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@fsu.edu Phone: 850-644-1809 -----------------------------------------------
_______________________________________________ The air-l@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/