Response to Kevin Kelly video

I was very surprised to learn that the internet is only 5,000 days old. Kelly comments that "it is amazing that we are not amazed by this." However, I am pretty amazed. I was completely unaware that so much could be developed and accomplished in somewhat of a small amount of time. I definitely thought the internet has been around longer than that because I can not remember a time without it. I found the different statistics that Kevin Kelly mentioned to be very interesting. It is overwhelming, and maybe even a little unsettling, to think that there are 100 billion clicks per a day, 2 million e-mails sent per a second, 55 trillion links present (which he then correlated with brain synapses), and more. The internet is a powerful source that seems to continue to grow in size everyday...or even every second.

Kelly went on to discuss what else is to come from the internet. The next 5,000 days are going to include the elements of embodiment, re-structuring, and co-dependence. He predicted that by 2040, the power and capabilities of 1 machine will exceed that of the human brain. This prediction is kind of disturbing. Do we really want machines taking over? Every individual item will be a part of the web. There will be a "sliver of the web" in each object. Interconnectedness will reach unimaginable extremes.

Finally, Kelly explains the concept of the "McLuhan reversal." McLuhan said that machines are the extensions of the human senses.
Kevin Kelly states, "humans will be the extended senses of the machine." It appears that the development of the internet is inevitable.

web 3.0

The internet, and technology in general, has come a long way since its humble beginnings. Computers were originally used mainly for researching and storing data. The world wide web is now used as both an educational and social tool. Current Web 2.0 revolves around user generated content, social media and networking, blogs, and more. It is a highly interactive experience. It is hard to imagine how much further the internet will develop and grow in the future to become even more personalized.

Web 3.0 is on the horizon and is predicted to be "our very own personal assistant." The search engine capabilities it will possess will be tailored to fit the individual needs and preferences of each user. Web 3.0 will be able to remember the likes and dislikes of each user and will provide them with results specific to their desires. The reading gave an example of Web 3.0 searching that will be able to store information from past searches about what kind of food a person likes and where they are, and then give them restaurants in their results that are specific to the researcher's location and taste, along with directions on how to get there. Overall, I believe that there are both positive and negative effects that will come from Web 3.0. Its highly advanced features (search capabilities, mashups, 3D viewing, etc) will be useful, educational, and entertaining to the public. However, I anticipate that by making everything SO much easier, Web 3.0 will contribute to society's dependence on technology, inability to disconnect, and laziness.

illustrator visual

illustrator questions

1. Describe what kind of visual component you would like to create to accompany your essay

I would like to create a visual component that displays the theme of social networking. On google images, I found a colorful image that depicts people on computers, with conversation bubbles over their heads, connected to other social network users through a series of arrows. It shows a kind of "web" of communication between several individuals. I would like to download that image to illustrator and enhance it with different tools to make it brighter and more eye-catching. I want my visual to have a blending of multiple colors, shapes, and images because it represents how society's use of online/ social networking communication has become kind of overwhelming and almost chaotic because we are constantly communicating and multi-tasking.

2. What tools/techniques in Illustrator / Photoshop will you be using?

I am going to use the sphere, rectangle, and star shape tools. I will also make use of the transparency effect and the different colors that are available. I plan to also use some of the special effect options such as 3-D, blur, and more.

3. How do you envision your completed digital illustration?

I envision my completed illustration to be clear and colorful. I think it will effectively display my theme of social networking and will make it easy for viewers to identify what my topic is.

Midterm paper

Social Networking and Society- Is it time to log off?

Our society has definitely turned into a “global village” that is continuously wired or connected to some sort of device. Even as I go to write this paper, I find myself glancing at my phone for new text messages, checking e-mails, and changing the song playing on my iPod. This is the new way of our world. We are constantly multi-tasking and no longer function without our media tools close at hand. In my Communication in Society class, we discussed the following quote by Walter Ong: “Technologies are not mere exterior aids but also interior transformations of consciousness.” I agree with Ong’s comment. Technology has far exceeded its original professional uses and has seeped into our personal lives. Social networking sites in particular, are found at the forefront of this media technology epidemic. I found a report online from last April that stated Facebook having 200 million users. I think it is safe to assume, at this point, the Facebook population is even larger. There is an exponential increase in the number of accounts made on social networking sites every day. This online phenomenon interests me because it is something that is used by the masses, myself included, and is currently reaching people all around the world. Something this huge has definitely resulted in a change in the way society communicates, thinks, and interacts with one another.

Some of us may try to argue that we don’t have an addiction to Facebook or that we don’t really need our social networking sites. However, I believe we can all see a glimpse of ourselves in the following excerpt I found online: “So, what's the deal between you and Facebook? Some days ago, you felt cornered by it, like it was damaging your real relationships, like it was chocking your real life. So you bid your 546 Facebook friends goodbye with one last poke, stating mood unhappy and left the virtual world with a swift click of your mouse. You did it for the sake of your marriage, for the sake of your life in general. The virtual death of your Facebook profile, of a profile you had been creating for so long, systematically and methodically, was peaceful, yet abrupt. But so was its resurrection. Less than two weeks later, you were active and sound again” (Pomoni). The escape from social networking, in this media-centered age, is next to impossible. As we saw in the “Digital Nation” documentary, it has affected each of us in the behavioral, attitudinal, and cognitive arenas. Nowadays, a relationship isn’t legitimate unless it is listed on your profile and dubbed “Facebook official.” Privacy is a thing of the past as outsiders now have access to your personal pictures and conversations. Communication may seem easier to people who can type and post things they normally wouldn’t say in person. We have online friends we’ve only met once in real life, upload and tag pictures after every social gathering, spend time composing comments to friends, download applications and pages, join groups, RSVP to events, and waste hours upon hours searching people and then examining all of their recent Facebook activity. I feel like even when we aren’t logged on to our social network, we are still thinking about it and even talking about things we saw on various pages. It is sad, but true. I am just as guilty as the next person for falling victim to Facebook's powers. I know it has affected the way I communicate and think. For example, from my personal experience, I sometimes just rather Facebook message someone to ask a question rather than meeting them in person or calling them. I also enjoy looking at photo albums on Facebook and spend a vast amount of time browsing through and sharing pictures with friends. Facebook has become my “go-to” procrastination tool. Avoiding work, I surf from one Facebook profile to another. My friends and I have coined this pastime as “facebook-stalking,” as we sit in the living room and chat about whose saying what to who, who was tagged in a new picture, who has a strange status posted and more.

The effects of social media/networking are obvious and through both research and experience, I have noticed that its biggest influence has been on interpersonal communication and relationships. Interpersonal communication entails an emotional and psychological closeness (Booth-Butterfield). When you are interpersonally communicating you tend to have an element of openness with the other person and communicate freely, beyond the expected societal roles. This type of communication has several principles that lead and build to interpersonal relationships (Booth-Butterfield). The principles and essentials to interpersonal communication and relationships mainly apply to face-to-face interactions so it interesting to observe the toll Facebook, social media, and other social networking sites have taken on this particular facet. There are two opposing opinions on whether social networking has had a positive or a negative effect on the interpersonal world. One view is that the development of different sites, such as Facebook, has improved relationships between people who can’t necessarily be together as much as they would like to. In numerous long-distance relationships, and friendships, it helps individuals to stay in touch and keep up to date with each other’s lives. However, these cases usually require a relationship to already be established between the two people involved. In these situations, social networks are simply a tool for the individuals to continue to take part in the deep and personalized emotional and psychological level of interpersonal communication while they are separated by distance. On the other hand, people who use social networking as a means for meeting new people could find it easier to reach this intimate level of interpersonal communication through the internet, but may not necessarily be able to translate this ability to their real life interactions. It is clear that a heavy reliance on social networking communication hinders face-to-face interpersonal abilities. The most free, open and special level of interpersonal communication involves being able to see the non-verbal and verbal cues of another while communicating with them. Without body language, tone, or more the interpersonal communication that takes place will lack in value. Developing actual friendships and relationships that include the use of close interpersonal communication will be proven difficult for those who can’t break beyond the computer screen barrier. The younger generation’s ability to hold conversations, and properly socialize, will be especially delayed due to their excessive use of social networking. Overall, my discoveries show it is undeniable that society’s use of social networking has permanently changed the interpersonal world.

Social networking sites are growing in popularity and will probably be long-lasting. In today’s world, we are going to have to expand and modernize our definition and understanding of interpersonal communication and relationships to include these online media interactions. However, I think it is safe to assume that the real psychological and emotional connection, made when communicating on the intimate interpersonal level, is of more substance when it takes place face-to-face and not behind the curtain of social networks. I believe that our consciousness has definitely been transformed. The way we talk, behave, process information, and live has been modified by becoming a part of this online community. Society has become quite different since that fateful day in 2005 when the most popular social networking site, Facebook, was launched and a race of social networking zombies was born. It will be interesting to see what the future of social media and social networking has in store.


References:

Booth-Butterfield, M. (2002). Interpersonal Essentials. Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.

Pomoni, C. (2009). The Negative Effects of Facebook. Retrieved February 7, 2010, from http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1946970/the_negative_effects_of_facebook.ht ml?cat=15

illustrator image

Project Proposal

For my mid-term project I would like to explore the effects that social networking and social media, specifically Facebook, has had on society. Social networking is such a vast online phenomenon that has definitely changed the way we communicate, think, and interact with one another. Using information from both research and experience, I will write about how the realm of interpersonal communication has been affected and how Facebook has transformed our consciousness.

Transparency and Social Media, Partner: Mary Treuer

1. We believe that instead of professional production values dropping, amateur user-generated content will get better over time. The amateur user-generated content will continue to improve because this is the direction general media and Web 2.0 is going in. The use of blogs, twitter, and other means of posting user-generated content is extremely popular and the number of users continues to increase each day. Online communication through blogs, chat rooms, social networking sites, and more have allowed for collaboration and the sharing of knowledge between users. The "Social Media and Web 2.0" article states that "through collaboration, people have shown in numerous projects what can be accomplished when many work willingly together and how their efforts can benefit even greater numbers of people." User-generated content sparks new ideas and innovations. The people composing posts may not necessarily be amateurs. The information being posted can come from experienced individuals from a certain field who may not be publicly recognized as "experts," but are technically qualified as one and display a vast amount of knowledge on their particular subjects. We also think that TV shows and advertisements will stay along the lines of the online trends in order to hold the public's interest. Like user-generated content, even the "homegrown" quality of production will continue to advance and improve over time.

2. The article we found is entitled, "Beautiful Olympics, vulgar closing ceremony." http://www.calgaryherald.com/entertainment/Beautiful+Olympics+vulgar+closing+ceremony/2631114/story.html

We would use the tags "Olympics," "Vancouver 2010," "sports," and "closing ceremonies." Delicious.com used the tags: "closingceremonies" and "vancouverolympics." From comparing the tags that delicious.com used and the ones we made up, we learned that they are both very similar. The article is based on a general and basic topic so the options for tags are somewhat limited. Both the tags that the website produced and the ones we developed allow people to find the article easily from any site and hi-light the main topics of the article.

3. Transparency is extremely important in the social media world. It is more important online

than offline. Trust, honesty, and openness are necessary for communicating through a social media medium and building relationships through this technology. People generally do not meet eachother in person when using social media, therefore they base their judgements and opinions of the other individual on what is being communicated to them. Misinforming someone through social media communication would have a negative effect on their online experience. Overall, transparency is key to creating an interactive and trustworthy online community.

Persuaders response

"The Persuaders" begins by questioning the increase in the amount of advertising we typically encounter in our daily lives. How would you assess the amount of advertising you see? Too much? Too little? Just right? In your view, what difference does it make to know that people today see much more advertising in their daily lives than people 20 or 30 years ago?

I think the amount of advertising one sees depends upon their lifestyle. The more time you spend on the internet, watching T.V., traveling, etc., the more advertisements you will encounter. I think I see more advertisements when I am at home than when I'm at school. I think our society is flooded with advertisements and organizations are constantly pushing a new idea or product. I tend to watch more T.V. at home so I encounter numerous advertisements in commercials. I also drive more while I'm home so I am constantly seeing signs and billboards for new items and services and hearing advertisements on the radio. On campus, I often see flyers for different events, clubs, and more. We also get menus and flyers from local businesses and restaurants who are trying to attract the nearby students. Overall, I think I would say the amount of advertisement I encounter at school is just right, but the amount I experience at home is a little excessive. I'm not surprised that we see more advertisements now than 20 or 30 years ago because it is just the natural progression and expansion of society and technology. There are more companies and businesses out there now and more mediums to send out advertisements through. I also think that people buy more now than they used to so advertisements must be pretty effective.

Digital Nation Response 2

This section of the documentary highlighted both positive and negative effects of technology. It showed how the growing use of laptops in middle and high schools helped students take part in a more interactive learning experience. In the example at the Bronx Middle School, it even helped to cut down on the amount of fights between students and the general chaos that normally took place in the halls and more. It did create somewhat of a distraction and I thought it was funny how the vice principal could open up the students' screens on his computer and catch them on photobooth and more. I think my own high school would have benefited from having students use laptops because it is good preparation for college where we rely on our computers for the majority of our work and communication. The other positive display of technology was with the portion about "Bubbe." I really enjoyed this segment about Bubbe and her online cooking show with her grandson. I think it would be beneficial for more elderly people to learn about the internet. Being able to use the internet will help them stay in contact with people, provide entertainment, and keep their brains active.

On the negative side, I think that the idea of "Second Life" and World of War Craft is a little ridiculous. I was surprised that companies actually used the Second Life program to conduct business and meetings. The executives created avatars and met up in conference rooms online instead of in person. The Second Life creators even lacked real desks/offices and phones at their headquarters and instead had elaborate offices in their Second Life world. The use of online socializing extended into the gaming world with World of War Craft. I was unaware of how popular World of War Craft was. The film showed scenes from a convention where these online friends were able to meet for the first time. I was shocked that people had built relationships that grew into marriages just from meeting on World of War Craft gaming missions. Sometimes it feels as though technology is taking over our lives. Finally, the documentary covered the military's use of technology. I was taken a back that they have the capability to use drones in combat. I think that this use of technology may have distanced the men from the actual severity of war. I think this practice is dangerous, especially seeing as there have been civilian casualties in a number of these cases.

The second portion of this film successfully depicted the two sides to the good and the bad of technology. After watching it, I came away questioning how much is too much? ..and has technology gone too far?

Digital Nation Response

From what we've watched so far, I found "Digital Nation" extremely interesting. I knew our population was 'addicted' to our various technology devices, but I was unaware of the severity of media technology in South Korea.

The first segment that showed MIT students on campus and in classrooms constantly texting, on Facebook, and more, reminded me of students here at Marist too. I think the extensive use of cell phones and the internet is universal for all students our age. These devices become our lifelines and we truly are 'constantly connected.' As numerous people in the film commented, "We wouldn't know what to do without them..even for a day!"

I was really blown away by the second part of the documentary that focused on how the younger generation in South Korea uses technology. I had no idea that they begin teaching about the internet to children at 6 or 7 years old. It was surprising, but also kind of humorous and unsettling. The young boys and girls were singing a song called "netiquette" that had lyrics in it about the "community of friends" you can have online. It seemed strange that they start at such a young age. I'm sure this contributes to how advanced their society is, but I don't know if it is healthy for a child to be taught how to surf the web in the second grade. The movie also discussed PC bars that are located throughout the cities, opened 24 hours a day, where kids can come and play video games as long as they like. This gaming obsession has led to the development of treatment centers for the addicted youth. It is like rehab for gamer addicts. I felt bad for kids who had to go to these camps and were struggling with their addictions. It is very bizarre and I think it is ridiculous how far this country has let the technology craze go.

I look forward to watching the rest of "Digital Nation" and seeing how these individual stories progress.

Web 2.0 defintions

Defintions under the "comment" option

Medium Collage

I decided to make my medium collage based on satellite radio. The first image I picked was the satellite, which is pictured above on the left. Broadcasts are projected from strong satellite signals that are able to extend beyond the original radio station ranges. I used the picture of the world to represent that satellite radio makes it possible for music, news, and more to reach a large audience of people from all different locations. Satellite radio has helped to mobilize music and reports (the message) for the everyday driver and that is why I included images of wheels on the bottom of the radio picture. Finally, I wanted it to appear that the notes were coming down from the satellite. These colorful notes in the background represent the audio (or the content) being played.

3 Mediums

1. Video Games: Video games are extremely popular. Video games are electronic games that provide entertainment to players. There are numerous consoles including: Nintendo, Play Station, Xbox, and more. The "gaming" scene has a rather large fanbase and new games, for all ages, are constantly being released.

2. Satellite Radio: Satellite radio is becoming more and more popular due to its ability to reach outside of the typical broadcasting ranges and its other various advanced features. Satellite radio provides listeners with commercial-free music from their favorite genres. It also keeps audiences up-to-date with the most sports and news coverage, weather reports, and traffic updates.

3. iPods/ iTunes : Apple, Inc. launched the iPod in 2001. There are 4 types of iPods: the shuffle, the nano, the classic, and the touch. The iPod features have expanded and developed over the years. iTunes provides easy access to downloading songs, videos, and more. iTunes and the iPod devices are convenient and combined, work to allow people to take their music, videos, and other media applications anywhere they go.