Facebook Privacy

Here is an article on Gawker that I found interesting about restoring your facebook privacy.

http://gawker.com/5522433/how-to-restore-your-privacy-on-facebook

Chapter 12 and Chapter 13

New New Media and the Election of 2008.

The part that stuck out to me the most was the email that Keith Goodman sent out to everyone who had made calls for Obama. It was so conversational and it was influential. It really epitomized the ability of a user to become a producer. If you made calls you became part of the campaign--it was so simple. His carefully worded email made those people who made phone calls feel like they had their part in history-- "Together we did it!"

Hardware

This chapter reinforced the idea that we basically can never be out of the loop. With things and applications streaming to our smartphones in real time we know when things happen and we know it exactly when it happens. We carry these things everywhere and as Levinson stated "smartphones have made the circumstances in which we engage new new media more private (the bed) and more public (the park)." I work in PR and the Senior Account Executive who I work closely with sleeps with her blackberry--for both new and new new media purposes. She needs to read all her emails exactly when they come and she is constantly updating twitter and facebook for her clients. Also I did a segment last week where we had a social media expert discuss four square at Madison Square Park. He chose the park because of the Shake Shack within and how it has become a social media hotspot. It is talked about in social media and social media is used to meet up there. Once we finished taping the gentlemen realized his friend was also checked in at the Shake Shack and they met up for lunch--randomly because he had foursquare on his blackberry in the middle of a park in NYC.

Net Fear

I have to agree with Jerome, not too long ago I went to purchase a new car and without my SS number they were able to pull up my credit report just using the information on my driver’s license. These tech gadgets are very interesting but how are they compromising our privacy and the security of our information. Nothing seems to be sacred anymore; this book has really been an eye opener for me. But nonetheless we have to keep up with the high tech gadgets if we are to survive in the job market that is ahead of us.As Levinson mentions elevators being stuck in one with a Blackberry or Iphone is not as bad as just be alone.

Bored, I'll Just Go on My iPhone!

The invention of mobile devices such as cell phones like iPhones and Blackberries have seemingly attempted to never allow its users to get bored. As Levinson points out, getting stuck in an elevator may not be as bad as long as our iPhone or Blackberry is present. We can surf the web or chat with friends, which can help us cope with the boredom experienced with being in an elevator that is stuck. Whenever we travel, we never have to be bored walking or on the bus as we just take out our iPhones and check social networking sites or websites of interest. As Levinson mentions, mobile media allows us to get any kind of information anytime, anywhere. Personally, it can be particularly helpful when I'm checking the scores in the MLB, NFL, and NBA. With vast improvements on the way, iPhone batteries and services will continue to expand allowing its users even more opportunities to surf the web. We never have to be bored again, as long as we have our iPhones alongside us.

Sobees

Although unrelated to Chapter 13, I found a website yesterday that has been termed a "realtime social media platform." Sobees aggregates searches into five categories: real-time search (ex. Twitter) , image search (ex. Bling, Flickr, Google), video search (ex. YouTube, Google), web search (ex. Google, Yahoo), and news search (New York Times, Yahoo). These categories are structured in 5 columns or modules, all on the same platform. Therefore, Sobees simplifies and condenses your favorite social media sites onto one convenient platform so that you can access them quicker.

Attention Distraction Devices

I also thought Levinson’s final chapter on “Hardware” was a very appropriate conclusion to his book. It was interesting how he noted that as media evolves, it becomes more humanlike. As a psychology major, I am naturally interested in the influence of mobile media on the processes of society and human behavior. It indeed seems that developing mobile media and technology has, in many respects, altered the way people act. I found an interesting article from Psychology Today called “Put that iPhone down, I’m talking to you!” that deals with how today’s mobile media has provided numerous obstacles to attention span and listening skills. This recent block against listening has been termed ADD (Attention Distraction Device). These devices include, smartphones, televisions, iPods, computers, etc. These devices have become “humanlike” as they replace human interactions. In the article, “The Myth of Multitasking” in the New Atlantis, Christine Rosen discusses her research on mobile media and multitasking. She summarizes her findings that the human brain is incapable of multitasking higher level tasks while texting and having a conversation or talking on a cellphone while driving. However, many people do it anyway. This comes from the idea that we humans, love immediacy. We have to have it right away. And when information and endless applications are available just at our fingertips and at our convenience, we will use it to any extent in order to satisfy us.

Our Future Will Hold What Exactly? ...

Levinson’s Chapter 13 is a perfect end to his book. iPhones and Blackberrys are becoming the new face of mobile media. Being able to take pictures, text, open your emails, play games, have different applications to go on YouTube, Facebook, Twitter … is what the new mobile media world is about. Everything you did at your laptop or desktop, now on your phone is what is making new new media even more interesting. The availability of having the whole web world at your fingertips but even closer by having it on your phone makes life just so much more easier. Here is an article of the New York Times discussing the marvels of the iPhone when it came out.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/27/technology/circuits/27pogue.html?scp=16&sq=iphone&st=cse

But media won’t stop at iPhones, there will be something that will outdo it. Looking back, one was excited when cell phones first came out because it allowed one to be in touch with their partners, family or whomever wherever. Then we had texting and instant messaging. Then there was the camera and being able to send multimedia messages and also emailing. And now we can do all this plus surf the web. It will be interesting to find out what exactly outdo the iPhone.

Net Neutral

Inspired by talks in other classes I have begun to fear the talks of net neutrality. With companies becoming bigger and bigger our rights will be sacrificed more and more. Comcast has recently been under a lot of fire for limiting the speed of certain content that it distributes though its pipelines. Net neutrality is the equal speed and treatment of every website on the internet to its viewers. Some say this is an issue of capitalism 'let the strong wealthy websites survive and let the weak fall' however I believe this is more an issue of censorship. If web distributors slow or limit the content that its users are getting then that is censorship. This article sums up the powers we are about to encounter if we let these corporate giants take over the web.
http://www.jsonline.com/news/opinion/91954444.htmla>

A Progression That Will End When?

The topic of "hardware" in new new media is pretty interesting to me. Levinson seems to argue that there had been a natural progression from pre-computers to handheld devices to more hi-tech handhelds and so on. But what interests me is what forced all these changes? What made the path that has resulted with Facebook, Twitter, and so much more on our cellphones?

In my eyes there are numerous reasons and causes, but what stands out the most is the crave for smaller and faster. It seems as if everything we have, or every new invention must be working in a direction of smaller and faster. It's the ultimate end. So where do we go now? How small can we get and how fast can we get without sacrificing other items?

"The essence of new media is choice"

I thought this article was interesting as it highlighted benefits of smart phones apps that are really important such as saving time, money, time finding a job.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2010/mar/31/smartphone-apps-public-services

As technology of mobile media advances, it's users have become more and more attached. Ever since the break of the land line phone, we are using "smart phones" in every aspect of our life everywhere we go, from the park, to our office to our bed. The chapter even mentions the idea of advancing the i phone, blackberry and blue tooth to become an implant in our brain. Although new productions have pretty much an endless timeline, it is important to realize that is is all of our choice to be up to date and connected constantly. Those who can afford it will follow the hardware trends, but it is also necessary to take a step back from the group mentality and recognize how influenced by engaging products such as lab tops, cell phones, smart phones, etc. we really are.
I really liked how Levinson quotes the Rolling Stones, "You can't always get what you want." Yet, in terms of information that seems much less true. Newspapers, video clips, web pages, friends on my space, facebook, twitters, blogs and countless other sites are literally at our fingertips with devices like the iphone.

The Evolution of Media- Cell Phones

The way in which every day, it seems like, there is a new and better technology, really drives home Levinson's point made in chapter 13: "as we invent successive media- they eventually become increasingly human in their performance." (p.188)
It's amazing, really, how in just a few years, cell phones have taken over our lives. At first, we all thought it was incredible that we could talk on the phone outside of our landline house number, while we were at a baseball game, at the mall, or anywhere really, without having to use a pay phone.
Then we were taken by surprise again when text messages and email were introduced to our cell phones. We all thought, this is as good as it gets.
Even when cameras became a feature on phones, we were amazed. Does anyone remember how bad the quality of the pictures were on the first phones with cameras? Compared to today, it's kind of ridiculous how much they have improved, etc.
But once again, the introduction of the iPhone in 2007, took the world by storm. Now we can have all the things already mentioned, plus the ability to surf the web, watch YouTube or movies, play games, listen to our music, and so much more.
Like Levinson says, the evolution of media really demonstrates how our technology becomes more and more humanlike. As humans, we want more and more. We want the ability to search and find out anything at any given moment of our lives. And the way in which our technologies have increasingly become better at doing this for us satisfies our never-ending hunger for information.

PLime

http://www.plime.com/

Plime is a news culture site. In this site, the community can add and edit different links such as a wiki site – the structure and editorial content is in the hands or fingertips of the community. One can also meet different people with similar interests.

Always Having One’s Favorite

http://faves.com/home

This is a site where one can save one’s favorite web pages and then be able to access them from any computer at any time. One can also follow different groups and people to find different web pages that might be of interest. One can even make a group in which others may follow. It is a good site where one can find different web sites to one’s interests and be able to access them through this site.

Channel Surfing the Internet

http://www.stumbleupon.com/

One of my friends told me about this site. Each day there are new websites being created; stumbleupon.com let’s one stumble upon the different sites pertaining to one’s interest. One can stumble upon different web pages, videos, blogs, and photos. One can even share the different sites to friends, post it on one’s news feed on Facebook and/or Twitter.

Obama in the age of new new media

What I found by reading this chapter is the beginnings of a more technologically connected president through online mediums such as blogging on whitehouse.gov, emails, facebook groups, blackberry messaging and many other forms of interactive technology through the Internet.
The Internet apparently assisted Obama a great deal in the 2008 election. Sites such as mybarackobama.com were able to keep registered users up to date on campaign developments. The other official website of the government (whitehouse.gov) also apparently is becoming more useful to members of the party rather by being more interactive with blogging and publishing of non emergency legislative information, rather than just propaganda material and links to the press.
Yet, old mediums such as the telephone are still a very direct and personal way to make an impression on voters.
One positive way the Obama campaign used the new medium of email was by emailing each of the callers who called for voters on election day (1,053,791). Yet, I agreed with the overall opinion that it was a poor idea to use email to only those on his email list to let the information out that Joe Biden would run for VP. The biggest problem with out using other media such as television, newspapers, etc to let this news out is that it seemed really random and quick without room for discussion.
Lastly, I found it funny that in an interview with Barbra Walters, Obama presented himself as just another person in the age of new technology as he mentioned how he didn't want to be taken away from his blackberry. It also made sense to me that people would not want him using it fr personal "embarrassing messages" that would be easily available to hackers, but in the end he was able to have it with "a super encryption package."

Wired Without the Wiring: New New Media

Chapter 13 was definitely my favorite chapter of Dr. Levinson's book- it was a succinct but very good capstone of his research and experiences with new new media.

Most of us have grown up with computers and have an intrinsic digital skill set we like to brag about to our generational predecessors. However, there are actually very few of us who understand the software system- the specific code and designs- that drive the capabilities of computers, web sites and mobile phones. We are "masters" of these system interfaces but can not really explain the complex wiring behind them, as Levinson points out. I personally regret very much not majoring or at least taking some classes in computer science. Today, mostly everyone can use the system interfaces to some degree, but very, very few can code and design them themselves. I think this is a very valuable and marketable skill in this digital age.

Dr. Levinson's commentary on new new media's mobility was also very interesting, specifically how mobile applications on mobile media work against the no-cost model and how new new media makes all formerly useless places useful. "We do nothing when we want to do nothing, not when circumstances dictate we do nothing" further indicating the "democratic" nature of new media (189). I also found his analysis of how our places of work have evolved, "the bed and the park are almost equidistant from the desk, as powerfully different from the desk, in different directions," extremely enlightening, how "the cirumstances in which we engage new new media are both more private (the bed) and more public (the park)" (190). I had never heard of Buckminster Fuller's 1938 "dymaxion principle," which says that new technologies get smaller and more powerful, but think that it is completely correct- new new media has liberated itself from its wires and in doing so has expanded its possibilities exponentially.

Second Life and Trouble in Social Media

Today we are going to explore the world of second life for ourselves in Social Media with Professor Strate.  A guide is coming in to instruct us and tell us the ways of second life.  Second life gives users the opportunity to build virtual avatars themselves.  The social networking site also allows people to make upgrades with using money to purchase them just as in real life.  The site can help bring you places you've never been and will never be able to go and do things that you would never be able to do yourself.  For example, I could make a speech in another country right now with my second life avatar.  

On a completely unrelated topic a friend of mine sent me an article about a kid we knew who got a DUI.  The article not only details the faulty of his incident, but it also describes how his social media got dragged into it.  Here take a look for yourself. http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2010/04/senators-son-cited-for-dui-in-suv-registered-to-state.html

Election

The greatest thing for me concerning new new media and the election was that the election played out on my time. As a busy student I did not always have the time to catch all the important speeches, debates and coverage when the traditional broadcasts were showing them. Live coverage turned out to be inconvenient coverage for me because many of the events took place during the day when I had school or at times when I was very busy and therefore could not watch. Without new new media it would have been difficult for me to keep up with everything. However, using YouTube, broadcast websites and other forums I was allowed to watch the election coverage anytime I wanted, skipping the parts I was not interested in and replaying things as often as I wanted. I could quickly search for issues that interested me so that I could form solid opinions on which candidate deserved my vote. As a whole I felt the election was more accessible then past ones and gave the majority of people the opportunity to participate.

Meettheboss.com

http://www.meettheboss.com/Default.aspx

This is a site where individuals can connect, communicate, network, and share one’s experiences in the senior management industry of all industries. This site has video conferencing, IM, email, and SMS between its users. Discussions are in question/answer sessions just like going to a workshop conference. The users gain the knowledge from the industry leaders – in a way, it is like having an internship where one gets to network and learn about the different fields in the industry world by asking questions but not having the hands on experience of course.

Taking a Trip Down Memory Lane

The Presidential Election of 2008 was one of the most exciting campaigns in history. New new media affected this election so much. The different blogs, the videos on YouTube, status and fan pages on Facebook, and tweets on Twitter are just a handful of what made a difference in the political campaigns.

I watched all the speeches and debates online as well as read the articles regarding it online. CNN.com had up to date videos and information on the presidential campaigns.

These presidential candidates had to take into account how much new new media would affect their campaign. An issue about campaigns was that people were uneducated about the candidates so the results varied but today’s issue is if the candidate’s are in enough new new media sites getting exposure and if the exposure is in a positive or negative connotation as well as getting peoples’ feedback immediately on their speeches and debates.

The President and New Media

I have to agree with everything on Chapter 12, the Obama administration really use new media to boost their campaign to victory. I remember getting an email for every little thing that was occurring in the campaign and the name would come up as OBAMA. Not only in the emails but the Obama name and logo were everywhere on cars, Facebook, YouTube, Yahoo name the Social Media site and there he was either the face, logo or with the message of Hope for America.

Connectivity and Interaction

President Obama definitely set a strong precedent with his utilization of the internet, and his lead will likely be followed by presidents in the future. Obama and his followers used YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and other websites to reach broader audiences. As a result, Obama was able to communicate with diverse audiences and acquire important feedback. He gained a huge advantage over John McCain in such forums. Obama's greatest advantage was probably in the younger generations who are on the internet constantly. Certainly, the presidential campaigns of the future would be wise to attract and listen to audiences online.

Levinson makes a good point in arguing about Obama's campaign revealing his vice president only to those people on the email list. Although email has become widely popular, email can only reach so many people. The fundamental use of the internet is for people to connect and interact with all kinds of people. By revealing the vice president to only those people on the email list, Obama and his advisors were excluding many people who were interested in more information about such things. Levinson basically explains that the internet will definitely be a useful campaigning medium in the future, but older mediums like television, radio, and newspapers still can have a significant impact.

FactCheck.org

Interestingly, I stumbled upon this site (literally, through StumbleUpon.com) and felt it was worth mentioning since the chapter for tomorrow relates to politics. FactCheck.org is a nonprofit and nonpartisan website that works to expose statements considered misleading from politicians and partisan groups. They monitor speeches, television ads, debates, interviews, press releases, etc, for inaccuracy. The goal of the site is "to apply the best practices of both journalism and scholarship, and to increase public knowledge and understanding." It's a very interesting web site. Just thought I'd share!

Remembering the Election

Chapter 12 really reminded me of the 2008 elections. Levinson discusses Obama's use of the internet and it just reminds me my experiences during the election. Facebook groups, email lists, advertisements, and Youtube videos all featured Obama or things related to his campaigns. The Youtube debate, personally I think was a great idea. One of the many benefits of the internet is user-created content, and what better example or use than to have people be able to submit video questions for use in debates? Granted the questions were all selected by those involved in organizing the questions, it was nice to see people get involved directly.

I also remember joining Facebook groups related to the campaigns and receiving information about rallies or press releases. Obama used the internet so well that there is no doubt in my mind it helped him run a successful campaign. I am sure we will all see similar execution of internet plans as more and more elections and campaigns happen in our lifetime.

Obama's Election Campaign: Everything We Should've Expected

Without reading Levinson's chapter on the 2008 Presidential Election, just about everyone in America is aware of how much the Internet played a crucial role in it.

And as historical it was, and how much it demonstrated that we are truly a society of web-addicts, for some reason, though I was impressed with how Obama and his team utilized the web, I was never surprised or shocked by this fact. To me, it seemed like a given.

Well before 2008, the world had already indugled itself into Web 2.0. If, however, this was the 2000 or 2004 election, and Obama was able to utilize the web in a similar manner during that time, more so than the way Howard Dean did, then I think it would've been a huge deal. I guess what I'm trying to emphasize is that yes, Obama's campaign strategics were certainly groundbreaking, but this was to be expected because of how big the Internet was by then. He was just well aware of this and knew he could use it to his advantage. This shouldn't be shocking for anyone who uses the Internet.

My.BarackObama.com - "Because it's about YOU"

I agree with Amanda that Levinson’s chapter, “New New Media and the Elections of 2008” is a succinct and accurate depiction of the profound effect of developing social media and web campaigning for the presidential election of 2008. New new media was undoubtedly a factor in Obama’s strong support from America’s youth. It could be interpreted that many younger people tended to be disinterested and uninformed about politics because they felt their issues weren’t being addressed. However, Obama’s active online campaigning played a major part in reaching out to the youth generation as an acknowledgement to their interests as well. I personally saw Obama’s use of social networking and web campaigning as a strategic and effective way in reaching out to the youth by showing that he is aware of our reliance on the internet.

I was very interested to read Levinson’s own personal experience on contacting Obama supporters via his campaign website, My.BarackObama.com. This campaign web site was most attractive and successful because it gave the people power to take part in the elections on a national scale by making calls to other supporters around the country, etc. Updates were sent to subscribers’ phones via text messaging and e-mail, and his policies were made available on the site itself. The quote below is present on the homepage of Obama's web site:

"When you create an account on My.BarackObama.com, you're joining the online community of organizers who helped elect the President and now are working to bring real change on critical issues, including healthcare, education and energy reform."

This quote reflects Obama's slogan, "because it's about you," by giving the American people a sense of community and involvement in the issues that concern us most; all in the concevenience of our home. This strategic use of technology and new new media in the presidential elections of 2008 proved to be a most significant contributor to Obama’s success.

Tweeting-History

Yesterday, the Library of Congress ("the 210-year-old guardian of knowledge and cultural history" according to the New York Times) announced that it will archive the collected works of the Twitter micro-blogging service. Apparently, the library approached Twitter's founders a few months ago asking to add Twitter’s content to the national archives because of Twitter’s “immense impact on culture and history,” for its use as a vital communications tool by political dissidents in Iran and Obama's turning to Twitter to declare victory in the 2008 election.

Here is the full New York Times article- it discusses the implications of this and how academics are praising the decision.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/15/technology/15twitter.html?ref=todayspaper

Presidential New New Media

President Obama's innovative use of the internet has been a very popular topic in the media, in academia and in general national discussion for the past two years. I think Professor Levinson succinctly and accurately described the momentum of Obama's web-enhanced 2008 campaign and the conversation surrounding it.

I read this article on the New York Time's BIT blog right around last year's election http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/11/07/how-obamas-internet-campaign-changed-politics/
and thought it also provided a great summary and commentary on Obama's use of new media to gain national attention and win the presidency. It explained how his use of interactive Web 2.0 tools "largely changed the way politicians organize supporters, advertise to voters, defend against attacks and communicate with constituents" and quotes many new media pioneers like Arianna Huffington, founder of the The Huffington Post, and Joe Trippi who ran Howard Dean’s 2004 technology-driven campaign.

While the entire country does not necessarily support Obama and his agenda, there seems to be a general consensus that he joins the ranks of political new media pioneers. I always find it interesting to read the editorial commentary of our European counterparts, because they logically are highly critical of American trends/political activity/decisions. Even their consistently critical eyes have praised Obama for his use of new media, as Steven Hill wrote in the Social Europe Journal:

"One of the winning campaign strategies masterfully deployed by the Obama campaign was its use of the internet. More than any other previous campaign, the Obama campaign showed the tremendous mobilising and fundraising potential of a comprehensive internet strategy. Some are saying that Obama’s use of this still relatively new medium will change American politics the way John F. Kennedy’s use of television did. But it remains to be seen if a less charismatic candidate without a wind of change blowing through an electorate buffeted by economic crisis can replicate Obama’s success. Nevertheless, what the Obama campaign accomplished using the internet was stunningly impressive. Despite the United States lagging in broadband access compared to Europe or Japan, both in terms of the number of people with fast, affordable broadband access and the speed of the connections, the Obama campaign used the internet to organise his supporters in a way that in the past would have required an army of volunteers and paid organisers on the ground. This not only helped him in the November election against the Republican nominee John McCain, but was probably the decisive factor in his Democratic primary contest against Hillary Clinton. Both the Clinton and McCain campaigns used the internet to reach voters, but Obama mastered the medium early and exploited it brilliantly. Indeed, it is not an exaggeration to say that without the internet, Barack Obama would not have won the Democratic primary, and would not have been elected President."

Obama's embrace of social media gave him other international advantages- new new media's characteristic "borderlessness" gave him an international reputation without him having to physically travel there, as this quote that appeared this 2008 Reuters story confirms:
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSL057546920080306

"There is getting to be a lot more interest," Pete Start, a British student who founded the Britons for Obama group, said. A string of British pro-Obama groups have sprung up on social networking site Facebook, with members ranging from young black men to women in headscarves and public school educated students at leading universities. "A few months ago, people were still only asking if it was possible a black man could win. Now they're more interested in what his policies are."

Online Gossip

Prior to this chapter I really did notice the growth of online gossip forums, particularyly ones that are school specific, such as Juicy Campus and College ACB. I had never heard of Juicy Campus prior to studying abroad during the spring of 2009. However, once I interacted with students from other school I learned how obsessed people were with checking the site on a regular basis. In my opinion they were enjoying reading nasty things about people they knew and were setting themselves up to be hurt when they searched their own names. These sites aren't made to post compliments so by searching names and hoping for a result you knowingly ask to be hurt.

Perhaps the trend is also school or age based. When I got back to Fordham none of my friends had even heard of the site, let alone contributed to it. However, when you search out Fordham there is a trend that users were generally pulled from younger grades, as I didn't see any Juniors or Seniors listed as topics of discussion. Perhaps Freshman need more homework if they have such vast amounts of free time to spend their days bringing people down.

Students are probably drawn to these kinds of sites because of the anonymity they can have. Although I know that everyone gossips, people probably would prefer if it was done and not traced back to them. However, what boggles my mind is the fact that people, especially girls, can write the nastiest things online and then sit next to the victims in class the next day and seem to feel no remorse. They knowingly hurt the unsuspecting victim yet they continue to parade around like nothing happened. At least in school yard fights everyone knows who the bully is and there is no place to hide, let alone in plain site.

Twitter Ads- Promoted Tweets

After seeing the post below about the appearances of ads on Twitter, I did a little research. We can definitely expect in the future to see Twitter become more commercialized. Promoted Tweets, and its affiliates will "purchase" words through the network. As a result, whenever a user searches a specific word on Twitter, the company's ad that owns the said word will then appear. It seems a little tricky, but I have no doubt that this will be effective for Twitter. Here's more on Promoted Tweets:

http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/04/13/cnet.twitter.ads/index.html?eref=rss_tech&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+rss%2Fcnn_tech+%28RSS%3A+Technology%29&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher

The Dark Side of New Media

"Faceless, voiceless names on the web have made bullying easier to mete out." While it is clearly easier for someone to bully when they have no physical restraints shouldn't it be easier to find the bullying? There are so many ways to find information and conversations on the internet that I found it hard to understand why there isn't a task force handling this type of crime. Levinson points out that the remedies for cyberbullying are the same as for regular bullying but this requires a student to stand up for themselves. Here in lies a major issue kids are too nervous to report the bullying, but since messages are in writing on the internet the person bullying basically turns themselves in.

Bullying at Another Level

Bullying has always been a problem within middle school and high school students. Reading Levinson's chapter on The Dark Side of New New Media just reiterated the gravity of cyberbullying. Bullying has always been an issue but cyberbullying takes it to another level. Students have committed suicides due to bullying and cyberbullying. Here is an article of a girl who died from bullying and cyberbullying from the New York Times.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/30/us/30bully.html

Not only suicides can occur from negative horrible remarks from cyberbullying but friendships are destroyed from misunderstood statements. Since everything is done online, one cannot notice the tone of one's friends statement to know if it was a joke or if one's friend was truly offending them. It is complicated to say the least.

Flaming and Trolling

I had previously never heard of the terms flaming and trolling in technology, although apparently they go back to the origin of online communication in the 1980's. Yet, they are commonly used words for online bullying.
I like the term flaming; which is used as a form of computer bullying when an individual is extremely critical to another online and expresses anger in the fastest way possible, (by typing it in a message). This reminded me of the phrase "getting burned" which isn't exactly the same, but similar. This also reminded me of my own use of quick technology such as text messaging or facebook chat to express anger in the most efficient, non in person way.
I thought the term trolling was interesting as well, especially for its use in political campaigns, where a political troller for example) writes negative comments about a political figure such as Barack Obama on a blog. The troll can either use his/her real name or a pseudonym. Apparently one defines a troll as someone posting comments that intentionally disrupts online communities, in oppose to an individual blogging about opposing ideas who is making a point to promote dialouge.

Genealogy on Facebook...

My cousin just told me about this website that gives you your genealogy on Facebook. Not sure if it works, but it sounded interesting so I thought I would share it with all of you. It is geni.com

Anything You Say Can and Will Be Used Against You.

Cyber bulling/stalking is a very real problem on the internet today. People used to cyber stalk and bully even before social networking sites became as power as they are now, but now that they are more popular attacks are made easier. For example, Levinson points out the case of Laurie Drew in his book New New Media. In this case a mother took the revenge of her daughter into her own hands torturing and ridiculing another girl until she committed suicide. Neither party in this instance is completely innocent and that's because the evidence shows the proof of attacks.
My sister faced a cyber bulling type circumstance which almost wound up with the other girl getting arrested. According to my sister she had lost her state drivers license at a party and another girl picked it up and kept it. My sister found this out and confronted the girl via facebook message requesting the I.D. be returned to her immediately. The other girl responded with a nasty note saying not only would she not return the I.D. of my sister's, but she was going to use it to get herself into bars. Not only was my sister quit sure that this girl way to ugly to ever pull of using her I.D., but she was sure it was a crime too. Later my sister requested the help of a police officer that she saw in passing. The policeman told her, "This other girl is guilty of identity theft and there is clear evidence to prove that, but I don't know how far you will get if you press charges. I suggest that you report the I.D. stolen and get a new one." So my sister ended up just getting a new I.D. in addition to setting up a clever trap for the girl.  My sister had her friend hand out flyers to bars with the girl who stole her I.D. on them saying this is not the real Natalie Thrall (my sister).  This story just goes to show if you are going to commit a crime best not to leave evidence on your social networking site.

Twitter Ads

I was flipping through the channels and caught a glimpse of a news show about ads on Twitter. Companies will be able to buy certain search words to allow their tweets to be the first seen. The example they showed was Starbucks buying the word coffee. One person interviewed basically said she did not mind if it allowed her to get a free coffee once in a while.

Online Traceability- A Victim's Advantage

As I'm sure many of you were aware from the coverage its received in the news, this past January, 15 year old Phoebe Prince of Massachusetts committed suicide after dealing with relentless bullying. The causes for her action point to the bullying she received from numerous classmates, through text messages and through taunting on Facebook and other social media sites. To read more about the scandal, here's a link:

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2010/03/29/2010-03-29_phoebe_prince_south_hadley_high_schools_new_girl_driven_to_suicide_by_teenage_cy.html

I bring this up, not only because it is a clear example of the consequences of virtual bullying, but because it touches on the traceability of online bullying that Levinson brings up. He argues that this factor is an advantage for victims, and this is true of this story. Prince's bullies are now being charged for their actions, and there is plenty of evidence against them. From the text messages, to their degrading messages to Prince's memorial Facebook group, they now have to pay the price for what they did to her. Though they will still plead not guilty, what they have left on the web will not go away. This is definitely a good thing for the victim in this case, and in all cases alike. In order to prevent more of these situations from happening, it's important that kids know that everything they do online cannot simply be deleted, which should prevent them from using the web as portals for their taunting.

Formspring,Me - "Ask me anything"

It is sad and unfortunate that social networking sites are manipulated to create something other than good. The social media sites we have discussed in class clearly show much potential and benefit; keeping in touch, finding jobs, promoting world change, and many others. However, as Levinson alludes to in his “Guns, Knives, and Pillows” lecture, everything has its counterpart. Many social networking sites, especially those that include anonymity, provide easy access to cyberbulling, online taunting, cyber stalking, and other forms of virtual violence. Levinson mentions that bullying in a physical place is more dangerous than bullying done over the internet. It may in fact be considered more dangerous because it can involve physical intimidation, but I honestly don’t know which is worse. In my opinion, it all boils down to self-confidence and self-esteem. Those who bully, whether in a physical or virtual environment, have low self-esteem and feel a sense of gain by making others feel worse about themselves. Bullies who use anonymity on social networking sites are simply cowards. Of course, I have sympathy for those bullied and teased. However, even the individuals who allow themselves to feel defeated by these faceless bullies also have low self-esteem. Everyone gets teased at some point during their life. And although that doesn’t make it right, it’s just a part of life that you have to deal with appropriately in order to overcome it. Consult a guidance counselor, talk to a friend or family member, delete your account for some time or permanently, take time to yourself, etc.

While reading Levinson’s chapter, I thought of a newer social media site called, Formspring.Me. If any site is promoting cyberbullying, it’s this one. The homepage of the site says “ask questions, give answers, learn more about your friends.” The site allows individuals to search for users, friends or not. You then submit anonymous questions to the user. “Ask me anything.” From what I’ve seen, people are not shy to do so. Once the user answers the question, it is posted on their personal page. The layout is similar to that of Twitter. In my opinion, you are simply asking for hate mail. The site says “learn more about your friends.” But if the people were truly your friends, wouldn’t you just ask them yourselves? Why would you need to do so anonymously? I know some people who have accounts, but I really don’t see any appeal. There is actually a Facebook group called “Boycott Formspring.” The group currently has 7,196 and is growing rapidly. Many posts advise parents to educate their children on the site and prevent their kids from creating an account. The group asks to “spread the word, stop the hate.” Just another example of a social networking site used to educate and promote change.

Last Week's South Park

Last week's episode of South Park dealt with Facebook and mentioned ChatRoulette. It mentioned how people can get sucked into Facebook (literally) as well as the inappropriate sexual nature of ChatRoulette. The episode is called "I've Got Nobody," and subtitled: "You have 0 friends."

http://southparkstudios.com/episodes/267112/?xrs=

Light up the Darkness

Cyberbullying and cyberstalking are problems that started in older media such as email but have become more prevalent due to the popularity of social networking sites. However, it is up to us to discover certain solutions to alleviate the problems of cyberstalking and cyberbullying. As we mentioned in class, when Facebook started it out, it required a college email address, but this requirement has changed over the years. However, an age requirement could be an useful tool for preventing middle school and even younger high school kids from using solcial media sites to harass other children. This is certainly difficult as children can lie and say they are of age.

As a result, the responsibility falls on parents and in certain instances, the teachers. As Amanda discussed earlier in her post, parents must teach children how to use the social networking sites Parents should explain to their children that they need to approach their parents when they are being constantly bullied or stalked by strangers or other children. In addition, schools should have a caveat where they may punish students if they are harassing other students from the school. I do not know the full story but certain disciplinary actions were taken against certain students at my high school for "trask-talking" with students from another school.

Nonetheless, it is up to children to admit to the harassment they have experienced on the web.

Sonico.com

I just found a website called sonico.com. People in Latin America are the ones who mainly use this website. Just like hi5 was very similar to MySpace, Sonico is similar to Facebook.

Sonico has the profile, friends, groups, networks, private messages, photos, tagging photos, videos, events, games, reminders of friends' birthday and events, Sonico chat, ...

But Sonico has three different profiles –

1 which is private ~ one can share one’s life with the people one trusts the most.

2 which is public ~ one can demonstrate oneself to everybody who one is and what one does.

3 which is professional ~ one can make a profile for one’s professional contacts and job opportunities.

Faceless Bullies

It's all too relevant that the discussion of flaming and cyber-bullying in today's world couldn't go without discussion. It seems like it is all too common that Facebook is growing into the newest way to harass people anonymously. Individuals or groups of people create Facebook Groups or made up names and utilize them to abuse their page for bad purposes. Creating offensive groups or sending threating messages to others. Much like the main point in the beginning of the chapter, every technology has advantages and disadvantages, good and bad features. A site used and aimed for making friends and predominantly meeting people, also can be used as a vehicle for bullying and abuse. It's a shame and frustrating, that individuals feel the safe enough to hide behind pseudonyms or false profiles and say things that they have good knowledge of are wrong. It is almost certain, that people who hide behind a facade, would never say the same things in person.

Twitter: Career Central

http://www.journalism.co.uk/

This is the website I mentioned in class that tweets job opportunities in journalism every hour. I have found it very helpful and got a few interviews out of it. Like I said, I think I am going to write a paper for another class on Twitter being a new channel for job opportunities, so if anyone sees any other industries using Twitter in this capacity please let me know.

New New Media: The Cyberspace Circus

Professor Levinson makes many good points in Chapter 11, "The Dark Side of New New Media," even though it was pretty obvious that he fundamentally thinks the positive aspects of new new media outweigh the negative ones. I found his knife and pillow analogy to be very enlightening and wholeheartedly agree that anything humans get their hands on can be used for both good and evil, that the ultimate responsibility lies in the being utilizing the media at hand.

I've expressed my concerns with youth and social media before on here, so I won't repeat myself too much, but I do think that this chapter accurately highlights and affirms my concerns- that who is behind the new media dictates how Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, YouTube etc.. are used. Some of the youth today, understandably, lack sound judgment/reasoning skills and ultimately make poor decisions on the sites, decisions that harm both their peers and their personal futures. Growing up, you are taught manners- like not to swear and how to be polite- but these manners have historically been taught to apply strictly to the physical world (saying thank you if someone's parents drive you home, chewing with your mouth closed). Until recently, kids were not taught "technological manners" and since they have not been explicitly told to extend their "real world" manners to cyberspace, it is largely a circus of inappropriateness, full of cyberbulling, gossiping, cursing and explicit photos.

I personally think there are so many benefits to new new media, that it has truly revolutionized the way we communicate and express ourselves and really enjoy it. However, I think kids need to be taught how to use it responsibly. I also think adults need to step back and take a break from it every now and then. Our guest speaker Sarah mentioned her "social media fast" a few weeks back and I know of many other people who have given up Facebook for various periods of time (including myself every finals week for the past three years). I think these "fasts" are refreshing, allow for new found productivity and force you to interact through "old" communication channels, channels that are just as meaningful.

Podcasting ~ Chapter 10

I never heard the term podcasting before this class. It is easy to podcast – all you need is ‘a microphone and a sound-recording program’ (Levinson, 154). The marvels of new new media still manage to amaze me – to be able to broadcast a song one has made or an interview in a matter of seconds by podcasting is incredible. One can put information or a song and automatically start to inspire others or change others’ lives with their word. Podcasting and other social medias continue to affect us and our lifestyles and will continue to do so as we progress to the future.

Podcasting

My favorite use of Podcasts is educational. Just like so many people used grammar girl in order to enhance their skills I used a couple Italian grammar and language Podcasts to keep up my foreign language skills. The free nature of Podcasting allows for such a variety of lessons and topics. It's amazing to be able to hone in on skills in a fun manner on the time of my choosing. Just as Levinson said this type of experience is "both valuable and enjoyable."

Just as blogger is a way for young, aspiring journalists to break into the industry, Podcasting seems like a way for hopeful radio personalities to break in. It allows them to conduct interviews as well as produce. It shows initiative.

Podcasting

I think that podcasting is one of the best and most personal forms of new media. All you need is a microphone and a simple sound recording program to create your own studio to produce your own music and send it somewhere on the web. It is the best interest of the podcaster if he wants to get his podcast to the public to pay for storage online. Once this is done the creator of the podcast should post links to the podcast as well. What is even more interesting to me are "streaming" podcasts on the web that is a form of broadcasting or internet radio. The consumer-producer of the podcast had control over what goes into the podcast or live stream radio, yet the consumer-producer has no control over the host, payment policies, advertising rates, or revenue.

The World is changing

I was about to post; but before doing so I read Sheena's post and I felt just like her about Podcasting. I never used it and didn’t know what it’s about until this class and Levinson’s book. The only Social Media sites I used were MySpace and then Facebook, but now I am on Twitter and Foursquare and even though after this class I won’t use Twitter. Foursquare has become a game that entertains me throughout my days. So to continue on podcasting I went into the link changing the world and heard about a community in Indonesia were everyone contributes ten dollars a month to bring up their social status and they have become so dependent on this funding for those who need help that if they stop it, it would cause an impact on their community, So its news from across the globe in an instant. News while i was growing up was on the radio,tv or in the newspaper but now there is no waiting and there is nothing to miss, if you miss the broadcast it can be saved so you can listen to it at your convenience.

The Changing World

I have honestly never listened to a podcast upon reading Levinson’s chapter on it. But I have definitely gained interest after reading about it, seeing some of my classmates’ posts, and doing my own online research of it. After reading each of Levinson’s chapters, I like look up ways the discussed media works to promote global change. I found a great example of a podcast that does just that. The Changing World is a collaboration between the BBC World Service, Public Radio International, and PRI’s The World. It is a series of documentaries that cover the multiple dimensions of a single global issue. For example, some of their programs include segments on politics, the environment, wildlife, etc. Actually, the Bronx Zoo was featured in the documentary, “What’s the Point of Zoo’s?” by reporter Lynn Malcolm on the debate over keeping animals in captivity for public enjoyment. Their most recent documentary, “The Virtual Revolution: Part 2” by journalist Aleks Krotoski, actually relates well to our class. Krotoski examines how the Web has transformed our world, influenced the youth, and altered our sense of privacy.

After discovering this podcast and reading Levinson’s chapter, I think I will explore and listen to more pod casts in the future.

Thank You to BJ Emerson and Tasti-D-Lite

This is a bit overdue, but on behalf of our Social Media class, I want to express our gratitude to BJ Emerson of Tasti-D-Lite for coming by to give a highly informative guest lecture on their use of Twitter, Foursquare, and other social media.  This is the second year in a row that BJ has delighted us with his insights, last year we took the liberty of videotaping some of his talk, and here are some excerpts:
















I should also say thank you to BJ for treating me to some frozen yogurt at the store down by our Lincoln Center campus after class.  Here's the twitpic he took and posted of me:

Yeah, it was good...

Podcasts- Keeping My Inner Harry Potter Nerd Alive

I can understand why podcasts may not be for everyone, but for me personally, I've really grown to love them. As a kinda-crazy obsessed Harry Potter fan, MuggleCast has been my saving grace, which I started listening to in 2006. Despite the book series finishing 3 years ago and the movies nearly complete as well, this podcast has not died out. MuggleCast began in 2005, when podcasting was introduced to the world, and has had tremendous success. Over the past few years, it has won at the Podcast Awards for its productions, including the People's Choice category in 2006, and Best Entertainment in 2008 and 2009. That's pretty impressive for a podcast created and maintained by a group of kids, most of them around our age.
This in itself, is pretty incredible. Here I am, usually teased by my friends for being such a nerd over the books, meaning I usually don't get to share excitement with anyone at Fordham over the latest news about the movies, etc. But I have a way to connect with others who are as enthusiastic about them as I am through MuggleCast.
Levinson describes how podcasting is unique because it can be created by anyone, and it doesn't necessarily have to have huge success. The creator can continue to record episodes even if no one is listening. This democratic foundation of podcasting, is perhaps the best thing about it. Especially concerning MuggleCast- chances are, if the creators of MuggleCast had to convince iTunes to allow them to create a podcast back in 2005, they would have been rejected because many might have assumed it wouldn't do well. I'm extremely happy that this wasn't the case, however.

The Tivo Of Radio

Apple's podcasting is a wonderful new alternative to radio. A podcast is basically a talk radio show that is prerecorded and either stored on an ipod, phone, or computer for later use. Podcasting usually does not broadcast music, so radio still has an edge on podcasts in terms of music, but as far as talk shows are concerned, podcasts are far superior. Podcasts are like the Tivo of radio. With a podcast you can download almost anything for free and play it back any time you want. The other benefit of it is it that it is actually something that you want to hear. So many times I find myself listening to talk radio that is so awful I can only stand minutes of it at a time. Radio will always have its place over the air and in people's cars, but as time goes on podcast's popularity will continue to grow.

Podcasting

I've never used a Podcast or watched one and I'm not sure what the lure is. It seems like nothing more than a slightly more advanced Youtube video. Both can be made by anyone with the proper equipment but Podcasts have more specific abilities to edit. I can understand that some people are drawn to Podcasts because it is video blogging. On Youtube you see people that are doing editorials for things and music videos, but as far as blogging via video, it isn't as popular, which Podcasts can do. Podcasts seem interesting to me, but I can't think of an instance or an circumstance that I'd see myself buying one or downloading one.

Podcasting

I really enjoyed the comparison between the radio and a podcast. While the two are essentially the same thing, sound recordings transmitted to an audience, the podcast is set apart by the amount of control it gives the creator. Unlike with the radio, which is under the control of the network and its rules and regulations, the podcast is only subject to the will of the creator. However, I wonder whether there are any controls over what is said during a podcast or if there will ever be. So many mediums start off as free areas of expression but over time outside people demand control and regulation. Everything is free until one person sees a problem and spreads the message that controls need to be put in place. An example that I learned in another class would be advertising. When advertising first came about it was a free arena in which companies and individuals could sell their products. However, over time the industry because subject to laws, codes and jurisdictions that claimed to "protect the pubic", "save the children" and "promote American family values". Now the industry is a highly regulated industry and strict penalties are put in place for anyone who dares to disobey. In my opinion the industry has been stifled by some of these regulations and the shields put in place have hurt society as they try so hard to protect it. I wonder if over time podcasts will be found at fault and be overcome by outcries of regulation.

Fantasy Focus 06010

About a year ago, as I was reading a column by Matthew Berry on espn.com, I noticed a link to his podcast about fantasy baseball and listened in. I have been listening ever since as Berry and his partner Nate Ravitz argue about players and statistics. However, it was the nonsense that grabbed my attention and most likely earned them two podcast awards.

I noticed that the podcast was much like a really informal radio show. Although editing is possible, the producer Jay Soderberg, better known as Pod Vader, rarely edits out anything which adds to the nonsense. The Fantasy Focus podcast, baseball and football, have created a community of people from all parts of the world who share an affinity for fantasy sports. Phrases like "put in on the board" and "factually correct" constantly remind fantasy focus fans about the podcast. Berry and Ravitz read listeners' emails and conduct interviews with some of them on occasion and have interviewed celebrities ranging from Alyssa Milano to Jesse Ventura to Larry Fitzgerald.

In addition, they created the Man's League in which fifteen or so people compete with Pod Vader in a fantasy league in order to crush him and allow Berry and Ravitz to constantly ridicule their producer. Getting into the league has proven to be strange and very funny. One man even went so far as to pour yogurt on himself just to get in. Here's the link on YouTube:

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

The link for the Fantasy Focus baseball podcast is:

http://sports.espn.go.com/espnradio/podcast/archive?id=2544461

Chat Roulette

Here is another instance of a funny Chat Roulette video. Ben Folds when on Chat Roulette while performing.

http://perezhilton.com/2010-04-05-more-ben-folds-chatroulette-magic

Social Media

Even companies like AAA depend on Social Media.
http://www.aaany.com/membership/member_benefits/story.asp?xml=join_the_aaa_social_media_community.xml

Powerful Podcasting

I have not had too much experience with podcasting, but think that it definitely has measurable benefits, like being a 21st radio powered by individuals and a convenient tool for the modern multitasker. I thought Professor Levinson described the process of podcasting very well- how to record, distribute and access the recordings- but do recommend the rest of the class go to his blog and actually listen to his work. Here's the link to his podcast about Truth on Earth, the band trying to counter cyberbulling:

http://paullevinson.blogspot.com/search/label/Truth%20on%20Earth%20Band.

I am most personally interested in how podcasting can potentially change the education system. I can't locate the article I read a few years back on the subject, but remember reading that large universities were experimenting with having 200-300 student lecture classes listen to podcasts of lessons remotely from their dorms instead of attending the class physically, in order to determine if "podcasting professors" could be the future of college education. I'm pretty sure this model would only work at large universities with large lecture classes, since students cannot readily participate in that class format anyway, the main element that would be sacrificed if college professors taught classes strictly through podcasts. Here is a similar article from 2006 about how Boston area colleges were pushing professors to go digital and record their lectures as downloadable files so that students could listen to wherever, whenever:

http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2006/07/11/podcast_craze_hits_classrooms/

Overall, I think that podcasts are a great supplement to college classes, but hope they do not fully replace the physical classroom experience, an age-old academic tradition.