My JENeration

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Comparative Book Analysis: The Peep Diaries & The Future of Reputation

My comparative book analysis is on the two books, The Future of Reputation: Gossip Rumor, and Privacy on the Internet by Daniel Solove and The Peep Diaries: How We're Learning to Love Watching Ourselves and Our Neighbors by Hal Niedzviecki. Both books focus on how the Internet has changed notions of privacy and our culture.

In The Future of Reputation, Solove argues that a balance between privacy and free-speech needs to be established in order to positively experience the freedom of the internet by giving examples of how the unconstrained information flow and transformation of rumors, gossip, and slander from the internet is having a negative impact on reputation. Yet, the Internet also allows a new way for people to voice their opinions and be more informed citizens. “Although the Internet poses new and difficult issues, they are variations on some timeless problems: the tension between privacy and free speech, the nature of privacy, the virtues and vices of gossip and shaming, the effect of new technologies on the spread of information, and the ways in which law, technology, and norms interact” (Solove, D., 2008).

In The Peep Diaries, the world of Peep culture is explored. Peep culture is reality TV, Youtube, Myspace, Facebook, Twitter, over the counter spy gear, blogs, chat rooms, amateur porn, surveillance technology, cell phone pictures, and more. We, as a society, are active participants of this tell all-know all digital phenomenon. With peep culture, aspects of people’s lives are being exposed both voluntarily and involuntarily acting as an outlet for individual expression as well as privacy invasion creating a clash of power. Niedzviecki points out that with this sociotechnological change comes interconnectivity that can be educational, empowering, and entertaining.

Niedzviecki, H. (2009). The Peep Diaries: How We’re Learning to Love Watching Ourselves and Our Neighbors. San Francisco: City Lights Books.

Solove, D. (2008). The Future of Reputation: Gossip, Rumor, and Privacy on the Internet. New Haven and London: Yale University Press.

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How Facebook Complicates Dating

Being Facebook friends with the person you are dating can complicate things. The article, "5 Ways Facebook Changed Dating (For the Worse)", discusses how Facebook can have negative effects on user's romantic life. The 5 ways Facebook is changing dating for the worse are:

1. Overanalyzing Will Drive You Crazy

2. You See All the Action Your Ex Is Getting

3. Relationships and Breakups Are Public 

4. It’s a Record of Every Relationship Mistake You’ve Made

5. Other People’s Comments Will Make Your Date Jealous

Analyzing behaviors is a part of relationships and dating, but analyzing Facebook behaviors brings analyzing to a whole new level. It is very easy to overanalyze another person's online behavior by looking at their Facebook page and investigating their posts and posts by others. Statuses, music, comments, etc. they post may or may not mean anything or concern you. Being friends on Facebook with their ex or not could be a sign that they are over them or that they are not over them. That guy or girl posting on their wall could just be their friend or something more.

Knowing and not knowing their thoughts and being able to see who they are interacting with and how can be detrimental. Not being able to see their interactions can also bring up questions and concerns. With Facebook privacy features, you can control who sees what. Hiding or being blocked from their tags and/or posts can lead to suspicion. Then there is the concern of how they are interacting with you. Does how much they engage with you on Facebook represent how they are feeling about you? And remember your Facebook page and online behaviors can be making them feel jealous and confused too.

All of these insecurities and suspicions are being created or enhanced due to Facebook. Without Facebook you wouldn't even see, know or worry about these things that have caused you to overanalyze them enough to drive you crazy. Without Facebook, you wouldn't know what your ex was up to and with whom. Without Facebook, your relationships and breakups wouldn't be broadcasted, dissected, and recorded. As much as I think Facebook can have positive effects on dating, I also agree that it has changed dating for the worse. Do you think Facebook has complicated dating? 

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Social Media in the classroom

Social Media in the classroom is a controversial topic among educators. While many want to keep social media out of the classroom and keep traditional styles of learning in, principal, Eric Sheninger, and the teachers of New Milford High School in New Jersey support social media in education. Students are encouraged to research, write, perform and publish their work online.

Sheninger believes that sites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube actually push kids to do better work and pay attention to important issues such as audience, quality research and copyright laws. This is because working online allows students to broaden discussion of their work. Their work gets tested out in the real world, as outside viewers see it and respond to it, forcing students to do authentic work. Facebook replaced the original New Milford High School website which is used by Sheninger and his teachers to communicate with students and parents, while students use it to plan events.

Not only are social networking sites supported at this school but also cell phone use. While most teachers say cellphones are a distraction and have zero tolerance for them in class, the teachers of New Milford call cellphones "mobile learning devices" and even ask the students to use their cellphones to respond to classroom polls and quizzes. Sheninger says, "The Internet as we know it is the 21st century," he says. "It is what these students have known their whole lives. They're connected, they're creating, they're discussing, they're collaborating."

I personally am a big supporter of social media use in the classroom and believe that more schools should encourage it like New Milford High School does. Being educated in social media is important because in today's world being digitally literate is being literate. Social media is a huge part of everyday life. By promoting social media use in school, our youth will gain the necessary skills and knowledge to engage and succeed in this new digital world.

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How Facebook is turning into Big Brother

You may or may not have realized that Facebook knows where you've been, what songs you're listening to, what news articles you just read, and even who you are creeping on. According to Facebook’s privacy policy: “We receive data from the computer, mobile phone or other device you use to access Facebook. This may include your IP address, location, the type of browser you use, or the pages you visit.” 

Not only is Facebook tracking every click within it's platform, but due to Facebook's Open Graph, information is being posted to your Facebook page without explicit permission each time you listen to a song on Spotify or read an article through the Washington Post Social Reader. “When you turn all Platform applications off, your User ID is no longer given to applications, even when your friends use those applications... But you will no longer be able to use any games, applications or websites through Facebook," says Facebook's Privacy Policy. 

This means in order to gain the uses of these applications, you have to give up aspects of your privacy. Also, you aren't even notified whether or not you would like to share what you are reading or listening to with your Facebook friends. It can just show up in their newsfeed without your knowing. Personally, I'd rather not have these things broadcasted on Facebook, but I would like to be able to use these applications. Many times, I see articles read and songs listened to by my Facebook friends pop up in my newsfeed that I am interested in, but I have to hold myself back from clicking on it because I don't feel comfortable with giving access to my personal information and the right to broadcast what I'm doing.

Something else I learned from reading this article is that Facebook knows who you are "creeping on" or in other words whose profile you are viewing. What then happens is the people whose profile you view the most, get extra face time on your feed. This means the more you creep on someone the more you're going see their stories and such in your newsfeed. Although Facebook does not share this with other users, it's easy for hackers or even someone who is simply looking over your shoulder while you are on your Facebook, to figure out whom you creep on the most. Knowing this information now makes me paranoid about whose profile I am viewing, so I don't look and feel like a creepy stalker.

What are your feelings about the new privacy settings on Facebook and Facebook applications? Do you too feel like Facebook is watching you like Big Brother?

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Social Media's Role In The Invisible Children Campaign

Checking my newsfeed on my facebook this week, I haven't been able to not see a status with a link to or an opinion on the "KONY 2012" film which has recently been popping up all over the internet, especially social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. The "KONY 2012" film is a campaign by Invisible Children aimed to raise awareness and support in ending the terrorizing militia in northern Uganda headed by Joseph Kony. 

I have actually been familiar with Invisible Children since high school. My teachers would show the same video in class and I along with many other fellow students had given money to the campaign. I hadn't really heard much about the topic since then until it started trending all over the internet. I was a little surprised to hear that even after all these years, not much has changed in Uganda from the Invisible Children campaign efforts.

Now, Social media is playing a big role in bringing awareness and support to the issue, but I'm interested in seeing if it actually will have a positive effect on it. Bringing awareness and support to an issue is not the same as actually changing the issue. Liking a facebook page, changing your profile picture, making your status and tweeting about is promoting not helping. 

Also, according to an article I read, raising or giving money to the Invisible Children Campaign isn't helping either, in fact, it might be making it worse. So, while everyone thinks that Social Media is gonna solve this problem, think again. Get informed on the issue through other means not just the "KONY 2012" film before you try to #stopkony.