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.

Navigating Technomedia response

I found this article very insightful and interesting. I first learned what technomedia is: "media technologies that are defined by interoperability between devices, usually using the internet as the connective medium" (p. 3). I then learned how the effects of technomedia have shaped our society and how we use media and technology. I never thought about how media used to be separate of technology. Each type of media had its own device to access that specific media. However, with the rise of the internet, media like television, became accessible on a varity of technological devices such as computers and phones. In todays society, technomedia allows us to access any type of media on almost any type of technological device. The implications technomedia has are very broad, because unlike other era's of communication which were either labeled "information" or "communication" systems, technomedia eliminates the boundaries because of it's ability to act as both. I agree with the author when he says technomedia "challenges thought and pushes it toward the future" (p.18). The fluidity that media has through an array of different devices allows us to spread information and thoughts with efficiency and speed.

Personal Dynamic Media response

I found this article very fascinating and inspiring. To read the about the thought process of some of the most influential technological minds of our time, and to see how the innovations of the 1960's and 70's still effect our world today was very interesting. The whole idea of the Dynabook was groundbreaking, and to see how commonplace notebook computers are today is astonishing. Kay and Goldberg had it right when they predicted the dynabook to be a flexible and dynamic medium, which would create endless possibilities for its users. They also envisioned a computer to be used by everyone. In today's world, the oldest to the youngest of our citizens use computers for a multitude of applications. The range of uses a dynabook carries in modern society is amazing, as well as the ability for the dynabook to be so personalized by its users. Every hobby, job, passion, and social need can be met by using a personal computer, not to mention the filing and record keeping capabilites. The world we live in will be forever linked to dynabooks as well as dependent.

From Computer Power and Human Reason response

The excerpt from the book From Computer Power and Human Reason, gives a very interesting perspective into Joseph Weizenbaum's conversational computer program ELIZA, as well as some more ethical questions regarding the progression of technology and the ability they have to reproduce human capabilities. Weizenbaum was especially surprised when practicing psychiatrists actually suggested one day using an automated machine like ELIZA to treat patients. I, like Weizenbaum, would seriously question this idea of using technology to act as a healer, because I believe there is more to the healing process than a simple technique that can be used to uncover emotional and mental problems. The connection that a therapist and patient is one of many examples that is impossible to emulate with technology. It is scary to think that people can form such close emotional bonds to machines and begin to views them as beings with the capacity for empathy and other human emotions. As technology continues to evolve, it will become harder and harder to preserve some jobs and activities which are suited for humans because of the economic benefits that a computer could have. Pretty soon I can envision a world where computers are a significant part of the workforce.

Second Life response

The article Second Life, delves into the very interesting topic of gender in cyber worlds such as second life. The article explains that cyber worlds have been "celebrated as an opportunity for liberation from conventional gender roles, and criticized as white-male shaped spaces"(6-7). In my personal experience, most female avatars in cyber worlds are overly sexualized and firmly entrenched into gender roles; Lara Croft of Tomb Raider comes to mind. I found it vey interesting that the first Female Avatars were essentially male with a patch uploaded to add female characteristics. It wasn't until later that female characters were actually rendered into the virtual worlds.

In the experiment described, both women opted to go into Second Life with male avatars. Some of this decision was based out of curiosity, but also fear. Much like experiences in their real lives, some women feel like being a woman is an open invitation to be objectified sexually. As the researchers entered the world of Second Life, they soon noticed how the men were tall and muscular, and the women were slim and big breasted. Their hopes of gender liberation were somewhat dashed as they realized that the physical traits and norms of the real world had manifested in Second Life as well. However, they found the entire platform itself is rigged for the stereotypical ideals for gender, as users start with avatars that already have the romanticized traits associated with the ideal man and woman. While the idea of liberating oneself from gender has promise in a cyber world such as second life, the reality is that our gender roles and stereotypes our so entrenched in our society that they carry over to cyber worlds seamlessly.

The Technology and The Society response

I found the article The Technology and The Society very interesting and somewhat hard to comprehend. One of the main focuses of the article examines the ongoing debate between technological determinists, and symptomatic technologists. Technological determinism, research and development are "assumed self generating" (29). In other words, new technology is invented independent of society. After the technology is invented, the technology creates new societies or social conditions that wouldn't have occurred without the invention. The symptomatic technology viewpoint suggests that there are other factors that contribute to social change beside the technology, while the technology is just a smaller symptom of the societal shift taking place. In a nutshell, technology "is either a self acting force which creates new ways of life, or it is a self acting force which provides materials for a new way of life" (29).

I also found it very interesting when the article discusses the use of major broadcasting throughout history. The use of broadcasting was very prominent in Nazi Germany in order to control the population and retain political power. However the article also shows that the rise of broadcasting in democratic nations came from economic motivation. It is fascinating to see the different uses for major broadcasting throughout history.

Community Media response

The article Community Media was a very in depth look at the importance of independent and community media. Although somewhat outdated, the core principles touched on in the article, ring more true than ever in todays society. The article explains "community media is not just do-it-yourself, it is also do-it-your-own-way" (186). In contemporary society there are numerous ways for everyday citizens to create their own media in many different formats. With the onset of social networking sites such as twitter and facebook, media can be spread amongst communities at alarming speed. Take into account the ability for people to create blogs and video on youtube, the possibilities are endless for creating media.
The article also discussed the importance community media has in influencing and protecting our civil liberties and promoting democracy. It is very comparable to the recent circumstances in Egypt and Libya, where community media, via Twitter and Facebook helped prompt revolutions and bring an end to dictatorships. While it is unclear how these two countries will progress after their respective revolutions, it none-the-less demonstrates the power that community media has on societies.