Twitter Trolls; Hiding Behind Affordances

Twitter is a popular social media site that has over 284 million active users every month. It allows users to 'tweet' their views and opinions in no more than 140 characters. Twitter also enables it's users to 'retweet' and 'favourite' tweets that they like, as well as allowing them to follow other people. 

Like many social media site one affordance of Twitter is that it allows people to create an online persona; people can re-invent themselves and make their voices be heard and no-one even has to know who you really are. However people take this affordance one step too far, and use Twitter to troll celebrities and other users. Trolling is an act of anti-social behaviour on the internet with the sole purpose of creating conflict between users. An example of a Twitter troll is '@plasticbieber' who's Twitter account is dedicated to Justin Bieber and sending hate to boy-band One Direction. '@plasticbieber's' many tweets include racism, hatred, bigotry etc. which are all commonly found in trolling. ''@OneDirection can you please put your ugly fans back in their cage? or do i have to call animal control seriously..'' is just one example of her tweets. By including One Direction's user name in her tweet she has made sure that this will appear in their 'notifications' which increase One Direction's chance of seeing it; although this is  another affordance of Twitter this is also an example of how it can be abused. Including user name's in tweets is one convention of Twitter and allows users to talk directly to each other, yet another affordance of the site.

The Princess Phone; A Short History

During 1959 the first compact telephone with a light up dial was introduced by Bell System. It was designed for convenient use in the bedroom and was primarily targeted at women; because of this the Princess Phone came in a range of different colours: pink, red, yellow, moss green, ivory, light blue etc. The phone was primarily advertised with the slogan ‘’it’s little, it’s lovely, it lights.’

The telephone was designed by Henry Dreyfuss Associates along with Bell’s Lab engineers and Indianapolis Model Shop. Before hitting the mass market a prototype of the Princess Phone was underwent a product trial and was given to a focus group to try out. The initial response to the phone was negative many people said the phone was ‘too light’ and ‘moved around a lot.’ Bell Labs however disregarded the feedback and gave Western Electric permission to manufacture the phone. Throughout its lifetime the Princess Phone received more negative feedback and because of this underwent some technological changes: lead weights were added to make them heavier, so as to not move around so much; a single gong ringer replaced the external ringer.After these changes the phone's popularity increased; some even said that the First Lady at the time (Jackie Kennedy) bought one herself.  Despite the problems it had, the Princess Phone still stands as one of today's best loved phone. 

Excerpt from a Transcript of a conversation

Participants: Ruby(R) and Sam (S)

R: Ok right(.) and then at the bottom left hand corner

S: yeah

R: draw like a square/

                         S: /yeah

                        R: / but don’t fill in the top that’s facing the circle/

                          

  S: / how big’s the square?

R: Quite small(.) kind of (2) actually medium(.)

S: Ok (1)

R: And then at the top of the square there’s kind of like a sideway’s ‘S’(.) that’s like along the top of the square. (2) If that makes sense.

Analysis of Transcript:

In the middle of the transcript we can see Sam interrupting Ruby whilst she is describing the next shape that Sam has to draw. The interruption is indicated with ‘/,’ Ruby however talks over this interruption which is also indicated with yet another slash. This is known as a back channel, and is a co-operative form of interruption; this is because Sam is not really interrupting Ruby but is talking under her instead. This can show that the speakers have a good relationship, because by saying ‘yeah’ Sam is encouraging Ruby to continue with her description and is re-assuring her that her description is understandable. We can also see that they have a good relationship because Ruby does not stop with her description when Sam interrupts her. When Ruby continues with her description Sam interrupts her with an interrogative: ‘how big’s the square?’ From this we can gather that Ruby was not being descriptive enough in her description which resulted in Sam having to ask for more detail. To answer Sam’s question Ruby replies with: ‘ Quite small(.) kind of (2) actually medium.’ The pause between the first and second sentence is not significant and it just shows us the rhythm of Ruby’s speech. However the 2 second pause is significant, from the long pause we can guess that Ruby is re-evaluating what she has said, as well as thinking about what to say next. We can see that after the pause Ruby changes her first answer, which shows us that she was re-evaluating her answer and after finding it to be incorrect she chose to change it. Sam then replies with an ‘ok’ which could be to show that she has taken into consideration what Ruby has said. The short pause might be due to Ruby giving Sam time to draw. The last sentence shows Ruby having a 2 second pause before saying ‘if that makes sense.’ The pause again could be Ruby giving Sam time to draw what she has just described. However it could also be her, re-evaluating her description of the shape which is what prompts her to say ‘if that makes sense,’ because she might have thought it might not have been very clear which is why she is asking for clarification from Sam.

Lilies

‘‘I need to go’’ She made no reply.  

‘‘I’ll visit again tomorrow, and the day after that and the day after that, as promised. And I’ll bring more lilies. They’re still your favourite right?’’

Still she remained silent. But what did he expect? It’s not as if gravestones can speak. 

Commentary on 'Gods Among #5' Article

The ‘Gods Among Us’ article I have written is mainly targeted at the readers of Empire magazine, with the main purpose to persuade the readers that Jennifer Lawrence is a ‘god among us.’ This is because many people who read the magazine will be aware of who Jennifer Lawrence, or maybe will recognize her from a movie. However they might not agree with my point of view, which is why I have used literary and language techniques such as simile’s and metaphors to convince them. Due to the fact that the article can be accessed online another purpose of the article is to entertain people who already like Jennifer Lawrence and just like reading articles about her.

One way I have tried to persuade the reader is by creating a list of the movies that Jennifer Lawrence has starred in; ‘X-Men… The Silver Linings Playbook… Winter Bone.’ The list has several purposes; one of them is to show the readers that Jennifer Lawrence can play a variety of roles and because of this people will be able to see that she is in fact talented. The list also connotes that Jennifer Lawrence is very hard working and dedicated to her job; this will make her seem more likable to the readers and helps me convince them of her talent. Another purpose of the list is to create a connection between the reader and Jennifer Lawrence; most people who read Empire will be into films and will most likely have watched a film that Jennifer Lawrence has starred in. However they might not have realised who she was, and so by providing a list of the most popular movies she’s been in they’ll recognise who she is. This then creates a connection between the person and Jennifer Lawrence, creating more interest for the reader which forces them to read more of the article.

Using the interest created from the opening paragraphs I then use metaphors to try and convince them of my point of view. The style model I based this article on also used metaphors; ‘this is a cat so cool’ is just one example. I therefore used this technique in my writing an example of this is when  I state that Jennifer Lawrence is ‘the sun, a dazzling ball of talent.’ This metaphor suggests that Hollywood needs Jennifer Lawrence just as much as we need the sun, it can also work as a pun. This is because the sun is a huge star in our galaxy, and in terms of film and the media Jennifer Lawrence is a huge star. This creates a light hearted humour in the article, making the reader feel relaxed making it easier for me as the writer to persuade them. I then extended the metaphor by describing Jennifer Lawrence as a ‘dazzling ball of talent.’ I have used the adjective ‘dazzling’ to carry on theme of Jennifer Lawrence of being a star; it also suggests that Jennifer Lawrence is extremely beautiful. In addition to this the adjective can be placed in the lexical field of stars, which further emphasizes my point on just how brilliant Jennifer Lawrence is. Other words that belong in the lexical field of stars that I have used throughout this article are; ‘shine’ and ‘brighter.’ The style model that I used also used lexical fields to get their point across; however instead of using the lexical field of gods I used the lexical field of stars.

 Another technique that Simon Braund uses in his ‘God’s Among Us’ article is contrasting Paul Newman to other celebrities, and so I also used this technique in my writing. For my article I contrasted Jennifer Lawrence to Jennifer Aniston, this is because Jennifer Aniston is a very well known superstar and a celebrity that I feel all my target audience will know. One way I have contrasted them us by comparing how many awards Jennifer Lawrence has won in comparison with Jennifer Aniston; Lawrence… won 99… whilst Aniston has only won 28.’ This shows that although Aniston has been in the industry twice as long as Lawrence, she hasn’t won as many awards and maybe therefore isn’t as talented as Lawrence is. By using factual information to compare the two actresses I have solidified my opinion that Lawrence is a better actress, it also makes my point more valid. Moreover it will make the reader realize that Jennifer Lawrence is actually a great actress, this is because it is hard to argue with facts. I then compared Jennifer Lawrence to even more successful actresses like Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts; I chose to compare her to these two actresses because in the world of film they are thought of being at the top. By comparing Jennifer Lawrence to two of the top actresses currently, it makes it seem like she could also be one of the most successful actresses of our time. 

Gods Among Us #5

Move over Jennifer Aniston and make room for the new blonde bombshell that’s taking Hollywood by storm. With her easy going attitude, carefree personality and sparkling smile it’s no wonder that she’s got the entire media fixated on her every move. Being a celebrity is no easy feat but Jennifer Lawrence makes it seem so effortless, almost as if she was born to be on a red carpet.
Many people will know her as the Girl on Fire a.ka. Katniss Everdeen, or maybe as Mystique the blue skinned, yellow eyed villain in X-Men, or the recently widowed Tiffany Maxwell in The Silver Linings Playbook, or maybe you know her from her breakthrough role as Ree Dolly in Winter Bone. Because not only is Jennifer Lawrence incredibly beautiful she is also extremely talented, a quick at her filmography will prove this. An actresses’ or actor’s talent is not measured by the amount of awards they have, if this however was the standard at which we judge someone’s stardom then Jennifer Lawrence would without a doubt would win the title of best female actress of the century by a landslide. At the young age of 24 Lawrence has been nominated for 103 awards in total, and out of these nominations she has won 99 of them. Whilst actresses like Jennifer Aniston have only been nominated for 88 awards and won 28 of them, despite the fact Aniston has been in the industry twice as long as Jennifer Lawrence has. Of course many would argue that Lawrence can’t compare to the brilliance of actresses like Meryl Streep or Julia Roberts, and although no-one can deny the star quality that both actresses hold I believe when given time Lawrence can amount if not surpass their brilliance.

Jennifer Lawrence is the modern Hepburn. A brave statement that I’m sure many would disagree with. Audrey Hepburn everyone would agree revolutionised film and fashion, which is probably why she holds the title of being the third greatest screen legend of all time by the American Film Institute. I am in no position to dispute this, even if I were in a position to do so I wouldn’t because no-one with a sane mind can deny the star quality that Hepburn had. However it is with the standard that Hepburn has set, that I say my previous statement. In an industry so saturated with talent and star quality it is hard to shine brighter than the rest, Lawrence however accomplishes this task with great ease. In the world of Hollywood Jennifer Lawrence would be the sun, a dazzling ball of talent, which actresses like Jennifer Aniston circle around.

Many people revere celebrities as some kind of celestial beings, forgetting the fact that just like everyone else on planet earth they are also human. Jennifer Lawrence however is the exception to that rule, because along with her beauty and looks, she is also witty, kind and humble. In my opinion Jennifer Lawrence is more perfect than Aphrodite, which leads me to the conclusion that she is not human but actually a goddess among us.

The Hardest thing in life? Forget working 9-5, try having siblings

(An Excerpt) 

The hardest thing in life in my opinion is having brothers and sisters, and before you start lecturing me about the struggles of giving birth or having a 9-5 job, then I would kindly remind you to cast your mind back (and for some it may be a struggle, I know) to when you were 16 and had to baby sit your siblings. For those unlucky enough to have had this experience; I’m sure we can happily or lamentably agree in this case that it is probably the worst night of a person’s existence right? For those rare and lucky few out there who have never had to endure this kind of torture, you’re all probably sat there peacefully drinking your cup of tea and judging me. I would however like to point out that, that very course of action would not be possible for me. Not the judging part, that’s just human nature, I mean the peacefully drinking part. Because the thing with having siblings is that peace and quiet becomes a far flung fantasy. Even sitting down becomes a chore because they’ve either occupied the sofa, managing to stretch out their miniature frames to hog every square inch of it, or it’s littered with toys which then requires effort to move them. That’s bearable of course; I mean I’m not some spoilt upper class girl.  But Friday nights spent babysitting is when the real torture begins.

The thing with little kids is that they’re smart. Like Fantastic Mr. Fox Smart, which is just a nice way of saying their sneaky and sly. Because if were really honest Mr. Fox is a bit of a dick, I mean since when was stealing from hard working farmers commendable? And yes I know he did it to feed his family and the farmers weren’t all that nice, but that doesn’t make stealing from them acceptable. And why does he have to eat turkey and goose anyway? All the other foxes seem to survive perfectly fine without having the need to raid a farmhouse. And don’t even get me started on the fact that if he just ate squirrels or whatever average foxes eat, the farmers wouldn’t have felt the need to destroy the surrounding hills looking for him. And a good example of my siblings’ being sly is when I’m babysitting them, and it’s the start of the night. My parents are putting on their shoes and coats and reminding them that I’m in charge and that they should always listen to their older sister. And of course like any good parents, my mum and dad are always sceptical about leaving all 3 of us alone and so before they leave they always ask my siblings to repeat what they have said. And do you know what they do? They actually repeat my parent’s instructions word for word, like they were actually listening; they even had the audacity to reassure my parents that everything will be fine. And just like all parents they fall for it, because how could you not believe such angelic faces? So my parents leave the house, guilt free, and their minds at ease. The first hour of babysitting is endurable but that’s only because they’re entertained by the Television and the tablets, and when I say tablets I mean the electronic device not drugs. After 8 o’clock or so it’s a different story because all the kid appropriate programmes have finished and it’s around this point that they start to get restless, and so they try to entertain themselves. And for some reason their imagination seems to be heightened during the night and they start spouting crazy ideas like; ‘Hey Sam can we go for a midnight walk,’ ‘Can we build a den?’ ‘Can we make some cookies for mum and dad for when they get back?’ or ‘Hey Sam can we please build a rocket ship to the moon so that we can see if it’s really made of cheese?’ As a responsible baby sitter I of course have to say no, and that’s when they start whining and whinging and crying and throwing tantrums, and start demanding that they want mum and dad back. And it is usually around this point that the house phones rings, as if my mum has some sort of secret radar that tells her when were fighting. It’s always my sister that gets to the phone first, and do you know what she does? She re-assures my mum that everything is fine and that yes she’s behaving herself and yes she’ll go to bed soon and no Sam doesn’t want to talk, and then she hangs up the phone with massive smile on her face. 

Style Model: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/aug/11/want-to-silence-a-two-year-old-charlie-brooker

Dramatic Monologue

Sara is sat at the kitchen table with a cup of tea clasped tightly between her thin hands. She is wearing a thick cardigan. It is a summer’s evening.

Rae asked me today why her daddy was never around. I couldn’t see her face because they were bent over her drawing, but I could see her eyebrows, they were knotted together in concentration. Or confusion. Maybe both. I knew she was bound to start asking these sorts of questions, for a 6 year old she’s pretty clever; I don’t know where she gets it from, not from me that’s for sure and definitely not from her dad. But how do you tell a 6 year old child that her own daddy doesn’t want her? You can’t. It would be like kicking a dog; no matter how many times you apologize and explain that it was an accident, it wouldn’t be able to understand. And so you’ll end up spending the rest of your day thinking about the cry of pain that you caused it to make. Huh. You’re probably sat there thinking I’m mad; comparing my beautiful six years old to a dog, you’re probably thinking I’m not fit to be a mother. My parents certainly didn’t think so, but me and Rae proved them wrong. We managed alright for a few years, but then the council threatened to cut my benefits if I didn’t get a job. It all got a bit messy after that, but me and Rae pulled through. And now here I am a dinner lady at Rae’s school; it all worked out for the best. I drop Rae off in the morning then I come back to the school, do my shift (11:00 – 1:00), go home to relax for a bit and then go back and pick up Rae. We’ve got each other and that’s all that matters. That’s what I told her when she asked why her dad was never around. She looked up from her drawing then, her big brown eyes (that’s so like her dads) fixed onto my face. Thinking about it now she probably didn’t like that answer, but she must have seen something in my eyes because instead of asking another question she just nodded and went back to her drawing. Smart kid. 

Nature Documentary Transcript on Sam

Narrator:  Humans; an incredibly advanced race of monkeys, which millions of years ago were just tiny planktons floating in the vast ocean; but due to evolution, have become individual rulers of the vast habitat that we call Earth. Unlike most animals humans are immeasurably diverse, each so unique and different that they might as well be a race by themselves. Humans differ from each other through the colour of their eyes, hair, the shape of their face, mouth, nose, body; the list is endless.

This particular human is of brown skin, dark hair, dark eyes, and can usually be found in parts of South Eastern Asia, although today we find her in the heart of England, due to its migration patterns. This human is called Sam and is still fairly young in terms of a human’s life span, which in captivity can be up to 90 years. Some even live past the 100 year mark. Sam can be distinguished from other humans by the silver markings on her left arms known as bracelets. Another way to distinguish between humans is by the clothes they wear; Sam can usually be found wearing black jeans and most likely black Converse’s. Most humans at her age can be found living with their parents; however they are expected to look after themselves most of the time. They are also expected to have part time jobs, a social life, as well as attain good grades in school. Which this particular human is having difficulty with, as we can tell by the dark bags under its eyes.  These can also be caused by staying up late on social media sites like Tumblr and Twitter.

Although humans vastly differ from each other, certain habits occur during particular periods in their life. For example  Sam and people like her are known as teenagers and usually spend most of their time in school; where they are forced to interact with other people their age, a task that she finds easy enough due to her talkative nature.  During the 16 year mark; a human of Sam’s age usually spend their Friday nights out with friends partying. However Sam has a particular disorder that makes her a social recluse and so instead of partying she spends her time indoors, in her bedroom listening to music and reading a book. When she is not in school, or at home she divides her time between work and friends. In order to survive most humans need to work; their food and shelter depend on it; and for Sam whose lifestyle is shopping, a job is a necessity.

A human’s diet usually consists of 3 meals a day, food from all seven food group is needed for long term survival. Most humans try conforming to this diet; however if given the choice Sam would happily live on pizza and ice cream.

Humans are exceptionally advanced animals although many may argue differently. No-one however can deny the brilliance of many famous humans such as Shakespeare, Aristotle, Pythagoras etc. Many humans when fully grown will achieve great things in life, some even achieve great things when they are younger, Sam on the other would just be content with passing her A- Levels. 

The Idiolect of an Idiot

Like many teenagers my age I have a tendency to use fillers in my sentences, my favourite one being ‘like’ a habit that annoys my parents because it’s not ‘proper.’ Many adults of course would agree with this but I would just like to point out that using ‘umm’ although more proper is just as annoying as using ‘like.’ The language of teenagers I’m sure adults also find confusing, because as creative people we constantly change the meaning of words. For example the word ‘sick’ to someone like my dad would equal the word ‘vomit,’ but to the people of my generation it can also mean ‘good’ and ‘bad’ simultaneously, all depending on the context. As much as I’d like to say that I’m not guilty of using the word ‘sick’ as an adjective, I can’t; after hearing it so many times from so many different people every day words like ‘sick’ and ‘cool’ manages to weave its way into my vocabulary.

There are many words and phrases that my generation uses that I really, really hate to hear; the usage of ‘man’ after every sentence is one of them, along with extremely crude words and many swear words. However just like with the word ‘sick’ I somehow find myself using these words when talking to my peers. When talking to an adult on the other hand, I find myself using bigger vocabularies, using a more formal tone, and try to use language correctly (just like how I am now.) This is probably to do with the fact that I always try to prove to people that although teenagers don’t use the English language correctly most of the time, we actually can, we just choose not to. Whenever answering calls on the house phone I adapt to the tone I use when speaking to an adult, however as the phone conversation goes on I usually start to lose the formal tone and go back to speaking like how I normally do. This is usually when words like ‘cool’ and the sentence fillers come in.

The idiolect of a person is how they talk and how they phrase things, it’s their ‘personal language style.’ Although the way you speak may change when talking to different people, the way you phrase words, and the way you say them doesn't, and because everyone is different our idiolect is too.