Dear Internet I Want... (Part 3)

As children during the “Most Wonderful Time of the Year”, letter would go out to Santa. Asking for things they would want for Christmas. As for me I did not believe in Santa, our house did not even celebrate Christmas to that extend. Also to be honest I do not believe I would know what I want as a child, or even now. However, I do not have to for I have something better than Santa and it is called the Internet.

Unknowingly right now the Internet doing a task many of us are not aware of. Whether, it is searching vacation spots, or recipes. The Internet is catering to us. The Internet is picking and choosing what it considers fitting for us. Things from friends on your news feeds, to Googling simple task, all have the Internet in the back providing this. Even though you may not want this. Having the Internet do such task stop you from viewing certain things unknowingly. It like placing you in a special bubble stated in this video Click Here. Which indirectly lock you off from the other part of the world that is not similar to you. Blocking us from other views and ideas narrow our knowledge of things; does not help us advance as humans. In other articles Click Here and Click Here this also connected with friends. Having close friend can let the conservation last for hours because they know what you want and how you want information to be delivered. As for having casual acquaintances you get to receive new information, yet you may not talk to your acquaintances as much as your close friends. Personally it is a good and a bad thing when the internet is playing Santa, of course you want thing that interest you to pop up however you should want things that disagree with your thoughts. So in the end you should have a choice whether or not you want to click on the link or keep scrolling.  

http://www.ted.com/talks/eli_pariser_beware_online_filter_bubbles.html

http://www.nybooks.com/articles/archives/2011/jun/23/mind-control-and-internet/

http://www.wired.com/magazine/2011/04/st_thompson_homophily

Can’t Beat Them…Follow Them on Twitter (Part 2)

            I remember one day my Pastor of my Church came up to me and asked me to make, a Facebook, a Blog, an email address, an Instagram, a YouTube, and even a Twitter for the church. And I replied, “Sure…I don’t even have a Twitter.” He as well as President Barack Obama knew what they were doing when they made a Twitter. If you read this article Click Here you will be able to see how our President made sure to touch those in the physical world as well as the Internet world through his campaign, with things like Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. 

            Obama knew his audience and how to reach them, he touched the youth through the web and other through he personal speeches. Whether or no he was able to fulfill all the wishes to those who voted for him. He still took time to understand what work and doesn’t work when getting the attention of the people in American.   

http://cs12.cs.qc.cuny.edu/~waxman/8fn_002.pdf

Leaving The House is Like The Internet (Part 1)

There are certain things human need, such as food, shelter and clothing. In our society we also require money to maintain the things we need. So in order to get money, we must work. Whether it is working at home or a place of business. It is inevitable that we will leave our house for a task or two. Some may think outside is like the Internet. Now a day’s people must be tech savvy to function in this society. To sum it up it is inevitable that you will use the Internet for a task or two. The same pleasures and threats that are on the Internet are outside. You make the decision if you want to go online or go outside. In this video Click Here and Click Here a women was being target cyber harassed for four years and fought for it to stop. She stated, “That the legislation online was different. If this was happening to me in the world I could go to the police, but there is no police online.” The Internet is huge like the world, however you can create fake profits, and a whole another person, making it very hard for physical you to be found. It is easy to hide online.

Still some people reason to go online is not to hide but be noticed. In this video by PBS Click Here the adolescence used the Internet as a mean of expression. They looked for people like them, created new identities, had relationships online, confronted people, bullied other, got bullied. The adolescence in this video spent most of their time online, while their parents had no idea what was taken place. Online gave some adolescence a way to be mean to another without having to do it to their face. Towards the end of the video a seven-year-old boy killed himself in result of being bullied not only at school by online. He found comfort in a friend he met online that seem to be going through the same thing. And they helped each other plan their own suicide. In the end the little boy killed himself and his friend online did not. Overall the Internet can be this scary place, with cyber bullies that develops stalkers and assist in other harming them. But at the same time it can be something amazing.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/kidsonline/ 

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6797340n

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yha7oa21YM&feature=relmfu

A Whole New World, with Fake Profiles and Stalkers?

Quick background. As a child growing up I was in love with Aladdin, I wanted to be Princess Jasmine. When she left the palace she became someone new, and experienced new exciting things; even though that was just for a few short scene in the movie. I still wanted to be like her, I am still in love with that movie. 

However, I do not need a magic carpet to expense a whole new world. I just need this amazing piece of technology called, the Internet. The Internet can take me anywhere in the world in a matter of seconds; the world is at my fingertips. Nevertheless, with such a great piece of technology there are some downfalls. Out there in the web there are stalkers, fake profiles, bully, people like you, people the polar opposite of you, diy projects; which rage from how to paint a mason jar to how to harm yourself. All of these things are out there waiting for you. So is the Internet all that bad? Is it an a whole new world, with fake profiles and stalkers? Yes and no. In the following entries there are videos and articles about what and how the Internet treat people, like you and me.