Can We Keep Up?

Although I posted this article on the Facebook page, I felt that it was a worthy topic in need of further discussion.  Is this rapid consumption of media too much for us to handle?  Our society has suddenly become engrossed in technological advances and Internet facilitations, but have we considered what could result from this abrupt “overdose”?  As this article points out, newspapers, websites, bloggers, and other forms of widespread communication have all escalated in terms of the speed of their news coverage.  These individuals have become so caught up in the hype of media and it’s rapid distribution that they have succumbed to competition.  They have now become preoccupied with being the first ones to release any kind of information.  News is known or predicted by many before the rest of the public has even become aware of the slightest details of a particular issue.  The rate at which news, scandals, current events, and everything else that people feel needs to be reported has increased exponentially.  But is this healthy for our society?  Although it is amazing how quickly and efficiently we can distribute information as a result of technology and the Internet, it is difficult to pinpoint areas that could be considered a disadvantage in what seems like a flawless system. 

It may not occur to us how impacting this extreme and rapid issue is becoming.  Nowadays, news is no longer as reliable as it is made out to be.  There is such a high demand to keep on top of stories and to be the one to release the latest and the greatest gossip or reports.  At the peak of such demands, we are tempted to do anything to stay “on top”, which is where I feel can emerge the dangerous aspect.  Reporters and media editors will become so engaged in their job to “report” news that we soon don’t know if what is actual and what is not.  This fear and uncertainty of not being able to distinguish between factual and counterfeit puts our society as a whole on a wavering edge.  How are we expected to be able to function and keep up with everything going on around the world if we are not even sure of it ourselves?  Although this may be taking things to extreme cases, I feel that this topic is something that needs to be addressed and that people need to be wary of.  When we discussed outsourcing and globalization, I became more conscious of how a lot of the things that we do affect others as well.  We need to have a stable foundation and be able to count on reliable sources if we are to continue to function as a society without the worry of running ourselves out of this world and culture we have worked so hard to create.

Article link: http://www.npr.org/2011/02/20/133748222/media-black-hole-so-much-news-that-well-implode

The Rise Of Microblogs

I am not particularly familiar with the specifics of microblogging since it is not a prevalent part of my life.  I do have a facebook account, but I don’t take interest in things such as blogging or twitter.  So when the news story regarding a father in China using social media to find his missing son was brought up in class, I was slightly taken aback.  How could the facilitation of social media be so effective as to lead to the discovery of a missing boy?  I hadn’t realized the popularity of such things as microblogging as a means of communication in such serious matters.  The Chinese version of Twitter, allowed this six-year-old boy to return home to his father after being abducted for three years.  It is satisfying to read such a heart-warming story, but at the same time it was an eye opener for me.  Following the actual story, the article concludes with a segment entitled ‘The Era Of Microblogs’.  Here the author discusses the immensity and continuing development of microblogs in China.  China has one of the largest populations of Internet users and it appears to be continuously growing.  I found the quote “microblogs are our own individual media” intriguing.  I was forced to think about all of the dynamics of social media and its influence in society.  Rather than news reports and things of the like being strictly limited to the government or officials, individuals are provided some power and control through social media.

In response to this article, I feel as though this was a wake-up call to the continuing developments in our society.  Although this idea of microblogging may seem to be beneficial, I think we are too rapidly depending upon social media in our lives.  For such serious and significant matters, we are relying so heavily on something we cannot entirely call “reliable”.  I think that the Internet and its many uses are not all that we think that they are.  Technology and Internet has become such a prevalent part of our lives, but are we fully aware of their causes?  We spend so much time thinking about the good things offered by technology and are constantly trying to come up with new advances, but have we looked at the consequences?  Being so largely dependant upon the Internet, we fail to recognize the beauty of real life.  With so much reliance on the Internet, we run the risk of putting ourselves in potential danger.  Aside from privacy issues, the liberated access to so much information posted on the Internet, puts our society in a state of vulnerability.  If anything on the Internet gets leaked out, there is no regulating where it could travel.  If there were ever a glitch with the Internet system, it would seem as though our society would be in an unsettled state, unsure of what they would do as an alternative.  It is difficult to make known such negativities, but it seems essential as a result of the developments of our society.    

Returning back to the idea of microblogging and its growing usage in China, it is necessary that we consider all aspects of technology and the Internet.  The government and high-level officials are becoming more and more involved with the Internet and microblogs and soon we may lose the culture that was once so popular.  Eventhough it is inevitable that our society make changes and continue to grow and advance, it hard to see such drastic changes occur so quickly.  It is true that “the ear of the microblogs is here”, but it is hard for me to fully embrace it. 

Link to the article: http://www.npr.org/2011/02/10/133644822/Chinas-Social-Media-Help-To-Rescue-Abducted-Boy

Media Diet

Sunday Jan 31:

-       CWTV One Tree Hill (1hr)

-       Facebook (30min)

-       YouTube (1hr)

-       Gmail (20min)

-       Phone Call (1hr)

Monday Feb 1:

-       Youtube (20min)

-       Gmail (20min)

-       Text (20min)

Tuesday Feb 2:

-       Gmail (20min)

-       Facebook (25min)

-       Youtube (30min)

-       Text (15min)

Wednesday Feb 3:

-       Gmail (15min)

-       Youtube (25min)

-       Text (20min)

Thursday Feb 4:

-       Gmail (25min)

-       Facebook (25min)

-       Youtube (35min)

-       Text (20min)

-       Phone Call (45min)

Friday Feb 5:

-       Hulu Glee (1hr)

-       StarAdvertiser.com (30min)

-       Youtube (40min)

-       Gmail (35min)

-       Text (20min)

Saturday Feb 6:

-       Gmail (25min)

-       Facebook (25min)

-       Youtube (40min)

-       Text (10min)

-       Phone Call (50min)

For this assignment, I recorded my media diet over a seven-day period from Sunday to Saturday.  I wanted to get a good idea of how my media consumption would play out during the course of the week, comparing my weekend usage to my weekday usage.  I noticed, and expected, that my weekend consumption is a lot greater than my weekday consumption.  During the weekends I try to catch up on certain shows I enjoy watching regularly.  If I have too much homework during the week while my show is on, I wait until the end of the week or the weekend and watch it in order to stay current with the episodes.  I do not watch very many TV shows religiously because I know it will be too difficult for me to keep up with all of them, so I choose just one or two that I particularly enjoy and do my best to keep up with them.  I also noticed that I spend more time on Facebook and Youtube during the weekends.  Although the time indications don’t necessarily mean that I spend time on that particular website for an entire sitting, the total time spent watching videos or checking Facebook is more on the weekends than on the weekdays.  During the weekdays I try to stay focused on my homework and my studies.  Since I have more activities during the week such as community council, orchestra, chemistry lab, and various other commitments, I don't have the extra time to freely surf the Internet or watch all of the programs I would like to.  Sometimes, if I need a study break or stress reliever I will watch a quick Youtube video, but I try to finish all of my school related assignments before engrossing myself in the ever so enticing media world. 

Based upon the record of my seven-day media diet however, I do not feel that I over engage myself with media activity.  Although I do spend a fair share of my time on the computer, much of my time is spent doing academic related things.  Many of my teachers I feel, make use of the conveniences of online communication – most of my assignments are found online, some quizzes are taken online, many discussion forums for written work is conducted online, etc.  Through observing and talking to others, I think that my media consumption is rather minimal compared to that of my peers.  Many of my guy friends talk about various online games and playing against each other sometimes until 2 or 3 in the morning.  There are also those certain individuals who constantly show up on my news feed on Facebook, indicative of their extended time on the computer.  Although I do not know for sure, it seems as though in comparison to other people around my age, my media diet is relatively “healthy”.  I think that this shows that I am not very dependent upon media and its forms of entertainment (not to say that I don’t enjoy watching shows or looking at websites from time to time).  Many people seem to be too reliant on the many functions of media, not realizing how much they really are consuming.  I think our society as a whole has become a little too contingent on technology, and its continuing development is giving us even more reasons to continue depending upon its functions.  I personally enjoy the idea of reading the newspaper or a magazine in the morning while sitting at a cafe with a friend catching up on each other’s lives.  These days this kind of situation comes with a virtual package.  People get up and read the New York Times (or any other news website) online and then sign on to ichat or Facebook to catch up with their friends.  As I stated previously in my other blog entry regarding Technology and Social Interaction, we are slowly losing touch with the deeper meanings behind face-to-face interactions and this is because of the progressing usage of media in our society today. 

I don’t think that I need to change anything in terms of my media diet because I feel that I have a good sense of my priorities.  I am very conscious of the amounts of media I consume on a day-to-day basis and try to make sure that my media intake is not overdone.  Although being in college has allowed my media consumption to grow – through which I keep in touch with my friends – I do not think that I have become too absorbed in the “hype” of social media and technology that has arisen within the past decade.  I hope to stay current with the newest and developing means of technology and media, but I do not want to succumb to a particular “over-indulgence”, even with what it has to offer. 

Technology and Social Interaction

Technology has rapidly developed within the past decade and it is continuing to grow at a quick pace.  Recently, it has been hard to walk around school or any other public area without seeing someone watching their favorite sports team online, reading the New York Times on their kindle, updating their status on facebook, tweeting to followers about what a good day they are having, listening to their “top-rated” music on their ipod, or checking their smart-phone – looking up their appointments, checking emails, responding to text messages, playing games, etc.  Our society has become dependent and, to some extent, obsessed with technology.  Although it is something that has a lot to offer, I feel that it is affecting our face-to-face interactions for the worse.  Personally, I don't think that technology has impacted my own face-to-face interactions with others very much because it is something that I am wary of.  I’d much rather spend time with my family and friends doing things with them in person.  I am very conscious of maintaining personal and interactive relationships with others, which is why I make it a point to not let technology get in the way of my “real life” interactions.  However, generally speaking, I feel as though technology has progressed into something appealing for its efficiency, convenience, and constant new developments and this has hindered the face-to-face interactions among the people in our society as a whole.  People are becoming too attached to online communicating rather than conversations in person.  I think that we are embracing technology too rapidly and too eagerly and because of this we are having difficulty realizing the impact it is having on our social lives.  Interacting with others face-to-face is important because it is more personal and helps to develop social and communication skills in order to learn how to relate to all kinds of people.  Not only is it more enjoyable to interact with other people, it is also very useful in terms of getting along with others in the working world (i.e. the business environment). 

I am not very involved with the whole idea of using the Internet to meet other people from dating sites, chat rooms, gaming, etc.  I am aware that people partake in those kinds of things, but I am not entirely familiar with the specifics.  I personally don't think very highly of this kind of thing because it is not a very effective way of getting to know another person.  As it has been said over and over again, you never know who you are talking to on the Internet, making it a risky way of communicating.  I don't believe that you can develop meaningful relationships through the Internet.  What really matters is how you interact with others in person and really getting to know someone involves physically seeing how they behave and taking in the little things they do.  A lot can be determined by observing someone’s behavior as apposed to only “talking” to them through different online sites because you never know if what they are saying actually means something to them.  I do think that it is possible to have productive and significant discussions or debates online (re: political or social issues) because it can be a lot easier to articulate your thoughts when you are writing them down rather than having to think of things to say on the spot when you are verbally communicating.  However, in terms of forming meaningful and substantial relationships via the Internet, I feel that it is just not something that works.  There may be the rare and occasional successful relationship formed online, but realistically speaking, stable and significant relationships of any form are shaped through personal interactions with one another.  

Social Networking and Privacy

Personally, I am not a heavy user of social networking sites.  I do have a Facebook account that I check regularly, but it is not something that I preoccupy myself with.  I do not take much of an interest in updating my status, identifying my current location, commenting on things that pop up on my newsfeed, etc.  Aside from being a divergence from productiveness, I do not feel the need to inform all of my “friends” how I am feeling, what I am doing, or who I am with at all times during the day.  I have nothing against those who enjoy utilizing the various features of Facebook and I am not saying I never take part in this crazed culture, but it is not something that I am obsessed with.  Thus, I do not have a twitter or tumblr account nor have I linked FourSquare to my phone (I didn't know what this was until I looked it up!).  I don’t find it particularly enjoyable to blog about my life, my interests, my feelings, and things that are along that same personal level, for everyone to see.  Although I am not against the idea of blogging, it is just something that I am not very comfortable with.  As for texting, tweeting, or checking status updates, I am not a very big user of these either.  I do text when it is necessary and I enjoy communicating with my friends in that way, but it isn’t something that I over use.  I am constantly seeing other people however, looking at their cell phones – texting, tweeting, internet surfing, checking email updates, etc.  Sometimes I feel that people have become too engaged in this means of communicating and have lost sight of their priorities.  The constant development of technology and social media has drawn in so many of its users and as a result, people begin to take a carefree approach to it all.  There are so many risks and privacy issues that could potentially arise from the growing popularity of social networking, but people seem to have failed to take note of them.  One of the big factors that have influenced me to not partake in the consumption of social networking so actively is privacy.  I am very conscious and aware of the lingering dangers that could come about with sharing so much personal information on the internet, which is why my postings and engagement online is very minimal and subtle.  I have never “over-shared” anything on the internet in the form of a post or status because of how cautious I am about revealing too much to the public.  Because of my preoccupation with this privacy issue, I feel that this is why I am not a huge promoter of social networking.  Although I find it entertaining and fun and a good way to keep in contact with my friends, the idea of social networking as a whole seems to have a negative effect on me.  It appears to me that technology and the continuing advancement of it has taken over our personal lives and we have given the internet and other means of technology our complete trust without even realizing it. Since it has become so much a part of our daily lives, we don’t think twice before posting things for everyone to see and read.  Social networking has developed into a “norm” and now people cannot help but think “there can’t be any harm in this”.  We consider these online sites to be “social” and “beneficial”, when we are really unaware of the prospectively unsafe issues at stake.