More Than Half of U.S. Adults Use Facebook!

If you would like to read the article, you can find it here: http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110325/ts_alt_afp/lifestyleusitinternetfacebook;_ylt=Amiouwg1IgDbUXvVZTTJ4Xx5Hrd_;_ylu=X3oDMTM1dGp2bm0zBGFzc2V0A2FmcC8yMDExMDMyNS9saWZlc3R5bGV1c2l0aW50ZXJuZXRmYWNlYm9vawRwb3MDMTYEc2VjA3luX3BhZ2luYXRlX3N1bW1hcnlfbGlzdARzbGsDbW9yZXRoYW5oYWxm

From Computer Power and Human Reason

I really enjoyed reading the article From Computer Power and Human Reason. I found it very interesting. I particularly liked the part about ELIZA playing doctor. The conversation that was included was very insightful. I wouldn’t think that someone would open up to a machine, but I guess that is what happened. The other example was when Weizenbaum talked about how his secretary was talking to ELIZA and then asked him to leave the room. I thought that was pretty funny.

I think one of the main ideas is that people become attached to technology. The article talks about people forming emotional bonds with machines such as cars and musical instruments. I can totally relate to this. For example, people are super protective of their cars, computers, and cell phones.

Another main idea from the article is on page 372. It talks about man’s reliance on machines. The author talks about how men can explain the computer’s intellectual feats only by bringing to bear the single analogy available to them: their model of their own capacity to think.

This whole article, and ELIZA in particular, reminded me of the computer that was on Jeopardy. The computer could think and answer questions similar to ELIZA. However, I think ELIZA was a much less advanced machine than the one on Jeopardy. It just shows you how far technology can go.

Second Life

I really enjoyed reading the Second Life article. I have heard of Second Life before on various TV shows like the Office and CSI: NY but didn’t really know a lot about it. This article really gave me a good idea about what Second Life was about. What caught my attention the most in this article is that it’s possible to buy body parts. I could not believe that. I also found it interesting that gender stereotypes are the same in Second Life as they are in real life. However, it seems that Second Life is much more sexually based than real life.

When thinking about Second Life, I would think that it would be easy to adapt. However, the article taught me that it took awhile to get adjusted. The authors talked about how they felt fearful about joining this new world. One even avoided having conversations with other avatars. All in all, it seems that Second Life is almost like real life on steroids. Stereotypes are everywhere, the avatars can teleport, and the whole environment is sexually charged. I think that if I were to join Second Life, it would be helpful to learn about it first so I am not caught completely off guard. This article was definitely helpful in providing some insight into Second Life.

Stolen Ring on Facebook

I came across a very interesting article today on All Facebook. The article is about how a young couple is in trouble with the law because of a stolen engagement ring. The girl posted a picture of the ring on her Facebook page saying how much she loved her boyfriend. Her cousin ended up recognizing the ring. It turns out, the ring was stolen along with some other items from his friend’s house. He told some friends and one of the friends told the police.

Now the couple is facing criminal charges for theft. It just goes to show, you should be careful what you post because you never know who is going to see it. Obviously, it is a good thing that they got caught however this can apply to anything. I remember a while ago, I was reading an article about a woman who had a friend traveling in Europe. The friend saw a picture of the woman with her family in a store window. It turns out, this store found the picture on either Myspace of Facebook. Social media sites are great tools however they definitely have some down sides.

If you would like to check out the article you can find it here: http://www.allfacebook.com/facebook-picture-of-diamond-ring-lands-couple-in-jail-2011-03

The Technology and the Society

I enjoyed reading The Technology and the Society. I thought that it was a very interesting article. I think one of the main ideas is that television has altered our world. I think that is a true statement. Just think how much our lives revolve around TV. Most people watch TV to get entertainment and to find out information. Advertisers use TV to attract consumers and sports use TV to gain viewership and more fans. If you think about it, how often do you watch TV? I have at least one TV show a night that I “can’t miss”.

Another main idea is that “an increased awareness of mobility and change, not just as abstractions but as lived experiences, led to a major redefinition in practice and then in theory of the function and process of social communication.” This is so true. The article states “but in a period of great mobility, with new separations of families and with internal and external migrations, it became more centrally necessary as a form of maintaining, over distance and through time, certain personal connections.” If you think about Facebook that is exactly what it is used for. Facebook is used to share pictures, and information with people that you don’t see on a regular basis, or even with people you do. I know that I joined Facebook for this very reason, to share pictures and information with my friend who moved to Oregon.

Just Like Me Only Better

I thought the whole article Just Like Me Only Better, was very interesting. This kind of reminds me of when we were talking about how people represent themselves on Facebook. Of course people are going to create idealized versions of themselves. People go to Second Life to escape their real life so why shouldn’t they be able to be who they want. I thought it was interesting that this study focused on nationality and ethnicity and found that the Caucasian features were the most common. I could have guessed that women would make themselves more slender with larger breasts and more feminine features. It was also predictable that the men made themselves more muscular. I liked that the authors pointed out the one large black woman. I like that she stayed true to herself. She must really be secure with who she is. I think that this would be an interesting study to look into further. I feel that the information was limited and if more avatars/ people were observed, there would be some very interesting data.

NFL Tweets

You can find the article here: http://techland.time.com/2011/02/22/nfl-players-twitter-use-expresses-discontent-in-real-time/

By the way, I am not sure why the video screen is so big. I am still trying to figure out this whole vlogging thing :)

Uses and Gratification Theory

I really enjoyed reading the article about uses and gratification theory. I found it very interesting. I remember learning about uses and gratification theory before however, I had forgotten about what the theory actually said. The article defines it as a psychological communication perspective that focuses on how individuals use media and other forms of communication to fulfill their wants and needs.

I think that SNS are a great source to examine the uses and gratification theory. As we have been discussing, people use SNS to connect with people and represent themselves how they want to be seen. The Wollfradt and Doll Internet Motivation scale states there are three underlying motives for using the Internet: information, interpersonal communication, and entertainment. SNS can achieve all three motives. People use SNS to gain information about others; they can use it for interpersonal communication and for entertainment.

I really liked some of the responses the authors got from their study. I liked that people admitted that it is convenient to have conversations via SNS. It allows you time to think about your responses instead of needing to answer instantaneously. The participants also talked about how they liked to look at other people’s profiles but felt uncomfortable when others looked at theirs. The participants were using SNS to gain information however they did not like sharing some of their information with others.

All in all, it was a very interesting article. I would be interested to see what a larger study would show.

Community Media

I really enjoyed reading the article “Community Media.” I support the idea from Stephen Coleman that the issue of representation isn’t that we want to talk to our politicians directly but we want them to know what it feels like to be us. I think that is a great point. So often, it seems, politicians feel so far away from us. Of course we vote them into office but once in office, they always seem to be removed from the people. Just think about it, once senators and representatives are voted in, they move from their home state to Washington DC and they are, not only geographically further away from those they represent but their thought processes seem to change as well. They aren’t working at the fast food restaurant or the grocery store around the corner. The people don’t want to sit down with their politician and talk about ideas but they do want to feel communication isn’t just a one way street from the politicians to the people.

I think that community media is a good thing because, like the article said, it shows us that not every person thinks the same way. The article states that we may not want to know the people who think differently than us. However, if we are exposed to their thoughts and opinions on a regular basis, ‘we might be less surprised by the world.”