#reading_notes

[haniwasubmarine]

木下是雄, 1981, 『理科系の作文技術』中央公論新社. 前に読んだの11年前らしい。今身についているかセルフチェック。若い頃とはちょっと違う読後感がある。 #reading_notes https://www.instagram.com/p/CpGBqC9vkuY/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[allemandeniu]

Notes on Taylor, A.S. & Harper, R: The Gift of the Gab?

Taylor, A.S. & Harper, R.: The Gift of the Gab?: A Design Oriented Sociology of Young People's Use of Mobiles

This paper mainly dealt with the question that how young people use and regard mobile phones and text messaging services, especially when they are among friends. The authors employed qualitative research method, interviewing several young people from UK, concluding that one important state of phone use and people's participation is a circle of gift exchange.

In the first section, the authors introduced the research background of the relationship of technologies and social context. Technologies, in fact, has been shaped by social context. Then they explained theories they employed by Mauss in The Gift(1997), providing evidence that SMS could be regard as a gift from the sender and required reciprocation.

In the second section called Gift-Giving and Mobile Phone Use, Taylor and Harper explained five initial factors of Gift-Giving exchange. 

1.) embodied meaning:

from the gift's aspect: SMS & memories can be entwined to arouse people's emotion. 

from the giver & receiver's aspect: the original form, like the "moniker" of the sender, also has important significance.

 ritual: occasioned ceremony where some ritual take place

2.) obligations of exchange: the obligation to give and the cycle of reciprocity. 

3.) Alliance and friendship 

4.) Diplomacy and the Equivalency of Gifts

5.) Value

In the third section, the authors gave some suggestions for designing and re-designing the mobile technologies. 

Then came the conclusion of the article. In general, this paper gave a sociological explanation of young people's using of mobile phones and texting SMS. The Gift-Giving explanation is a good view. 

Questions

My biggest question is that, is there so much different between young people's use of mobiles and old people's? Why people/the authors draw so distinguished line between them if they use anthropology theories? 

The Gift of the Gab? What does that mean?  I checked out Wikipedia and found that the Gift of a gab is "ability to talk steadily, glibly and convincingly."  There is a story about it, the Blarney Stone: http://www.irelandseye.com/blarney/blarney.shtm

[haniwasubmarine]

齋藤純一, 田中将人, 2021, 『ジョン・ロールズ』中央公論新社. 論理だけならどんなダメなものにでも適用できる。必要なのは道理、公正・正義への志向。 世でロールズが読まれ続けるうちはわずかでも希望はあるのかも。 #reading_notes https://www.instagram.com/p/CoAQ2XGPgGx/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[haniwasubmarine]

舞田竜宣, 杉山尚子, 2018, 『行動分析学マネジメント　人と組織を変える方法論』日本経済新聞出版社. 行動分析学、行動を中心に仮説検証して、自分から仕掛けて攻めに行くスタイルで好き。主体性を取り戻す練習によい。 #reading_notes https://www.instagram.com/p/Cn7L1ylv3Ul/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[haniwasubmarine]

岸本聡子, 2020, 『水道、再び公営化！』集英社. 公立保育園売っぱらうのに熱心な目黒区（自治体自身が）との決定的な差。市民が政治を野放しにしてると命に関わる。 #reading_notes https://www.instagram.com/p/ClggL-xPPXO/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[haniwasubmarine]

ピーター・ゴドフリー=スミス(著), 夏目大(訳), 2018, 『タコの心身問題』みすず書房. スポンジボブの世界が案外現実味あるのかとも思ってしまう。理科年表とセットで読むと楽しい。 #reading_notes https://www.instagram.com/p/ClEP3Q5Pcs9/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[haniwasubmarine]

永井玲衣, 2021, 『水中の哲学者たち』晶文社. まんまと町中華を食べたくなるというね。 #reading_notes https://www.instagram.com/p/ClEPGY5PfkH/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[haniwasubmarine]

アンディ・ウィアー(著), 小野田和子(訳), 2021, 『プロジェクト・ヘイル・メアリー(上下)』早川書房. 布団で読んでて、この先どうなるんだ？と思いながら眠りに落ちて、その高揚感のまま目が覚める日々が楽しかった。ヤバい状況になるとつい「オーケイ。…」って言いそうになる。 #reading_notes https://www.instagram.com/p/CkgDQKJPZaK/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[haniwasubmarine]

加藤弘士, 2022, 『砂まみれの名将』新潮社. 確かに、確かにシダックス監督時代のノムさんのことって全然知らなかったな。裏事情と新事実が関係者証言付きで織り込まれててとても手堅い。 #reading_notes https://www.instagram.com/p/Ckdvyp8PEQh/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[haniwasubmarine]

近藤洋逸, 好並英司, 1979, 『論理学入門』岩波書店. ちまちま読んで（途中忘れたりして）たら半年近くかかったみたい。 #reading_notes https://www.instagram.com/p/CkORZcGvjYm/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[haniwasubmarine]

吉川浩満, 2022, 『哲学の門前』紀伊國屋書店. 「哲学の劇場」仕込みで、ちゃんと吉川さんの声で、山本さんパートは山本さんの声で、脳内再生されるセルフオーディオブック仕様。 #reading_notes https://www.instagram.com/p/CkOLwumPS6i/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[haniwasubmarine]

理科年表を横に置き、別の本の答え合わせしていくの楽しい。単品で見始めると「こんなのあったなぁ」ってなってこっちばかりずっと読んでしまってそれはそれで楽しい。 #reading_notes https://www.instagram.com/p/CkD4sXKPlKZ/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[haniwasubmarine]

斎藤毅, 2021, 『抽象数学の手ざわり』岩波書店. #reading_notes https://www.instagram.com/p/CivFJEnPLuZ/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[allemandeniu]

Notes on Hine, C.Virtual Ethnography: Modes,Varieties, Affordances

The article mainly talks about how people used to do virtual ethnography and why it is still important today.

We can tell what and how online ethnographers study, as well as the position they take in the field of ethnography.

Online ethnography became popular in 1990s in the western world. Hine introduced many ethnographers. They did influential work to open up this field. Also, they encountered some dilemma, like how to guarantee authenticity and develop trust in informants and their conclusions. 

I quoted some opinions about how to guarantee authenticity. I'm most interested in this part, because it is connected to my research.

Some researchers responded by acknowledging a need to corroborate what was said to them online with fact-to-face research with the same informants(Turkle, 1995; Paccagnella,1997) ��p263

Others noted that ethnographers need not start from the assumption that authenticity was inevitably suspect in online environments: rather, the interest of the ethnographers should be in the occasions where the question of authenticity arose for members themselves. (Hine, 2000; Carter, 2005)  p263

Early ethnography to online settings focused on the interactions in online communities. For some ethnographers who did participate observations, "the locally specific humor and language, and the emergent social hierarchies" were important variables.

In the Conclusion, Hine said,

The experiences of virtual ethnography suggest that there is much to be gained by a more intensive focus on mediated communication, even in settings where much of the interaction happens face to face.

[allemandeniu]

Starbucks in New China: a reading note

Here is my notes of the Research on Starbucks concerning consumption.

Meera Venkatraman & Teresa Nelson. 2008. From servicescape to consumptionscape: a photo-elicitation study of Starbucks in the New China. Journal of International Business Studies, 39: 1010–1026

The study of Starbucks in New China mainly deals with a question that:

  How does Starbucks make the significant transform from servicescape* to consumptionscape** and gained success in China? Through the method of photo-elicitation, they found the connection between its built environment and the consumption experience. They also did an analysis on how the strategy of Starbucks, a global brand, successfully develop its reputation in local market in China.

  By making informants taking photos of Starbucks by their personal experiences and started an interview from the photos, the authors found four themes and the linked environment elements that might be affected: “Starbucks as Home;” “Starbucks as a Constellation of Personal Space;” “Starbucks as Exotic;” and “Starbucks as a Bridge between Cultures”. They found that the fireplace and sofa is crucial for the experience of both “Home” and “Exotic”, which is kind of contradictory.

    *“The term ‘servicescape’ connotes a physical, material setting designed and built to shape consumption behavior.”(Venkatramen & Nelson, 2008: 1010)

    **A servicescape is now understood to encompass design factors (e.g., layout, furnishings, and decor), ambient conditions (e.g., lighting and temperature), and social interactions among and between customers and employees. (Baker, 1987; Bitner, 1992; Sherry, 1998)

Good point in the article:

Starbucks is “an upscale, high-end brand, seeking to make an emotional connection with the young, professional, upwardly mobile Chinese market.”  (Venkatramen & Nelson, 2008: 1011) 

Place and behavior influence each other and people can interpret by their own personal preference.

The concept and feeling of “home” in China is changing with the awkward situation at present. Since some people can’t afford a comfortable house with quiet environment, they prefer other places rather than their house and regard somewhere else as homelike.

 Some articles in the Reference that might be useful:

Deighton, J. 1992. The consumption of performance. Journal of Consumer Research, 19(3): 362–372.

Eckhardt, G., & Houston, M. 1998. Consumption as self-presentation in a collectivist society. In K. Hung & K. Monroe (Eds) Asia Pacific advances in consumer research, Vol. 3: 52–58.Provo, UT: Association for Consumer Research.

Eckhardt, G., & Houston, M. 2002. Cultural paradoxes reflected in brand meaning: McDonald’s in Shanghai, China. Journal of International Marketing, 10(2): 68–83.

McEwen, W., Fang, G., Zhang, C., & Burkholder, R. 2006. Inside the mind of the Chinese consumer. Harvard Business Review, 84(3): 68–76.

Discussion:

I think photo-elicitation method is a good way to start an interview. But I’m still in doubt about how it could interpret the informant’s feelings. Will it overwhelm the actual feelings and make the photos be the subjects?

Other than that, the analysis of this article is plain. Sometimes it’s just simple analysis of photos and narrations. A sociological research requires more deeper observation and analysis.

New Ideas:

 I think it would be interesting to study consumer attitudes towards H&M or Zara in China’s market. It is quite similar to consumption of Starbucks, but more crazy. I heard over once that girls are complaining the bad quality of H&M or Zara in China, but they kept buying those outfits especially when there is a big sale. This phenomena might related to vanity in consumption.

[allemandeniu]

Nov.23rd_reading notes V3_3 types of group activity_Here comes everybody

I'm reading Here Comes Everybody by Clay Shirky. 

Though didn't read much, I think it would be helpful to my research for Shirky is studying the state of organizing, which is related to a specific group of people's reactions and behaviors and mental activities. 

here's some notes: 

Three tyeps of group activity (in page 49 - 51)

definition

Sharing

less difficult and active, provides much freedom for individuals to participate, but fewest communication 

Cooperation

more difficult, requires changing one's behaviors to match the others'. 

forms: communication & collaborative production 

Collective action

hardest kind of group effort, requires a group of people to commit themselves to undertaking a particular effort together. 

the differences from each other

  information sharing - produces shared awareness

  cooperation - it can create group identity, more sense of community, produces shared creation 

collaborative production - some collective decisions have to be made, produces shared responsibility