Learning Technology

The rise of social media has been beneficial to an endless amount of people, but not all. Learning technology could be very complicated especially for people who did not grow up in the generation where technology played a big role in their lives. Growing up in the generation I did, most of my friends are technologically friendly. However, there are several of my family members and acquaintances that have no idea how to work their devices. This article discussed 20 basic tech things older generations don’t understand such as terms and acronyms. I thought that it would be beneficial for others to read so they are more understanding and know that many people struggle with this.

Luckily, for people who have trouble understanding how to learn how to use their technology there are: videos, tutorials, and websites such as youtube that makes it easier for individuals to learn step-by-step how to work technology. I myself had every different kind of phone besides and iPhone and when I received my iPhone6 around Christmas time, I had no idea how to use it. I was checking out one day at work with my manager, and pulling up something so simple such as my calculator was so difficult for me to figure out. I wasn’t sure how anything worked on the phone in which I explained to my manager. However, he responded to me saying, “How could you not know how to use an iPhone when they are so user friendly?” I was a bit offended by this, and until this day I understand why it can be so hard for people to understand technology especially since they are just not used to it. All it takes is time and patience to get the hang of it. This is a video that shows tips and tricks how to use an iPhone6. 

A Life Without Journalism?

An increasingly amount of people are going online for their news. I myself haven’t opened up an actual newspaper in a very long time. Until we discussed it in class, I never really noticed how online websites such as Huffington Post and Yahoo News are taking away from actual journalism. There is a concern with “stealing” the content from traditional news organizations. The new media especially sites like Craigslist are sucking away funds since they allow people to place ads for free. Thinking about what life would like like without the local news is something that I haven’t really given much though to because I am so used to having such easy access to all news articles online for free. After we discussed “grass root citizen journalism” which is people who are not professionals and still are able to report these stories. I was wondering how valid you think these individuals actually are and if you would be okay with nonprofessionals always reporting the news? The new media is undermining the power of “big media” and traditional journalism” by allowing easy access to articles all over the Internet, summaries are available that allow  you to get condensed versions of the story, and the individuals who used to regulate what stories would be publish have changed since amateurs are now posting local news for the public to see. What do you guys think the biggest problem is of why the consumption of journalism is decreasing over time? 

No Respect

Some communities online are not accepting of female characters. Due to this some females may choose to switch their gender online because they do not want to be subjected to harassing comments. It is completely understandable that anyone would want to avoid this kind of nonsense. However, they recently published a story regarding whether or not a man’s post online was violating his First Amendment rights even though he was being inappropriate with nasty comments to his gamer ex-girlfriend.

After reading John R. Ellement’s article I was a bit shocked to hear the outcome of this huge predicament. It was upsetting to hear that the restraining order put out towards him was ineffective and caused more harm. Although his free speech rights were being violated since he was not allowed to make posts during this whole thing was going on I don’t think it is okay for anyone to be harassed online. Individuals online feel like their character is an extension of themselves and when this type of thing happens it is violating the norms and codes of an online community. No one should be subjected to this, and it was very inappropriate. 

We know that these types of comments even through online communication can be traumatizing, so I was wondering how you guys would feel or react in this situation? Also, what do you think the outcome or punishment for Gjoni should be? 

Be Your Own Person

The Long Tail article really opened up my eyes to really notice what is going on with the world. Although there has been an emergence of new networks and movies most individuals devote their time to just a few. I completely agree that the media draws us into the most popular TV shows, radio stations, movies, and more because all marketers care about is supply and demand. What marketers do is strive to maximize profits by making one commodity appeal to as many consumers as possible for as long as possible. 

The consequence of having an increasing number of TV channels, movies, or radio channels is then these markets are competing with each other and must spend a greater amount of money of marketing to get their shows, movies, or channels noticed. However, as this article discusses how peoples like to go beyond the mainstream and unless they take the time to further their research then they will never know what they actually like. 

I myself have been the type of person who sticks to the usual such as typical shows and radio stations and it can be difficult for me to step outside of my comfort zone. However, when I do, I find out more about myself and realize that when I actually take the time to give it a chance I usually end up enjoying it. 

However, he argues that things are changing due to the digital revolution because when TV programs, films, and music is digitized it doesn’t cost to store it and the distribution costs are relatively cheap. With that being said, we live in a society with wide variety of products that we have the ability discover and develop our acquired tastes which will not always be the popular hits. 

Speak Up

      The online world is a place where individuals of all ages are able to post anything they wish. After reading Carrie Rentschler’s article on online abuse I was filled with several emotions. First and foremost I just wanted to say that I am not too surprised that someone would take a photograph of this young girl lying naked and unconscious on the floor instead of wanting to help her out of a horrible situation because this is not an uncommon act. However, I would like to say that I do not know what is wrong with our society and I don’t even know how people like this live with themselves. 

This young girl went to a party and the events following this were very traumatic and others around offered nothing but fuel to the fire. Due to these menacing human beings who had to post their own-reenactments of the photo caused her to relive her worst nightmare. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and all of these social media web sites have misconstrued the mind’s of young individuals. Today young teens are so occupied with what others think of them and they will do anything just to show power, gain popularity points, and receive attention.

      Being sexually assaulted is a very serious topic that young adults should be aware about at that age and know how to help someone in that situation. Dana Boyd bring up the topic of bullying online and many people engage in online drama is for attention. She explains that the term cyber bullying is often called something else which is drama because it can be friends being sarcastic to each other and being mean which is not the same as being a bully. Cyber bullying has to be persistent and cause harm to that individual which certainly was the case for this young girl. 

      There are many resources that provides useful information on cyberbullying and how to stop it. 

Young and Curious

We talked about DOPA which is the Deleting Online Predators Act in class. 

If this law was passed it would work like the Child Internet Protection Act  which is any institution such as schools and public libraries would get discounted Internet access by giving them cheaper rates to encourage the spread of Internet especially to schools. What DOPA would say is that any computer connected to Internet in these institutions would have to block social networking sites. However, many individuals protested this because the people who would use these institutions to find jobs and use social networking sites to find connections wouldn’t be able to have access due to this law. 

I understand why individuals would want to protest against this because not everyone has easy access to the Internet or the money to pay for it. However, I think that in these institutions they should have designated areas where they can sign-in to work on those specific tasks so everyone can be happy. I believe that laws in general designed to protect children online is important because I think it is necessary that kids have legal protection.  One reason I think this is  because children  are very curious and another reason is that their brains are not fully developed to make the correct decisions and may not be educated enough to know what is right from wrong. If they were limited to what they can do and research online then I believe that this would benefit them from finding out information that is not necessary for them to know at their age, and protect their overall well-being.

According to Kid's Health the Internet can be a great place for kids to find useful information for schoolwork or communicate with their teachers or friends. However, the Internet can also pose hazards such as inappropriate content. Parents do not always have the time to monitor their children and they can’t choose who their friends are which leads to bad choices and decisions made online. Kids are being exposed to these things a lot sooner therefore it is important to educate your children when they are online because what they do on the Internet is not always made aware to the parents.  Although it is easy to get around many of these laws, children may become more aware that this is a serious topic and may be effective to more children rather than none without a law.

Invasion of Privacy

Social networks are designed so that individuals can freely express themselves and create customized profiles that they can check freely throughout their day. These profiles allow them to feel connected even throughout their day by including photos, comments, likes, dislikes, and update their statuses. It is important to express your individuality however, people must be aware that the information they post online is not private. It is hard to say whether or not I agree or disagree with Andrew’s proposal. I say this because I believe that even if this act was put into place I don’t necessarily believe that employers, schools, or other social institutions would follow this rule right of the bat. I am a strong believer of our personal rights and privacy because what we post online should not reflect who we are as a person to these institutions. When different individuals that are representing these institutions are viewing their students or future employers profiles some may be more judgmental than others which is unfair. 

I understand where employers are coming from when they want to view their possible future employer’s profiles because they will be representing their company. It is understandable that they want a reliable and serious employer however I believe that is what applications and interviews are conducted for. There are even articles out there that list social media mistakes that can cost you your job which I think it is absurd that hiring managers are making hiring decisions based on social network profiles. 

I think that it is a whole different story when it comes to schools viewing their students profiles because that is an invasion of their privacy because their are thousands of students in the school and they have a right to post what they want online without getting penalized. Unless their is a conflict that becomes the schools concern I don’t believe that their profiles should be viewed because this is their personal space and has nothing to do with them as a student during the school day. 

I am leaning more towards the side of not allowing institutions to access social network pages or taking adverse actions against an individual based on their posts on social network or their profile alone. When we are at school at work most of us put on our serious face and acts in ways that our socially acceptable. In society we are faced with many different situations and people and it is our responsibility to act right in those situations. If these institutions need to check profiles in order to judge  people then they should reevaluate themselves because that is not the right way. Someone should not be given a chance based solely on what they are posting online when that should be their right to post what they want but still know their our consequences.