Feb 08 2018

Reading Response 2/8

Reading Response Week 1

 

I found this week’s readings to be quite interesting and extremely poignant. I often think about how quickly the internet has seemed to evolve at such an expedited rate, especially throughout my lifetime, to a point where it is now completely ubiquitous. Social media has become a standard identity for people rather than just a fun way to communicate, and most people prefer to maintain their interpersonal relationships online as opposed to in person. With that said, social media has also proven to be extremely divisive and polarizing– since users are able to display and share their personal information, beliefs and interests all one platform, it is easier for users to make assumptions about others and prematurely choose sides. In the reading Who Will Take Responsibility for Facebook the author raises a good point about how Facebook played a seminal role in the exchange of false information and propaganda amongst users in the 2016 election; “Facebook’s integrity as a place that “helps you connect and share with the people in your life” has been all but laid to waste– as it has served as a clearinghouse for propaganda, disinformation, fake news, and fraud accounts” (Wired, 2017). Aside from the divide social networks are creating between internet users, the expansion of various social networks has also transformed the internet to become extremely divisive. For example, the reading Taking the You out of Youtube describes how bigger companies such as Google buying and taking ownership of independent social networks will eventually lead to the internet becoming a less user-friendly and cohesive experience. I believe that larger companies trying to monopolize social networks will ultimately create confusion on the internet and unfriendly competition.

As for my opinion as to whether social media is beneficial or detrimental to society, I believe it’s a little of both. The advancement of social media does make everyday tasks more efficient such as communicating with others, gathering information, and networking in general, which benefits society by increasing the overall productivity and connectivity. However, if society becomes too reliant on social media, we begin to lose sight of the importance of real-life interactions and experiences. Social media was originally created to supplement people’s interpersonal relationships but has quickly been transforming into becoming our society’s sole form of communication. I foresee this evolvement as being only a hindrance to the development of our society, especially the younger generations. It is for these reasons that I do my best to promote and uphold the sentiment of “log off and live” in my daily life.

Feb 08 2018

Social Media Discussion Post 1

In the last few years, actually, in the last decade, social media has changed the way society operates. Back then, social media was mostly used for communicating with friends and family via the internet. Things have drastically changed throughout the years. Social media can be used for much more. It’s a place where people can make money, post public opinions, and gain immediate access to information. Like most things, social media has its pros and cons. Some of the pros are you can basically gain free marketing and promo. Instead of paying companies to advertise your business on Facebook, you can easily turn to social media and market yourself. It’s very easy to go viral on social media which can be good or bad but either way you’re getting exposure and free promo. Another pro is that social media can bring people together. For example, Reddit is a website that has different communities based on the interests that people share. This is a pro because people can feel comfortable and feel welcomed. Some cons are that social media can be used as a way to bully people. Kids are using social media to embarrass their classmates or a complete stranger which can sometimes lead to suicide. Another con is that criminals such as hackers and scammers can easily find new victims through social media.

One article that speaks on the cons of social media is an article by New York Times Magazine called “The Web Means the End of Forgetting”. This article speaks on the fact that once something is on the internet, It is always on the internet and can possibly haunt you for the rest of your life. This article used Stacy Snyder, a 25-year-old teacher in training. Stacy Snyder posted a picture of herself on Myspace drinking from a plastic cup, wearing a pirate hat. Once her supervisor at the school she was training at found her page, she informed Stacy that her post was unprofessional. This all led to Stacy not being able to receive a teaching degree. This is a perfect example of how future employers can get access to your social media pages or posts and judge your character based on what you decide to post online. This also shows that nothing is ever forgotten on the internet and it shows that you have no privacy on social media. The article states that “The fact that the internet never seems to forget is threatening, at an almost existential level, our ability to control our identities; to preserve the option of reinventing ourselves and starting anew; overcome our checkered pasts” (New York Times Magazine). This statement backs up my claim that the things you post on the internet can haunt you and will never be forgotten.

Facebook may be one of the most controversial websites in today’s society. Facebook has the most users, and when a website is that big, it will always raise concerns and controversy. The article “Who Will Take Responsibility for Facebook?” written by Virginia Heffernan speaks about the corruption of Facebook and how Mark Zuckerberg fails to take responsibility for his creation. For example, Facebook allowed Russia to purchase ads in 2016 which interfered with the elections. Mark Zuckerberg knew about this and failed to take responsibility for it.  Also, another example is people use Facebook’s live stream to do crimes or even commit suicide and Mark Zuckerberg still acts as if nothing happens. He fails to acknowledge the flaws that Facebook has.

Another article that speaks on social media and its impact is “Taking the You Out of Youtube?” written by Henry Jenkins. This article talks mostly about the buyout of Youtube. This article talked about Google buying Youtube and how consumers felt about it. Some people felt like it was a bad move because google is known for ads and people feared that google commercialization would destroy Youtube. People feared that google will change the true meaning of Youtube and just turn it into a money-making ad machine.

Feb 08 2018

Joseph Singh – Weekly response 1

Joseph Singh

MCS

Johna Brucker Cohen

February 8, 2018

 

Weekly post #1 Social Media

Social media has changed and evolved a lot over the years. Me not using social media I feel like I’m not always in the loop. When I say that I mean that in this age people are infatuated with social media whether it’s a post or a video or an argument over a comment section everyone will be speaking about it. Which leads me to my next point, since everyone’s on social media its becoming the new norm. Nobody is communicating face to face anymore. You could say it’s out with the old and in with the new currently. After reading the articles, I came to the realization that social media, yes is innovative, but no isn’t very respectful with privacy and intellectual rights on your property. Facebook and YouTube mainly have features where you can upload, watch or share things with your friends and news feed What about the official publisher’s rights to the property. They aren’t getting all their credit and that must be fixed.

Social media in our day and age. Controls all its users without any force. People live off fake names, and fake personas just so they can be seen a certain way on social media. Virginia Hefferman said “Facebook is indeed a new world order. It determines our digital and real-world behavior in incalculable ways. It does all of this without any magna carta except a vague hypothesis that connectivity is a good given.” This quote to me, illustrates how sucked into the computers and social media everyone is. Although computers and technology bring fourth innovativeness and a way to do things easier, I feel like its making people lazier.

Feb 08 2018

Reading Assignment #1

Social Media is a giant and has to be one of the greatest inventions in human history. Very few inventions could have reached so many people in so little time. However, it would be impossible for something so big to go on without there being mistakes and consequences. Whenever there’s an invention on such a grand scale there will always be a need to fix things. Look at the United States constitution as an example. It has 27 amendments some of which occurred 200 years after its inception. The articles were interesting not only because they addressed some of the problems that need to be fixed but because they were written at different times of the internet’s existence. Henry Jenkins article “Taking the You Out of YouTube” was written at the beginning of the so called “Web 2.0”  era and he describes not only people’s concerns of what YouTube could become but how hopeful he was for the future of Youtube and how with the of Google than maybe people would be able to use Youtube to its fullest effect. Over a decade later and YouTube is at the forefront of the political conversation and is in many ways considered much more progressive than its social media counterparts. But of course its not without its problems.

Many of the articles share the rhetoric that Social Media can come with irrevocable consequences. The eerie ending of the Wired article illustrates Facebook as the end all be all for society. If Facebook and Zuckerberg can’t iron things out who knows who could be elected the next leader of the free world. I also found it interesting how permanent someone’s online persona can be.

All in all I am still optimistic for the future of social media; Although I don’t have a social media account of my own as of right now.  I feel like social media can have a positive effect on society and can expose us to and allow us to do things we never thought were possible. I think that the creators and contributors to social media sites need to collectively change the paradigm on what social media can and should be used for and the implications of it.

 

Feb 08 2018

Blog N. 1

Betsy M. Paula

MCS 244

Prof. Brucker-Cohen

Blog N. 1

“How has social media affected us as a society? Is this positive or negative?”

Social media has affected us in many ways. It has introduced us to an entire new world of employment, for example “Youtubers”. Those who make videos on this site and reach a specific quantity of subscribers now get paid to promote reputable company’s product on their channel, or those who get paid simply to include a commercial before the actual video plays. On the other hand it has ended careers as well, an example of this was provided on the reading “The Web Means the End of Forgetting” as the author mentions that Stacy Snyder was denied her teaching degree after posting a picture of herself in the act of consuming alcohol. Although this was humane it was still considered a violation due to the fact that to some people it seemed like she was promoting alcohol. Social media has blurred many lines. Such as the one between privacy and publicness. Each social media account you have, now becomes your virtual portfolio. In the article “The Web Means the End of Forgetting “ it tells us that “companies require them to do online research about candidates, and many use a range of sites when scrutinizing applicants — including search engines, social-networking sites” people are now using this as reference to identify your beliefs, personality, political preference, your everyday thoughts and ideas. This can make you or break you. In another article titled “Who will take responsibility for Facebook” the author mentions Facebook “served as a clearinghouse for propaganda, disinformation and fake news…’ I think this is absolutely true, and Facebook should have more severe restrictions about the content that’s being publish on their web side. However I do believe it’s hard to manage 2 “billion people’. I also think that all social Medias at one point provide false advertisement and information but it’s up to us the reader to do further and deeper search in order to obtain credible information from a credible source.I think social media had equally both a negative and positive impact on us.

Feb 08 2018

Social Media Discussion Board 1

The boom of social media over the past decade has made a huge impact on society and in technology.  There are apps now which grant you access to social media sites quicker then logging in on your Internet browser. There are a billion users on sites like Facebook and millions of users on sites like Instagram. There have been some highs and lows with social media like an extreme low of bullying and suicide amongst the younger generation which is heavy on social media sites like Facebook. A good thing with social media is that it can help you brand your business and in some ways can make you a huge success   When Facebook was released to the public this was like a major prize for people everywhere. Social media was already a thing with sites like Myspace and Friendster but then Facebook came and knocked them out the box like MP3 players did with CD’s.

However, everything is not all fine and dandy with the ever changing world of social media.  In an article in the New York Times, The Web Means the End of Forgetting states how everything you do online stays online and it can hurt or help you. But most times the stuff you put online can hurt you because you are living your life without apology and taking pictures and posting or writing what you truly feel about things thinking it’s all within the walls of your “friends list” which is inaccurate. Everything you do on the Internet is not forgotten in the sea of cyberspace just because some days or months have went by. All what you do is right there online. In the article a young women who was aspiring to be a teacher was just having fun and she took some a rowdy picture when she was drinking and it ruined her career. The university where she went to school didn’t want her to obtain her teaching degree all because of her picture which was done in private that the school felt like reflected poorly on her and the students. The article stated on how this can happen, “how best to live our lives in a world where the Internet records everything and forgets nothing.” (The New York Times, The Web Means the End of Forgetting).

In the article, taking the You out of YouTube, tells the story of how Google bought out YouTube and a lot of people felt that maybe this was a bad idea because Google would destroy the true basis of YouTube and its meaning by adding what Google does best as the king of advertisements. The article stated, “And worried that advertisements would inundate the site.” (Taking the You out of YouTube) It seems like Google has done okay with YouTube but it was totally understood of the fear of the gigantic Google site as a search engine taking over the You tuber’s world. So, yes in the land of social media there are a lot of issues like the problems with Facebook. Facebook is the biggest social media site and there are some hardcore concerns with this site. Russian interfering with the 2016 presidential election was allegedly condoned on this site; people are dying in droves by committing suicide and murders and live streaming it on Facebook. The founder, Mark Zuckerberg knows all of this but I feel like he isn’t doing anything of importance to fix the issues. The article, Who will Take Responsibility for Facebook, the writer explained how Zuckerberg made a comment which was really deflecting and not taking responsibility for the issues with his billion dollar site. He never acknowledges that he –his brand has some real hard core issues that attribute to these problems and need serious attention.

Nov 21 2017

Class Starting Soon!

This class starts in February! All assignments will be posted here.