The outline of my video & the strategies I used to create it
I wanted to first explain the background of online dating – the history of using text to communicate, instead of common face-to-face interaction. Online dating websites were introduced at the turn of the 21st century, with an instant stigma attached. The stigma slowly dissipated over the past decade, and has now allowed online dating to become widespread.
I wanted to elaborate how online dating websites are produced & why they are so successful. The use of marketing tools, testimonies, questionnaires, common rules, gamification elements, the internet and the expanding dating pool.
Negative aspects of online dating:
- The service can ironically limit the relationships choices you have. Online dating solidifies, not expands, the social discourses of gender & sexuality. It doesn’t allow you to explore between the template categories.
- Trust & deception are common user concerns
- The freedom of imagination can be problematic
- Online dating can be cheating
- Offline vs. Online relationship = Invest time vs. invest no time
- Other features that decrease prospects of longevity
I wanted to produce a short skit – an example of the negative effects of online dating. I wrote a script & drew a storyboard to achieve this. I wanted a personal visual element in my video.
Positive effects of online dating:
- The service has allowed the expression of more diverse forms of gender & sexuality
- Lack of physical & non-verbal cues can be liberating
- Physical distance can be a good thing
- Imagination can be advantageous
Conclusion: Apart from the good & bad side of online dating, it is an advanced communication platform to find a partner.
Further strategies I used to create my video:
- Scholarly resources
- Made a profile on RSVP dating website
- Browsed online dating films; ‘You’ve got mail’, ‘Must love dogs’, ‘Catfish’
- Browsed online dating websites; RSVP, Christians Online, Ashley Madison
- Answered study questions from Topic 7: Sexing up digital media. Themes included pornography, sexting, online dating – picked topic I was most interested in.
Creation of my own content & use of Creative Commons license
The audio/context of my video is the use of scholarly resources.
All the backgrounds – the beaches – are photos I have personally taken on my travels. The location and date are in the bottom right-hand corner of each photograph. I used panorama shots from my iPhone so it has more of a creative/visual effect while panning across each slide.
The short skit I did in the middle of my video, was taken on my iPhone (including the fireworks footage taken in Falls Creek 2014).
I used the Creative Commons license in Flickr for the inserted (pop-up pictures).
Strategies used to draw on scholarly sources for my video
I used the recommended from Topic 7: Sexting up Digital Media. I listened to the personal opinions of Deakin Lectures’ Natalie Hendry & Adam Brown’s conversation; Sexing Up Digital Media: From Online Dating to Sexting – Talking Digital Media, Episode 10. I also wanted to incorporate ‘Gamification’ into my video – as both themes overlap.
The challenges I faced & what I learnt
- Making a video for the first time; learning how to use YouTube & iMovie.-> I learnt that I have to leave enough time to play around with new media technologies. Using a video complements written work, it is a new medium/element which I will continue to use. YouTube is also a new networking platform which I will also continue to use.
- Wanting to put all knowledge into a 7-minute video. -> I learnt that I should not try and fit everything into a visual or written piece of work. Only pick out main points.
- What images/materials can I use? -> I never knew how to properly abide by copyright laws when using images. I have now learnt about Flikr for images, SoundCloud for audio & how to use Creative Commons licenses.
Word Count: 647 (excluding references)
References
Ben-Ze’ev, A 2003, Love Online: Emotions on the Internet, Cambridge University Press, New York, pp. 3-237
DeMasi, S 2011, ‘Shopping for love: online dating and the making of a cyber culture of romance’, in Seidman, S, Fischer, N and Meeks, C (eds.), Introducing the New Sexuality Studies, Routledge, Abingdon and New York, pp. 206-13
Flickr, (2007). Find Love. [image] [Accessed 27 May 2016].
Flickr, (2010). love letters straight from your heart. [image] [Accessed 27 May 2016].
Flickr, (2011). Picture 930. [image] [Accessed 27 May 2016].
Kang, T and Hoffman, L H 2011, ‘Why would you decide to use an online dating site? Factors that lead to online dating’, Communication Research Reports, vol. 28, no. 3, pp. 205-13.
Kim, B 2015, ‘The popularity of gamification in the mobile and social era’, Library Technology Reports, vol. 51, no. 2, pp. 5-9
Sexing Up Digital Media: From Online Dating to Sexting – Talking Digital Media, Episode 10. (2016). Melbourne, Australia: Adam Brown. (Conversation with Natalie Hendry).
Tsatsou, P 2011, ‘Gender and sexuality in the internet era’, in Ross, K (ed.), The Handbook of Gender, Sex, and Media, Wiley-Blackwell, Malden, pp. 516-32
My broader online activity & engagement:
Since starting ALC203 I have learnt how to create an online identity via Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and AboutMe. I have actively engaged in the unit hashtag by conversing with classmates via twitter conversations, retweeting peers’ tweets and posting my opinions via the unit hashtag. I have learnt how to create a blog & make videos, as well as using hyperlinks & embedding posts. I actively engage in Digital Zones blog, answer his polls, read is weekly content, watch his ‘Talking digital media’ videos with other researchers/lectures and engage with my peers on his SoundCloud posts.
thevirtualmillennium 