Author Archives: Sierra

ARPAnet Panel Response

The group who did the topic about Arpanet was great! I really liked how they got the class involved, and also their timeline, which was really cool. It’s crazy to think that Arpanet was the ”first internet” and to see how we actually use the internet today. At the beginning of the semester I was in the panel that talked about  ”The history of the Internet,” so I was a little familiar with Arpanet, Milnet, and DARPAnet.In one of my previous blogs, I talked about the history of the internet and its initial purposes, In the article, the authors Schwartz and Campbell talked bout ARPANET and how it ”launched” the internet. ARPANET was the original network built by the U.S Advanced Projects Research Agency in the late 1960s(Schwartz and Campbell Vol. 28.) It’s purpose served to make it easier for people to get access to computers and also it was originally made for military use to improve communications. I stated in class about the launch of sputnick, but I really didn’t know much more beyond that. I just knew that Sputnick had something to do with ARPANET. In class, the panel made it make more sense, and I also looked up a little on it. The main reason behind ARPANET was in response to that event (the launch of sputnick) , in order to keep up with their rivals(USSR), the US started the Advanced Research Projects Agency, or ARPA, and began to develop ideas that would give them an edge against the other countries. One of the most important products of ARPA was ARPANET.

Here is where I found some history

Online dating. Find it in just one click?

Personally, I don’t see anything with online dating, it’s not something I would do but I don’t see a problem for people who do. I just feel that when you do try to do online dating you should probably be a little more cautious of who you are talking to, just like when you are in public you should be aware of your surroundings, the only difference between the two is you are doing the same thing online. People can be whoever they want to be online, but sometimes it is easier to make a connection with someone online. Online dating is kind of cool in a way because you can narrow your choices by picking qualities in a person that you like, but then again it could probably screw you over because you could say you are looking for a certain type of person and you like doing certain things, and someone who finds you attractive may just ”pretend” to like the things that you like or be this person you are in search of. The con sometimes though is that although you can choose who you want online by saying what exactly you are looking for (your matches) you could be missing out on someone who could be perfect for you but you just want a specific person.

I think the sex offender statistics were kind of scary, but you could meet a sex offender in person as well so regardless, like I stated earlier you just have to be cautious about who you get involved with. We also have brought up CATFISH a couple of times, you never really know who is behind the computer screen until you actually meet them in person.

Cyberbullying

The video in class almost made me cry honestly even though I knew it was only acting, but to know this stuff actually goes on and some people don’t stand up against it. Its actually sad to see how people don’t really take bullying in general serious until someone gets hurt. I honestly don’t see how people get away with it. There seems like there are laws into place for these types of situations but are they really solving this problem of bullying? Demi Lovato, one of my favorite singers is someone who I truly admire because of her standing up and speaking her mind about bullying. She is the ambassador for new anti-bullying campaign.

Demi Lovato speaks against bully ! 

 

Demi Lovato

 

This picture says it all! The end of bullying does begin with us, we need to stand up against bullying so it can be stopped !

 

Social Media’s effect of the 2012 Election

So far, I have collected research about the effects social media had on the 2012 election. I found it interesting that before during the time of JFK many were dependent on the radio and news channels, but now we have gotten to the digital age where that is where we find most of our information about anything! I am going to blog about politics in this blogpost though!  Social media has had a HUGE impact on the presidential election because they have granted candidates the oppurtunity to connect with more people, in particular the younger age group (18-24.)  Obama won the 2012 election, and it’s important to look at who was using social media as a campain strategy. Obama used facebook and twitter. He has been a tweeter since mid 2008 and has tweeted a lot (10-20 times a day) in order to reach out to many voters. Romney also used facebook, and tweeted less frequently than Obama. Another thing to look at is how much each candidate spent as a campaign strategy using digital media. Obama sent 47 Million, while Romney spent 4.7 Million.

Public Opinion also shapes how the election will go. Public opinion can be a major impact on those who are undecided. I came across a model proposed by Lazerfeld and Kat, they believed that ”opinions are not formed from mass media, but through individual interactions with opinion leaders.”

There are also proposed stages in regards to public which actually make a lot of sense because of how fast opinions on the internet, social media to be more specific:

1) Public opinion evolves to an ordered state in which one opinion predominates (not to complete consensus)

2)agents are reluctant to change their opinions, and the distribution of the number of individuals opinions changes. (power law)

3)agents take external actions to express their opinions.

I didn’t mention this earlier, but its also important to know that in 2008, social media wasn’t booming as much as it was then as it was in 2012.

Impacts of the Internet!

The internet impacts many in a variety of ways, whether it’d be socially, economically, or culturally. I would personally say that the internet has impacted me most socially and culturally. I have encountered people online with different opinions, beliefs, and they come from a different background than me. They may post things on their wall, timeline, or whatever it may be depending on the website we are using which express things of their culture, which makes me want to google and see what they are talking about because it’s interesting. Because of the access to the internet that I have I can learn about cultures instantly by seeing something on facebook, twitter, or wherever and simply searching for it, or talking to this person online by asking questions.  This person can be anywhere in the world, and I can still learn from them. The main point though, is that this is opening you up to different ideas about cultures other than your own, no matter where you are, or that person. The internet is allowing you to be able to do these things, and therefore impacting the internet cultrually and socially.

 

Another example that I think is appropriate, which does not apply to me personally is Electronic Support Groups, which are also known as ESG’s. I learned about this in a sociology class a while back, but I would say this shows a great example of impacts the internet socially. Electronic support groups are where people that are suffering from a specific illness go to communicate, via the internet. I believe that author’s name was Barker who wrote the article, but Barker talks about how these people come to this group to make sense of their illness and it promotes consumer-driven medicalization.

Digital Identity panel (WHO AM I?)

I really enjoyed the panel about digital identity. I think it’s a very interesting topic! I was pretty excited to see catfish incorporated into the discussion too, that’s one of my favorite shows! Anyways, personally, myself, I am two different people on twitter, and facebook. The reason behind this is because my family and people from my church are on my friends list on facebook, therefore I have to actually ”watch my character.” Twitter, now that’s another story. I can freely express myself and post all the random thoughts that come to mind. I honestly don’t think anyone would really know how to take me if they compared my facebook and my twitter. Sometimes I even look at it, and I’m just amazed at how different they are and I wonder if anyone notices it. Is there any such thing as a digital identity crisis, because that’s what it looks like I’m going through if you just decided to compare them.

Privacy and Openness Blog in response to Panel

The video Allison presented was pretty informative. I seriously had no idea that there were these ”databrokers” keeping track of my activity online. In the video it was stated that they do not have to show you your information. In a way it’s a two-way street for me. One part of me really doesn’t care then another part does agree that it is an issue of privacy. I also found it shocking that search engines like Google keeps track. For some reason I thought I could clear my search history, cookies, and all of that and everything was just gone. Then again, is anything you ever do on the internet really ”gone?” Doubt it. The facebook scenario she talked about was a little scary. I feel like everything you do on the internet is going to have some kind of downside to it such as someone searching something and databrokers keeping track of it. That’s just the price we are willing to pay in this society, although we may not want our information and search history being documented. The Duck Duck Go was new to me and I had never heard about it. I may start using it! Well, maybe not. It’s pretty weird though the first thing  I usually type in when I get online is www.google.com, which is crazy! Especially when I have nothing to do on the internet and bored. Lauren’s point was also interesting Privacy on facebook is always changing. She pointed out that the way they wrote it was too advanced for the average person to comprehend. Why is that though? I’m sure they do it on purpose. The same with Instagram, there was a huge controversy about that not too long ago. Thinking about this is actually kind of scary, but do I really see myself giving up my facebook and Instagram and google because of my ”digital identity footprint being left?” Maybe one day, but not today or tomorrow.

Intellectual Property and Fair Use, whats the misunderstanding?

cmap redo

Within this concept map, there are two topics discussed. These two are “Intellectual Property and Fair Use.” Intellectual property is a work or invention that is a result of creativity such as a manuscript or a design to which one has the rights for and which one can apply for a patent, copyright, or trademark(Leary & Parker Vol. 55.) Fair use, is defined as any copying of copyrighted material done for a limited and transformative structure. This can be done without permission from the owner. These two go hand in hand because there seems to be a misunderstanding about how to go about using ”fair use,” and apparently it’s pretty hard to actually abide by these ”fair use” rules. Many people such as filmmakers never get their films made because of ”fair use.” They’re are major issues dealing with copyright, but in order to not worry about running in to these issues (infringement) there are actions you can take to avoid this (get permission, used licensed works.

I found a website that was for students and teachers to get an understanding of fair use and intellectual property. It’s actually a way you can question yourself:

• Fair Use, the Fair Use Test. Fair use is a principle in Copyright Law that provides us with
a limited ability to use copyrighted material without getting permission for limited purposes:
personal use, non-profit uses, education, criticism or commentary, news reporting and
parody. There are no hard rules to determine if an intended use is a Fair Use, but there are
‘test criteria’ to help in making the decision:
1. What is the purpose and character of the intended use?
2. What is the nature of the copyrighted work?
3. How much of the work will be used? And how important is that part?
4. How would widespread use of this work impact its market value?

This is where i found the ”quiz”

WHAT COMMUNICATION WILL BE LIKE IN 50 YEARS!

Technology is rapidly advancing, so there is no telling where it will go! I am pretty sure that there will be some time in the future where human teleportation will exist, something that can tell what your thinking, and many other gadgets that can pick up on internalized thoughts such as if you wanted to call someone on your phone, you won’t have to do it manually. Then again, I wonder if there will even be phones, my guess is no.Phones are getting ”smarter,” and they are also making watches that you can connect to your phone. This will probably end up taking a whole different route, or just come to a stop. I predict that there will be some kind of little piece that you can stick on your head like a little sticker you can take on and off whenever you please. It’s going to be inevitable not to communicate by these means. I feel that the government is probably going to be more strict in the future because of these technology, (I’m pretty sure they wsih they knew everyone’s thoughts anyway) so what better way to do it?