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Technology and Government

2008-11-21T18:31:00.000-08:00

As with the past few assignments, this particular one has truly allowed me to take a deeper look into a very important current issue: technology and government. The question brought up on Slashdot makes readers reflect on exactly what kind of change it is that we have all been talking about, and how we are going to get it get via technology.

It is known that Barack Obama reached a much larger audience during his campaign through his website and youtube videos. I can personally say that the internet influenced my political views during this historical time in our country. Specifically, I just posted a youtube video of Obama on my blog last week that dealt with net neutrality. I can honestly say that with all of the websites that I read to understand the topic, Obama's speech (broadcasted from an MTV interview with a younger audience) is what helped me to most understand what was going on, and seeing him speak about the issue made me feel confident in where he planned to lead our country in favor or net neutrality.

Point is, Obama cannot just leave behind the younger audience that he has spent so much time uniting and making his followers. There is a whole new crowd in the political atmosphere and it is crucial to keep their eyes on the issues. Speaking on behalf of the new generation that is involved, I think it is a great idea for Obama to post weekely addresses on his website.

Focusing on other uses of technology, rather than just Obama's interaction with the public, one of the most interesting ideas that I came across was in a response to the Slashdot question posted by rwa2:

"The easiest way to give the control back to the people would be to give them some control over how their taxes are allocated. Right now, we pay a certain percentage of our income in taxes, and the government decides how much to budget for each department. Wouldn't it be great if you could actually "earmark" your tax dollars? Don't want to support the war in Iraq? Want a certain percentage of your taxes to go support the Dept. of Education or NASA space exploration instead? This would be a great way of directly measuring people's priorities, and give people the sense that the work they do to make money does not go towards what they consider "waste"."

Contrary to what it may seem, I did not copy the his whole repsonse to take up space, haha. I really feel that this response says it perfectly. Although I do not believe in electronic voting, I haven't been since I saw the movie 'Man of The Year' with Robin Williams (check it out) I do however think that allowing the public to fill out an online tax 'allocator' I guess you could call it, would truly solve a lot of problems. Using technology to our advantage in this way is like bringing our government back to a democracy that truly listens to the people. It actually reminds me of a lot of the goverments that I have been learning about in world civ this semester, like the very first republic and democracy with the greeks.

There are alot of ways that technology can help our government, but we definitely cannot go rushing into it. I am confident that Obama will lead us in the right direction.

Let It Flow. Network Neutrality.. I'm all for it.

2008-11-09T18:33:00.000-08:00

(Sigh of relief) You heard the man! Obama's unwavering support of an open-internet definitely allows for content providers, no matter how much bandwidth they are taking up, a reason to stick their chests out a little further in their battle against major telephone and cable companies. I'll admit that before actually being able to write this blog I had to do a lot of research. What did I type into my Google search engine? Yup, 'Net Neutrality For Dummies,' and only after I had read and sifted through countless websites and other online sources did I realize that the steps thatI was taking to learn about net neutrality were actually illustrating the exact reason why net neutrality must be protected.

So, let's break it down. In one corner of the ring we have the big guys, the cable/telephone/Internet network providers. To name a few, we have AT&T, Verizon, Time Warner, and Comcast. In the other corner of the ring we have the content providers, basically anyone who contributes information to the Internet. Major content providers that are most familiar are Google, Yahoo, and YouTube. However, we must remember that we, too, are content providers any time we post a blog or comment on a website. Clearly ISPs are outnumbered in the fight, yet this is not a debate that can be won based on numbers.

Bandwidth has been referred to in many of the articles that I have read as 'the pipes of the Internet.' ISPs are paying big bucks to create and maintain the 'pipes,' or network connections that are the pathways for all of our information to flow. These companies do not feel that it is fair that companies like Google, Yahoo, and YouTube are using up so much bandwidth and are making huge profits through advertisements, while ISPs aren't seeing any of it. ISPs feel that they aren't getting the credit or the financial compensation that they deserve; they basically see content providers as freeloaders.

"Between 1996 and 2005, the cable industry spent $105.3 billion in capital expenditures, which included new fiber-optic cables that deliver television, phone and broadband Internet, according to Kagan Research." (WSJ 2006)

Ed Whitacre of AT&T told BusinessWeek: "Now what they would like to do is use my pipes free, but I ain't going to let them do that because we have spent this capital and we have to have a return on it. So there's going to have to be some mechanism for these people who use these pipes to pay for the portion they're using. Why should they be allowed to use my pipes?"

As President Obama describes it in the video above, ISPs want to be able to be 'gatekeepers' on the Internet, in other words decide which content on the Internet is delivered the fastest; they feel that they have the right to prioritize and direct the speed of the flow of information. A factor in prioritizing what sites can be accessed with the most efficiency will be their ability to pay a fee.

On his site Chez Clark gives us this example:

"Net Neutrality is about forbidding an ISP (Verizon for example) who has a business relationship with, say, Barnes and Noble, to charge Amazon punitive rates just for the privilege of reaching the ISP’s customers. Customers who, it should be emphasized, have paid for access to the Internet just like everyone else. There’s no good reason why ISPs should be able to throttle traffic selectively, based on their own interests, and that’s what Net Neutrality aims to prohibit."

Net neutrality effects everyone's interests. It is not just a battle amongst big online businesses and ISPs. It is a battle that involves anyone that has ever used the internet. What has been happening over the past few years since this has become a major issue, is the presence of the government. They are in essence the referee to our metaphor, and they have yet to decide on the winner of this fight. As I mentioned earlier, the recent election of President Obama will definitely impact this debate, pro-net neutrality.

I absolutely support net neutrality. Just the possibility that the information that I want on the Internet may come at all different speeds, or not at all, is stressful! Think about YouTube for instance. If YouTube could not afford to pay my ISP with the expected fee for the amount of bandwidth they are using for all of their videos, I would not have been able to browse quickly through the 'net neutrality' videos and find what I was looking for (Obama's speech). We are always using YouTube as a means for academic assistance, especially in this class. Who are ISPs to take away that facility? The absence of this new medium on the Internet would be far more detrimental to innovation and ideas than the 'hole' in an ISPs pocket would be if YouTube could not/would not pay a fee.

While looking up information on this topic I was able to search through Google to find tons of websites, all of which I took bits and pieces from to fully understand the issue. These sites included blogs and videos from all different kinds of people. The fact that I could access all of these sites at the same speed is what makes the internet, the internet.

One of the most helpful and interesting sites that I found was 'Save The Internet.'. They clearly break down who will be effected. (from the perspective of someone who is pro neutrality) I know it is not in my own words, yet this site is what helped me to truly understand so many different aspects of the issue. Here is how they break it down:

Who will be affected?

* Small businesses -- The little guy will be left in the "slow lane" with inferior Internet service, unable to compete.

* Innovators with the next big idea -- Startups and entrepreneurs will be muscled out of the marketplace by big corporations that pay Internet providers for the top spots on the Web.

* Bloggers -- Costs will skyrocket to post and share video and audio clips -- silencing citizen journalists and putting more power in the hands of a few corporate-owned media outlets.

* Google users -- Another search engine could pay dominant Internet providers like AT&T to guarantee another search engine opens faster than Google on your computer.

* Ipod listeners -- A company like Comcast could slow access to iTunes, steering you to a higher-priced music service it owns.

* Online shoppers -- Companies could pay Internet providers to guarantee their online sales process faster than competitors with lower prices -- distorting your choices as a consumer.

* Telecommuters -- When Internet companies like AT&T favor their own services, you won't be able to choose more affordable providers for online video, teleconferencing, Internet phone calls, and software that connects your home computer to your office.

* Parents and retirees -- Your choices as a consumer could be controlled by your Internet provider, steering you to their preferred services for online banking, health care information, sending photos, planning vacations, etc.

* Political groups -- Political organizing could be slowed by a handful of dominant Internet providers who ask advocacy groups to pay "protection money" for their Web sites and online features to work correctly.

* Nonprofits -- A charity's website could open at snail-like speeds, and online contributions could grind to a halt if nonprofits don't pay Internet providers for access to "the fast lane."

There you have it. So I say let it flow (information), and let it flow at the same speed for everyone, no matter what the content. Charging content providers will only help in forcing our country to take steps backwards in this age of technology. And as the Wall Street Journal has reported, our country is already paying much more for internet access that is much slower than that in other countries around the world. Isn't our country supposed to be based on the support of innovation and the spread of information?

At the risk of sounding, well, corny... I really learned a lot this week about what is going on with the issue of net neutrality, and it was a topic that I was pretty much clueless on prior to this assignment. I have mentioned in my previous blogs that I am a person that really needs things to be extremely simplified and spelled out for me when it comes to new things, especially political or new technological topics. I'm not dumb, I just don't feel comfortable at guessing at what things might mean; I need to be able to learn in a way that shows me how these things affect a person in everyday life. That is exactly what the internet helps me to do. I kid you not, I read at least a dozen sites that answered to my 'net neutrality for dummies' search, and it was the access to these explanations that made everything 'click.' Net neutrality is giving a student the ability to learn with whatever source will benefit them the best, and they do not have to wait.

Sources:
Wall Street Journal. "A Battle for Control of the Web." 10 Nov 2008.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vd8qY6myrrE

All others sources are linked within the blog.

Whatever Happened to Playing Monopoly? Virtual Worlds: Too Much For Me To Handle.

2008-11-06T10:49:00.000-08:00

My least favorite high school classes: Politics and Economics. Conveniently our most recent blog topics, you can imagine that I have been struggling to put all of the pieces together. So, my way of understanding new concepts is to really simplify and make elementary school comparisons. . . work with me here.

Going into this week's topic of virtual worlds I was clueless other than my freshman year experience of watching a kid down the hall become addicted to World of Warcraft. I laughed at Levy's reference to the term 'Warcrack' in his article when he discusses the addiction and excessive time consumption of the players in virtual worlds. The photo below was actually taken last year during one of our very own (attempted, yet never successful) Richmond 2nd Floor WoW Interventions.

So, that was then. I thought that after reading about World of Warcraft and Second Life that I would come to some profound realization of how or why these worlds well, become like crack (or 'Warcrack') to users, yet I'm still not there yet. This is how my brain works:

First I think that sure,back in the day I would put my Barbie in her convertible and push her around my room, which you could say became my own little world. But like most, I grew out of that phase in my life and I crossed over from pretend to reality. (even though I spent my high school years driving my mother's mini van and not a convertible, you get the picture)

Then I look at my brother, a 21 year old senior here at UB, who proudly still plays video games and yells at the screen, something I'm not sure that he will ever grow out of. But thankfully this does not take up the majority of his day and he is capable of returning to the real world.

Now, I am just starting to scratch the surface of the lives of virtual world residents and avatars. Some users are spending 12 hours a day or more trying to advance and reach goals in their virtual worlds (Barboza 2005). I read all of the articles and the only reasons for participation that made sense to me were those based on financial gain...the real kind, not the virtual kind. I understand that social scientists can do a lot of research by observing virtual worlds (Giles 2007), however where interpersonal aspects would usually interest me, it is the economic aspect of virtual worlds that are more intriguing to me.

The question was to compare an open virtual economy like that of Second Life, to that of a closed virtual economy like World of Warcraft. Whether declared open or closed by creators, it is being proven that even an attempt at a closed virtual economy will make its way into the 'real world.' Andrea's blog really helped me to understand the features and possibilities involved with Second Life's open economy, especially the video she posted of her Professor's research with creating a virtual sweatshop. Clearly society has moved on from simple games such as Monopoly and The Game Of Life which used simulate 'another world.'

Looking at online role-playing games like World of Warcraft, Ultima, and Everquest, which strive to maintain a closed economy, companies are straying away from intertwining real currency (other than what users pay in subscription costs) and virtual currency. This is becoming more and more difficult to do as 'black markets' have been created so that users are now not simply bartering inside the walls of the online world, but using sites like Ebay to purchase with real money items that are not even tangible such as virtual goods, armor, skills, and property.

"There are dozens of people out there making a real living selling virtual goods. . ." (Dibbell 2004)Those who provide these goods and resell them in accounts are kind of like the drug dealers of the virtual world I suppose. Dibbell recognizes one man who does just that, Bob Kiblinger, a chemist who quit his job and works full-time buying and selling virtual goods. He says in the article that he is making more doing this than what he was making at Procter & Gamble.

Another crazy off branch of what is supposed to be a 'closed' virtual economy are the businesses being generated in China. Groups of 18-25 year old men in China are spending 12 hours a day or more, 7 days a week, and getting paid about $250 a month to find valuable virtual goods and create accounts that surpass entry levels, that will then be sold to other users. (Barboza 2005)

"For the Chinese in game-playing factories like these, though, it is not all fun and games. These workers have strict quotas and are supervised by bosses who equip them with computers, software and Internet connections to thrash online trolls, gnomes and ogres." - Barboza

What I have learned is that pretend worlds are creating real economies, whether their creators want them to or not. Imagination and make-believe worlds have come a long way since Barbies, Monopoly, and MarioKart, that's for sure.

Sources:

Lynch, T. (1996). DS9 trials and tribble-ations review. Retrieved
October 8, 1997, from Psi Phi: Bradley's Science Fiction Club
Web site: http://www.bradley.edu/campusorg/psiphi/DS9/ep/
503r.html

Barboza, David. (2005). Ogre to Slay? Outsource It to Chinese. Retrieved November 6, 2008: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/09/technology/09gaming.html

Levy, Steven. (2008). World of Warcraft: Is is a Game? Retrieved November 6, 2008. https://ublearns.buffalo.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_id=_2_1&url=%2fwebapps%2fblackboard%2fexecute%2flauncher%3ftype%3dCourse%26id%3d_61661_1%26url%3d

Dibbell, Julian. (2004). The Unreal Estate Boom. Retrieved November 6, 2008. https://ublearns.buffalo.edu/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp?tab_id=_2_1&url=%2fwebapps%2fblackboard%2fexecute%2flauncher%3ftype%3dCourse%26id%3d_61661_1%26url%3d

Online Journalism: not just news, but also entertainment.

2008-10-31T08:22:00.000-07:00

When we first think about news it is rarely first thought of as a form of entertainment, which makes sense. If something important is happening, the public wants cold-hard facts and numbers from a trusted source. . . the newspaper. However, the internet has the ability to combine these facts with more opinion, sarcasm, and satire which has the ability to turn the news into a more vibrant form of entertainment.

Online news sources whether they be a branch of actual newspapers, wikis, or blogs are all examples of the evolution of a technology that is optional for the public to use; they still have the option of having e newspaper) about the same issue, but instead he puts his own spin on it.

He says, "The closer we get, the more I think this whole conversion to DTV is a scam to make money for the government, the consumer electronics industry, and others who stand to gain from this conversion. For young folks who grew up with iPod earphones stuck in their head and a cell phone in their hands, it is no big deal. But not everyone can handle the intricacies of the change. And with DTV, instead of a little snow but a perfectly watchable picture, we get no picture with a weak signal. We also are subjected to compression artifacts and pixellation."

The style of writing is more informal than the newspaper, yet it is not so informal that it should be dismissed as inaccurate. After reading The Wall Street article with the constant reference to how businesses were being affected by this change in technology, I instantly took into consideration Randy's theory about this 'scam.' Along with his blog he posted a video that was meant to be comedic, yet also grasps a sad truth in how the transition to digital TV may be affecting older generations. Take a look at the video

This is how online sources provide news through entertainment. It may not involve as many statistics, but it accentuates the issue in unique ways. Another benefit of online news sources is what I have mentioned before in my blogs, and what was discussed the first day of class: it is live. It is easy for news followers to see how articles and opinions have evolved, looking back at earlier blogs or posts on newspaper sites. It is far more difficult to do so with an actual newspaper unless you want to stack them up in your home, or you want to go dig up old information in a library.

As a 19 year old who grew up with internet information technology, using the internet for news has become a habit. This is where my mother and I differ in how we do things. Since I can remember, my mom cannot go to sleep until she has read the paper. She gets in her chair and will sit there for at least an hour each night. Her reasons are that the news on TV is too monotonous and depressing, and she can't stand pop ups and advertisements on the internet. So, reading the newspaper has become a part of her everyday life, it is was she is comfortable doing.

As comfortable as she may be, she may be getting outnumbered by internet users. Due to a 16% drop in advertising for the printed newspaper The Washington Post, many companies are laying off workers. "Time Inc., publisher of Fortune, plans to slash 600 jobs, according to a report in The New York Times. Gannett Co., publisher of USA Today, plans 3,000 job cuts, according to Reuters, and the Tribune Co.’s Los Angeles Times plans to cut 10% of its workforce." (Original Article).

Maybe printing companies are slowly starting to surrender. First comes analog to digital... next comes paperboy to bloggers? We'll see!

Sources:
Bustillo, M., Lawton, C. (2008 Oct 28). Some Consumers Keep Old TVs Despsite Switch to Digital Signals. The Wall Street Journal, p B8.

Meant as Humor, But Makes a Good Point. Retrieved October 30, 008, from http://rktoday.blogspot.com/2008/10/meant-as-humor-but-makes-good-point.html

Print Media Companies Slash Jobs as Economy Sputters. 30 October 2008. http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=1812128232245338045&postID=7759364108462733871

Need a Good Web App? Google Blog Search is worth trying out.

2008-10-07T18:46:00.000-07:00

For many internet users, the homepage that immediately appears for them is the Google site. It is a browser that we are all familiar with, and it has become so habitual in our daily lives. My mom is still clueless when it comes to using the internet, but she sure knows about Google. If I ever ask her a question that she does not know the answer to, her first response is always, “Well why don’t you just Google it?” She is beginning to think that Google has the answers to all of life’s questions, and in many cases it has.

Google has used its popularity with the public to expand and create many web applications that help its users. There are applications for Google maps, advertising, office productivity, email (gmail), video, and so many more. The web application that I want to focus on is www.blogsearch.google.com . Google Blog Search helps its users to find the most recent and interesting posts in the blogosphere. I have to admit, that prior to taking this class I was not extremely interested in finding blogs, I was actually sort of “anti-blog”, if you will. Now that I have become a part of the blogosphere I am finding how interactive and unique this world is. However, with so many people out there blogging it can be more tedious than entertaining or resourceful when you have to dig through all of the junk on the web to find the good stuff; that is where Google’s Blog Search comes in to play.

For people like my mom who did not grow up using the internet, I believe that her unwillingness/slow adaptation to using the World Wide Web is due to how overwhelming it has become. My mom will put a label or a post-it note on anything and everything. Her coupons are alphabetized, events are highlighted on calendars and bulletin boards, and her closet is even organized according to color. The point is, when it comes to such a vast field of facts and opinions, people want organization and Blog Search does exactly that.

First, Google models this site to make it look very similar to the regular old Google.com. Right off the bat, this familiarity makes the application that much less intimidating for users. There is a simple search box and it is very plain, no decorations, cluttered designs, or distracting colors. An addition to the site includes a side bar on the left that lists categories for further organization of blogs. They include: US, World, Business, Technology, Video Games, Science, Entertainment, Movies, Television, and Sports. If you do not have anything specific to search, by clicking on one of the links mentioned you will receive a list of blogs according to the most recent, which can be as recent as being posted only a few hours prior to your search. They are clearly presented with the topic in bold, with the name of the forum listed underneath.

This site makes entering the blogosphere easier and less time consuming. It is extremely helpful how quickly the site is updated and how easy it is to read about the biggest issues in our society. Obviously this connects people because it is spreading not only facts, but tons of opinions and perspectives on current events, and allows for what we have been discussing in class: progressiveness. By easily locating new information, internet users can quickly expand on it. I highly suggest using Google Blog Search for research, social networking, and just plain old curiosity.

Creating and Saving Social Ties : Online Support Groups

2008-10-07T13:03:00.000-07:00

In my last blog I focused on my participation in an online support group for my illness of narcolepsy. To summarize it quickly, I am a member at www.dailystength.org; it is a medical site dedicated to organizing and uniting people of all ages who share the same medical issues. I participate by blogging and posting in forums that are specifically targeted for me and fellow narcoleptics.

A support group is exactly what is implies; it is a foundation for support when you need it the most. Blogging and posting provide a ridiculous amount of advantages to people in need of support. Opposed to face to face support groups, the biggest benefit of online communities is that they save time. We live in a fast pace society in which people need convenience, therefore we have the beautiful creation of the internet.

First and foremost, you get to shop around! Look through a few sites, see what kind of information and support members are providing, and then decide if you would like to become a part of that particular community. Once you have decided, dip your toes in at your own leisure; you are never forced to jump right in. There are no constraints or scheduled meetings to attend; there is only you, your computer, and the comfort of your own home… and you are the one who decides what blogs will be coming in and out of your door.

I want to make it clear that I do not believe that all blogs are beneficial, but I truly put my faith into www.dailystrength.org because it is a medical website and the information that is posted everyday has a greater chance of being accurate, and is coming from someone who is taking the issue seriously. In my own experience, when first becoming a member of the site, I did not plan on posting as much of my own insight as I did plan on just reading others blogs to gain perspective. However, after spending a lot of time reading I became eager to respond to others who were just like me. Being a young teen, the only people that had any advice for my condition were my doctors, who were well over fifty years old (also whom did not actually have narcolepsy, they had only studied it). When I came across people that were my age in these forums it was like I had struck gold. I began forming stronger social ties.

Blogging and posting became more intimate as the frequency of responses became greater, and more in depth as well as personal with a handful of people that I had met through the support group. Deborah Gray states in her article about online support groups that, “Geographical distance is only an abstract concept.”I believe that the reason that I turned to the internet for support was because of the rarity of my illness. Although people as far back as Harriet Tubman, and even many celebrities today have narcolepsy, it is still a fairly new field for medical exploration and is undiagnosed in 150,000 people out of every 200,000 that if affects. Point in case? There are not too many narcoleptics walking around the streets that I can have a cup of coffee with and chat about drugs and daily life. What I can do, is pour myself a bowl of cereal and sit at my desk and find a whole bunch of people to talk with.

Two years ago, through this site, I found one of my best friends. Also a narcoleptic, we found ourselves constantly blogging back and forth since we were both the same age and both about to be in college (same fears, same questions). She is now a sophomore student at SUNY Cortland and she grew up in a town about a half hour away from my own. Never in a million years did I believe that I would be the type of person to find any random friendships via the internet, yet I have been proven wrong. We started in the forum atmosphere and after awhile we exchanged screen names (a more intimate form of online communication); we have even met each other in person. This is an example of how social ties can be created online.

Another way that online support groups affect social ties is by saving pre-existing ones. “If a teacher is known to attend a meeting for people with depression, might it affect how he or she is perceived at work by staff and parents?” (Gray 2007). This brings about a very interesting point. Not only do we live in a fast pace society, but we also live in an extremely judgmental one. Parents can be very overprotective of what and who their children are exposed to. Face it, these days it is difficult to keep much of anything a secret. If a PTA parent discovers that her child’s teacher goes to support groups for depression or any other mental illness it is more likely that they will be more skeptical than understanding. The teacher can get help anonymously by using an avatar and a pseudonym.

All in all, online communities that offer medical support are revolutionary and extremely helpful in both creating and saving social ties through blogging, posting, and exchanging information and expertise in forums.

Sources:

Gray, Deborah. 2007. Support in Your Pajamas: The Benefits of Online Support Groups. Retrieved on October 7, 2008 from http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/support-groups-2580-143_3.html

me!

www.dailystrength.org

Anonymous Identities Can Sometimes Be More Helpful than Harmful.

2008-10-02T22:46:00.000-07:00

I’m not going to talk about Facebook. It is nothing new; we all have one, know how it works, and we all have an identity personified through our account. There are so many other online communities that exist, and they are often far more interesting and definitely more helpful than Facebook. The virtual world is composed of information rather than matter; it lacks physical appearance and nonverbal cues (Donath 1996). This absence of face to face interaction is what led us to our discussion on gift economies a few weeks ago. The information we seek online is so valuable and so frequently accessed, yet since we do not have any type of intimate relationship with those we are obtaining information from, we continue to just take information without giving back. However, when users do decide to reciprocate knowledge and expertise, it is often necessary to create an identity to become a part of an online community. I am currently a member at www.dailystrength.org.

Dailystrength.org is an online community that allows individuals with all types of medical issues to come together to have discussions in forums, blogs, and research. Narcolepsy effects 1 in every 2,000 Americans (Schoenstadt 2006). I, myself, happen to be one of them. It is not very common to bump into someone who has had any of the same experiences that I have, or shares a similar daily routine. Both my doctors and father tried to convince me to join online support groups for years (I was diagnosed 5 years ago). Plain and simple, I just did not feel comfortable; it was because of these issues of online identity that made me hesitant to participate.

The World Wide Web is umm well … WORLD WIDE. At the age of fifteen I was scared to jump into such a vast pool of people, regardless of who recommended it. After a rough couple of years, I was desperate for anyone who I could talk to that I felt had actually walked in my shoes, not just someone who would nod their head and claim to understand my condition. So, I began to look at this medical online community from a different perspective. Think about it, when you have a problem it sets you apart from the ‘normal’ human being. People, especially young adults, tend to view any abnormality as a weakness or a need for rehabilitation. And when people think of rehab, we think the worst, which obviously leads to denial… and we get nowhere. The way that any type of rehabilitation or support is shown in the media is basically people sitting in a circle with strangers, repeating lines such as “I feel … when …” You are fully and completely exposed, and often times this approach is far from effective. Sometimes, we are just not the type of people that need a hug or a pat on the back, we just need to know that someone else can relate, understand, or give advice. This brings us back to the absence of the physicality of interaction when we choose to participate in communities online.

When I became a member of dailystrength.org I was asked to create an identity. Since this was my first step in actually becoming a part of anything online other than AIM, it was not even a question whether or not I would use a pseudonym. My user name is Narc13 (narcoleptic and my favorite number is 13); not necessarily giving anything valuable away with this name. The avatar that represents my identity when I post anything on this website is a picture of a sunrise (sunlight always helps me to stay awake on rough days).

As far as someone being able to steal my identity, the only personal information that I was required to give when signing up was my email address. So far, I have not received any junk email, and no one has accessed my account on the website. In terms of my identity and safety within this online community, I feel very confident and comfortable. First, it is a medical website that ends in .org, which always just sounds more official/safe than any random blog. Also, I have yet to experience any trolls in my forums. I feel like people have better things to do than phish through narcolepsy support groups, and so far I’ve been right.

Dailystrength.org has helped me in so many ways, that the risk of having an identity with the website has been well worth it. It is kind of like a version of narcoleptics-anonymous. They can’t see me- I can’t see them- no judgment- strictly information and help. There are countless ways for identity deception to occur online (to catch a predator, facebook, ebay, amazon), however, I wanted to focus on an online identity that I have created that has yet to back fire and has been more helpful than harmful.

sources:
Donath, J.S. (1996). Identity and Deception in the Virtual Community. Retrieved on October 2, 2008 from http://smg.media.mit.edu/people/Judith/Identity/IdentityDeception.html

Schoenstadt, Arthur MD. (2006). People With Narcolepsy. Retrieved on October 2, 2008 from
http://sleep.emedtv.com/narcolepsy/people-with-narcolepsy.html

No Privacy AND You're Busted. Thanks Facebook.

2008-09-26T11:53:00.000-07:00

I grew up in the generation of 'Mean Girls.' And although the whole 'Mean Girls' movement that consists of rumors, bitchiness (yes that is a real word), and ‘secrets’ has existed long before I was born, the internet has created an entirely new playing field for social drama and ‘privacy’ invasion. Wikipedia defines internet privacy as “the ability to control what information one reveals about oneself over the Internet, and to control who can access that information.”

Where secrets were once whispered from ear to ear at school lunch tables, teenagers and young adults are now sharing personal information within a much larger public domain: the internet. The difference is simple: persistence, searchability, replicability, and invisible audiences (Boyd 2007). In high school cafeteria terms, say for instance you whispered to your best friend that you have a crush on a boy named John. The equivalent to this being on the internet would be like writing ‘I LIKE JOHN’ with a permanent sharpie on the cafeteria wall. (1) It is not going anywhere anytime soon (persistence). (2) It is not hard to find (searchability). (3) Your friends are taking pictures of it with their camera phones, to save and send to others (replicability). (4) It is written in a place where not only friends, but other students and faculty can also read of your little love affair (invisible audiences).

Clearly I want to focus on the social aspect of internet privacy rather than the many issues dealing with social security and credit card numbers. Being a girl, I’ve come to the conclusion that the only privacy you will ever have is with the relationship between yourself and… yourself. The only information that can ever remain entirely confidential is the information that never leaves your mouth, or in the case of the internet . . . your fingertips.

The ‘I Have a Crush on John’ explanation of the difference between the privacy with face to face disclosure and internet disclosure may seem elementary, but continue to use this example and think about it. If a rumor or secret is spread via word of mouth throughout your high school hallways, your instinct is to what? DENY IT, duh. Words are merely words, they are not tangible unless recorded (and I highly doubt your best friend would have a tape recorder out during lunch). However, when you post something on the internet it proves our recurring theme of COM125: that information is ‘alive’ on the internet. It is printable, which makes it tangible and if you find yourself in a position where you would for some reason need to contradict what you have posted (statements, pictures), you are going to find yourself in a hell of a predicament.

The need to possibly contradict or retract information that you have disclosed online brings me to my main point: audiences. “Of course, two audiences cause participants the greatest headaches: those who hold power over them and those who want to prey on them. The former primarily consists of parents, teachers, bosses, and other authorities.” (Boyd 2007) Basically, no one is invincible to the invisible audience.

A recent issue dealing with exactly that, the recent Facebook incident with University at Buffalo basketball player Andy Robinson hits a little too close to home here in our school community. In regards to Boyd’s classification of audiences, Robinson’s coach, and the University as a whole, was the audience who held power over him, and a fellow student was the audience who preyed on him. Robinson posted the following in a Facebook forum :

“I am paying anybody who have read the book ‘there are no children here’ by Alex Kotlowitz $30-40 which in some classes you have to read at UB (even more money if you have to read the book a little more!!) to write a 3-4 page paper, on a couple questions which was assigned.”

Upon spotting this post, a UB student turned in the information to The Spectrum, and Robinson was busted. Case in point, the internet can, and will, blow up anyone’s spot. So, don’t put yourself in that position!

Rodney McKissic wrote a short article concerning the issue on BuffaloNews.com. Here is the article:

No more Facebook

Don't expect any University at Buffalo basketball players with profiles on Facebook or MySpace anytime soon.

UB coach Reggie Witherspoon was clueless on how Facebook and MySpace works until last week when junior guard Andy Robinson solicted help for a reading assignement on his Facebook page. Robinson, who led the team in scoring last season, was suspended indefinitely.

Witherspoon held a meeting with his players and those who had either Facebook or MySpace pages had them removed.

"I didn't have to put in a policy, they all agreed to get rid of them," Witherspoon said. "They all thought the pages were private, but I was able to see all their profiles. Nothing's private on the Internet."

As for Robinson, Witherspoon said he's been contrite and has written a letter of apoligy to the entire UB student body.

"He understands that he's made a terrible mistake," Witherspoon said.

---Rodney McKissic

So, the reaction to the disaster was for every player to remove their social networking pages. To me, I think that was the best way to handle the situation. As mentioned in class, when talking about the exposure of celebrities and their rights to copyright (Arnold Schwarzenegger bobble head), the higher up you are socially the less privacy you tend to have. I mean, UB is not exactly that amazing of a basketball team, nor have they made the tournament in God knows how many years, but the point is that players are put on a pedestal within the school community, and the risks of using social networks like Facebook (especially the way that Robinson did) are even greater than the risks that an average student takes.

People will continue to post personal pictures and information on social networking sites, and I believe that Aquisti describes it perfectly: “People can’t make intelligent (privacy) choices. People realize there could be future costs, but they decide not to focus on those costs.” (Boyd 2007) All I can relate internet privacy to is that the internet and its social networks are like a miserably failed version of the Panopticon. Someone could always be watching, but we don’t necessarily care.

Sources:

Boyd, D. (2007). Social Networking Sites: Public, Private, or What? Retrieved 25 September, 2008, from Creative Commons Web site: http://www.danah.org/papers/KnowledgeTree.pdf

Sullivan, Bob. (2006, October). “Privacy Lost: Does Anybody Care?” Retrieved September 25, 2008 from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15221095/

Internet Privacy.” (2008, September). From Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia, Retrieved September 25, 2008 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_privacy

McKissic, Rodney. (2008, April). "No More Facebook." Retrieved September 25, 2008 from http://buffalonews.typepad.com/campus/2008/04/no-more-faceboo.html#comments

Uh, RateMyProfessor is Getting Me Through College.

2008-09-19T12:17:00.000-07:00

“She said you weren’t exchanging gifts . . . you believed her.” This is a quote off of one of our Keystone Light boxes (I know, I know, real classy). Point being, the Keystone Light motto is ‘Always smooth, even when you’re not,’ and the above quote made me laugh because every guy should know that they should never believe a girl when she says you aren’t exchanging gifts. Relationships are totally and completely centered on the expectation of reciprocation… instant reciprocation. Luckily, these are not the only types of relationships that one must participate in throughout life; thank God for gift and public goods economies online! Need information to make your life easier without the burden of having to immediately give back? The World Wide Web will be the best relationship you have ever committed to; it is the ideal boyfriend/girlfriend of the 21^st century. Turn them on or off at your convenience, get what you need and get the heck out . . . that is until the next time you need something. Okay, I realize I just made these economies seem like free prostitutes, but I just wanted to really highlight the positives.

Getting down to business, Peter Kollock highlights Rheingold’s idea that “interaction in one online community as consisting of a gift economy, in which help and information is offered without the expectation of any direct, immediate quid-pro-quid.” Think about it this way, just as we discussed how downloading music files is addicting (because it is fast and free), we actually obtain much more information from the web than we think. Can’t cook? Recipes.com. Need a definition? Search through Wikipedia or Dictionary.com. Internet users are constantly absorbing new and useful information everyday through gift economies.

After reading up on gift economies, the first example that immediately came to mind was RateMyProfessor.com. I can honestly say that I attribute almost all of my college success to this website. Because of the comments/warnings/encouragement of students who have experienced certain classes and teachers, I have been able to create an ideal schedule.

College isn’t easy. Taking a few minutes to read over a potential professor on this website saves me the time and energy of having to sign up for the class and later realize that ‘hey, I’m screwed!’ In college, your peers are prime resources for almost everything you do. In Healy293’s blog, when talking about his fraternity, he discusses that, “We have notes and past tests dating back to 2004 in which a current member can use them to study or help them in some way.” This is similar to how RateMyProfessor.com helps students, except since it is online it benefits much more people.

The convenience of online gift economies reduces coordination costs. Kollack brings up a good point in saying, “People can meet, plan, and discuss issues without regard to physical location or time.” This goes hand in hand with what I said about saving time and energy having to experience something for myself. I do not have to search around campus asking random people if they have ever had a certain teacher; the chances are also pretty slim considering UB has about 30,000 students.

Kollack concentrates much of his article on the issue of the motivation to reciprocate and not just take when using gift economies (no free information prostitutes… that’s just rude). He says that the motivation to share information with an online group is the anticipated reciprocity (Kollack 1993). In other words, when I use RateMyProfessor.com, if I add comments about my own professors, I do so in hopes of keeping the flow of information alive and up to date; therefore, when I log on next semester, I will be reciprocated when there are recent evaluations of the professors that I look up. It is all a give and take, it just is not always an instant give or an instant take. I can honestly say, as well as vouch for many of my friends (from all different universities) that because 'RateMyProfessor' has been so valuable to us, that it is motivation for us to help others in the same way.

Gift economies of information online give users a feeling of not being alone. We all need information, and we all need each other’s help and expertise; it makes life easier! Also, if there is a possibility for bonus points in this blog, I’ll be sure to give Lackaff a good write up, yet your resume is already looking pretty stacked : Professor Lackaff.

Resources:

Kollock, P. (1999, January). The Economies of Online Cooperation: Gifts and Public Goods in Cyberspace. University of California, Los Angeles, Retrieved September 17, 2008, from http://www.sscnet.ucla.edu/soc/faculty/kollock/papers/economies.htm

http://adamhirsch293.blogspot.com/2008/09/online-economies.html

http://www.ratemyprofessors.com/ShowRatings.jsp?tid=926939&page=2

(sorry I still really need to take time and figure out how to properly cite, don't worry I'll get it)

Back to COM125

Conscious Kleptomaniacs and Technological Addicts

2008-09-11T18:57:00.000-07:00

Illegally downloading music is an addiction. I know that clichés are not allowed, however, I am giving myself permission to blog metaphorically. There are many areas in the issue of copyright infringement that can be discussed, but we all know that music downloads are the most prevalent in the life of a college student. So what is the metaphor? Simple: we are all conscious kleptomaniacs and technological addicts. Any government law or corporation’s attempt to stop us from downloading is merely as unsuccessful as Lindsey Lohan or Britney Spears taking a trip to rehab. Our generation has learned since probably the third grade that smoking causes cancer, yet millions of young adults still continue to smoke. Likewise, internet users and music fans will continue to download until there are absolutely no ways to beat the system (which there always are).

The goal of this assignment is for us to be creative and find a compromise that benefits creators/ artists and the public. Yet after reading all of the required material, as well as browsing the internet, I became so frustrated with trying to write this blog because I realized that I could not (pardon my informality and language), but I could not even bullshit an idea that included any laws, restrictions or technological vocabulary because I do not think that any plan of action will ever be truly effective in stopping the sharing/downloading of music files.

Exhibit A: My Roommate Mackenzie… (I recorded exact quotes… it was a sensitive subject)

Me: “Have you ever been accused of copyright infringement?”

Mackenzie: “Yes, I am a f-ing victim of having to spend hours of my precious time watching stupid videos and taking pointless tests on the consequences of illegally downloading music onto my computer.”

Me: “Who caught you?”

Mackenzie: “F-ing UB Micro. I was targeted because I purchased my computer through UB, and because I gave them my computer to fix a minor cosmetic problem, they took advantage of the situation by searching though my personal content and ‘stumbling’ across about 1,500 of my ‘illegally’ downloaded songs.”

Me: “With the number of music downloaders not only in our country, but internationally, why do you think that you were specifically targeted?”

Mackenzie: “At first I had no idea, but after watching the videos I actually learned that record companies have asked UB, who they consider an institution, to monitor any illegal downloading done on campus through their networks.”

Me: “What scared you the most about the situation?”

Mackenzie: “Depending on my next offense, and how many songs I am caught with, I could be charged anywhere from $25-$125 per song.”

Me: “So, have you stopped downloading music?”

Mackenzie: “I tried really hard to stop for a few months, but the music is at my fingertips (not to mention that it is free)! So, yes I still download music.”

Notice her last comment, she kind of sounds like a crack fiend, don’t you think? The internet basically dangles MP3 files in your face if you have even the slightest clue as to how to use the internet. I do not mean to come across as ignorant or pessimistic. I do realize that from a creator/artist’s perspective that they financially draw the shorter straw, yet I also believe that their exposure (whether or not it is downloaded for free) opens up even more opportunities for them. After everything I read about copyright infringement I should probably be rambling off statistics about declining CD sales or backing up intellectual property, but I can’t. In the musical aspect of sharing files, I believe that easy access is not about money, it is about sharing culture and art.

“Article 1, Section 8, Clause 8 of the US Constitution provides the basis for copyright and other forms of intellectual property law in the United States (Orvalle, 2005).” I mean, clearly it is important, yet not even the laws of our founding fathers can be preserved; the internet is too powerful, and people want to want to get their hands on everything.

I’d say threaten users with fees, but as my roommate has proven, that does not seem to be too effective. I’d say make CDs cheaper, but nothing will ever be as better than what is FREE. My only suggestion, which is pretty farfetched, would be to find a way to completely shut down all file sharing networks. Excuse me while I go listen to my iPod.

COM 125 Assignment 2 : Seeing Is Believing: JPEG images

2008-09-05T08:58:00.000-07:00

In life, as is with the Internet, often the most simple, yet significant things are overlooked. Our generation has grown up in a judgmental society; we are never willing to fully take into consideration the words of another, whether it be a friend or a company, because for us, seeing is believing. This is especially true in the online world.
Where would the World Wide Web be today without photos? It would be lifeless. The Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) formed in 1986. The group issued a standard for photographic files in 1992, and it was approved in 1994 (Wikipedia, 1998).
The JPEG standard intertwines both a codec and a file format to produce images. A codec is "a device or program capable of encoding and/or decoding a digital data stream or signal. The word codec may be a combination of any of the following: 'compressor-decompressor', 'coder-decoder', or 'compression/decompression algorithm'"(Wikipedia, 2008).
JPEG compresses images into a stream of bytes and decompresses them back into an image, and then specifies the file format used to contain that stream (Wikipedia, 2008).
The most commonly used form of this process on the web is called lossy compression. As the name implies, a small portion of the data being compressed is lost, reducing some of the quality of the image. However, this loss of data is far from drastic, and it has proven to be the most popular and efficient way to transfer photos to the web.
Now that the basics of the technical and historical aspects of JPEGs have been discussed, I need you to truly think for a moment. I can say with confidence that if the web did not have photos, all of our lives would be drastically different. Photos on the web control both how we spend our time and how we present ourselves, whether we realize it or not.
Nothing has changed since we were children. Picture books have always been more fascinating than text, and likewise, images provided on the web serve the public more than any amount of words could possibly manage. The only difference: instead of flipping a page, we are now clicking a mouse. JPEG images are fast, simple, and truly define the web.
How much time would an average college student spend on Facebook if the only information they could retrieve were by means of text? That's right, no pictures means: no stalking, no casually 'browsing' for attractive others, and no visual evidence to see who was doing what last weekend. Excuse my informality in my writing, but wouldn't you say that kind of sucks the fun out of Facebook? As much as our generation would love to deny it, we are an insecure, and judgmental group of people. Photos on Facebook serve as a convenient personal resume without words. We not only present ourselves, but we compare friends to friends, and decide who are potential friends will be. As discussed in class, the web is alive. Sure, you can de-tag yourself in a picture if you feel it does not represent you well, but that picture is still consuming space on the web; it is not a physical medium that can be ripped up and thrown away. In a way, it is kind of scary, but extremely engaging and addicting at the same time.
Now, in a a business and marketing perspective, imagine Ebay or any online store for that matter, without photos. Online shopping would be almost nonexistent if it were not for the instant photo representation of products. Purchasing something online would be like walking into a store blindfolded and actually listening and believing everything that comes out of the sales person's mouth. Humans need at least some amount of visual aid to make decisions in life, especially when it comes to what they are spending their money on.
Lastly, the introduction of JPEG images to the World Wide Web has not only put images of friends and commercial products at our finger tips, but has also succeeded in bringing the world of pornography to the homes of whoever needs an instant 'sexual upper'.. if you will. Let's be honest, sex was everywhere before the World Wide Web was ever created, yet the web has provided a way for anyone to just browse or even view on a regular basis pornographic images. Quickly uploaded JPEG files have visually stimulated millions over the years. The fact that these images are so easily accessible and provide decent quality, viewers can look at images at their own leisure, and without the embarrassment of one may feel when buying a pornographic magazine from a store.
In essence, images on the web both consume and save our time, influence how we spend our money, and provide all kinds of stimulation and information without text. The JPEG standard may seem like a simple invention/technology, but it is this medium that truly brings the World Wide Web to life.

Back To Class Blog.

Kate's Personal Context

2008-08-29T10:42:00.000-07:00

One of the things that I absolutely cannot stand is small talk. However, I do not believe in immediately self disclosing my life story either, yet here are the basics of what makes me who I am.
I grew up a tomboy my entire life, so I've been treated like "one of the guys" for as long as I can remember. Because of this, it has taken me a little longer than most to evolve into my more feminine self, but I truly appreciate the way that I grew up. My dad is 100% Italian and my mom is 100% Irish, not a likely combination, yet they compliment each other perfectly. The only bad part is that I have inherited my father's temper, and my mother's cooking skills (she has none).
I live by Confucius' quote: "Wheresoever you go, go with all your heart." Living with this mind set, I have been able to deal with many things that life has thrown at me. I was diagnosed with narcolepsy at the age of fifteen. I have had five different doctors and I have changed medications more times than I can even count. It has taken about four years, but things are finally getting regulated. I also attribute my new health to the book that I am reading; it is called The Secret. It sounds crazy, but I am obsessed with this book. It is basically the philosophy of getting what you want in life and I highly highly highly suggest it! Check out the website: http://www.thesecret.tv/.
Now for the corny stuff. My favorite things! I absolutely love the band O.A.R. I have been to ten concerts and I can honestly say that they have been the best times of my life. There are about twenty of my friends from home that travel around the state to go see them. Just this summer we went to Albany, Jones Beach, and Rochester. Seeing them live is amazing. Here is my favorite song called 'So Moved On.'
I love chicken wings, basketball, and sunshine. I feel like I am filling out an application for match.com or something right now, but hey, I am new to the whole blogging thing. So there is your simplified description of me! Back to Class Post.