internet and democracy

1. Based on this debate and previous readings What Definition of democracy do you feel is most fitting for us to use in-conjunction our growing reliance and integration of digital networked technologies?



I believe the definition of democracy that best describes this growing reliance is a for the most part non regulated free flow of content that is controlled by the people. With the internet there is no head of information or corporate headquarters controlling the internet it is made up of what people put up and there is no regard really to the moral value of this content. 


2. How does your answer to #1 fit into the unchecked nature of Web 2.0 technologies, and what are some tangible examples of this? Do you feel this is an important issue that needs to be addressed further?


This definition fits in with the unchecked nature of Web 2.0 technologies because what makes the internet much like a democracy is the user generated content. Some examples of the most popular user generated content sites are Youtube, Facebook and Twitter. These particular websites have tons of user generated content with youtube it is mostly videos also the commentary and Facebook is made up of information that people have posted about themselves. Without people making Facebook profiles the website is useless so it is one hundred percent made up of user content.


3. Define and describe the phenomenon of the Media echo-chamber as described in the Internet Debates. What are some examples of this silo effect, and do you believe it is an issue that need to be addressed? Why or Why not?


The media echo chamber is the concept that a certain idea is posted on the internet and then many agree with the idea and through the popularity and passion that people have behind this idea it many times get amplified and exaggerated. An example of the silo effect is a school there it is one entity but their are many different departments that make up the school and makes everything work. Sometimes when there is a lack of communication from department to department there goals become very different it this can cause problems for everyone. I believe the silo effect is an issue and we need to figure out what our goals are as a group and we can be so separated because this only prolongs solving our problems.


4. What are some ways that expertise and authority could be (or is being) enforced on the internet? Who would be behind these forces? Why do you believe are they needed or not needed?


There is something to be said about just having a 100% democratized internet where people could right whatever they want. Editing or flagging this information on websites may take away from the creativity and our right of free speech. I feel it is needed in some cases but the problem I for see is what is acceptable is one person's eyes may be unacceptable to someone else so if there was flagging on the internet I believe you would need numerous people enforcing and not just one person making all the decisions.


5. I believe the people who are really attempting to keep up with the change on the internet is parents who are keeping a close eye on their child's internet use and filtering what their child is able to see when browsing on the internet. This is extremely important because the internet is definitely the number one source of the most explicit  content/media in the world. I am not saying that all parents are aware of their child's internet use. Many parents are becoming much more aware of what is out their for their child to view unless they intervene and filter the content.


6.  Is democracy threatened by the unchecked nature of the internet?


Definitely, Although it is impossible to check everything that is posted on the internet. Democracy on the internet is at risk today more then ever as people especially americans are becoming more aware of the negative effect democracy can have on people.

Responding to Johnathan Stewart

In John Stewarts paper he discusses how technology has affected our world in ways that people may have not have seen coming when the technology was first brought about. John discusses the idea that technology although maybe have been developed to bring us closer together may be doing just the opposite. John talks about the mediums such as video chat, text messaging and online instant messaging and how these conveniences have not really been ways to keep in touch but more reasons to stay apart. John explains the mentality saying why go and make the effort to see someone when in a matter of seconds I can see his or her face on a computer screen or in second life program. Also with social networking websites most popular being facebook people never have to meet each other to extract personal information this is not a problem for most of the world but without a doubt there are sex offenders and petefiles out there stalking peoples pages trying to find things out about people which is unsettling because there is no way to know who they are.  John then goes into the dangers of putting yourself out there on the internet and how you are subject to everyone good bad or otherwise. John explains the problems that arise and the mentality people have developed when they know they are anonymous. People all the sudden get this confidence and empowerment that they can write anything they want and be as cruel as humanly possible just because there will be no retaliation. It raises the question “what would you do if no one was watching or you knew you had a 100% guarantee that you could get away with something” people seem to be stretching the boundaries and throwing away morals and values when they are as John said “invincible”. 

response to video

I enjoyed watching the video very much it was interesting to see where technology has brought us today and how many people have engaged their life in what is a relatively new idea. There is always the question has technology changed things for the better or worse. I think unarguably it has changed us for the better. Where would we be if no one was able to be contacted and did not have a cell phone. Everything would probably take a lot more time and effort to get things done. But with any new technology or power because that’s really what it is we are more powerful and efficient with technology we need to become more responsible. Just like negative things are in our face and available to us but ultimately we have control over our use of these negative things. If I wanted to I am able to go out take drugs and get drunk everyday but I have chosen not to do that because I try to be responsible. Everyone can choose freely how they spend their time, what they put into their bodied and what they expose themselves to. We make hundreds maybe thousands of little decisions everyday. Usually we know what our priorities are and what we want to accomplish in any particular day then we act in order to get these things done. For example someone may decide to study in the library instead of their room this is one example of a rational decision. The thought process is I want to get this done where will I be able to do this quickest and best. So little decisions like this can affect us a lot. Because ultimately these little decisions add up and years go by and we ask ourselves, are we where we want to be and have I done my best to execute my goals. So life is really about our choices we make day to day and also discipline plays a big role. Many time we are conflicted between doing what we think will be the best in the long term and trying to satisfy those short time temptations. In this movie this temptation is the technology and more specifically virtual reality. I do not agree with the lifestyle of just playing videos games all day and with any free time that one has. If someone lives life through virtual reality they are really not living. One cannot live life through a computer, life is the experiences one goes through in the outside world and ultimately life is the people we meet. Humans are social beings it is in our nature to interact with other human beings. This interaction should not take place on a screen it should mostly be face to face eye to eye. Although the people who came up with these technologies are very bright individuals and probably considered geniuses they may have hurt their users more then they have helped them. As people join these social networks and are putting more and more information about themselves online they are putting themselves at greater risk. What people do not understand about Facebook and other social networking sites is they have to take it seriously. There should be a series of questions we should ask ourselves before we put personal things on the internet. We should ask ourselves questions such as do I want my friends to see this, who exactly am I sharing this media with and how will people perceive this media.  Although these websites may be a fun creative way to share information with others, the reality is it is a responsibility and people are not realizing this. I believe we are somewhat conforming to society with websites like Facebook. Many times we learn about these things from our friends and we see so many other people doing it we say well i do not want to miss out on this opportunity to socialize and share things we friends. There are many things that concern me with these websites particularly Facebook which is by far the most popular and widely used. Number one is we can not control what people are putting on our Facebook or more specifically on our wall. The wall is the place where people can say things to us and it will be posted more times then not for everyone to see. What is scary to me is what someone thinks is ok to put on someone's wall may not be ok with the person who's wall it is on. Sometimes we cannot always check our Facebook and by the time we delete something from our wall the damage has already been done and everyone has seen something and this can be very harmful. On Facebook we have a wall which is mostly public, you have pictures, then you have comments on these pictures, facebook status and then you have words usually in the form of comments that we ourselves put  on other people's pages and our own. This all combine to make our digital identity and people subconsciously and consciously put all these things together and form an opinion on who they think you are, people come up with certain ideas about you good and bad and try to extract information from all these resources. This is scary to me the idea that someone has an opinion or pre conceived notion about me that may be wrong. I do not want people to see me as something I am not I like the old fashioned way where people meet face to face and then form their opinion. What people do not realize is how they think they are being perceived and how people are actually perceiving them may be completely different. What is scary is people come up with their own idea of someone's identity and it may be completely off.

McLuhan photoshop assignment

The medium I chose to do was GPS which is short for Global Positioning System. This technology was first developed in space, it gave astronauts an extremely accurate information regarding their exact location and time in the location. It allowed them to navigate space and earth easily and efficiently. This technology is based off of satellites and is controlled by the U.S. government. This technology fifteen years ago was only available to NASA but now it is available to anyone with a GPS receiver or what most people call a navigation system. The first people to introduce this to the public were car companies and with this technology the companies were actually able to locate you and know exactly where you are. The plus side to this was with a feature called ONSTAR which was developed and is exclusive to General motors auto company they were able to know if you got into an accident and call you through your car to ask you if you were ok which has saved many lives. This GPS technology is not only helping people navigate roads around the world but it is saving the lives of drivers and keeping america safe by allowing the military to locate the enemy and in some cases not have to be present in there location to attack them which I find pretty amazing. GPS is currently expanding more and more as we are now able to get it on our phones computers and cars.

smaplepost

picture of 3 mediums

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1.) Picture of Skype a widely used video chatting program

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2.) Picture of nintendo Wii a popular gaming system where the player actually has to make physical movements to control what goes on in the game.

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3.) Picture of a navigation system