Burkitt: Conclusion

I found this book to be a very challenging read, but very gratifying as well. This chapter in particular really drives home the point that the essence of ourselves is not solely something internal, but it is made up of the social constructions we live and communicate in. I feel we learn more about ourselves through our communication and interactions with others much like Mead and Bakhtin illustrate: "in these interrelationships that we come to identify our self through the image of some of the selves around us" (p.188).
I enjoyed how this book took into consideration many of the different philosophies and ideologies regarding the self. It presents a clear picture of many different perspectives on the self, and how we learn to find "the self". I also like the idea that it is possible to be both a social being as well as an individual. The balance between these two conflicting identities can be hard to manage at times, but as we mature we learn to find a balance, and ultimately find ourselves.

Discourses of Attention response

This was by far my favorite article from this course. I think this was only article I read that kept my attention throughout its entirety, wink wink. All jokes aside, I found it very interesting reading about the  effects of television on our attention span, and how over the years, ideas regarding the public's attention span have changed. I loved the quote from Kate Moody regarding television's effect on the mind: "Television habituates the mind to short takes, not to the continuity of thought required by reading"(588). I couldn't have summarized how I believe television effects us more eloquently. This is something my parents have been telling me for years, and I have agreed on, yet can't fully bring myself to turn the TV off, and pick up a book more often. I think it assumed by most that our generation doesn't read as often as previous ones, but it also seems true that even feature length movies our too involved for our attention spans. TV is becoming much more popular than movies, and even the movies that are popular are ginormous-budget action flicks with as little dialogue as possible. As much as this article saddened me, it motivated me to put down the remote and pick up a book.

The World-Wide Web response

I found this article very interesting because it gives us a time capsule back to the mid 1990's, when the internet was just beginning to gain popularity. Reading about the world-wide web when it was just becoming a useful tool to share information from different locations makes me realize how far we have come since the birth of the internet, as well as how much I take the world wide web for granted. My favorite part of the article was in the conclusion when the author discusses the potential improvements in the future for the web, "The web does not yet meet it's design goal as being a pool of knowledge that is as easy to update as to read"(797). In todays world, updating information on the web has become so easy, that most users of the internet update information using social media or blogs. It's fascinating to see how far we have come in the area of the world-wide web since this article was written.

A Virtual Death and a Real Dilemma response

The article A Virtual Death and a Real Dilemma, highlights the emotional investments people commit to regarding online communities and blogs. When a kansas woman creates a fictional daughter with leukemia, she receives immediate support and love via online interaction. The fluidity of online personas can allow anyone to pose or create as someone else: "One of the most touted beliefs about Internet communication is that the medium strips away users' offline identities and leaves them free to reconstruct a tetherless online persona" (203). Debbie Swenson used the internet to wipe away reality and create a fictional daughter who garnered sympathy, love, and support through her blog. However, when the hoax was revealed, many followers of Kaycee Swenson were devastated and hurt by the betrayal. I find it very interesting how so many people can form such a strong bond to an online persona. Never the less, it makes sense to me how these people would feel hurt when they realized that all of their care and support was for naught. This is yet another reminder to be skeptical of what you read and see on the internet.

The End Of Books

While reading the article, The End of Books by Robert Coover, I found myself questioning some of Coovers ideas and conclusions. There is certainly no doubt in my mind how influential and groundbreaking hypertext was and currently is, however I do not think that books and hypertext are mutually exclusive. I was, and currently am a little confused as to what hypertext truly means in the context Coover talks about in his article. I understand that hypertext is media viewed on a device with hyperlinks embedded into it, yet I am not so sure what differentiates the internet from hypertext. Also in regards to hypertext fiction, I am either completely unaware of its impact, or Coover overrated its literary prowess. While it seems to me that hypertext fiction never really caught on with the general public, books are still widely available and being printed daily. It seems to me that E-books with devices such as iPads and Kindles are keeping books more relevant than Coover thought they would be.  I would appreciate any feedback offering a little more insight into this article because I definitely feel as if I am missing something.

Blogging: self presentation and privacy response

This article focused on a few main points regarding blogging; why people blog and privacy associated with blogging. People write blogs on a variety of different topics ranging from gossip to business and health. However, a large majority of people blog about their own personal life and the events and perspectives they experience. The study in the article showed that a majority of bloggers treat their personal blogs similarly to a journal. Blogging can act as time of self reflection and personal expression. What I find interesting about blogging is that a number of people write about personal events yet are also worried about privacy at the same time. I was always under the impression that whatever you post on the internet is essentially public information, and therefore I wouldn't use blogging as a diary or journal. In the research conducted in the article it showed that bloggers on average cared more about protecting personal information than preventing crime, environmental issues, or national security. While many bloggers use password protection for their blogs, as well as pseudonyms, many people leave hints accidentally that can make their blogs indentifiable. In conclusion, I can certainly see the benefits of blogging, however in my personal case I would only blog about sports or music, rather than personal issues and experiences.

Media Exploration Project update

Hi Everybody. For my media exploration project I will be looking into what role social and new media plays in activism. I will focus on the recent events throughout the arab world in Egypt, Libya, and Tunisia. I will also look at smaller activist movements and domestic movements that have been sparked or aided by social media. I want to research this topic because I am extremely interested in the potential that social media has to aid social change. I have heard a little about how facebook and twitter were used to organize protests and meetings in Egypt. However I have not examined how big a role these social media sites were in overthrowing a government and igniting a revolution. The ability to organize and connect thousands of people via the internet, who all have the same cause they are fighting for, is extraordinary and will change the way activism is approached. I look forward to researching this topic and learning more about this fascinating topic.