When looking at technology and it's advancements, it is not plausible for it's inventors to foresee exactly what kind of, side effects or advantages and disadvantages that may come out of it. For example, who would have ever predicted that the internet would be used for all the positive things it is today, and who could have ever predicted that it would be used for things such as pornography.
Therefore, there is no telling what certain technologies can be used for, and it is hard for inventor's to determine this. Thus, they cannot be blamed.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Privacy
The notion of privacy and social media is one which is prevalent within society today. What is privacy? I view it to be one's personal space, their personal information which they have control over in terms of who can access this information.
With the introduction of things such as social media, privacy and it's boundaries are beginning to change and alter. There is a very visible and distinct cultural shift in relation to privacy with the introduction of new technology and social media. Boundaries which define privacy are continually changing. Privacy is all about social conventions, however with the introduction of social media, often these conventions are being ignored.
To use a recent example which I have experienced, my own privacy was, in a sense, violated in a public forum. I am a regular poster on a basketball message board, and enjoy engaging with other's in relation to the competition I currently compete in. However, some members of the forum found out personal information about me and began to post it online, and it was seen by many people I know. Things I had told others in confidence had been shared in a public forum, and my trust had been broken. For lack of a better way to put it, information I had shared had come back to bite me!
This is just one very real instance of privacy being violated via online conventions, and shows that the notion of privacy is very different from years ago since the introduction of the internet and social media. The message is to be very careful when sharing information, in general life or online, to preserve self esteem and to not have your reputation damaged.
With the introduction of things such as social media, privacy and it's boundaries are beginning to change and alter. There is a very visible and distinct cultural shift in relation to privacy with the introduction of new technology and social media. Boundaries which define privacy are continually changing. Privacy is all about social conventions, however with the introduction of social media, often these conventions are being ignored.
To use a recent example which I have experienced, my own privacy was, in a sense, violated in a public forum. I am a regular poster on a basketball message board, and enjoy engaging with other's in relation to the competition I currently compete in. However, some members of the forum found out personal information about me and began to post it online, and it was seen by many people I know. Things I had told others in confidence had been shared in a public forum, and my trust had been broken. For lack of a better way to put it, information I had shared had come back to bite me!
This is just one very real instance of privacy being violated via online conventions, and shows that the notion of privacy is very different from years ago since the introduction of the internet and social media. The message is to be very careful when sharing information, in general life or online, to preserve self esteem and to not have your reputation damaged.
Sunday, August 15, 2010
Gifting
"...Some people distribute several thousand movies and I don’t understand what their driving
force is."
— Henrik Pontén, lawyer
This quote to begin one of the readings this week got me thinking!
As someone who posts songs and movies online so others are able to download them, I wondered why I went to the effort and what I was getting out of doing it. For me personally, I like to share files over P2P programs such as LimeWire so other people can enjoy the music and videos that I enjoy.
I get satisfaction out of knowing that other people are able to experience the same things that I enjoy, and don't do it for any other reason or for my own gains. It feels good to be able to give something without expecting anything in return. So i found the Gifting article by McGee and Skågeby interesting to see the different reasons as to why people "give" over the internet.
force is."
— Henrik Pontén, lawyer
This quote to begin one of the readings this week got me thinking!
As someone who posts songs and movies online so others are able to download them, I wondered why I went to the effort and what I was getting out of doing it. For me personally, I like to share files over P2P programs such as LimeWire so other people can enjoy the music and videos that I enjoy.
I get satisfaction out of knowing that other people are able to experience the same things that I enjoy, and don't do it for any other reason or for my own gains. It feels good to be able to give something without expecting anything in return. So i found the Gifting article by McGee and Skågeby interesting to see the different reasons as to why people "give" over the internet.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Social Media and Lebron James
The use of social media has never been more apparent than in today's society. Almost everyone I know has a facebook site, a twitter account or blog. The notion of social media is one that is talked about reguarly and the phrase "social media" is one which is thrown around regularly, and I like to define it as social instrument of communication which is a two way street where people can produce and consume as much as they like.
What amazes me these days is the prominence of social media. I, like many others I know, reguarly are checking, updating and communicating via Facebook. It is such a significant apart of many lives, and I find myself often checking Facebook to gain insight on news and affairs within society. A recent example was when I was extremely interested in where National Basketball Association basketballer Lebron James was going to sign for the upcoming season. He was a free agent, and was holding a press conference to announce his decision. I was unable to view the press conference due to the fact that I was at work, and thus, instead of listening to the radio, or checking the NBA.com website or ESPN.com website, I chose to check Facebook to see where he decided to sign as I knew people would be making status updates about it.
Naturally, people had been talking about it on their Facebook pages and I was able to be informed that he had signed in Miami. To think of social media as an outlet for news and information a few years ago would have been unheard of, however now you are able to gather news and information through peer to peer networking.
The joys of Facebook!
What amazes me these days is the prominence of social media. I, like many others I know, reguarly are checking, updating and communicating via Facebook. It is such a significant apart of many lives, and I find myself often checking Facebook to gain insight on news and affairs within society. A recent example was when I was extremely interested in where National Basketball Association basketballer Lebron James was going to sign for the upcoming season. He was a free agent, and was holding a press conference to announce his decision. I was unable to view the press conference due to the fact that I was at work, and thus, instead of listening to the radio, or checking the NBA.com website or ESPN.com website, I chose to check Facebook to see where he decided to sign as I knew people would be making status updates about it.
Naturally, people had been talking about it on their Facebook pages and I was able to be informed that he had signed in Miami. To think of social media as an outlet for news and information a few years ago would have been unheard of, however now you are able to gather news and information through peer to peer networking.
The joys of Facebook!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)