiation incident inflicted upon Max, leaving Max 3 days to travel to Elysium and cure the infectious disease, or stay on earth and rot. During the time-lapse of the 3 days Max has to live, viewers witness the harsh reality that is life on Earth; factors including minimal supplies of life sources, underground gangs and violent droids controlling the sector each represent the upmost power the technological wealth of Elysium has in it’s grasp. 

Elysium’s Cyberpunk relevance draws from the fact that the technologically advantaged are the far more superior, which can undoubtedly draw back to the economical and social world we live in today.  In the current state of the economic and social aspects of the world as we know it, (similar to the state of humanity in Elysium) we witness an different subcultures regarding their levels of wealth and what technology they have access too. People living and working inner-city noticeably have their eyes locked onto a screen at all times, and although this may have been considered anti-social 10 years ago, engaging in communication through technology is considered socio-culturally acceptable due to the many basic functions we are able to access through technology, particularly smartphones, this is very much the case when analysing the citizens living on the floating, orbital structure Elysium. Technology and wealth has dominated the lives of the Elysium population, as supposedly every basic necessity needed for survival is habituated towards these people, it can be seen that they take the citizens take all these benefactors for granted, purely due to their affluence and disregard for the struggling over-populated Earth. 

"This (technology) is a two-edged sword -- it is cutting many people in, but it is increasingly cutting many people out" (Jolly, 1999) Socio-cultural aspects regarding the lives of Earths citizens (particularly the population of ‘The City of Angels’ or previously Los Angeles) can be compared to the people living in impoverished, rural areas, countries and continents. The majority of overpopulated areas around the world tend to struggle with equitable balance in relation to wealth and having an abundance of technological supplies at their fingertips. In developing countries, e.g. 65-75% of sub-Saharan Africa, most poor people do not have access to basic forms of technology. They must forge their livelihoods in the private, informal sector, working in their fields, homes and small workshops, making vital decisions about the best use of their limited assets in order to survive on the tightest of margins (Coupe, 2014) Surviving under these margins is essentially what Max had to endure before making a stand against the tech reform, risking all just for the chance to survive due to a powerful conformity for technology.

Deconstructing Elysium’s many plot components that bring the Science-fiction Cyberpunk story to life proves of just how similar the films confronting themes are to the tech-savvy world we live in today. With regards to the similarity between the astronomical station Elysium as well as all it’s inhabitants, in comparison the wealthy, technologically obsessed people on Earth today, the question can be asked that perhaps the high-tech people of today are pushing to make a fictional Cyberpunk story such as Elysium an artificial reality. Restating the fact regarding the mass production of technological products from globally recognised companies, it is obvious that the world is never truly adjusting to the consistent uprising of high-tech, as their is always a ‘new big thing’ on the market. This continuation evidently means that picturing Elysium as a reality for the future isn’t entirely something to write off, however it’s humanities consistent need for technology that will get in the way of producing something as fictitious as a luxurious immortality-engine floating in space. (Idelson, 2013) As younger generations (of not-such rural outposts) have been bred into this tech-savvy way of living, it is hard to believe that people who can’t stand 

the thought of being completely disconnected from technology, even for just one day (Anonymous, 2011) will be the ones who aim to achieve such a fabricated reality based off an idea created through a multi-million dollar budget, CGI and a camera lens.

Scrutinizing and analysing the advancement of technology as well as the Cyberpunk genre of communications has presented a clear insight into what humanity as a whole has effectively achieved throughout it’s longevity and particularly throughout the past decade. Using Neil Blomkamp’s Science-Fiction movie ‘Elysium’ as fictional evidence of the Cyberpunk genre, we can witness the very confronting similarities between the mechanical, technologically revolutionary future presented in Elysium, compared to the rapidly evolving Earth we live in. Following Max’s story in the Cyberpunk experience, evidence suggests that the ravaged Earth and the distressed population living amongst the destruction is portrayed with somewhat relevance to many lowly, struggling areas of the world whose people don’t have access to technology advanced enough for them to survive- very much the same situation when considering Max’s journey. When evaluating how far present technology has come in relation to the power of Elysium and the people who possess that technology, it becomes obvious that a fictitious future such as Elysium may perhaps be possible, however it will depend on humanities greed as well as the peoples consideration for the impoverished before the world is ready to turn ‘Cyberpunk’

*Reference List

Anderson, M. 2011, A tale of two movies, IEEE. Accessed 24 September, 2014

Yorulmaz, B. (2014). Elysium. Journal of Religion and Film, 18(1) Accessed 24 September, 2014

Technology widening poverty gap: Final edition. (1999, ). Daily Press Accessed 16 September, 2014

Coupe, S. (n.d.). Poverty and technology | Practical Action. Poverty and technology | Practical Action. Retrieved September 23, 2014, from http://practicalaction.org/page/2770

Idelson, K. (2013, May). Blomkamp's elysium imagines gritty future. Variety, 320, 43. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.libraryproxy.griffith.edu.au/docview/1372738216?accountid=14543 Accessed 23 September, 2014

Anonymous, Technology addicts' nightmare. (2011, Aug 03). The Mercury Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.libraryproxy.griffith.edu.au/docview/880973684?accountid=14543 Accessed 24 September, 2014

Week 4 Blog post

Generated timeline

Nubarron, J. (n.d.). History of Cellular Technology: The Evolution of 1G, 2G, 3G, and 4G Phone Networks. Bright Hub. Retrieved September 1, 2014, from http://www.brighthub.com/mobile/emerging-platforms/articles/30965.aspx 

Week 3 Blog post

Stephen Stockwells books

• Isakhan, B., & Stockwell, S. (2011). The secret history of democracy. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

• Stockwell, S., 1954. (2005). Political campaign strategy: Doing democracy in the 21st century. Melbourne: Australian Scholarly Publishing.

• Stockwell, S. E. (2010). Rhetoric and democracy: Deliberative opportunities in current electoral processes VDM Verlag Dr. Müller.

• Stockwell, S., 1954, & Scott, P., 1961. (2000). All-media guide to fair and cross-cultural reporting: For journalists, program makers and media students. Nathan, Qld: Australian Key Centre for Cultural and Media Policy.

Jean Luc Goddard's 'Alphaville'

• Gidal, P. (1989). Materialist film. New York; London: Routledge. Located at Nathan campus.

• Goulet, A., & ebrary, I. (2006). Optiques: The science of the eye and the birth of modern french fiction. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. eBook located online.

Sterritt, D. (1999). The films of jean-luc goddard: Seeing the invisible. Cambirdge, U.K; New York: Cambridge University Press. Located at Nathan campus.

Social Media

• Orlik, P. B. (2007). Exploring electronic media: Chronicles and challenges. Malden, MA; Oxford: Blackwell Pub.

This book heavily revolves its content around the ways technologies advancement has shaped social media.

Internet Addiction

Medical opinion is divided on whether Internet addiction exists as a mental disorder in its own right or whether it’s an expression of pre-existing mental disorders or behavioural problems. For example, a person who compulsively trawls the Internet for online gambling venues may have a gambling problem rather than an Internet addiction. 

More research is needed into this ‘chicken or the egg’ aspect of Internet addiction before any conclusive answers are known.

Acquired from 

http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Internet_addiction

Surveillance Cameras

IT engineers are finding it hard to keep up with the latest technologies being presented, therefore IT Engineers are resorting to stock standard surveillance systems that get the job done without being too much of a hassle to service.

A theme that could be introduced into an essay topic could be of how tech could be growing too fast for the average consumer to keep up with.

• Kruegle, H. (2006). CCTV surveillance: Video practices and technology Butterworth-Heinemann.

• Webster, C. W. R., Töpfer, E., & Klauser, F. R. (2012). Video surveillance. Amsterdam: IOS Press.

• Zhu, Z., Dr, Huang, T. S., 1936, & ebrary, I. (2007). Multimodal surveillance: Sensors, algorithms, and systems. Boston: Artech House Inc.

Week 2 Blog post

Video

Innovation from Microsoft

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7xUu3oyOnE

This 2minute video made in 2009 is a brief but effective example of what Microsoft aims to achieve by the year 2019. The repetitive theme of 'easily accessible' technology in all areas of our lives, with the clip demonstrating in particular how our work-lives will be changed by the aid of technology. This video targets all age groups, aiming to present a message of what Microsoft is aiming to achieve by the end of the next 10 years, however, with the current technology consumers are purchasing today, it almost seems like this new technological age Microsoft was hoping to achieve by 2019, has already occurred today, in 2014.

Personal Communication Tech Usage

-I've been using a variety of communication technologies ever since my parents brought the devices into my household. Since primary school, devices such as mobile phones, computers etc. have always tendered to my interests.

-I was actually influenced by many of my friends in primary school, friends who would bring their devices to school to get all the other kids jealous, as having new-age tech wasn't as common back then as it is today. A few Google searches got me more interested in what else was out there.

-Privacy has never really been an issue, I'm always aware of what I share and/or post online and always making sure the information i'm sending isn't giving away copious amounts of personal details.

-I can't say I have a friend online whom i've never met in person, I'm sure the day will come when that situation will occur due to the way Comm Tech is advancing, however I mean to stick to the traditional ways of making friends, and social media can do the rest of the work.

Week 1 Blog Post

How's it going,

I'm Joe Fergusson, a 1st year student at Griffith Uni Nathan campus!
I'm currently studying a Full time Bachelors degree of Business/Communications, which is a double degree, therefore I will be under the pump for a solid 4 years.

I'm studying the subject: New Communication Technologies ultimately due to my interest in technology, it's history and of how it's rapidly changing the way we function as a society today.

I am confident in knowing I will enjoy this course as well as the degree itself.