Twitter is not a social network according to Twit VP Kevin Thau. “Its for news, content and information,” Thau said.
Twitter without a doubt is the best way to share and discover what is happening right now.
Wikipedia defines a social network as a social structure made up of individuals or organizations that are connected by one or more things such as friendships, family members, etc.
Twitter has individuals and they are connected by tweets and more. I believe Thau went a little far by saying that Twitter isn’t a social network. Yes one can receive information and news from there depending on who they follow but so much more goes on beyond that.
Twepoles can post video and pictures and even update their followers of their location. I use Twitter for pure entertainment. I really don’t seek to get any kind of serious news from Twitter because I don’t find it credible but that’s a whole other blog.
Why and how do you think Thau came to this conclusion? Does he not want to be lumped in the social networking category? Social networking isn’t all bad. Millions of people have reconnected, gotten positions and can stay up to date with whomever they chose.
Like cyber punk I think the term social network has been given a new meaning. When social networking first started up it was good but not great. And now that it has evolved into a beast it’s almost like the second coming. There are many advantages to being apart of this revolution of social networking.
I found an article describing five reasons why Twitter is an essential social media tool.
Twitter is about the conversation.
You can use Twitter to promote your social bookmarking submissions.
Twitter can boost your blog.
Twitter is networking gold.
The power of the re-tweet equals viral gold.
This article was written in 2008 so imagine how the top five list has expanded.
Closing thought, perhaps Thau didn't mean it as just a social networking site but something that has evolved past it.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
How Have Computers Changed the Way We do Things and Who We Are?
I was really drawn to Bill Nichols “The Work of Culture in the Age if Cyberetic Systems”.
I have always had something of a love-hate relationship with the computer. I have learned about computers and how they worked, and though I consider all these things creative, I would like to have a better sense of what it is I am encountering, how it has changed the way I do things, and who I am. It also has always been my passion to help this younger generation. They have so many temptations and negative information thrown their way that sometimes its hard not to go down that wrong path in real life and online.
Nichols notes how human identity has changed compared to animals, machines and how we have become “cyborgs”; human and machine.
Cybernetic systems make such issues as reality and experience difficult to define. It creates this “awesome feeling of power and control”. Obviously computer technology is influencing these young lives from the moment of when they first enter this world and in ways that they are both conscious and unconscious of. Nichols also notes the influences of cultural and societal choices which can influence new technologies. There is always talk of digital reproduction and intelligent machines. Students in grade school can now read their text books from an iPad. Will the classroom teacher be replaced by a talking box eliminating the need for a few good teachers? But then again digital communication does stimulate face-to-face encounters and ask for immediacy.
Walter Benjamin and Bill Nichols cannot answer these questions fully, but they do much to both problematize and illuminate the process of art and the human encounter with technology. Benjamin argues that art, in terms of both perception and practice, has undergone fundamental changes in Western culture. He makes a distinction between art as ritual and art as exhibition; Nichols builds upon these concepts by adding his notions of art within contemporary “cybernetic” culture. Nichols’ core question becomes: how have social realities been reformed and adjusted by means of electronic communication and computer technology?
The question that now remains is will we as humans become dominated by our own creations as we become more and more like them?"
Discussion question:
1. What are the effects of simulation? Good? Bad?
I have always had something of a love-hate relationship with the computer. I have learned about computers and how they worked, and though I consider all these things creative, I would like to have a better sense of what it is I am encountering, how it has changed the way I do things, and who I am. It also has always been my passion to help this younger generation. They have so many temptations and negative information thrown their way that sometimes its hard not to go down that wrong path in real life and online.
Nichols notes how human identity has changed compared to animals, machines and how we have become “cyborgs”; human and machine.
Cybernetic systems make such issues as reality and experience difficult to define. It creates this “awesome feeling of power and control”. Obviously computer technology is influencing these young lives from the moment of when they first enter this world and in ways that they are both conscious and unconscious of. Nichols also notes the influences of cultural and societal choices which can influence new technologies. There is always talk of digital reproduction and intelligent machines. Students in grade school can now read their text books from an iPad. Will the classroom teacher be replaced by a talking box eliminating the need for a few good teachers? But then again digital communication does stimulate face-to-face encounters and ask for immediacy.
Walter Benjamin and Bill Nichols cannot answer these questions fully, but they do much to both problematize and illuminate the process of art and the human encounter with technology. Benjamin argues that art, in terms of both perception and practice, has undergone fundamental changes in Western culture. He makes a distinction between art as ritual and art as exhibition; Nichols builds upon these concepts by adding his notions of art within contemporary “cybernetic” culture. Nichols’ core question becomes: how have social realities been reformed and adjusted by means of electronic communication and computer technology?
The question that now remains is will we as humans become dominated by our own creations as we become more and more like them?"
Discussion question:
1. What are the effects of simulation? Good? Bad?
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
whats your second life?
Technology is the new handshake, smile and hug. A firm handshake or pat on the back means less now that you can just appreciate a person with a few strokes of the keyboard.
I went to a networking event this past weekend and the subject of social media came up. They mentioned the usual Facebook, Myspace and Twitter but then one was mentioned that I had never heard of. Second Life. What is Second Life? It’s a virtual world where people can basically create another life and communicate via voice and text chat. Is that not doing a bit too much? Did this place just combine Skype, Sims and Facebook?
Random fact: did you know that UTD purchased $50,000 worth of virtual property on Second Life? So if you play this game make sure to go build on UTD’s island.
With the younger generations coming up in this tech heavy environment, will they not only know how not to spell out words or write a complete sentence but will they also lose their face to face connections?
In Marshall McLuhan’s “the medium is the MASSAGE” he quotes J. Robert Oppenheimer saying, “There are children playing in the street who could solve some of my top problems in physics, because they haves modes of sensory perception that I lost long ago.”
Todays world wants you to go online to handle your business. They try and create the same friendly, greet you at the desk or door and offer great customer service online. But its not the same. You have people that no longer step outside of the house to go to the store or even get a fresh breath of air because they can all do all of this with one click. Why should one go out into the world and make friends when you can just pick them up online or even rent them. There is a website that offers you such a service Rent a Friend to Meet New People, I was tempted to sign up just to see what it would be like.
To go back to last weeks blog if we would not allow the computer to think so much for us maybe it would be easier to have a clear thought of our own. Instead of building worlds online, if you can, step outside the house and build a decent friendship. Go talk to the teller at Bank of America and let them see your beautiful face.
To leave you with a quote from “the medium is the MASSAGE”, “In the name of “progress,” our official culture is striving to force the new media to do the work of the old.”
Tech update:
-This phone can scan barcodes. It may not be new to everybody but its new to me. And I use it everywhere. I find it interesting that I shine a negative light on new technologies but yet I find more positive ways to use it. Its all apart of my master plan.
I went to a networking event this past weekend and the subject of social media came up. They mentioned the usual Facebook, Myspace and Twitter but then one was mentioned that I had never heard of. Second Life. What is Second Life? It’s a virtual world where people can basically create another life and communicate via voice and text chat. Is that not doing a bit too much? Did this place just combine Skype, Sims and Facebook?
Random fact: did you know that UTD purchased $50,000 worth of virtual property on Second Life? So if you play this game make sure to go build on UTD’s island.
With the younger generations coming up in this tech heavy environment, will they not only know how not to spell out words or write a complete sentence but will they also lose their face to face connections?
In Marshall McLuhan’s “the medium is the MASSAGE” he quotes J. Robert Oppenheimer saying, “There are children playing in the street who could solve some of my top problems in physics, because they haves modes of sensory perception that I lost long ago.”
Todays world wants you to go online to handle your business. They try and create the same friendly, greet you at the desk or door and offer great customer service online. But its not the same. You have people that no longer step outside of the house to go to the store or even get a fresh breath of air because they can all do all of this with one click. Why should one go out into the world and make friends when you can just pick them up online or even rent them. There is a website that offers you such a service Rent a Friend to Meet New People, I was tempted to sign up just to see what it would be like.
To go back to last weeks blog if we would not allow the computer to think so much for us maybe it would be easier to have a clear thought of our own. Instead of building worlds online, if you can, step outside the house and build a decent friendship. Go talk to the teller at Bank of America and let them see your beautiful face.
To leave you with a quote from “the medium is the MASSAGE”, “In the name of “progress,” our official culture is striving to force the new media to do the work of the old.”
Tech update:
-This phone can scan barcodes. It may not be new to everybody but its new to me. And I use it everywhere. I find it interesting that I shine a negative light on new technologies but yet I find more positive ways to use it. Its all apart of my master plan.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Memory Gone Bad!!
As I get ready for this weeks class my mind constantly goes back to last weeks class. I did the reading, I took notes and I thought I had a grasp of what was being talked about – until the class discussion started. I was very lost. I told a fellow classmate that my ADD had kicked in because there were many conversations going on at once. It’s not that I couldn’t follow it but to me there were a bunch of useless words and examples being thrown around. I’m a journalist/writer first and for me that means cutting out the unnecessary and getting straight to the news, the important things that matter. And just as in a newspaper, articles that don’t contain a photograph most likely won’t get published. Just get to the main point and paint a picture while doing it so that we visual learners can understand and remember. And this is just in general, no one person or group in particular.
Speaking of memory, I asked my friend if he knew my phone number and he replied no that he has his phone to do that for him. I thought about the contacts in my phone and how I can count on one hand how many numbers I have memorized. At that moment I started to feel bad because I felt that I was relying on technology way too much. In my last blog I let it be known that I had joined the smartphone community and purchased a Droid. It does everything! I even made a comment about not needing my laptop anymore. In this weeks reading, Flusser: On Memory, he goes through the various stages of memory and how remembering has changed over time. It started out with oral and people passing it on from one person to the next. Next were stones and other hard objects because of their ability to preserve. Now electronic memory that will over exaggerates the original memory. And of course these came with errors. I feel that when we had to tell each other and write it down or even draw it out that our brains and memory were at its strongest. The memory may have not been perfect but the brain was forced to remember something that was being heard or seen. The heavy reliance on technology in todays society could be weakening the memory part of our brain. Fluesser says that humans will just be used to process the information. I think back to the days before all this technology when I didn’t have a problem remembering anybodies phone number and now I find it difficult to recall my mothers number.
I have a GPS, Dell laptop, Ipod, Camera and Droid. To me, a new “techie”, I feel that this is a bit too much. I feel bad for not reading, just for pleasure, like I use to. In this new social media climate I don’t think that we need to invent or come up with anymore new gadgets and toys to help us remember or store our lives. How about we put some of these things down and take a breath of “technology free” air. I know this is a class and major to study all types of new media and the more I learn the more I see it as being negative than positive.
So to sum it up; 1) In class, in general, get to the facts in a much simpler and quicker way. 2) Try not to rely so heavy on electronics to remember for you, make your brain work beyond which button to push on your phone or laptop. 3) Go memorize someones number. (can I LOL in my blog??)
And I say this all from my Droid but not really though because I haven’t learned how to do that yet.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Release the Cyber Punk in You
After reading “The Cyber-punk: The Individual as Reality Pilot”, published in 1988, it dawned on me that this article was a look into the future and what was to come. In addition to fortune telling the author gives a negative name a new meaning.
In the 80’s they were not as technology advanced as we are today. The author starts out with the Greeks and uses Prometheus as an example. He stole fire from the gods and gave it to a people who knew nothing about fire. He next uses Quetzalcoatl, god of civilization, who gives the people a calendar along with other arts. These people can be described as cyber punks.
When someone hears the word cyber punk a negative connotation would usually be associated with it. But the author, Timothy Leary, gives the word new meaning. Someone who has original ideas, goes outside of the box, creates new media. These people are usually odd-balls, trouble makers, loners and even insurgents. And this goes to say that the cyber punk is always on the cutting edge. People often get into the role of just following and never leading; just going with the same old flow and never breaking out into something new. But these cyber punks found a way to break out of the everyday norm.
Do you think that Leary knew how Steve Jobs, Andy Warhol and Mark Twain’s cyber-punkness would turn out? Do you think he knew that they would go into and be remembered in the 21st century like they are now? If people could look into the future, how many of them do you think would have jumped on the Apple train when it was just starting up?
At the end of the article I was inspired to get in touch with my inner cyber punk and set her free. I not only want to be a free thinker but the next Steves Jobs. I want to have people waiting in line for my product three days before it drops.
Social Media Update:
Slowly but surely I’m getting use to Twitter and all of this new media speak. I don’t consider myself ignorant or unknowing to all of the new media out there; I just choose not to take part in it. Many of the advantages of these new medias are being used for evil. I also think that we are over connected. I don’t want to know that badly or be updated that frequently.
But as I said earlier, I am adapting to these things. One great advantage to Twitter is that I can be selective in what I read, see and tweet. I will admit though that it is tempting to tweet the most random things that go on through out my day and then the urge passes. I chose this major because I wanted and needed to be more informed for my future.
This is definitely a learning process and so far I’m enjoying it. Until next time…
In the 80’s they were not as technology advanced as we are today. The author starts out with the Greeks and uses Prometheus as an example. He stole fire from the gods and gave it to a people who knew nothing about fire. He next uses Quetzalcoatl, god of civilization, who gives the people a calendar along with other arts. These people can be described as cyber punks.
When someone hears the word cyber punk a negative connotation would usually be associated with it. But the author, Timothy Leary, gives the word new meaning. Someone who has original ideas, goes outside of the box, creates new media. These people are usually odd-balls, trouble makers, loners and even insurgents. And this goes to say that the cyber punk is always on the cutting edge. People often get into the role of just following and never leading; just going with the same old flow and never breaking out into something new. But these cyber punks found a way to break out of the everyday norm.
Do you think that Leary knew how Steve Jobs, Andy Warhol and Mark Twain’s cyber-punkness would turn out? Do you think he knew that they would go into and be remembered in the 21st century like they are now? If people could look into the future, how many of them do you think would have jumped on the Apple train when it was just starting up?
At the end of the article I was inspired to get in touch with my inner cyber punk and set her free. I not only want to be a free thinker but the next Steves Jobs. I want to have people waiting in line for my product three days before it drops.
Social Media Update:
Slowly but surely I’m getting use to Twitter and all of this new media speak. I don’t consider myself ignorant or unknowing to all of the new media out there; I just choose not to take part in it. Many of the advantages of these new medias are being used for evil. I also think that we are over connected. I don’t want to know that badly or be updated that frequently.
But as I said earlier, I am adapting to these things. One great advantage to Twitter is that I can be selective in what I read, see and tweet. I will admit though that it is tempting to tweet the most random things that go on through out my day and then the urge passes. I chose this major because I wanted and needed to be more informed for my future.
This is definitely a learning process and so far I’m enjoying it. Until next time…
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)