Digital Nation

               Since technology has amplified in popularity and modernism, connectivity between individuals has increase all over the world. This jolt in popularity has sparked debate; there are people who are disgraced by the way technology can be used and the impacts it has on people, while others are astonished at how it benefits society.
                Social networking is increasing in popularity by the minute. Millions of people belong to at least one social networking site. As the number of social networking sites increase, the number of sites people belong to seem to rise. It used to be that everybody just had a MySpace. Then, Facebook became the “next big thing.” Following Facebook was Twitter. Though Facebook seems to hold the popular vote, many Facebook account holders also have a MySpace or Twitter account. We need it all; we feel left out if we don’t have it all. It is as if we are addicted to the gossip.
                The addiction to gossip has lead to many heartbreaking stories. Not only do people access social networking sites or stay connected via computer, but they also do it from cell phones. Teenagers feel that it is so important to stay connected, that they cannot even put their phone down to drive. Hundreds, if not thousands of people die every year because of this addiction. Laws have been put in place to prevent these events from taking place, but people are so attracted to the gossip and updates that they are willing to risk tickets, murder, or their own death. It has become a serious problem.
                Society has changed. We are no longer wrapped up in our own lives, but everybody else’s as well. With each of these social networking accounts, we can keep tabs on any of our friends (real life, or virtual). Privacy had diminished. With the loss of privacy came the loss of trust. We can no longer trust people we meet online. There are too many people that take advantage of technology. There are sex offenders, murderers, rapists, and people with nothing better to do than cause trouble. A while ago when MySpace was still popular, a mother actually took advantage of one of her child’s classmates. The mother made a MySpace account to appear as if she were some boy. Of course, the younger girl believed it was really this alleged boy, because there was nothing to make her think otherwise. It ended in tragedy. The mother said terrible things to her daughter’s classmate; she felt worthless and alone. The girl committed suicide. If it were not for the lack of privacy, restraints and protection online, this would have never happened. Cyber bulling has grown exponentially since the social networking sites have taken off. There is no system that checks to make sure you are who you say you are. Anybody could pretend to be anyone. Privacy and safety are nonexistent when one signs online.
                Though there are people who suffer from addiction, who take advantage of the system, and those who have lost all privacy they have ever had by participating in this social networking, there are also people who use the connectivity for good. There are organizations that reach out via social networking. The Biggest Loser has its own “Pound for Pound” challenge on Facebook. This not only encourages donation, but spreads awareness on obesity. It gives people something to be a part of, and could potentially save many lives. There are also sites that use message boards. Sometimes people feel they have nobody in real life to talk to, so they turn to cyber space. Because of anonymity, people are able to reach out for help. There is always someone that is willing to help, and that someone is much easier to find online than in a phonebook.
                Yes, there are downfalls to the connectivity that technology provides. If people practice safe social networking, and remember that it is only virtual, it can be a positive experience. There will always be the fear that technology will be our demise, but if we continue teaching cyber, social privacy safety, we might be able to withstand the off-sets.

A video that I feel would support my view on how identity, anonymity and life are much different online than they are in real life is "Online by Brad Paisley"

Everything is Different Online - Click this link to view the video

Discussion Questions

Personally, I am not a fan of the amateur videos. Thinking more on a societal level though, I do think the population creating these videos and advertisements will continue to grow. I feel as though society enjoys watching these videos because it gives us a sense of relation to the actors/participants, and it appears more realistic. People enjoy relating to people, and prying into their lives (whether it be a professional amateur or an actual amateur film). YouTube is the perfect example of prying into other people's lives via actual amateur films, while Cloverfield is a good example of a professional amateur movie that appeals to the public through allusion of reality. 
I am a chronic "Facebooker". When school is not in session, I find myself sitting on facebook day in and day out. I feel like it is a constant update of all of my friends and the people around me. Even if I cannot physically be with a friend, I know what they are up to. We can chat, message or post messages for all friends to see. I feel like Facebook is here to stay for a while. It seems to be catching up with all of the new mediums that are released. It stays up to date with technology while letting people stay connected to their friends. 

When school is in session, though, it is a different story. I rarely have time for Facebook. I try to go on once a week to make sure I get to talk to friends that are no longer local. I think it is a great way to catch up. Yes, it is addicting, but I also find it helpful to stay social. I am a believer that it prevents face-to-face social skills from growing, but that is the individual's responsibility. I like to stay social both online and face to face. I do not feel it has personally changed my in person communications, but I know that it does for many.

Facebook has become much more popular than MySpace. This could be for a number of reasons. This could have to do with the fact that is started out as a college student only website. Many people moved away from MySpace as they got older. MySpace seems to be dumbed down and less instant communication. Facebook has appealed more to the customer's needs of communications, rather than fancy design and music. MySpace seems to be dragging behind Facebook now. 

Openness, communication and accountability-- these are all major aspects of transparency. This has become more common online, but should be equally as important offline (if not more important). People need to be able to interact in person. That is how people get jobs, relate to others, and demonstrate proper communication. Of course everybody is open online. You can find anything out about anyone. It has become popular online. People need to start moving back into the offline world. Online transparency will not get you places in the real world, that transparency offline can get you. ortant in the offline world?

Photoshop Project #2

This image represents the GPS medium. The roadblock sign, the texting, and eating while driving shows our reliance on the GPS to get us to where we need to be. We do not pay attention like we used to because we have the GPS to tell us where we need to be.

iLearn and other online courses have had a large impact on society. People have been able to go to earn a degree from home rather than getting up and going to school on a daily basis. In this image, I portray only a few of the messages that this new medium has impacted society with.

1. Laziness sets in. Rather than having to get up and go to school, you can sleep in, stay in your pajamas, and attend class from bed.
2. Rather than being socially active, one may sit in bed and watch television until falling asleep.
3. Everything you may want is pretty much within arms reach, or at least walking distance. Rather than hanging out with friends, texting and social awkwardness takes over.

Due to technology, society has become much lazier and has lost all social skill. iLean and other online degree courses have aided in these societal flaws.

How the image was created:
The base of this image is the woman in her bed. I added the remote in her hand, and the television in the background to portray the laziness and lack of social life that takes place. I also added the cell phone to show that rather than meeting face to face, people rather text one another. We have much less face to face interaction that we used to (now, with online classes, we see other human beings less, and lack social skills). Finally, I added the iLearn screen to the laptop to show that everything can be done at one's leisure. No longer do we need to show up for class, but we can sleep in and do our work whenever we please.

Photoshop Assignment Part 2

My Photoshop trial is not connecting, so I cannot work on the image I am trying to create.
I will be portraying how iLearn and other online courses have impacted society.
I have put together some images that I plan on using in order to convey my idea.

Photoshop Assignment Part 1

Online classes are becoming increasingly popular. Commercials are advertising "college in PJ's." This suggests that rather than getting dressed and going to school, people can now take classes from bed. Here, at Marist, we use iLearn as our medium to teach online. iLearn can be used for students taking classes online, or for traditional students' professors to post class information.

The medium here is iLearn.
Some of iLearn's content consists of/can consist of: Text, Internet Links, Audio, Video, Software, Instant Reply Text (message room), Email, and Databases.

There are actually a lot of features that iLearn has that professors and students do not know about. These features may include the drop box, Marist news, wiki, joinable sites, site stats, turnitin.com, watch function and student preview. Each of these have their own form of content as well. I list these, because these all have an impact on the message that iLearn sends out to its users.

The conveyed messages:
1. People are now able to work full time while taking an online class to work toward a degree
2. Rather than going to class, we have become increasingly reliant on technology so we can stay home rather than attend school in person
3. Technology has advanced our learning. Rather than sitting in class, resources regarding class material can be posted online.
4. Rather than having in person meetings, people are becoming less personal by having online meetings
5. We can watch and listen to a lecture from home rather than having to attend classes- maybe we are becoming increasingly lazy.
6. Everybody is expected to have internet access in order to participate in online discussions
7. Everybody is expected to have the latest versions of software to be compatible with everyone else in classes (new updates and technology are so normal in society now, that everybody is expected to have bought/downloaded it)
8. Everybody is expected to be computer literate
9. Professors have access to site stats to see if students have actually logged into the site. This hints that we are becoming less trustworthy because the internet has made it easier to lie and forge material.
10. Turn it in dot com also notes how there is so much material on the web for us to plagiarize, that we now need a way to check and make sure our work is our own
11. Technology is thought to be so user friendly. Occasionally, there are issues. The student view was granted to professors so that they can see what they are actually posting. We can no longer just hand out sheets of paper in this culture (it is not green, or "cool"), so we have to learn how to make things work for one another online.
12. The drop box shows that assignments are expected to be larger than ever. The drop box allows files to be submitted that do not fit elsewhere. This goes to show that as technology advances, more and more is expected of us.

Overview:
These are only some of the messages that iLearn's content expresses. The overall message is that we are getting too impersonal, too lazy to go to school, or too busy to attend classes. We are expected to have the latest versions of software, and how to use them. We are not trustworthy, because no idea is original anymore; but, we are expected to know more than ever. It seems quite overwhelming.

New Mediums

Online classes are becoming increasingly popular. Rather than physically going to college, people have begun taking classes online to better fit their lifestyle. Parents can stay home with their children while working toward a degree, and others can work full time while taking limited amounts of classes from home. I participated in my first fully online course over the summer (on iLearn) so I could work full time and still work on completing required credits. It is a new, in demand way to teach and learn.



 GPS is a new way of getting directions in order to travel from one place to another. Rather than having to hold the steering wheel with one hand and juggle the map in your other hand, you now can have a convenient world map that sticks to your windshield or sits on your dashboard. Rather than having to flip the map upside down and all around, you can listen for directions from the automated GPS voice. You and your partner no longer have to fight over who took the wrong turn and who read the directions wrong. Traveling was a fear for many because of the chance of getting lost, now a GPS satellite signal will tell you where you are at all times. This has enabled people to travel all over and experience new things.

Magazines are no longer considered to be print media. Almost every magazine has its own website in which you can read almost any story (and more) that was sent out in the print version. The difference is that the print version costs between $3-$8 depending on the magazine, the online version is free. More and more people are participating in the online magazine daily. There are forums, games, quizzes and stories to take part in.