Now, place your skepticism aside, if you please. The article claims that it’s nothing stranger than chatting when you’re asleep: it’s a condition filed under ‘arousal disorder’. This occurs when the individual responds to an “outside stimulus but is not completely awake”, simply enough (Bindley 2013). There have been many registered cases in the recent past where the sleeping individual replies to conversations (both on the phone and in-person) – so why should this require a greater suspension of disbelief?

Before reading this article in the Huffington Post, I didn’t even think that this was a ‘thing’, to be honest. It’s weird in the sense that it’s unusual sleeping behavior and that it’s so common. Personally, I keep my phone on the nightstand beside my bed, as many of us do (or at least in the proximity of your room). Is this a serious concern? I’m not sure, but it’s not exactly what crises are made of.  There is an underlying issue if the individual blurs the lines between their waking hours and their sleep –this is not helped at all by our very busy daily schedules.

If technology is infiltrating our lives to the extent where we are making use of it while we’re unconscious, what does this bode for us in the future? Cell phone interfaces are only going to become easier to navigate. What else are our sleeping selves going to be capable of doing? Can any of our sleep-texts be manipulated against us? Many of us have developed the habit of blind texting (you know, typing out on the keypad without looking). Chances are your sleep-texts are fairly intelligible. What if you were to text something potentially incriminating while you were asleep? Is there a way a company can exploit this? Like for example, create an app that is easy enough to play in your sleep, whereby you rack up the game charges. They could make a ‘Dream Scene’ app where it promises the user an ‘ultimate’ sleeping experience. Then they’d get them to consent to ‘upgrades’. Maybe I’m just paranoid. Maybe I’m not. Maybe this is reading too much into this, but I think it’s worth following this trend with interest.

Original Article’s Link:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/14/sleep-texting-on-the-rise_n_2677739.html?utm_hp_ref=technology

-D. Bibi

As a student on the verge of polishing off a specialist in Visual Culture Communication at the University of Toronto Mississauga, I must occasionally fight the impulse to slap my forehead when I come across a business on Facebook attempting to join the webosphere for the first time. They tend to dive head first into the misconception that merely creating company profiles across every popular social media platform online is the quickest way to acquire a large, bustling community of followers and potential customers. While many a business will no doubt fail to see the inherent flaw in this bold venture to join the world of tweets, likes, reblogs and pins, I’m happy and relieved to announce that this is not the case for all age-old businesses who took to the cyberspace approach to increasing their client outreach.

Last week, I met up with Kiron Mukherjee, the voice of children’s programming at the Royal Ontario Museum. He graciously agreed to a casual interview about his job at the ROM and how it lends to the museum’s social media presence. In a nutshell, Kiron’s job involves overseeing every aspect of the ROM’s children’s programming, from the volunteers to instructors, ensuring everything runs the way it’s supposed to. And, of course, engaging with ROM enthusiasts as @ROMKids on Twitter.

“When I first started using Twitter, I found I didn’t have enough things to say. And I think if you do use social media, whatever it is – Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr- whatever it is you do, you have to do it well. And if you’re bad at it you shouldn’t be doing it. If you can’t have good content, then you shouldn’t be on there. If all you’re doing is broadcasting, ‘hey it’s time for this [museum] program’ every single day, you’re not connecting with your audience.”

Much has changed since the time when museums were just about as quiet as libraries; gone is the era of the hard-of-hearing tour guide leading a group of yawning patrons. As Kiron further explained, constantly barraging one’s own Facebook or Twitter page with regurgitated promotions and event invitations is the fastest way to lose the public’s interest and subscription. But building an interested and active audience is, thankfully, easy and doable if one was to simply take the time to sit back for a moment, observe, pick out the trends that work and then apply them.

“Part of our strategy for reaching out to parents in Toronto and to other potential participants is we do a
lot of social media work. There are only so many articles that I find are cool to retweet about every day.
And I realized, I’m working at this wonderful museum, I probably have a really cool job to some people
and right now there are so many fun things going on – what if I could show people what it looks like to
work here?

I found that with Tumblr, I could do a cool post about an artefact that I found from Egyptology for a
summer camp group, or I found that people are interested in what type of plaster I’m buying for this dinosaur tooth mould activity, so I would write about that. I found especially with parents, they want to see how much fun their kids are having, and so if I can show them some kids having fun here, and doing this cool art project, not only is that good content for us to put out but it’s something a parent can then later show their kids to encourage them to join in.

There’s a really burgeoning field on Tumblr specifically for museum groups. We use Tumblr to provide content for Twitter, but we’re really hitting two different audiences when we use it, so with Tumblr itself, we’re hitting people across the world, especially across North America and England, which when you go into the analytics of it, really increases our brand exposure. You don’t need to push it, you don’t have to push ‘hey, register for this program today’; all you’ve got to do is just say what you did at the museum today. You’re engaging and involving your audience in your excitement and experiences.”

Without a doubt, the mantra of quality over quantity rings true here in every way. The key to a
successful social media presence lies in a combination of good content, consistency, and engagement
with your audience. And if you’re ever running low on things to say or retweet, consider posting a
photo; challenge your audience to discover and decipher the message on their own; and treat them like
intelligent people.

- Mariya Y

ICCIT Council and the Department of Visual Studies Student Society (DVSSS) present the Portfolio Critique & Networking Night (PCNN).

*Are you pursuing a career in a creative industry? Want to know if you would be hired based on the experience you present in your resume/CV or the work in your portfolio, and what you can do to improve?*

For all UTM students seeking a career in a creative industry, this will be the night where you can bring your portfolio/resume/CV for feedback from industry professionals and have the opportunity to ask them professional questions too.

Part 1: Portfolio/resume/CV critiques
Students will present their portfolio of work, or resume, or curriculum vitae (whichever item is appropriate to the industry), to the representative of their choice.

Part 2: Networking Mixer
The free-for-all networking portion of the night gives you the freedom to approach any representative you want, ask them questions pertaining to their career, or follow-up on your portfolio critique.

Snacks and refreshments will be served.

Registration is FREE and is now OPEN @ www.ccitcouncil.com/pcnn.
Limited spots available.

Prepare well – check out our website for tips on how.

Prep Workshops – highly recommended!
*DVS (February 8, 12-2PM, CC 2150): https://www.facebook.com/events/336136136502744/
*ICCIT (February 13, 6-9PM, DV 3140): https://www.facebook.com/events/150371618452171/

*Show them your best, and learn how to become better*
Bring your work and represent UTM well!

For more information: www.ccitcouncil.com/pcnn

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ICCIT Council:
http://ccitcouncil.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/ICCIT-Council/231432220254905

DVSSS:
http://dvsss.tumblr.com/
https://www.facebook.com/DVSStudentSociety

Supported by Ian Orchard Student Initiatives Fund & Dean’s Academic Society Initiative Prize (www.utm.utoronto.ca)

Download the CCIT Council Committee Application Form, fill it out, and submit via e-mail to info@ccitcouncil.com. You may also pick up a copy and drop it off at the CCIT Council Office (CC2170).