Liv's Blog

[katyiskelly]

Glass impacts its user negatively. Josh Lowensohn simply describes the product in his article about Google Glass, restating that anyone can buy it but failing to pause and wonder: what dreams may come? He fails to pause and consider the negative aspects of the tech tool in relation to ...

[oliviapepe2]

Google Glass is a huge step into the future. You bring up some valid points about the downsides of Glass, and they are well researched. However, I believe that these claims can be refuted.

Choosing Privacy

Privacy is a very important aspect of being online. There are people who use others’ identities, and hurt others by using info online. The government being able to see what citizens post and look at online upsets some people, but I think that some monitoring is necessary to keep us safe.

Facial recognition could help police identify criminals or even pedophiles that are too close to a school’s grounds. These are random examples, but being connected and able to identify others definitely has benefits. Also, I believe that people should be able to disconnect if they want to. Facial recognition software should only be available to those that want it.

Advertising is Life

Ads are extremely annoying, I agree wholeheartedly. However, advertising has been around all of our lives. It evolves with us, from newspaper to tv, to internet. There is no way around ads. If anything, they will get less annoying.

Pamela Lund includes almost a chapter in her book which shows an example of a woman in her car, living in an augmented reality. The ad is tailored to her, knowing which flowers she likes, and indicating that there is a sale on those flowers in a shop near her.

This seems creepy, but in reality how convenient would that be? I definitely would want to know if my favorite makeup was on sale at the mall near my house or that the local restaurant I love is having a function with great prices that night.

It is what we make of it

Using this tool may be considered a way of being controlled. However, if we use Glass in a way that benefits society, and creates civil value, much like the examples we learned in class. Creating with this tool will make a society with more individuals, not drones.

Works Cited

Lund, Pamela. Massively Networked: How the Convergence of Social Media and Technology Is Changing Your Life. San Francisco: PLI Media, 2012. Print.

[oliviapepe2]

Using Google Glass to Create

Google Glass has opened to the public. Now anyone with the means can buy this new technology. But what does it all mean? I wonder how soon we will become accustomed to seeing people wearing these funny looking glasses. I personally don’t think I will be investing in Google Glass. That doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate all of the good that they can do, if used properly.

Connecting the World

Pamela Lund, a writer and technology enthusiast writes a book “Massively Networked,” completely focused on making new technology work for us. By using our imaginations, the aid of products like Google Glass can speed up the process of creating. Google Glass will make communication easier than ever before. Aside from just chatting with friends, inventors, businessmen, even doctors around the world can keep in touch and make some big, great changes.

As Lund says in her book, “The puzzle pieces brought to reality by the convergence of social media and technology can pop into life from the power of multiple brains and bodies all over the globe and almost at once. The only requirements are desire and intention to participate” (Lund 18).

Google Glass creates an augmented reality. This brings Lund’s words to life. Using apps on Google Glass will make mundane tasks easy, and help people multi task. This frees up time to focus on important things like their work or children.

Looking Forward

Who knows where google glass will go in the future. I sincerely hope that we, as a society, will take advantage of new products like this. Lund also speaks in her book about health benefits using apps gives us. The google glass can do this too, encouraging a healthier lifestyle.

I hope to live in a society where products like this are used to shape and change our lives for the better. The public now being able to buy Google Glass is a step in the right direction. If I have learned anything this semester it is that we get out of technology what we put in. If we use these products for creative and innovative reasons, there is nothing we can’t accomplish.

I could not say it better than Pamela Lund in her book, “Media and technology give you more power than ever before to create the world you want. And so does everyone and everything else. The tangible connections facilitated by social media and technology are giving each of us this power. Therein lies what makes this a unique time in human history to create the world you want” (Lund 141).

Works Cited

Lund, Pamela. Massively Networked: How the Convergence of Social Media and Technology Is Changing Your Life. 1st ed. PLI Media, 2011.

[oliviapepe2]

Importance of Journalism & the Digital Commons

 Journalism is the key to reigning in unfair governments. Using the Digital Commons can make a civic change anywhere the world.

 Rebecca MacKinnon, co-founder of Global Voices Online, wrote a book on the subject, Consent of The Networked. She describes the Digital Commons as, a “civil society, through which citizens can mobilize to express their interests and protect their rights. Ideally the digital commons – comprising primarily a collection of technical standards and free and open-source software programs, plus a range of digital media creations – can exist in a positive and symbiotic relationship with both government and the private sector” (MacKinnon 17).

Wordpress and Its Importance

Using sites like Wordpress, one can create a secure and safe place for bloggers. People can get information through these sites and be anonymous. This provides an outlet for people being oppressed all over the world.

As MacKinnon explains explicitly in her book, these blogs run by activists make a difference. By banning together, bloggers successfully took down the governments of Tunisia and Egypt. (21) Connecting with others online is the first step to being heard.

All Bloggers are Making a Difference

Fellow blogger, Olivia Gauvin, states in her blog, “We have human rights issues.  And we have the internet, a tool that can help us to address these issues.  I want to know the facts.  But I also want people to be swayed to support groups that work on important issues. We need to hear views that are biased in favor of making positive changes.” She makes a valid point as to how important it is for a single soul to get out information.

Janet Mock

A particularly well loved online activist is Janet Mock. Janet Mock is a transgender blogger who has made many fans. She writes about being transgendered and tries to bring people together to understand what that is like.

Jackie Snow, for FastCoexist.com, writes, “On the Internet, LGBT individuals can take control of their own stories. Mock is doing her part to tell her story and the stories of others like her, too. She has done Google chats, created a Tumblr (where she invites people to contribute their own stories) and is active on Twitter, launching the hashtag #girlslikeus to show an inclusive, expansive range of girls and women” (Snow).

Make a Difference

Using her access to the internet she opens a new door for people who may feel alone. She provides a connection and educates. Even people like you and me, here on tumblr, could change a mind. We can make a change. We just need to contribute to the Digital Commons.

Works Cited

Gauvin, Olivia. The Absentminded Philosopher “(HUMANITARIAN JOURNALISM: ADVOCACY IS BIASED… AND VALUABLE)” oliviavgauvin.tumblr.com.  Tumblr, (17 Apr. 2014). Accessed (27 Apr. 2014).

  http://oliviavgauvin.tumblr.com/post/83006400366/humanitarian-journalism-advocacy-is-biased-and

  MacKinnon, Rebecca. Consent of the Networked: The Worldwide Struggle For Internet Freedom. 1st ed. New York, NY: Basic Books, 2012. Print.

  Snow, Jackie. “Janet Mock’s Online Activism Is Changing Perceptions About The Trans Community.” FastCoexist.com. N. p., 24 Apr. 2014.

http://www.fastcoexist.com/3028896/change-generation/janet-mocks-online-activism-is-changing-perceptions-about-the-trans-commun

[cohenmax93-deactivated20150804]

Edward Snowden is infamous as an activist due to his release of classified records. Recently Brazil has moved to change its policies regarding net privacy and the collection of data due to what Mr. Snowden unveiled. Will it take continued acts of treason and rebellion to steer the US in the right...

[oliviapepe2]

It is interesting that Brazil is upping its security on the net. It makes me wonder if these laws have any equivalent in the U.S. or if we could get some kind of similar laws. We should be protected from this type of invasion of privacy.

The question of how these laws would be enforced is a logical one. Almost all Americans are using the internet and putting out personal info. It would be hard to police such a large area of info.

With the recent knowledge of Heartbleed, a huge breach of security, the internet seems scary. How much info is being taken from us and given to less than admirable internet users. These laws have caused me, personally, to change passwords on many of my social media sites as well as Amazon and Ebay.

With identity fraud running rampant in our country, many people are being duped and stolen from. If there are no laws enforcing privacy on the internet, anything can be taken and used against us. This concept should be enough to get the people of America to band together. It should be enough to get some new laws to protect us from the dangers of losing internet privacy.

Work Cited

Cohen, Max. “(Fight Technological Abuse with Technology)”cohenmax93.tumblr.com.  Tumblr, (23 Apr. 2014). Accessed (27 Apr. 2014).

http://cohenmax93.tumblr.com/post/83637288587/fight-technological-abuse-with-technology

[oliviapepe2]

3 Years of Censorship

China has had censored internet for three years now. Wow. Three years of government involvement in something that should be free.

Here in the USA, we take the internet for granted. People with any view can go online and (almost always) find like-minded people. We are free to oppose our government, and speak about anything we want. We can run blogs dedicated to hating Obama if we want to. It is all free.

Although some people’s ideas may not be accepted as a norm, the internet is, for the most part, a healthy outlet for them. There are some brilliant people out there whose only outreach is through blogs and the like. Censoring people takes away their freedom of speech, a staple of our country.

Chinese politicians argue that creativity still blooms even with this censorship. And maybe it does…to an extent. Adam Minter writes on BloombergReview.com, that “overall intellectual freedom -- which a free Internet encourages -- obviously plays a substantial role.” (BloombergReview.com)

Freedom of speech should exist everywhere. Chinese internet users are not being treated fairly and don’t even know what they are missing! With the ban against Facebook and Twitter they can’t connect to international friends. Without Google they can’t get the heaps of info we can here. 

Word Count: 211

Work Cited

Minter, Adam. “Happy Birthday to China’s (Censored) Internet.”BloombergReview.com. N. p., 23 Apr. 2014.

[shannonenl368]

Tons of web devices are being used to get students actively engaged in scholarly pursuits. Whether it’s online talks or smart blogging, high schools and colleges alike are latching onto these methods to get students involved.

But what effect does this process have on schooling and the web as a...

[bmcleodumd]

Knowledge is everywhere. The Internet houses tons of false information. Average people cause this. The publish button many have access to causes this.

It’s not all inaccurate

It’s impossible to say that all information spread by “nobodies” can be considered false. There are even websites,...

[katyiskelly]

Brisk growth of technology creates a narrow and fearful view of the world we live in because of personal outlooks. Shifting that view from isolation to communal allows for a more beneficial and hopeful view of the world through the Internet.

Optimism Begins Communally

One of my last blogs...

[oliviapepe2]

Next Generation: How technology can help kids with Learning Disabilities

A fact you may know is that one out of every sixty eight children are born with Autism. What you may not know is that these kids can benefit from the use of modern technology. A lot. New breakthroughs show the importance of tech in these kid’s lives.

Passing the Time

Throughout life, we are constantly looking for things to entertain us, and our kids. As mom is washing the dishes, she may sit her son in front of the tv. As a dad is driving he may give his baby daughter his cell phone to play with. These distractions have been used for years now. Most people would think this is a bad idea, but sometimes a little technology is good for children.

As Clay Shirky, a writer and professor at NYU writes in his book, Cognitive Surplus, “Today people have new freedom to act in concert and in public. In terms of personal satisfaction, this good is fairly uncomplicated … We don’t really care how individuals create and share; it’s enough that they exercise this kind of freedom” (172)

Autism: How Tablets Help

Tablets are always a favorite with kids. They love the games and apps available to them and the vivid colors. Also, they love the direct interaction between them and the pad. Teachers have found that using this visual can help kids with autism understand social situations better than ever.

In an article for CNN.com, Heather Kelly writes, “They've had time to discover what works best for kids with autism when it comes to tablets. The uses vary from child to child, and often the best apps aren't even created with kids with autism in mind” (Kelly). Using these apps can make a huge change for these kids and can change mindless playtime into a learning experience.

How this Affects our Future

With these youths better educated and better social understanding, their lives could change for the better. They could possibly get better jobs, and have better relationships with those around them. As Chris Webber says in his Tumblr blog, “Make a Change,” “People argue social media and addiction to the internet has ruined communication with others. That is simply not true. We have more way than ever to communicate with one another and we need to start communicating about significant topics” (Webber).

Using these types of Apps can help improve communication in many ways, including helping children with social disorders understand what is going on around them.

Word Count: 422

Works Cited

Kelly, Heather. “Using Ablets to Reach Kids with Autism.” CNN.com. N. p., 10 Apr. 2014.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/04/09/tech/innovation/autism-tablet-apps/

Shirky, Clay. Cognitive Surplus: How Technology Makes Consumers into Collaborators. New York: Penguin, 2010. Print.

Webber, Chris. Technology Take Over. “(Make a Change!)” cwebber99.tumblr.com.  Tumblr, (11 Apr. 2014). Accessed (14 Apr. 2014).

[oliviapepe2]

Too Intrusive? Drawing the Line between Public and Private

Last week I wrote an article about the benefits of having social media when it comes to potential job interviews. This week, I have found an interesting article that counters my argument. It has some great points about the downsides of social media.

Unfair Judgment

On Facebook, there are sections where you list basic things about yourself. It includes your sexual preferences, political affiliations and your religion. These are facts that interviewers were not allowed to ask you. Now, there's a way around this. They can just check your Facebook profile! As Vivek Wadhwa states on Technologyreview.com, “These regulatory gaps exist because laws have not kept up with advances in technology. The gaps are getting wider as technology advances ever more rapidly.”

The Future of Intrusive Technology

With more and more of our lives being recorded, it is frightful to think of the info potential employers can find out about us. Not everyone is perfect. And our flaws will soon be on display to employers who may overlook a great candidate because they have bigoted opinions. Hopefully in the future either our minds will open up, or there will be a way to bridge this gap and keep our private lives, private.

Word Count: 211

Works Cited

Wadhwa, Vivek. “Laws and Ethics Can’t Keep Pace with Technology.”TechnologyReview.com. N. p., 15 Apr. 2014.

http://www.technologyreview.com/view/526401/laws-and-ethics-cant-keep-pace-with-technology/

[oliviapepe2]

Job Search: Is tech helping or hurting us?

Using social media is a part of almost every 20 something’s day to day life. We have always been told that using these sites can hurt us when we are searching for jobs. A recent article by Franklin Morris from TheNextWeb.com begs to differ. “Technology can make us look more human” (Morris).

Facebook Competing With LinkedIn

LinkedIn already has been a success with so many tech savvy people looking for new jobs. A profile lists everything from hobbies to resumes, and even includes a photo. However, Facebook, has been found to have set up 18 million users with jobs! (Morris) Although that is not the main use for Facebook, these numbers are going up.

Online Resume: Real Life Skills

Having a blog like this one may seem like a trivial hobby, but it is not! Adding your blog to your resume can show that you have what it takes to do public relations for a company. These skills are becoming more and more important as social media grows. Knowing how the internet works and what catches readers’ attention is vital.

Any downsides?

Of course, you also must be careful about what types of social media you are putting out there. Do not put up status updates on Facebook badmouthing your employer! This should be a no brainer, however there are many people who are not discrete on social media.

  Remember, everything you post can either help or hurt you!

Works Cited

Morris, Franklin. “5 Ways Technology Has Changed Recruiting Forever.”TheNextWeb.com. N. p., 7 Apr. 2014.

http://thenextweb.com/entrepreneur/2014/04/07/5-ways-technology-changed-recruiting-forever/

[kkay313]

As I write this post, I’m retweeting. I’m checking Facebook. I’m looking through Tumblr. Reading an email about some homework for another class. And ordering some books from Amazon. It’s multitasking on my computer in the most basic sense, right? But would you say I’m really focused on any one...

[oliviapepe2]

I have to say, while reading through your post I did not stop to take a break. I have my headphones in listening to Pandora on my iPod touch. My iPhone is next to me lighting up with texts from my friends from home in our group text. I think that the point you raise here makes a lot of sense.

Being connected to friends and family is great, but at what point does this turn into a crutch rather than a tool? As Marilou Jahanek writes for the Toledo Blade, “That’s what I’m afraid of. I don’t want spontaneous conversations, friendly relations, and eye contact to fade away.” New tech is not always a bad thing, but losing face to face interaction is going to make us a group of people who are cold and socially awkward.

I am a huge offender of texting just to look busy while waiting for a class to start, or in the waiting room of the doctor’s office. This has replaced friendly banter with strangers that used to be necessary. I think we are becoming a group of people who are no longer friendly. The overuse of these devices is causing a generation of people who simply don’t care.

We should all take a little time to say hello and be kind to others. Take a break from your phone screen to smile at someone or say hello to a stranger.

Works Cited 

Johanek, Marilou. “The More We Use Social Media, the Less Social We Become.” ToledoBlade.com. N. p., 5 Apr. 2014.

http://www.toledoblade.com/MarilouJohanek/2014/04/05/The-more-we-use-social-media-the-less-social-we-become.html 

[oliviapepe2]

Facebook's Attempts to Keep Up with Google

Another Small Company Bought by Facebook

Facebook has bought Ascenta, a small British company that has drones Facebook looks to use to bring internet to the entire world. They have recently bought Oculus Rift and Whatsapp, for some pretty high prices. Vindu Goel, of the NYTimes.com says, “Facebook’s recent initiatives immediately bring to mind the ‘moon shots’ pursued by its much bigger Silicon Valley rival, Google.” (Goel)

How It Works

These drones will hopefully be able to deliver internet to parts of the world that have none. Info can be sent up into the drones as well as sent back out.

Will Facebook keep up?

Google has already bought balloons which will be a part of their “Glass” program, and deliver internet to those who do not have it already. They also have been working on a car that drives itself, as well as other robotics. Facebook ultimately does not have a chance at catching up to the bigger monopoly that is Google, but they are trying.

Ascenta

Ascenta, the company with the drones that Facebook bought, is yet another company absorbed into a larger corporation. How many more of these smaller companies will be bought by these mega corporations? How will this affect us in the long run?

Works Cited

Goel, Vindu. “A New Facebook Lab Is Intent on Delivering Internet Access by Drone.” NYTimes.com. Online Newspaper. N. p., 27 Mar. 2014.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/28/technology/a-new-facebook-lab-is-intent-on-delivering-internet-access-by-drone.html?_r=0 

[justbeachyjenny]

Child marketing is a $20 billion a year industry. Markets brand favorite program characters and target young children. Kids are victims and parents are in peril to protect them from modern child abuse.

Child Programming

Children spend more time immersed in media than with parents or at...

[shannonenl368]

Companies are using brain games to attract and keep social media users interested in marketed items.

Robert McChesney, author of Digital Disconnect and professor at the University of Illinois, says “What people are exposed to significantly shapes what they will demand.” (76)

So as you are...

[mattdacosta]

Personal data has become the hot item for governments and for businesses.

This is no longer a conspiracy theory that the neighborhood “whacko” is preaching about. Your data is being sold and you are being spied on.

Pratap Chaterjee, from the progressive/liberal activist site AlterNet,...

[oliviapepe2]

Facebook Abuses Access to Personal Information

Lawsuit Against Facebook

California has sued Facebook over using children’s photos for ads without consent, proving that this social media has too much power.

As Jessica Guynn reports on the LATimes.com page, “Facebook is misinterpreting how a children’s privacy law applies to teen privacy in a move that could undercut the giant social network in a federal court case in California. Facebook users sued the company for using their images in ads on the service without their consent and later settled the class-action lawsuit in 2012.” (Guynn)

Every "Like" Saved

Robert McChesney, the Gutsgell Endowed Professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign writes in his novel, Digital Disconnect. He goes into detail about Facebook, and it’s in depth knowledge of our every interest and “like.”

Nowadays, almost everyone is on Facebook and other social media sites. We enter in everything! From our interests, and photos to comments between peers. This can be great. It helps friends keep in touch This site allows its users to share important moments with important people.

However, every keystroke is saved. “Liking” the Sephora beauty store on Facebook can later lead to ads for a new lipstick to pop up on your screen the next time you log in. Some may argue that this is a good thing, but I say it is not. It can be convenient at times but most of the time I find it creepy.

Consequences of Oversharing

Right now there are not many ramifications from entering in some personal facts about oneself on Facebook. But this is only the beginning. What about when this invasion of privacy goes too far? As McChesney says, “Gathering as much information as possible on Internet users and knowing where to reach them online is the key to securing ad dollars.” (149) Facebook is a great example of this.

As my peer Olivia Gauvin writes in her tumblr blog, “Non-Quantifiable Self: Measuring our lives or living them?” writes, “As technology evolves to be smarter about our lives, we will get dumber about them. I already have my own organic, non-digital brain, thank you very much. I can use it to notice and experience my past, present, and future.” (Gauvin)

New Privacy Policies

How much do any of us really want put out there? I can’t help but imagine my interests and views being used as a ploy to sell ads. Do I really want to be buying something from one of the few companies that rule our capitalist world?

McChesney lists in his book some of the ideas he has to fix these problems. For example, “Strict regulation of advertising.” (216) Scaling back could do wonders for Facebook users like myself. For example, the photos of those kids should not have been taken from their profiles. Internet can be a great thing, but it needs some restrictions.

Word Count: 478

Works Cited

Gauvin, Olivia. Untitled. “(Non-Quantifiable Self: Measuring our Lives or Living Them?).” oliviavgauvin.tumblr.com.  Tumblr, (1 Mar. 2014). Accessed (25 Mar. 2014).

http://oliviavgauvin.tumblr.com/post/78216054978/non-quantifiable-self-measuring-our-lives-or-living

Guynn, Jessica. “California Challenges Facebook Argument on Online Teen Privacy.” LA Times. N. p., 21 Mar. 2014.

http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-facebook-california-ftc-online-teen-privacy-20140321,0,3799205.story#axzz2x7tHxc8T 

McChesney, Robert W. Digital Disconnect: How Capitalism Is Turning the Internet Against Democracy. New York: The New Press, 2013. Print.