Ben Smith

2nd year student at the University of Reading.

[dennis-perry88-blog]

The Mandarin is not a threat but ISIS are

The video above, I am glad to say was fiction. Ben Kingsley is not coming to assassinate the president of the United States (at least I hope not!) The idea of the video in the film ‘Iron Man 3’ is that it is to be sent to the entirety of the world using the internet and television, both features of New Media. With the idea of virality and sharing in mind, it has an aim to not only challenge the leader of our modern world but also to strike fear into the hearts of those that might view it on the internet. It would, if it were a real publication, strike fear into the hearts of many. It is a truly terrifying psychological tool. While the ‘Mandarin’ is not real, extremist groups like ISIS are.

Enwazzi making threats of British, American and Japanese governments

That was Mohammed Enwazzi ( or Jihadi John as he is more commonly known.)Unlike ‘The Mandarin’, his threat was very real. In representation of ISIS/ISIL he posted numerous execution videos of innocent people on the internet. Enwazzi was an international terrorist who relied on the virality of the web to strike fear into the people that did not support his views. He made demands of the Japanese, the British and the United States. Without the massive connected network that the internet provides, would he have been able to strike the fear into half as many people as he did? I doubt it. The internet provides terrorists with the ability to spread their ideologies on a widespread basis, influencing more people than ever before to join their causes. Cyberterrorism is a very real thing because of New Media and it truly is very worrying.

[louisalanguageblog-blog]

How to photograph food

https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/how-photograph-food

The other day I stumbled upon this BBC link entitled ‘How to photograph food’. Living in a house of five girls I have become very aware that taking selfies requires a certain light, specific angle and the correct background. However I did not expect people to treat their food the same way.

Personally I can’t stand it when I’m out with friends, grabbing a bite to eat and I am ordered not to touch my food so that they can take a picture of it first. And it’s not just any picture; everything has to be carefully placed. The plate has to be turned to the right angle, the drinks are moved about so they are included in the picture and the lighting has to be perfect so I have to shift over from my window seat so that the food can get its share of natural light.

My question is what’s the point? I can’t taste the food through the screen. And sometimes aesthetically pleasing food is always taste bud pleasing. Likewise, sometimes ugly looking food tastes delicious.  

[samtyrrell-blog1]

It’s just not working anymore!

Breaking up with a girlfriend or boyfriend is never an easy task. There’s, Deciding what you want to say, where and how you are going to say it and how they will react to name a few aspects that need to be considered. However, with the help of the media, it is now becoming much easier to be the coward that you are and cut all ties with the simple click of a button. There are many ways in which this action can be done, each holding their own affordances and constraints. However, the invention of the mobile phone means we can avoid such messy situations and be free, without the potential embarrassment of doing it in public, or the harsh attack that could come your way.

 Now, being the complete savage that I am. Breaking up with my ex-girlfriend didn’t serve as too much of a difficult situation for me. With the trusty help of my mobile phone and a very long phone call, the deed was done and no more could be said or done about it. Was this the best way I could have done it? Probably not. Were there more moral ways of doing such an act that could have protected her feelings? Probably. 

The quite harsh point I’m trying to make, is that the creation of all this new media provides us with the ability to do things in an easier and more convenient way than if we weren’t to have it. There can’t be many negative points about something that allows us to do so many things at the click of a button, regardless of how shallow and cruel its making us…

[jacobnewmediablog-blog]

‘I think therefore I am’. When Descartes first wrote this in the 17th century he must’ve had no idea that people would still be talking about it 400 years later. But just how true is this statement today?

When the French philosopher made this relatively simple remark he was using it to prove we existed- if we can think, we must exist. In a simpler time when the piano hadn’t even been invented the concept of computers with a virtually infinite capacity of memory was far out of reach. Nowadays, we rely heavily on computers in our daily lives. Computers remember the past for us through photos, and sites like Google mean we don’t have to use our brains to filter information anymore- so just how much are we thinking?

These technological filters are a useful tool at our disposal; without them finding what we want from the endless banks of data on the internet would be a near impossible task.  But they don’t come without a cost.  Relying too heavily on technology in this way can be a slippery slope that we may not be able to climb out of.  By not using our brains to filter information, we may slowly lose the ability to filter information as well.  

This may not seem like the end of the world, but losing a basic skill is definitely not something on the top of my list!

[dennis-perry88-blog]

My Soulmate Google

Google has become one of the most powerful computer sites in the world. The question is asked by many of us: ‘How do search engines even make any money?’ They’re just really handy right? They don’t sell anything so how in the world can they make anything? The truth is shocking and it is the last thing that some people might expect, but their product is in fact; YOU. Google is a metaphorical soulmate to all of us. Every question we ask, it listens. Every question we have, it is always there with the answers. Recording every detail of our being, Google knows all of our habits.  Blissfully unaware we go about our day to day internet surfing, unaware of the fact that major internet webpages are looking over our shoulder, trading and swapping our interests like stockbrokers on wall street. These profiles provide advertising companies with the opportunity to wave whatever we like in our faces, encouraging us to spend spend spend. We take it for granted that everything is fine, it is safe. I mean, its Google right? Everyone uses it! Just stop. Stop for one second, open your mind and let me ask you a question. Are you really ok with that? Do you have any problem with the fact that google knows your likes and your dislikes? Everything in fact, stretching from your allergies to your favourite shopping site. If one random person in the world knew everything about you and you didn’t know them then would you be reacting so passively? My conclusive question is very simple. Are we allowing one major multinational company to know way too much information about everything that we think?

[jacobnewmediablog-blog]

I agree that Google knows too much about us and shouldn’t have the right to sell our information to the highest bidder, but it can be argued that it’s necessary.  If Google didn’t make its money this way then how would it? You have to ask yourself whether you’re willing to give up information such as your shopping history on Amazon in exchange for the amazing free service that Google provides. Saying this, it is worrying how a company, only interested in profit, has effectively unlimited access to our online lives- something needs to be done.

[ben-smith]

Social networking in the 21st century.

The obvious advance in technology in today's society has led to many changes. In this post, I will be focusing on how it has changed the way professionals network.

The idea of strong and weak ties is considered very important in life, and more specifically, in business. Strong and weak ties are quite different with regards to a certain relationship, but both have the similarity that they can extend your network, much further than your usual reach.

 An interesting question to ask yourselves is this: Do you feel you fit in with ‘Dunbar’s number?’ He argued that a single person can only maintain a functioning relationship with a maximum of 150 people. There is evidence to suggest that this number still has relevance in today’s era of social media. 

(https://eileenbrown.wordpress.com/2011/03/30/why-dunbars-number-still-matters-in-this-facebook-obsessed-age/)

Weak ties have arguably become even more influential because of social media sites, such as Facebook, and LinkedIn. Weak ties are crucial in order to bond groups of strong ties together. As a result of peoples weak ties, social networks and ‘circles’ are put into contact with each other, and may share mutually beneficial information with one another. To give an example, imagine I was part of a group that loved to play/watch sports. I could miss a new song that had been released, that could help me/my friends work out and train harder. Having a weak tie who likes music could potentially share with me this information, that I otherwise might have missed.

The main message in this post is that, the rise in social media has made it much easier for weak ties, to stay as weak ties for a long time. It is very easy to keep in contact with old acquaintances when all you need to do is log into Facebook, instead of having to track down where they live, and send a letter via the post, or call them on the phone.

[ben-smith]

Do we create our profile? Or does our profile create us?

When i first set up my Facebook account 6 years ago, i had no idea what i was signing myself up for. It is only recently that i have started to discover the potential power that Facebook has.

Algorithms chose what we, as users see on our timelines. Every like, every comment, changes what we see. For example, during the EU referendum campaign, i ‘liked’ quite a few of the OUT campaigners posts and videos, this then lead Facebook to flood my timeline with leave campaign orientated posts.

Now, i was not avidly for or against leaving the EU, I simply liked the honest, and confrontational politics that people such as Nigel Farage used in their campaigns. However with the influx of leave campaign posts on my timeline, it was much easier to ignore the benefits of staying in the EU, simply because i could not see them, and was therefore less informed.

The up and coming trend of ‘post truth’ and ‘clickbait’, has lead to our Facebook news feeds being compelled to emotional outcry. Posts are driven by how many likes, ‘reactions’, and clicks they can get - the best way to do this, appeal to a persons emotions.

[ben-smith]

My thoughts on phones, and how they affect our interactions.

It is interesting to see how over the past 10 years, the exponential growth of technology and phone usage has seemingly snuck into our society, and how, for me, it has been such a sub-conscious development. Being part of the young generation during the ‘technological revolution’, it has almost seemed just like part of growing up – As you get older, your parents gradually grant you access to a phone, and to social media sites such as Facebook/Twitter. In reality, i am part of one of the first generations to grow up with a phone or laptop.

Technology has affected interactions between humans dramatically in recent years. It is clear to see in almost every aspect of society. Whether you’re at work, taking public transport, or even just at home relaxing with your family, it is evident that there is a big, technological elephant in the room...

Our phones.

I’m not writing this in order to promote/degrade the use of phones in the 21st century, i am here simply to make an observation, and a comparison.

When i was not allowed a phone, life was very different. I’d go out and play football during break times at school, at home, I would sit and chat to my family after school, and on the way to school, I would catch up with my friends, talking about what we did over the weekend. However phones today have changed this. Instead of needing to catch up with friends about what you got up to over the weekend, your friends can already see, as it is plastered all over social media. This is not a bad thing however. Phones have made it easier to make plans with a group of friends, via group chats and group video calls.

To leave you with one thought/question, would you really miss your phone that much if you went cold turkey on it? 

[ben-smith]

The slippery slope of digital technology

In today’s world, it seems we are walking hand in hand with digital technology down a dangerous path. For the youth of this generation, we are desensitised to the idea of an ever watching eye. It is what we have grown up with, and i’m sure it is what we will carry on living with for many years to come. However, is this really always a bad thing?

Well obviously, there are a lot of basic principles of privacy being betrayed. Google is not designed to give us information, google is designed primarily to take information away from us, to see what we are thinking, what we are buying, and what we are interested in. WE are the product. 

However, that being said, is it such a sacrifice to make?

The customisation of our search engines, or our Facebook news feeds gives us a better experience. Google ads can be very annoying yes, BUT, i can honestly say I've made purchases through these advertisements.

A lack of privacy is often a virtue. For example, there is a setting on kindles, whereby you can see what someone has written, and make comments on certain chapters. These comments can be seen by others, and can be used to improve/learn/debate. In a sense, Readers can be writers, and writers can be readers.

To leave you with a final thought - Would you sacrifice parts of your privacy, in return for instantaneous and endless knowledge at the touch of a button?

[ben-smith]

Getting caught in your own bubble

The evolution of technology has always been seen as a wonderful thing. The creation of super-fast broadband and clever search engines, such as Yahoo, or Google Chrome have changed the way people live their lives. So often I’ll hear someone say, ‘google it’, in response to them being posed with a question. This leads me to ask, is the internet really as beneficial as we think?

It is clear to see that the internet has begun to have an insane effect on our day to day lives. The Deloitte Mobile Consumer report showed that almost half of people aged between 18 and 25 years old checked their phones immediately after waking up in the morning. This is not necessarily a bad thing, as it is similar to routinely checking the morning paper, as news can be accessed on phones. It does show, however, how reliant we, as young people are becoming on smart phones. Our dependence on smart phones, and more specifically, social media and other web based programmes, is silently converting us into  one minded individuals. Here’s why:

 Social media pages and search engines monitor what we listen to, what we watch, and what we like and dislike. The very notion of being watched 24/7 whilst we surf the web is rather disturbing. But to make it worse, website algorithms personalise website and news feeds to best suit your interests.  For example, if two different people were to do a simple google search of the same thing, it is very likely that the first page of results would look different, due to algorithms personalising the page. 

Facebook now monitor what posts we like and dislike, and who we interact with most. Our news feeds are then tailored to best suit what we WANT to see. 

For example, at first, I could see a variety of opinions, some of which I did not agree with, and so I did not ‘like’ them. Slowly, these opinions began to disappear from my feed, until it was only my own shared opinions showing up.

My point is, that putting what we see into the hands of website algorithms creates a sense of single-mindedness, and won’t give us both sides of the story.