After our class discussion last night regarding Obama’s speech writer, I was reminded of many similar situations. Facebook is supposed to be a social networking site used to connect with and meet new friends. However, with its overwhelming popularity the once very innocent profile is now turned into something very dangerous. In this case he could have just lost the job of a lifetime in a fraction of a second. In the case of a young girl who caused a car accident on the Bay Bridge this summer, she might be charged with vehicular manslaughter due to pictures posted on her MySpace page. College students applying for jobs are now more aware then ever of the importance of censoring information placed on social networking sites.
It is similar to the idea of paparazzi in the world of celebrities. People post pictures of you whether you give them permission to or not, and in some cases they can be extremely incriminating. What might have been a simple night of innocent fun with friends can now cost you a job or your reputation. With the obvious problems that arise from material posted on such networking sites as MySpace and Facebook, it is hard to imagine why people continue to post personal information about them.
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Sunday, December 7, 2008
I am Officially Creeped Out!!!
So being that Christmas is rapidly approaching I am attempting to finish up all of my Holiday shopping early for once!!! My boyfriend's birthday is in December as well which can be frustrating in trying to buy presents. Anyways the other day I decided to order him tickets to a Washington Capitals hockey game for his birthday. I usually do not like to order stuff online because I worry about someone stealing my credit card or obtaining other pertinent information. But, this time I made an exception and what do you know the next day when I logged into my Facebook I had advertisements about purchasing Washington Capitals tickets on the page. I am aware that they somehow are aware of your interests and activities to better advertise to you; but I can tell you that I cannot recall any such advertisements before my purchase? Is it a coincidence, or does Facebook have a way of knowing what sites you visit and what purchases you make on the internet? Either way this was just another or many moments that I was officially creeped out by Facebook.
Facebook Helps Make Something Out of Nothing
It appears that most of my recent blog entries have not highlighted the potential that social networking sites have. So I was reminded of a Facebook group that I joined about a year ago called The Grease Jar. A guy that I went to high school with actually created this site about the jar that he and his roommates had used to contain any grease they had left over after cooking. They would have their friends come over and pose for pictures with the grease jar and post them on the site. Anyways he eventually created this Facebook group and after he was able to sell the jar on e-bay for about $700 dollars. Since then they have created t-shirts to sell, and even were working on a calendar which would include photos of girls posing with the jar.
The Washington Post covered this story back in April of 2007 in an article titled, " From a 'Ridiculous Idea' Comes Greasy Kitsch Stuff." NPR also did a story about the guys and their grease jar. My point in bringing up this story is that with the technologies that we have at our fingertips today, a group of broke college students were able to sell their grease jar and become successful business philanthropists. If Facebook and E-bay were not around the grease jar would have ended up in a trash dump instead of a "piece of modern art" as the ad on E-bay described it.
The Washington Post covered this story back in April of 2007 in an article titled, " From a 'Ridiculous Idea' Comes Greasy Kitsch Stuff." NPR also did a story about the guys and their grease jar. My point in bringing up this story is that with the technologies that we have at our fingertips today, a group of broke college students were able to sell their grease jar and become successful business philanthropists. If Facebook and E-bay were not around the grease jar would have ended up in a trash dump instead of a "piece of modern art" as the ad on E-bay described it.
Ready or Not
I wanted to research a little about the "Millennial" generation. Considering that I am a member of this generation I was truly angered by the article I read titled "The "Millennials" Are Coming," by Morley Safer. Safer discusses the Millennial generation and what she believes are the characteristics and work habits of my generation.
She emphasizes the idea that people in the Millennial generation need to be nurtured and refuse to accept anything other than "yes." Her statements about this generation are extremely condescending, especially her reference to us as "epidemic." I completely disagree with her argument as well as her faulty generalizations. While some members of the generation would most definitely fall into this category it is entirely incorrect to make such a broad statement. Not to mention the fact that I believe the "Millennial" generation is extremely conscious and caring about other people, and she constantly implies that they are self centered.
I may personally be biased considering that I am a member of this generation, but it seems as though Safer is angry and concerned about her place in the workforce. Maybe she feels as though the way she was raised was better than the way parents raise their children these days. Whatever her problem is I find no correlation between her statements about the Millennial generation and the members of this generation that I see on a daily basis.
She emphasizes the idea that people in the Millennial generation need to be nurtured and refuse to accept anything other than "yes." Her statements about this generation are extremely condescending, especially her reference to us as "epidemic." I completely disagree with her argument as well as her faulty generalizations. While some members of the generation would most definitely fall into this category it is entirely incorrect to make such a broad statement. Not to mention the fact that I believe the "Millennial" generation is extremely conscious and caring about other people, and she constantly implies that they are self centered.
I may personally be biased considering that I am a member of this generation, but it seems as though Safer is angry and concerned about her place in the workforce. Maybe she feels as though the way she was raised was better than the way parents raise their children these days. Whatever her problem is I find no correlation between her statements about the Millennial generation and the members of this generation that I see on a daily basis.
Suggestions!!
The only suggestion I would make is to include a book that might supplement iSpy. As I mentioned in my other blog I thoroughly enjoyed the ideas and issues presented in that book. My only thought was that the must be a book out there that takes the opposing standpoint to this book, and it could provide for interesting discussions in class. People would be able to determine their feelings on the surveillance that today's Internet usage creates.
Also most of the books this semester seem to relate back to one another. For instance some of the issues in The Wisdom of Crowds and Millennial Makeover can be found in iSpy. Therefore a book that presents the arguments on the other side of these books would better inform and educate students in the class on another possible perspective to the issues at hand. I do not have a specific book in mind but that is just a suggestion.
I also think an interesting assignment would be to make the group behavior project begin the first week of class. The students could create a Facebook group that would study the behavior of crowds, and possibly the amount of surveillance users of Facebook are willing to include in their lives.
Also most of the books this semester seem to relate back to one another. For instance some of the issues in The Wisdom of Crowds and Millennial Makeover can be found in iSpy. Therefore a book that presents the arguments on the other side of these books would better inform and educate students in the class on another possible perspective to the issues at hand. I do not have a specific book in mind but that is just a suggestion.
I also think an interesting assignment would be to make the group behavior project begin the first week of class. The students could create a Facebook group that would study the behavior of crowds, and possibly the amount of surveillance users of Facebook are willing to include in their lives.
Daily Surveillance in My Life
Surveillance is an ever present part of almost all of our daily lives. Personally I live in a condo building that has security cameras on all entrances and in all corners of the garage and building. When I used to work in retail I would use surveillance to help prevent and catch those people who were stealing from my store. While all of these forms of surveillance are a part of our lives, and often even unacknowledged, today the most popular form of surveillance for my generation is the Internet.
I am an avid user of the Internet and multiple social networking sites. Until recently I was not completely aware of my participation in surveillance as an observer. I was always more focused on protecting myself from those who might try to obtain my information. But, once I began using Facebook on a more regular basis I noticed myself checking pages of those people I was friends with to see what they had been up to. At first glance this seems completely innocent, until it becomes a habit or a part of our everyday routine. I personally do not feel compelled to check my Facebook or MySpace on a regular basis. However, when I was keeping track of my surveillance habits for two days I became aware just how often I visited the site while I was bored. I found I spent more time on the site then I had originally thought. Outside of the social networking sites I am a part of I also found myself constantly checking the blog PerezHilton.com. In a way this is a form of surveillance because I am checking for updates about the lives of other people.
After spending the 2 days tracking my participation in surveillance, I was extremely aware of how much this is a part of people's everyday lives. I have decided that if I do not want someone to be able to find personal information out about me, I should be conscious not to be on the other end of surveillance as an observer rather than a subject.
I am an avid user of the Internet and multiple social networking sites. Until recently I was not completely aware of my participation in surveillance as an observer. I was always more focused on protecting myself from those who might try to obtain my information. But, once I began using Facebook on a more regular basis I noticed myself checking pages of those people I was friends with to see what they had been up to. At first glance this seems completely innocent, until it becomes a habit or a part of our everyday routine. I personally do not feel compelled to check my Facebook or MySpace on a regular basis. However, when I was keeping track of my surveillance habits for two days I became aware just how often I visited the site while I was bored. I found I spent more time on the site then I had originally thought. Outside of the social networking sites I am a part of I also found myself constantly checking the blog PerezHilton.com. In a way this is a form of surveillance because I am checking for updates about the lives of other people.
After spending the 2 days tracking my participation in surveillance, I was extremely aware of how much this is a part of people's everyday lives. I have decided that if I do not want someone to be able to find personal information out about me, I should be conscious not to be on the other end of surveillance as an observer rather than a subject.
Say Goodbye to The Cult of the Amateur!!!
This semester I enjoyed a portion of each of the books that we were required to read for our Facebook Culture class. Although the one that I personally found the most interesting was iSpy. The reason that I liked this book was because of the broad range of new ideas it presented. For someone who already had their own beliefs about surveillance and the internet before reading this book, it opened my eyes to a lot of arguments I had not considered. Even if someone does not agree with what the author is trying to say in iSpy, I believe that they can still come away from the book more informed on the issues being presented then they were before reading it. However, for those who already agree with author I feel they miss out on the opposing arguments to the issues presented in iSpy.
The book that I felt was the least interesting of the semester was The Cult of the Amateur. I did not enjoy this book because of the extreme viewpoints the author presented. He failed to make a strong argument to back up his beliefs, and I found it was better for a laugh than anything else. I had a tough time remaining interested and the book took longer to read then it should have. If you leave any book off this list semester this one would be my recommendation.
The book that I felt was the least interesting of the semester was The Cult of the Amateur. I did not enjoy this book because of the extreme viewpoints the author presented. He failed to make a strong argument to back up his beliefs, and I found it was better for a laugh than anything else. I had a tough time remaining interested and the book took longer to read then it should have. If you leave any book off this list semester this one would be my recommendation.
Myspace Artists Beware
I recently became aware of the fact that when Fox bought MySpace they inherited the rights to ANYTHING you post on their site. I looked up and article on Digg.com from 2006, called MySpace/Fox Artists Beware in order to learn more about this issue. This is most troubling for those up and coming artists who chose to post their music on the site to hopefully be discovered and signed by a record company. MySpace can take any content you post, including pictures and music, and edit it or sell it without your permission.
This is extremely risky considering they do not have to credit you for your work if they chose to use it. This is similar to the concept of a mentioned in iSpy of loss of Digital Enclosure. We opening agree to use MySpace as a social networking website, however we are also agreeing to surveillance by not only other users of the site, but by the site's owners. The interest that Fox had in MySpace was the ability to use participants of the site as a desirable commodity for data mining, and advertising.
One important thing to mention is that once you remove your content from the site, MySpace/Fox not longer hold the rights to that content. So while they own the rights to your information they do not have the ability to hold that content once you delete it. Do we still to see social networks as a way to get your name out there and connect with friends, or are we inclined to believe that we should carefully edit ourselves on such sites because of the increase in privacy loss?
This is extremely risky considering they do not have to credit you for your work if they chose to use it. This is similar to the concept of a mentioned in iSpy of loss of Digital Enclosure. We opening agree to use MySpace as a social networking website, however we are also agreeing to surveillance by not only other users of the site, but by the site's owners. The interest that Fox had in MySpace was the ability to use participants of the site as a desirable commodity for data mining, and advertising.
One important thing to mention is that once you remove your content from the site, MySpace/Fox not longer hold the rights to that content. So while they own the rights to your information they do not have the ability to hold that content once you delete it. Do we still to see social networks as a way to get your name out there and connect with friends, or are we inclined to believe that we should carefully edit ourselves on such sites because of the increase in privacy loss?
Football and Facebook
While I just recently started to become more active on Facebook, I was only mildly aware of the ability to play Fantasy Football through the network. Like I said in a previous post, I originally joined Facebook as a resource to connect to students on my college campus. I have been a member since the first year it was available. This was long before applications and the newsfeed. Honestly it is hard to remember what it used to be like. Once the site became available to anyone with an e-mail address I lost a lot of interest and respect for the site. I am now becoming more interested in Facebook because of its added features.
Most of the applications on Facebook are extremely pointless and simply there for entertainment. However, being that I enjoy football as much as Christmas and my Birthday this application intrigue me. I have never participated in a Fantasy Football league because guys usually do not hold faith in a girl’s ability to comprehend the game. Although I am inclined to believe they are really just scared that the girls will beat them, that is beside the point. I now feel as though I can join a fantasy football league or create one of my own with anybody on Facebook that I chose. This is an application that I definitely plan on taking advantage of next season!!!
Most of the applications on Facebook are extremely pointless and simply there for entertainment. However, being that I enjoy football as much as Christmas and my Birthday this application intrigue me. I have never participated in a Fantasy Football league because guys usually do not hold faith in a girl’s ability to comprehend the game. Although I am inclined to believe they are really just scared that the girls will beat them, that is beside the point. I now feel as though I can join a fantasy football league or create one of my own with anybody on Facebook that I chose. This is an application that I definitely plan on taking advantage of next season!!!
Friday, December 5, 2008
Sit Back and Watch
In reading the article about Abraham Biggs that Professor Regales posted on her blog, I was reminded of the case of Catherine Genovese. Genovese was stabbed in 1964 in Queens, New York. A man brutally stabbed her over the course of 35 minutes while neighbors watched and failed to contact the police. Genovese called out for help when the man attacked her and neighbors yelled out the window scaring the man off. Once the neighbors shut their windows and turned off their lights the man came back and stabbed her again, and again the neighbors yelled for him to stop. Unfortunately they failed to contact authorities for the second time and when the man returned again he stabbed and killed Ms. Genovese.
It is cases like that of Genovese and Abraham Biggs that make me wonder what people are really thinking. Obviously the time frame in each situation is drastically different, but the concept is the same. If a friend of mine discussed suicide with me on numerous occasions, and then called me one afternoon and said they were going to kill them self I would immediately call the police. That being said I could not and would not stand by and assume that someone would be okay. I would not "worry about getting involved" or "fail to take someone seriously."
While the idea that someone is now able to broadcast their suicide live on the internet is appalling, I do not feel as though that is the main issue in this article. Instead I think the issue is with the people failing to do anything. I believe this occurs because we are all sitting around assuming that someone else will do something instead of actually doing something ourselves. Is it really so bad to call the police even if 20 other people call? Or is it wrong to contact authorities when someone threatens their own life, whether they are actually intending to do so or not? If articles such as this appall us as a Nation why do people still fail to put society and other peoples before them self?
It is cases like that of Genovese and Abraham Biggs that make me wonder what people are really thinking. Obviously the time frame in each situation is drastically different, but the concept is the same. If a friend of mine discussed suicide with me on numerous occasions, and then called me one afternoon and said they were going to kill them self I would immediately call the police. That being said I could not and would not stand by and assume that someone would be okay. I would not "worry about getting involved" or "fail to take someone seriously."
While the idea that someone is now able to broadcast their suicide live on the internet is appalling, I do not feel as though that is the main issue in this article. Instead I think the issue is with the people failing to do anything. I believe this occurs because we are all sitting around assuming that someone else will do something instead of actually doing something ourselves. Is it really so bad to call the police even if 20 other people call? Or is it wrong to contact authorities when someone threatens their own life, whether they are actually intending to do so or not? If articles such as this appall us as a Nation why do people still fail to put society and other peoples before them self?
Facebook Forever?
I recently read an article in my MCS222 class called “How Sticky is Membership on Facebook? Just Try Breaking Free” by Maria Aspan. Aspan was discussing the issue that some people have been having with deleting their facebook accounts. Apparently many users are finding that when they want to deleter their accounts it is a painstakingly difficult process. Users have to go item to item and delete each wall entry, group, photo etc. If one simply clicks to erase their account it will only be deactivated. Facebook retains any information you have left on the page because as they say “deactivated accounts mean that a user can reactivate at any time and their information will be available again just as they left it.” Facebook’s terms of use state that “you may remove your user content from the site at any time,” but also that “you acknowledge that the company may retain archived copies of your user content” (Aspan, 1).
I can not help but wonder where Facebook makes this statement clear? I know that if while signing up for the user generated site back in 2004 that I came across such a statement I would have most definately declined memebership. At that time facebook was not as wide spread as it is now, and my reason for using it was to link to other students in my classes. However, now they allow anyone to join the site, and listing such personal information as a class schedule can be extremely dangerous!!! I guess the moral of this article is to be more aware of your facebook (and Internet) footprint, and do not post things you would not want people to have access to forever!!
I can not help but wonder where Facebook makes this statement clear? I know that if while signing up for the user generated site back in 2004 that I came across such a statement I would have most definately declined memebership. At that time facebook was not as wide spread as it is now, and my reason for using it was to link to other students in my classes. However, now they allow anyone to join the site, and listing such personal information as a class schedule can be extremely dangerous!!! I guess the moral of this article is to be more aware of your facebook (and Internet) footprint, and do not post things you would not want people to have access to forever!!
Monday, December 1, 2008
Googlegangers!!
"Googlegangers," the thought that someone out there could have the same name as me was intriguing. However, imagine my disappointment when not only were there no records for my name, but no record of any other Jacelyn Bald on Google. While I do have a MySpace and two blogs I do not use my full name on either. I decided to also Google my nickname which most people assume is my real name since I have gone by it since elementary school, Jacey Bald. This time only one record came up for "Jacey Bald" and that was a link to my younger brother's Lycoming soccer profile. However, yet again my search provided me with no googlegangers. I'm sure it has something to do with the fact that my last name is most commonly used to describe someone with no hair, or the national bird.
I believe that in some ways having a name that Google’s well could be beneficial. It would help people you once knew who were attempting to get in touch with you be able to find you, or a potential employer to research a candidate and determine their credibility. However, it is also harmful for the same reasons. Some people lose touch with someone on purpose and if someone could Google you that easily you might receive multiple unwanted attempts to contact you. Also sometimes for security reasons, a person may prefer to be unlisted and inaccessible and if someone can find you over the internet if could be extremely harmful to your safety. Overall I was pleasantly surprised with the fact that no records were turned up when googling my name. Mostly because I am a private person who does not wish to share aspects of my life with complete strangers.
I believe that in some ways having a name that Google’s well could be beneficial. It would help people you once knew who were attempting to get in touch with you be able to find you, or a potential employer to research a candidate and determine their credibility. However, it is also harmful for the same reasons. Some people lose touch with someone on purpose and if someone could Google you that easily you might receive multiple unwanted attempts to contact you. Also sometimes for security reasons, a person may prefer to be unlisted and inaccessible and if someone can find you over the internet if could be extremely harmful to your safety. Overall I was pleasantly surprised with the fact that no records were turned up when googling my name. Mostly because I am a private person who does not wish to share aspects of my life with complete strangers.
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