I'm still a little on the fence about finalising an essay topic choice, so I've decided to explore a few keywords that are related to some of the essay topics. First up is Net Neutrality, which honestly sounds like a really boring term. Hopefully by the end of this blog post, whoever reads this won't be bored to tears.

What
In the simplest terms, net neutrality is just that - the Internet should always be neutral. No content should be less important, or harder to access compared to others.

Who benefits?
Net neutrality laws are put in place to prevent internet service providers from charging a premium fee for users to access some sites compared to others. One example is a case in the United States, where Comcast reportedly cut down the download speeds (Reyes, 2016) for Netflix, an online streaming company, while negotiating for Netflix to pay them in order to allow Netflix users a smoother experience. The reasoning of internet service providers is that Netflix users end up using a lot of bandwidth to stream their videos, so they think Netflix should pay for part of those upgrades to service towers. However, a bill passed on the 26th of February 2015 (Federal Communications Commission, 2016) now requires all internet service providers to treat all internet traffic equally (in the United States).

Why does it matter?
Netflix was able to reach amenable terms (Wyatt and Cohen, 2016) with Comcast by agreeing to pay a premium, but other, newer startup companies might not be able to fork out the money for it. This creates a barrier to entry for the industry, encouraging monopolies instead of healthy competition. Even if you're not planning on starting a video streaming site, net neutrality should be something you care about, because Malaysia is absolutely NOT net neutral.

Yeah, Governments need to be held accountable as well
Even though we don't live in places that are more known to be regressive and utilitarian such as China or North Korea, Malaysia has its fair share of blocking websites from users. Working under the banners of preventing people from "sowing hatred towards the government" and "disseminating lies", the MCMC (The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission) has banned news sites like The Malaysian Insider, The Sarawak Report, as well as Medium, which is not even a local new source but a site that reposted (Nambiar, 2016) and refused to take down some content that was in The Sarawak Report.

Oh and they also block porn sites because it's soooo haram. -_-|||

Context: This blog is part of an assignment in my degree course. I'll need to update it with things relevant to the course, but I'll still write as though I may have a reader besides my lecturer who is obliged to (at least pretend to) read this.

Quick Quips: I'll start the blog with a series of short, general thoughts on each of the 6 potential essay questions. They probably won't be included in the marking criteria, but hey I actually enjoy writing, and these musings can help me generate more ideas Now without further ado..

1. Investigate a major controversy that unfolded online. Discuss its relevance to creative professionals.

Off the top of my head, the only recent design-related controversy I can think of right now is the recent plagiarism claim (McEleny, 2016) against Leo Burnett's Rubber Boy short film. Local filmmaker Tan Chui Mui claims that Leo Burnett used a story she had pitched to the company previously, without having credited her. But then again, I wouldn't really consider this a "major" controversy. Perhaps this could be linked to the problem of the ownership of ideas in the design world, and how it is influenced by the growth of the internet? I've seen somewhat-famous YouTubers claim that big companies like Buzzfeed steal their video ideas without having given any credit.

2. Cyberspace is vital for protecting and spreading democracy. Explore this idea and question its effectiveness.

I'd say this essay topic would definitely need to take into account terms like net neutrality and the freedom of the press. The cyberspace has allowed those who were formerly silenced to be able to gain a voice. Community sites like Huffington Post and Mothership.Sg allow everyday readers to post their own thoughts and viewpoints. But then again, the fact is that a lot of the content we see goes through a filter to suit our preferences and political leanings. Facebook (Baer, 2016) has been attributed as a reason why many American voters were blindsided by Donald Trump's victory in the past elections. Filter bubbles end up creating an echo chamber in which people only see the views that are not that different from theirs, and as much as people will prefer browsing within their comfort zones, it may cause problems with people being unable to empathise with the perceived "other".

3. How did mobile devices change the way people use the internet? Consider its consumer impact and relate them to a specific creative industry/ profession.

Mobile devices have definitely had a strong impact on how people interact with the internet and information in general. As much as I'd like to imagine most people use their smartphones to access the vast resources of information now available to them, a more realistic probability is that it made everyone glued to playing the mobile game that's currently on trend. The sales of handheld consoles created by companies like Nintendo have taken a big hit (Keating, 2016) in recent years. This has created a rising market for designers who are able to design fun and engaging game apps. However, even the most addictive game has its lifespan, and games like Candy Crush and Angry Pigs struggle to maintain relevance in this fast-paced industry.

4. Compare and contrast how two different communities or social groups use a specific social media platform. Which of the two groups has more to gain from it and why?

I'd say this is a tricky question. I'd need to define what I choose to be "two different communities or social groups" - whether I'm going with age group, social class, gender, or using geography as the defining "difference". There's bound to be overlap and exceptions in each group, and the final part on "which part has more to gain from it" is very subjective. Probably ruling this one out of my consideration.

5. Malaysians are so uncreative that they cannot even make ‘dank’ memes. Argue for or against the statement.

Hahahahahahahahahahaha... I really wonder at what the essay question writer was thinking when he/she decided to assign this as an essay question for us. I suppose I can try to talk to local people I know who are in fact, making very "dank" memes. But damn gosh I sound like an old person trying to get into young person lingo. This would be an interesting essay question to ponder into what makes a meme "dank". Why do things go "viral"? and ugh PPAP still gives me nightmares.

6. Identify a figure  who is generally known to have played a major role on the internet. Evaluate if his/her contributions are justified or mythologized.

When I think about the internet, for some reason I can't immediately attribute its current state to specific people. Perhaps I could talk about the Vlogbrothers, Hank and John Green are two amazing people who have worked hard in the past few years to create a community in which they attempt to reduce "world suck" (I didn't make this up I swear). Together they have created education channels, helped explain complex world issues, and even sang about the inevitability of death. These two are really awesome, but they're technically not "a figure", and I don't want to have to choose between them :(


But yeah, I know this post isn't properly Harvard Referenced, and might not count in the 5 submissions I am required to write for this blog. But that's okay.

Signing out,

A Tired Cat Mom


P.S. Bonus points if you find all the memes :)

Baer, D. (2016). The ‘Filter Bubble’ Explains Why Trump Won and You Didn’t See It Coming. [online] Science of Us. Available at: http://nymag.com/scienceofus/2016/11/how-facebook-and-the-filter-bubble-pushed-trump-to-victory.html [Accessed 11 Nov. 2016].
Keating, L. (2016). Gaming On-The-Go: The Future Of Mobile Gaming vs. Consoles. [online] Tech Times. Available at: http://www.techtimes.com/articles/57048/20150604/gaming-go-future-mobile-vs-consoles.htm [Accessed 11 Nov. 2016].
McEleny, C. (2016). Leo Burnett faces plagiarism claims in Malaysia for Petronas ‘Rubber Boy’ film. [online] The Drum. Available at: http://www.thedrum.com/news/2016/06/28/leo-burnett-faces-plagiarism-claims-malaysia-petronas-rubber-boy-film [Accessed 11 Nov. 2016].