Link to Classmates Blog

Here is a link to Kun's blog.

I chose to talk about this blog because it has a few interesting posts that I like. Matrix of Mediated Minds is a blog that talks about technology and how people are using it more and more, and in most cases it is pulling family time apart. I especially like the post "What makes Facebook so Popular?" by Sturat Mitchel. I agree with Kun when her post says that, "there is no doubt that in the future we will see a newer website that may have a lot more factors than Facebook." Her blog is a good blog and it's very interesting to read and attractive.

"Relationships, Community, and Identity in the New Virtual Society." By Arnold Brown

Brown, A. (2011). Relationships, Community, and Identity in the New Virtual Society. Futurist, 45(2), 29-34. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.

The main topic of this article is social media on relationships, community, and identity in the future. It talks about how people spend more of their social lives online and it is reshaping them. People who create virtual worlds start to treat it like it’s actually them that’s in the world meeting people when its not reality. Brown says, “As we spend more of our social live inline, the definitions of relationships and families are shifting.” The purpose of this essay is to let people know how socializing changes when you are online, because you could be anyone you want and not really who you are. He calls the new younger generation cyberculture because they find ways to adapt the technology to their needs and desires.  He references the Social Industries who say that, “Now, and increasing in the future, technology will let you make and remake you identity at will—virtually.” This defiantly has a lot to do with how technology is becoming more and more apart of our lives and has its advantages and disadvantages.

 

Online Chatting

Chatting on the Internet is an easy way to meet new people but you can never know for sure that the person on the other end is a bad person. Technology has evolved so people can talk to other people from different countries. Just because you have been chatting with a person for a month you does not mean that you know everything about them, they could just be telling you what you want to hear. Video chatting is another way people like to talk over the internet, with websites like Skype people could keep in touch talking face to face with a computer but not actually talking face to face. Video chatting has been around for a while but with new technology the picture of a video chat has high quality and people like it more. I think technology is good for people but it seems like people abuse it.

"The Machine is Us/ing Us" video by Michael Walsh

This video is very interesting, it shows how we use the "machine" for almost everything. This video is very informative in the way technology is changing. The internet has changed in so many ways, like when you go to one link it could lead you to another link and another. What better faster way to get information than the web? Before internet and using the internet to interact with others people were just fine, but this is a new era. What will the future be like if technology keeps rapidly evolving?

"Is Google Making Us Stupid?"

In Nicholas Carr's essay "Is Google Making Us Stupid?" he is talking about how spending to much time reading things off the internet triggers attention spans when it comes to reading long articles or actual books. Carr's purpose of this essay I think is to let people know that the way we think is changing. Carr states that, "research that once required days in the stack or periodcal rooms of the libraries can be done in minutes." He refferenced Maryanne Wolfe who is a development psychologist at Tufts University, and she worries that when we read we put "efficiancy" and "immediacy" above everything else. Wolfe says, "We are not only what we read, we are how we read." Google is a quick search ingine that people go to, to ask questions when they want a quick answer, but is it taking over the way we mentally use our brains? Carr thinks that they way we think and read is going to get worse. If you think about it, we are already really dependent on technology to save us time and money.

"Kid Kustomers"

Schlosser, E. (2011). Kid Kustomers. In S. Cohen (Ed.) , 50 Essays (pp. 353-358). Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's.

The topic of Eric Schlosser's essay "Kid Kustomers" is that there are many advertisments that are aiming for children so they could get their products sold. The purpose of the essay is to let people know how many companies base their advertisments towards children viewing and cartoon characters to attract them. I think the Schlosser points out that children are a target to ads, he says, "The technique purports to create imaginary characters who perfectly fit the trageted age group's level of cognitive and neurological development." He reffers to CME KidCom Ad Traction Study II asking children what their favorite commercials are, survey showed that most children like the budweiser commercials. I agree with Schlosser about these advertisments because today there are lots of children who whine to there parents when they want something or making threats to them. Parents should teach their children to go out and be active, social media and advertisments are sucking them in.

"Getting Plugged In: An Overview of Internet Addiction"

Flisher, C. (2010). Getting plugged in: An overview of Internet addiction C Flisher Getting plugged in. Journal of Paediatrics & Child Health, 46(10), 557-559. doi:10.1111/j.1440-1754.2010.01879.x

Link: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1440-1754.2010.01879.x/full

Internet addiction can cause interference with daily life and work. Dr. Kimberly Young conducted 500 heavy users of the Internet in 1995 and of the 500 most of them reported significant impacts on academic acheivement, social life, relationships, occupation, and finances. There has been many debate on wether Internet addiction is a clinical disorder or not. This article state some consequences to teenagers who spend a lot of time on the Internet such as self-neglect and poor diet. Dr. Young also concludes that people should practice shortening their time on the Internet by setting a timer to remind them when to get off, get some hobbies, and get out and meet people.