MCO 435

[jaywill22-blog]

Comparative Book Analysis

After completing this book analysis I have gained new information on technology and social media networking sites. Both of the books I analysed dealt with the negative effects that social media and technology is having on our society. The first book, “The Young and the Digital”, by S. Craig Watkins, presented the idea of youth in the digital age. He discussed how our generation and the generation below us are becoming so involved with technology that it is beginning to affect or personal relationships. It is changing the way we communicate and causing us to lose a sense of closeness with those around us.

The second book I analysed was “Camgirls: Webcams, Live Journals, and The personal as political in the age of the global brand”, by Theresa M. Senft. In this book the author focused on young girls and women and they way in which they present themselves online. She discussed how when presenting themselves online, most women feel the need to over exaggerate their personality and their bodies in order to gain some sense of what it means to be a celebrity. Being that I am a woman this definitely caused me to analyse how I interact online.

Throughout this assignment I have had the opportunity to read two books that have ultimately changed the way I view social networking sites and technology. I have been able to analyse in particular the way in which I interact online and present myself. I have become more appreciative of the benefits we gain through technology and will do my best not to take advantage of it, or let it have a negative affect on my personal relationships as well as my self image. 

[jaywill22-blog]

Google's self-driving car allows blind to drive

The article I found was a recent story on Fox news. It explained how new technology has allowed people who are blind to operate a motor vehicle. Steve Mahan who is 95 percent blind, was chosen to participate in this auto driving experience conducted by Google. He states "this is some of the best driving I've ever done."

After over 200,000 miles of testing this experiment, Steve was able to operate Google's self-driving car. With automated instructions and cameras, every stop and turn was done precisely. Sensors allow the car to accurately know when to turn and how to maneuver. Although the project has not yet been perfected and finished, it is able to prove that recent technology has allowed for something we may have never expected to happen, happen. 

This recent project has proven just how advanced technology is becoming. Allowing people who are considered to be legally blind, the opportunity to drive safely, is amazing. Giving people the chance to do something that they may never dreamed of doing is beyond the satisfaction of innovation. The fact that Google has extended this project to members of society to test, displays their efficiency with the satisfaction of their users.

After reading this post I began to think about the future of our society. Technology has become so ingrained in our lives that many wouldn't know how to function without it. I definitely feel that Google's self driving car is an advantage to our society, however it is something that must be maintained correctly. As members of society it is important to understand the concept of technology and all of its advancements in order to keep up with the changes. 

[shadedink-blog]

Have you noticed more and more people have recently steered away from using Facebook? At one point in time everyone loved Facebook but most recently alot of problems have become present when using this social media site. Issues such as privacy and issues with Facebook new layout are among a few...

[asegay-blog]

Do you have a little brother, sister, niece, nephew, or know someone that is between the ages 7-13 (tweens)? If so, are they already getting familar with the Internet and browsing through random websites? Today’s social media has made a big impact on society. Children between the ages 7-13 are...

[jaywill22-blog]

Police tell Twitter that missing girl is safe before telling mom

The article I read was about how a U.K. police force recently found a missing girl and instead of telling the girls mother first that they had found her, they tweeted it. Now, when I began to read this I was already shaking my head as to why something like this would even happen the way it did. Imagine a loved one being missing. The feeling of sadness, anxiety, concern and curiosity is enough to have to handle. Wouldn't you want to know personally as soon as this person was found? How would it feel to discover this news over twitter?

I guess it's true when they say everything happens first on Twitter. So what does that say about society? Are we really more concerned with getting a reaction from others that we forget that things we post could be damaging to some? I still don't understand why it is so important for some people to discuss too serious of matters over social networks. Take this case for example. The fact that a young girls mother had to read a tweet from the police force to discover that her daughter had been found is absurd. She should have immediately been contacted and made aware that her daughter was safe.

I believe that our society is getting so caught up in social networks that we are beginning to forget the emotional aspect that we hold as humans. Whether it be our emotions or others, there are some things that should not be handled over social networks because of the emotions that may be involved in a particular situation. Although, these networks can definitely be a benefit for our society to have we must remember that they are not a true means of communication. By this I mean that communicating over the internet is not the way we are taught to engage in conversation. We learn proper English and grammar in order to be able to speak to others face to face in a decent manner. If we begin relying on these social networks to hold our conversations we may lose the sense of true communication. 

It is important that we are able to recognize what is appropriate on Twitter and what it not. Realizing that there are some things that should be saved for face to face interactions rather than over the internet, is the determining factor for the future of our society. Knowing the difference from the cyber world and the real world will be our biggest challenge. My hopes are that we can defeat this challenge. After all, we don't want to live our lives through social networks, do we? 

[kpriggett-deactivated20120720]

The last couple of months, primarily in January, a huge issue in the world of media was introduced. The U.S. senate recently tried to pass tow bills, PIPA and SOPA that would no longer allow for individuals to have access to certain sites by enabling censorship of the internet. This issue has...

[brittshirk]

Continuing on the topic of privacy and social media, I recently came across an article written by Todd Pheifer on Yahoo news. It discussed how many employers and colleges, especially those who participate in school athletics, now want the passwords of their students and/or employee’s Facebooks and…

[jaywill22-blog]

Cosmopolitan Says It Has 100,000 Paid Digital Subscriptions

While searching the internet I came across an article that I found very interesting. It was about the popular magazine, Cosmopolitan, and how they have 100,000 paid digital subscriptions. These subscriptions are available to view on smart phones, iPads, Nooks, and Kindles. It is convenient for readers to have access to this magazine right on their phones or other technological devices.  

Being that our society is becoming so dependent on easier methods to do every day tasks and interests, this was a great idea for the business of Cosmopolitan. This article states that the magazine is actually making more money on digital subscriptions than it is from printed issues. I don't find that hard to believe at all. I can definitely see many other magazines, tabloids, and even books taking this approach as well in order to continue the success of their business. 

Considering just how much the majority of our society uses smart phones and many other technological devices I believe that digital subscriptions are, and will continue to be a big hit. The fact that we are able to conveniently read our favorite magazines on some of our favorite devices is a huge plus. Being able to access things we enjoy easily and quickly is something we all look for. I believe that Cosmopolitan made the right decision to begin to transfer their subscriptions from print to digital.

After reading this article it definitely made me think about the way our society is changing due to the media. Everything that we do, see, learn and think is tied to the media in some way. We are always looking for the fastest, smartest and most convenient way to do things. I believe that the current technology is a benefit to most lifestyles but I also feel that we must be careful that it does not become our lifestyle.    

[thetreeoftruth]

In a pretty small article, the focus is on our lovely president Barack Obama at his New York fundraising event for of course, the upcoming presidential debate in November. Gaining all of the people behind him as he can, the main thing that catches everyone’s attention is his bragging nature of...

[katherinemckeon-blog]

This article researched the demographics of mobile device users and their comprehension and use of mobile sites. They researched the use of mobile sites by gender, age, income, and education level. The results: women ages 25-34 were most mobile website savvy, people with a reported annual income…

[allthingsmish-blog]

I think its interesting that it said that people with Bachelor degrees are more active on social networks. I think that this could possibly be explained because it seems as if the target audiences are young adults with education. The perfect example of this is Facebook. Initially you had to be a student at a university to even sign up for it. I am also attached to my iPhone. I always use it to check my social networks, especially when I’m bored. I agree that money is a major factor because these laptops and mobile devices cost a lot of money. Very interesting post. 

[jaywill22-blog]

I definitely agree with a lot of the points this article makes. It makes sense that people with bachelor's degrees are more active on social networks because as we currently are experiencing, more professors are involving it in our school work. I think it ultimately benefits us because it allows those who may not be too familiar with these social networking sites, the opportunity to experience them. Considering they are a great means for communication and staying informed with what is going on around the world, it would be in anyone's best interest to become familiar with these sites.

[jaywill22-blog]

Risk of Identity Fraud on Social Media Sites

Considering how many people in our society use social media sites as a way to express themselves, communicate with others, and stay in the know, makes it easy for our personal information to be shared across the world wide web. Although this information can be set to various privacy settings, it can still be accessed by people we do not know. Many people believe that just because someone may not be their friend on Facebook or following them on Twitter, they are unable to view their posts and pictures. However, what these people do not realize is how simple it is for a hacker to invade their online privacy.

This article explains how careless use on social media sites can lead to identity fraud by other internet users. What we don’t realize is that the more information we share about ourselves the easier it is for others to hack into our personal profiles. Using the date of our birthdays, our pets names, last names and numbers are typical password selections. When we post or comment about these topics for the public to view, we forget that this is our password or even similar to it. This is what hackers look for, clues that could lead to the invasion of our privacy.

In my experience with social networks I have usually been pretty careful as to what I say and what I share with the public. However, sometimes my privacy can be out of my control. For example, Facebook makes it possible for people to tag someone in posts and photos. It wasn’t until after years of being a member on Facebook that I realized I can change this setting to have to be approved by myself in order for others to see it. Simple mistakes like this happen all the time I’m sure making it hard to catch mistakes that can cause someone to hack our social networks. 

 This article also explains how even our smart phones leave an opening for identity theft to take place. It is common for smartphone users to store personal information in their phone whether it be through apps or social networks. Being that phones can get stolen so easily and quickly, makes the risk even higher. Although identity theft is very capable of happening to all of us I feel that by being responsible with our social networks we can help prevent it. It is important to sensor the things we share online as well as keep an eye on what is going on on our profiles. With the help of privacy protection and a cautious mind, we can avoid being a victim of identity theft.

#MCO435

[fashionhasit-deactivated2015061]

Daniel Donahoo writes a very insightful article on how social media can lead to an unhealthy lifestyle. Creating cycles that keep people off track from things that are truly important or cyber addictions that make a person want to constantly update their accounts, see how many friends they have or see which of their friends has updated their accounts. Until now, I didn’t believe that “SNS’s”(Social Networking Sites) were that detrimental to anyone’s health but, after reading his thoughts on the topic, I thought differently.

He speaks on how these social networking sites (SNS) keep people from importanta day to day activities. Its like a vicious cycle almost, when we add new friends or see that we have new followers, we want to read their pages or look up there videos and response to every post and if this is continuous it can take a while to complete. Social networks are like a deadly addiction. 

Donahoo states that “when you have anxiety your worry doesn’t make sense”, its almost like a paranoia and anxiety mix, every body seems to be judging you it seems.  He felt that he had to keep reminding himself of his self worth because of his worry of what people might be thinking of him. Its kind of frightening when he lays out the gut wrenching truth. 

I thought it very interesting, when Donahoo stated that “emotions make social media”. As almost to say there is no escaping this anxiety, It will be apart of every and anyone he chooses to utilize social networking services. This reminds me of the social networking episode of south park when one of the characters felt overwhelmed with the hundreds of people that felt like, he needed to add them as friends and how it was too much for him or the other little boy who had no friends at all and seemed very depressed and gloomy. Social media is in the forefront of the digital divide but, it comes with a heavy burden for all of those  that utilize its services.  

#MCO435

-- I completely agree with the points you made about this article. I as well am very cautious about what I say and pictures I post on social networks. It is important that I represent myself appropriately to society because you never know who is viewing your social sites. It is very easy for someone to judge another person solely off of the things they see about them online. This may not always be the true character of this person and may ultimately damage or even prevent a future relationship from happening.  

[allthingsmish-blog]

I definitely see the point that Donahoo is making. I do find myself after adding a friend on Facebook or Twitter looking at their profiles to do a few things; find out who they are, see what they are about, and decide whether or not I want to comeback to their page again. It is a very time consuming activity.  I constantly evaluate pictures, tweets, and status post because I want to make sure that I always come off in a positive light to others. No one wants to be seen negatively. I think that peoples’ feelings about you have become more focused on what they see of you on social networks rather than what they know from your face-to-face interactions. They do determine your worth from your social networking sites (based on your friends, pictures, post, etc). In my opinion, there will always be a constant worry when it comes to appearance on social networking site. 

How do you think social network sites have affected your health? 

[shadedink-blog]

“The Fight Still Continues Today”

This picture speaks in volumes. It represents the struggle and the fight that African Americans have gone through in this county. It represents the change that we have been through as well as the change we will continue to go through.  

[jaywill22-blog]

Happy Valentine's Day!