Artifact Summary/Response

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/03/business/media/03media.html?ref=technology

The article, “Turning to Social Networks for News” in the New York Times, discusses what we talked about for a while during ENG 102, how there has been a shift in where young adults get their news from television broadcasts to social media networks. The article describes the recent death of Osama Bin Laden and the drastic amount of people that were responding to the event through social media networks. It talks of three main ways how young adults are turning to social networks for their news. It said that word of Bin Laden’s death was being spread wildly through social media sites for twenty minutes before news broadcasters were able to report the news, which was a whole hour before Obama’s address from the White House. As shown with this recent news, Twitter and Facebook have become “early warning systems for breaking news.” According to the article, Twitter saw the highest sustained rate of posts, with about 3,440 per second in a time span of almost two hours. Also, Facebook saw more than five million mentions of Bin Laden in the United States alone. There was even a page created, named “Osama Bin Laden is Dead,” and by Monday there were 400,000 fans. Social media networks not only let people talk about the information they are receiving but also encourage people to absorb it and do things about it. For example, a sophomore at Georgetown saw an update from a friend about an announcement from Obama and word about Bin Laden’s death. He states, “…rather than just informing me, it spurred me into action; it put me in the shoes in a very real way of those people who use social media as a tool for political activism, for coordination and communication.” There were also uses of new technology, shared through social media networks, that allowed people to share their experiences. For example, users of Instagram, a photo-sharing application for the iPhone, allowed people to share photos of Obama speaking, American flags, and crowds gathered at several different universities as well as in New York and Washington. The final example of the importance of social networks to news was at the Mets-Phillies game on Sunday night. Billy Wichterman spoke of how during the eighth inning he heard a chanting of “U-S-A’s” He immediately turned to his iPhone to check Twitter and Facebook to figure out why they were chanting that.

These are all evidence that we are in fact moving towards social media sites as our news source. I can even admit that that’s how I found out about Osama bin Laden, through Facebook. After analyzing it a little, I think I have realized that we rely a lot on social media for the initial news, but then wait to hear the real facts about the subject from a news broadcaster on television or even an online paper. While in fact, we have shifted, we are not completely reliable on social media sites. This is good because while social media sites cover the same news, just in different ways, especially way faster, reliability is still a main issue.

Eportfolio 3

Artifact #8: Health Online
http://gibbsm.blogspot.com/2011/04/artifact-8-health-online.html

Artifact #9: Spirit of Sharing
http://gibbsm.blogspot.com/2011/04/artifact-9-spirit-of-sharing.html

Artifact #10: Out There in the Dark, All Alone
http://gibbsm.blogspot.com/2011/04/artifact-10.html

Artifact #10: Out There in the Dark, All Alone

The article I chose is Out There in the Dark, All Alone, written by Manohla Dargis.  This article describes how much movie watching has changed through the decades.  Not long ago, going to the movies was a social experience.  It was the only way one could see new films because after they weren't in theaters anymore; they were gone--either disposed of or put to sit on a shelf somewhere.  Back in the 40s, a viewer would only have one option: to go to the theaters and see the movie before it was gone.  Now days, people don't have to go to the movie theaters just to watch a movie.  Viewers can now rent movies, use Netflix, watch from their laptops, or even portable DVD players.  People today don't have to deal with the inconvinience of going out to a theater and finding a movie that is showing that they hopefully will like.  Now, we can watch movies wherever we want, whenever we want.

To define terms used in the article:
Nickelodeons--Movie theater in the 40s that charged only 5 cents for admission to a movie.
Cinema--From the Greek word kinema, referring to motion and emotion; the art of making movies/films
Modernity--Newness

I would have to say that I would rather stay at home to watch a movie, for several reasons.  First off, I can't stay up for a movie to save my life unless someone keeps telling me to stay awake, so I suppose I'd rather just be in the comfort of a house where I could just continue sleeping after the movie is over.  Secondly, going to the movies is very expensive.  I understand how going to the movies is fun and can be a social experience, but with how expensive they have gotten it is just too much.  One could easily spend $20 at a movie after buying one ticket and a soda.  It is a lot less expensive to watch a movie with friends at home, providing your own snacks.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/10/movies/the-24-hour-movie-and-digital-technology.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2&emc=eta1

Artifact #9: The Spirit of Sharing

The article, The Spirit of Sharing, brought up many important points when discussing how art museums have been and should be affected by the social shift towards technology.  First, Vogel reports how much museum websites have changed over the years.  These sites have gone from being completely informative--stating the hours, various exhibitions, directions, and admission prices--to becoming more and more interactive, even to the point that one can watch a 28-foot tepee being built in the museum.  She discusses how it is great that people can communicate on the website about things they view at the museum.  Often people bring their hand held devices when visiting the museum which allows for interactivity between visitors both physically at the museum and online.  However, it was also stated how museums do not want to get too caught up in fads.   This is because fads often go out of style and they want to keep the essence of the museum alive, keeping the history and value very much present for years to come.

I think these museum websites are very cool because it allows for people to take in more information and be more involved in the museum itself.  Bernstein stated that, "We want to engage with our community."  The community can be involved by telling their honest opinion in order to keep the museum running strongly and smoothly.  If they don’t like something, they can tell the people in charge, and they will try and fix it.  The involvement factor also comes into play in other various ways.  For example, people can share things that they like or found interesting on social media sites to get other people to see the art.  This must be a good way for the art museums to make art known to people that don't appreciate it very much.  For someone who is not around it or doesn’t appreciate it, maybe they will see it on Facebook and it could strike an interest.

Artifact #8: Health Online

While viewing this artifact, I was amazed with how far technology has come to implement health online.  While WebMD is one of the biggest online health resources, there have been many more websites created that are much more interactive.  There is an app consumers can download from Mental Workout, which helps with psychological problems if someone doesn't have an appointment set up with a therapist or if it is not business hours.  They also have a meditation app which is the biggest selling app right now.  The next thing they talked about was social networks.  There is a website called patientslikeme.com which helps connect people that are suffering from the same diseases.  Patients can talk about which medications they are on and their side effects, which helps keep everything in perspective and helps patients feel like they're not alone.  Lastly, they discussed a new idea of health gaming.  There is a game for children cancer patients called Remission.  Remission involves nanobots that are shooting kemo therapy into the cancer cells.  All of these recent inventions will continue to make health online a bigger and better thing.

What I found most interesting about this artifact was the game, Remission.  I thought this was such an amazing idea because it puts the idea of battling cancer into something a little kid can understand.  They start to understand how they are fighting the cancer and helps their mental state too.  It makes their mind stronger, which helps them actually fight their cancer in real life.  Its great how much of an impact your mental state can make in your recover, and its wonderful that they can make a game like this for the kid cancer patients.

E-Portfolio 2

Artifact #4: "Uncanny Droid" and "Old School? or What?"
http://gibbsm.blogspot.com/2011/02/artifact-4-uncanny-droid-and-old-school.html

Artifact #5 "Thank Sex for Making the Internet Hot-Podcast"

http://gibbsm.blogspot.com/2011/03/artifact-5-thank-sex-for-making.html

Artifact #6: I Am Anonymous

http://gibbsm.blogspot.com/2011/03/artifact-6-i-am-anonymous.html

Artifact #7 "Professors Use Technology to Fight Student Cheating"

http://gibbsm.blogspot.com/2011/03/artifact-7-professors-use-technology-to.html

Artifact #7 "Professors Use Technology to Fight Student Cheating"

The article "Professors Use Technology to Fight Student Cheating" was kind of alarming in the extent some students will go just to cheat.  The article discussed how some students would scan a coke bottle wrapper into the computer and replace the nutrition facts and other words with things that are going to be on their test.  Someone else said that they would put a high tech calculater into the body of an allowed one, so the teacher wouldn't be able to see the one they were using was actually high tech and able to store information.  To prevent cheating, some teachers will download software that has a collection of papers and assignments that have already been turned in or published, so that they can just enter the paper they have recieved and the database will see if any of it matches up to any previous documents.  Other teachers have tried collecting all electronics and don't allow food or drinks in while taking a test, to ensure there is no way for a student to cheat.  However, some students have tried using a bluetooth device and chewed gum so that the teacher wouldn't notice they were actually whispering into it to get answers from someone not present.

This is alarming to think about because it shows how much effort some students will put into cheating.  I don't understand why they can't use that same effort and just study to get the grade they want.  I think there is value in studying for a test or writing a paper yourself, and getting the desired result.  If it doesn't work and you get a bad grade on the test or a paper, you devise a new plan and come up with different strategies that will help you succeed.  I think a lot of people of today are always looking for what they think is the easy way out.  Many students have said that they don't know why they should learn things that they are never going to use again, but I think most importantly what school is teaching us is to work hard and to think outside of the box to get to the desired product.  That is deffinately something that can be taken and used in the real world, for the rest of your life.

Artifact #6: I Am Anonymous

The "I Am Anonymous" video started off with a great attention getting device of two men talking and at the end one of them screamed "4chan."  which made the viewer curious as to what this video was going to be about and made them want to keep watching.  The video was about a young man who started a website called TED, based off of a japanese website forum called 4chan.  This website is completely anonymous which allows users to post anything they like, such as pictures, videos, or blogs.  The fact that it is 100% anonymous, in my opinion, is a good thing as long as people are willing to take the repercussions of whatever they post.  For example, there was a video of a man abusing his cat that he posted on the website himself.  Other users were very upset about this video, so they began investigating to find out who the man was.  Within 24 hours they were able to figure out his name and after 2 days, he was arrested.  This just goes to show that no action will be left without some kind of response, so even though it is an anonymous website, they should be careful about what they post.  Whatever the user posts will remain on the website for a certain amount of time and then will be taken down.  This is a beneficial thing because it means that the conversations on the TED website is constantly changing and will always be interesting and up to date.  This website is really set apart from other websites today because so many now, are based on putting yourself out there.  There aren't many sites that are completely annonymous that can allow for people to just say whatever they want, which I think is cool.

Artifact #5 Thank Sex for Making the Internet Hot-Podcast

This artifact is probably the most interesting artifact we've had so far in this class.  As I was listening to the "Thank Sex for Making the Internet Hot" podcast, I was amazed with how many changes the porn industry has offered the internet as a whole.  First off, I had no idea that online shopping started because of the porn industry.  This is interesting because so many people online shop almost daily, but I bet they have no idea they have the porn industry to thank for creating it.  Secondly, the porn industry helped pioneer better video and picture quality that even news programs like CNN looks up to to help them to help them with their video and picture quality.  Its funny to think that while porn isn't really talked about a lot, it has provided the internet with two very beneficial things.

Artifact #4: "Uncanny Droid" and "Old School? or What?"

Maybe I don't know what use robots would have in our society, but I found the "Uncanny Droid" video to be kind of disturbing.  It's weird to think that technology has come so far--to be able to make robots look so human-like, where they could be walking down the streets with us and we probably wouldn't even notice.  I probably need to do more research, but I can't really see how robots could have much of a positive influence in the world today.  I am curious to know what the point of having robots would be and how they could benefit our society.  If it is just for the fun of having robots walking around, I think it could possibly be detrimental because they are not humans, not citizens, and could throw off the little balance we have left.

I found the "Old School? or What?" to be funny because it really goes to show how far technology has come.  While our generation today thinks that that instructional video is humerous because it's so obvious how to use a manual pencil sharpener like that, it makes you wonder what generations to come will make fun of us for.  Pencil sharpeners have gradually increased from manual to electronic, to just having mechanical pencils that have reloadable lead in them so you don't even need to sharpen them.  This goes hand in hand with how people have come such a long way in designing computers, phones, internet, and cable to do things previous generations never thought would be possible.  Its amazing how people can adapt to make things easier for them, even if its something as simple as a pencil.  Technology, when used the right way, can have such a positive impact in society.

EPortfolio

http://gibbsm.blogspot.com/2011/02/cmc-response.html

http://gibbsm.blogspot.com/2011/02/artifact-1-wireless-cup-of-coffee.html

http://gibbsm.blogspot.com/2011/02/william-powers-hamlets-blackberry.html

Artifact #2 "William Powers: Hamlet's Blackberry"

I found William Powers's speech about his book very interesting and almost inspirational.  He begins by telling the audience how he was sitting on a bench in a park in Cambridge and istantly reached for his cell phone.  He began wondering why he did that and what exactly he was waiting for to come in.  He then looked around at everyone else in the park and he noticed that almost everyone was either talking on their phone or texting, everyone connected somehow.  Then he saw a girl walking without any electronic device, seemingly disconnected, and how she stood out almost.  This struck me as interesting because it's so true and not a lot of people even pay attention to it.  Everywhere you look, people are staring at screens, whether it be a computer, a cell phone, or an iPod.
We have gotten so used to being connected through technology, that it is now an oddity when we are disconnected from it.  It makes me wonder why people of this generation need constant communication and constant connectedness.  Why does it make people uncomfortable when they can't be instantly reached through their phone or Facebook, or vice versa?  Why can't people be okay just sitting in a park, just living in the moment instead of waiting for something to come in, waiting for a call or a text.  I think this is one thing that technology has dampered: living in the moment.  Even when someone is around a group of people they are still texting someone somewhere else, like they can't give their full attention to the people they're with.
However, I do agree with William Powers when he says that technology is a good thing and we should take advantage of it, we just need to be able to balance the use of technology and living in the present moment.  Powers and his family decided not to use the computer during the weekends, they turn off the modem Friday evening and don't turn it back on until Monday morning.  I thought this was a very good idea beacuse it gives them a chance to grow as a family.  It encourages face to face communication which both helps them grow closer and helps their communication skills.
Powers also said how it was awkward at first for people to call their family on the weekends instead texting or e-mailing.  I thought this was cool though because just 15 years ago, internet was not popular and texting didn't even exist.  I thought about how communication has changed so much in just the past decade.  Just 15 years ago, people would have to call landlines to reach people.  Today, you can reach someone no matter where they are, at any time.  Technology has really influenced communication and people's relationships in so many ways.

Artifact #1 Response

I think it makes sense for most people of this generation to get their news online rather than from television. While many people still watch television, I feel as though it is seen more for purely entertainment purposes. Since the internet is now being used for a variety of things such as communication, school work, research, and entertainment, it is easier to just get news from the internet while you're already on it. However, the downfall to this is that someone who is getting their news from the internet needs to make sure they are using a reliable website so they are getting the accurate information. Also, it is easier to just turn on the television and listen to the news reporters because they have already done the research for you. In my opinion, I would stick to getting news from the television because it would be the most reliable and its most convenient as well.

Units 3 and 4

Technology has become a central focus to most people in today's world.  People have become obsessed with the idea of constant communication so that they don't miss out on anything.  People are constantly texting, e-mailing, checking Facebook, or talking on their cell phones.  This idea of constant communication however is mainly through technology, which puts a damper on people's social skills.  However this is not always the case, it's just demonstrating that people are becoming bolder and saying things through technology that they would not say to someone's face.  Also, the idea of constant communication cannot be seen as a beneficial factor of technology.  While it can benefit in ways of emailing a teacher, calling someone when you need them, or just sending a friendly text, it becomes a detrimit because people are relying on this technology so much.  Everything needs to be in moderation.  People should definitely communicate through technology, but also make sure that they are talking more face to face than through their phones or Facebook.