User-generated video and the online public sphere: Will YouTube facilitate digital freedom of expression in Atlantic Canada

Democracy relies on freedom of expression and the opportunity for citizens t

Summer

This study analyzes short vlogs posted to YouTube in order to investigate how women and men communicate using vlogs and react as viewers to vlogs. Vlogs are visual texts that are usergenerated. Analyzing online videos presents a new challenge for researchers: traditionally, analysis of visual media and communication focused on either the production or the reception of the material. Our vlog study uses a dual analytical approach to analyze both production and reception, while conducting content, visual and audience analysis, thus making a contribution to the field of new visual media and communication. ______________________________________________________________________________ Heather Molyneaux is an analyst in the People-Centred Technologies group at the National Research Council Institute for Information Technology. Correspondence to: NRC Institute for Information 2 Producing and sharing user-generated video, known as "video blogging," has recently become popular with millions of people. Video blogs, also known as "vlogs," are blogs created in video rather than textual form. Vlogs are a form of online publishing, allowing everyone with web access and simple video production tools -such as a computer and a webcam or a cell phone with video capabilities -to create and post content. Most vlogs are authored by individuals and focus on personal themes . Like blogs, vlogs are a user-generated form of online communication that serve as media for social commentary, alternative newscasts, creative outlets or personal online diaries. We chose YouTube as an obvious source of online videos and a potential user community. YouTube is currently the most popular online video website and hosts more videos than rival video sites This study analyzes short vlogs posted to YouTube in order to investigate how and why people communicate using vlogs, and how viewers react to vlogs. In particular we examine potential uses of user-generated video for women, and how women are creating vlogs and using YouTube. Analyzing online videos presents a new challenge for researchers: traditionally, analysis of visual media and communication focused on either the production or the reception by different actors. Our study's dual analytical approach thus makes a useful contribution to the field of new visual media and communication. Our initial findings reveal gender differences in both vlog creation and YouTube use. Analyzing vlogs Videos are complicated texts requiring careful analysis conducted via various methods. Even though visual analysis is complex and the results usually subjective, videos need to be examined because they are becoming increasingly important in contemporary culture. Videos can aid communication by increasing communication richness, empowering those who develop their own videos and encouraging identity formation among users. Users benefit because video channels allow them to communicate in a more natural way resembling face-to-face communication New technologies could potentially change traditional social and political hierarchies and transform the boundaries between the private and the public Navarro, 1993, Milliken et al, 2008). New technologies also create new spaces for interaction and participation. At the same time, however, such technologies serve to widen gaps to access. Marginalized or minority groups are especially vulnerable to this phenomenon. Communication technology could play a role in turning women's talk into voice but there are limitations Another concern with the visual representation of women is exploitative images that present women not as subjects but as objects for the male gaze Although intervention is difficult, socially constructed meanings are neither fixed nor unalterable User-generated video on YouTube is just beginning to be examined by scholars. Little is known about who creates these videos, why they post them and who watches them Research methodology The research methods included a content and visual analysis of vlogs on YouTube and a study of YouTube users. Content analysis enables researchers to determine, through careful observation and analysis, the major themes in media content. We conducted our content analysis to explore who is vlogging, how audiences respond to vloggers and the influence of gender on these variables. Interpretations of vlogs change according to place, time and the audience; however visual messages have dominant meanings that provide interpretive boundaries for the decoding of messages 4 We conducted a content analysis on a random sample of YouTube vlogs. At the time of the study there was no obvious category on YouTube for vlogs so we conducted an initial search on YouTube using the term "blog" which returned more than 30,000 entries available for general viewing. For our population we chose vlogs posted over a 15-day period, from October 6 to October 21, 2006. To enable comparison among potentially similar vlogs, vlogs longer than three minutes and non-English vlogs were excluded, leaving us with a population of 1,028 vlogs. Using a listing of random numbers (RAND, 2001) we randomly selected 100 numbers between 1 and 1,028 and selected the vlogs corresponding to these random numbers. The quantitative analysis conducted on this sample is accurate within a 90% confidence level and a 7.8% error level. Since we were counting number of views for each vlog, we waited one month from the time of initial posting to the coding of the video. The vlogs and the profiles of the vloggers were coded for a number of variables, including gender, age, location, audience, message, motivation, technical quality (both audio and visual), and the number of views. Cohen's Kappa for these variables averaged .85. The final aspect of the research was an audience analysis of vlogs. We collected data on the number of views of each of the vlogs within the random sample and the views and comments from the YouTube site on the four videos analyzed in greater detail. We also conducted a study of 60 participants who were YouTube users. These participants were recruited from a university in Atlantic Canada. The study was designed to include an equal number of males (30) and females (30). Participants viewed the four vlogs described above, in a random order presented in their questionnaire. The study participants completed a paper questionnaire comprised of demographic questions and a section for feedback on the video blogs. Participation took approximately 45 minutes and participants were given a $10 honorarium. Research findings and discussion Our research findings are presented according to the three different methodological and analytical approaches we used, described above. The results of the content analysis conducted on the random sample of our population and the findings from the visual analysis of four vlogs and audience analysis are discussed. Content analysis -the vloggers A content analysis of the characteristics of vloggers in our random sample revealed that the majority of vlogs featured a single participant. Men posted vlogs more than women -58% to 33%; the gender of the vlogger could not be determined for the remaining 9%. When vlogs contained more than one participant, the majority of secondary participants were also male. Most vloggers, 61%, were adults ranging in age from 20 to 50 years, although about one-third, or 36%, were younger. The age of the vlogger could not be determined for 3% of the vlogs. The average age of the main vlog participant was 23 years. There was no great difference in the ages of men and women vloggers: the average age of men was 24, while the average age of women was 21. These findings are not surprising; studies done on internet use in the U.S. show that college students, who have greater access to technology, are frequent internet video users. A 5 2007 PEW internet study indicates that young adults, ages 18-29 are the most avid viewers of online video in the United States Text information posted on the user profiles occasionally differed from that stated in the actual video blog. The most popular misreported information was age. The researchers found four cases of vloggers posting on their profile a different age than they state in the video blog. In all four cases the vloggers were young women, ages 12, 14, 15 and 15, who reported their age in their profile as older than their actual age -86, 22, 20 and 46. Content analysis -the vlogs For our analysis we coded each vlog into one of five categories that we created: personal, public, entertainment, YouTube, and technology. The categorization was based on the message of the video. Personal vlogs offer viewers introductions to the vloggers' personal lives, provide updates on their lives, or act as home movies. Public vlogs report or discuss the news or politics, or offer social commentary. Entertainment vlogs consist of comedy routines, musical numbers, acted skits or dancing or a combination of these elements. YouTube vlogs are videos where people either ask questions for others to answer, respond to questions asked by other vloggers, or discuss other vlogs on YouTube. Technology vlogs either discuss technology or test out equipment. Herring, et al, note in their study of blogs that more bloggers discussed personal matters than any other category Content analysis -image and audio quality The quality of the vlog did not differ by the gender of the vlogger. When coding for quality the researchers took a basic approach, coding for three categories (excellent, acceptable and poor) for the quality of the image and sound. Men and women vloggers scored very similar ratings across the board. The videos created by women vloggers had slightly better image quality, and slightly poorer sound quality than those created by men

Case Reports1. A Late Presentation of Loeys-Dietz Syndrome: Beware of TGFβ Receptor Mutations in Benign Joint Hypermobility

Background: Thoracic aortic aneurysms (TAA) and dissections are not uncommon causes of sudden death in young adults. Loeys-Dietz syndrome (LDS) is a rare, recently described, autosomal dominant, connective tissue disease characterized by aggressive arterial aneurysms, resulting from mutations in the transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ) receptor genes TGFBR1 and TGFBR2. Mean age at death is 26.1 years, most often due to aortic dissection. We report an unusually late presentation of LDS, diagnosed following elective surgery in a female with a long history of joint hypermobility. Methods: A 51-year-old Caucasian lady complained of chest pain and headache following a dural leak from spinal anaesthesia for an elective ankle arthroscopy. CT scan and echocardiography demonstrated a dilated aortic root and significant aortic regurgitation. MRA demonstrated aortic tortuosity, an infrarenal aortic aneurysm and aneurysms in the left renal and right internal mammary arteries. She underwent aortic root repair and aortic valve replacement. She had a background of long-standing joint pains secondary to hypermobility, easy bruising, unusual fracture susceptibility and mild bronchiectasis. She had one healthy child age 32, after which she suffered a uterine prolapse. Examination revealed mild Marfanoid features. Uvula, skin and ophthalmological examination was normal. Results: Fibrillin-1 testing for Marfan syndrome (MFS) was negative. Detection of a c.1270G > C (p.Gly424Arg) TGFBR2 mutation confirmed the diagnosis of LDS. Losartan was started for vascular protection. Conclusions: LDS is a severe inherited vasculopathy that usually presents in childhood. It is characterized by aortic root dilatation and ascending aneurysms. There is a higher risk of aortic dissection compared with MFS. Clinical features overlap with MFS and Ehlers Danlos syndrome Type IV, but differentiating dysmorphogenic features include ocular hypertelorism, bifid uvula and cleft palate. Echocardiography and MRA or CT scanning from head to pelvis is recommended to establish the extent of vascular involvement. Management involves early surgical intervention, including early valve-sparing aortic root replacement, genetic counselling and close monitoring in pregnancy. Despite being caused by loss of function mutations in either TGFβ receptor, paradoxical activation of TGFβ signalling is seen, suggesting that TGFβ antagonism may confer disease modifying effects similar to those observed in MFS. TGFβ antagonism can be achieved with angiotensin antagonists, such as Losartan, which is able to delay aortic aneurysm development in preclinical models and in patients with MFS. Our case emphasizes the importance of timely recognition of vasculopathy syndromes in patients with hypermobility and the need for early surgical intervention. It also highlights their heterogeneity and the potential for late presentation. Disclosures: The authors have declared no conflicts of interes

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Creating a Customized and Sustainable Interface for CARLI Digital Collections

CARLI Digital Collections (CDC) is a repository of digital content created and shared by member libraries of the Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois (CARLI). CARLI currently hosts and manages over to sixty-five primary-source research collections in CONTENTdm digital collection management software. The CDC collections are hosted on a central CARLI server with the vast majority of collection items and metadata created and uploaded by member libraries. Collections are made up predominantly of image files. Most collection objects have been cataloged using Dublin Core metadata elements, and contributing institutions are asked to adhere to guidelines adopted by CARLI, including technical guidelines for digitization and metadata. Up until recently, the interface for the CDC included minimal customizations and relied on out-of-the-box navigation. CARLI and the CARLI Digital Collections Users’ Group determined in 2009 that the CDC interface should be more fully customized to showcase and improve access to and discovery of the collections’ unique content. To that end, a consultant was hired to work with CARLI staff to apply sustainable customizations to the CONTENTdm web templates. The redesign focused on applying the consortium’s local style guidelines while incorporating unique design elements that would meet the functional needs of member libraries and collection users. Customization project team members will present on the collaborative interface redesign process, with specific focus on how the consortium succeeded in incorporating consistent layout and navigation across individually branded collections without overburdening CARLI staff with custom elements that would require excessive, on-going maintenance to support

Participatory Multi-Site Videoconferencing at River Valley Health

Participation and engagement are foundational to a successful multi-site videoconference. NRC-IIT is working with River Valley Health (RVH) in New Brunswick to identify and help implement best practices for participatory multi-site videoconferencing (MSV) for non-clinical health administration.La participation et l'engagement sont essentiels au succ\ue8s de la vid\ue9oconf\ue9rence multisite. L'ITI CNRC et la R\ue9gie Sant\ue9 de la Vall\ue9e (RSV) (Nouveau Brunswick) coop\ue8rent \ue0 \ue9tablir et \ue0 mettre en \u153uvre les pratiques exemplaires de la vid\ue9oconf\ue9rence multisite (MSV) pour l'administration non clinique de la sant\ue9.NRC publication: Ye

The Benefits of Perceived Ease of Use and Usefulness in Multi-Site Videoconferencing

Peer reviewed: NoNRC publication: Ye

The Project-Funding Regime: Complications for Community Organizations and their Staff

Various levels of government contract-out the provision of public services such as health and education to community organizations, which have traditionally received core funding for these services. In recent years, however, with the adoption of neoliberal policies and New Public Management ideals, Canadian federal and provincial governments have increasingly off-loaded the provision of social services to community organizations through a project-funding regime. Community organizations and their workers now find themselves facing new challenges created by this new funding regime. This article explores the ways in which the daily lives of these workers have been organized and influenced by project-funding regime procedures and rules, which benefit the state but create hardships for workers. This analysis draws on staff interviews and focus group data collected from three community organizations in three provinces across Canada. The qualitative analytic approach includes both a thematic analysis and the identification of practices that benefit the institution but complicate worker activities, as identified by the Psycho-Social Ethnography of the Common-Place method, which borrows from Institutional Ethnography. Through the analysis of procedures of increased accountability, short-term funding, hiring on contract, use of information and communication technologies, and forced partnerships, the authors delineate the ways in which a neoliberalized ruling system benefits and manages staff activities while complicating the lives of the workers. Recommendations and responses to this situation are discussed.Diff\ue9rents paliers de gouvernement donnent la prestation de services publics comme la sant\ue9 et l'\ue9ducation en sous-traitance \ue0 des organismes communautaires, et ceux-ci recevaient traditionnellement un financement de base pour la prestation de ces services. Depuis quelques ann\ue9es, cependant, en raison de l'adoption de politiques n\ue9olib\ue9rales et d'id\ue9aux de la nouvelle administration publique, les gouvernements f\ue9d\ue9ral et provinciaux du Canada d\ue9l\ue8guent de plus en plus la prestation de services sociaux aux organismes communautaires, dans le cadre d'un r\ue9gime de financement de projets. Les organismes communautaires et leurs employ\ue9s doivent maintenant faire face \ue0 de nouveaux d\ue9fis d\ue9coulant de ce nouveau r\ue9gime de financement. Le pr\ue9sent article explore la mani\ue8re dont la vie quotidienne de ces employ\ue9s a \ue9t\ue9 organis\ue9e et influenc\ue9e par les proc\ue9dures et les r\ue8gles du r\ue9gime de financement de projets, qui profitent \ue0 l'\uc9tat mais cr\ue9ent des complications pour les organismes communautaires. Cette analyse est bas\ue9e sur des entrevues avec des employ\ue9s et sur des donn\ue9es de groupes de discussion recueillies aupr\ue8s de trois organismes communautaires dans trois provinces du Canada. L'approche analytique qualitative comprend \ue0 la fois une analyse th\ue9matique et l'identification de pratiques qui profitent aux institutions mais qui compliquent les activit\ue9s des employ\ue9s, comme l'a d\ue9montr\ue9 la m\ue9thode Psycho-Social Ethnography of the Common-place, qui emprunte \ue0 l'ethnographie institutionnelle. Par l'analyse de proc\ue9dures d'imputabilit\ue9 accrue, de financement \ue0 court terme, d'embauche par contrat, de l'utilisation de technologies de l'information et de la communication, et de partenariats forc\ue9s, les auteurs montrent comment le syst\ue8me n\ue9olib\ue9ral actuel profite du travail des employ\ue9s qu'il g\ue8re mais complique la vie de ceux-ci. Des recommandations et des solutions sont offertes pour faire face \ue0 cette situation.NRC publication: Ye

To use or not to use : clinicians' perceptions of telemental health

Equal access to mental health services is necessary for healthy individuals and communities. However, due to geographical distances and other barriers, some clients cannot easily access mental health professionals. Technologies such as videoconferencing for clinical purposes (i.e., telemental health) may help to bridge these gaps to connect clients and clinicians at geographically diverse locations. However, despite its potential utility, telemental health has not been widely adopted in Canada. This study is an exploratory investigation into mental health professionals\u2019 attitudes toward telemental health, factors that affect the frequency with which they use this technology, and their perceptions of individual characteristics which make clients more or less suitable candidates for telemental health. This study has a particular focus on remote and rural and Operational Stress Injury (OSI) contexts. One hundred and sixty mental health workers across Canada participated in an online survey, and twenty-five mental health workers from Operational Stress Injury clinics across Canada participated in in-person interviews. The data were examined using qualitative and quantitative analysis methods. Findings suggest that mental health workers have overall positive attitudes toward the use of telemental health \u2013 particularly for clients in remote and rural locations. Additionally, receiving training in telemental health, being in the mental health field for longer, and perceiving the technology as easy to use are associated with more frequent use of telemental health. Finally, clinicians reported specific client characteristics which they perceive to make some clients unsuitable candidates for telemental health. Implications of these findings and directions for future research are discussed.Peer reviewed: YesNRC publication: Ye

Older Adults and Video Communications: A Case Study

Research is absent on how older adults are using video communications – online video, video calls and videoconferencing – that offer rich opportunities for social connection. Our case study focuses on how and why 16 older adults (55 to 77 years old) in a small Canadian city are using video communications. We conducted quantitative and qualitative analyses to explore their use of video communications, their motivation for using it, the barriers and challenges they face, and the benefits they experience – in particular social presence. Our findings show that older adults are regular users of information and communication technologies (ICT). None of the participants in our study fit the ageist stereotype of frail or disinterested in technologies