Theme 5 Cartoon

So this cartoon may be a play on words, but it gets the message of Theme 5 across pretty clearly. In today's society, we do have it much easier than the previous generations. Technology does the thinking for us! We no longer need to look words up in a dictionary because spell check does that for us! And who needs to know how to read a map? Almost every car on the road has a GPS that verbally tells the driver when and where to turn. I have even seen some that show where the best places to eat in the area are. No longer do you need to research a place to eat after shopping in a different area becasue the GPS finds it for you! All that is required is your taste. If you are in the mood for Chinese, simply click the Chinese and the GPS directs you to the nearest Chinese eatery. It is that easy! No memorizing of street names required!

Technology is Slowly Decreasing Our Brain Cells!

Theme 5.The ideas that we begin to take on the qualities of the " intellectual technologies" we use,i.e. media shape out thought processes, and that we are increasingly off-loading our memory and other functions to various devices.

Technology makes things easier for us. Escalators carry people to the second floor of a mall, without any effort. However, by doing so, the escalator takes the exercise out of climbing a staircase to the second floor. It’s a trivial thing, but yet there are individuals who recognize the exercise factor of shopping in a mall. In fact, there are groups of people who journey to a mall before it opens, just for the workout opportunity. Walking from store to store all day is a great form of exercise! And taking away those few stairs is deprivation of a better workout. So if individuals can recognize the fact that some assistive technologies are simply making us lazier, not improving lives, why is it that intellectual technologies get away with a similar act?
Intellectual technologies are slowly decreasing the amount of brain cells that individuals have. They phase out the human thought process by providing quick solutions. As wonderful as a quick solution is in a moment of frustration, the easy answer does not assist anyone in the long run. Because the individual did not arrive at the answer himself/herself, there is a little chance that he/she will retain the information instantly provided. For example, when typing any document in Microsoft Word, the extremely helpful spell check is always at hand. Its obnoxious, red, underline zigzag screams at an individual to correct the misspelled word. It then gives a list of suggested replacements and after choosing the desired word, POOF!!! The word is properly spelled. No use of a dictionary is required! But without the process of looking up a word, how does anyone remember that Microsoft Word corrected one’s mistake? Chances are, on a written essay, an individual will spell the word wrong again because he/she doesn’t have spell check at hand. Thus, the culprit of society’s overall terrible spelling capabilities is revealed!
Nicholas Carr discusses a similar idea in his article, “Is Google Making Us Stupid?” He talks about how the Internet provides him with instant answers; “The Web has been a godsend to me as a writer. Research that once required days in the stacks or periodical rooms of libraries can now be done in minutes. A few Google searches, some quick clicks on hyperlinks, and I’ve got the telltale fact or pithy quote I was after.” I wonder if writers who endured “days in the stacks” would consider Internet researching cheating? Nicholas Carr does not spend half as much time researching as the pre-Internet writers, so how can he truly be an expert on the information he is writing about? I am sure that individuals whom immersed themselves in texts for days were better capable of recalling information concerning his/her article months after writing it. These individuals did the hours of work themselves and had gratifying writings to show for it. And they accomplished this all without the ability to simply look up an interview from ten years ago or retrieve an important quote.

Them 7 Cartoon

Theme 7 focuses on the idea of privacy in a digital world. It is a concept that simply does not exist anymore. To demonstrate this, I found a cartoon focusing on Facebook Stalking. No longer can someone tell a friend that they are "busy" when his/her Facebook claims otherwise. You really have to think before posting something on Facebook. Facebook may have tons of security settings, but it can't stop friends from seeing postings on your page. Every time you post something, you must stop and think, will this offend anyone? Could any of my friends read this and interprete it differently? What if so and so reads this? It is no longer a simple posting of, "What's on Your Mind?"

Is Anything Really Private Anymore?

Theme 7. Privacy in the age of Google.

Privacy in the age of Google…Is that even possible? Simply Googling a person’s name can bring up tons of personal information. And that’s information from Facebook alone! This is due to the fact that many Facebook users put his/her entire life story on the opening page of Facebook. Just a quick glance at someone’s Facebook and many of times, one knows a person’s exact location at the moment, the High School he/she attended and the individual’s birthday. Of course, if that isn’t enough, if an individual really wanted to, he/she could discover more information simply by reading through the “wall post” messages of the individual. Everyone can see these posts, so why not take a look? That’s where Facebook stalking comes into play.

How does one know they are being Facebook stalked? When a conversation on Facebook suddenly becomes the knowledge of another party, a Facebook stalker has emerged. A couple of weeks ago, this personally occurred to me. I was talking to an old friend, over Facebook “wall posts,” about my adventure riding her horse. While riding my friend’s horse, the horse spooked because he was afraid of squeaky wheel from a wheelbarrow. I had ridden my friend’s horse before and the horse had never spooked before. My friend explained that her horse spooks easily when the weather is changing. This conversation sounds trivial enough, but a day after this conversation, a mutual friend of ours was aware of the entire conversation. She claimed that she heard that the horse spooked while I was riding him. But why would this come up in a conversation between the two individuals, when one of them does not ride? And the possibility that the two could have met and discussed the event in the one-day span is highly unlikely. It is more likely that our mutual friend was bored at her mundane job and read the conversation on Facebook.

So how can anyone keep anything completely private, in a world that converses the business of others constantly? Well keeping one’s extensive plans a secret, to even the closest people in his/her life, might be a good start. This is what writer Evan Ratliff endured for his editor. The “Wired” magazine set up a contest to see if anyone could truly “disappear in the digital age”. Anyone of the magazine’s readers, who could locate Evan Ratliff, would receive a $5,000 bounty. Because Evan attempted to vanish completely from society, it required his extended period, of one month’s time, intense planning. This included purchasing pre-paid cell phones for his girlfriend and parents (for emergencies only), buying gift cards to stores he couldn’t live without and getting a $60 oil change in his car (who would think someone who is going to vanish and sell his car would do such a thing). Throughout his disappearing act, Evan took on challenges of his new identity. Simply by stating that he had lost his id, many people would let him pass. This idea is fascinating. It gives the impression that an id really isn’t needed. Eventually though, Evan was discovered in New Orleans. A place devastated by hurricane Katrina, but the digital age still shone through. Two men, Leach and Fillinger, found Evan near a little bookstore, attempting to complete another one of his book reading challenges.

Theme 4 Cartoon

This cartoon shows the typical scene... An older geneartion reminising of the good days..right next to the new generation, who never seems to care. But I wonder how many of the younger generation actually reconize the old generation character as a casette? Im sure if a child were to look at the picture, he/she could point out the iPod, but would he/she reconize that the old man figure is actually a pre-iPod way of listening to music? I bet many of the children in today's society have never even seen a casette. They grow up with the new generation of music listening, iPods, and jump at every chance to beg for the latest and greatest version. Just the other day I asked my Young Children's Cultural Art's sculpture class students what they were wishing for for the holidays. Mnay of them answered an iPod touch. These are children that are 5yrs old to 11 years old! They watch TV commercials and are brainwashed by the fact the iPod touch is such a mystical, wonderful technology! And of course, they all want one!

iPod Utopia!

Theme 4. The trend in each emerging medium from utopian ideals to the focus on monetizing.

When a new technology is introduced to the public, it is displayed in a light that makes it seem that a life without the new product is impossible. The new medium is the greatest thing in the world, so why wouldn’t you purchase it? A great example of this is the iPod. Every time a new iPod Nano is created, people rush to buy it. Even though one new feature sets it apart from the last model, the latest Nano is presented as a “must have” item. Why is this? People feel the need to update the old and outdated technologies with new and improved versions. The iPod company presents the new Nano as a simple upgrade. It is as if you are simply replacing an outdated manual can opener with a new electric one. Except, it is a much greater expense!
The public is tricked into thinking that their iPods are dated. With all the advertisements proclaiming the amazing qualities of the newly released iPod, who wouldn’t think about replacing his/her iPod? It is precisely this reasoning that assists the Mac Company in amassing their tremendous profits. If they didn’t advertise the remarkable ground breaking qualities of their latest invention, why would anyone go to the Apple Store, to pick out a new iPod, when the old one functions just fine? People would continue to use their old iPods and never purchase a new one. This definitely would not assist the Mac Company.
My iPod Nano is only about two years old, but yet is considered to be old. I personally believed this too, until I did a little research. While I was shopping online for a cord that would allow me to listen to my iPod in the car, I discovered that I needed to know my Nano’s generation. After discovering that my Nano is a third generation, I was curious what the latest version of the Nano is. The new iPod Nano is a fifth generation and the only feature that sets it apart from mine is its new capability to take homemade videos. My Nano may not be the brightly colored, skinny, fifth generation Nano, but it still plays the same music that a new Nano would. But yet, my Nano is referred to as “the old Nano.”
In the NPR on the Web pod cast, “Web Thinks,” the hosts discuss a new revelation of Internet. Currently, the web is a 2.0 or second-generation world. The pod cast discusses a new revelation of Internet. This new Internet, called Web 3.0, is highly efficient and “does our work for us.” It is a web of artificial intelligence that permits the computer to “make the judgments for you.” No longer does an individual need to hassle with hours of research to find the perfect vacation spot that meets all of his/her requirements for a hotel. The computer searches/scans the web for an ideal match! All that is required is the individual’s spoken requests for the vacation. Who in this day in age wouldn’t jump at a chance for an Internet like that? It cuts the hours of work down for you! Forget the fact that programming common sense into computers, such as the idea of gravity, is extremely difficult. The concept in itself is simply amazing! It would definitely be worth the wait to see if such an Internet was possible!

Theme 2 Cartoon Follow-Up

Just realized that the cartoon from Theme 2 is near impossible to read without zooming in. Above the cartoon it reads: Twitterhea:The unstoppable urge to tweet.

The cartoon depicts a man named John sitting on a couch with his phone. He is infected with the disease Twitterhea or Tweeting WAY TOO MUCH!!! The John character tweets the following:

About to tie my left shoe. Feeling blah. (Then he ties his shoe)
Just tied my left shoe. Still feeling blah.
Just tweeted about tying my left shoe. Didn’t help blahness.
Guess I should tie my right shoe too. What do you think?

And the bottom caption reads: Medicine has not caught up with social media.There's no pill for John's Bout of Twitterhea

Theme 2 Cartoon

So I just finished looking for my now routine cartoon to accompany my theme reaction. And do you know what I realized??! There are a ridiculous amount of cartoons out there that focus on Twitter and Tweeting! Cartoonists have focused on every aspect of Twitter. There are cartoons that depict how Twitter invades a person's life with beeps and Tweets and chirps every few minutes. And for what? A quick update that a friend just sucesssfully crossed the street?! Then there are the truly scary Twitter cartoons: the cartoons that display Twitter's future. Can it be that in a few years or maybe even months in the fast pace, tech savy, world we live in that a mother will no longer question a child why he/she hasn't called, but why he/she didn't Tweet. Who knows maybe the famous line,"It's 10 PM.. Do you know where your children are?," will change to, "It's 10 PM... Do you know where your children are Tweeting from?" Its a crazy thought to me. So of all the cartoons out there, I chose a rather lengthy one, but it is well worth the extra few seconds to read. It does not show the invasiveness of Twitter, but instead depicts one of the most annoying users of Twitter. And in case the cartoon is too tiny to read on screen, I'll provide the link too: http://blog.advorto.com/.a/6a00e5510eef16883301156e4e0c5d970c-800wi

Mary Dyck and Twittering

Theme 2. Electronically mediated relationships from Mary Dyck to twitter followers.

It is no longer the days of Mary Dyck. Mary Dyck was a typical 1930’s farmer wife who tended to the home while her husband worked in the fields. While attending to her chores, she sought entertainment and escape through her family radio. She religiously listened to her favorite station’s soap opera and recorded the program’s juicy details in a diary, as if the characters were her personal friends. We no longer gather in our living rooms, around a radio, for entertainment. This concept is obsolete. But is the idea behind tuning in to a social network for entertainment and escape also dead? I think not.
In the 21st century there are numerous social networks on the web that I know of and probably thousands of others that I am not yet knowledgeable of. These social networks allow for communication between friends to be kept, despite the physical distance of the individuals. It permits individuals to feel a part of friends’ lives, as if they are right next to a particular friend. The best example of this is the social network Twitter. It instantly reports the thoughts of individuals to his/her friends’ cell phones. If a Twitter user is eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich that is shaped like a T-Rex and feels like sharing the experience with all of his/her followers, it is completely possible. The followers, who are hopefully all close friends with the fellow Twitter user, will not only be filled in on the individual’s life, but he/she will also be entertained. Who wouldn’t smile over a totally random revelation that a sandwich could look like a dinosaur? And it would definitely be the perfect quick escape from a boring, monotonous job, like collecting tickets at a movie theatre. I am not a Twitter user or a movie ticket collector, but I have a feeling that my example demonstrates why people Twitter...or Tweet. It’s an entertaining escape, like Mary Dyck’s tuning in to the radio. No matter how boring one’s life may seem, there is always the prospect of living vicariously through another Twitter user! Mary Dyck experienced a great sense of enjoyment through her radio soap opera characters’ emotions and Twitter users who share emotions/thoughts with followers experience the same type of enjoyment.
Then there are the extreme fans of celebrities. These Twitter users are a category all in themselves. They follow their favorite celebrity’s every move through Twitter. For these individuals, watching television interviews, Youtube videos and following celebrity blogs are no longer enough. Now they must resort to being sent instant messages of their celebrity “friend’s” every move. These individuals are involved in a para-social relationship or a one-sided relationship. This idea is best described in the article, “Why Oprah Will Never Talk to You. Ever.” The relationship between fans and their favorite celebrity is limited to a, “one-way nature of fame. You can see Oprah (on the TV), yet Oprah can’t see you.” However, fans can’t seem to grasp this concept. They watch Oprah religiously, just like Mary Dyck listened to her radio program, and feel as if Oprah is a part of his/her life. It as if Oprah is speaking directly to each of her viewers individually and not millions of fans. Thus, these are the avid fans that feel that because Oprah is more of a close friend than a TV host, she must be on the list of people whose thoughts instantly appear in one’s cell phone.

Theme 3 Cartoon

After reacting to theme 3, I came across this cartoon. In my reaction I discuss how people put the most outlandish things on Youtube, just becasue they can. I gave an example of how an extreme Wii user can watch a tuturial of how to make a Garfield Mii. The kids I babysit for actually showed me this video, so I know it exists. Until a few minutes ago, when I found this cartoon, I had thought the tutorial was the most outlandish example I could give. I WAS SOOO WRONG!! This cartoon depicts a father (well hopefully it is a father, in today's society you never know!), video taping the birth of his child. If that isn't embarassing enough for the poor mother to be, the father states, "Push HOney! Youtube has a 10-minute limit!" This gives the impression that the man plans on putting the video on Youtube!! I find this to be EXTREMELY REPULSIVE!! How could anyone ever do such a thing?!! And who would watch the video?? I guess there are crazy messed up people out there, but seriously! What won't people post on Youtube??!! Oh and the title of this cartoon is, "Youtube Length Limit," which at least proves that Youtube has some decency towards its viewers. Viewers don't need to be tortured for more than 10 minutes with a pointless video.

We Live In a Digitally Altered World

Theme 3 Every form of technology that's gone digital has been transformed by its users/audience.

The interaction between society and resources that have gone digital is a transformative relationship. Many of these online resources have completely altered from their original reason of creation. The online music-sharing program’s, Limewire, intention is to allow aspiring musicians to spread his/her music and ultimately communicate through music, to other musicians, in hopes to gain fans. However, once the general public gained access to the program, music that was already known and copyrighted, began to be shared on the program. Limewire has now become the quick, easy and extremely inexpensive way of downloading new music. Instead of hassling with iTunes or other legal downloading programs, many people turn to Limewire, simply because it is free music. The risk of a fine is merely half the fun!
Another example of a digital resource that has been renovated by its users is Youtube. This video sharing resource is open to the public to post videos with no restrictions. No longer are videos shared merely from person to person. Now thousands of viewers can view millions of videos. Videos of every type are accessible through Youtube, including homemade videos. This allows for the most outlandish videos to be posted for all to see, such as video tutorials of how to make a Mii Garfield to use as a character on Wii.
Encyclopedias traditionally are a set of reference books offering comprehensive information on specialized areas of knowledge. I remember both my maternal and fraternal grandparents owning an entire bookshelf of these valuable research tools. However, nowadays these books would be dust collectors. The information contained within the several volumes has been compressed into digital files that can be accessed online. Wikipedia is supposed to be such an online encyclopedia, A.K.A, a credible and reliable source, but nowadays anyone can publish on Wikipedia. How do I know this as a fact? My Art History professor’s brother is an editor for Wikipedia and must read all the crazy entries for Wikipedia. Thus, the sole reason why professors do not approve of Wikipedia as a cited source is revealed.
In the pod cast titled, “Down With Paper,” the hosts discuss the new innovation called Kindle. This digital device weighs 10 ounces and is the size of a skinny paperback. Its original intention is for consumers to be capable of purchasing electronic novels and reading them as if reading a book made of paper. However, choosing from 80,000 novels is no longer enough for today’s society. Now that the public has gotten their hands on this new digital form of reading, they are using it to subscribe to favorite magazines, newspapers and even blogs! No longer must a commuter be hassled with carrying his/her newpaper, magazine and book. All that is required is a simple and quick download and POOF!!! Instant reading materials for the long commute.