The Informationists

An informational blog for school things

[ashleah04-blog]

I do feel a connectedness from my social media activity. I am not all that interested in social media thus I only use Face book, and only have close friends and family as connections there. I have found that it is helpful for keeping up on the lives of my friends who have scattered to well…...

[msuinformationists-blog]

I think your theory about why people who use social media are more depressed is really interesting, and probably really true too! Unless someone has performed some kind of experiment to verify the causal relationship between the two variables, I don’t see why we’ve been calling social media a cause for depression for so long. So I really like what you said. I also appreciate your perspective on your social media use. I think that the way you use Facebook is a lot healthier than the way many of my friends choose to use it. Kind of scared to see what the next generation is like! haha! Also, I LOVED the video. I laughed so hard.

[sarahsfinitewisdom-blog]

Hey there girls! Last blog post this week! How are your final projects coming?

Anyway, This weeks topic is one of interest to me because I spend so much time online and not with people throughout the school year especially. As it is approaching finals, I find that my few moments to socialize are...

[msuinformationists-blog]

Sarah,

I think your idea of your community is right in line with a lot of people now-a-days. Many people have an online community woven into their real-life community. And that isn’t necessarily a bad thing! It’s a part of our world now, and as the internet and online living become more developed and advanced down the line, I think the online community will only gain importance. 

I thought what you said about people being at a disadvantage eventually due to lack of social skills an intriguing point. I agree. I think that with the importance people are placing on the internet, the youngsters today will grow up on line. They won’t have as much time playing outside and interacting with kids as we did and our parents did. There will definitely be some bad implications as a result. However, on the flip side, I think they are also growing up learning the tools of the future. I think many of the jobs that will be available in 20 years will require a lot of computer skills, and these kids will be extremely prepared for those requirements. 

It’ll be interesting to see where we all end up, and whether growing up online turns out to be a benefit or a hinderance! 

Happy summer!

[msuinformationists-blog]

The Distance of Connectedness

I think this discussion is super interesting. The idea behind social media sites is to help connect and bring people together. And at a first glance, it seems to have done just that. personally, it allows me to talk to people I barely get to see. In addition, I can see statuses and photos of those people, which gives me the feeling that I can still be a part of their lives, even though I’m hundreds or thousands of miles away. This is especially important to me because I live far away from my entire family. My dads side lives in places like Georgia, Massachusetts, and Colorado, while my mom’s side of the family is in Germany and the Czech Republic. If it weren’t for social media, i would almost never get to talk to them, or see what’s new in their lives. Yes, there is still phone calls and texting, but it’s hard to schedule that many phone calls and pay for international calls on a regular basis - cue Facebook! 

However, when one takes a closer look, something daunting reveals itself. Just as the New Yorker article suggests, social media makes people super unhappy with themselves. When you think about why, it makes sense. People used to do things because they liked it, and it made them happy. But now, I find a lot of people I know (and sometimes even myself) doing things simply so that later they can post about it on social media. Now, logging on to Instagram, I rarely see a powder day that hasn’t been documented. It has become a competition of who can do the coolest stuff, or even more accurately, who can look like they do the coolest stuff. People do stuff in public in order to post in private. That’s just the way it is now, and I can’t think of a more isolating and lonely way to live.

I think the only real way to navigate the fine line between “connecting” with people and flat out isolating yourself from everyone else is to be aware of the motives behind your social media use. Are you logging on to see what everyone else did today so you can compare that to yourself, or are you logging on to say happy birthday to your cousin in California? Noticing why and how often you log on will allow you to become self aware with your behaviors. Are you living for the rush of being online famous or are you living to experience the famous offline world?

BTW: HAPPY EARTH DAY.

Get outside for the hell of it - and don’t post about it. I dare you.

[ashleah04-blog]

Reading the two articles for this discussion really reminded me of the movie starring Robin Williams called the Final Cut… I remember sitting in that movie with the same internal conflict that these articles caused. I like my privacy! But I also like to remember what it was like to hold my...

[msuinformationists-blog]

I liked what you said about being a victories logger. i thought that was clever. I don’t want all my embarrassing moments on tape either. Yikes! I think with the two articles we had to read, we were reading about two opposite ends of a spectrum, and most people fall somewhere in between. I think it largely depends on where, how and when you grew up that places you in the currents spot on the spectrum. I do, however think this spectrum allows for a lot of movement as well. Like you said, you weren’t a blogger until this semester, and neither was I! It’s pretty fun to try new “hip” things, so we’ll see what the next one is. 

As for your question about scrapbooking and physical pictures, it’s both that I miss! I do think that it’s great to have digital copies of pictures so they are timeless and won’t ever be destroyed (unless deleted). But why not do both? People could scan or download the pictures they take and then make scrapbooks. Then you get the timelessness of the pictures, and the experience of flipping through a scrapbook and reminiscing about “the good ol’ days”.

[sarahsfinitewisdom-blog]

I’m not really much of a lifelogger other than posting pictures of my family and friends to facebook. However, I do think it is a good idea! I think it is really cool that some people can make a living writing about their lives on a blog or ‘vlogging’ their lives with a camera. In fact, I watch...

[msuinformationists-blog]

I’d agree with you that if the person is willing to put forth all the effort into recording every second of their lives, it could be pretty cool. But I definitely couldn’t be a lifelogger. I’m barely dedicated enough to my social media to be a “regular”. I’m like you also in the way that I LOVE journaling and scrapbooking. It’s so fun to physically flip through the pages and look at your favorite memories. I hope this never goes out-of-date. It’s timeless to me.

I do think that there isn’t really a thing as a destructive data social media site. I think it’s naive to think that when your photos on snapchat disappear, they’re just gone forever. Because just like that article said, they aren’t truly deleted, just encrypted or something so it makes it more difficult to recover the pictures. However, even beyond that, someone could screenshot your picture and send it out. You never know what happens with the stuff you put online, so I would caution everyone to be super careful about what they post. 

As for the websites that act as an online organizer for the lifelogger, I think that is their saving grace. I can’t even imagine the overwhelming amount of files and data they would have to sort through almost daily to find what they need. Without some kind of organization system they would be completely in over their heads.

[msuinformationists-blog]

Online Errything, or Disappearing Data?

Reading the first article about lifelogging, I had to laugh a little. I’ve never heard of the term or practice and it just seems so ridiculous to me. I’m pretty “with it” technologically; I have an iPhone and mac, use the “cloud” and am on many social media outlets. However, the idea of literally recording my entire life and storing it is just too much for me to take in. I can’t imagine how that could help someone, and I don’t really understand why everything in a person’s life is worth recording. Some of the things mentioned, like an online calendar, using Dropbox, and scanning paper documents are understandable and I can really see how that can not only cut down on clutter, but become a resourceful way to store important information. However, things like putting a camera on you and recording everything, or setting up a device to record all of your phone calls is just too much (I think). I just don’t see a purpose to keeping track of every moment in your life. 

I don’t think scrapbooking has become obsolete. I think it’s more of a lost art now, more than anything. There is something to be said about the comfort felt from sitting on the couch with your family and looking through family photo albums. The art of reminiscing with physical pictures is something I miss now, and wish I did more often. It’s definitely something I want to do with my kids.

As for the article about ephemeral data, I was a bit confused. As we all know, there are so many ways to post and record your life. We have various photo apps and websites, and sites devoted to statuses alone, and everything in between. So, apps like snapchat, where the ability to view the content is limited, and archiving is more complex and difficult, are just another way to record and observe your life and the lives of those you know. What confused me about the article was the tone. It seemed to me like the authors were concerned about where data archiving will head, and how history will be passed down if ephemeral data is to continue to become popular. I don’t really see a problem with it. Because there are so many ways for us to record our lives and pass on our experiences to the future generations, having an app that deletes the data in a matter of seconds isn’t going to cause that big of a shift in practices. It’s simply another option for us to connect and record things we deem important. Besides, I don’t think 100 years from now people will care about what my friends had to drink the night before...

As for which side of the spectrum I fall on, I think I fall somewhere in the middle. I do partake in ways of recording my life, such as Facebook, Instagram, Evernote and online calendars. I also use “disappearing” data sites like Snapchat. However, I haven’t practiced one or the other to the extreme of labeling myself as one or the other. 

[ashleah04-blog]

I have an aunt who is a gifted pianist. When I was a child (can’t remember how old but less than 10) she entered in to a commonwealth music competition and made it all the way through but lost at the end. I have a clear memory of eating cookies in the kitchen on the day she came home and listening...

[msuinformationists-blog]

Wow, that example of your aunt is spot on with not only what copyright infringement looks like, but also how upsetting and hurtful it can be to see your masterpiece stolen from you and taken credit for by someone else. It’s really hard not to want to side with Gaye in this debate, especially considering how awful and offensive “Blurred Lines” is, but I really have a hard time doing it. I can see where the judge misstepped and I can only imagine the effect it will have on future creators. I hope upcoming songwriters and producers won’t be scared away by this verdict and the creative and inspirational juices will keep on flowing!

[sarahsfinitewisdom-blog]

The case of the song blurred lines, really does have blurred lines because it is really hard to know what really happened.

Despite the song being really sexist and sort of rude to men who know how to control themselves, if these guys really did violate copyright of a Marvin Gay song, they can...

[msuinformationists-blog]

Sarah,

I agree with basically everything you said. This case is really interesting to me because of how close to the thin line it comes. Is it inspiration or copyright infringement?? It seems to be up to the person, but I do agree with the article you mentioned that the case was too closely focusing on the character of Thicke than on the actual law and the songs that supposedly violated the law. I wouldn’t have sided with Gaye’s family, just due to the fact that the law states that Gaye owned the sheet music, not the “feel” of the song. Many artists are inspired by certain people or eras of the past, and “Blurred Lines” reflected the feel and vibe of the 70′s. Just like one of the articles said, Gaye own his song, not the whole 70′s decade. 

[msuinformationists-blog]

Blurry Lines, Indeed.

I had not heard much about specifics involving this court case. I knew that Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke were accused of plagiarizing their song, but nothing more. In fact, I hadn’t even heard of “Got to Give it Up” before today. After listing to both songs one after the other, it is obvious that the musical similarities are there. However, as the articles brought up many, many times, it is difficult to tell whether their inspiration from Gaye’s song went too far into plagiarizing copyrighted material. I feel like if it were me personally deciding the case, I would have sided with Thicke and Williams. I think that countless artists are inspired by each other. Today it is hard to create something uniquely yours, because the amount of exposure to various muses and inspirations is endless. It is a tribute, more so than plagiarism. 

I see myself  coming into contact with all of these concepts. Mainly during my education career, I will be citing a variety of works including videos, lectures, photographs, papers, articles, etc. I hope that i will have learned everything I need to in order to give credit where credit is due. I think that is extremely important in the educational world. I don’t think I’ve violated any copyrighted work before. I’ve never downloaded an album from the internet or anything like that. Using iTunes is the easiest way to do things, and since I have a hard time adapting to new technology (as well as breaking any laws), that was never a consideration for me. What is interesting to me, however, is Spotify. I use that more than anything else and with it I am able to synch playlists to my phone so I can listen without using data. It’s pretty much like I bought all the songs. I wonder if someday enough artists like Taylor Swift are going to revoke rights for Spotify to distribute their music and have it potentially become more of a discussion about copyright.

The purpose of copyright is to give credit to the original artist or researcher. For all that hard work that they put in to their creation, copyrights allow them ownership of whatever it is they created. The specifics vary based on the type of thing created, but the idea is the same. This is why inventors get patents on their ideas, so that no one else can hear about it and steal it. I think it’s also so that when the copied work is heard or seen, it won’t be mistook for the original. I think that generally copyright laws are helpful - rules and structure aren’t a bad thing for the most part. However, when thinking about the “Blurred Lines” case, I can’t help but see a slippery slope forming. This case sets an example for future creators and may scare them from pushing the limits to create something great (or creating at all).

[sarahsfinitewisdom-blog]

I find this weeks article on news sources presenting bias very interesting. I like to try and find bias in my news sources to make sure that what I’m reading is not biased.

I know that most things are biased. For example, people who are “pro-life” may describe people who describe themselves as...

[msuinformationists-blog]

I agree that basically everything has some kind of bias connected to it. Whether it is gossip, history, or news, bias seems to be seeping everywhere into our lives. I think it could also be a bias to consider other people’s perceptions as biases in the first place. Instead of bias, it could simply be a difference in perceptions. I think the whole idea of history being a big huge bias is super interesting and pretty sad actually. For example, all throughout elementary and middle school I was taught of Christopher Columbus being this American hero who basically founded the nation. However, in high school I learned (for the first time) that it wasn’t actually as happily-ever-after as I had been taught. Instead of the nice story I thought it was, it turned out to be a story of murder, rape, and intrusion. I was being taught the censored and biased american single-sided story of the discovery of “the new world”, not the whole story - bias free.

[msuinformationists-blog]

The Power of Emphasis, Word Choice, and Bias

The idea for this weeks blog was super interesting. In the first couple weeks of this course we discussed the power of information, how we attain information and how we perceive the information we learn about. Because information is so palpable and available in our culture, it is important for us to notice the power that the information providers have on the information receivers. 

The article we read exemplifies how different the same event can be received by the public depending on how the reporters choose to headline their stories. Was the car crash a terrorist attack or simply a bad driver making a fatal mistake? It is pretty much up to the reporter to decide that! This reminds me of grade school and high school with gossiping. If someone got in trouble for saying a bad word in class, that information is passed on through the whole class, changed, distorted, and altered based on the next person’s understanding and biases. By the time the news was done circulating, the person who got in trouble didn’t get in trouble for saying “damn” in class, but got expelled because they cussed out the instructor. 

Biases play a large roll in the distribution of news around the world, also. Biases based on religion, culture, and location are all major contributors. This is why news in Europe about the US presidential election is often really different than it is in the states. I think because of this, it’s important for all of us to improve our cultural competence, learn about others’ backgrounds and ethnicities. Maybe this way, we may be able to eliminate some of the biases we carry around and will be able to both deliver and take in a more complete picture of what really happened. Let’s all try to learn in order to eliminate some ignorance and improve our understanding and ability to synthesize. 

[ashleah04-blog]

WOW! This week’s articles were a plethora of new ideas for me. I have been aware of cyber bullying as my little sister-in-law was a victim but I wasn’t fully aware of how prevalent the problem is. I grew up in a time when the internet was in its beginning fazes… I remember chat rooms and how...

[msuinformationists-blog]

I found your post rather interesting. I agree and disagree with several of your points. First of all I really appreciate your perspective on this as a parent. I think it’s really important all caregivers are educated on the awful effects of cyberbullying. I also thought your example of combat photographers was spot on. If one is too busy taking pictures of concerts, posting on Facebook about the beach, etc. one will have less of a chance to be in the moment. It reminded me of the movie The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. In the movie, there’s this famous photographer who is taking a picture of a really rare animal, and decides not to take the picture and just look at it. He said sometimes you have to stop documenting life and just enjoy it (paraphrasing here). One thing I disagree with is how you described children. Although I appreciate your ideas and views, I don’t think it’s right to say that kids as a whole are mean and are therefore prone to becoming the perpetrator in cyberbullying. I think the perpetrators are the exceptions to the rule of goodhearted kids. I think people are innately good and it is only through our upbringings and situations throughout life in which we may need to form a hard exterior, and sometimes even with all the bad experiences in the world the person could still turn out alright. I myself am a perfect example of this. I had a really bad childhood and upbringing. I was cyber-bullied, and suffer from a slew of disorders because of the several traumas and the neglection that occurred. And even after all this I stil never became a cyber bully and I wouldn’t call myself an “evil” person either. I may be living in a fairytale world, but that’s just me.

[sarahsfinitewisdom-blog]

This weeks topic is one of particular interest to me. We are all living in the era of technology, whether you want to be or not, and everyone has social media accounts.

I was reminded of reading YouTube comments when I read the article this week. I was not surprised at all to see that way more...

[msuinformationists-blog]

Sarah I think you bring up a lot of really good points. Bullying online has a certain allure to a lot of perpetrators because of the anonymity you discussed. It makes them feel almost invincible. A lot of people don’t think their messages can be traced back to them either, which is interesting. It’s really sad to think about all of the suicides that have happened as a result of cyberbullying. A good friend of mine’s little brother killed himself because he was being harassed about his sexual orientation. When people say that cyberbullying isn’t as big of a deal because they’re not being physically harmed, I get really, really upset because that is not the case. In addition the mental harm they are receiving is almost greater than any physical harm they could be experiencing with “offline” bullying. I think it’s interesting that you said that some may be more inclined to bully via anonymous websites than through texting. I disagree. I think that depending on the purpose of the harassment, one could care less about which technology medium they utilize. I think bullying through texting is a lot more common than we may think, and although anonymity has a lot to do with the appeal of online bullying, it may just be the facelessness.

[ashleah04-blog]

When I think of ethics I think of it in terms of my nursing. To be ethical as a nurse is to keep patient information private, to perform my duties in such a way that it puts the needs of my patients first, and to consider the whole picture of said patients life (religion, culture, preferences,...

[msuinformationists-blog]

I agree with you that ethics can be a really exhausting topic to worry about, simply because there is SO MUCH to worry about. It seems like as long as each little guideline is followed, we’re in the clear. However, if one mistake is make we are somehow crossing a line. It’s hard to cite things sometimes, either because of lack of all the information, or just because of laziness! The best thing to remember when you feel down and the attractiveness of ignorance increases is to think about how you would feel if someone plagarized your work, or stole your idea and didn’t give you credit. I for one would be really pissed. It’s all about respect really. Huge amounts of work went into every research article that these prestigious scholars publish, so giving them the respect they very well deserve is extremely important.

[msuinformationists-blog]

Jumping On and Off the Line

With the breakthrough, and ultimate enhancing of the internet, our online and offline practices have fluctuate exponentially. Though the birth of the internet happened prior to the birth of me, I can imagine how many people became excited to learn about this new tool of information. Millennials have increased their usage, and it is rather scary. I see 7 year olds walking around with the new iPhone 6 Plus! That thing is like as big as their body. But at the same time this is going on, there is a huge portion of people who are, like the article said, idealizing the idea of remaining “offline”, like offline really exists in our culture.. Yeah right. I feel like this has a lot to do with being hipster and different and starting a new trend. Being vintage and catching people’s eye with your individuality is very popular right now.

In this class we talk a lot about how the internet is a good tool for gaining and learning new information. However, with many tools, if used in a different way, can have the capability and capacity to ensue detrimental effects. Cyberbullying is a HUGE problem today. I have been a victim, as well as many people I know. The description that the article gave is really spot on. The difference between online bullying (cyberbullying) and offline bullying is that one you can actually get away from! If you're in elementary school and someone is pushing you and calling you a butthead, you can simply go home and get away from it. But if someone is attacking you online, there’s no escape. Especially with smartphones, or “pocket computers” like the article said, the on line world follows you everywhere you go. This is extremely meaningful because although no physical harm is done with cyberbullying, it could lead others to want to hurt the individual, or encourage the victim towards self harm or suicide. It is important to note that much of this bullying is done in childhood and emerging adulthood, where friendships and peers are of high importance. Most individuals have a desire to be accepted by those around us, so when someone is bullying you in a way in which everyone you know and want approval from can see, it hurts that much more. 

When I was in middle school, I moved to a new place. In the first few months I was there I got an MSN Messenger IM from someone I knew of, but had never met in person, who told me the moles on my face were ugly and I “should just cut them off, or better yet, just cut my whole head off.” That really hurt me, and being depressed already, made me want to do just what they said. This provides another important thing to consider that people don’t really know what others are going through. The “weird quiet guy in the back” could be dealing with a death of a family member, or could be being abused at home. You never know, so it’s best to be silent and reflect on what judgments you may or may not be voicing. 

[sarahsfinitewisdom-blog]

Hi Ladies! I’m so sorry for the late post, because of spring break I went home to my parents house and they have pretty poor internet so I haven’t been able to get my post to upload till now. (No excuses, I know I know! :)) Anyway, I hope you all had a good spring break!

This week’s article is...

[msuinformationists-blog]

Sarah,

I hope you had fun at your parents house! As for the homework... I agree with what you said about ethics. It is a super, super important piece to a research project or article and probably the least liked part as well. I know from my experiences with writing lengthy research papers, my least favorite part is doing the references page, because I know how important it is, but to me it just seems sort of redundant. That being said, it is also the easiest part for me. One page of citations of other articles doesn’t even begin to compare to the amount of work it takes to write a 15-25 page research paper. I agree with you that dual publication kinda seems like a lack or improper citation. At least with the latter you aren’t blatantly trying to steal another’s work. An attempt was made.

[msuinformationists-blog]

Ethics Schmethics?

The article for this week was a good way to inform, educate and caution our selves in a reflective manner. The ethics of writing, citing and publishing research papers has always been a subject in every class I've taken, but always been redundant to me. I feel like I've learned the same things over and over again: don't plagiarize, don't paraphrase (instead restate), and don't turn in the same article twice (aka self plagiarism). 

I was a little discouraged to see this article because I thought it was just going to be the same thing that I've had drilled into my brain all these years. However, I actually learned something new, and gained new insight into my writing practices! Yay!

Something new I learned was about authorship. I knew that authors were ordered based on the amount of input and work they put into the article or project. However, I never really understood how competitive it can be. It really surprised me that papers can be thrown out because the authors couldn't agree on the order. Being the first name is hugely important. If you happen to be that person and there are two or more other authors who worked on the paper with you, when in text citing, only your name will be mentioned (ex: Walton et al., 2015). You will become the most recognizable name for others in your field, so I can completely understand where the competitive nature is coming from. It had just never crossed my mind just how competitive it can become.

In addition to learning something new, I was also able to reflect on my own practices. I feel like I have a pretty sturdy knowledge base on the correct way in which to cite, rephrase, etc. However, I think something I need to make sure I am aware of is whether or not I self plagiarize. It seems like it could get very exhausting to have to keep track of all the original ideas I've come up with from previous research papers. I like the idea the article gave of keeping track of insights I have had, so I can avoid possibly plagiarizing myself later on.