[Air-l] theory to explain plazes.com?

[Christian Nelson]

My first thought was that Mark Andrejevic's Reality TV might have 
something to say. I see from his website that he has other recent 
publications that are perhaps even more relevant.
Andrejevic, M. (2004) Reality TV: The Work of Being Watched. Lanham, 
MD: Rowman & Littlefield. (Series: Critical Media Studies: 
Institutions, Politics, and Culture)

Cheers,
Christian Nelson

On Oct 12, 2006, at 10:41 AM, Jill Walker wrote:

> I just signed up for this a week or two ago, when at a conference
> where I heard people talking about it. I'm quite shocked at the level
> of detail - I can subscribe to RSS feeds for where individuals are
> logged in from without them even having made me a buddy and thus
> given me specific access. It's cool, in a way, I suppose, to be able
> to see whether any of your friends are nearby, but as you say the
> privacy issues are huge, and suggest to me that users are either
> oblivious to the extent they're letting others knwo about them or
> that there's a real shift in our willingness to be observed.
>
> The most obvious reference is of course Foucault's theory of the
> panopticon.
>
> I'm not well-read on newer theories of surveillance, no doubt there
> are many, but I'd also consider danah boyd's work on public displays
> of friendship and networks - she sees this as a form of identity
> performance, and that's certainly an aspect of Plazes worth looking
> into. Her papers are at http://www.danah.org/papers/
>
> I'd be interested in knowing about theory that more directly
> continues from Foucault - I seem to remember hearing some word coined
> - like surveillance but demonstrating that the person "being
> surveilled" isn't just complicit in it but is actually deliberating
> asking to be "surveilled" - was it co-veillance or something like that?
>
> Jill
>
>> An undergraduate student in my program is researching plazes.com, a
>> website like myspace and facebook in that it is a social networking
>> site, but in addition it adds a physical location. The technology
>> behind it enables friends to know one's location through a
>> cellphone or internet connection. Thus, issues of privacy
>> (invasion) are huge. The student is looking for a theory that
>> explains or relates to people's willingness to engage in such
>> activities even at the expense of inhibiting personal privacy. In a
>> way we have a third place here that is tied to a physical location
>> again. The student is approaching this topic from a background in
>> rhetorical criticism.
>> Does anyone have suggestions for theories and places to look for
>> them? As-complete-as-possible references would be very much
>> appreciated. Please send to me directly. I will compile and send
>> both to the list and to the student.
>> Thanks,
>> Ulla
>>
>> ---
>> Ulla Bunz
>> Assistant Professor
>> Department of Communication
>> University Center C, Suite 3100
>> Florida State University
>> Tallahassee, FL 32306
>> Email: ubunz at fsu.edu
>> Phone: 850-644-1809
>> -----------------------------------------------
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> The air-l at listserv.aoir.org mailing list
>> is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org
>> Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at: http://
>> listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org
>>
>> Join the Association of Internet Researchers:
>> http://www.aoir.org/
>
> _______________________________________________
> The air-l at listserv.aoir.org mailing list
> is provided by the Association of Internet Researchers http://aoir.org
> Subscribe, change options or unsubscribe at: 
> http://listserv.aoir.org/listinfo.cgi/air-l-aoir.org
>
> Join the Association of Internet Researchers:
> http://www.aoir.org/