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When I initially started comparing “Here Comes Everybody,” by...

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 19:40:00 -0400

When I initially started comparing “Here Comes Everybody,” by Clay Shirky, and “A Networked Self,” by Zizi Papacharissi, I found the task quite challenging. Though the primary reason for this difficulty was not the material contained in each, rather the style with which each was composed. The first book I tackled, was by far the easier of the two, “Here Comes Everybody” read much like a regular prose publication. Clay Shirky filled his book with intriguing anecdotes that underscored the concepts of each chapter. He first details how much influence social media can have when used effectively, and goes on to detail why it has the power it does. Eventually, showing the readers that the complex relationships, speed of communication, and ease of use allow large groups to organize effectively. This in turn allows, anybody with access to create and produce their own content with no need for the previously high cost barriers to entry. Social media’s removal of these barriers, allowed the public to voice their own ideas and create communities with like-minded individual.

When I began reading “A Networked Self,” it was an entirely different experience. The concepts were the same, yet delved into greater detail. Zizi Papacharissi, collaborated with over 30 different doctoral professors and academic professionals, to compile an in depth analysis of social networking sites on, social behavior, organizational practices, and civic engagement. While it was a little bit of a shock from one book to the next, after I began to read more, I realized it held much more information and did a much greater job at explaining social media’s influence on society at large. On top of the additional detail, it was also organized more efficiently.

Having finished reviewing the two books, I must say that I was amazed at how much the books correlated to one another. “A Networked Self,” if it did not directly support the ideas put forth in “Here Comes Everybody,” it expanded them in another direction. I have a feeling I will be reading through Papacharissi’s book a few more times, even though academic reads tend to be boring, the ideas are very interesting and I know I could find something new on a second or third read through.

The More She Saw, the Less She Spoke.: Students Suspended for Twitter Comments

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 04:57:00 -0400

The More She Saw, the Less She Spoke.: Students Suspended for Twitter Comments:

It’s unfortunate that schools are resorting to these tactics to deter students from posting negative comments about their institution. Depending on their state children don’t have many of the rights associated with adult citizens. Regardless, even if that is the case these school districts are teaching students to fear free speech later in life. I remember the rules from my high school that they were only allowed to punish students for misdemeanors or any actions only if it was on school grounds.

lessshespoke:

Lately, social networking and privacy has been a very controversial topic in the media. The big question is, “How far is too far?” “Should businesses and schools have the right to check employee or student’s social networking sites?” etc. Businesses and schools have started to ask for the right to…

KingDavidMCO435: Social Media and Gamification "Shall We Play A Game?"

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 04:38:25 -0400

KingDavidMCO435: Social Media and Gamification "Shall We Play A Game?":

You did a great job of simplifying, what gamification is. Rather more simply what the great attraction for games in general is, the interaction. Many of the great video games of today are award winning because they allow individuals to participate in what is now a cinematic experience. That interaction is important in many daily interactions. Voluntary interaction with political, legal, and educational institutions makes people feel empowered and in turn makes their opinions count.

kingdavidmco435:

This article gives a brief definition of what gamification is and how it can help companies to improve loyalty. Loyalty is imperative to the success of any company. Loyalty means that customers are happy and will in turn bring you business. If I’m happy I will return as a customer, how…

KingDavidMCO435: 6 months to 25 years in jail for Trolling on the internet are you serious?

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 17:50:19 -0400

KingDavidMCO435: 6 months to 25 years in jail for Trolling on the internet are you serious?:

kingdavidmco435:

Have you ever came across an annoying person who has posted a comment that almost incites an online riot? I mean statements that are clearly intended to offend and piss people off like the one I found on Yahoo answers. Here is an example below:

” Who else hates fat people?

Who else hates…

I just read your post and wanted to throw in my two cents as well. We do need to do something about cyber bullying and such however even if trolls post annoying things they are still protected under their 1st amendment rights. I may not agree with what they have to say but they have every right to say it, even if it is immature.

Taken with instagram

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 17:34:38 -0400

Taken with instagram

Please Don't Feed the Bear: Teens Tweet

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 04:14:08 -0400

Please Don't Feed the Bear: Teens Tweet:

Teen tweeting, is a bit of a concern if you are looking at privacy issues, considering that a lot of twitter is set up to be intentionally more public than facebook. While, their parents may be more present on facebook the privacy settings can allow for more complete privacy. Though Im not sure about companies viewing tweets from teens in a negative light when it comes time to apply for jobs, however it may affect future school applications.

robvaljr:

I don’t blame Teens turning to Twitter because like you said a lot more adults are joining Facebook. I also agree with Facebook having a more personal profile that people sometimes just want to be nosy and look at what is going in your life. Me personally, I see myself using Twitter more for the same reasons that these Teenagers are. It’s a more lay back scene and I am able to just talk to people and vice versa versus people looking at all my business.

katiannabear:

Twitter has commonly had a higher age group of users until recently. In an article written by Stephanie Schwab, Rise of the Twitter Teenager, she shows us that there is a new age group among the Twittersphere. Teens. The young kids are turning to Twitter at an even earlier age to follow…

Penny Lane with Diamonds: Is Pinterest turning into Thinterest?

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 03:58:13 -0400

Penny Lane with Diamonds: Is Pinterest turning into Thinterest?:

This is an alarming find, a lot of the perceptions people have regarding sex, and personal image stems from mass media spreading images of the ideal body type. The change from mass media to social media spreading this message means that the warped perceptions that presently exist could very well be exacerbated to a point that controlling those ideas becomes nearly impossible.

robvaljr:

This idea of perfection has been going on for decades in advertising via magazines, television and other forms of mass media. I absolutely agree with your notion that this idea of being skinny and being “perfect” is harming young girls and their perception of reality. We all know that these skinny models really don’t look the way they are portrayed. They are photo shopped and manipulated to what they consider to be perfect.

As far as Pinterest goes, I think that getting the word out and letting young girls understand and know what the reality of being perfect is, is probably the best way to go. Unfortunately we cannot always control what is being posted on the internet but making sure our loved ones and their loved ones know what the truth is probably is going to be our best bet.

twicemarie:

This Time Magazine article was extremely interesting, and something I have never really thought about. All over the internet we are always seeing images of girls. Whether they are in clothes, swimsuit, naked, or just parts of them we are always being thrown images to our face. Most recently…

Social Media Cause Fatigue

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 02:10:22 -0400

Since social activism hit the spot light early last year with the Egyptian and Libyan protests, movements have been appearing on nearly a bi monthly basis. We started with the Occupy Wall street movement that took several months to start turning heads and drawing public and political attention on a worldwide scale. By using social media, like Facebook, Twitter, and live reporting through sites like Ustream allowed for instantaneous transmission of any new information as it arose. The political follow up to the protests were interesting, if not intentional with the declaration of occupational protesters as minor level terrorism, and then the proposal of the indefinite military detention act months following. Regardless of the political fall out of the Occupy Wall Street movement, it opened to door for additional movements to follow the same or similar template.

Nearing the end of the Occupy Wall Street protest the Senate and House of representatives introduced the Protect IP Act and the Stop Online Piracy Act that would effectively censor the Internet world wide, barring access to websites hosted outside the United States. The combination of laws would also create massive financial stress on the websites that were blocked by removing all financial support to them. The follow up to these laws was the Blackout that occurred on January 18^th, 2012, drawing support from over one hundred thousand websites and millions of people. The bills had touted protecting the privacy and economy of U.S. citizens from the harm of piracy, yet proposed little language to protect people from censorship or false accusations. In the end the Blackout movement successfully stalled the ratification of the two laws.

Lesser known privacy and anti piracy laws that have been proposed and met with opposition are ACTA, that plans to block the imports of counterfeit, or knock of products of major goods. Another was PCIP, which looked to obtain a copy of all Internet users history to look for potential criminal activity under the guise of protecting children. Now we have CISPA or the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, that wants Internet and service providers to spy on their users, share information between them selves, and then upon request provide that information to the Federal Government when requested.

After having so many political and social movements occur one after another right after the year civil interest on social issues begins to wane. This Cause Fatigue starts to have negative effects on otherwise important issues. Listening to what these new social movements are fighting against it’s clear that the issues brought up and address are still important there’re still issues that should be addressed by society political figures. However this isn’t fair for most of occupying and other such protest as public interest dwindles to near zero in recent months. Cause fatigue has really begun to set in for a lot of socially and politically active individuals, hoping that issues are addressed more often than they are at current.

Taken with instagram

Tue, 03 Apr 2012 16:18:36 -0400

Taken with instagram

Whit's World: Researchers Investigate Social Media’s Negative Impacts

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 03:57:57 -0400

Whit's World: Researchers Investigate Social Media’s Negative Impacts :

I think the researches bring up some valid concerns, however I think they may have run across some false correlations. When I was growing up I was presented with the same negative trends of the digital medium I was enamored with, video games. The problems they came across a more common than most would like to admit. The release of the iPhone prompted similar studies. I think it stems from a desire of older generations looking to find a reason why the younger generations are so rebellious, even though they had the same thing happen. First it was music in the 60’s, drugs in the 70’s, the 80’s had television, 90’s had video games, now social media it’s pretty much what scares the previous generation the most.

whitneyjstevens:

In a recent study conducted by Canadian research groups have found that social media sites have a wide range of negative mental health effects on individuals. The study tended to zone in on the specific effects on Facebook. With more than 800 million users accessing Facebook regularly, and…

Jenna Roy: Social Media in the classroom

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 03:40:01 -0400

Jenna Roy: Social Media in the classroom:

I think there may still be some hope for the education system in K-12! This is an amazing find, even our generation has been immersed in and affected by technology. Yet, it was not until this class, my junior year in college that I found a class that focussed on it. The ability for student to learn just how important social connection and networking can not be overstated enough.

jroy9390:

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….

The Facebook Obsession

Thu, 29 Mar 2012 03:11:00 -0400

In 2011 CNBC released a brief and engaging 45-minute documentary that covered the rapid rise of Mark Zuckerberg as an Internet visionary and the viral growth of Facebook. The short titled “The Facebook Obsession,” details how deeply engrained the website has become in today’s digital age. What they focus on is not the downfalls of social media, but the importance of the different applications Facebook has provided since its inception in 2004. The film starts with a touching story of a daughter reaching out to her long lost mother that was only possible because of the broad reaching capabilities of Facebook. Following the tear-jerking story of the reunited mother a daughter, CNBC addressed some of the early and still highly controversial issues of changing privacy settings. It briefly discusses the consequences of openly posting information online without keeping up to date on privacy settings. It then further expounds upon the open graph marketing campaign, and the controversy surrounding the third party applications taking and selling personal data to advertisers.

The documentary really starts to explain just how important Facebook is in the last 15 minutes. It focuses on the “Facebook Election,” of the broad reaching and never before seen combination of social media and politics. In a brief clip is shows how President Barak Obama took advantage of social media during his 2008 campaign, and setting up a profile that is one of the most popular on the entire site. It was during his election that other individuals in the government began to see the benefits. The white house set up a page after Obama in order to answer live questions from politically interested individuals.

More than just more than just U.S. based government officials use Facebook, English and UK officials also use it. In fact a massive portion of Facebook users are not even American citizens. The next step is to see if they can reach the largest country in the world, China. While the Great Firewall of China still blocks access to Facebook and other social media, because of a fear that it can be used to organize protest, Zuckerberg is intent on trying to reach out to the country and is in fact currently visiting the country attempting to learn more about the culture to see if he may be able to reach them.

The shear level of connection that Facebook allows is astounding; with more subscribers than there are citizens in the United States. As the company grows larger on a daily basis, many are starting to grow concerned about world governments stepping in to dictate how the site should be run. The concern is compounded by the fact that Mark Zuckerberg, while brilliant and a visionary is still very young and possibly to immature to run the world most important social networking website. Copies of the emails he sent while a freshman in college resurface time and time again, adding more fuel to the fire. However only time will tell if he is a capable individual, if he manages to open the door to Chinese social media he may be able to show he has grown and would probably cement Facebook as the most important website in world history for a long time to come.

Rob V. II: Questioning Crowd Sourcing

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 16:31:00 -0400

Rob V. II: Questioning Crowd Sourcing:

I think you really hit the idea of crowd sourcing on the head at the end of your blog. From what I understood of crowd sourcing, is that it isn’t like a poll or study, but what happens when a large group of people is faced with a decision; like correctly guessing the amount of jellybeans in a jar. The crowd sourcing is what happens as the mass of people guesses more accurately than any one individual. I think Netflix is an excellent example of million of subscribers rating films, and as a group selecting the best ones, but not as a survey.

robvaljr:

Last week we discussed the term crowd-sourcing and how it relates to social media and the different platforms that we have discussed and experienced firsthand. Even studies have been done and those studies prove that the average of a crowd source outcome is normally the correct and most accurate…

Shirking Around: "Spring Break Gets Tamer as World Watches Online"

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 16:10:20 -0400

Shirking Around: "Spring Break Gets Tamer as World Watches Online":

There is a huge concern over what is posted online, that’s why I rarely use social media when I’m out at any time. Though I suppose keeping control over what you do, even when drunk is a good practice to get into. It is simply the fear of social media that is acting as a deterrent. Just as, who the social stigma associated with smoking is more likely to get someone to quit, than anything else, the social stigma associated with drunken actions on face book is a better deterrent than, say the fear of drunk driving.

brittshirk:

Now that spring break is in full swing, I found this article recently printed in the NY times a perfect subject to discuss.

We all know that spring break is a time where things my get a little crazy. We drink, we party, and most importantly we want to document it. We want to remember all the…

No Need for Piracy Protection

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 15:53:00 -0400

Observing the reaction to the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect IP Act (PIPA), during the turn of the year brought massive amounts of attention to the issues of: censorship, digital rights management, and piracy. The concern that the public voiced and why the bills were so strongly opposed was the concern of censorship. Many American’s believe that censorship is the worse of the two evils. A poll showed that 71% of the population believed that the threat of censorship was more damaging to society than the piracy the censorship is attempting to stop. However, the solution to piracy and copyright infringement is very simple, it’s just that no one bothered to ask the right question. Why do people resort to piracy to begin with and what can be done if we allow more creative works?

An interview with Gabe Newell answered the first part of this unasked question. The man is the co founder and manager of Valve, one of the largest online gaming distributers in the world. When he was asked what is their stance on piracy, he responded that the company doesn’t worry about it. His reason? The piracy issue boils down to a matter of customer service. He gave an example of selling video games in Russia, and that pirates are more successful than gaming companies because they provide a better customer service. He reasoned that, if a customer wanted a game in Russian, but had to wait six months for it to be released in Russian, they had better luck finding a pirate that had it for them. After learning about this, Gabe Newell and Valve stated releasing their games readily available on any computer and properly translated. What was the end result of focusing on customer service and ease of access? The company’s piracy issues in the region nearly disappeared.

The other issue facing piracy is allowing creative works. What happens when a fan up loads a video using content that is copyright protected but has no intentions of stealing? Looking at some of the more popular film produces on YouTube provides an interesting comparison. First if we look at CorridorDigital’s Freak Guitar Accident film, it’s clear that the content and ideas came from the highly popular game Guitar Hero. However, once lead to his channel you can see some of his more creative works like, A Brush with Death that is original content. Observing another filmmaker Freddiew, who draws a lot of his inspiration from video games, has grown popular enough to have guest appearances of Hollywood actors. In his video Time Crisis he co-stars with Andy Whitfield star of Spartacus: Blood and Sand. While these two film makers are uploading content for free and using ideas from copyright protected material, their use of the material has made them so well known that they were hired to develop a commercial for the blockbuster game Battlefield 3.

So the concern for piracy and the need for censorship is grossly over exaggerated. Not only do we have one of the larges gaming distributors in the world proving that if more focus is put on customer service than trying to protect content, piracy declines. We also have armature filmmaker’s using well-known content to become popular enough to be hired by a company in the same genre of material they are using, in turn bringing more revenue to the company. If companies are more willing to make their content available to their consumers, people will be less likely to resort to piracy, and there would not be a need for the government to develop laws like SOPA or PIPA.

I was interested in writing this after seeing this ted talk.

We're Here:: Homeless Hotspots: An obvious sign of a digital divide

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 22:17:40 -0400

We're Here:: Homeless Hotspots: An obvious sign of a digital divide:

I agree the idea of making homeless people wireless hotspots, absolutely increases the digital divide, and the controversy has increased to the point that the issue has reached meme status. I think though, it’s a great idea if it creates a work opportunity for the homeless. Tucson, AZ has a similar operation in making them sell news papers on the street corners, the ideas of BHH seem to just bring the plan into the digital age.

kingdavidmco435:

I believe that this can be a way of using the digital divide to exploit the less unfortunate, in this case the homeless. At the same time I also see homeless hot spots as a way to close the gap in communication across multiple spaces.

With a homeless hot spot these homeless individuals are now able to communicate their needs for employment and shelter to multiple people,something that would have been impossible or close to impossible to do before because of their lack of resources .

This article is good because it brings to attention the effects that the digital divide has on different individuals of various social,economical and cultural backgrounds.

These homeless people have made an online presence and identity.

Would you use a “homeless hotspot” if it was available in your city? I think that there are plenty of other ways to distribute internet access to the public without making the digital divide more obvious.

lalaurenashley:

Homeless hotspots? What is the city of Austin Texas thinking? Recently a new marketing company named BHH took to the streets to implement a new way of distributing wireless internet access to the public during the SXSW festival. BHH charges $2 for 15 minutes of time spent online. The patrons that…

Adam Haught: The Most Viral Video in History

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 21:58:10 -0400

Adam Haught: The Most Viral Video in History:

I can definitely see why this video has become as popular as it has, it employs great rhetorical strategies, and takes people on an emotional roller coaster ride ending with a happy up beat method of resolving the problem it addresses. I was one of the people reposting the video, and while I was, I kept coming back to the “slactivism” idea, however I think ideas gain lots of traction spreading as fast as the “Kony 2012” video has.

whitneyjstevens:

Kony 2012 has been saturating my Facebook news feed and Twitter stream the past week. People have been posting videos, thoughts, and pictures, relating to this. Currently, this is extremely relevant to the trends in social media. You bring up an interesting idea about how fast one video (or picture, document, etc.) can spread in one day. That is the power social media has over what gets saturated and spread through our society. It is scary to think about the messages that are being spread, through these popular videos on our social networking sites.

ahaught:

For the past six days, Facebook, Twitter and many other social media websites have been blowing up with the latest viral video, Kony 2012. Now, if you don’t know what I’m talking about, it may be a good idea to do a Google search for “Kony 2012” or better yet, sign into Facebook or Twitter. I’m…

Andrews Chacon: Police Officers can use Facebook to track and spy on people

Thu, 08 Mar 2012 04:38:25 -0500

Andrews Chacon: Police Officers can use Facebook to track and spy on people:

I would have to agree with you that standard law enforcement relying on social media to meet their “quota” and searching for crimes on social media is low. However, where I disagree is that the majority of social media seems to be set up as semi public places. Just like how an officer can look through your car window to gain probable cause, but can not break in. One the other hand I have to think that someone willing to post information to social media that links them to a crime kind of deserves what’s coming to them.

therealandrew24:

When signing up for a social media website, we all know what were getting ourselves into. We all put our lives on the internet for everyone to see and this can ultimately tell a lot about a person. The article.Police officers can use facebook to track and spy on people and the video titled the…

Whit's World: 20 Million Followers, Complete Social Media Power

Thu, 08 Mar 2012 03:45:23 -0500

Whit's World: 20 Million Followers, Complete Social Media Power:

Social media is a great way to spread a message if not one of the best ways to spread it quickly. Having the ability to spread a message is great if it’s a message worth spreading. My concern is that someone like Lady Gaga, while I occasionally enjoy her music, I worry that she has the capacity to spread a good message or if it will just be a superb marketing ploy.

whitneyjstevens:

Tumblr Post 2: 20 Million Followers, Complete Social Media Power

By: Whitney Stevens

Individuals in various social media facets have traditionally placed high importance on the number of “followers,” “friends,” etc., they bear on diverse social media sites. For many people involved…

Whit's World: Whitney Stevens MCO435 Post #1: Social Media Shaped Chardon High School Shooting Coverage

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 02:47:29 -0500

Whit's World: Whitney Stevens MCO435 Post #1: Social Media Shaped Chardon High School Shooting Coverage:

Your question of putting trust in to social media sites brings up an interesting point, I talked a little bit about in my own blog. It unfortunately happens a little too often, when I read articles about people being duped by Onion News Articles. The fellow I wrote on said that in order for social media to really show its capabilities, its members must remember to stay genuine and independent, otherwise it will collapse on itself and people will forget to think about what is true or false.

whitneyjstevens:

Social Media Shaped Chardon High School Shooting Coverage

An interesting concept was raised when a news station in Ohio reported on how social media affected how the public learned about a shooting spree at Chardon High School. Information about the shooting at Chardon High School spread…