So are all the vents legitimate? Are they equal? Who has the power to determine this? Do I, as an observer, have the power to determine this? Or does the power belong to the members venting?
When I witness a dispute on MIVP, poor grammar and spelling is used against the person involved in the argument. Common statements like "learn how to spell before coming on here" are used. This immediately strips the power off the opposing member, which in turn focuses on them for not being smart enough to argue and shadowing the point they are trying to bring across.
"Language creates its own reality and in order to describe that reality individuals have the use of language that's available to them, reinforcing the arguments that language is power". (Van Luyn 2013).
The following link is a video which I found to be a powerful example of the power of words: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hzgzim5m7oU
So, who has the power in this page? In past blogs I argued it was the administration team, but as I have been observing more I feel that it is the members of the group who have the power. Yes, they are under the guidelines of the administration team but it is their views and opinions and words that are the base of the MIVP. They set the tone for each conversation, whether it be positive of negative is up to the one venting. As argued 'If people have the power to build, they also have the power to destroy" (Tuan 1991, P.693)
References:
Van Luyn, A. (2013): BA1002 Our Space: Networks, Narratives ad the Making of Place, Week 5 notes [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from: http://www.learnjcu.jcu.edu.au
Tuan, Y. (1991). Language and the making of place: A narrative descriptive approach. In Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 81(4), 684-694. Retrieved from: http://www.learnjcu.jcu.edu.au
Image Reference:
http://memoirsofasoulsista.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/power-of-words-1.jpg
Hi Carmen,
ReplyDeleteI found your blog very interesting through discussing power relationships, most of all the power of destruction or silencing in making derogatory comments about someone's post. As Ariella mentioned in this week's lecture, the notion of silencing the other, or orientalism, empowered the namer and disempowered the named. It was also repeated in Tuan's reading that the power balance or relationship could be turned to a specific group or person by the use of naming or language. It is apparent in your blog that you have found this power balance and identified its changing holders.
Hi Carmen
ReplyDeleteLove the posts and its great to see how your analysis is developing in response to your observations.
I've embedded the vid. because it's beautiful & that way people can view it from here.
Hi Carmen,
ReplyDeleteI am interested in the power dynamics you identified on the Mount Isa Vent Page (MVIP) and how the ‘othering’ in this instance – that is, the online bullies trying to silence ‘others’ through put downs about spelling and grammar, contributes and shapes place-making for users of that page.
As Tuan (1991, p.686) notes, words have the power to transform through the reactions and emotions they evoke. Clearly, being shut down is going to create a sense of disempowerment. This negative experience is now associated with the MIVP for some of the ‘other’ users and they would probably reconsider returning to the page because of this. Conversely, the person silencing the other/s may feel empowered and come back to the MIVP with a sense of anticipation rather than dread, which clearly illustrates the “perceptual effect of words” (Tuan, 1991, p.692).
Thanks, Tammy
PS – I loved the video too!
References
Tuan, Y. - F. (1991). Language and the making of place: A narrative - descriptive approach. Annals of the Association of American Geographers, 81(4), 1991, pp.684-696.