Identity Crisis

After reading the somewhat-pessimistic review of The Social Network and Facebook usage in general, I found myself agreeing with a few of what Zadie Smith likes to call, "nostalgic" views about society's relationship with technology. There are multiple points in the article where I think Smith might be slightly too obsessive with berating the idea of connections made over the internet, but at the heart of her argument, where she discusses the reduction of people via their Facebook page, I found myself nodding my head in agreement.

To me, the whole idea behind the creation of Facebook was to connect with others and share similar ideas about livelihood and to engage in self expression. I would personally like to think that I share who I am on my homepage by posting pictures of my experiences, music to which I love and listen to, and threads/comments with friends that I know outside of the internet. In all, ideally it shows others who you are and your general interests. According to Smith, however, it is a reduction and slighted representation of who you are as a person. It is what you wish to show with others and what you wish to been seen as when friends, family, and acquaintances view your profile. Smith makes an interesting point when discussing Lanier's point of view on social networking:

"there is no perfect computer analogue for what we call a “person.” In life, we all profess to know this, but when we get online it becomes easy to forget. In Facebook, as it is with other online social networks, life is turned into a database"

I had never thought of myself as a database before reading her opinion of how i represent myself on the internet. Sure I post which movies I've seen, what books I've read, and have around 650 "friends". But to reduce myself to this generalization of a profile is where Smith argues that Facebook isn't the connective site that it claims to be. It's a version of myself, a projection that doesn't truly represent who I am, whether or not the rest of the internet recognizes that fact or not. 

Follow Up Week 7

Just a quick follow up to my feelings towards Google's vision of all-accessible information. The link provided explains a recent deal between Google and a company called Nest that produces thermostats. Google's intention is to know when the person or persons are home and thus kick-start the thermostat automatically in order to heat or cool the house. This may not seem like something to get up-in-arms about, but the idea that Google is connected to your house, and could possibly lead to a snowball effect of other items, is slightly disconcerting. This all relates to the idea of privacy and how Google has the potential to eradicate borders between the private and public spheres of society, if it so chooses. I'll try to elaborate on this topic in the upcoming HTML assignment, but overall the invasion-of-privacy theme is something that I cannot easily erase from my head.

http://gigaom.com/2014/01/13/when-google-closes-the-nest-deal-privacy-issues-for-the-internet-of-things-will-hit-the-big-time/

Ten Things We Know to Be True #7:

Ten Things We Know to Be True #7:

http://www.google.com/about/company/philosophy/

There's Always More Information Out There

Expanding on some notions discussed last week in class, it is one of Google's missions to make all possible forms of information and data accessible to any user, at anytime, at any place, in any language within the world. Ideally, they would like to see a categorized network of information that is accessible through their always-expanding search engine because, in their eyes it is better to know everything than be ignorant.

This has its perks and it's downfalls, obviously.

I'm not sure whether to categorize my opinions on technology as optimistic or pessimistic in terms of viewpoints, but this notion takes the cake for me. Personally, I don't think I'd feel comfortable living in a world where everyone has access to everything, meaning any piece of information about someone at any given time. Sure, this would lead to an enhancement of community as hinted in today's Facebook commercial, given the fact your friends, your family, people you don't even know, would have access to everything about your personal life. Yes, people you don't even know. That's the part where the rainbows dissipate and the clouds clear. The idea that my private life, as Bellah puts it, could be compromised with the click of a mouse scares (pardon my French) the living shit out of me. There are just some things in this world that people do not need to have access to, whether it be private or public affairs. The idealism rings true to me, and deep down I wish I could trust any person with this sort of power. But frankly I haven't reached that point yet, and I'm not sure if I will.

Comparing leadership: Jobs and Brin

What's in a leader?

Given the two highlighting examples we have read about in class, it seems there is a dichotomy when it comes to defining the quintessential leader of an innovative, technologically advanced company. On one hand, you have a man of many colors. Steve Jobs has been described as merciless, authoritative, scheming, and outwardly mean by numerous critics as well as coworkers. On the other side, you have the co-founder of Google, Sergey Brin. From what I've gathered while reading Douglas Edwards's account, Brin at times seems autonomous, composed, and encouraging rather than berating.

How can two seemingly different men place themselves at the same level of innovation and overall genius?

The answer is simple, they share the unique qualities of passion and intensity that you don't see in the average man or woman. They share the will to push people, understanding what's probable and what's impossible. They share the idea that knowledge and technology are not only extensions of the self, but help define who we are in an ever-changing world. They realize that as humanity becomes more and more technologically dependent, there needs to be a handful of leaders that are willing to take risks to ensure we advance as a society, hand in hand with the self and extensions of the self. It is through the leadership of these innovative companies that the average citizen has the pleasure of curling up with a tablet every night, or to utilize a search engine at any waking moment of the day. Regardless of the startling differences between Brin and Jobs, it is the will and passion they share for innovation that defines them as the quintessential leaders of our time.

Follow Up: Medium is the Message

Shane Rant 101:

I really hadn't intended on ending this week's series of blogs with a follow-up in the form of a rant, but I feel like I need to get a couple feelings out of the way. This follow-up is regarding technology (one of the two themes of this class) and it also regards a cynical feeling I have towards a certain form of technology. I am a fan of books. Literally, paper-filled books with hard and soft covers surrounding the exterior. I love the way they feel, the way they smell, the way my roommates look at me when I drive by Barnes & Noble on a Sunday afternoon. Cannot begin to tell you how greatly I appreciate the fact I can pick up a book whenever I wish make a note in it, set it down and ponder for quite some time, and then revert back to reading it when I have the time.

This being said, I view the kindle/books on the iPad as a disgrace. I'm almost positive someone somewhere in the world has voiced their complaints about the inability to connect with literature over a tablet of some nature, but this is my blog, and frankly I need to vent. Referring to my prior blog this evening, I believe technology is effecting the human mind in terms of cognitive abilities. This being said, I believe the kindle/iPad is not doing justice to the books they present and the people they serve from a cognitive standpoint. When I read from a book, I tend to let information and story soak into my mind. I can put it down for a long period of time, flip to a certain page that I wish, and connect in ways that I physically can't with a computer screen. I understand the convenience of being able to carry around a less-bulky form of literature, as well as the being able to carry around multiple books at one time without looking like a wandering merchant in the streets. These seem like reasonable arguments. However I still believe the internal, cognitive, connection is lost somewhere between the physical book and the technology that represents it.

SO folks, if you've read this far tonight, I appreciate you listening to my argument and opinions. Hopefully with a little experience, you can form a few opinions as well about this issue. But for now I'm signing off for the evening, technology in my backpack, book in my hand.

Internet and the Brain: "The Google Effect"

Within the past few years, numerous studies and research has brought the effects of technology on the human psyche at a faster rate than ever. Notions criticizing the internet in particular, which originated in the mid 1990's, are resurfacing due to the stream of research that was conducted over the past decade on citizens of the "tech age". Being a member of this particular generation of internet-communicators, I feel this sort of information is important to the understanding of human reliance and behavior because of computers, cell phones, hi def television, and the internet. After reading a few of these studies , I'm not going to sugar coat my feelings about the effect technology is having on my mind as well as everyone else's: it scares the hell out of me. 

From what I've gathered, it seems many in the scientific community have come to the conclusion that the internet is directly effecting the cognitive abilities of humans. By cognitive abilities I'm specifically referring to memory, a vital aspect of human existence and survival in order for society to progress. The general consensus revolves around the decrease in retention of information. For example, searching for a recipe or instructions online may be beneficiary in the short term (having dinner ready for your family in a jiffy may seem like a win-win), but what are the chances you'll actually remember the basics of that recipe when the time comes to make it again? Researchers claim the short term memory functions are out-managing the long-term functions due to the reliance on a resource that is accessible at any moment of the day. This reliance is what worries me, and with that reasoning I'm going to make a vouch to limit myself to the resources of the internet as of now…….well maybe in 20 minutes from now when I manage to log off of twitter and Facebook….I'll get back to you on that vouch….

---This video gives an "everyday" perspective of how people view the internet and the ways in which it changes our lives…. Enjoy!!---

Reddit and the COmmunity pt. 2

https://voicethread.com/share/5425601/



Above is my link to my presentation on reddit and the integral role they play in the internet community. Enjoy and post feedback!!

Follow Up: The Times They Are a Changin'

Bob Dylan once wrote a song that can hold it's own against the tests of time, given the fact it remarks on exactly that notion: once in a while, the people, thoughts, and times will change. Regarding what was discussed in class this week, I thought it would be appropriate to expand on the ideas of "Sheilaism" and the ever-changing demographics of religion in American society today. The religious community is evolving from the traditional, conservative religious values and belief systems to more radical, liberal ways of thinking about life in the context of spirituality. The topic of Sheilaism was discussed as the primary culture-shock that religion is receiving in society: basically the cherry-picking of values to fit your personal thoughts on a possible afterlife, as well as the meaning of life in general. Notions of choice, self-discovery, and free will come into play when deciding which faith to follow in this day and age.

Bellah describes this phenomenon as a growing concern in society. His interview with a woman (named Sheila), who believes that her personal preferences should dictate her faith, describes his observations of Americans becoming more individualistically-minded rather than understanding the benefit of a community and organized religions. He claims that instead of seeking inward spiritual satisfaction, one should continue to rely on others, based on the ideology of "being in it together" and of dependancy. I tend to agree with the notions he sets forth, being a practicing Catholic, and to some extent I'm taking interest in the shift from traditional forms of belief to more liberal, individualistic forms. Whichever your preference, I recommend reading an article from 2012 that expands on this idea of "Sheilaism". Even though I may not agree with the changes that are occurring in society, I accept the fact that indeed the times are a changin'.

Reddit & Community

The internet today consists of options. Options, options options options……….literally millions of options to how one wishes to view his or her own sources of news, multimedia, entertainment, pop culture, sports, scientific information……..the list goes on. I'm here to recommend one, measly option in this vast web of resources known as reddit. Literally meaning "I read it" or "already read it", the site brings to the forefront the most popular posts, topics, photos, videos and opinions streaming the web via it's users. I use the word popular here for a reason given the fact that reddit users engage in their own civic duties of voting on what they find to be popular or relevant at the time. This group of users form an online community that recognize what is important/funny/entertaining in society, and gives them specific categories or "subreddits" that appeal to each individual user. To expand on how reddit is utilized I have included a little tutorial from youtube:

What I enjoy the most about reddit is the ability to choose what I can view, as well as vote towards what I find relevant in the internet community. Acting as the "front page of the internet", reddit gives me the resources and tools to navigate the wide variety of multimedia sources available at my fingertips, as well as individual power. This approach to deciding which posts should show up on my bulletin board, rather than a newsfeed showing anything and everything, allows me to individualize my search for news, entertainment, and knowledge within the web. It is this ability that I enjoy the most because it has the possibility to connect me with a news-oriented community that is easy to use and encouraging to participate within.

This kid encourages reddit to those who wish to empower their searches. And since it's open to everyone, I suggest you become a user to determine what you wish to view and deem what is important to you!!!