EU kids online

If you're conducting research regarding children's internet use, or if you know of such, you may want to contact EU kids online network. It's a network within the EU Kids Online, a project examining ongoing and new research carried out across different EU member states regarding how children and young people are using the internet and other online technologies.

Philosophical bits

I’m having dinner with a friend tonight and we’ll probably devote it to red wine and philosophical discussions. I’m really looking forward to it; I’ve been in a debating, reasoning and philosophical mood lately, probably cuz I’ve dug deep into works of Giddens, Habermas and Goffman. To fully grasp the notion of “The reflexive project of the self” you really need to active some grey mass!

Also, a researcher colleague and I exchange e-mails over whether there really is an equal sign to be put between one’s self/identity and one’s work (it’s geeky, I know, but I enjoy it a lot). Neither of us is working on finding any antidote to severe deceases, may we still feel proud of what we do? The conception that you are what you do for a living, I claim it’s a very narrow way to look at the notion of work, and I don’t approve of it. I rather try to keep people’s identities apart from what they do in order to have food on the table. But I only need to look at myself for the theory to start decomposing. I work with what I love and that occupies large bits of my spare time as well, namely movies, TV content, interactivity in several areas such as gaming and curiously questioning the world about what they do and why.

This "work-identity issue" sprang out of my colleague’s “turning 30” crisis, and perhaps with this discussion in the back of my mind, an article on how people born in the 1970’s “really are” caught my attention. I rarely fit into neat categories and thus, I felt that the article would only entertain me while reading, that’s all. But I actually recognized myself in the text, which is a bit scary. People my age often think they’re so individual and unique, and thus to see that others are just like you is a bit confusing. According to the article in the Swedish womens' magazine Amelia, and based on studies conducted by Kairos Future, children born in the late 1970’s are mobile, commercial and playing hard to get. If they don’t feel content, they’re off. Ouch, that’s me in a nutshell! Further, according to the survey, the children of the 70’s don’t want to grow up, commit to a family nor a permanent job. Life’s not about getting a gold watch after a long and dutiful 40 years at a single company. It’s rather about collecting experiences, thrills. Freedom is everything. They’re not loyal to anyone but themselves.

I see myself and many friends illustrated here. We’re definitely charmed by the idea that we’re mobile, that any day a great opportunity comes our way, we’ll take it. I’ve done that and never regretted it. I’ve often pondered that the freedom and a sort of healthy ego-individualism seem to characterize many of my generation. Work doesn’t really mean much unless it’s fun and you get a chance to grow and develop as a human being. Lucky for us, the times are what they are, with an enormous freedom to choose profession, place of stay and family mode. However, this great freedom we’re offered is quite stressing as well.

I got curious on Kairos Future, I once attended a lecture a researcher working there held and I liked their studies on youth and their values and attitudes. I googled and found their recent study on what matters to 15-20 year olds in Sweden now. Turns out that entertainment is very high on the list, both girls and boys give second highest priority to partying and entertainment. The same variables didn’t even make the Top 10-list fifteen years ago. What matters is having fun. It’s a shame I didn’t stumble across this study last week, I would have needed recent Nordic research pointing to the fact that people of the modern society are fun-oriented and actively hunt for entertainment.

Hmm, I clearly see a pattern here. I spent the entire day yesterday spurting out words and it seems to continue today. I’d better get to the lab to do a pilot test now before the evening gets here.

The future of the web

I'm having coffee at the train station in Tampere, waiting for my train to Åbo and I just got hold of this survey by the Pew Internet & American Life Project: The Future of Internet II. 742 experts and technology thinkers have been surveyed on what they believe the future of the Internet will be, and there seems to be a great deal of disagreement. For example, 46 % believe the transparency that comes along with the Internet is a good thing for humans, whereas 49 % disagree. According to BBC, more than half of respondents had a positive vision of the net's future but 46% had serious reservations. Oups, the train's about to leave, gotta run. The survey is found here, the BBC article here.

Size of the blogosphere?

I'm preparing the class I'll give in Åbo next week and therefore I'm browsing for information on how many blogs the blogosphere actually contains these days. I see that Technorati keeps track on 54.9 million blogs and that 75.000 new blogs see the light of day every day. I suppose however loads of splogs and the like are included in these figures, I wonder where I'd get facts on the number of blogs that are maintained by individuals, groups, schools or corporations and updated on a somewhat regular basis...

wired and tired blogs

I bought the September issue of Wired to entertain me on my train ride home from Åbo. There was a table on what’s wired, tired and expired and regarding blogs, politician blogs are out in the cold as the editor’s put them in the Expired category. Programmer blogs aren’t very cool either as they’re in the Tired category. One of my colleagues, who likes them and follows them quite often, probably would oppose here. Personally, reading blogs on a programmer’s life doesn’t really fascinate me. Perhaps because I live with a programmer and have first hand experience on the matter. I do read some who blog the software they’re developing to keep me updated at work but I don’t have a personal interest in them. Ah yes, and what’s wired, you ask? Scientist blogs!

Tripoli six

I got an e-mail from a Bulgarian dear friend, Mihayl, I acquainted when I lived in Aix-en-Provence. He wanted me to draw some attention to the case of five Bulgarian medical workers and one Palestinian doctor being arrested in Tripoli, Libya, possibly facing execution. They're accused of having deliberately spread HIV among children at a hospital. President Gaddafi states it's a plot directed by the CIA, while assessers of the case say the tragedy stems from poor hygiene of the hospitals.

This week's editorial of Nature deals with this issue and calls for scientists to speak up.

Researchers' night

I'm participating in the Researchers' night on Friday evening, a let the brain cells loose event initiated by the European Commission celebrated all over Europe. I'll be at Vaasan Yliopisto, here's the program. Do stop by if you're around, I'll talk about entertainment and interactivity.

New article on WoW

Torill Mortensen has an article on WoW in the October issue of Games and Culture by Sage, where she stresses the prework MUDs have done in order for WoW and the like to be such huge successes as they are. Haven't had time to read it yet but her argument that "for some, playing WoW is a fully social experience. They adhere to the patterns established by Richard Bartle (1996) with his four much cited and discussed player types and are pure socializers." caught my eye. I'll look into that. [Via Mortensen's blog Thinking with my fingers]

Teaching 1.0

For the first time, I’m teaching students for more than 30 minutes! I’m giving a Sociology class, a 5 points class on media in the information age where I teach about blogs, social networking, iTV etc. I just got back from Åbo where I held my first two classes of the course, that many students participate in. And, I didn’t die! I proclaim this rather surprisingly as I dread speaking in front of groups larger than 2. Including me. Well, I’m a bit harsh on myself now, that’s not the whole truth. I loathed the thought of standing in front of an audience the days before the event. While I’m up there, talking, teaching, explaining or whatever, I absolutely enjoy it. Fortunately, it’s not as much of a problem today as it used to be though. I’ve turned down perfectly fine opportunities to teach, talk and convey my thoughts on issues just because of this anxiety. One day though, I got so angry with myself for being such a coward; I took the bull by the horns and decided to get rid of the stage fright. Sure, I still feel nervous but in a good and motivating way, no to the extent that I turn down opportunities to communicate with groups. One thing that helped me was learning that people who I admire, such as Mahatma Gandhi and Lasse Winnerbäck (Swedish musician), also suffered from stage fright. I thought to myself: If they could, then I can.

Well, the students just decided on what case studies they’ll do and report on later on. (Naturally, they have to present their cases in front of the class. I'm trying to prevent them from developing the same anxiety I did...) Many chose blogs, others interactivity and many chose looking on TV through the glasses of Bourdieu. I’m so excited, I’m so eager to see what they’ll find! It’s been only 2 years since I was a graduate student and I’d love to start working on the assignments myself. I find it kinda weird to be a teacher, to try to convey knowledge to students, to try to be as clear, consistent and interesting as every student wants a teacher to be. It’s quite a challenge, I’ll tell ya! Luckily, my student perspective hasn’t weathered away completely so I remember quite well what I and my student friends wanted in a good and inspiring teacher. Hope I’m succeeding in being the teacher I know I always wanted to have as a student.

Royal visitors

Occasionally, my workday feels a bit more glamorous than usual. Like yesterday, when King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden decided to stop by our TV-studio.

Stay clear of blogging

Haha, the "how to of the day" on Google's first page is How to dissuade yourself from becoming a blogger. :)

Cfp for international conference on Sociology

The Athens Institute for Education and Research (ATINER), whose conference I attended last May and presented a paper at, will hold an International Conference on Sociology in Athens in May next year. The call for papers is now out, for more info, check out the conference website.

Business with heart and integrity

I hate to say this but I've become a careless person. For instance, I lost the form for enrolling as a PhD-student this semester. Luckily for me, it could be done via the phone as well. And I've lost my favorite rings, although the exquisite (in my view only, haha, it's made of iron thread) one I bought in a designer shop in Paris was found at the summer cottage of a friend. Thus, I decided to buy some more in Stockholm. We went to the Street Market by the sea, and what a marvellous place! I loved the small shops where most of the things were hand made and had great heart and soul in them. I found two lovely ones to adorn my piano fingers and a jar of spices for the autumn's elk meat stews.
Well, as I'm flickring through a magazine on the flight back home, I see an article on the founder of the Street Market, John Higson. He says that his motto in life is "making my dreams come true without loosing heart and integrity.". No there's a life device I can live with and by.

Social networking has taken off

Over 40 % of adults with internet access have used social networking websites, such as MySpace. The number for the 16-24 year olds is higher, 70%, with over half in this age group using them at least weekly. This according to Ofcom:s research. Seeing that close to every other adult use sites like these reminds me of something which annoyed me a while ago. I saw MySpace being referred to as a networking site for teenagers, can't remember where though. I'm registered there and so are many many more, not so young teenagers. I don't really think only teenagers appreciate the service. Also, the study suggests, the reason for using social networking websites are discussing hobbies and interests (one third of the respondents) and work-related topics (26 %). Only 15 % say the reason is meeting new people, which I find a bit surprising. Could the question perhaps been posed as "The main reason"?[via Media @ LSE Group Weblog]

Migraine weblogs for 12 weeks

Interesting. It's the first European Migraine Day of Action today and in honour of that, Migraine Action Association (MAA) is hosting 11 weblogs written by migraine sufferers. During 12 weeks, the reader can follow their journey to getting rid of the headaches by new approaches to managing the migraine, such as stress elimination and shiatsu. You can read them here.

Interactive advertising

Interactive advertising on TV has been a hit for Carlsberg, according to research conducted by Sky. The research also suggests that 69 % of Sky digital households, or 5.3 million, interacted with their telly during one mounth. Via informitv.com.

Out of office-note

I've outsourced my work for a couple of days to Stockholm.