Black Friday vs Cyber Monday

I did not go shopping on black Friday for the first time in four years. However, I also did not escape hearing about all of the sales that were going on. Every time I looked at Facebook, someone had a post relating to black Friday shopping. Starting at least a week before, there were commercials on every channel of TV advertising sales at various stores. In the newspaper on Friday, all of the ads were relating to black Friday sales. It seems like that is all anyone talked about on Friday.

However, did you know there is a cyber Monday? Cyber Monday is the online equivalent of black Friday. Some of the best online sales happen on cyber Monday, the Monday following Thanksgiving. To me, it seems like this did not get nearly as much media attention as black Friday. Do you think this is because it is a newer occurrence, or could it have something to do with tradition? In my opinion, a lot of people go black Friday shopping to see people and be involved in all the activity. When shopping online, you miss out on this atmosphere. However, it seems that cyber Monday is a rising trend. Actually, as I was writing this I was watching the news and they started talking about cyber Monday. Apparently, sales are up this year by over 20%. Do you think the increase in sales on cyber Monday will have an effect on black Friday? Maybe next year there will be a shift in media attention from one to the other.

Election Day

Since today is election day, I knew there would be a lot of social media related to the election. I did not expect the magnitude of the posts and tweets about the election, however. As I looked at my Facebook news feed today, it was very rare that I came along a post that was not about voting. Most of these posts simply encouraged others to vote, rather than providing any relevant information about the candidates, how to vote, or why voting is actually important. This seemed strange to me, because as far as I knew, everyone already knew it was election day, or at least didn't need to see their whole news feed filled with statuses telling them to go vote to be able to realize that it is election day. This made me start thinking about the importance of social media such as Facebook and Twitter in the election. Did all of the statuses about voting actually encourage a large number of people to vote that wouldn't have originally?

Media Literacy

The reading this week talked about media literacy. There are many different kinds of media such as visual literacy, story literacy, and computer literacy. The media can produce both beneficial and harmful effects. There are three building blocks of media literacy: the personal locus, knowledge structures, and skills. These building blocks are necessary to build your perspectives on the media. The personal locus includes your goals, which help you decide what information to pay attention to and what to ignore. The more aware you are of your goals, the better you will be able to decide which information to pay attention to. Increasing your awareness of your personal locus increases your media literacy. Next are the knowledge structures. This is your organized information that you have in memory. Knowledge structures are constructed using skills. The article defines media literacy as the “set of perspectives that we actively use to expose ourselves to the mass media to interpret the meaning of the messages we encounter”. We do this by using the three building blocks. I thought this article was interesting because I have never really thought about how I decide which media messages to pay attention to and which to ignore.

Presidential Debate

During the Presidential debate, body language plays a key factor for how the candidates are perceived. One thing I noticed during the debate was that President Obama has very good eye contact. He also seems confident while he is talking because he does not fidget while he speaks. While Romney is talking, he seems to move around a lot and looks back at Obama a lot while he is talking. While Obama is listening to Romney’s answers, he shakes his head a lot. Both candidates make a lot of the same hand gestures while they are talking. They also both walked closer to the people asking the questions to signify interest in the question. While Obama was listening to Romney answer some of the questions, he leaned forward and looked like he was listening intently to his answer. Romney blinks and licks his lips a lot while he is listening to Obama, which makes him seem nervous.

The Tragedy of the Commons

I found the article by Garrett Hardin to be interesting. In this article, Hardin talks about the problem of population growth and whether it would work itself out. Hardin also discusses the tragedy of the commons. When people are sharing a resource, they realize that it is limited but believe it is in their own best interest to use a little extra because they are the only ones that will benefit from it but everyone will share the negative of more of the resource being used. This in theory would still benefit the individual, but the problem is that everyone using the resource has the same thought to do this, so the resource becomes depleted. This is the tragedy of the commons. Pollution is an example of a reverse tragedy of the commons, because instead of taking something out, pollution is being put into the environment.

Hardin goes on to acknowledge the effects of conscience on decisions. He says that by telling people to do one thing, they then think that if they follow it they will be regarded as a simpleton, and are then caught in a double bind between their two choices. He concludes that for the commons to be justifiable, there must be a low population. Once the population gets too large, the commons must be abandoned.  

“Identity Production in a Networked Culture: Why Youth Heart MySpace” by Danah Boyd

The article by Danah Boyd, “Identity Production in a Networked Culture: Why Youth Heart MySpace” was written in 2006, when MySpace was more popular. The article starts off by describing what MySpace is. MySpace started as a site for people over 18, but eventually the age limit was lowered to 14. Originally it was thought that MySpace wouldn’t become popular because of previous sites such as Friendster, which had died out. However, it was found that teenagers loved using MySpace, so it quickly caught on. MySpace provides a hang out space for teenagers when they can’t hang out in person. Although this worried adults, MySpace did not replace in person hanging out with teenagers.

Despite what adults may think, teenagers are not using MySpace to spite parents; rather, they wish to create their own hangout where they can talk and explore their profiles without the control of their parents. Although this article was written in 2006 and more people use Facebook than MySpace now, the premise is the same. Recently, MySpace has been given a makeover in the hopes of attracting users back to using MySpace. Whether or not this new MySpace will be able to compete with Facebook remains to be seen.

Pinterest

Pinterest is a social media site that allows you to look through pictures that other people have posted and then pin the ones you like to your own board. You can then go back and look at your boards and your friends’ boards whenever you want. It is fairly recent, but has a lot of users and is a growing trend. Pinterest has a wide variety of topics; basically anything you would want to find information about, you can probably find something about it on Pinterest.

Recently, I have used Pinterest for everything from looking up ideas for Halloween costumes to finding new recipes to make for dinner. Pinterest is a good marketing strategy for businesses that want to make a product known. Once people start repinning a picture, it keeps getting pinned on more and more people’s boards, so it is an easy way to get publicity. Pinterest is a useful and fun way to find new recipes, crafts, and do it yourself ideas!

Social Capital and Isolation

A lot of this week’s readings talked about social capital. Wikipedia defines social capital as “the expected collective or economic benefits derived from the preferential treatment and cooperation between individuals and groups”. The article by Ellison, “Connection Strategies: Social Capital Implications of Facebook-enabled Communication Practices”, talks about social capital related to Facebook. They did a survey of undergraduate students to determine how they use Facebook to meet new friends, maintain friendships, and learn more about friends they already have. It was found that Facebook users differentiate from all Facebook friends and those they are actually friends with off of Facebook, and although they might not all be actual friends, they are still useful for experiencing diverse perspectives.

In the Pew article, “Social Isolation and New Technology”, it was found that Internet use does not limit participation in local communities, as was previously thought. It also does not pull people away from public places. Internet use also is just as common for local contact as it is for contact across and long distance. These results were found after investigating the question of whether internet and mobile phone use causes isolation among core social networks.

Instagram

I’ve recently been debating whether or not to get Instagram. It seems like everyone has an Instagram and always posts pictures using it. I decided to google Instagram to see what people were saying about it. I ended up coming across an interesting article comparing Instagram to Twitter. Although Instagram is less than two years old, not nearly as old as Twitter, Instagram is quickly becoming very popular. Something I found surprising was that the daily number of Instagram users accessing the app on a mobile device has surpassed Twitter. Also, the amount of time spent on Instagram was longer than the amount of time users spent on Twitter on average. This made me wonder where the two will be a few months from now. Will Instragram become a lot more popular than Twitter, or will Twitter make a comeback? Or maybe neither of them will even be around anymore. So, I decided to get Instagram. So far I’ve only used it for one picture, but it seems cool. I can’t really see myself using it too much, but maybe that will change.

           

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2410290,00.asp

Solve the Issues

The purpose of this website is to bring people together to discuss important political issues such as education, political reform and healthcare. The website also asks for suggestions from the viewers about how to move forward with these issues.

The intended audience is anyone interested in working together to improve issues. I think the website reaches the intended audience but I think it could be more effective if it gave more of an overview of the particular issues instead of just asking for feedback, because this assumes that the audience is already educated about these subjects.

           

The site is not useful to me because it does not provide me with information about the topics or even links to access for more information. The website assumes I already know about these topics and that I just want to contribute information.

An interesting issue that I found that the site addresses is whether the UN and world powers should step in and remove the Syrian leadership that is massacring its people. However, there was only one comment about the question.

           

I would not encourage others to visit this site. I found that although at first the site looks like it will provide a lot of useful information about interesting and controversial topics, there is actually no background information about these issues. The website merely poses questions that it hopes to receive feedback about. Even so, there are very little comments to the questions posed; most questions have one comment, some don’t have any. I did not find this website to be worthwhile at all.

There are numerous ways this website could be improved. More information should be provided about the issues, which would possibly lead to more discussion. The “Support Solve” tab brings the viewer to an Amazon store that has nothing to do with the website. At the very top of the website, the title of the website looks like an advertisement. Although it is easy to navigate the website, the pictures look like they are able to be clicked on and even change color when the cursor is over them, but nothing happens if you click on the pictures. The red words on the blue background are hard to read and it is annoying that they are in all caps.

Internet Censorship

The article “The Evolving Landscape of Internet Control”, describes the censorship of Internet in countries such as China and Russia. Authoritarian countries like these usually censor the Internet, therefore severely limiting citizens’ freedom of speech, particularly regarding politics. The article looked at circumvention usage specifically. Overall, the use of circumvention tools to get to censored material is not very common. Upon further investigation, it was found that the reason these tools are not used is not due to lack of knowledge about how to get past the Internet filters, but lack of need to access the censored pages as well as the perceived risk associated with accessing censored websites. In severe cases, such as Libya and Egypt, the Internet has even been shut down completely for periods of time.

Such blatant control of the Internet by the government is used to help keep the citizens under government control. By keeping anti-government messages from surfacing on the Internet, it makes it easier for the government to stay in control. I can’t imagine not being able to access websites purely because the government didn’t like them. The United States is very different from these countries due to the fact that there is not Internet censorship.

Facebook riot

I recently read an article on CNN, “Facebook birthday invite leads to mayhem in Dutch town, authorities say”. Apparently, a girl in a town called Haren made a Facebook invitation to her birthday party, but didn’t set it to private, so more people ended up finding out about it than she thought. The birthday party turned into a riot when over 3,000 people found out and showed up for the party. Cars were torched and storefront windows were smashed. The riot ended with 34 people being arrested and even more than that getting injured. Before the day of the party, police had found out about the event and convinced the parents not to have the party. They tried convincing people not to attend, but had no success. I was surprised after reading this article. I find it hard to believe that something as simple as a Facebook invitation could end up turning into such a big riot, but it did. This is just another example of the ability of Facebook to convey information to many people.

Here is the link to the article:

http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/22/world/europe/netherlands-facebook-riot/index.html

The WELL Community

After reading “The Heart of the Well”, by Howard Rheingold, I feel like I have a much greater understanding and appreciation for the WELL. There were so many stories of people on the WELL supporting each other and even getting to know each other well enough that they met in person at picnics. I thought the story of Elly was particularly memorable. Elly ended up in a hospital in New Delhi suffering from liver failure. Within hours, concerned WELL users who had probably never met Elly had started a fund to raise money to help her. The WELL was such an efficient way of getting advice that Rheingold himself had been able to receive medical advice from the WELL even before receiving a call back from the doctor. The WELL was the first way to exchange such diverse information online. I can’t imagine not having the capability to do this. The WELL also brought users together in person. WELL users began to have gatherings, which turned into an annual summer picnic. The WELL allowed users to find people online with interests similar to their own, and then meet them outside of the Internet and actually form friendships.

Here is a link to Rheingold’s article:

http://www.rheingold.com/vc/book/1.html

Debut of the iPhone 5

This week, there has been a lot of talk about the iPhone 5. It is interesting to me that so many people knew when it was coming out and were waiting excitedly to see what new features it would have, even if they weren’t planning on buying one. Since everyone was making such a big deal about it, I decided to look it up to see for myself what the iPhone 5 is all about. The new iPhone is thinner and lighter than the last model. It also has a metal back so it won’t break as easily. It will support 4G LTE networks. With a faster chip and improved battery life, the iPhone 5 will be a big improvement over the iPhone 4S. If it were any other phone, however, these changes would probably have gone unnoticed. The iPhone has really changed the way phones are used. It makes a wide variety of information accessible through all of the apps you can get, and it makes it very easy to connect with others. For more about the iPhone 5, check out this link:

http://www.cnet.com/iphone-5/

Online Groups

In our last class, we read an article and talked about Internet groups and whether they are beneficial. Internet groups are very helpful with keeping all of the members up to date with the group and well informed. They make it easier to plan events and for group members to connect with one another. A problem may arise if group members do not check the group website very often. The age groups that are most likely to participate in Internet groups seem to be high school, college and early adults. Groups also encourage participation from those that may not participate in person; a shy person can say their opinions without feeling judged.

I am part of several clubs at Bloomsburg that use groups on Facebook to keep in touch between meetings. This helps me remember when the next group meetings are as well as when events are going on with the club. It is also a great way for us to get any questions we have about anything, even something not related to the club, answered very quickly.  I really like the Facebook groups because I think they are very beneficial for members of the group as long as people use them.

Facebook News

This summer I realized how much I actually rely on Facebook. I rarely ever post anything on Facebook, but I often read other people’s posts. Most posts are about things that don’t matter, but other posts are about current events and news. Since I have never liked watching the news, I usually hear about things through Facebook first. Over the summer, I learned about the lunar eclipse, Higgs boson, and countless other things all through Facebook. That’s when I realized how much impact Facebook actually has on my life. I don’t think this is necessarily a good thing, since I’m sure I’m very behind on current events, but it made me wonder just how much of an impact Facebook has on spreading news. When I was looking this up, I came across an article that analyzed three surveys conducted by the Princeton Survey Research Associates International. The article suggests that although Facebook is becoming a resource for news, the population that uses it to get news is still relatively small. Will Facebook ever have a bigger impact on news than it does now?

Here is a link to the article:

 http://stateofthemedia.org/2012/mobile-devices-and-news-consumption-some-good-signs-for-journalism/what-facebook-and-twitter-mean-for-news/

Social Media and Virtual Worlds

I'm excited for this class!