The Levels of Protein Structures Essay Example

The Levels of Protein Structures Essay Proteins, one of the four main classes of organic compounds, are a fundamental building block of life. They are involved in everything organisms do, and in most of the cell’s processes. Proteins are found everywhere in the cell, locations vary from being suspended in the cytoplasm to being embedded in the cell membrane. They provide support, store amino acids, transport substances within the cell and between cells, detect and respond to chemical signals, combat diseases, and monitor chemical reactions in the cell. They have extremely complex and intricate structures, and display considerable diversity. Proteins are a varied group of organic compounds essential to life due to their unique structure and functions. The synthesis of proteins gives insight into their composition and structure. Proteins are made of a vast variety of combinations of twenty different monomers called amino acids. These monomers can be assembled into polymers called polypeptides. Protein synthesis begins after transcription, when an mRNA molecule moves from the nucleus to the cytoplasm via the nuclear pores bearing coded instructions for the creation of a single protein. This messenger RNA interacts with a ribosome, an organelle consisting of proteins and rRNA that serves as the site of protein assembly. The ribosome is made of two subunits; the molecule of mRNA binds to one of these subunits, called the small ribosomal subunit. Binding to the subunit triggers the approach of a molecule of tRNA, which has an antiocodon complementary to the first of the mRNA’s codon. The tRNA picks up the amino acid specified by the instructions and attaches to the mRNA, and the other subunit, the large ribosomal subunit, binds to this, completing the ribosome structure. The next tRNA molecule, with an anticodon matching the second codon of the mRNA, arrives and once again attaches to the mRNA with an amino acid. The amino acids are bonded together using energy from ATP. Each We will write a custom essay sample on The Levels of Protein Structures specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Levels of Protein Structures specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Levels of Protein Structures specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer

Does online profiling mirrors or creates identities The WritePass Journal

Does online profiling mirrors or creates identities Introduction Does online profiling mirrors or creates identities IntroductionWHAT IS ONLINE PROFILING.WHAT IS IDENTITYKEY ISSUES: The diffusion of internet-freedom or constrain?ONLINE vers. OFFLINE IDENTITYCONSUMPTION AND DATA PROFILINGCONCLUDING THOUGHTSReferences:Related Introduction WHAT IS ONLINE PROFILING. Online consumer profiling is a complex phenomena that can be researched from a variety of perspectives. First of all, it is obviously an advertising technique that revolutionized the effectiveness of targeted advertising. However, online consumer profiling is not just a smart way to reach consumers. Consumer profiling has been present in advertising for a long time now, with theorists arguing about its possible effects on society and consumers. Greg Elmer(2004), in his work ‘Profiling machines: Mapping the Personal Information Economy’ provides an overview of some of the standpoints with regards to profiling. From the perspective of Foucault’s famous concept of panopticon, profiling is presented as means of exercising surveillance in the societies of control(Elmer, 2004). Foucault suggests that in such societies the differences between reward and punishment are blurred(Emler, 2004), this can be illustrated by some of the online consumer profiling techniques. For example, checking the weather forecast online, usually requires from us typing in our zip code. This initial reward( i.e the perspective of getting free and accurate information on weather in our area) ends up being a punishment. Ultimately, we provide advertisers with important geographic data that can then be used for consumer profiling. Similarly to Foucault,   Dandekre (cited in Elmer, 2004) sees profiling as a part of society of control. In fact, according to Dandekre, profiling is a sign of modern surveillance which signifies the shift from the supervision to bureaucratic surveillance, which is a lot more invasive and depends highly on technology. Elmer(2004) states that profiling is an ongoing distribution and collection of information about desires, habits and location of groups or individuals. Moreover, Elmer(2004) suggests that consumers actively assist in creating profiling databases, as all collected data are being cross referenced. Lyon(The Electronic Eye: The Rise of Surveillance Society, 1994) seems to share this view, as he sees consumers as self communicating entities, triggering their own inclusion into system of surveillance, that works through a series of seductions and solicitations. In terms of profiling effects on society, there are two main standpoints. Gandy(1993) in The Panopticon: a Political Economy of Personal Information views profiling as a system of sorting both individuals and whole communities into abstract categories that is unavoidably discriminatory. He continues to say that this system forces individuals wants and desires into ‘larger, rationalized and easily diagnosable profiles’(Elmer,2004,23). On the other hand, R.A Clarke(Information Technology and Dataveillance, 1988) sees profiling as a system of predicting ‘deviant behavior’ and fails to recognize possible risk of prejudice or discrimination. Early works on profiling seem to focus more on the effects it has on communities, as profiling was seen more as a part of the shift towards technology. However, with the fast development of internet and more advanced profiling techniques there seem to be more interest in the position of the individual in the process of online consumer profiling. WHAT IS IDENTITY According to John Deighton(2005), who analyzed the consumer identity motives in the information age, identity can be defined as a cluster of characteristics that we display in a social setting (2005,236). In the digital setting, the characteristics that construct identity are being grouped, coded and manipulated. In the cybernetic sense identity is used as a point of   reference for who one is or aspires to be(236). Author stresses the crucial part identity plays in analyzing consumption, as it could be a source of information on one’s habits, dislikes or desires. When discussing identity, Deighton(2005) also touches up on the notion of ‘being identified’(237). Being ‘identified’ means to be observed   or recognized and   in the off-line setting, this notion relies heavily on the facial/physical recognition. However, in the digital world, it is our online activity that enables us to be identified. The lack of ‘face’ in the digital setting, creates space for us to take on many identities. Deighton(2005) (247) sees identity as an opposite of anonymity and suggest that in an online world, we lose our anonymity by simply ‘signing in’. With that in mind, the techniques used to identify an individual online provoke many theoretical questions about the authenticity of online identity. boyd(2001) maintains that users need to gain awareness of the data they leave online, in order to construct truthful identities. However, because as online users, we have no control or knowledge on what data is being archived there is no way to verify its accuracy. Boyd does not necessarily condemn all corporate efforts to ‘reconstruct’ the individual through digital data. Her focus seem to remain on consumers’ right to access the collected data   and use to build self-awareness(46). She introduces the concept of a digital mirror(53), linked to Lancan’s mirror stage of development, during which a child acknowledges themselves as a unique individual for the first time(53). Boyd(2001) maintains that the lack of material body online, pushes users into using digital representations, that serve as an online agent constructing our identity. Through online personal profiles, we gain an illusion of control over our online identity. However, boyd(2001) stresses that even though we hold control over a limited amount of information, the way we perceive ourselves online is different from the way others see us(53). In that respect, boyd(2001) puts a particular emphasis on the data aggregation online, which means that information on our current online activity is combined with the information from the past(53). It is argued that providing users with information on their personal data   that can be accessed by third parties, would allow to provide feedback and adjust one’s online behavior and as a result gain greater control over their online identity.(54) One of the most important issues in online consumer profiling is the notion of individual versus consumer identity. Gandy(1993) maintains that profiling categorizes one’s desires and wants into broader and simplified profiles. Therefore, how accurately does it mirror one’s personality? Is consumer identity different from our non-consumer identity? Are they one and the same thing? Or is consumer identity simply a part of our identity just like race or sex.? This and similar questions are being posed by theorists researching online consumer profiling. Similarly to Daighton(2005), Zwick and Dholakia(2004) in ‘Whose identity is it anyway? Consumer Identity in the age of Database marketing’ stress that today consumer is no longer anonymous due to the ‘digitazation ‘of the market space. This means that once information became digital it can be stored in the database for years and shared as a binary bit. Authors seem to lean towards the post-structuralist perspective of data based marketing technologies as a discourse, which constructs a consumer as a cultural object and then uses as a target for marketing purposes. Due to the fast development of profiling techniques, an online consumer can be tracked and analyzed during every minute of their online activity. This information can provide an invaluable insight into consumer’s nature. Zwick and Dholakia(2004) suggest that market database becomes consumer’s identity and therefore has to be looked at as a form of language, as it attempts to make sense of the world and create a system of representation. Drawing from Foucault’s, Zwick and Dholakia(2004), state that every system of representation, in no matter what form, articulate newly ordered spaces of knowledge, in which an object of representation becomes(†¦) known.(p.3) Acknowledging market databases as a form of language, enables us to look at consumers as cultural objects. Ziwck and Dholakia(2004) suggest that because of market databases’ linguistic power, our own ability to construct identity is threatened. Consumers become objects constituted through the performative powers of market database   discourse. Limited ability of consumers to construct their own identity is one of the effects of online consumer profiling and database marketing, discussed by Zwick and Dholakia(2004). This is because consumers are lacking control over the language that constitutes their identities. In that respect, consumers’ participation is denied in the digital market space. To put simply, it could be suggested that online profiling constructs and forces identities upon consumers. ZwickDholakia(2004)stress that most databases do not refer back to the consumers after tracking and analyzing their online activity. This can suggest that these databases are being created to suit marketer’s needs rather than to truthfully reflect consumers’ identities. More importantly, the accuracy of such databases can easily be undermined. One consumer is most likely to be recorded in several databases that can differ in focus, structure and size. In this case, databases construct multitude of representation of the same consumer, who is being assigned several different persona to take on in the digital marketplace. This results in, consumer being ‘a blended, digital simulation whose ‘nature’ depends on the composition of the databses’(Zwick and Dholakia,38 2004) Zwick and Dholakia(2004) see online profiling mainly as means to construct a customer rather than to reflect a customers’ identity. Authors acknowledge consumers’ minor participation, in the process of creating database, which is limited to acts of online consumption. However, consumers do not have the control over how much and what kind of information is being collected, despite numerous online privacy options. Zwick and Dholakia(2004), unlike most theorists, do not seem to be preoccupied with the issue of online privacy with regards to online profiling. Authors suggest that, in most cases, the creation of online consumer identities takes place without the participation of a ‘real’ consumer. KEY ISSUES: The diffusion of internet-freedom or constrain? The issue of increased internet control has been raised also by David Bell(in CREEBER 2008), who talks about the diffusion of the internet. On one hand internet can be seen as empowering and reaching towards greater openness and freedom of speech and access to information. On the other hand, internet’s great ability to control and dominate its users is becoming more apparent. Furthermore, Bell(2008) notices how internet is being used by corporate capitalism to influence users and propagate its agendas. With that respect, Bell appears to share Henry Jenkins’ view of digital divide and monopolization of internet by corporations.(Creeber, 2008) However, the issue that Bell(2008) seems concerned with the most is the invasive nature of internet. Nowadays, he argues, we tend to evacuate real life into digital spaces. Social networking sites and e-commerce are equivalents of aspects of life that used to belong to ‘real’ life. Not only, do we live a significant part of life online, we also bring cyberspace into real life. With the emergence of new technologies like Ipads and mobiles with internet connection we can experience cyberspace, with all its flaws and advantages, almost all the time(Bell, 2008). This extreme growth in internet usage and accessibility opens a whole new world to consumer profiling. danah boyd examines the connections between identity and participation in social networking websites. She illustrates the great extent to which social networking sites ‘invaded’ the offline world. In ‘None of this is Real Identity and Participation in Friendster’(2008) author mentions the ubiquity of Friendster in the surrounding offline world. With people signed in on the website on their laptops in a local cafà ©, rockstars encouraging fans to join the online community during a concert and social networking websites being a topic of conversation in offline social situation(boyd, 2008), online advertising platforms become a part of popular culture. McAllister and Matthew(2003) talk about the increasingly blurring differences between commercial and popular culture. With the intrusion of commercial values on popular culture, advertisers gain the ability to brand spaces from outside of commercial culture and therefore manipulate consumers to engage with consumer culture at all times. However, the synergy of popular and commercial culture is not the only factor facilitating the development of online advertising. The lack of understanding and clear distinction between private and public in the online environment (Stern, 2004), often leads to users sharing more information that they would in an offline environment, resulting in internet being an extremely important source of consumer information(Faber et al, 2004). Faber et al point out that one of the fastest developing trends in online advertising is research analyzing content areas not traditionally associated with advertising, for example internet sponsorship(2004,3). Marketers ability to track user’s online activity, offers the opportunity to generate ‘personalized’ advertising. Faber et al refers to information flexibility(2004,11) to describe the phenomenon of tailoring advertisements to suit needs and desires of particular customers. Faber et al maintains that personalization of banner ads, increases the likelihood of user engaging in the ad(2004,5). Personalized ad can be key-word activated or   generated using consumer database(2004,5). Gadzheva(2007) maintains that due to the development of information and communication technologies (ICTs) much more personal data is being processed online, making it extremely difficult to supervise(2007,63). Any traces of data ‘left’ by a user during their online activity can be correlated to produce consumer profiles, usually without user’s knowledge(2007,64). Although consumers are often portrayed as victims of internet technology, Glen Creeber(2008) in his work, provides and alternative perspective on approaches towards internet and its effect on individuals. Postmodern standpoint sees consumption as a basis of today’s existence with consumer culture determining cultural sphere of our life(Creeber, 2008). This approach looks at technology as a way of improving audience’s active participation and is a lot more positive than some of the standpoints that often demonize new media. Creeber(2008), drawing on Levinson’s work, suggests that postmodern audience is seen as participants rather than just voyeurs. Similarly, post structuralist perspective assumes that audience is able to resist ideological meanings present in the new media advertising(Creeber, 2008). It also acknowledges audiences’ role in creating the meanings, as post structuralism focuses more on how new media messages are being decoded by the audience, rather than how producers encode them. This approach has been highly criticized by more skeptical theorists. Postman(1985 Amusing ourselves to death ) points out that the alleged choice and active participation offered by the internet is only illusionary. In reality, because internet has been monopolized by corporations, it reduces options available to audience to the same commodified, consumerist produc(Creeber,21, 2008). Critics of post structuralism and post modernism perceive audience as not being able to acknowledge the illusionary nature of the propaganda messages conveyed by the internet. KEY ISSUES ONLINE vers. OFFLINE IDENTITY With different approaches to internet audience, internet profiling, needs to be looked at from the perspective of consumer identities. In simplified terms, internet profiling aims to study consumers’ identities using a variety of data available online. Data used for the analysis is consumers personal information but also their needs and desires, often expressed through their consumer choices. Therefore, from marketers point of view, to reach ‘a true’ insight into one’s identity, consumer has to be analyzed from the perspective of the identity signaling . This approach, however, provokes a debate over how truthful such analysis could be. Berger and Heath(2007) suggest that consumers buy products not only for their function but also for what they symbolize, we buy products but also the ideologies behind them. Partially, our consumer choices are based on what products we feel express or match our personality, life style. However, we also make consumer choices that aim at constructing our desired identity(Berger and Heath, 2007) Of course, it is not only advertisers who scrutinise our consumer choices, it is also others who make assumption about our preferences or social status based on our purchases(Berger and Heath, 2007).Drawing on McCracken’s concept of meaning movement, Berger and Heath (2007) suggests that individuals’   tastes communicate identity, as others make assumptions based on the groups or â€Å"types† of individuals that are commonly associated with particular taste . It is argued, however, that using a similar model of ‘associations’, advertisers are in charge of creating norms of behaviour for consumers(Beckett, 2008, Reflective consumer). Advertisers anticipate consumer’s needs and desires by cross referencing online activity of other, similar consumers. Therefore apart from responding to current consumer’s needs, advertisers also aim at developing those needs. Rettberg Walker (2009) examines the ways in which social media create representations of its users. Author focuses on the data filtering mechanisms, employed by social media in order to offer us simplified templates or narratives of our life. Rettberg-Walker sees those representations as positive phenomena, enabling consumers to analyse their own life, made out of data retrieved from the internet. Author stresses also that in the 21st century we become used to online technologies and acknowledge our participation in the online environment. Internet offers us a chance to express our identities rather than uncritically accept the mass media representations of the world (436).   Rettberg-Walker also acknowledges the limitations of users participation in the web. Author maintains that freedom of expression online is nowadays greatly controlled by commercial interest and mass customisation based on templates and segments. The literal example of this phenomena, would be social networking sites that provide users with templates to fill in with personal data(460). Rettberg- Walker’s interest focuses on how we construct personal narratives in response to larger cultural templates, often exploited by mass media. Even though Rettberg-Walker, states that most internet users will follow the existing templates and copy   the already generated content, it’s the individual contributions to larger cultural templates that matter (460). One could suggest that ‘template generated’ identity lacks authenticity or creativity, however Rettberg-Walker   argues that above all it provides a sense of belonging, as observing our life displayed online in a similar manner to celebrities, for example, we gain the feeling of inclusion into a larger cultural template(464). The longing for the inclusion into larger cultural patterns may be rooted in the modern issue of social and psychological identity. Gabriel Lang(2006) in Unmanageable Consumer examines the issues of modern identity and its relation to consumption. Author suggest that a modern day individual constructs their identity through consumption and it is the consumer ethic, rather than work, that lays at the basis of our existence(84). One could argue that Lang’s point of view constitutes the basis for online profiling. Thus, if in modernity identities are being constructed through consumption, then marketers are right in ‘profiling’ users based on their online consumption patterns. Allison Hear expands the concept of identity construction through consumption and analyses the idea of ‘self-branding’, being a form of project of the self that leads to increasingly blurred distinctions between product and consumer. Hear explains that self-branding constitutes of conscious construction of self-images through the usage of mass media cultural representations and templates of mainstream cultural industries, which leads to generating value and material profit(198). Hear draws attention to significant differences between exercising branded self in an online and ‘real world’ environment. Author stresses that today social network sites are the centre of both social interactions as well as consumption(210). Social network sites enable users to manage their own online profiles and connect with other users, who engage in similar activities. Each user creates an online representation of their identity or particular aspects of it. Allison maintains tha t it is the ‘questionnaire like’ formats of social network profiles that encourage users to reveal their preferences, mainly in relation to mass media culture, consequently exposing their specific consumer tastes (210). The important notion of self branding on social network sites revolves around the multiplicity of roles that a user takes on online. By carefully designing our online representations, we become authors or as Allison puts it ‘actors’ of our own digital narratives. However, we also act as ‘promotional objects’, displaying chosen traits of our personality to convey a particular message and its symbolic appeal, in order to create value of our representations(211). Allison argues that this approach encourages users to perceive themselves as ‘commodities’, not only because of the ‘branded’ nature of the profiles they create but also the ongoing contest of popularity on the social network websites. Users add n umerous ‘friends’ to their profiles, in order to display their popularity in the social circle(211). Users profiles, according to Allison, are both created and consumed as a commodity. However, another important aspect of online self-branding, is the advertisement aspect of all popular social network sites, which appear to be a perfect platform for reaching a specific segment of consumers. It is to do with their ability to attract specific type of demographics and deliver advertisements in a ‘non-intrusive’ way. Users often engage with the advertisements out of their own will, by ,for example, joining a group dedicated to a specific brand or product. Advertisers set up profiles of particular products, which users can add to their ‘friends list’ and then receive regular updates alongside with information on their ‘real’ friends. This increasingly tight bond between product and consumer, is concluded by Allison as a collapse of distinctions between notions of the self,   processes of production and consumption(212). With the products invading the digital representations of users identities, marketers reach a new way of promoti ng the brand. It is the users that are made to ‘work’ and spread the popularity of a product. Allison suggests that the process of self branding is a form of labour, which serves people to transform nature into objects of their imagination(213). Without a doubt creating a digital representation of one’s self involves a substantial amount of labour, revolving around choosing the right aspects of our identity to be represented. In that sense, it is no different from self-presentation in a real world environment. However, the problem with digital representation of one’s self seem to be based around the exploitation of the self-branding labour. One could argue, that the digital profiles of users, no longer serve to represent their identity but to promote a particular product. CONSUMPTION AND DATA PROFILING Antony Becket(2008) provides an overview of Peppers and Rogers work that examines the shift from traditional marketing to collaborative marketing. Authors provide a critique of mass marketing as well as   describe the mechanisms of customer relationship management, which lays at the basis of collaborative marketing. Online targeting, through suggestion and recommendations, is a perfect example of marketer’s attempt to implement a more interactive ‘one to one’ marketing. Peppers and Rogers(Beckett, 2008) see technology as a vital part of developing customer-producer relationship as well as forming customer identity. Beckett(2008) focuses also on debates on power relations between producers and consumers, with special emphasis on the role of consumer. Beckett(2008) suggests that modern social theory of identity construction, as the ’reflexive’ self is highly related to contemporary patterns of consumption. In today’s world we engage in an ongoing process of identity formation through active, reflexive decisions, including our consumer choices. Reflexive consumption is seen by some as liberating as it offers consumers the opportunity to construct desired identities. On the other hand, Beckett maintains that reflexivity could be looked at from the perspective of governmentality, as locating individuals in relation to power and authority(Becket,2008,302). Becket continues to say, that from this perspective reflexivity could be seen as a mechanism of control and domination, through shaping consumers’ needs and   desires to suit particular agenda. Becket(2008) also discusses Peppers’ and Rogers’ extended critique of mass marketing and their claim about RM and CRM being a remedy to problems with mass marketing. Peppers and Rogers identified three main critiques of mass marketing : the loss of consumer’s individuality, inability to recognize loyal and non-loyal customers and lack of dialogue between producers and customers. Authors suggest that marketing should shift away from the concepts of mass marketing and aim at establishing collaborative marketing, which engages customers in ongoing, collaborative activities with the producers(2008,304). Collaborative marketing aims at ‘identifying’ the individual consumers and classifying them based on their value to the producer. Therefore, in order to achieve that, producer has to engage the consumer into the technologies that allow to ‘get to know’ them.(2008,306). Becket(2008) suggests that with the emergence of complex softwares and databases, customer relationship management has reached another level of customer classification. It is because of the emergence of innovative tracking technologies that producers are being given the power to govern and influence individuals’ needs and customer value. Becket(2008,306) gives example of loyalty cards or electronic databases to illustrate how consumers are being involved in a network of ‘surveillance’ technologies. Becket(2008, seems to clearly mark his opinion on whether markets create people’s needs and identities. Author states that producer can nowadays anticipate and alter possible future purchases. One way of doing it is by comparison with other shoppers. This would suggest that consumers are being categorised and altered to fit the ‘norm’. The process of ‘normalisation’ can be executed through for example, recommendation ads or personalised e-mails. In the eyes of producers, customers become an active participant when they respond to those recommendations(Becket, 2008,308). Manipulation, according to Becket (2008), happens on two levels. First level is based on creating norms of behaviour through recommendations ads. Secondly, producers aim at engaging consumers with the market, in order to turn them into savvy, active participants. In reality, it is just another way to programme customers to be susceptible to marketing techniques. However, is there perhaps another way of looking at the mechanisms of collaborative marketing’? After all, as Becket(2008) reminds us, the goals of customer relationship marketing promise an improved lifestyle for the customer. ‘Active’ consumers have the chance to engage with marketers to satisfy their needs and better the quality of their life through consumption.   Becket(2008), drawing on Peppers and Rogers work, presents an alternative version of society, where consumers are not necessarily simply either manipulated or authoritative. The reflexive consumption, puts consumers in a position of collaborator. Peppers and Rogers(Becket, 2008, 311) present a vision where consumption is liberating, as a consumer can reach a better life style through ‘active’ consumption. All in all, Becket’s(2008) work comes down to a dilemma between collaborative marketing offering a greater freedom, wider variety of choice and life style improvement achieved through consumption and collaborative marketing being a constrain mechanism, that promotes ‘unnatural’ need for consumption. CONCLUDING THOUGHTS The problem of online profiling provokes a debate over the increasing intervention of technology into our privacy. There has been a considerable amount of literature devoted to the problem of blurred distinctions between private and public in the online environment. However, the problem of the influence of recommendation ads on the identity construction has not gathered enough direct attention. Although, the debate on the diffusion of the internet is strongly linked to the issue of online targeting. Since, if internet can be seen both as liberating and constraining, so does online targeting. On one hand, online targeting offers liberation through direct marketing, enhanced, individualized consumption. On the other hand, it traps us in categories of norms of behaviour, tricks us to believe that the recommendation ad has been generated especially for us and therefore are suitable for us. However, acknowledging the increasing influence of targeted advertising on creating norms of behaviour which ultimately aims at shaping our online behaviour, brings up social anxieties with regards to online surveillance. Sceptics may question the extent to which targeted advertising can shape one’s identity. Nonetheless, it cannot be ignored that targeted advertising exercise the power to reinforce social divisions(Lyon,1994,156). Through targeting consumers based on the information available online, which places them into particular segments, online advertising mimics the existing social divides.   It is the advertisers who predicts our tastes and decide on our value. These sorting mechanism result in groups of consumers being excluded from particular advertising simply because of their consumer profile. Lyon(1994,156) maintains that when analysing the nature of modern consumption surveillance, we have to take into consideration both how data-subject are constituted as consumers and how their consumption pattern is being interpreted through the means of commercial surveillance. Without a doubt, online targeted advertising is an issue surrounded with controversy and ethical dilemmas. With the fast development of new media technologies and general synergy of popular and consumer culture, the role it plays in defining modern society becomes more apparent. References: Berger, J. A Heath, C. (2007). Where Consumers Diverge from Others: Identity Signalling and Product Domains. Journal of Consumer Research. 34 (August), pp.121-130. Creeber,G Martin, R (2008). Digital cultures: Understanding the media. Milton Keyns: Open University Press. 11-46 . Elmer, G (2004) Profiling Machines: Mapping the Personal Information Technology. United States of America: Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Gandy, O.H (1993)   The panoptic sort : a political economy of personal information. Oxford: Westview Press. Clarke R. (1988) Information Technology and Dataveillance. Retrieved from rogerclarke.com/DV/CACM88.html on 14th of February 2011. McAllister, P (2003) Is Commercial Culture Popular Culture? A Question for Popular Communication Scholars. Popular Communication, 2003, Vol. 1 Issue 1, p41- 49p. Lyon, D (1994) The Electronic Eye: The Rise of surveillance Society. United states of America: Univeristy of Minessota Press. Rottberg Walker, J (2009)Freshly Generated for you and Barack Obama: How Social Media Represent Your Life. European Journal of Communication 24,pp.451-466. Zwick, D Dholakia, N. (2004). Whose Identity Is It Anyway? Consumer Representation in the Age of Database Marketing. Journal of Macromarketing. 24 (31), pp.31-41.

Philosophy (practical ethics) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Philosophy (practical ethics) - Essay Example In this brief paper, Mackinnon’s arguments are analyzed in the light of the possible consequences censorship of pornography can create. Before looking at Mackinnon’s attitude to pornography, it is essential to see what pornography really means. The traditional view is that pornography is any sexually explicit material that generates sexual arousal in the consumers. As it encourages sexual promiscuity and as it is morally and religiously bad, it should not be permitted in society. It has been seen as an affront to decent family life. It destroys valuable institutions like family, and also it spoils human character. The traditional view is seen as patriarchal. Those who believe in this view are not worried about women’s oppression caused by pornography. But women, like Mackinnon, find pornography as an extreme form of harassment to women. According to her, the central issue of pornography is the oppression of women. There are certain vital issues, says Mackinnon, emerging from the production of pornography, which will come up for discussion below. The greatest harm done, feels Mackinnon, is the inequalit y it creates. Mackinnon’s efforts are to empower women with legal powers, knowing well that the production of pornography is basically the result of the traditional male view of a woman. In one sense, pornography is speech. And it is not mere speech but action. And the action is seen in two forms. The first is when pornography is produced, and the second is when it is viewed. Therefore, in her ordinance which she drafted, she stressed the need to see resistance to pornography as a civil right. Mackinnon has been severely criticized for this because it goes against the First Amendment. â€Å"The First Amendment is founded on the proposition, set forth so beautifully by J.S. Mill in On Liberty, that good speech ultimately drives out bad† (Spectacle). Mackinnon’s attempt to see racial equality with woman’s equality

Critique on the Article, An Anorexic's Recovery. by Leanna Rutherford Lab Report

Critique on the Article, An Anorexic's Recovery. by Leanna Rutherford - Lab Report Example According to Rutherford, she "was 17 and in her [my] graduating year of high school when she [I] decided that she [I] wanted to lose weight" (n.p.). Studies show that mostly, adolescent young women are affected by this mental illness. And women are more prone than men; although, in some cases men can also be a candidate for this disorder. American Psychiatric Association viewed this as a psychological disorder affecting mainly young women (American Psychiatric Association, 1984) and recent reports suggest a long-term increasing incidence of the problem (Lucas, 1991; Lucas et al., 1991; Willi & Grossman, 1983). The article, "An Anorexic's Recovery" is a timely way of informing people/readers of this lethal psychological disorder through the experience of the writer on this illness. As a narrative article, the point of views of the writer was emphasized on her accounts of battling the mental disorder. The worst part of anorexia is the determination of factors that causes the disorder. Until now, there is no exact cause of anorexia nervosa. However, researchers on the field of medicine and psychology suggested that factors in general could be categorized as follows: Cultural Pressure - Just like in the case of Rutherford, cultural pressure played as the main role why she suffered from anorexia. . Rutherford "wanted to impress the boys in university and she [I] thought being thin would help. So she [I] went on a diet"(n.p.). (eHealthMD, 2005) claimed that "in many societies, being extremely thin is the standard of beauty for women and represents success, happiness, and self-control.(p.3). Cultural pressure seems to be the primary cause of why some suffer from this mental disorder. In the article, this was the only cause stated; however, below you can see that not only cultural pressure is to be blamed but other factors as well. Psychological Issues - People who have low self-esteem, poor body image, rigid thinking patterns, perfectionism, feelings of ineffectiveness, physical or sexual abuse, and need for control are prone on developing anorexia. Psychological imbalances may be a by-factor of having the disorder. Rutherford's case may seem to imply that she may have suffered from the need of being perfect, although the writer projected that being good in school or things he did imply that he is psychologically stable: "I was an honors student when I entered university and had an 82 percent average after my first semester. I had made lots of friends and had balanced my social and academic obligations". In view points of psychology, anorexia is a mental illness and therefore has a lot to do with psychological issues. Rutherford may have overlooked this issue on his article. Family Environment - Some family upbringings may be factors to the development of anorexia. The families of people who have the disorder are more expected to be rigid, overprotective, and suffocating closeness. In these situations, anorexia nervosa builds up as a way of fighting back for individuality and independence. Genetic Factors - According to (Wade, et.al, 2000) "anorexia shares a genetic risk with clinical depression" (p.157). People who have

Of Mice and Men - Essay - Lonely Characters Discussion Essay Example for Free

Of Mice and Men Essay Lonely Characters Discussion Essay In the opening chapter of Of Mice and Men John Steinbeck immediately introduces the theme of loneliness and the reality of men living very temporary lives with no real direction. Loneliness is an inevitable fact of life that not even the strongest can avoid. Throughout the story, readers discover many sources of loneliness and isolation. Candy is an old ranch worker who lost his hand a few years back while working. He is a lonely man who owns an old, smelly, disabled dog that can hardly walk. This really was his only companion. In the end his dog was shot. Candys life was heading in the isolation direction even further. The quote on page 59 Spose I went in with you guys. Thats three hundred and fifty bucks Id put in. Howd that be? This was his effort to try and join in with George and Lennies dream ranch. Crooks is a black Negro Stable Buck who wears glasses and has a busted back. He is an extremely lonely man and probably the loneliest in the novel due to his complexion. He is treated by the others in a rude manner and is left sitting in his little room helpless with an uncomfortable bed which makes his back worse. The quote on page 67-68 You got no right to come into my room. This heres my room. Nobody got any right in here but me. This is how he reacted to the treatment he was getting, but in the end he was quiet a nice guy to know. Curleys Wife is a very lonely woman who wears red mules, has red fingernails, full rouged lips and hair rolled in clusters. She has no name throughout the entire book to reinforce how insignificant a person she is. Her life with her husband was nothing to do with loving each other because she didnt even like Curley because he was not a nice bloke. The quote on page 87 Coulda been in the movies, an had nice clothes tells us that her ambition was to become an actor. In the end she ended up being murdered by Lennie after trying to become his friend. George and Lennie, although unhappy at times, are not lonely, because they share a very close bond with each other, and have traveled together ever since Lennies Aunt Clara died. The only thing that seems to keep them working for next to nothing is the thought of owning their own ranch someday. In the final chapter Lennie states triumphantly on page 103 An I got you. We got each other, thats what, that gives a hoot in hell about us. In the end George felt he had to shoot Lennie himself, so that he would die instantly, rather than suffer as Curley killed him slowly and painfully. Lennies murder was Georges final act of friendship. But it also ended their long friendship and now George would be lonely as he traveled around from job to job. In conclusion the loneliest people in this story are Crooks, Candy and Curleys Wife. The friendship between George and Lennie was a strong bond all throughout the story, but it all ended when tragically George shot Lennie because he could no longer protect him any further.

The Light-dark Metaphor in Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad Essay

Throughout his narrative in Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, Charlie Marlow characterizes events, ideas, and locations that he encounters in terms of light or darkness. Embedded in Marlow's parlance is an ongoing metaphor equating light with knowledge and civility and darkness with mystery and savagery. When he begins his narrative, Marlow equates light and, therefore, civility, with reality, believing it to be a tangible expression of man's natural state. Similarly, Marlow uses darkness to depict savagery as a vice having absconded with nature. But as he proceeds deeper into the heart of the African jungle and begins to understand savagery as a primitive form of civilization and, therefore, a reflection on his own reality, the metaphor shifts, until the narrator raises his head at the end of the novel to discover that the Thames seemed to 'lead into the heart of an immense darkness.'' The alteration of the light-dark metaphor corresponds with Marlow's cognizance that t he only 'reality', 'truth', or 'light' about civilization is that it is, regardless of appearances, unreal, absurd, and shrouded in 'darkness'. Marlow uses the contrast between darkness and light to underscore the schism between the seemingly disparate realms of civility and savagery, repeatedly associating light with knowledge and truth; darkness with mystery and deceptive evil. When Marlow realizes that his aunt's acquaintances had misrepresented him to the Chief of the Inner Station, Marlow states, 'Light dawned upon me', as if to explicitly associate light with knowledge or cognizance. It is significant then, that Marlow later associates light with civilization. He describes the knights-errant who went out from the Thames to conquer... ... October 2002. Available: http://www.lawrence.edu/~johnson/heart. Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness, New York: Dover, 1990. Hayes, Dorsha. "Heart of Darkness: An Aspect of the Shadow," Spring (1956): 43-47.. Levenson, Michael. "The Value of Facts in the Heart of Darkness." Nineteenth-Century Fiction 40 (1985):351-80. McLynn, Frank. Hearts of Darkness: The European Exploration of Africa. New York: Carol & Gey, 1992. Mellard, James. "Myth and Archetype in Heart of Darkness," Tennessee Studies in Literature 13 (1968): 1-15. Rosmarin, Adena. "Darkening the Reader: Reader Response Criticism and Heart of Darkness." Joseph Conrad Heart of Darkness: A Case Study in Contemporary Criticism. Ed. Ross C. Murfin. New York: St. Martin's, 1989. Watt, Ian. Conrad in the Nineteenth Century. San Diego: U. of California P, 1979. 168-200, 249-53.

Explain how you can promote inclusion Essay

I teach on a one to one basis but if i was working in a classroom environment I would promote inclusion in the classroom by using various methods. These include Partnering different abilities of learners so they can learn from each other and all have a chance to get to know each other/work with each other. Asking different members of the classroom to give their opinions so all have the opportunity to contribute. Forming groups and varying the learners chosen to form these groups. Asking learners to be respectful of each others opinions and respecting when another member of the class or the teacher are speaking and not interrupting Encouraging open discussion and incorporating everyone into the discussions. Whether I am teaching in a group environment or one to one I would promote inclusion by using language that doesn’t discriminate, resources that reflects diversity and ensuring that I always remember that all students are different and I need to adapt to meet the need of each learner. It is also important to give the students the opportunity to give feedback on my teaching methods and content, thereby making them feel empowered within their learning environment. All learners will bring different skills and experiences with them to enhance the learning environment. Completing an individual learning plan for all learners makes it possible to adjust the course content to suit the individual learner. Implementing equality and diversity in the learning environment creates a happy and rewarding learning experience where learners will complete their learning with the confidence and qualifications to proceed further into life, work or education. Where required, a referral for internal or external help and support may be necessary.