WEB 2.0

As we join groups and social networks from affinity sites to Facebook, are we extending and expanding identities, or increasingly conforming to the cookie-cutter profiles demanded of these interfaces? Is the loss of "personal space" and "reflection" so many users complain of merely the necessary surrender of "ego" as we learn to participate as members of a more evolved "collective organism" of "hyper-people?"
(You may want to re-watch "bubby" and "warcraft" sections of digital nation)


It is true that just about everyone is a part of some social networking site in 2011.  People use these sites for many different reasons.  One of the most popular by far is Face book.  What started out as a site specifically for Harvard students then became a site for college students and is now used by just about everyone I know, and most likely everyone you know as well.  It is rather amazing to think about how fast Face book and other social networking sites have grown--face book started just a few years ago and now has over 500 million users.  (That greater than the population of the United States, just to put things into perspective)


The possibilities on face book are endless.  People can meet friends, meet lovers, catch up with old friends, create groups and advertise and promote products and events.  It really opens doors to connection worldwide with others.  People also use face book to create a certain "image" of themselves that they would like to be perceived as.  Especially in the high school generation, teens are exposing so much of themselves through pictures that it is becoming rather risqué.  As we saw in the Web 2.0 video, many are creating a whole sort of "second identity" online on sites such as face book or MySpace.  It is seen as almost separate from real life, which is causing concern for many.  I definitely think social networking sites create the opportunity to change your appearance to the outside world, and many people who are unsure of themselves or have fantasies of being a certain type of person, thrive on this and make it a big part of their lives.  This is why social sites such as World of War Craft where you "become" a player in a magical world, are so popular.  In games such as these, relationships are created.  Time is spent with others for anywhere from 5 to 25 hours a week.  Whether to say these relationships are legitament or not is up to you.  I feel that they are legitament, but definitely have different qualities compared with real-life interaction with others.  Second Life is another site, which allows for this creation of a new identity. 
In the Web2.0 video we saw Bubbie, who LOVED cooking on YouTube with her grandson, and encouraged everyone to try it out.  She loved the connections she was making without even leaving her kitchen.  It was refreshing to see someone using the internet for such enjoyment.  A large question is whether or not the "connections" she was making with people who she couldn’t see were real or not.  In my mind, I feel that if SHE feels the connection and it is making her happy, than that is all that should matter.  However, I think people definitely should keep in mind how much weight they place on their online relationships, compared with their relationships in real life.  I say this because studies have shown (and predicted) that younger generations growing up with so much internet access and ways to "connect" through IM, text and social sites, have much higher levels of social anxiety and underdeveloped social skills.  This is because some kids are relying on texts and e-mail and non face-to-face interaction, as their main interaction.  This is a very big worry, especially when the time comes from jobs and interviews. 
It definitely IS a whole new world depending on what you use the internet for, and I believe that growing up with the internet as part of our lives definitely makes life much different than it ever was previously. Our online identities are definitely different from our true life identities; they can differ slightly, or they can differ greatly. I think our job is to figure out a healthy balance, and figure out how to separate real-life from internet-life.  It always takes time to work our kinks when something is new, especially with technology, but in time I think as humans we are smart enough to figure out the balance between the two. 

Folksonomy and the Folks.
Everybody is, indeed, here now - but should everyone be here? Does the rise of the amateur lead to an unnecessary devaluation of the professional? Do collective online activities promote a new form of participatory democracy and the development of new and accurate folksonomies, or rather to they lead people to overestimate the value of their unconsidered posts and opinions? Do representative democracy, academic disciplines and other seemingly elitist artifacts fall by the wayside?

Speaking briefly on the topic of folksonomy and the fact that EVERYONE is using the internet, which I mentioned early, there sure is ALOT to say.  I feel that the ease of using the internet now has created a lot of loopholes for many people, and created the ability for people to connect much easier.  Today, it is so easy to find old friends by simply searching someone’s name on face book.  10 years ago, it was merely impossible.  Today, meetings can be held with people in New York and people in Tokyo, using Second life or Skype.  10 years ago, thousands would need to be spent on airfare and hotel stays, for meetings like this to occur.  This is definitely an advantage of the new technologies and social sites.  However, along with these advantages, just like everything else, comes disadvantages. The ease of using the internet today has made things a lot easier, that people once had to be trained to do and usually requires a degree and years of experience.  Now, anyone can be a "director" using YouTube or the video on their iPhone.  Anyone can create a music band using things like garage band.  People can also all be journalists through the use of blogs.  Journalism has suffered greatly because of this and News stations and newspapers as well.  Instead of buying a newspaper at the store, they can be purchased online, or you can get extremely updated news on homepages such as yahoo, or by simply googling.  The internet has made it possible for many to "work from home" and basically be in their pajamas if they choose.  To think that someone working at IBM making 6 figures is lounging in pajamas definitely takes away from the professionalism we usually associate with such a position.  Also, the fact that basically anyone can be in the Army or Marines now, because they can sit at a computer and drop bombs in another country, is shocking to me.  I think it is VERY smart that they still make them go through training and wear the uniform to get them in the right mindset, but techniqually none of it is necessary now with the advances in technology.  If someone can play a video shooting game, they can pretty much be a bomber in the military.  These technological advancements have definitely changed my view and many others views of professionalism.  The concept has sort of become diverged with unprofessionals.  Again, I think we just need to find a happy-medium as a society between professionalism and the new advancements in technology, for things to work out for everyone.

Questions

I definitely feel that the "homegrown" appreal that TV shows and ads try to create to emmulate what is seen on the web will dissapear rather soon.  I think in general people would rather see higher quality in TV, online, and advetisements (IE Blue ray, high definition, 3d, etc.) and i feel that advertisements aren't going to risk "falling behind" especially with all of the advancements in technology and digital media. They will definitely make the accomidations needed to create better looking media, and with all the younger generations being more tech-davvy, this will definitely help within compannies online and for advertisments.

2.What social media sites do you find yourself using the most, and why? In your opinion why is Facebook so much more successful than MySpace, and do you think Facebook is "here to stay" for the long term. I definitely think the social media  i use the most is Facebook. The site had grown to over 7 million users, which is more than any other social site ever before.  Almost every single person i know has a facebook; it is actually seen as strange if someone doesn't have one. It has become incorporated into everyone's daily life. It really is a great way to share photos, talk with friends and people from accross the world, and even work with groups on school projects.  There are so many options with facebook, such as e-mail, postings that are visable to everyone, status updates, and even a chat.  It makes social networking so easy for everyone, and that is why i think it is here to stay. Also, The site is always changing and upgrading to make it more user friendly, and more of a "one stop shop"  than it was.  Originally it was only for college students, but it has grown to being used by gandparents, children, and just about everyone.  Facebook now has employees and has advertisers who pay big bucks to advetise on facebook.  Facebook has evolved and had the money  needed to grow and continue to grow with the evolving with technology.( Unlike sites  like myspace that weren't as diverse and changing with times)

3.
Transparency is so important in the social media world. A large reason has to do with how much easier it is to be open with oneself and opinions is much easier online because their is no direct response that you can see.  However, it is kind of ironic that once people feel that their online "privacy" is being violated, thry have a problem with it.  In 2009, Facebook changed their personal settings of privacy and stated that they owned eveything within the site, including photos and information of users.  Techniqually, this does make sense, but people had a major issue with this and the transparency of it.  There have been numerous issues involving transparency  with the growing use of social media.
Many companies have also been accused of astrosurfing and creating "fake grass roots"; they pretend to be a customer or supporter of the company, which is extremely misleading and bothers most people.  Politicans also use to to make the allusion of wonderful supporters. 
I definitely feel that transparency is very important offline but even more so on the internet, because the internet is the global connection that allows anyone in the entire world, and any nuumber of people to see what has been posted or created online.
http://www.searchenginepeople.com/blog/the-illusion-of-transparency-in-social-media.html

McLuhan Photoshop Final Post

McLuhan felt that technology included many mediums that changed society, not necessarily for the better. Technology is ever-changing and with all the advancements, especially today, it is helping and harming individuals.  McLuhan would probably feel that the advancements are destroying society, and making us care about things that are not truly important.  However, because he refers to the medium as the message, in this photoshop picture, the iPad is the medium. The message it is giving is a whirlwind of communication, in so many possible forms.  The iPad has so many ways of connecting, even across the globe. People from Spain can interact with those in New York with the click of a button. It's that simple. It greatly references McLuhans idea of the global village that is becoming more and more prominant.  I added the guy with the lightbulb, because all the advancements in technology are so innovative and are technically "inventions".  On the Ipad, instead of showing apps, i showed all the ways it is effecting society.  The iPad makes art and being artistic technologically much easier and innovative.   Facebook allows those across the globe to interact and connect with businesses, advertising, and in many other ways.  The iPad makes business much easier; you can pay bills, buy items, use the stock market, and even work from home or on the go now with the iPad.  Now you don't even have to stop what you are doing, you can just shop online with the iPad and find cheapest prices. Everything with the iPad is at your fingertips.

Progress of mediums

3 EXAMPLES OF MEDIUMS IN TECHNOLOGY

My first example of a medium in today's society is definitely cell phones.  There are so many ways that cell phones can be used to communicate with others, and be used as a medium. Cell phones allow you to connect with others through phone calls, text messaging, and picture/video sending.  This is a huge difference from just 10 years ago.  In the past two years, however, cellphones have become "smart phones" where you can basically do anything from search the web, download apps, pay credit card builds, and receive email.  The possibilities are endless and continue to grow each time new cell phones come out. Examples of these smart phones are the iPhone 4, which now has face time, where you can see the person you are speaking with while talking, and the android from Motorola.

My second example is the iPad. The ipad is similar to a lab top, because it is transportable, and has wifi connection. You can email, download apps, use mp3, search the web; the possibilities are endless. there are over 300,000 applications that are available on the ipad.  It is all touch screen, and perfect for business people, students, and just about anyone.  It makes it so easy to connect with anyone across the globe. This is a huge innovative medium in technology, and Motorola is coming out with a similar product soon.

Another medium in today's society is Face book. This site has over more users than people living in the united states.  They are a global social networking site that makes it so easy to connect and find out information about these 500 million people across the globe.  It is also now allowing businesses to get involved, and place their ads on your face book, base on your information sections, interests and hobbies.  Its amazing what face book is evolving to.