Dissertation

DHTP Dissertation Proposal Part 2 & DISSERTATION TEMPLATE PART 2 & 3
Please save as a word.doc and change the title to your full name, e.g.: John Smith.doc - do not email the proposal without changing the file name. Copy Paste and Amend from your proposal part 1.
Sample template

Student Name Robert Butler
Course Product Design
Supervisor name Jonathan Baldwin
Email address (Supervisor) rjbutler@dundee.ac.uk
Date (update as you go) 10/03/2011

Using the template
Enter your personal details in the box above. The email address will be used by your tutor and others to contact you. You must check this regularly for news on tutorial dates.
Read each heading carefully and type into the text box below.
Email your proposal to your supervisor and load it up on Safe Assignment of the VLE
Total final word count for Part 3: between 2000-2500 words (excluding bibliography).
Title (max 50 words)
This should give an outline of your research topic. If appropriate use a title and a subtitle. You need to get specific and refine the title to capture your research as best as possible.

How the use of social networking sites, predominately Facebook, has changed the way in which we communicate with each other.


Summary (Stage 2 = max 1000 words, Stage 3 = 1500)
Here you should indicate what you already know about the topic. You should already have done some reading around it. Summarise this reading with regards to the research topic and describe the research area. This will provide the basis for a literature review.

Social networking has completely changed the way we use the internet. Before social networking became such a powerful entity, the only quick ways of communicating efficiently through the internet were applications such as MSN messenger and email. Social networking sites have taken both of these concepts and have put them into each of their individual product. Facebook in particular have done this remarkably well, creating a product that involves the user so well they just have to use the site. The inclusion of ‘share on Facebook’ links on many websites has meant that Facebook is quickly becoming a site which is almost impossible to avoid when using the internet. Because of this product which has been so addictively marketed and designed that 350million of its 500million plus users have claimed to have some sort of addiction to use it. This addiction has been given the title “Facebook Addiction Disorder’ and a problem of curing such a disorder is that people who work professionally to cure addictions are themselves using Facebook and other networking site and may even be suffering themselves. Numbers of people accessing the site from its creation has grown at an astonishing rate and continues to do so, whilst the number of ‘active’ users is not much smaller than the amount of people signed up to the website, making it a site which is regularly visited by most of its total users. Per month 700 billion minutes are spent on Facebook, 50% of active users log on to Facebook every day and there are more than 500 million active users on the site. There are also 200 million users accessing Facebook through their mobiles with figures saying that these people who use their phones to access Facebook are on average twice as active on the site. Some of the many reasons Facebook is so successful is the rapidity of replies and the vast library of different features from photos to instant chat to its thousands of add-on applications. No other Social network can be used as intuitively or as enjoyably as Facebook is, making it obvious why it has over half a billion worldwide users and why it is used so religiously.
All of these features and users make Facebook an invaluable source of entertainment and communication but it is not all good.
One of the many dangers of using social networking is that your information will end up in the wrong hands or of people you don’t want to see your information. It is said that in the future, employers and Universities will google an applicants name to check for anything that may be undesirable. This will inevitably lead them to a social networking page, most likely Facebook and to the hoards or drunken and disorderly photos from various nights out. These may have been put up without the thought of who would be able to search and see them but it may be quit e a costly decision.
Another problem is of who actually owns the information stored on each Facebook page. Theoretically when photos and statuses are posted onto the Facebook site these belong to Facebook themselves, leaving each user open to the possibility that Facebook decide to sell all information off to other companies with massive gain. This is obviously something that is unlikely to happen but is definitely something to consider when putting up photos or any other incriminating content.
With all this open access to profile information showing what people are doing, there has become less need to speak to each other individually, one to one communication must have changed and become less important then it used to be. Along with the new location-based social networking software such as “places’ it has become easy to find out where a person is a at any point in time. This obviously this opens up privacy issues and opportunities for any unwanted attention be that through stalking or worse. Some users who use such features may be unaware of the dangers involved in posting where they are, there have been cases of people posting their location at a bar for example and burglars see this and go rob their house.
There have also been worries over who might be using Facebook to talk to each other. There have been reports of Islamic Extremists using the site as there is very little security in regards to what can be sent over Facebook chat. More stringent security checks are implemented for articles, links and information posted on a users wall but this is more to do with links and images. There are worries of how easy it would be for extremists to pass information between each other.
I will explore how email has been surpassed in some ways by social networking, just as email became a better solution in some situations to using postal services.



(Continued over)
Aims: Why are you doing this? (max 100 words)
These are a general statement on the intent or direction for the research – why are you doing this? Refer to theoretical aims and practical ones where relevant. For example: How might this improve your design practice? How does it contribute to the discourses within your discipline? Who else might benefit from your research? Is it aimed at an academic or a wider audience? What do you hope your research will achieve? State your aims concisely, perhaps using bullet points.

My aim of this dissertation is to discuss and explore the changes in how people communicate through social networking site. The ways in which people have adapted to using the site and how these adaptions can be used against them. I will look at Facebook Addiction Disorder, researching how and why it has become such a widespread problem. I will also look at how businesses are implementing social network into a business environment to be advantageous but avoiding creating any security risks. I also plan to talk about how social networking has overtaken previous generation products such as email.


Objectives: What will you produce? (max 100 words)
Objectives are the things you will produce in doing the dissertation, e.g. a review of the relevant literature, a collection and discussion of people’s experiences/opinions, an assessment of a debate or collection of work etc.
Like your aims, these will help your tutor (and you) assess your success. They may change over time but aims and objectives are useful to keep you focussed. Again be concise here – you may want to use bullet points.

To discuss the changes that have occurred to the mass uptake of social networking in regards to communication.
To speak of the dangers of using social networking openly and without privacy.
To discuss who owns the information on Facebook, is it still the users or is it that of Facebook.





Keywords (min 5 and max 10)
This should be a list of key terms that help us see if you are aware of where your research ‘sits’. For example, if you are writing on depictions of women in advertising your list might include ‘gender, feminism, representation, advertising, semiotics’. Keywords will help you when doing electronic searched for research materials.

Facebook Communication Addiction Social Networking Internet socialisation


Expanded Bibliography (min of 24 books, articles, websites)
Place here alphabetically a list of materials which you intent to use for you dissertation. Format these according to the Harvard Method.
Please make sure you have critically assessed these as being appropriate for your topic and write a short paragraph for each one summarising the content and its relevance to your research area.


1 The Neilsen Company, Jan 2010, Led by Facebook, Twitter, Global time spent on Social Media sites up 82% year on year. Neilsenwire [blog] 22 January 2010, Available at [Accessed November 2010]

This blog post gives up to date facts and figures, as well as graphs to indicate the growth of social networking sites around the globe.

2 OFCOM, 2008, Social Networking- A quantitative and qualitative research report into attitudes, behaviours and use. OFCOM [report]

This report gives an in depth view of users of social networking sites as of 2008. This 72 page report is very indepth describing many different areas and issues surrounding social networking.

3 Fred Stutzman (2006). Student life on the Facebook. 1/08/2006. Unit Structures [online]. [Accessed 28/11/10]. Available from: .

This report/study if focusing on students who study at the UNC-Chapel Hill over the course of a semester. How they use Facebook, how they communicate and their behaviours.

4 Harvey Jones and Jose Hiram Soltren 2005. Facebook : Threats to privacy. 14/12/2005. [online]. [Accessed 28/11/10]. Available from

A paper which looks into the affects that facebook has on our privacy. Looking at MIT students, and how information can be accessed and used against users.

5 Neil Selwyn. 2010. Facebook seminar paper - Selwyn. [ONLINE] Available at: . [Accessed 01 December 2010].


This seminar paper talks of the importance of Facebook within the student community for both personal and social roles.

6 The Social Network. 2010. [Film]. David Fincher. Columbia Pictures.

A film based on the true story of the creation of Facebook. It follows Marc Zuckerberg on his journey to being the worlds youngest billionaire.

7 Research Paper: How Facebook and Myspace Affect Communication in the Physical World « Dan491213′s Blog. 2010. Research Paper: How Facebook and Myspace Affect Communication in the Physical World « Dan491213′s Blog. [ONLINE] Available at: . [Accessed 01 December 2010].

This paper is the result of 7 questions asked of teens regarding their actions towards the use of Facebook and other social networking sites.

8 Karel Baloun, 2006. Inside Facebook: Life, Work and Visions of Greatness.

A book about Karel Baloun’s experience being inside the social networking site of Facebook and how the site has developed and become such a success.

9 Danah Michele Boyd, 2008. Taken Out of Context- American Teen Sociality in Networked Publics [thesis] [accessed 30/11/10] Available at:
< http://www.danah.org/papers/TakenOutOfContext.pdf>

This ethnographic thesis paper studies American teens and how their engagement with social networking site both aids and complicates socialising between peers.

10 BBC NEWS | Programmes | Click | Identity 'at risk' on Facebook. 2010. BBC NEWS | Programmes | Click | Identity 'at risk' on Facebook. [ONLINE] Available at: [Accessed 05 December 2010].

A news report showing how easy information is accessed on Facebook from pages despite the high security level used on profiles, using an application to track information.

11 Facebook fans do worse in exams - Times Online . 2010. Facebook fans do worse in exams - Times Online . [ONLINE] Available at: [Accessed 05 December 2010].

This newspaper article talks of the detrimental effect that that Facebook has over education and that it significantly lowers the grade of student s using the site compared to the students who don’t.
12 Social websites harm children's brains: Chilling warning to parents from top neuroscientist | Mail Online. 2010. Social websites harm children's brains: Chilling warning to parents from top neuroscientist | Mail Online. [ONLINE] Available at: [Accessed 05 December 2010]

A newspaper article talking of the harm that using Facebook can have to children and other users, saying that concentration levels lower through use of the site.
13 Fortino, A.; Nayak, A.;. (2010). An architecture for applying social networking to business. Applications and Technology Conference (LISAT), 2010 Long Island Systems . 1 (1), 1-6.

This paper talks of how important Social networking is in a business environment with aiding the company, but without creating security risks. It talks of professional networking, professional communication, professional knowledge bases and professional collaboration.

14 Fusco, S.J. ; Michael, K. ; Michael, M.G. ; . (2010). Using a social informatics framework to study the effects of location-based social networking on relationships between people: A review of literature.Technology and Society (ISTAS), 2010 IEEE International Symposium on. 1 (1), 157.

This symposium gives a review of literature of the emerging mobile application area known as location-based social networking. It questions ‘What effects does location-based social networking have on relationships between people’.

15 Haron, H. ; Yusof, F.B.M. ; . (2010). Cyber stalking: The social impact of social networking technology. Education and Management Technology (ICEMT), 2010 International Conference on . 1 (1), 237.

This talks of cyber stalking, and projects this as bad a example of failed communication. It also gives interviews of cyber stalking victims. $ types of cyber stalking- harassing, impersonation, threatening and intimidating.

16 Facebook Addiction Disorder (FAD) - A New Challenge? . 2011. Facebook Addiction Disorder (FAD) - A New Challenge? . [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.fenichel.com/facebook/. [Accessed 12 March 2011].

Talks of how addiction to social networking has taken over. Talks of how everything has become connected with each other with sharing links to Facebook all over the internet. It also talks of how the people who cure addiction as a profession may be addicted themselves.

17 350million people are suffering from Facebook Addiction Disorder [FAD]. 2011.350million people are suffering from Facebook Addiction Disorder [FAD]. [ONLINE] Available at: http://sickfacebook.com/350million-people-suffering-facebook-addiction-disorder-fad/. [Accessed 12 March 2011]

Talks of how over 350 million people have claimed to be addicted to Facebook. Tells how access to Facebook in workplaces and education centres has become limited in an attempt to increase attention.

18 Matthew Fraser, 2008. Throwing Sheep in the Boardroom: How Online Social Networking Will Transform Your Life, Work and World. Edition. Wiley.

This book examines the power forces involved in the current e-revolution and how this effects our personal and professional lives.
19 Facebook: the darker side of social networking » The Journal. 2011. Facebook: the darker side of social networking » The Journal. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.journal-online.co.uk/article/2878-facebook-the-darker-side-of-social-networking. [Accessed 12 March 2011].

This article talks of the problems with social networking, saying hat the speed of delivery is a bad thing. It also points to the fact that it may be used in malicious ways, possibly terrorism.

20 Facebook’s aggregated news feed has changed the way people communicate. - Online Conference on Networks and Communities. 2011. Facebook’s aggregated news feed has changed the way people communicate. - Online Conference on Networks and Communities. [ONLINE] Available at:http://networkconference.netstudies.org/2010/04/facebooks-aggregated-news-feed-has-changed-the-way-people-communicate/. [Accessed 12 March 2011].

Talks of how the type of information which is being put onto Facebook is much more open from what used to be shared with everyone before social networking became so popular. People are not thinking what information should and shouldn’t be shared.

21 Hitwise says Facebook Most Popular U.S. Site . 2011. Hitwise says Facebook Most Popular U.S. Site . [ONLINE] Available at:http://techcrunch.com/2010/03/15/hitwise-says-facebook-most-popular-u-s-site/. [Accessed 12 March 2011].

This article shows the numbers of page views Facebook and Google have showing that Facebook’s page views have risen and risen while Google’s have stayed relatively steady even being beaten in some points by the social networking site.

22 First foursquare stalking case leads to social networking warning | Metro.co.uk. 2011. First foursquare stalking case leads to social networking warning | Metro.co.uk. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.metro.co.uk/news/852014-first-foursquare-stalker-case-investigated. [Accessed 12 March 2011].

This article talks of a case of stalking where a user of ‘Fourquare’ (a similar concept to that of Facebook places) was stalked and followed by someone who was searching where they were over a period of weeks. Indicating the possible issues with such applications which give information to the users whereabouts.


23 Mobile Social Networking Usage Soars [STATS]. 2011. Mobile Social Networking Usage Soars [STATS]. [ONLINE] Available at:http://mashable.com/2010/03/03/comscore-mobile-stats/. [Accessed 12 March 2011].

This site gives figures on the rapid uptake of use of social networks through mobile browsers, Facebook more than doubling in mobile browser usage in just a year.

24 Social Networking More Popular Than Email. 2011. Social Networking More Popular Than Email. [ONLINE] Available at:http://mashable.com/2009/03/09/social-networking-more-popular-than-email/. [Accessed 12 March 2011].

This article talks of the fact that email has become less popular and useful since social networking has made talking online so much quicker and easier.

Branding

The name we decided on for our cafe is 'The Tea Cosy Cafe'



The branding was done by both Sophie and Sarah. Making it seems as warm and inviting as possible.

Assignment 2b

Its been a while since i last posted anything on here but i will do a quick summary of what has gone on.

Beginning the Business proposal section of the module we had many different ideas for a company/service which would appeal to a post-consumer. These ranged from setting up an allotment to a 'Plant a tree' forest.
In the end we chose to create a business plan to set up an Eco Friendly Cafe in Dundee, as this is an area some of us knew a reasonable amount about the industry already.
We each took an area to research- i took up the role of researching running costs of a cafe.
I began by searching for any information which was readily available from other business models regarding running costs, rent, income, etc.
IN the second week, my role changed to research the price of internal appliances and equipment which would be required on the running of the cafe.
This included items such as coffee machines, fridges, cash register, furniture and crockery, cutlery.
Over the weeks we had to make decisions of what our company aims were.

We decided that our produce should be as local as feasibly possible.
That our products should be eco friendly, Fairtrade and organic.
That our cafe should appeal to all consumers, whilst having the ethos of a postconsumer business.

To decide what our cafe pricing and opening hours we researched other cafes in the area. We found that the majority of cafes were open 6 days a week and would normally have 2 or 3 employees on at a time. With regards to pricing our cafe, we looked at the what these other cafes were charging, adding a small premium due to all of the products being organic, Fairtrade, etc.
As all of the information of costings regarding food, drink, premises and equipment came through. I began to start a spreadsheet detailing all of the costs.
We also worked out the profits which could be made on a variety of available products to work out if the business plan was a viable one.
Mark up on most products was coming out at over 100% in most cases, telling us that this was a business which had the potential to be very lucrative.

Design Trust- Business Start-up

Chapter 4- Business Plan.

•You need to put customers at the heart of the business. The business plan needs to persuade them to part with their money.
•The business plan must be relevant to the audience and include the information that they require.
•Constantly revise your business plan plan. If some areas need changed don't hesitate to do so. Addressing issues before they become problems is a good way to gain respect.
•Use the business plan as a 'to do' list.
•Do not treat each part of the plan as a separate entity. Overlaps will show a clear picture of how the business will operate.
•Be realistic, dont be too optimistic. Don't put yourself under too much pressure, enjoy running your business.
•Understand your finances.

Chapter 5- Financing your Business

The Business start-up finance must include,

•purchasing or leasing of machinery, tools, vehicles, computers and basic office furniture and equipment.
•cost of leasing and fitting out premises, including structural alterations, rewiring, redecoration and refurbishment, installation of equipement and survey, legal and removal costs.
•purchase of any bought components, etc.
•initial working capital for overheads before customers begin to buy your product.
•a contingency plan to cover any un-budgeted costs.

Sources of Finance

•Savings. The more you put in the more you are likely to receive from finance companies.
•Family.
*Someone else working for the company.
•Someone with business experience who is willing to be your mentor.
•Your bank.
•A grant-making organisation.

Chapter 6- Premises

•Keep costs to a minimum. Identify all set-up and running costs before agreeing on a lease.
•Plan well- How much space do you need? how much is insurance?
•Check risks associated with materials you are working with.
•If premises is to be used as part showroom is it easy for customers to access? does it have adequate parking?
•Try to include space to speak to customers, but look into insurance issues.
•Contact estate agents, arts magazines, your local arts council, college notice board, local arts organisations and council for local studio space and other premises.
•Who is liable for the cost of maintenance and repairs? Are the lifts maintained? Is the electrical wiring safe?
•Is there 24hr access?
•What security arrangements are in place?
•What noise restrictions are in place?
•Speak to other tenants to find out any problems.
Are there subsidies available?

Working from Home

•Do you need planning permission?
•Does your lease or your local council prevent you running a business from home?
•Are there any restrictions such as access or privacy?
•What are the health and safety regulations?
•Can you get business insurance if working from home?
•Make sure that parking and loading are accessible.
•Check with neighbours that noise will not be an issue.
•Are there many distractions?
•Where will you meet clients? Is the environment look professional?
•Will you feel isolated working from home everyday?
•Cost your overheads correctly so you can cost work realistically.
•Make a professional and clear recorded phone message.
•Print professional letter heading and stationary.

Setting up a Co-Operative studio.

•Use a solicitor, each co-operative works in a different way and a proper legal contract is vital.
•Make sure you are not liable to pay the landlords solicitor fees for preparing the lease.
•Devise a set of house rules.
•Appoint one person to manage all bills and standing orders.
•Arrange regular meetings each month to discuss workshop and studio management.
•Ask people for advice.
•Always get more than one quote for any building work to be done on the premises.
•Do not pay in advance for work.
•Apply for funding as a group.
•Obtain a group bank account.
•If you need further advice, use the Citizens Advice Bureau.
•When running a co-operative studio, it is a good idea to get some basic business training.

Post Consumerism. Assignment 2a

DHTP Assignment 1 ctd. - VARK Test

At last weeks group meeting we all met up with predictions of each others result in the VARK test.
We discussed the results between ourselves revealing our true results and finding out whether or not our guesses were accurate regarding our other team mates. The true results follow-
Sophie- Reflector
Samantha- Reflector
Colette- Pragmatist
David- Activist
And I myself am also an Activist.
The guesses amongst the group were largely wrong which was surprising.
The results show that there is a bias toward Reflection in the group which may bring problems in the enterprise project of thinking too much about things without getting on with them. Im sure that this will not be the problem though as all of the four results possible can be found in some level within the group.

Dissertation summary- Neilsenwire Neilsen.com

Neilsenwire neilsen.com

Led by Facebook, Twitter, Global Time Spent on Social Media Sites up 82% Year over Year

This blog post refers to up to date information on time spent on social network websites worldwide. It also gives a 3 year trend of how hours and numbers of people world wide has increased over the years.

In December 2009, on average, consumers spent 5.5 hours a month on social networking sites, a 82% rise from the previous year. Also found to be rising was the traffic generated by these sites which has grown over the three year period studied. ‘Globally, social networks and blogs are the most popular online category when ranked by average time spent’ (December 2009)
‘Facebook was the number 1 global social networking destination in December and 67% of global social media users visited the site during the month’ This equates to 206.9 million unique visitors, which is a huge amount and is a massive number when compared to the total number of social network users, which is at 307.4 million users.
From December 2007 to December 2009, the number of consumers has risen from 210.9 million to the previously mentioned 307.4 million users. A massive jump, which shows the huge rise in popularity in the use of social networking sites. This jump may have something to do with the demise of Bebo and Myspace and the rise of sites such as Twitter.com which have taken off.
American figures show that consumers are continuing to spend more and more time on social networking sites and blogs with ‘total minutes increasing 210% year-over-year and the average time per person increasing 143% year-over-year in December 2009’. For Facebook and Twitter.com specifically ‘outpaced the overall growth for the category, increasing 200% and 368%, respectively.’
Twitter.com itself is still the ‘fastest-growing in December 2009 in terms of unique visitors, increasing 579% year-over-year, from 2.7 million unique visitors in December 2008 to 18.1 million in December 2009’ This rise is probably due to the usability of Twitter.com but also the fact that many famous icons like Steven Fry and Jonathan Ross as well as hundreds more use Twitter on a day to day basis, making it very appealing for fans to get involved with just to get to know what their idols are doing.
To prove the dominance of Facebook and Twitter, out of the 5 sites included in a bar graph plotting visitor numbers over the three years, they are the only sites that have grown considerably each year with Facebook taking massive leaps each year.
When the findings are separated up into separate countries, Australia has the highest average time spent per person on Social Media sites in December 2009 with an average of 6.52 hours spent in that month. The United States spends an average of 6.09 hours per month on these sites and close behind is the United Kingdom with 6.08 hours per month
This blog provides good numerical data and because it is over a three year period, despite not covering 2010 gives a good idea of the trending that Facebook and Twitter are a part of.